2020 Movie Recap: Top Ten

2020 was a tempestuous year to say the least, and movies suffered for it. Many potential blockbusters slated for release were either delayed (Black Widow, A Quiet Place 2, Dune, etc.) or were huge flops (looking at you, Tenet). All things considered, I haven’t been too disappointed, as I’ve had a chance to catch up on some older movies I hadn’t yet gotten to. And anyways, 2020 has its fair share of solid films, if you’re willing to look hard enough. As a final 2020 sendoff, I’ve ranked my favorite movies of the year–some new, some old, (mostly) no spoilers.

10. Soul

I’ve always had a soft spot for Pixar. In striking a masterful balance between depth and accessibility, their movies appeal to kids while remaining more than just palatable to adults. After watching the trailers for Soul a few months back, I was curious about how they would handle existential themes like death and reincarnation. Would attempts at humor demean the gravity of the subject? I had reason to believe this would not be the case, as Pete Docter, the director of Soul, also headed Inside Out, which handles a similar subject with poise. All in all, I was not disappointed. While the subject matter is pretty out there (even by Pixar standards), I never felt like the movie was condescending or inaccessible. The aesthetic complements the subject matter nicely–I particularly appreciated the Jerrys’ design, which looked somewhere in between a ghost and a child’s doodle. The only major complaints I have about the film are that the villain is somewhat underwhelming (though I’m not sure the villain is meant to be the focus in the first place) and that the whole thing isn’t really for kids. I don’t see the latter complaint as being too problematic, though; if anything, I respect this film because it dares to venture into an existential territory that most American adults are not used to when it comes to animated film. Let’s hope that Pixar can continue to be this daring going into the future.

Memorable Moments: The Great Beyond people mover; random dude gets soul separated from body; barbershop roast; Joe in the zone

9. Oldboy

As far as I’m concerned, Bong Joon-Ho is the king of psychological thrillers. You’ve got your Parasite, your Memories of Murder, your Snowpiercer, your Okja. Next to Parasite (which I watched in 2019), this has got to be my favorite. I think one of the things that these films do best is depicting unbelievable situations in a down-to-earth, believable way. Everything about this film feels so damn authentic. When the protagonist eats a full octopus raw (the octopus is real, by the way), the grotesqueness is just so palpable and close. Even the famous corridor fight scene, which is such an overdone trope at this point that it even makes its way into satires like Kung Fury, is made to be so real that you can’t look away. In spite of being gritty, this film also has a gorgeous aesthetic. The urban scenes are captivating, and the snowy shot in the countryside at the end is likewise beautiful in an austere way. Finally, like all of Bong Joon-Ho’s films, Oldboy is thematically dense, sporting mythological parallels to Oedipus Rex and more.

Memorable Moments: Grabbing the dude by the tie, eating the octopus, corridor fight, severing the tongue, final embrace.

8. Gattaca

There is something very distinct about the late 90’s-early 2000s brand of Sci-Fi (think Men in Black, Minority Report, The Matrix, and I, Robot). In a time where technology was advancing faster than many people could understand or fathom, questions of identity and reality in the face of an uncertain future dominated these films. I think Gattaca is a fine edition to this collection and is unique enough to deserve consideration. Besides featuring particularly strong performances from Ethan Hawke and Jude Law, the film poignantly reaffirms the sanctity of free will in the face of game-changing advancements in genetics. While the film may have verged on triteness in worse hands, the plot was interesting and the characters were believable enough that the thought didn’t even cross my mind.

Memorable Moments: swimming competition, scrubbing off hair, final scene

7. Little Women

Having read the novel, one of the worries I had going into this was that it would come off as a glorified Hallmark movie (to be fair, I haven’t watched the 1994 adaptation, which I’ve heard is pretty solid). This was anything but that. First of all, the talent in this movie is insane. Saorishe Ronan, who plays Jo, is an exemplar of the modern Bildungsroman protagonist, appearing in recent films such as Brooklyn and Lady Bird. Then there’s Timothée Chalamet as Laurie, whose (for lack of a better word) noble aesthetic shows in his performance (I am very, very excited to see his performance as Paul Atreides in Dune). Florence Pugh, who you may know as the star of Midsommar (waves hands wildly) brings a characteristic cold serenity as Amy. Honorable mentions to Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, and Emma Watson. Like I said. But that’s not all this movie has to offer. In addition to featuring a wide array of colorful and historically accurate (at least to my untrained eye) set pieces, the film retells an old story in a modern light. I particularly like how they present Jo as a strong female lead, and I was enthralled by the way they flash backwards and forwards throughout the film. The latter choice pays off with one of the most gut-wrenching scenes I’ve watched in a while. All in all, solid film.

Memorable Moments: Scene with Beth on the beach; Jo rejecting Laurie; Christmas Day

6. Secret of Kells

Since Disney seems to have taken a prejudicial stance towards 2D-animation as of late (R.I.P. Treasure Planet), it’s often hard to find good traditional animated feature films outside of Japan. Secret of Kells, which is produced by an Irish company, checks all these boxes. What I particularly enjoyed about this film is the unique way it leverages its medium to tell a story rooted in Celtic mythology. The animation is characterized by ornate, geometric patterns appropriately reminiscent of an illuminated manuscript. The way in which the film looks like a series of medieval paintings transports the audience back to a time of mystery, when nature was seen as both a malevolent force of destruction and a means to salvation. Interestingly the film does not shy away from violence, and it seems to approach storytelling in the traditional fairy tale sense–bad things happen, people die. Definitely worth watching, if only for the fact that it constitutes a radical and successful departure from what American audience have come to expect from animation.

Memorable Moments: Viking raid, Eye of Crom fight, reveal of the Book of Kells

5. Dangal

Gotta love me some Amir Khan. Ever since I watched Three Idiots a few years back, I was hooked. The expertise with which he presents such a foreign mode of life in a way that is both authentic and relatable to a western audience cannot be understated. Another thing I love about Khan’s films is they’ve got a bit of everything. While Dangal is a sports movie, it also features a healthy dose of social commentary and, of course, singing. I do remember thinking that the portrayal of Geeta’s coach was kind of one-dimensional, but I think that synergizes well with the theatrical tone of the film. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where there’s theatre, there’s a villain. Addressing the social commentary part, I was impressed at how the film addresses gender biases in sports without letting the message overpower what is at its essence a good story.

Memorable Moments: Their heads being shaved, Geeta wrestling her father, the whole final sequence

4. Casino Royale

I always have this issue when I watch a big-budget action film. I watch the film and I enjoy it, I really do, but if you ask me about it 3 weeks later I won’t remember a thing. Right from the opening credits (probably one of my favorite opening sequences in any movie, by the way) I knew Casino Royale would be different. While the action is pretty cool–who doesn’t love a good parkour chase sequence?–it serves as only one of many ingredients in a tasty Bond cocktail (shaken, not stirred). While I can’t speak for the other Bond films (and I haven’t gotten around to reading Fleming yet, either), I can definitively say that Craig captures the Bond persona excellently. His suave demeanor and campy one-liners take an otherwise enjoyable but unmemorable film and make it unforgettable.

Memorable Moments: Opening sequence, high-stakes poker game, carjacking, poison, finale in Venice

3. Palm Springs

Seeing as the trope is a little overdone at this point, I’m a little skeptical of any movie that has the Groundhog Day premise. What’s amazing is that Palm Springs actually pulled it off. I’ll try my best to avoid spoilers here, since it’s best to go into this type of movie blind. What I can say is Andy Samberg does excellently in this role: while he still has that comedic spark that propelled him to stardom in the Lonely Island/Hot Rod days, he’s clearly matured since then, and his performance is as emotionally evocative as it is characteristically hilarious. This time around, J.K. Simmons’ performance is intimidating (as usual) and wistfully ruminating. The shots in this film are vibrant and full of contrast, featuring a rich and varied color gamut. For those of you who are thinking that 2020 had no good movies, I would definitely take a look at this one.

Memorable Moments: Don’t want to spoil it!

2. Roman Holiday

It’s very rare that a film as old as Roman Holiday ages so well. Usually, something sticks out like a sore thumb. Sometimes it’s the horrendous special effects, or maybe it’s the outmoded social norms or kitschy montages. For whatever reason, Roman Holiday seems to rise above all of this, surpassing its own place in time and ascending into that hallowed territory of simply a good film. It’s not that the movie is particularly groundbreaking–sure, it’s the first American film to be shot entirely in Italy, and it’s Audrey Hepburn’s breakthrough performance, but at the end of the day it’s just an especially good adaptation of Capra’s classic It Happened One Night. I think what separates this film from other classics is its inversion of the typical power structure between male and female lead. In many of the older films I’ve watched, it’s either made clear that the male lead needs to give something up to fall in love (It’s a Wonderful Life) or that the female lead needs to be rescued somehow (It Happened One Night, Sabrina, The Apartment). It’s not that any of these films are bad–actually, they’re some of my favorites–it’s just that they’re conventional. Roman Holiday is anything but. Princess Ann runs away of her own accord. Though she is in flight, she does not need to be saved. In one of my favorite scenes of the film, she helps her friends fend off her kidnappers by smashing a guitar over one of their heads. And when it’s all over, she returns to fulfill her duty by choice. There is nothing of the typical Hollywood romance here: just the timeless story of two vulnerable people living and loving in the single day they have together. And when the day is over, life goes on.

Memorable Moments: Vespa ride, fight on the boat, haircut, final scene, Mouth of Truth

1. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. I mean, I’ve watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation, so I figured I knew what to expect when it came to Kaufman’s work, but this just hits different for some reason. The notion of the unreliable narrator is something hardly new in cinema, but this film really takes it to the next level. Time and space are distorted, and the line between conversation and monologue becomes increasingly unclear. Jesse Plemons, while feeling somewhat like a Philip Seymour Hoffman surrogate here (perhaps explaining Kaufman’s choice), nails it as Jake. Jessie Buckley’s performances of “Bonedog” and the scathing Pauline Kael review are mesmerizing, and her narration is intensely evocative. Toni Collette as Jake’s mother is one of the most disturbing performances I’ve witnessed all year. Then there’s the actual cinematography, which is beautiful in its own right. The choice of a 4:3 aspect ratio is especially claustrophobic: it’s as if the audience’s connection to the protagonist’s consciousness is thinner than usual, and so we are forced to carefully examine each frame in order to maintain this connection. Trust me, though, you won’t run out of things to look at. Kaufman demonstrates a meticulous attention to detail, both in his set designs and the way he uses various paraphernalia to foreshadow future plot points. My major complaint about this movie is the second half, especially the ending, which differed drastically from the book’s. I think if they cut, say, 20 minutes from the latter half while also disambiguating the ending a bit, I would be happier with it. The fact that you have to either have read the book or watch the movie multiple times to really understand the plot irks me, and the fact that the movie’s premise is made so opaque seems like a pretentious move on Kaufman’s part. But once you figure out what’s going on, it’ll blow your mind.

Memorable Moments: Basically the first hour and a half