2019 Leaman Awards

One Sentence Summary: 2019 was a return to form for me - the best and deepest year in film since 2016 - helping to rekindle my desire to continue investing free time in this hobby.

2019 Films Seen: 89

2019 Films Seen in the Theater: 9

Number of Films with A or A+ Grade: 2

2019 Ambassador's List
(Top 25 Films)

Honorable Mentions: Cold Pursuit, The King, Spider-Man: Far From Home, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

25. Ford v Ferrari (B)
24. The Secret Life of Pets 2 (B)
23. Terminator: Dark Fate (B)
22. Harriet (B)
21. Ad Astra (B)
20. Fighting with My Family (B)
19. The Irishman (B+)
18. Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood (B+)
17. Uncut Gems (B+)

16. Toy Story 4 (B+)

15. Bombshell (B+)
14. The Highwaymen (B+)
13. Jojo Rabbit (B+)
12. Parasite (B+)

11. Hotel Mumbai (B+)

Top 10: 

10. American Factory (B+) 

9. Honeyland (B+)

8. Richard Jewell (B+) 

7. One Child Nation (B+)

6. Marriage Story (A-)

5. Just Mercy (A-)

4. The Peanut Butter Falcon (A-) 

3. Avengers: Endgame (A-)

2. 1917 (A)

1. The Farewell (A)

Superlative Awards
(Winners Bolded)

Most Surprising Film of 2019

• Bombshell 
• The Farewell 
• Terminator: Dark Fate 

Most Disappointing Film of 2019

• Knives Out 
• Triple Threat 
• Us 

Most Overlooked Film of 2019

• Hotel Mumbai
• Just Mercy
• The Peanut Butter Falcon

Most Overwatched Film of 2019

• Captain Marvel
• Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
• Us

Most Underrated Film of 2019

• Bombshell
• The Current War
• The Peanut Butter Falcon

Most Overrated Film of 2019

• Booksmart
• Knives Out
• Midsommar

Worst Film of the 2019

• Knives Out
• Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
• Midsommar
• Rambo: Last Blood
• Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

Eric Bana Award (Best perfomance given in a bad film): Jack Black Jumanji: The Next Level

Best Compilation of Work: Scarlett Johannson for Avengers: Endgame, Jojo Rabbit, & Marriage Story
Biggest Guilty Pleasure: Midway 

-Technical Awards-
(Winners Bolded)

Best Make-Up and Hair Design

• 1917
• Bombshell
• The Irishman
• Joker
• The King

Best Costume Design 

• A Hidden Life
• The Irishman
• The King
• Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
• Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Best Sound Design

• 1917
• Ad Astra
• Avengers: End Game
• Ford v Ferrari
• Uncut Gems

Best Original Score 

• The Farewell
• The Highwaymen
• Joker
• Marriage Story
• Uncut Gems

Best Visual Effects

• 1917
• Avengers: Endgame
• The Irishman
• The Lion King
• Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

Best Art Direction

• 1917
• The Highwaymen
• The Irishman
• The King 
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Cinematography

• 1917
• The Farewell
• Joker
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 
• Uncut Gem

Best Film Editing

• The Farewell
• Marriage Story
• Parasite
• The Peanut Butter Falcon
• Uncut Gems

Major Awards
(Winners Bolded)

Best Documentary Feature

• American Factory
• Honeyland
• One Child Nation

Best Animated Feature

• Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
• The Secret Life of Pets 2
• Toy Story 4

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Avengers: Endgame
• The Irishman
• Jojo Rabbit
• Just Mercy
• Richard Jewell

Best Original Screenplay

• 1917
• The Farewell
• Marriage Story
• The Peanut Butter Falcon
• Uncut Gems

Best Supporting Actress 

• Laura Dern Marriage Story
• Julia Fox Uncut Gems
• Yeo-jeong Jo Parasite
• Scarlett Johansson Jojo Rabbit
• Shuzhen Zhao The Farewell

Best Supporting Actor 

• Robert Downey Jr. Avengers: Endgame
• Woody Harrelson The Highwaymen
• Joe Pesci The Irishman
• Brad Pitt Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Kang-Ho Song Parasite

Best Actress 

• Awkwafina The Farewell
• Cynthia Erivo Harriet
• Scarlett Johansson Marriage Story
• Charlize Theron Bombshell
• Renee Zellweger Judy

Best Actor

• Adam Driver Marriage Story
• Paul Walter Hauser Richard Jewell
• Joaquin Phoenix Joker
• Jonathan Pryce The Two Popes
• Adam Sandler Uncut Gems

Best Ensemble Acting 

• The Irishman
• Marriage Story
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Parasite
• The Two Popes

Best Director 

• Noah Baumback Marriage Story
• Sam Mendes 1917
• Anthony & Joe Russo Avengers: Endgame
• LuLu Wang The Farewell
• Tyler Wilson & Michael Schwartz The Peanut Butter Falcon

Best Picture

• 1917
• Avengers: End Game
• The Farewell
• Just Mercy
• The Peanut Butter Falcon

Great Dramatic Sequences of 2019
(In Alphabetical Order by Movie & All-Time Great Sequences are Bolded)

• “On Your Left – the Avengers Assemble” -Avengers: Endgame 
• “Everything is Gone Speech” -The Farewell 
• “Argument without the Lawyers” -Marriage Story 
• “Surprising Payoff on the Big Final Bet” -Uncut Gems 

• “Arriving Upon a Song” -1917 
• “Running to Stop a Charge” -1917 
  
• "Let Me Go” -Ad Astra 
• “One Minute of Silence Together” -A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 
• “Born to Run in the School” -Blinded by the Light 
• "The Billiard Room” -Escape Room 
• "Saying Goodbye to Nai Nai” -The Farewell 
• “Saying goodbye to Mom” -Happy Death Day 2U 
• “Retelling the Candelaria ‘Hands Up’ Story” -The Highwaymen 
• “Karaoke: I Wanaa Dance With Somebody” -Isn’t It Romantic 
• “F-Off Hitler” -Jojo Rabbit 
• “Mayer with Judy on the set of Wizard of Oz” -Judy 
• “Herb is Executed to ‘The Old Rugged Cross’” -Just Mercy 
• “You’ve been Served” -Marriage Story 
• “Being Alive” -Marriage Story 
• “A Former Mid-Wife Recounts her Past Sins & Deeds to Make Up” -One Child Nation 
• "A Drunken Night Births the Peanut Butter Falcon” -The Peanut Butter Falcon 
• “Final Interview with the FBI” -Richard Jewell
• "Raiding Lorea’s Safe House” -Triple Frontier

Top 10 Action Sequences of 2019

10. “Marine Scott Adkins vs. Ip Man” -Ip Man 4: The Finale
9. “Finale: Exposing Mysterio in London” -Spider-Man: Far From Home
8. “Illusion Overwhelm: Mysterio vs Spider-Man” -Spider-Man: Far From Home
7. “Opener: From the Car Factory to the Highways” -Terminator: Dark Fate
6. “Finale - Showdown in Four Parts” -Triple Threat
5. “Casablanca Shootout Plus Dogs” -John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
4. “Finale: Two Shootouts and Two Levels of Fights” -John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
3. “Battling it out in a Gun and Knife Collector's Shop” -John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
2. “Battle of Agincourt” -The King
1. “Finale: The Avengers vs. Thanos” -Avengers: Endgame