Dragged Across Concrete
I think this is the first great film of 2019. It's a more conventional film than either Bone Tomahawk or Brawl in Cell Block 99, and it is also Zahler's first film in which I felt Tarantino's influence (multiple perspectives and parallel storylines, sharply written and discursive dialogue). But I still think this is Zahler's best effort yet as he is really becoming a master of storytelling, pacing, dialogue, etc. This is evidenced in how willing he is to extend scenes (e.g., the slow boil of the standoff at the junkyard) and slowly ratchet up the tension to unbearable levels.
Furie
Went to see this for the much-hyped Veronica Ngo fight sequences. The choreography was pretty fun to watch but I feel the bar has now been set much higher with the bathroom brawl scene in M:I-Fallout and the single take fight sequence in Creed, where it's more than just choreography and quick edits. Fight scenes are much more intense and realistic if every punch and kick is delivered for the purpose of really hurting somebody and you can sense the full weight of the actor when he gets body slammed against a wall or the floor or the bathroom sink.
Greta
A rote thriller but still a treat for cinephiles to see 1) Huppert cast in this role, and 2) Rea and Jordan reunited again. My wife was not impressed. When I got home, I showed her a scene from Haneke's The Piano Teacher to explain one of the visual gags in the film but it was clearly too inside baseball. I was also impressed by Moretz's level of commitment to this role as the only character in the whole movie that behaved anything resembling like a real human being.
Juliet, Naked
Finally caught up with this one. Adapted from a Nick Hornby novel (which I've not read) and features original songs from Conor Oberst, Robyn Htichcock and Ryan Adams. I thought the movie would be similar to High Fidelity in that Hornby would offer insights about music obsessiveness and how pop culture can define one's personality but instead it was just a rehash of 84 Charing Cross Road and You've Got Mail. In fact, the movie is so empty of any music references that you could probably have had Ethan Hawke's character play a porno king instead of a reclusive music legend who released a porno called "Juliet, Naked" and begin a correspondence with someone on a chat forum and not change a word of the e-mail correspondence.
Us
Premise is much too thin to support a feature-length film. Or rather, there was nothing in terms of plot or character development between the reveal of the premise and the twist ending. There was recently a thread about short films and this would probably have made for a great 20 minute film as there were some genuinely creepy scenes, and the twist would provide a perfect ending for a short. Also, not sure if the casting of Elisabeth Moss was an intentional stunt but the movie would have really given moviegoers something to think about during that empty 75 minutes in the middle if Mark Duplass had been cast in Tim Heidecker's role.
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