It’s almost that time, dear readers, time to reveal my picks for the absolute Best Movies of 2020. Before we dive into that, however, we have a few housekeeping items that we need to address. Firstly, thank you all so much for reading this blog over the past year, especially when I haven’t been able to generate as much content as I used to due to an increase in job responsibilities at both Cinemark and Bitesize Breakdown. It truly has meant the world, and in 2021, I hope to be able to get back to generating content for you all to read at the same frequency I used to before 2020 really got going. Additionally, I wanted to let you all know (and I will announce this on my personal twitter page as well – follow @JakeJonesSWR for further updates) that the nominees for the 5th Annual Fisher Awards (my own “Oscars”-type awards, for those of you who don’t know) are due to be announced very soon. Like, within the next week soon. I do not yet have an official date, as nominees are still being determined, but given how close they are to finalization, I’m fairly confident I’ll be able to get them out before the official Oscar nominees are announced on March 15th. Making a list of the Best Movies of 2020 was difficult this year, but not for the reasons you might think. Of course, not as many things released theatrically this year, and many higher-profile releases got bumped into 2021, thus making them ineligible for the Best of 2020 list, but the real challenge actually fell in the opposite direction. In previous years, I’d seen any number of films ranging from 55 to 140; this year, the final tally marked 179. I saw an abundance of incredible films from 2020, many of which were international films, which I was able to access for the first time due to their being available through Virtual Cinema. These sort of opportunities were, needless to say, difficult to find in past years, and so the challenge for this year’s “Best Of” list was not due to the lack of things to watch, but rather due to the abundance of great films which I had the opportunity to engage with for the very first time. To that end, I thought it might be prudent to include an Honorable Mentions list this year separate from the main “Best Of” list in order to shine a light on all those films I did genuinely fall in love with or greatly admired, despite their losing out on the “Best Of” list when the going got tough. They deserve some sort of honor or extended shoutout for their boldness, their creativity, and their wonderful storytelling, and it is in an effort towards fulfilling that honor that this list has come to be. Welcome back to The Friendly Film Fan, and here is my first (and perhaps last) official list dedicated solely to the Honorable Mentions for the Best Movies of 2020. (These entrants are unranked and in alphabetical order. To see how they compare to each other as far as ratings, check out my Letterboxd page.) Boys State Boys State was the first major release of the year for A24 (yes, I know, First Cow came out in March, but that was not a big release), who partnered with AppleTV+ to release the documentary about a group of high school boys holding a mock political election in Texas. The attitudes, platforms, and atmosphere directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss manage to capture here are stunning, to the point where I could not believe they got some of this material on film. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the 2020 moment in American politics, capturing the often fraught but always fascinating mental consciousness of teenage boys hoping for some sort of glory in a career this inherently seedy, and I cannot recommend it enough. Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review The Climb The Climb may not be what I consider to be the best comedy of the year, but it runs an extremely close second or third to the one I have placed in my “Best of 2020” list, and the only reason it didn’t make the list was because even with an expanded “Best Of” plate (more on that in the conclusion to this piece), it juts couldn’t quite crack through the bottom of it. Not every segment of this film works as well as the others, and it could say more about toxic friendship and co-dependency, but makes up for a lot of what it misses by hitting what it hits so perfectly for the kind of movie it is. It’s at times blisteringly hilarious, other times painfully awkward, and still other times genuinely heartwarming, and no one should get more credit for that than the writer/director Michael Angelo (yes, that’s his real name) and his on-screen co-lead Kyle Marvin. These two have great chemistry, and Angelo in particular is a fantastic writer. Please check this out if you haven’t already. Letterboxd Review Collective This is very much the frontrunner for winning Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars this year, and – like much of this list – would have made the “Best Of” if there weren’t so many films I enjoyed just a little bit more or that meant more to me personally. Don’t let that turn you off to watching it, though. Collective is an absolutely stunning piece of documentary filmmaking and a powerful confirmation on the importance of journalism. The healthcare fraud this team manages to uncover by just investigating one concert fire to determine liability is staggering, and the way the film itself plays out could be counted as being among the best thrillers of 2020 as well. Letterboxd Review Dick Johnson Is Dead I’ve really never seen a film quite like Dick Johnson Is Dead, and now that I’ve seen this, I don’t know that any similar film could replicate its style or uniqueness to nearly as powerful an effect. Kirsten Johnson exploring the various methods and ways in which her father could meet his dramatic end is a fascinating portrait of someone facing their grief through doing what they love, and whether or not that’s a healthy way to cope is never really the issue at the heart of the film. It’s not one that I was head over heels for when I saw it, but it is the documentary I’d be most eager to suggest others watch, even if one doesn’t typically enjoy that style of filmmaking. At the very least, it’s not one you’ll soon forget. Letterboxd Review The Forty-Year-Old Version Radha Blank’s directorial debut earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Lead Actress just today, so if awards bodies are what you need to convince you to see something, see this one the second you get the chance. This tale of a 40-year-old playwright turning to rap music as a late-stage career shift is not just one of the funniest movies of the year, but one of its most insightful and multi-layered as well. The themes the film plays with as it transitions to an admittedly less funny second half come into sharp focus, challenging the viewer’s expectations and even perceptions about what movies like this are or should be like to brilliant effect. It’s on Netflix now, so go check it out. Letterboxd Review Hope The Norwegian entry for Best International Feature this year, Hope is as much a well-told tale as it is a familiar one. When a struggling married couple learns that one of them has cancer, they have to try and stitch their love for each other back together before death do them part. Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård deliver very good performances, and though the film is imperfect, it’s one of the more traditional international films that doesn’t feel annoying or generic within that tradition. It’s unlikely this is screening in Virtual Cinemas anymore, but if it is, it’s certainly worth watching. Letterboxd Review The Invisible Man (2020) I actually did a full review of this one back when it released in late February, so in light of posting the Bitesize or Letterboxd links, I’ll just link to that instead. That being covered, Leigh Whannell’s take on The Invisible Man was just as refreshing and inventive as his other great sci-fi picture, Upgrade, even if it’s a little more mainstream, a little longer, and not quite as polished the whole way through. That’s not to say it’s not as good as Upgrade (this might even be the better film), but it certainly attempts to cover a broader scope than that film’s by telling its story through the lens of domestic abuse survival, so the ground it walks on is a little trickier to navigate. In any case, The Invisible Man is a fantastically inventive horror film with a lot more on its mind than most mainstream horrors ever attempt, and Whannell’s direction of the film is absolutely brilliant, as is the lead performance of Elisabeth Moss, who continues to climb the ranks as one of the world’s greatest living actresses. Throw in a couple of killer supporting turns from fellow rising stars Aldis Hodge and Storm Reid, as well as Whannell’s slick, camera-creative directing style, and you’ve got yourself one damn entertaining horror flick. The Invisible Man (2020) Review Kajillionaire I was so in love with Miranda July’s stirring and wonderful Kajillionaire the first time I saw it, I wondered if it even could be bumped out of the “Best Of” list. As it turns out, yes it can, but by an extremely slim margin. This movie is perhaps the most fiercely creative I saw all year long, its screenplay, style, performances, direction, and aesthetic so uniquely tethered to it that if even one thing doesn’t match up, the whole movie could fall apart. And yet, apart from some extremely minor pacing issues, it does all match up. Evan Rachel Wood is unrecognizable as Old Dolio, the script is absolutely full of an energy you can’t find in any other film this year, and Gina Rodriguez nearly steals the show as a breakout supporting character. This is one of those film’s that fills a very specific taste, so it might not be for everyone, but I’d certainly encourage everyone to try it out, and if you do have a taste for this sort of storytelling, I’m certain you’ll be very well satisfied. Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom The second of the films which Denzel Washington has produced from the plays of August Wilson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is absolutely a stage show put to film, through-and-through. However, it does get a little bit closer to achieving the same greatness that Fences clawed at, but couldn’t quite reach. The staging is more comfortable and makes greater sense for the story, the camera is more fluid and free-flowing, and the production design, costumes, and hair and makeup for the film are all top notch. Viola Davis once again continues to expand her range as an actress of the highest order, and the film itself has some powerful things to say about what it costs Black individuals just to work with white people instead of for them. And yes, of course, we’re all already familiar with the rhetoric of the moment, but it must be said again: Chadwick Boseman does career-best work in this film with his magnificent, tragically powerful performance, and it is a very real and painful shame that we lost an actor of his caliber so soon. He’s winning it all this season, just as he deserves. Letterboxd Review Martin Eden Martin Eden isn’t so much a film I love or am eager to revisit as one I greatly admire. The film grain present in the shots makes the movie feel older than it actually is, but rather than being included as a gimmick or a marketing tool for the studio to latch onto in order to sell the film to “film people,” it went largely unremarked upon by the filmmakers, who simply allowed it to be, due to the fact the film was not shot digitally (at least, as far as I know). The narrative itself is sprawling and complex, to such a degree that, on occasion, it’s difficult to parse out what it all means or even what the thinking of this time period was, but there’s enough of substance here that one can slightly forgive its more ambiguous or difficult notes. At any rate, Luca Marinelli delivers a world-class performance as the title character and his devastatingly handsome look could carry the entire movie on its own. Letterboxd Review The Mole Agent The Mole Agent may have the best outside shot at both Documentary Feature and International Feature this year due to how the film ultimately turns into a narrative about loneliness, abandonment, and comradery among senior citizens who have been neglected by their relatives, even though it starts as an investigation into what are suspected to be abusive nursing home practices. The film is also surprisingly funny as well; many scenes had me genuinely laughing out loud, and the heartwarming sections of it are as wonderful as its lower times. This is on Hulu now, so definitely check it out. Letterboxd Review Never Rarely Sometimes Always The titular scene in this absolutely devastating and important film is one of the largest emotional gut-punches of the entirety of cinema in 2020, which is why it made the Honorable Mentions list for my Top 5 Best Scenes/Movie Moments of 2020 as well. Never Rarely Sometimes Always takes an intimate look at the struggles and trials young women have to go through in order to get an abortion, but rather than make a judgement on the issue either way, chooses instead to focus on how the process of just getting to an office can affect them, especially under dubious circumstances and with hardly any support from loved ones or people they know – in Autumn’s case, her coworker who also happens to be her cousin. Sidney Flanigan’s debut performance is one of the most stunning I’ve seen in years, never underselling her state of being but never “gunning for the Oscar” either. As Eliza Hittman’s third feature, the film is a genuine masterwork and although it did not crack my “Best Of” list in terms of what my personal favorite films of 2020 are, it is by any “objective” measure, one of 2020’s absolute best films. Letterboxd Review One Night in Miami… Regina King continues to not miss a single shot she takes. Post-Oscar win, the star of If Beale Street Could Talk and HBO’s Watchmen adapted a play by Soul co-director Kemp Powers which imagines one night in Miami, FL (hence the title) wherein Black icons Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and James Brown all gathered in a hotel room together to discuss a wealth of topics unique to their experiences as Black Americans. The film itself doesn’t exactly grow beyond the borders of its source material, but the sleek camerawork, stellar production design, and sharp script make for an engaging and thought-provoking watch nonetheless. Though its individual elements seem to be made entirely of what one might call “Oscar bait” on their own, the film itself never feels as if it’s trying to win awards, only to start a conversation amongst all those who see it about the various themes, issues, and persons therein. It’s the only 3½-star film on this list, but also the only one I would say is, without a doubt, a must-see. Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review Palm Springs I’ve already spoken a lot about this film on my list of the Most Surprising Movies of 2020, as well as in the full review I did over the summer, but hot damn, this movie is just so much fun to watch. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have fantastic chemistry, the film itself has a ton of fun with the time loop concept, and to manage both that and a rom-com that equally feed off of and into one another in a single story is a feat to admire. This is the other movie on this list that rivals The Climb in terms of being my personal second or third favorite comedy of the year, but by all accounts, it is the best of them as well. Palm Springs Review The Personal History of David Copperfield It’s pretty unfair how terrible this film’s marketing campaign ultimately was in the lead-up to its theatrical release. Originally screened in 2019 (though I don’t recall at what festival), The Personal History of David Copperfield made modest but disappointing returns at the U.S. box office when some U.S. theaters began to finally open back up post-shutdown, and that’s a real shame, because it is genuinely one of the funniest movies of 2020, as well as its most engaging period piece outside of the “Best of” list. Dev Patel is really great in this, but the standouts are the supporting characters played by Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, and the fantastic double role of Morfydd Clark, as well as the writing itself, which brilliantly adapts the novel as an autobiographical adventure tale, and revels in that style. This film should be being talked about a lot more in this extended awards season, but unfortunately, it seems that no one actually remembers it, or went to watch it when it finally released. Bitesize Breakdown Review Sound of Metal Darius Marder’s hard-hitting saga of one drummer’s journey through coping with his hearing loss is a powerful, searing film about losing the one thing on which you rely the most, and having to navigate what it’s like not to be able to rely on it anymore. The film runs a little bit long, particularly in its middle section, but the performances of Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, and Paul Raci hold it all together brilliantly. This is starting to pick up some serious Oscar momentum, and could even land an upset nomination for Best Picture if everything goes its way, and I wouldn’t be the least bit upset about it. It’s a brilliant film, and Ahmed in particular is a lock for a Best Actor nomination for his career-best work. Of course (needless to say), the sound design is also the best of the entire year. Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review Supernova Quite possibly the latest-breaking, quietest indie anywhere near the mainstream circuit for awards season, Supernova is definitely what awards-season movies used to be all the time, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Thanks to a superb lead performance from Colin Firth, as well as a solid supporting turn from Stanley Tucci, this tale of two lovers navigating one’s slow descent into total memory loss is well worth one’s time, even with a few scenes that don’t really add much to the overall narrative. My main problem with it is that it doesn’t really give Tucci more of a chance to shine or show off his incredible skill, the way movies like this need to in order to make us really feel the loss, even as we know we’re supposed to while watching it. It’s definitely imperfect, but it is pretty to look at, and the slower, deliberate pace of it – while noticeable – is helped a lot by those two main performances. Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review Time Time may not be my personal favorite of 2020’s documentaries, but it is undoubtedly one of its best. The editing of this film is top notch as we see 20 years of life all told in just 80 minutes, yet nothing feels as if it’s missing, and the way it touches on how the justice system both rewards and perpetuates racial injustices in order to stay the way it is is a powerful indictment of the entire system. I don’t have a ton of other things to say about it, but this is also one of 2020’s finest films, and though I don’t think it was close to entering my personal “Best Of” list, I definitely considered it. Letterboxd Review The Trial of the Chicago 7 Aaron Sorkin’s sophomore feature is certainly one I admire and like quite a bit, but not one I can say is in my top 10 or even 20 films of the past year, to be quite honest. The script is as sharp as Sorkin scripts tend to be, but the direction, unfortunately, is as plain and suitable-yet-unimpressive as Sorkin direction has been shown to be. Coming off of Molly’s Game, this is certainly a step up (and a far more ambitious step at that), but it’s in Sorkin’s relentless faith in and optimism towards the American political system that the film ultimately loses some of its power. That, and Eddie Redmayne doesn’t quite seem like the right protagonist for this kind of material. The rest of the cast is great, though, from Sacha Baron Cohen to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (who should be the second nominee if this thing gets two Supporting Actor nominations) to Frank Langella, who plays a villain so evil that I genuinely wanted to punch him through the screen. This is certainly a movie worth checking out, especially if you’re a Sorkin fan, but I can’t promise that it will completely win over the more awards-savvy among you any more than it did me. Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review Wolfwalkers If any film were to take the Best Animated Feature prize from Soul, this would be the one to do it. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart’s tale of a young girl caught in the middle of a life-changing development is easily the year’s other best animated film, and the hand-drawn animation itself is often wonderful to look at (if not always given the physical depth it needs). Cartoon Saloon’s latest says more about English colonialism in its margins and the in the backdrop against which its central story is set than some entire films do for which the issue is the central narrative. The friendship between Robyn and Mebh is both sweet and slow, and while the story does ultimately leave little for adults to chew on by the film’s end, it’s still well worth your time (on AppleTV+). Bitesize Breakdown Review Letterboxd Review And those are all the Honorable Mentions for the Best Movies of 2020! What movies did you absolutely love that didn’t quite make your list of the Best of the Year? Do you have any predictions for what will be on my Best list? Let me know in the comments section below, and stay tuned for the official reveal of my picks for the Top 20 Movies of 2020! That’s right, we’re doing a double-header. Thanks for reading!
- The Friendly Film Fan
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