Favorite Films of 2019

Well, i think i've waited as long as i can before posting my favorite movies of 2019.  Did i get to see everything i wanted to?  Of course not.  I have kids.  And so, as sure as i am about this list, things like "The Lighthouse" or "Knives Out" may certainly have ended up on here if given the chance to actually see them.  And i will someday.  But for now, here's 10 films i loved...

10. Too Old to Die Young
I cheat a little bit every year with selections that aren't movies necessarily, but Nicolas Winding Refn's neon noir series for Amazon Prime basically plays like one long ass movie, filled to the brim with every single idiosyncratic choice the filmmaker has ever thought of.  If you're not a fan of his work, you'll hate this, but i loved every single crawling minute.

9. High Life
The latest from French filmmaker Claire Denis, an arty, dystopian, sci-fi film, features a knock out performance from Robert Pattinson, a lot of weird and uncomfortable sex stuff, and Andre 3000.  Good stuff.

8. The Perfection
Richard Shepard's thriller changes course more than once through its duration, with scenes that both shocked and threw me off, and a couple of pivotal moments that you really just need to see yourself.

7. The Irishman
It's long.  It's great.  It's Scorsese.

6. Knife + Heart
The best homage to giallo movies that takes place in the gay porn community that i've ever seen.  Thanks Yann Gonzalez!

5. Dolemite Is my Name
Craig Brewer's biopic about Rudy Ray Moore is an absolute delight.  Eddie Murphy is outstanding, and his supporting cast kick ass too, and i smiled from start to finish.

4. Midsommar
Ari Aster is making a name for himself as an absolute behemoth of the horror genre, turning in heavy and phenomenal work that really needs to be seen by both horror fans and non-horror fans alike.

3. Doctor Sleep
Mike Flanagan is another filmmaker making a name for himself in the horror genre as well, crafting atmospheric and haunting movies that play like gangbusters.  "Doctor Sleep" really should not work, and yet Flanagan makes it work on every level, tying it beautifully in to both the film and book versions of "The Shining."  No easy feat.

2. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
Every Tarantino film is an event, and his 9th film is no different, a love letter to the medium and a meditation on aging and a fear of uselessness.

1. Under the Silver Lake
David Robert Mitchell's followup to "It Follows" is a surreal modern noir that pulls from both De Palma and Lynch, an impossible mystery that amps up the paranoia while critiquing toxic malehood as a kind of malaise.  It's hypnotic and fascinating, my favorite movie of the year.

And there you go.  2019 was a great year for movies.  Here's hoping next year is great too.

Daily Jam - Rocket Man

Let's finish the year with one of my favorite songs ever, Elton John's "Rocket Man."  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Eartheater & LEYA

I posted about New York duo LEYA's upcoming new album a few days ago, but it seems they've been even busier than that, recording a new EP with experimental artist Eartheater.  The "Angel Lust" EP plays like a blend of creepy folk tunes and modern, avant garde classical music.  Haunting and ethereal and hypnotic stuff.  Listen to "Angel Path" below and get it here from PAN.

Hinds - Riding Solo

Here's a new jam from Madrid garage rock band Hinds to close out 2019 with.  Listen to "Riding Solo" below and download it here from Lucky Number.

Daily Jam - Now You're Nobody

Embrace's "The Good Will Out" came out at the ass end of Britpop era, and kind of got overlooked because of that.  It's really a wonderful album, and i have a soft spot for it, the song "Now You're Nobody" in particular.  In college one night with a head full of chemicals, it served as a soothing come down, sitting with a friend, watching the stars go out one by one.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - The Flood

I don't have any idea what these visuals in the video are from, but i've always loved "The Flood" by The Soundtrack of Our Lives.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Going Down to Die

I don't think Danzig has made anything worth a damn in 25 year, "Danzig 4" being a last hurrah of sorts.  But i'm still totally checking out that "Verotika" movie as soon as i possibly can.  Anyway, here's "Going Down to Die," our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Elves

Daily Jam - No You Don't

I'm heading to the greater Oklahoma City area today to visit my sister and her family, and i'm sure the boys have driven me insane by now, so here's "No You Don't" from Kaada for our Daily Jam.  I don't really know how to describe this song, and neither do you.

Lux

Here's a little raucous punk rock from Barcelona's Lux.  Listen to "Action" below and get the "New Day" EP here from La Vida Es Un Mus Discos.

Daily Jam - So Alive

Everybody get everything they wanted for Christmas?  Good.  Here's "So Alive" from Love and Rockets to celebrate my wife's birthday, our Daily Jam.

Bananagun

Here's some new and groovy psych pop from Aussie band Bananagun coming our way in February.  Listen to "Out of Reach" below and pre-order the 7" here from Full Time Hobby.

Daily Jam - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Like this wasn't going to be the song today, Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), our Daily Jam.

Pye Corner Audio - Xmas Denied (Serf Complex)

Electronic artist Pye Corner Audio has been releasing new tracks for Christmastime over the past couple of years, and this year's offering, "Xmas Denied (Serf Complex)," is a dark, foreboding, and haunting little drone.  Candle lit.  Snowstorm howling outside.  Alone with one's thoughts.  Listen below and get it here from the artist.

Daily Jam - Vampire Blues

It's Christmas tomorrow.  So, i guess here's "Vampire Blues" by Neil Young, our Daily Jam.

Dr. Dog - Panpepato

I haven't thought about indie band Dr. Dog in forever.  But here they are, with an EP of folky, quirky Christmas songs.  Listen to "Panpepato" below and download it here.  Christmas is in two days.  I have SO MUCH to still do.

Daily Jam - The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack

I remember when experimental post punk band Liars' third album "Drum's Not Dead" came out, and the reactions from a lot of critics and listeners were big mix of love and hate.  There was no middle ground.  And i get it.  It's kind of a hard shell to crack.  But crack it i did, and love it i did as well.  Here's the album's gentle closer, "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack," our Daily Jam.

LEYA

LEYA, the experimental Brooklyn duo that i missed at SXSW earlier this year due to car seat issue, have a new album heading our way in March.  Check out the droney, soundscape, and GABI-assisted "Weight" below and pre-order "Flood Dream" here via NNA Tapes.

Daily Jam - Born to Please

You know who never got a fair shake?  Austin band Sound Team.  Basically after getting screwed over by their label, they band fell apart and broke up.  And that's a damn shame, because i loved their debut album "Movie Monster."  Here's "Born to Please," today's Daily Jam.

Ragana

Here's two new ominous tracks from Oakland metal band Ragana.  Listen to "Waiting" and "The Tower" below and get the "We Know that the Heavens Are Empty" EP cassette here from the band.

Daily Jam - Blue Tears

It's feeling like a Black Heart Procession kind of day, so here's "Blue Tears" from the band's 1999 sophomore effort "2."  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Deadly Games

Favorite Non-2019 Movies of 2019

I'm going to wait another week or so before writing up my favorite movies of 2019, as i want to give myself just a little more time to try and see some more stuff.  But, i also saw a lot of older movies this year, and a few of them, six to be exact, really stood out.  So, here are my favorite movies that didn't come out this year.

6. 3 Women (1977)
Sissy Spacek and Shelly Duvall in an understated character study from Robert Altman made during his heyday.

5. Bad Moon (1996)
A '90s werewolf movie that works really well, filled with some fun practical effects and a good, good boy.

4. Out of the Dark (1988)
It's a sleazy serial killer/slasher flick about a clown-masked madman who kills sex phone operators.  Like i'm not going to love this.

3. Personal Shopper (2016)
An atmospheric ghost story with Kristen Stewart that i liked way more than i would have imagined.

2. Four of The Apocalypse (1975)
Before coming across this gem on Prime, i had no idea that Lucio Fulci made a Spaghetti Western.  I wish he'd made a lot more.

1. The Addiction (1995)
I can certainly dig on some Abel Ferrara movies, but for some reason, had never even heard of this one until earlier this year.  I checked it out late one night while the family was sleeping and LOVED it.  A moody, black and white feature about drug addiction and vampires, that had i seen as a teenager when it was released, would have become an obsession.  Easily my favorite non new release of the year.

So there's a week of lists for all you maniacs out there.  I'll be back after Christmas with some new movies i adored this year.

Daily Jam - Nailed to the Blank Spot

I remember when i was in high school, teaching myself how to play the guitar, that all the writers in the guitar magazines i would read would just rave and rave about the dudes in Chavez.  The band's kind of proggy, kind of mathy, kind of proto-post rock and noisy take on alt-rock got all the aplomb from those guitar nerds, so naturally i checked it out too.  They were right.  Listen to the punchy "Nailed to the Blank Spot" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Program Ten (Pts. 1-3)

Inspired by the weird and trippy sound collage of The Beatles "Revolution #9," experimental artist Bill Holt crafted an album using bits of sampled sound, analog synthesizers, and guitar on "Auralgraphic Entertainment" as Dreamies.  As imagined, it's kind of weird.  But also hypnotic and strangely pop ready at moments.  Listen to the first three parts of "Program Ten" below, our Daily Jam.

Favorite Album Art of 2019

Here's a bunch of cool album art that came out this year.  Enjoy.

 1. Mellotron Variations - Mellotron Variations LP

2. WOW - Come La Notte LP

 3. Black Pumas - Black Pumas LP

 4. Aesop Rock and Tobacco - Malibu Ken LP

 5. The Autopsy of Jane Doe OST LP

 6. Zombierella's Tentative Reels - Suicide Commando 7"

 7. Pinkish Black - Concept Unification LP

 8. M83 - Knife + Heart OST LP

 9. Sudan Archives - Athena LP

10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling OST LP

Good, good stuff.  Be back tomorrow for some old movies i saw for the first time this year that knocked my socks off.