2020, by all accounts, was a dumpster fire of a year. That may be a harsh overstatement for the movies of 2020, but overall it wasn't a very good year for movies either. Even my favorite movie of 2020 wouldn't have been in my top 3 most years. Once again I'm fairly sure my top choices won't win many Academy honors, it's just my own opinion.
This year my personal choice for the best and for the worst picture was easily made. However, my choice for 2 and 3 could have been a tie, and 4 through 7 were nearly a coin toss as well.
I have to confess that I haven't seen any of the pics this year in an actual theater. While I have a nice television there is no duplicating the feel and ambiance of a theater with an audience. I toyed with not writing this blog at all this year, but decided to do a stripped down version, just to be "on record".
As always, I welcome comments of praise and agreement, as well those of disagreement. Naturally, I'm also interested in movies you may have particularly enjoyed, and why. No other movies I've seen stand out, although I did enjoy "Tenet" and surprisingly the four hour long Zach Snyder version of "Justice League".
1) Sound of Metal: Without question the best film I've seen this year. Riz Ahmed was simply fantastic as Ruben, a suddenly deaf metal drummer. His ability to quietly and subtly convey emotion was impressive for such a relatively inexperienced actor. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised given his great starring performance in HBO's "The Night Of". The film takes us through Ruben's journey from a drummer with a joyful life, full of music and love, through his rapid hearing loss, his transition to be a member of the deaf community, and his growth as a human being. The direction is terrific and the film beautifully shows his evolution, the eventual acceptance of his circumstance, and his ultimate ability to find "stillness". I was also impressed by how they were able to demonstrate the phases of his hearing issues, audibly, to the audience. One of the reasons I often find myself enjoying a film is due to which, and how many, characters I genuinely care about or am interested in. Pretty much every character in this movie has a story I'd have liked to discover more about. Lou, his wonderfully portrayed girlfriend (Olivia Cooke), Joe, the leader of the deaf "school" (Paul Raci), and several of the other "students" were rich, genuine, complex and interesting in their own right. They contributed heavily to my enjoyment and the quality of this movie. I'll be rooting for Riz to win the Oscar but I doubt he will. The academy seems to give Oscars posthumously, as lifetime achievement awards. Chadwick Boseman, who has clearly been one of the past decade's best actors, will likely win for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", a movie and performance I unfortunately didn't much care for.
2) The Trial of the Chicago 7: This movie is part documentary, part bio-pic, and part courtroom drama. Aaron Sorkin, the prolific writer of some of the best dialogue in movies and on Tv (eg The West Wing, The Newsroom, The Social Network, Moneyball, A Few Good Men) is still somewhat of a novice director and it showed. The movie details the protests around the 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, and the trial of 7 key "instigators" that followed. The characters are certainly well played and interesting. The trial is equally captivating and infuriating. It's a very entertaining film, depicting an important part of American history, but I just found it too busy. Too many characters and opposing points of view to fairly deal with them all. "Herding cats" comes to mind. That being said, it was still the second best film, to me, of 2020.
3) Judas and the Black Messiah: Another historical drama depicting the influences of Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) on the Black Panthers, and their infiltration, by the FBI, through the reluctant informant Bill O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield). Both of the leads were absolutely superb and both were nominated as best Supporting Actors. How Daniel Kaluuya was nominated as a Supporting Actor instead of as a Leading Actor is beyond me. He dominates and captivates in every one of his many scenes. I'm very much looking forward to whatever his next projects are. He has limitless talent and the potential to be the next Denzel. The film reminds us of a very sad part of our American history. I think my personal politics, as a white middle aged man, made much of it quite disturbing and hard to watch. I suspect many won't appreciate the quality of the film for similar reasons. Still, it's very good and well worth seeing.
4) Mank: As I mentioned, the next four choices could have come in just about any order, and on any given day I may have rated them differently. I probably liked "Mank" more then the others because it deals with movies and movie making, topics I obviously care a great deal about. The movie details the process by which alcoholic screen writer, Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), comes to write "Citizen Kane" for famed director Orson Wells and RKO studios. As much as I've loved many of David Fincher's films (eg "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Fight Club", "Se7en") this one is black and white, meandering, and slow. While the performances are solid and the writing good, it's probably a movie meant for hard core movie buffs.
5) Nomadland: I keep hearing this is the front runner to win Oscars in many categories, but I'm just not sure why. As always Frances McDormand is hypnotic, but for me, her performance wasn't her best and it just wasn't enough to elevate the whole movie. The movie is about how a middle aged woman deals with loss. Her husband, her town, her community, and her entire way of life have all essentially died. She finds herself content, in a new life, traveling through the American west as a nomad, living out of her van. She encounters several other nomads who are on journeys of their own, all adopting this unconventional lifestyle. The cinematography and the acting are all certainly great but ultimately there was very little character development or "plot". No real arc and a lack "spark".
6) Minari: Another well acted, interesting tale, that just moves too slowly. It tells the story of a Korean American family that leaves California to settle in Arkansas to start a new, hopefully better, life. It poignantly depicts the importance and value of self actualization, sacrifice and compromise, family, community and belonging. Once again the acting and cinematography are excellent, there was much to like, but once again it's just too slow and somewhat boring.
7) The Father: This may sound familiar....... it's a very well acted and interesting film that's just a little slow/boring. I'm not going out on a limb to call Anthony Hopkins an acting treasure, even an icon. He does not disappoint in this film about the sad impact Alzheimer's disease has on those who have been afflicted. The film cleverly demonstrates his own confusion and mental decline as well as the chaos it creates for those who love him. However, like several other movies in recent years, it feels more like a stage play then a movie. Only one or two sets for the entire movie, clever dialogue, but no real "movie magic". I feel like "Amour" and "Still Alice" were both far more powerful movies about how Alzheimer's can destroy a life and a family. I'd suggest watching either of those ahead of "The Father".
8) Promising Young Woman: I've been accused of liking too many movies; being a soft critic. I've consistently said a primary criteria for me is simply how entertained was I?!?! Did I check my watch or look at my phone during the movie, or was I swept away? It's why I'm in favor of comedies, animated and action films, as well as comic book movies being considered for the best picture award. These types of movies tend to focus more on pure entertainment, which is a wonderful thing and doesn't preclude greatness in my book. However, to be considered BEST, a film really should be more then just entertaining, it should have some weight, a message, or gravitas. If it doesn't have those things it really should at least be supremely entertaining. I'm sure many will find this particular movie more entertaining then some of the other nominated films. At it's core this is a movie about revenge. A young woman struggling with her own identity after a trauma endured during her college years. She seeks some measure of control as she tries to right the wrongs and punish those who in her eyes deserve it. While entertaining enough, there is nothing truly special about this movie. To be kind, I'd say that I didn't find the acting to be spectacular. The plot was unrealistic and over-wrought. This movie was inconsistent and ultimately forgettable as just another decent movie. I have no idea what about this particular film merits consideration as BEST anything.
