2019 was one of the best years for film in recent memory. It had everything you could have wanted: epic new films from masters like Tarantino and Scorsese, an endless parade of cool and inventive indie movies, sci-fi, epics, and many, many, many, more. I went to the theater tons of times and enjoyed every visit. 2020 promised a new Bond movie, Denis Villeneuve's Dune, a new Wes Anderson movie, and more. Culminating in February with Parasite's surprise Best Picture win at the Oscars, it felt like a great time for movies.
The part that came next, I don't really need to explain all that much here. Movie theaters shut down all but two (Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984) major releases and were either pushed back to 2021 or released on a streaming platform. Thankfully my local theater was mostly open, but with nothing to release, I saw a mixture of small new releases (The Midnight Sky, Freaky, Mank) and classic re-releases (Back to the Future, Psycho, The Muppet Christmas Carol). With Godzilla vs. Kong's promising opening weekend, there is hope for the future of movies in the cinemas. But before we get there, what is there to make of 2020? Streaming platforms took up almost all of the oxygen during the year for obvious reasons, but what did that mean for the quality of film? I'm still dubious of the long term prospects of technology companies handing out blank checks to filmmakers in order to bolster their catalog, but 2020 showed that in the short run this strategy can pay off for consumers.
So what did we get in 2020? Besides the two aforementioned "blockbusters" in Tenet and WW84, what we got was a lot of dramas. Some good dramas, some quiet dramas, some boring dramas. I suspect that 2020 will be remembered more as a curiosity rather than the year that proved streaming platforms can create the same magic as theaters. While I had no problem listing 15 great films in 2019, I struggled to get to 10 in 2020. So much that I sort of cheated- Judas and the Black Messiah technically came out in 2021, but is eligible for the 2020 Oscars so I'm listing it below. The good thing about 2020? You can watch every single movie below, right now, on a streaming service or VOD platform.
1. Tenet
Ah, Tenet. Was it needlessly confusing? Probably. But I'm a sucker for Christopher Nolan's films and after my second viewing, I was a true believer in Tenet. There are about 8 incredibly memorable, sometimes jaw dropping action setpieces, all with fantastic special effects. The real shame of Tenet is that most people didn't see it on the big screen. When I saw it in IMAX, my ears were almost splitting, my eyes twitching from the complete sensory overload. John David Washington and Robert Pattinson having winning spy team chemistry, I'm hopeful for a Tenet sequel to get more of them. The opening opera house sequence is one of the best openings of any action movie, period, and almost worth the price of admission alone. One piece of advice I'll give while watching Tenet, and it just so happens to come directly from the film itself: "don't try to understand it, feel it."
2. Mank
I'm going to forewarn you, Mank is not for everyone. Most David Fincher films are propulsive and extremely accessible despite their dark tone (Gone Girl, Seven, The Social Network), but propulsive is probably the last word people would use to describe Mank. Well, unless you're a movie nerd like me. Fincher's 11th film tells the story of how the screenplay for one of the greatest films of all time, Citizen Kane, was written. The screenplay (written by Fincher's father Jack) is fast paced and laden with 30's era slang, with dialogue that has a snappy pace that's difficult to get used to at first. On the second go round, a lot of the characters made more sense and the story had much more weight. I'm making no promises on this one, but if you love Gary Oldman, Citizen Kane, 30's Hollywood, or out of date American slang, check out Mank.
3. Minari
A story about a young Korean family who immigrates to Northwest Arkansas, Minari is purely a family drama that is universal to all cultures. The film takes on the important things in life and family through the immigrant's lens, choosing to be less about the struggles of moving to a new land, but more about the question of what is important in life. I was absolutely charmed from start to finish by this film, and it being set in NWA helped it grow in my estimation.
4. Judas and the Black Messiah
I knew little to nothing going into this film about the Black Panthers. Judas illuminates one of their leaders, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), in the tumultuous end of his life, and how it crosses paths with unwitting FBI informant William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield). Biopics have the tendency to meander through a person's entire life, but the best focus on key events that instruct us who they were. JatBM falls into that later category as we see the FBI trying to infiltrate the Black Panthers. The film has less moralizing than you might expect, and way more action and intensity. It is extremely well made, well acted, and has a real studio budget behind it. Judas covers some similar territory to another 2020 film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, but does so in a much more cinematic and interesting way.
5. Promising Young Woman
Just an absolutely nuclear indictment of rape culture, and a squirm filled good time to boot. Funny, hard to watch, provocative and totally unapologetic.
6. Sound of Metal
Riz Ahmed is one of the best working actors today (check out his incredible turn in the HBO limited series, The Night Of), and he does not disappoint in Sound of Metal. While the last 20 minutes suffer a bit, the journey Ahmed's character takes us on is nothing short of beautiful.
7. Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a great riff on the Groundhog Day formula, carried by the charm of its two stars, Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. This came out at a particularly low point during the pandemic, and its light and whimsical style was a breath of fresh air.
8. The Gentlemen
Guy Ritchie is back from making Disney movies to give us what he does best- fast talking British gangster flicks. The cast here is completely stacked, with Hugh Grant and Charlie Hunnam stealing the show.
9. The Midnight Sky
We may look back at this film and remember it as the first "old man Clooney" performance and he's certainly great. The Midnight Sky is a hodgepodge of space movies like Interstellar, Gravity, and Ad Astra, with just enough unique flourishes to make it a good time.
10. The King of Staten Island
I'm sure the Apatow schtick of a man-boy trying to grow up will get old at some point. This time the formula still feels funny and heartwarming enough to sneak into my top 10. Pete Davidson does a great job playing a version of himself but Bill Burr is the real standout.
