STACK #183 Jan 2020

OF BEST THE FILM What a year! The Joker was reborn, the Avengers played the Endgame, Queen rocked us, and Tarantino spun a Tinseltown tale. 2019's best was also wonderfully diverse, from Oscar-winners and biopics to folk horror and animated Spider-People.

2019

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1 JOKER Director Todd Phillips' bold and brilliant take on the origin of Batman's arch nemesis ventures far beyond the comfort zone of shiny comic- book blockbusters. Showcasing the ferocious talent of Joaquin Phoenix, Joker is not only one of the best films to feature the iconic DC villain, it’s the best film of 2019. Believe the hype. 2 ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD The 9th film by Quentin Tarantino ranks alongside Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vol. 1 as one of his very best. A love letter to late '60s Hollywood, meticulously designed and packed with nods to the film and TV of the period, this is QT playing in his own backyard and inviting viewers to unpack the toy box along with him. 3 GREEN BOOK Best described as Driving Miss Daisy in reverse, last year's Oscar-winner for Best

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5 AVENGERS: ENDGAME

The incredible culmination of a decade of cinematic universe building, Marvel's box-office behemoth is a gripping and unpredictable epic that deftly juggles sheer spectacle and affecting drama – and manages to squeeze in almost every major and supporting player in the MCU. 6 SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Both a game-changer for the look of animated features and arguably the best Spider-Man film to date, this 2019 Oscar- winner resembles a comic book brought to life on screen.

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Picture brought the real-life (and unlikely) friendship that developed between an African American pianist (Mahershala Ali) and a working class Italian American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) to a mainstream audience. 4 MIDSOMMAR Hereditary director Ari Aster summons the pagan spirit of the 1973 classic The Wicker Man and ignites a conflagration of horrors in his superb sophomore feature. Exquisitely weird, gorgeously realised and frequently grotesque, Midsommar will get under your skin and stay there.

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JANUARY 2020

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