The year 2020 was filled with a lot of pain and agony. We all battled with the new normal. Perhaps the most difficult for me was not being able to step foot in a movie theater. It’s been over a year since I’ve smelled the popcorn or yelled at a stranger for talking on their phone. Even though I didn’t get to see any of these films inside the cineplex, I still feel like I had a robust year of watching movies.
10. The Vast of Night
Usually, I reserve my number ten for a film that wouldn’t typically make a top ten list, but this year there weren’t any films I felt like leaving off. So many small films hit big home runs this year. The absence of blockbusters allowed films like The Vast of Night to shine. The Vast of Night isn’t your typical alien abduction story. Director Andrew Patterson utilized his small budget to make a compelling film about listening to the unheard. The film’s camera work and pacing are terrific. It’s hard to find a more competently directed movie released this year.
9. The Hunt
The Hunt ran into trouble long before the pandemic ruined movies. A film about leftists hunting rightwingers for sport was bound to raise some eyebrows. What I found so fun about this movie was that even though the premise is about our political divide, it’s not the film’s real motivation. The Hunt is more about corporations and media exploiting the division. I wish more people gave this film a chance because it’s a lot of fun and has one of the best fight scenes of the year.
8. The Invisible Man
Blumhouse Productions has done the unthinkable. They have taken the horror genre and made it their own. They have made hits with original concepts, and with The Invisible Man, they have taken an old-school horror idea and given it a modern twist. Elisabeth Moss is absolutely amazing, and director Leigh Whannell was the perfect choice to helm this project. The Invisible Man is the best thriller of the year, and Moss gives one of the year’s best performances.
7. Tenet
If Christopher Nolan makes a film, it ends up on my top ten list. Tenet is no exception. Even though Tenet is just as high concept as other Nolan films, it feels less self-important. Tenet seems to embrace its ridiculousness, and Nolan lets the film breathe. Nolan isn’t typically known for being a good action director, but this film has two of the best action set-pieces I’ve ever seen. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that hallway fight scene.
6. Freaky
Freaky wasn’t on my radar before the year, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Christopher Landon attached to a film when it popped up on Amazon. Landon is the brain behind Happy Death Day and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. His comedic and horror sensibilities are right up my alley. Freaky is not only scary, but Vince Vaughn gives his best comedic performance in years. The other lead Kathryn Newton is on the verge of being a break-out star. She chews up the scenery and is as menacing a killer as I’ve seen in recent memory.
5. Palm Springs
I’m a sucker for genre filmmaking, and one of my favorite subgenres is the time loop film. Palm Springs isn’t your typical Groundhog Day ripoff. What makes this film different is that Nyles, played by Andy Samberg, has been going through this loop for a very long time. Cristin Milioti joins Samberg as the other lead character. Milioti and Samberg have off-the-charts chemistry, and when this film is working, it’s special. Unfortunately, the third act veers into some serious territory that throws the film’s tone into a dark place. But by the end of Palm Springs, our characters have completed a tremendous arc. I love the style and humor of this film.
4. Nomadland
Chloe Zhao is without question the breakout director of 2020. Nomadland feels like a documentary, and in some respects, it is. Zhao uses real-life characters to round out her cast and tell the stories that make this film feel so true. Frances McDormand has taken the mantel of the best actor working. Her performance is soft and vulnerable but also raw and bleak. Nomadland isn’t a political film as much as it is a societal one. This film is about people who choose to live on society’s outskirts and how this lifestyle can be addicting.
3. Soul
Inside Out is one of my favorite animated films of all time, and its director Pete Docter has done it again. Soul is a charming and deep look at what makes us human. But it’s more than that. It’s a film about friendship, toxic relationships, expectations for ourselves, expectations from our family, and what it means to live life. No other film made me stop and examine myself more than Soul. Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey give superb voice performances, but what really steals the film is the music. The score is beautiful and ethereal.
2. The Devil All the Time
Listen, I know this film isn’t for everyone, and there is a reason it didn’t make my number one spot, but no film connected with me this year like The Devil All the Time. The robust cast is lead by Tom Holland, who is playing the opposite of Peter Parker in the Appalachian gothic tale. Holland does some of his best acting to date and grounds the nihilistic story. As good as Holland is, Robert Pattinson, steals the movie as Reverend Teagardin. Pattinson has a unique take on the seductive pastor. Antonio Campos’s take on religion is quite the opposite of mine, but it hits close to home. The center of this film isn’t that religion is bad but that men corrupt every good thing.
1. Sound of Metal
Sound of Metal is the scariest film of 2020, and it’s not even a horror film. Riz Ahmed stars as Ruben Stone, a drummer for a metal band fronted by his girlfriend. Stone slowly starts losing his ability to hear, which affects not only the band but his sobriety and his relationship. The depiction of hearing loss is terrifying. Director Darius Marder utilizes sound as another character. As the perspective shifts to Stone, the sound dissipates and puts you fully in the character’s nightmare. While this film is uncomfortable at times, the determination and persistence of Stone are sweet. Sound of Metal is ultimately a film about overcoming obstacles and accepting life’s challenges.
What were your favorites? Don’t forget to check out Drew’s top ten!
Honorable Mentions:
Bad Boys for Life, Promising Young Woman, and Greenland
