By James V. Ruocco
What 2019 movies are you most excited about?
What is the one movie you can't wait to see?
Of course, you can't see everything.
You have to prioritize.
Comedy? Drama? Indie? Foreign film? Guilty pleasure?
What to watch and what not to watch is simply a matter of choice.
Who's in it? What's it about? Is it worth the money? Is it going to blow you away? Will you be entertained? Is it going to win any awards?
As usual, there's lots to choose from in between the candy, the popcorn, the soda, the hot dogs and the pizza.
Looking ahead, the following ten movies stand out.
And yes, there's a little something for every movie lover.
So, indulge! .
"Vita and Virginia"
The well-documented lesbian love affair between celebrated writer Virginia Woolf and English poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West is the subject of this romantic period drama set against the backdrop of bohemian high society in 1920's England. The film is based on the acclaimed 1992 stage play of the same name, which was written by Dame Eileen Atkins who also penned the screen adaptation with Chanya Button who directed the movie incarnation. Elizabeth Debicki is Virginia Woolf. Gemma Arterton is Vita Sackville-West. (release date: August 23, 2019)
"Downton Abbey"
A big-screen continuation of the popular British series of the same name that aired on ITV from 2010 to 2015 and subsequently, on PBS from 2011 to 2016, the film version continues the "Downton" saga with most of the original cast back in the same roles they portrayed in the high-rated television series. This go-round, also written by Julian Fellowes, is set in the late 1920's and centers around the royal visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Downton, a storyline inspired by a real-life trip the royals made to Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire during 1912. Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Laura Carmichael, Brendan Coyle, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Nicol and Penelope Wilton are featured. (release date: September 13, 2019 (UK) (release date: September 20, 2019 (USA)
"Judy"
This biopic, set in 1968, focuses on the final year in the life of legendary actress and entertainer Judy Garland before she died of an accidental drug overdose on June 22, 1969. The film, directed by Rupert Goold, chronicles Garland's final concerts in London, her marriage to fifth husband Mickey Deans, her mounting health, management, financial, drug and alcohol problems and her haunted memories of a child star lost to Hollywood. Renee Zellweger is Judy Garland. Finn Wittrock plays Mickey Deans. Rufus Sewell portrays Sid Luft. Several of Garland's best-known songs are featured including "Over the Rainbow" and "The Trolley Song." (release date: September 27, 2019 (USA)
(release date: October 4, 2019 (UK)
"The Irishman"
Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Anna Paquin and Harvey Keitel headline Martin Scorsese's gangster drama about the life of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, the mob hitman who played a part in the possible murder or disappearance of Teamster Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. The film is based on Charles Brandt's novel "I Heard You Paint Houses." Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano and Stephen Graham also star. (release date: September 27, 2019 at the New York Film Festival)
"Marriage Story"
Melodramatic showdowns and heated arguments between an avant-garde stage director and his actress wife battling a troubled, coast-to-coat divorce is the centerpiece of this quirky, offbeat motion picture written and directed by Noah Baumbach. He wants to stay in New York and pursue his directional dreams. She, in turn, snags an important TV gig in Los Angeles. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson play the unhappy couple enmeshed in nasty divorce proceedings, which include a fight for the custody of their young son. (release date: October 4, 2019 at the New York Film Festival)
"Motherless Brooklyn"
Portrayed against the backdrop of 1950's New York, this crime thriller, based on the 1999 novel by Jonathan Lethem, casts Edward Norton as a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome, who hopes to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend (played by Bruce Willis) who was stabbed to death. Norton also doubles as director. (release date: October 11, 2019 at the New York Film Festival)
"Frankie"
Set across a 12-hour day in the life of a troubled family on vacation at a posh Portuguese summer resort, this Ira Sachs drama casts Isabelle Huppert as a famous French actress who's forced her extended family to vacation with her before her terminal cancer gets the best of her. The film, which had its world premiere earlier this year at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, co-stars Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear, Jeremie Renier, Brendan Gleeson and Vinette Robinson. (release date: October 25, 2019)
"Harriet"
Kasi Lemmons directs this biographical drama based on the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, the courageous 19th century black woman who escaped slavery and led hundreds of enslaved black men and women to safety and freedom on the Underground Railroad. British-born Cynthia Erivo plays the historic abolitionist. (release date: November 1, 2019)
"Little Women"
The lives of the four March sisters - Jo, Meg, Beth, Amy - and their passage from young girls into womanhood is retold in this big screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's celebrated, semi-autobiographical 19th century novel. The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Eliza Scanlen, James Norton, Chris Cooper, Florence Pugh and Louis Garrel. (release date: December 25, 2019)
"1917"
Two British soldiers - carrying a very important message from their commanding officer - embark on a very dangerous mission to save 1,600 soldiers from a deadly attack by crossing enemy lines during World War I in England. The film. directed by Sam Mendes, stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, George McKay, Dean-Charles Champan and Mark Strong. (release date: December 25, 2019)
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