The 2019 Stars & Popcorn Movie Awards

Once again, it’s time to celebrate the end of another year at the movies with the second annual Stars & Popcorn Movie Awards.  I’ve already counted down the 10 Best Movies of 2019 and the 10 Worst Movies of 2019, but there’s a lot more to celebrate from the world of cinema this year. Since we’re not your average movie review site, we’re not going to have your average movie awards. This year our awards are broken into three different parts: Annual Honors, Genre Awards, and Superlatives. While many other movie awards focus strictly on how “good” a movie or performance is, Stars & Popcorn took a broader approach recognizing how fun and enjoyable many aspects of the movies from 2019 were. So, without further adieu, enjoy the 2019 Stars & Popcorn Movie Awards!

Annual Honors

Actor of the Year – Keanu Reeves

2019 was undeniably the year of Keanu Reeves. The world fell back in love with the man who is arguably too good for it. He’s had quite the busy year after reprising his hit role in John Wick: Parabellum and lending his voice to Toy Story 4. Netflix also scooped him up to appear in Always Be My Maybe and Between Two Ferns: The Movie. As if that wasn’t enough, he also announced that he will appear in the upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077 and will have sequels to both The Matrix and John Wick in 2021. Still, the best news is he’s finally dating again. Looks like those “sad Keanu” memes no longer apply.   

Runner-Up – Chris Evans

Chirs Evans had a hell of a year. Not only did he pick up the shield to play Captain America one last time in Avengers: Endgame, but he also played the polar opposite of the altruistic hero in Rainn Johnson’s Knives Out. The future seems bright for the actor/director now that he’s no longer appearing in Marvel movies, but I’m still going to miss him wearing the old stars and stripes on the big screen.

Actress of the Year – Scarlett Johanson 

I’m going to ignore the stupid things that Scarlett Johanson said this year because she was in a butt load of really good movies. She reprised her role of Black Widow in Endgame (and has a solo movie coming in 2020) but also appeared in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit as Jojo’s charming mother. Johanson also lit up the screen in the gut-wrenchingly beautiful Marriage Story. There’s no denying that she’s one hell of an actress and 2019 was probably her best year to date. She took on a wide variety of roles, and best of all, none of them were written for or intended to be played by minorities (she’s got a nasty habit of doing that). All kidding aside, she was the clear choice for actress of the year. 

Runner-Up – Charlize Theron

Coming in at a close second for Actress of the Year is the incredible Charlize Theron. She started this year in the romantic comedy, Long Shot, before lending her voice to a new animated (and just so-so) version of The Addams Family. Most impressively, she ended the year with Bombshell where she played Megyn Kelly. Hell, she even managed to keep me from hating the character.

Best New Comer of 2019 – Archie Yates (Jojo Rabbit)

While he didn’t quite get the same amount of screen time as star Roman Griffin Davis, Archie Yates proved to be one of the most memorable characters of the film. He’s already gotten his next role in a remake of Home Alone. Honestly, I think the franchise is probably in good hands because Yates reminds me of a tiny Nick Frost and that’s pretty high praise. I’m hoping that he gets a lot more time to shine in future movies, because of all the new actors to appear in movies this year, this kid definitely has a bright future ahead of him. 

Runner-Up – Julia Fox (Uncut Gems)

We had a late contender scoop up the award for Runner-up when it comes to the best newcomers of the year. All through Uncut Gems, I kept trying to figure out where I knew Julia Fox from. Turns out I didn’t know her from anywhere, but this beautiful rising star held her own in one of the more intense films of the year and made it seem like second nature. Props to her for making one hell of a debut. 

Director of the Year – Olivia Wilde

Before this year, Olivia Wilde was probably best known for being a capable and incredibly beautiful actress. Well, after her debut film, Booksmart, she can also be called a brilliant director. Wilde gave us one of the best coming of age films since The Breakfast Club and one of my personal favorites of the year. The film is nothing short of genius, and as much as I love watching her in front of the camera, I’m excited to see what she’s capable of next behind it. In a year with a lot of amazing movies from numerous talented directors, crowning Olivia Wilde as Stars & Popcorn’s Director of the Year was a no brainer.

Runner-Up – Anthony and Joe Russo 

We’ve had a lot of incredible movies this year, but one film stands out as the biggest and most successful of the year. The Russo brothers joined the MCU halfway through but proved to be the real superstars of the franchise. Together, they managed to run the ball into the endzone and give us the best movie of the year. 

Movie of the Year – Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame has been in the making for 10 years, and all that preparation and planning paid off in spades. I’m man enough to admit that I cried during that epic final sequence (and a few others) and quickly went back to see it again and again while I could still catch it on the big screen. It was one of the most cathartic moments I’ve ever had at the movies, and when I look back on 2019, it will always be the year of Endgame for me. It also helped that the film featured half of Hollywood in one role or another with some of the biggest names in the industry suiting up, some for the last time. It was a movie filled with heroes that reminded us all what that term really means. That’s why it was an easy pick for 2019’s movie of the year.