+2
Admittedly I can't comment on the visual side of things, but I don't understand why Ad Astra has been rated so highly by so many people. It's essentially a sci-fi version of Apocalyspe Now, and of those 2 I know which one I'd prefer to sit through again.
Lion King is closer to the discussion of the worst for the year, not the best. A souless, dull and unimaginative cashgrab.
The strength of Joker is built around a terrific central performance by Joaquin Phoenix, but it does borrow heavily from King of Comedy, and often a great performance can carry and even colour people's opinions of the movie as a whole. Judy has an incredibly immersive performance by Renee Zellweger in that biopic and none the less deserving of praise in a similiar way.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was good, however I can understand the criticism that it has incurred. Well written, directed and acted but does have it's flaws also.
While both Spiderman or Avengers were huge hits at the Box Office, although that can be attributed to both having built in fanbases and not because these films alone are absolutely the best. Neither by them deserve to be in the discussion of best film of the year. Let's face it, Avengers is the Return of the Jedi to Infinity War's Empire Strikes Bsck - in other words, good but still a step down from it''s predecessor.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood was solid for what it was, but there was nothing exceptional about it that makes it stand out from the crowd. Couple of years from now, it will probably be a footnote, even for Tom Hanks fans.
Parasite was good, but as I rely on AD it was hard at times to fully appreciate, so perhaps not rate it to the same degree as others do, but still in my top 5.
The Irishman does deserve it's place in the discussion for best of the year. A more introspective reflection and dare say a farewell to the gangster movies that Scorcese and then3 lead actors involved have built much of their reputations on.
The likes of Le Mans '66 & Motherless Brooklyn are both well deserving of discussion though.
I don't like cars and never even driven, but it doesn't matter because Le Mans '66 is an engrossing story with 2 strong performances by Matt Damon and especially Christian Bale, while the noir Motherless Brooklyn has so many great elements to it in terms of characters, story and soundtrack that makes it live in the memory far more than many other films throughout the year. So along with The Irishman, these are the 3 that are the contenders for my personal choice for film of the year, and juat outside of those sit Blinded by the Light and Parasite.