The past year has been a strange and difficult experience for everyone. An outbreak of deadly coronavirus spread all over the world, completely shutting down life as we know it and forcing us to stay home. Now, we find ourselves clamoring for things we considered as mundane. And for me, one of them is the experience of watching movies in theaters. The feeling of walking in a dark auditorium with your friends or loved ones (or even by yourself if that’s your thing) and losing yourself in the movie being projected on screen just can’t be replicated at home. When the first shut down happened, the movie industry (several other ones) stopped dead in its tracks, with theater businesses across the globe taking a blunt of the damage. Major blockbuster releases got delayed for months, and some of them are still being pushed back to more than a year from its original release.
But movies still continued to come out thanks to the growing number of streaming services. With everything consigned to a platform that’s readily available, this allowed smaller, more diverse films to shine through – films that would have been stomped in the box office by blockbusters from giant corporate studios. As a result, we can take more risks in the movies we watch. We are more willing to give these smaller films a chance of our time and attention. And because of that, I still get to complete my 2020 list, because I love sharing movies as much as watching them. So I hope that you get to find something new to see here as well.
As always, this list is a bit biased as it is heavily influenced by my personal taste. I tried to make it as spoiler-free as possible as well.
10. THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW
Director: Jim Cummings
Never have I jumped back and forth between feeling scared and laughing multiple times in a movie than in The Wolf of Snow Hollow by writer-director-star Jim Cummings. He utilizes his quirky genre style to explore flawed machismo in this horror-comedy, where his character Officer John Marshall investigates a series of werewolf murders. Cummings hits that perfect spot between gory and slapstick comedy that the tone shifts result in a completely manic crime thriller. I have to mention the late Robert Forster as well, who comes fantastic as ever in his final film role as an aging Sheriff.
9. PALM SPRINGS
Director: Max Barbakow
Palm Springs offers an inventive new take in the niche subgenre of time loop movies. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are just delightful together as a couple of wedding guests stuck Groundhog Day style, reliving the same wedding over and over again while developing a budding romance. Full of heart and humor, director Max Barbakow made sure to put the “comedy” in romantic-comedy without undercutting the more emotional moments of the film. It’s a story of love and growth (cleverly written by Andy Saria) elevated and carried by its charming leads that its 90-minute runtime just flies by fast.
8. MANK
Director: David Fincher
Although eponymously titled, David Fincher’s film (written by David’s late father Jack) about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s process of writing the script for Citizen Kane is not, in fact, solely about him at all. Mank is more of a throwback to the Hollywood of old, complete with an insightful look at how the power structures in Tinseltown influenced the political landscape and the industry as a whole. Using old-fashioned techniques, this drama feels like an unearthed movie from that era, and is filled with deep lore that Hollywood cinephiles would definitely appreciate.
7. THE INVISIBLE MAN
Director: Leigh Whannell
The Invisible Man was one of the few lucky ones to be released in theaters before the world went into lockdown for the pandemic. Writer and director Leigh Whannell adds a modern twist to the classic story, tackling issues of abuse and gaslighting in this well-crafted, socially responsible take. Employing a masterful usage of negative spaces, there’s a constant looming feeling of dread persisting throughout the film that forces you to think whether someone is actually there or not. Elisabeth Moss’ outstanding performance proves that she’s lead material, and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.
Read my full review here.
6. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin has found the right story to incorporate his own auteurisms, and the result is pure entertainment from start to finish. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is just that, a courtroom drama about the 1969 trial of prominent protesters at the Democratic National Convention in the previous year. Composed of an ensemble cast delivering powerful performances (special mention to Mark Rylance), the film does not shy away from its share of grandstanding speeches, monologues, and theatrics in its retelling of the events that leave you inspired and motivated. Sometimes movies just find the perfect time to come out and send a relevant message, even if only to remind us of what has come before.
Read my full review here.
5. THE VAST OF NIGHT
Director: Andrew Patterson
Two high school students investigate a strange noise coming from an object in the sky in this eerie alien-encounter film by director Andrew Patterson. Set in the 1950’s Cayuga, New Mexico, this period thriller is reminiscent of the Roswell-type extraterrestrial conspiracy theories, where small towns are the hotbed for alien abductions. There’s a lot of dialogue (and I mean a lot) and monologues happening throughout the film that’s easy to get lost in, especially in the first twenty minutes where it’s just Everett (Jake Horowitz) and Fay (Sierra McCormick) talking, but it’s the mystery of what’s being said that adds to the hypnotic The Twilight Zone-inspired premise. For a movie made with a budget of less than a million dollars, The Vast of Night is well-executed and made my hair stand on end several times.
4. SMALL AXE: LOVERS ROCK
Director: Steve McQueen
An ode to lovers everywhere, Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock captures the pure unadulterated joys of getting lost in a shared good time. The film follows a young girl named Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) as she attends a reggae blues party in a night of escape from the oppressive outside world. In there she meets Franklyn (Michael Ward), and while hesitant at first, the two hit it off and enjoy a night pure bliss. Despite lacking in narrative, this film is an immersive magical moment in time that pulls you in, a mood filled with striking images while acknowledging bits and pieces of the daily prejudices the London West Indian community face in 1980.
3. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Director: Eliza Hittman
Two teens from Pennsylvania take a bus to New York City so that one of them, Autumn Callahan (Sidney Flanigan), could legally take an abortion. Written and directed by Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a phenomenally-acted drama from fresh talents that never undermines the message its trying to tell. It presents a careful approach to Autumn’s journey of emotional disorientation without making it unnecessarily melodramatic. To call it a coming-of-age story is lacking – there is no personal growth to be found for the characters – but a compelling look at the realistic horrors of unwanted teenage pregnancy, and the mental trauma it brings.
2. SOUL
Director: Pete Docter
Consistency is one of Pixar’s best aspects when it comes to delivering quality films. But some releases just stand out a bit more and hits close to home. Soul follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a jazz pianist whose near-death experience teaches him a valuable lesson about living every moment. Director Pete Docter and screenwriter Kemp Powers deliver a heartwarming midlife crisis story in an all-ages package, complete with breathtaking animation that elevates the artform in every possible way. It is Pixar’s most adult film to date, exploring a theme that will surely make you ponder about your own life choices. And like most Pixar films, it may very likely make you cry after it’s finished.
Read my full review here.
1. SOUND OF METAL
Director: Darius Marder
Sound of Metal sees Riz Ahmed play a heavy metal drummer Ruben Stone, who suddenly loses his hearing in the middle of his band’s tour. As he spirals out of control, he finally decides to check in to a rehab center for the deaf community where he slowly learns to cope with his newfound predicament. Director Darius Marder uses inventive sound design (probably the best in recent memory) in dramatizing Ruben’s deteriorating relationship with his former life. Ahmed’s impactful performance – one that I think is a serious contender for a Best Actor award – in his emotional journey of rediscovery resonates through the silence, and provides a deeply grounded look at the experiences of the deaf community as a whole. This film doesn’t miss a beat.
The Talking Screen 