Movies watched in 2019

Life, works and achievements of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti.

A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday tells us the story of one of jazz's greatest singers ever. Although Billie Holiday lived a life filled with tragedy, this documentary focuses more on her achievements as a singer and her exceptional ability to convey emotions through her voice, rather than going into detail about her drug and alcohol addictions and destructive relationships. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday features several brilliant performances of Billie Holiday. Colleagues such as Carmen McRae, Annie Ross, Mal Waldron, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Milt Gabler offer their first-hand perspectives.

Hoping that self-employment through gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labour exploitation.

A year in the life of a upper-middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

The story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that are still felt today.

The adventurous saga of the Swiss bridge builder Othmar H. Ammann, who moved to America as a young engineer - and created modern icons in New York with his visionary suspension bridges.

A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate reality where they never existed.

A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."

A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.

With his impeccable vocal abilities, Freddie Mercury and his rock band, Queen, achieve superstardom. However, amidst his skyrocketing success, he grapples with his ego, sexuality and a fatal illness.

The musical fantasy about Elton John's breakthrough years, from his time as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.

The troubled life and career of jazz musician Charlie Parker.

Young Jewish man bucks orthodox traditions (and mother's meddling) by shaving, shopping outside the faithful, and considering a shiksa for a wife.

A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes. Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Georges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.

Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.

A widow investigates an insurance fraud, chasing leads to a pair of Panama City law partners exploiting the world's financial system.

A young couple arrives in New York for a weekend and meet with bad weather and a series of adventures.

Chilly Gonzales is a Grammy-winning composer, virtuoso pianist and entertainer. Criss-crossing between rap, electro and solo piano music, he became the outrageous pop performer who invited himself to the ivory tower of classical music. The eccentric artist inspires and collaborates with the likes of Feist, Jarvis Cocker, Peaches, Daft Punk and Drake. Change seems to be the only constant in Gonzales' journey. Every time his audience thinks it has finally figured him out, he makes a radical move and breaks with its expectations. The cinematic documentary Shut Up And Play The Piano follows Gonzales from his native Canada to late 90's underground Berlin, and via Paris to the world's great philharmonic halls. It dives deep into the dichotomy of Gonzales' stage persona, where self-doubt and megalomania are just two sides of the same coin. The playfulness of his character is mirrored in the look of the film. Using Gonzales' extensive video archive in a rather unorthodox manner, Shut Up And Play The Piano explores his persona by interweaving newly shot interviews and concert scenes with fictional materials of totally different time periods. Reality and fiction blur together as we embark on a trip through Chilly Gonzales' world.