As we bid farewell to the 2010s, here is the A Year in Film mashup of the decade. 2019 was another great year for cinema, and now at its end, we’re celebrating all the movies that came out this year with another trailer mashup. Science fiction, drama, horror, thriller, romance - it’s all represented here in one giant extravaganza. So get comfy and grab your popcorn…

Lazy and uninspired, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a pandering regression from the bold new direction established by Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. Even worse, it’s the first Star Wars film engineered to please its loudest and most troubled demographic: the toxic fandom. A frantic rush to bring a nine-film saga to a close, The Rise of Skywalker is filled with narrative dead-ends, aborted character arcs, and generic fetch quests, all designed to please as many people as possible. Minor spoilers below…

After the back-to-back successeses on Netflix with Gerald’s Game and The Haunting of Hill House, renowned horror master Mike Flanagan attempts to snag his whale. An adaptation of the Stephen King novel and a full-on sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Doctor Sleep is ambitious, thrilling, and beautifully realized…but ultimately a mixed bag. There’s much to love, but the film still lies in the shadow of Kubrick’s mad genius. Mild spoilers ahead…

The Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s latest gangland epic, is a somber and morose journey through the life of Bufalino hitman Frank Sheeran. Based on the real Sheeran’s biography “I Heard You Paint Houses,” the film is a measured departure from Scorsese’s past filmography and the genre he helped revolutionize; the mob movie to end all mob movies, The Irishman is a masterful exploration of tragedy and the gravity of regret. Mild spoilers ahead…

I don’t find myself trafficking in hyperbole or superlatives very often, but Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a cinematic masterstroke that deserves every bit of its widespread acclaim. A film that defies both genre and expectation, Parasite is a complex and scathing meditation on class and human nature that bends to the director’s razor-sharp whims. Easy to love and difficult to categorize, Bong Joon-ho’s latest is undoubtedly the best film of the year. This review will detail some broad plot points, so if you prefer a pure experience, I suggest not reading any further. Minor spoilers ahead…

Despite the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and director James Cameron as producer, Terminator: Dark Fate once again proves that the killer cyborg franchise is running on fumes. Touted as a return to form for the series and a long-awaited followup to Cameron’s first two sci-fi classics, the film is positioned as redemption for a series that has long been floundering and misguided. Unfortunately, however, Dark Fate serves up neither the nail-biting terror of The Terminator nor the white-knuckle action of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, all the while shedding the emotional throughlines that made them great. Mild spoilers ahead…

Breaking Bad series creator Vince Gilligan returns to helm a one-shot epilogue centered around Jesse Pinkman in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Taking place right after the events of the acclaimed AMC drama, El Camino is neither essential nor groundbreaking, but it is an absolute pleasure to behold. Like slipping on a pair of worn and comfortable shoes, Gilligan and Aaron Paul make a thrilling and confident return to the world they left behind six years ago. Minor spoilers ahead…

Joker, director Todd Phillips’ long-awaited - and controversial - take on the Clown Prince of Crime, is a prime example of a film whose architecture outstrips its narrative. Even with Joaquin Phoenix’s no-holds-barred performance, Hildur Guðnadóttir’s thunderous score, and Lawrence Sher’s stunning cinematography, Joker is nothing more than a shallow homunculus of better films. Mild spoilers ahead…

Sprawling in its vision and intimate in scope, director James Gray follows up The Lost City of Z with his affecting space drama, Ad Astra. Brad Pitt puts forth one of the most subdued - yet poignant - performances of his career as astronaut Roy McBride. A powerful meditation on fathers, sons, and masculinity, Ad Astra profoundly deconstructs a traditional character archetype with a deft hand. Mild spoilers ahead…

It Chapter Two, director Andy Muschietti’s followup to 2017’s wildly successful It, is a baffling hodgepodge of half-baked ideas. Every time the film has an interesting choice to make, it makes the wrong one, squandering its stellar cast and Stephen King’s rich mythology. Frustratingly overlong and exceedingly myopic, It Chapter Two is one of this year’s most disappointing horror blockbusters.

A violent romp of class warfare, Ready or Not is a fun - if predictable - exercise in survival horror. Neither very insightful nor clever, the film is bolstered by a single silver lining: the undeniable charm of Samara Weaving. The Australian actress is far and away the best part of the movie, carrying its light narrative with her considerable charisma. And while Ready or Not may not be particularly deep, its B-movie thrills and kills are sure to guarantee at least a passably good time.

Tigers Are Not Afraid, the new film from writer and director Issa López, is a haunting blend of fairy tale and horror. Bracing and fearless in its magical realism, the film navigates a nameless Mexican city in the throes of gang warfare and violence. Anchored by a stunning and precocious young cast, Tigers Are Not Afraid is a confident effort by López that combines affecting storytelling with a poignant message. Minor spoilers ahead…

Uncompromising in its brutality, Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale tackles a completely different type of real-life horror than the director’s 2014 feature debut, The Babadook. A savage treatise on the evils of man - both the species and the gender - The Nightingale is a gauntlet of violence and terror that also happens to be one of this year’s most powerful films. Buoyed by blistering performances from Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr, Kent’s sophomore effort is as enthralling as it is difficult to watch. Minor spoilers ahead…

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, is a nostalgia-laden love letter to Hollywood during the Summer of Love. A project that feels deeply personal, the film dials down the director’s penchant for provocation and sensationalism, and instead delivers a mature snapshot of friendship, vintage Tinseltown, and a time that has escaped our grasp. Elevated by the powerful trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and a radiant Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is some of the best filmmaking that 2019 has to offer.

Last week marked the 20th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project’s 1999 theatrical release. Love it or hate it, the film left an indelible legacy within the horror genre, shifting the paradigm to a bold type of filmmaking that would soon become an industry mainstay. With their lower budget requirements and DIY aesthetic, found footage films get a bad rap, but with an anyone-can-do-it approach also comes a trove of hidden gems. Today, we’re looking past the horrors of The Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity, and diving into some more obscure waters. Here are, in no particular order, 10 lesser known found footage horror films that are worth your time…

Under the Radar is a column by Strange Harbors that explores hidden gems in pop culture. Whether it's a little seen film, an underappreciated television show, or a forgotten comic, there's a lot of quality stuff out there that goes relatively unnoticed. This column's job is to shine an oft-needed light on these overlooked, but ultimately worthwhile, works. This week, we'll be taking a look at The Phenom, Noah Buschel’s under-seen film that powerfully tracks a talented young pitcher and his fraught relationship with his father.

Director Lulu Wang’s sophomore feature-length film, The Farewell, is one of the year’s best. As a second-generation Chinese American myself, the film hits particularly close to home in a way I never expected to see on the big screen - a transcendent examination of the gap between cultures and generations, The Farewell is a funny and emotionally poignant portrait of a family and the secrets it keeps. Minor spoilers ahead…

Midsommar, a harrowing tale of grief steeped in uncomfortable folk horror, is a confident and gut-wrenching sophomore effort from director Ari Aster. With his second feature-length film, Aster proves that Hereditary was no fluke, and solidifies himself as a new master of squirm-inducing terror. Florence Pugh absolutely owns the role of Dani Ardor with a breathtaking performance, and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski directs some of the most beautifully disturbing imagery seen in cinema this year. Minor spoilers ahead…