Ace Black's List: The 10 Best Movies Of 2019

More than 95 movies from 2019 have been reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog. Here are the 10 best:

Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Starring Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, and Olivia Wilde.

The tragedy of an ordinary man caught in a maelstrom, exploring the fine margins between heroism and guilt-by-media. Full review. 

Directed by James Mangold.

Starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon.

The essence of competition on the race track and within corporate boardrooms, and at heart a story of human achievement against the odds as underdogs challenge motorsport's elite. Full review.

Directed by Lulu Wang.

Starring Awkwafina and Zhao Shu-zhen.

When is a wedding not a wedding? When it's a family ruse to say farewell to an unsuspecting matriarch, in this delightful culture displacement comedy. Full review.

Directed by John Lee Hancock.

Starring Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, and Kathy Bates.

The other side of the Bonnie and Clyde pursuit adopts a lyrically fatalistic focus on two uncompromising men devoted to old-school methods, carnage deployed to nullify carnage. Full review.

Directed by Sam Mendes.

Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George Mackay, and Colin Firth.

A technical marvel creating the illusion of a single two-hour continuous shot, this is the front-lines of war as seen by average soldiers on a breathtaking but low-probability mission. Full review.

Directed by Taika Waititi.

Starring Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, and Thomasin McKenzie.

An irreverent satire with a warm heart, combining the violent death throes of a fascist regime with a tender story of a boy who may yet find salvation. Full review.

Directed by Todd Phillips.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, and Robert De Niro.

This gloomy descent into despondency explores soulless wickedness as a reaction to an uncaring world where bullying is tolerated and power celebrated. Full review.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles.

Starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins.

An intellectual clash of ideas between the old conservative recognizing his time is up and the upstart progressive unsure if his time has come. Sharply written, beautifully photographed, and magnificently acted. Full review.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, and Joe Pesci.

An ordinary life in service of the mob and the Teamsters, this is an epic story about power, politics, male friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. A stellar cast and a dual investment in style and substance yield a sombre and reflective mood, punctuated by episodes of startling violence. Full review.

Directed by Bong Joon-ho.

Starring Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-shik, and Park So-dam.

Contrasting family dynamics mix with irreverent humour, social satire, and architectural contradictions in this sublime story of a subversive household take-over in search of economic short-cuts. Full review.

Ace Black's List: The 10 Best Movies Of 2018

More than 100 movies from 2018 have been reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog. Here are the 10 best:

Directed by Nick Hamm.
Starring Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace, Judy Greer, and Corey Stoll.
A bedazzling, humorous, and glossy character-driven drama about friendship and the pursuit of grand dreams. Full review.

Directed by Tamara Jenkins.

Starring Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Kayli Carter, and Molly Shannon.

A bitingly funny exploration of the all-consuming desperation to pursue parenthood, with well-rounded characters grappling with unintended consequences, mismatched expectations, and self-doubt. Full review.





Directed by Jason Reitman.
Starring Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis.
A social drama with moments of humour deviously poking at the darker and often unspoken perils of motherhood. Full review.





Directed by John Krasinski.
Starring John Krasinki and Emily Blunt.
A cerebral horror movie about murderous monsters decimating the planet but also unleashing human ingenuity and a family's fierce will to survive. Full review.





Directed by Ryan Coogler.
Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, and Lupita Nyong'o.
A refreshingly smart, engaging, and relevant superhero movie weaving themes of influence and cultural responsibility into a rich action-filled narrative. Full review.





Directed by Spike Lee.
Starring John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace.
A jocular biographical police investigation drama, and a slick exposition of hardened bigotry corroding American society. Full review.





Directed by Anthony Maras.
Starring Dev Patel, Anupam Kher, and Armie Hammer.
An unblinking 360 degree recreation of the horrific 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, portraying selfless bravery amidst unfolding panic and deadly coordinated mayhem. Full review.





Directed by Peter Farrelly.
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, and Linda Cardellini.
A road trip buddy movie through the heart of prejudice, exploring the tenets of friendship, mutual respect, and an awakening to the road still ahead. Full review.





Directed by Steve McQueen.
Starring Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya, and Robert Duvall.
A crime-and-corruption drama and thriller, and an intricate character-rich story mixing heist thrills with power-hungry clan rivalry and political connivance. Full review.





Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
Starring Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira.
A beautifully constructed slice-of-life drama delving into family and social dynamics, class divides, and dependencies within the cultural and streetscape environment of Mexico City in the early 1970s. Full review.

Ace Black's List: The 10 Best Movies Of 2013

More than 95 movies from 2013 have been reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog. Here are the 10 best:

Directed by Ryan Coogler.

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, and Octavia Spencer.

Humanity's fragile threads revealed through the heartaching recreation of Oscar Grant's final day before the young Black man was needlessly shot dead by San Francisco transit police officers. Full review.

Directed by Jason Reitman.

Starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, and Gattlin Griffith.

A quiet, tender story of two damaged souls connecting and an unlikely love blossoming under remarkable circumstances. Full review.

Directed by Ron Howard.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, and Olivia Wilde.

An intense rivalry between two very different yet similarly driven men yields an epic Formula 1 championship season, recreated with controlled passion. Full review.

Directed by Spike Jonze.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson (voice), and Amy Adams.

A subdued yet dazzling commentary on a near-future with ever more technological dependency, and a further blurring of emotional ties between people and artificial intelligence. Full review.

Directed by Steve McQueen.

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, and Michael Fassbender.

The story of slavery through the deeply moving experience of one man is a necessarily distressing exploration of humanity's inhumane capacity for brutality. Full review.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, and Sarah Gadon.

An unnerving psychological drama about a man who meets his physical copy, and the subsequent emotional struggle for self-identity. Full review.

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.

Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

A visually stunning lost-in-space epic exploring survival, loneliness, and emptiness at the most primordial level. Full review.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve.

Starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano. 

A harrowing child abduction drama filled with unpredictable dread, exploring human coping limits where wrong can become so right. Full review.

Directed by Bong Joon-ho.

Starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, and Ed Harris.

A dystopian and ridiculously entertaining science fiction thriller capturing the primal struggle for control between surviving haves and have-nots as the planet takes a break from sustaining life. Full review.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie.

A vivid dissection of the scummy men running the world's profit-obsessed economic system, finding wild humour where unconstrained depravity and limitless greed collide. Full review.