I had promised myself I was going to restore my habit of doing end-of-year media lists for 2019. This is one of what was supposed to be four posts in the series but became only two: movies, music, television, and games. Spoilers ahead.
When I think back on the movies of 2019, here are the moments that stand out:
“For anyone who wants to check all of this, I really don’t suggest watching Groundhog Day in this manner. It’s not the best way to enjoy what is essentially a light-hearted comedy whose metaphysical concerns are supposed to be enjoyed in fun, and not worked out mathematically. Normal people should be happy to just watch, and accept that Phil Connors is stuck repeating his one day endlessly over and over until he finds himself- but then, I don’t think I’m normal.”
Simon Gallagher has made a compelling argument to estimate how many days Bill Murray was trapped in the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day.
Jon Stewart Self-Deprecation: 5
Brokeback Mountain Jokes: 5 (one by Ang Lee)
Death To Smoochy References: 1
Angelina Jolie Jokes: 1
Democrats/Liberal Jokes: 2
Jon Stewart Making Funny Noises: 2
Jon Stewart Yelling: 5
Jon Stewart Clapping Too Long: 3
Fashion Jokes: 2
Ass-Kissing Name Checks from Jon: 7
Jew Jokes: 2
Jokes about George Clooney: 5
Jokes by George Clooney: 3
Dick Cheney Jokes: 1
Needlessly Large Bow-Ties: 2
Scientology Jokes: 1
Australian Presenters: 4
Times An Award Winner Takes A Shot At The Presenter: 1
Needless Comedy Montages: 1
Needless Drama Montages: 5
Total Montages: 7
Montage Jokes: 1
Stephen Colbert Being Funnier Than Jon Stewart: 4
Stuffed Penguins: 4
Flaming Cars Used In Musical Acts: 1
Desperate Luddite Pleas For People To Keep Going To Theaters: 2
Teleprompter Jokes: 1
3-6 Mafia Jokes: 4
Number Of People Not Only Played Off By The Band, And Not Only Had Their Mics Cut, But Flat Out Ended The Program In A Dead Stop: 1
Minutes Overrun: 26
Quote of the night:
> “And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it’s probably a good thing. We’re the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn’t really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I’m proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch.” – George Clooney