The 9 Most Underrated Movies of 2019

Even with stiff competition from Disney — a studio that ruled multiplexes in 2019 with “Avengers: Endgame,” “The Lion King,” “Toy Story 4,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and more — a healthy number of small and medium-budgeted movies released this year still managed to find the audiences they were supposed to.

“Hustlers” and “Knives Out” both grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office, a rare occurrence for movies not based on existing IP. “Parasite,” a parable about wealth among two South Korean families from director Bong Joon Ho, earned more than $20 million as the highest-performing foreign-language film of the year. “Harriet,” the biopic about the conductor of the Underground Railroad, made $43 million. “Queen & Slim,” about a black couple’s fatal encounter with a racist cop, was another winner, with more than $40 million in ticket sales. And after sold-out showings last week, “Little Women” and “Uncut Gems” are off to a strong start.

“Blinded by the Light”
Domestic box office: $11.9 million

2019 proved to be a banner year for jukebox musicals, from “Rocketman” to “Yesterday,” but the best of the genre was “Blinded by the Light,” directed by Gurinder Chadha (“Bend it Like Beckham”). This musical comedy, inspired by a memoir set in 1987 England, is a coming-of-age story that follows a London teenager, Javid (played by the wonderful Viveik Kalra), who finds his way as a writer through the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen. When I saw “Blinded by the Light” at Sundance, it reminded me of the soulfulness of Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” with a bit of “Boyhood.” And when it sold for nearly $15 million to New Line — the boutique studio owned by Warner Bros. — after a bidding war, it seemed poised to be one of the breakout independent movies of the year. But for some reason, studio executives dumped the movie in August, where many smaller films struggle to gain traction. “Blinded by the Light” deserved much better.

“Wild Rose”
Domestic box office: $1.6 million

And while we’re talking about musicals that needed to be heard, there was also “Wild Rose,” which tells the tale of a country singer in Glasgow who dreams of a fresh start in Nashville. Jessie Buckley, who plays the film’s lead, gives it her all...Τα υπόλοιπα Σινεφίλ ΕΔΩ!

Spanio Pouli

Editor

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