Reel and Roll: Reel and Roll Awards: Best Editing 2019

Well this category was easily a no-brainer in terms of my number 1 for the year. Honestly, this video does a better job than I ever could in describing why exactly the combination of pacing, montage, shifts, rhythm etc. makes Parasite such a one-of-a-kind experience. And yes, Belt of Faith is a GOAT editing scene.

In many other years though, it would be a very easy choice for me to pick The Irishman. I couldn't find a video of the 'car explosion' scene which is just brilliant editing on every front, but this is another great example of classic Thelma Schoonmaker in The Irishman . The edits are often outlandish, stylish, and very obvious but they're brilliant and fitting all the same.

I'll try and see if I can track down videos for the other films on the list at some point but just as a run-through: The Lighthouse and Little Women are mesmerising works in this regard firstly by the cutting back and forth in dialogue, the montage work, and just the brilliant rhythm both create, the former so brooding and the latter the back and forth narrative structure with that pulsating rhythm. Uncut Gems is all about turning everything up a notch in intensity, anxiety and tension and it's just remarkable work in every regard on that front. 1917's work is so invisible that it was ignored by the Academy, well I for one think the recognition must go to making each shot seep into the next seamlessly even though the cinematography is a massive boon there. Apollo 11 is a film that's all about the editing and collating of footage and excels in that regard, El Camino is cut like a strong Breaking Bad episode so no surprises there, Knives Out maintains a beautiful rhythm throughout its murder mystery and in particular has a lot of nifty tricks particularly in the police questioning scenes, and lastly Avengers: Endgame is not overly showy work but gets the job done in crafting another rapid-fire, well made and well paced Marvel film.

Reel and Roll Awards: Best Editing 2019