Favorite Movies Watched in 2019

And....drumroll! Time for my annual recap of all the movies I watched last year, plus my picks for favorites. Note that not all of these movies were released in 2019; these are just the ones I watched last year.

I reviewed just 16 movies last year, compared to 22 in 2018 (though I didn't have time to review every movie I saw). We are definitely watching fewer movies as the TV options continue to expand and improve. You can see the full list and genres below, with my favorites marked with *, but I only review movies that I like, so all of the movies listed below are worth watching. I didn't see any documentaries (second year in a row!). It was tough to categorize many of the movies, so some of my choices are sort of random. More and more, movies are blurring the genre lines: funny mysteries, dramas with plenty of humor, musical comedy dramas, etc. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood alone could have gone into three different categories! I saw a lot more movies in theaters the past two years, so more of these are recent releases than usual for me. Thank you, recliner theaters!

You can see my full list of movie reviews, covering several years at the Movie Reviews tab.

And now, for my top picks - do I have to choose? Some of these are very tough choices:

 Best Action/Suspense/Thriller

Widows 

Classic action thriller and dark, gripping drama

Best Drama
Lion

Everything I saw in this category was great but Lion blew me away.

Best Comedy
Knives Out

So many great funny movies! This humorous whodunit took the prize.

Best Sci Fi/Fantasy

 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Musical Drama

Yesterday 

Music, warm drama, comedy - this uplifting movie had it all and we both loved it!

Best Movie Overall
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

I created this category for this movie because it is SO good, combining drama, humor, and suspense with a hefty dose of nostalgia and a very clever twist.

What were your favorite movies watched in 2019?

All Movies Reviewed in 2019:
My favorites are marked with *, but I only review movies I enjoy, so all of these are worth a try:
 Action/Suspense/Thriller
Fracture
Secret in Their Eyes
* Shaft 
* Widows

Drama
* The Art of Racing in the Rain
* El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie 
* Lion
* Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Comedy
* Edge of Seventeen
* Like Father
Murder Mystery
* Knives Out

* Smart People 

Sci Fi/Fantasy
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald
* Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
 
Musical Drama
* Yesterday