Alexa's Best Movies, TV Shows, Music & More of 2019

We're over halfway through the first month of this new year - can you believe it? Anyway, today's post is another look back at 2019, and this time, I'm going to be sharing my favorites in film, television, music and a few other areas today. (I also highlighted my favorite reads of 2019 last week, so don't forget to go and check that out!) 

I don't watch a lot of films, so I had a pretty small list to consider when coming up with my list. The only live action film that warranted a spot was Avengers: Endgame. I've been a really big fan of the entire Avengers film franchise (and have seen every single film), and it's been a joy to get to experience an entire era with these characters. To witness it all come together in a film (and to get those epic battle scenes at the end)? So, so good. 

Otherwise, all of my favorite films from last year were animated - My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (a great addition to this franchise, with an enjoyable standalone plot and some fangirl-worthy moments), How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (a bittersweet finale to this franchise), Into the Spiderverse (we watched this early in the year, and I'm obsessed with how clever, thoughtful and fun it was and how much it taught me about the Spiderverse), Klaus (a Christmas film with a take on the origins of Santa Claus that gave me all the feels) and Frozen II (my newest Disney film obsession - I wrote an entire post about it!).

I also don't watch a lot of tv in general, but I have eight (!) series that I can include this year. There are two live action series that deserve a mention (though I have admittedly not finished either one - and I promise I'll be remedying that this year): Good Omens (drawn to it for Tennant and the plot of an angel and a demon teaming up to find the Antichrist and prevent the end of the world; stayed for Tennant, Sheen and the plot) and The Witcher (which is so magical, and is such an interesting take on the story of a Witcher named Geralt and his adventures).

The other six series are all animated! There are two series I haven't finished yet either: Snow White with the Red Hair (which I'm currently rewatching for Friends with Anime; it's a delightful shojo fantasy story about a girl who escapes marriage to her kingdom's prince by traveling to a neighboring kingdom and working as a healer) and Rising of the Shield Hero (a Dungeons and Dragons style story where four ordinary young men are transported into a magical world and expected to be the heroes of said world).

There are four series I did finish or at least get up to date on: Gen:Lock (I was so shocked at how invested I got in this story that features five new recruits that get involved in a new program centered around weaponized neuroscience in the form of mechas), My Hero Academia (We finally binged all the seasons that were out and I fell in love with the story of these young kids studying to be professional heroes), Gakuen Alice (the sheer amount of screaming I did over this shojo series about a school for kids with special gifts, otherwise known as "Alices", was... a lot) and Fruits Basket (this reboot is a gift from the heavens, and I have fallen even more in love with this story of a girl who finds herself involved with a family that has a curse where a number of the members turn into animals of the zodiac when hugged by the opposite sex). We're also still keeping up to date on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and obviously loving that with all the nods to the original stories and characters and everything new that it's bringing to the table.

Maggie Rogers ("Heard It in a Past Life", released January 2019) | I am obsessed with Maggie and her music. There's just something magical and unique about the combination of her vocals, music and lyrics, and I have not stopped listening to her album since it first dropped. (I also made it the soundtrack of my autumn, since that's the vibe the album gives me!) It's brilliant! My personal favorite tracks are Retrograde, Light On, Fallingwater and Back in my Body.

James Bay ("Oh My Messy Mind", released May 2019) | It's not really surprising to have James appear on my favorites list again because he's one of my favorite artists. I love all of his work, and this is true of this new EP. It's a bit of a throwback to his original style on Chaos and the Calm, and I am here for every single bit of it. My personal favorite track is still Peer Pressure, but Break My Heart Right is a close second.

Taylor Swift ("Lover", released August 2019) | I'm always eagerly anticipating Taylor Swift's album releases, because she has, over the last decade, become one of my constant soundtracks in life. This album is brilliant. It's the culmination of an era, it's beautifully done (from the incredible music to the clever lyrics) and I'm properly obsessed. It's my favorite of her albums (though I still think Fearless could give it a run for its money) to date! My personal favorite tracks are Cornelia Street, Death by a Thousand Cuts and Cruel Summer, but I love all the songs so much.

While these are the top three albums I had on repeat for 2019, I also listened to a few more albums that are worth a mention: Westlife ("Spectrum"), the Jonas Brothers ("Happiness Begins"), The Script ("Sunsets and Full Moons") and Ariana Grande ("Thank U, Next").

I also wanted to mention a few other favorites from this year! I was able to watch a good amount of Broadway shows this year that I really enjoyed, including Kiss Me, Kate (the dance numbers in this show were epic!), My Fair Lady (which was hilarious and endearing and also inspired me to want to write a romance similar to it), Moulin Rouge! The Musical (honestly, the spectacle alone is worth every single cent you pay to see it) and Jagged Little Pill (the way all the songs on this Alanis Morisette record are used is clever and the story is heart-wrenching). I also attended the Portraits and Dreams seminar that Maggie Stiefvater hosted about writing, and it was illuminating! And last, but certainly not least, I played most of Kingdom Hearts 3 this year (I literally only have the final boss to beat at this point) and it was so, so much fun.