Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD
Summerland is an unassumingly sweet film that really catches you off guard when it hits its big emotional payoffs. Some have called it predictable, but I didn’t see its big reveals coming, mostly because I was just so sucked into the characters and its cozy vibes. It’s a warm, comforting experience, and it’s one that absolutely knocked me out when I first saw it. Gemma Arterton continues to be one of the lowkey best performers out there, and Jessica Swale’s writing and direction is tender and loving. This may not have been a huge hit or the indie darling, but it’s a gem that I will see myself revisiting when I need to feel good.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Select Theaters, Home Video, VOD
What? A male between the ages of 18 and 35 loves a Christopher Nolan movie? Stop the presses! Look, I’m well aware of the reputation of Nolan fans to be rather insufferable, and in another, less cinematically enlightened lifetime, I might have been one. All that said, Tenet is still kind of a baffling piece of work, but it’s so uniquely baffling in a way you could only get from Nolan, and he commits to his conceit with so much pomp and circumstance that I couldn’t help but get sucked into its weird sense of spectacle. It’s an confusing and bizarre and indulgent, and I had so much fun with every moment of it. I think film critic, Matt Zoller Seitz, said it best in a tweet where he described it as Nolan jacking “into his brain & recorded a dream he had about his possible next film.”
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Netflix
Since we’re talking about confusing here, the internal logic of The Call might not hold up to much scrutiny, but as a cinematic expression, it makes for one of the most thrilling and exciting films I’ve seen in all of 2020. It constantly reinvents itself and raises the stakes in ways that surprise you, and at no point did I have any idea where it was going. I’m still not a fan of the additional scenes that play during the credits, but as long as you ignore anything after it first cuts to black, you have a thoroughly riveting high concept thriller.
Review: N/A Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: VOD
No, I’m not joking. This was added to the list at the last possible minute. You’re either thinking, “never heard of it,” because barely anyone saw it, or “isn’t that some Slender Man nonsense, that can’t be good.” I was already curious because I love James Badge Dale, but given how little marketing Disney gave this before tossing it to theaters, I didn’t expect much. But to my surprise, while it may have a seemingly simple urban legend horror premise, it’s approach is much more mature, patient, and stylish that I could have anticipated. It’s not flawless, certain plot elements gave me pause and left me with questions, but as a whole, I was so intrigued and exhilarated by it. If you’re a horror fan, this is one you have to catch up on.
Review: N/A Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Netflix
In The Forty-Year-Old Version, Radha Blank shows that you can make something of yourself even when you aren’t young. Her semi-autobiographical debut is bursting with life, personality, and wisdom, telling a story about finding her voice in a largely white industry that has its own idea of what is authentic and real. Aesthetically, it feels like a long lost 90s indie, but thematically, it feels so of the moment without being pleased with itself about it. It’s hilarious, it’s insightful, and Blank is just a wonderful talent, and I’m glad this film is bringing her to the world. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Netflix
This film is as great as that poster is terrible. I doubt anyone has ever made the comparison before, so I’m more than happy to be the first, but similar to The Empty Man, The Half Of It has a premise that would feel fairly typical of any teen romance, it’s a basic Cyrano de Bergerac riff. What sets it apart is the approach, which is far more gentle and atmospheric than others in the genre. Alice Wu tells a deeply personal story about finding yourself in an environment that largely seeks to confine and conform. It captures the restrictions of small town America but also its beauty, and it is full of characters that I can see parts of myself in. If I were still in my youth, this would have been one of my new all-time favorites.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD, HBO Max
After trying and failing to bring relevance to the iconic Universal Monsters, even if I honestly kind of enjoyed The Mummy, Leigh Whannell reinvents the Invisible Man for a new audience in a way that is so effective and refreshing. The craft on display here is top notch, and it further cements Whannell as one of the better genre filmmakers working in the studio system. Elisabeth Moss delivers a fantastic performance, one full of vulnerability and emotional resonance. I don’t remember if this was one of the last films I saw in theaters, but it certainly featured the most astounding audience reaction moment of the year. If you know, you know.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD
I have a soft spot for films that take silly ideas, and give it an earnest exploration. One of my favorite films of last year was the strange yet weirdly profound The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, and The Kid Detective scratches a similar itch. It asks what happens when you take one of those child detective characters, and follow them as an adult when they are forced to deal with real crimes? The results are very funny and subversive, but it also becomes quite haunting and sad. Evan Morgan balances these varying tones very well, and Adam Brody is an endearing lead.
Review: N/A Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD, Hulu
This is probably my favorite documentary of the year, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if this becomes adapted into an English language film because its story is just that lovely. An old man named Sergio is hired by a private detective to infiltrate a retirement home to see if the client’s mother is being abused by the staff. That might seem intense, but the film is mostly very cute, light, and heartwarming. You really become attached to these people, and it’s so fun to see Sergio play this role as if he’s in some kind of espionage film. It’s so pure and wholesome.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video
This was a huge contender for my film of the year since I first saw it. Have you ever seen one of those films that feel like it was constructed in a way to appeal to all your tastes and sensibilities? That’s what watching The Vast Of Night was like for me. I was so impressed with how a small crew of mostly inexperienced people with little resources were able to make something so distinctive and captivating. The direction by Andrew Patterson effortlessly guides you through the story, making its dialogue heavy script enthralling and entertaining. Films like this are a great example of why I love movies.
Review: N/A Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD, HBO Max
I think Gavin O’Connor is giving James Mangold a run for his money in the dad movie department, but I think there is plenty of room for the both of them. The Way Back is full of familiar tropes, but they are done so well, with so much heart, and it is held together by one of the best and most personal performances I have ever seen from Ben Affleck. I’m not a sports fan, but like all the best sports movies, this gets you invested in the characters, and that investment makes for a really emotional payoff. It’s great comfort watching, even at its most bittersweet.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD
Whatever weird wavelength Jim Cummings has settled himself into, I’m really digging. Following his excellent debut, Thunder Road, he once again taps into this space where he makes a cocktail of neurotic, angry, and hilarious characters bouncing off one another with a screwball energy, all while being able to deliver real pathos in the midst of all the chaos. Him leaning a bit into genre territory suits his style of filmmaking, this time exploring a small mountain town that is potentially serving as a werewolf’s hunting ground. It’s a fun film, but it’s also thoughtful and unexpected. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Netflix
Before The Call, the other thriller that made a huge impression on me was this other South Korean film. Time To Hunt is like if you took a basic heist movie, and crossed it with The Terminator and Apocalypse Now. While it starts off like any other heist flick, it places more and more emphasis on these dystopia undertones, which gives the film extra weight. And once the characters are on the run from a hunter who is trying to take back what they stole, it becomes so much more relentless, so much more moody, and so much more primal. I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD
Justin Kurzel’s finest and most assured work to date brings to life a story as old as cinema itself, and it’s a story that is about the act of storytelling itself – who tells your story, how a man becomes legend, and how one finds truth in fiction and falsehoods. It’s got so much style, and so much personality. It’s bratty, loud, crass, and violent. But it all feels significant, it all carries weight. There is ambition behind it all. Despite its many flourishes, it puts character and theme first, exploring the story and the perspective of said story in a way that I found striking and powerful.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Home Video, VOD
Who would have guessed that some of the most brutal and brilliantly staged action of 2020 was featured in this little Russian film? Admittedly, the movie doesn’t really add up to all that much aside from being a fight film, but man, are the fights just so much fun. Part slapstick cartoon, part splatter horror, and part quirky crime film, Kirill Sokolov grabs you by the throat, and never let’s up. I’ve only seen this once, and very early in 2020, but there are plenty of images and moments that still stick in my mind. It’s not for the squeamish, but if you want to have a bloody good time, this will do.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Netflix
However, if you are squeamish, the action in Wira manages to be very brutal but without all the blood and guts that might turn you off. This is a great martial arts film from Adrian Teh, and starring Hairul Azreen, who I really hope we get to see in more action films because he is fantastic. It’s a simple story about a guy protecting his family with help of his sister, played by a stellar Fify Azmi, who is more than capable of handling herself. It endears you to the characters fast, and you can’t help but root for them as they fight the bad guys in action sequences that are wonderfully choreographed and staged.
Review: Click here! Trailer: Click here!
Where To Watch: Apple TV+
And to finish off the film, the latest from Irish studio, Cartoon Saloon, who have been delivering amazing 2D animated films one right after the other, and Wolfwalkers might just be their best yet. It’s a beautiful and magical fairy tale with a political backdrop concerning the English taking over Ireland, but its thematic beats are rooted in relatable, universal ideas – friendship, parenting, and the struggle of understanding new things, and figuring out right from wrong. And it does all this while being a dazzling work of art that puts a spell on you. This was among the films to be released during the last stretch of 2020, and as bad as the year was, I’m glad folks got the chance to close out the year with a film that’s as hopeful and joyous and meaningful as this.
And there you have it! Those were 50 films I loved in 2020. It was a wild and weird journey for us all, but it felt good reflecting on all the films that informed me, moved me, and entertained me. I hope you find some films on here that might have fallen under your radar, and now piques your interest. Meanwhile, feel free to tell me about what some of your favorite films of 2020 were in the comments. I wish you all a great 2021.
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