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It’s time to wrap up 2019 at the movies, and boy was it a year for capping sagas, telling real-life stories and showcasing original content. And then there were the failed reboots, the tired sequels and the “what were they thinking?” flicks that managed to find theater space. For this week’s That’s A Wrap, I pick the best and worst movies and performances of 2019.

Best movie: ‘Parasite’

I cannot stop thinking about this comedic but dark film by South Korean writer/director Bong Joon-ho on the struggles between a poor family and the well-off clan they want to treat. It doesn’t go in directions you think it would go, creating an atmosphere of kinetic energy and tension. It is the well-deserved winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or.

Honorable mention: Writer/director Lulu Wang tells a personal story about a family’s effort to hide a matriarch’s cancer diagnosis in “The Farewell.” Jordan Peele strikes gold again with his terrifying look at America in “Us.” Being by the sea doesn’t agree well with Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe drama, “The Lighthouse.”

Best performance: Antonio Banderas, ‘Pain & Glory’

Whenever Banderas works with director Pedro Almodóvar, magic happens, but this time is extra special as they both tone down their styles in this semi-biographical film about the filmmaker. The performance is like Banderas is breathing in Almodóvar’s essence and swirling it into actions powered by emotions.

Honorable mention: Adam Driver in “Marriage Story” turned this cinephile into a fan, and the actor had a very busy 2019 with appearances in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “The Report” and “The Dead Don’t Die.” Renee Zellweger remained audiences of how talented she is as she played beloved but troubled star Judy Garland in “Judy.” Joe Pesci breaks his retirement for his subtle performance as real-life Northeastern Pennsylvania gangster Russell Bufalino in “The Irishman.”

Best breakthrough: Jonathan Majors, ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’

While Jimmie Falls is the star of the compelling drama based on his life, Majors prevails in this picture through his wide range as Jimme’s supportive friend. Helping his buddy who tries to return to his childhood home that his father, Majors (as Montgomery) begins as the sympathetic observer and rises to the confrontational force the storyline needed. Honorable mention: Margaret Quallery held her own as Mason family member Pussycat in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” Florence Pugh gave exceptional performances in two very different films, “Midsommar” and “Little Women.”

Best casting: ‘Dolemite Is My Name’

Not only did this Netflix comedy serve as the perfect comeback vehicle for Eddie Murphy, it elevated others who are now building their own names, much like Rudy Ray Moore did when he was making “Dolemite.” Wesley Snipes deserves more accolades for his performance as the jaded actor D’Urville Martin and Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a force of talent as newcomer Lady Reed.

Honorable mention: Putting Adam Sandler in the role of a gambling-addicted jeweler and former NBA star Kevin Garnett as himself in the Safdie Brothers’ “Uncut Gems” was a genius move. If the directors had gotten their first pick, Kobe Bryant, this movie would have been a disaster. With the exception of Daniel Craig’s southern fried accent, the casting for “Knives Out” was pleasantly weird and seriously stacked with talent.

Best campy movie: ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’

It was the Netflix movie that divided #FilmTwitter, but “Velvet Buzzsaw” was one of only five 2019 movies to which I gave five stars. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo, the art scene in Los Angeles is a horror show as works begin to kill people. It’s only the only five-star movie I would not recommend to others. It’s not for everyone.

Honorable mention: If you ever wanted to see an acclaimed French actress play a psycho biddy, watch “Greta” with Isabella Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz. Bromance action flick “War” combines all the cheesy elements of a “Fast and Furious” movie, a “Die Hard” sequel and a Jean-Claude Van Damme title and saves room for one or two Bollywood musical numbers. Aging up a beloved animated character for a live-action film results in the oh-so-sweet kid’s movie “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.” It’s the campy equivalent to 2018’s “Bumblebee.”

Better luck next time: The other streaming movies

Much attention in 2019 was made to Netflix’s “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story” and “The Two Popes,” but not all the streaming titles struck gold last year. Among the worst were Hulu’s “Into The Dark” series of horror films that were only scary because someone greenlit them to be made. Even Academy Award-winning directors released some duds, including Steven Soderbergh with “The Laundromat.” The comedy on the Panama Papers was more like a boring economics class with Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas.

Honorable mention: Horror reboots and sequels were without life like “Child’s Play” and “Annabelle Come Home.” “Climax,” a French film about an acid trip that tears apart a dance troupe, had the wrong moves. “Bombshell,” with its all-star cast and subject matter that is very current, offered no new insight, and perhaps even worse, gain sympathy for the women who were wronged in the Roger Ailes scandal.

Adam Driver appears in the family drama, ‘Marriage Story.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_marriagestory-1.jpg.optimal.jpgAdam Driver appears in the family drama, ‘Marriage Story.’ Netflix

Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff star in the Hindi action flick, ‘War.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_warmovie-1.jpg.optimal.jpgHrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff star in the Hindi action flick, ‘War.’ Yash Raj Films

Jonathan Majors plays Montgomery in the moving drama, ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_Jonathan-Majors-Last-Black-Man-1.jpg.optimal.jpgJonathan Majors plays Montgomery in the moving drama, ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco.’ A24

Awkwafina accepts the award for best actress in a motion picture comedy for her role in ‘The Farewell’ at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_AP20006147291569-1.jpg.optimal.jpgAwkwafina accepts the award for best actress in a motion picture comedy for her role in ‘The Farewell’ at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday. Paul Drinkwater | NBC via AP

Meryl Streep appears in a scene from ‘The Laundromat.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_AP19239218094845-1.jpg.optimal.jpgMeryl Streep appears in a scene from ‘The Laundromat.’ Claudette Barius | Netflix via AP

Chloë Grace Moretz, left, and Isabelle Huppert star in the campy thriller, ‘Greta.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_greta-1.jpg.optimal.jpgChloë Grace Moretz, left, and Isabelle Huppert star in the campy thriller, ‘Greta.’ Focus Features

Isabela Moner plays a kid’s audience favorite in ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_dora-1.jpg.optimal.jpgIsabela Moner plays a kid’s audience favorite in ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold.’ Paramount

Eddie Murphy leads a talented cast in ‘Dolemite Is My Name.’
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_dolemiteismyname-1.jpg.optimal.jpgEddie Murphy leads a talented cast in ‘Dolemite Is My Name.’ Netflix

Lee Jeong-eun, from left, Cho Yeo-jeong and Kang-Ho Song of ‘Parasite’ arrive at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday in Beverly Hills, Calif. Lee Jeong-eun, from left, Cho Yeo-jeong and Kang-Ho Song arrive at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_AP20005846980911-1.jpg.optimal.jpgLee Jeong-eun, from left, Cho Yeo-jeong and Kang-Ho Song of ‘Parasite’ arrive at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday in Beverly Hills, Calif. Lee Jeong-eun, from left, Cho Yeo-jeong and Kang-Ho Song arrive at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss | Invision | AP

By Tamara Dunn

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ONLINE: Visit letterboxd.com/tamaradulva/list/2019-ranked for Tamara Dunn’s rankings of 80 films released in 2019 she has watched.

Tamara Dunn is the night news editor at the Times Leader. She is also a film lover who counts “Rear Window” and “Black Panther” as her favorites.