2019 has been an interesting year for movies. There have been sequels and reboots as well as various other pieces of news from the entertainment world. For this particular post, I want to go over some of the best moments in 2019. This doesn’t necessarily directly involve a movie, but rather the news and other information surrounding a film or TV series. Don’t worry, I’ll still include awesome moments from movies as well, but there’s a lot more that happened this year that I really want to cover. So, with that in mind, let’s go over what I consider to be some of the best moments of 2019.
Joker Hits The 1 Billion Dollar Mark
What do Deadpool, Logan, and Joker have in common? 1. They’re all based on established comic book characters. 2. They’re all fairly low-budget(in terms of theatrical releases, anyway). 3. They’re all successful. This is also really important: 4. They’re rated R. Normally, I wouldn’t bother mentioning the fact that a film’s success is based on it’s rating. The truth of the matter is, is that these films are hard-R-rated films. They’re violent, not for kids, and yet, people went out to see these films in droves. Why? They’re well written, well acted, and very well made. Before Joker was released, Deadpool had the distinction of being the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. Then Joker hit cinemas and blew audiences away with an incredibly nuanced character piece involving the most notorious comic book villain in pop culture. The numbers don’t lie: $1,054,941,623. What this proves is that you can have an R-rated comic book movie and still have it be very successful, provided you get all the ingredients right. Comic book movies aren’t just for kids anymore, and I’m really curious to see what comes next, especially for DC and Warner Bros.
Captain America Lifts Thor’s Hammer/”Avengers!….Assemble.”
Avengers: Endgame was one of the most anticipated superhero movies of 2019. Not only did the film NOT disappoint, it blew away the competition becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. The film was loaded with incredible moments from beginning to end, but there were two that truly stood out for me. Both of these moments take place during the final battle with Thanos. The first moment is when Captain America picks up Thor’s hammer, Mjollnir in a sequence that was only teased at in Age of Ultron. The second moment is when every superhero that was snapped out of existence in the previous film returns, culminating in what I consider to be one of the most epic battles in comic book movie history. The film is exciting, thrilling, funny, and incredibly emotional, especially if you’ve been a part of the journey since the original Iron Man back in 2008.
The Mandalorian Hits Disney Plus
I’ve been a huge fan of Star Wars since I was a kid. I’ve seen the Original Trilogy countless times on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray. I also really enjoyed the Prequels, even though many people didn’t. I’ve also enjoyed the newer films, despite the fact that they really didn’t bring anything new to the table. With Rise of Skywalker out towards the end of the month, I wanted to bring attention to a new story based on the iconic franchise: The Mandalorian. The show follows a lone Mandalorian warrior as he makes his way through the galaxy as a bounty hunter, tracking down targets and delivering them for a fee. What I really love about this show is how much it feels like the Original Trilogy in terms of tone and style. Like the original film, The Mandalorian is a Western in space, being influenced by the likes of Spaghetti Westerns and other films in the genre. It works. It’s restrained in its story-telling, only revealing bits and pieces throughout each episode. A second season of the show is currently in pre-production. I’m excited and I think a lot of people are, too. This is the breath of fresh air that Star Wars has needed in a long time.
A Holiday Reunion – Xfinity 2019
I will fully admit that I have my issues with Comcast as a company in terms of how they conduct their business. Normally, I wouldn’t give a second thought to an advertisement from a company that I’m not a big fan of, but this particular ad is truly wonderful. This is E.T. For the youngsters out there, E.T. was a family science fiction film released back in 1982 by director Steven Spielberg. It featured a young boy befriending an alien that was left behind when his ship tried to escape hunters. The film followed young Elliott on his adventures with “E.T.” It was a wonderful film about the innocence and curiosity of being a kid. It was fun little ride that had more than a little heart. The film’s ending broke a lot hearts back in the day, but it was well-earned and was a natural conclusion for the characters. It’s still gets me every time. This ad reunites E.T with his friend Elliott, with Elliott having a family of his own. His own kids discover the little guy(which is still very practical, by the way), and it just ends up being such a heart-warming little tale in its own right. It’s one of the best ads I’ve seen in a long time.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Is Official
In another piece of Star Wars news, it was announced earlier this year that a 6-episode series featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi was green-lit. Obi-Wan Kenobi, initially played by Sir Alec Guiness in the Original Trilogy was replaced by Ewan McGregor in the Prequel Trilogy. McGregor is arguably the best part of the Prequels, so it would absolutely make sense that he would return to play the character in a new series. The series is set to take place between Episodes III and IV. Story details aren’t available yet, but I will keep you informed. If Obi-Wan is half as good as The Mandalorian, I think Star Wars is going to be in much better shape going forward, especially after the Skywalker saga wraps up with Episode IX. The fact that Ewan McGregor is returning makes me incredibly exciting. Kenobi is such an interesting character and to see McGregor basically channel Alec Guinness at times, while making the character his own, is mind-blowingly awesome.
Iko Uwais and Tony Jaa vs. Scott Adkins, Triple Threat
In case you haven’t noticed: I love action movies. I love great action movies even more. When Tony Jaa entered the scene with Ong-Bak, he turned heads and over the years, he’s gotten a lot better in terms of his acting, but he’s also lost none of his physicality. He’s had some weak films, for sure, but so has Scott Adkins. Getting the chance to see these two titans go at each other in a star-studded action film was a dream come true. Triple Threat is the film that The Expendables wished it could be. Solid action, solid gun-fights, and amazing action cinematography. This is how you make an action movie. This final battle between Iko, Tony and Scott is one of the reasons why I watch these movies in the first place. I would put it up there with the fight scene with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, as well as Jet Li vs Donnie Yen in Hero. Triple Threat is one of my favorite action movies of the year and for good reason. It’s that good.
Netflix’s The Witcher Trailer Drops
Before I picked up The Witcher video-game back in the day, I had no idea that the game was based on a best-selling series of novels in Europe. After playing The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt, I decided to check out some of the books. Wow. This was Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones was even a thing. I’m genuinely excited for the show, because the show is not based off the games, but the books. Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia? From what I’ve seen, I think he can do it. The show looks fantastic and epic. I just hope that they manage to really make it good, especially for the fans of not only the games, but the books as well. I’ve got my fingers crossed for this one.
2019 has obviously seen a lot in the entertainment world, but these are some of the more memorable things that happened that caught my eye. I’m still planning on doing my Best Films of 2019 list before the end of the year, so stick around for that. There may be some surprises in there that you might not see coming.