We debated whether First Cow‘s bovine star Eve the Cow should be considered a best supporting actress or more of a co-lead.Īnd then in late February and early March, as if it was buried deep in a soundtrack’s mix, you’d hear the faint voices of news anchors talking about this virus that was showing up with alarming frequency in Asia, and Europe, and now the United States.… We speculated on what would make the cut for Cannes in the spring, and by extension, the lineups of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto in the fall. We looked forward to seeing Daniel Craig’s Bond farewell, Christopher Nolan’s latest question mark of an IMAX thriller, Wes Anderson’s tribute to old-timey newspaper folk, a Peter Jackson documentary on the Beatles’ Let It Be sessions we braced ourselves in anticipation (and also with some trepidation) about new Marvel movies, a belated Top Gun sequel, yet another Ghostbusters franchise coffer filler. Movie theaters were still filled with annoying texters and talkers, but they were open for business. It started off on a series of high points: a fruitful Sundance, a history-making Oscar win for Parasite, the release of several notable 2019 fest-circuit gems for general-public consumption.