Happy Oscar Day!!
What can I say about 2020 that hasn't already been said? I've been collecting my movie ticket stubs since I've been going to the movies, and at the end of the year, I spread them out and use them to help compose my top ten favorite films list. This is the first time in probably thirty something years that I have zero movie ticket stubs at the end of the year.
You may have noticed that this is not a top ten list, but a top eleven. I figured, 2020 was so bat shit crazy, that all rules and tradition should be thrown out the window! So I give you eleven of my favorite movies from 2020.
11. Lovers Rock
This is the second film in Steve McQueen's Small Axe film series on Amazon Prime. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was only able to watch the first two films in the series, but I'm glad I at least got that far. To be honest, this movie is the reason why I made this list a top eleven list, instead of ten. I just couldn't leave Lovers Rock off. Honestly, plot-wise, not a lot going on with this movie. It takes place on one night during one big house party in the 1970's. This movie isn't for everyone - Pat found it to be a little boring - but I was mesmerized the entire time.
10. Another Round
I had never heard of Another Round until Thomas Vinterberg received a Best Director nomination. I knew I had to check it out. I'm glad I did, because it's great! Four middle aged friends who are teachers at the same high school, decide to test a theory that they read claiming humans function at their best with a 0.05% blood alcohol level. The premise has the potential to make the film sound like a dumb, slap sticky comedy, and it could have been, but it actually turned out to be a very moving story. The experiment affects each friend in a different way, with both positive and negative results, but in the end, they all learn to appreciate the frailty of life and the sanctity of the present.
9. The Lovebirds
I don't know if very many people watched this movie. It's on Netflix, and it is laugh out loud hilarious! It's about a couple, Leilani and Jibran, whose relationship is hanging on by its last thread. On the night they decide to call it quits, they accidentally run over someone, triggering the catalyst that takes them on the wildest night of their lives. You know me, I love comedies. Is this movie the best? Of course not! But every once in a while, I need a ridiculously stupid, riot of a film that will appeal to the lowest common denominator. Especially in 2020! This movie hit the spot!
8. The Climb
Another movie that I'm not sure a lot of people watched. I heard about it from NPR. It's about a toxic male friendship, which you don't really see many stories about. The industry loves to make movies about toxic female friendships, but they always portray male friendships as pure, unrealistically fun, and unbreakable. You know, the perfect bromance. But The Climb takes a completely different approach to male friendship, showing the hurtful and often hilarious ways men can be pretty terrible to each other, even best friends.
7. The Assistant
I'm
convinced that this movie is about me and the first job I had when I
was in my 20's. Of course there are some differences: the female
protagonist works at film studio, and I worked in office leasing.
However, there are a lot of similarities. Her sexual predator boss is
the studio head who I'm pretty sure was based off Harvey Weinstein, and I
had tenants who would sexually harass me every day. Like the
protagonist in the movie, I was the first to arrive at the office every
morning, turning on the lights, powering on the computer, and putting on
the coffee pots. Throughout the day, I had to deal with condescending male colleagues who never really saw me as anything more than an assistant. I was told by my employer that I was a dime a dozen, and easily replaceable, that I was lucky to even have a job. When I tried to speak up, my complaints were never taken seriously. Like the protagonist the movie, I worked my butt off every single day, and never felt appreciated. This movie hit me on a personal level to the point of discomfort. But it was also an excellent film about how dangerous it is to be a young woman in a male dominated world, and it does a great job of showing all the crap women have to put up with in one day at their job.
6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
There is one scene in this movie that I felt was incredibly powerful and so phenomenally acted, that I was shocked that Sidney Flanigan did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Well, no. I'm not shocked at all because she's not a very well known actress, and I don't know if very many people saw this film, but she absolutely blew me away. The scene I am referring to is how the film gets its namesake. Sidney Flanigan's character, Autumn, lives in a rural town in Pennsylvania, and finds herself pregnant. With what little money and resources she has, she travels to New York with her cousin to get an abortion. At the women's clinic, the technician asks her a series of questions, which she must answer with either "never, rarely, sometimes, or always." The questions get increasingly personal, uncomfortable, and eventually heartbreaking. She begins with questions such as "I use protection when having intercourse." but continues on to questions like "My sexual experiences are consensual." At the start of the interview, Autumn has a stone cold teenage poker face, but by the end of the interview, she breaks down, and we as a viewer realize that this a just a girl who has had horrifying experiences in her life. The camera stays on Autumn the entire scene, and it's just...soul crushing to watch.
5. Sound of Metal
Sound of Metal is not a happy film by any means, but in a weird way, it somehow ends up being uplifting and absolutely lovely. It's about a drummer in a band who loses his hearing. One can only imagine how difficult that must be. Riz Ahmed's performance is so brilliant. If Chadwick Boseman doesn't win tonight, I want Riz Ahmed to win. He just does an incredible job. The film and his performance perfectly illustrate the resilience of the soul, and the triumph of the human spirit.
4. Onward
I'm pretty sure Soul is going to win Best Animated Film tonight, but I personally adored Onward. This was my favorite animated movie of the year, and one of the best ones I've seen in a very long time. It takes place in the world of fairy tales, with demons, dragons, and mythical creatures of lore. When two elf brothers discover a magical spell that their father left for them after his passing, they go on a quest to complete the spell of bringing their father back to life for one day. It's so good! It's funny, adventurous, entertaining, sad, and touching all at once. It's one of those movies that has everything!
3. Promising Young Woman
The thing I loved most about this movie is how unexpected it was. When you first start watching it, you think you know what you've gotten yourself into, and where the story is going, but right before the climax, the story takes a surprising turn, and you realize you've been duped! This is NOT how you thought this was going to go! I honestly don't know who is going to win Best Actress tonight - I feel like all the nominees have a pretty decent shot - but I will say that Carey Mulligan absolutely deserves to be there tonight. Her performance is a revelation! Her character manages to be likeable but, like, horrible at the same time. Brilliant, but infuriating. And the end is just like, "Whaaaattt!!!"
2. First Cow
I absolutely loved this movie. It's slow and not for everyone, but if you like nuanced, delicate films, you will love this one. First Cow takes place in wild west days in Oregon. Cookie, who is an outcast among trappers in Oregon, strikes a friendship with Chinese immigrant, King Lu, also a bit of an outcast himself. The two of them embark on a lucrative, but shady business making delicious cakes. Everyone loves their cakes and they become locally famous for them. The only catch is, they are stealing the milk that goes into the cakes from a wealthy land owner's cow. How long can the two keep up their ruse until they are found out? The heart and soul of this story is the unlikely friendship between Cookie and King Lu. And we all know that I'm a sucker for stories about best friends!
1. The Forty Year Old Version
Not to be confused with The 40 Year Old Virgin. This movie is funny. It's laugh out loud funny, but also kind of sad. It tells the story of Radha, a woman once celebrated as the next hot up and coming playwright, now a high school teacher approaching her 40's, feeling like she's failed in life and has nothing to show for her wasted potential. One night, alone in her apartment, in a pit of despair, she spontaneously starts rapping - and she's GOOD! This awakens a burst of creativity inside of her that she thought died long ago. I had no idea what to expect when I started watching this movie. Honestly I thought I wasn't going to like it. But I was hooked from the beginning, and I rooted for Radha the whole way through. The movie shows that no matter what age you are, or where you find yourself in your career and in life, you can always reinvent yourself, and find new ways to channel your passion and creativity.
My thoughts on the rest of the nominated films:
Mank: I love David Fincher but I had a really hard time with this one. I found it to be extremely dull and not the least bit interesting.
Minari: Didn't see it.
The Father: Didn't see it.
Judas and the Black Messiah: Didn't see it.
The Trial of the Chicago 7: Great film! Well written, great acting, and strong movie all around.
Nomadland: I thought it was okay. I think it's going to win Best Picture and I think Chloe Zhao is going to win Best Director, which is awesome, but the film was not my cup of tea.
And there you have it! What were your favorite films of 2020 and who are you rooting for tonight?
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