Top 20 of 2020

THIS is what we're all here for! The BEST films of 2020. Too much badness in that year. We need and deserve some good films, and here are my favorites....

THE LIST

20) DeadTectives

I know this looks dumb. And to be fair, it IS dumb. It's meant to be! The delightful Chris Geere (of You're the Worst-fame) leads a pack of fake ghost-hunters, who are suddenly forced to step up, when they come across a real haunting for the first time. Cheeky, silly and full of energy. It takes a big, deserved shit on the face of "real" ghost-hunter shows, while refusing to let its obvious low budget hinder it in any way. Irresistible!

19) The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion

It's hard to put The Witch higher on the list, because even though I enjoyed it, it's clearly the first part of a larger story, and it feels a bit unfinished. Having said that this Korean film sets up an interesting scenario: A teenage girl's dormant abilities awakes after she goes on a singing competition TV-show. The title calls her a witch, but what she does would not be out of place in a straight up superhero movie. These abilities turn the film into a full-on, kick-ass action extravaganza, full of brutal fights and all-out epic coolness.

18) A Perfect Plan

This low-budget heist movie charmed the hell out of me. I'm not sure if everybody will feel the same way, but I really enjoyed it! I liked the clever twist on a familiar genre, I found the actors immensely likeable, and the central story works surprisingly well. You're going to have to forgive this film that it's not a $100 million Hollywood production, but once you get past that, this slick-fingered devil has a few tricks up its sleeve.

17) James vs. His Future Self

The premise is as simple as it is intriguing: James is a brilliant scientist, trying to invent time travel. One day his future self arrives to a) inform him that he will succeed and b) urge him to stop his research immediately! What follows is a surprisingly heartfelt story, nowhere near as silly as the title perhaps suggests, and Daniel Stern knocks it out of the park in the role of "older" James.

16) The Plagues of Breslau

This Polish ripoff of Se7en delighted me to no end. It's never anything short of absolutely preposterous, but I found myself drawn to the lead detective and her quest to solve a mysteries series of murders: And I loved that the mood and style was distinctly NOT American.

15) Banana Split

A girl becomes best friends with her ex's new girlfriend. A simple pitch. A simple movie, but I fell instantly in love with the couple in the center of the story. Hannah Marks, who both wrote and plays the lead as the scorned lover, steals the show. We're gonna have to keep an eye on her in the future.

14) Spontaneous

What if teenagers in a small town just started to explode? No, not metaphorically, like for real! Giant explosions in a cloud of blood! The implications for a young couple in love make this an intriguing teen film. Katherine Langford leaves quite an impression in the lead role, as does Charlie Plummer as her charming, unusual love interest. Their banter is irresistible and you'll never look at a dick pick in the same way, I promise. A touching, funny and quite cheeky little flick.

13) Rabbit

Fascinating, but demanding mystery thriller that feels like a combination of episodes from Twilight Zone, The X-files and True Detective! It's a bit hard to follow at times, but in a good way, and with the always watchable Adelaide Clemens in the lead, the film never loses its emotional feet on the ground, even when the story takes off towards the sky.

12) Project Power

This Netflix film seemed to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Pitched as an "alternative superhero movie" Project Power caught flack for not being on par with the stuff Marvel delivers. You're damn right, this is WAY better than anything Marvel could hope to produce. What really makes this interesting, however, is not the flashy action stuff, but the real underlying theme that deals with drug addiction and all the collateral damages that comes with it. A gorgeous film, with something to say. You paying attention, Marvel?

11) Sea Fever

Alien meets The Thing on a fishing boat! I mean, is there anything else to say? There is, but I won't. Just watch this fine, little thriller!

10) Coma

A Russian take on Inception? Sign me up!

Admittedly, I was drawn to this because of the insane, mind-bending visuals, and honestly if that was all the film had, it would have been enough. Surprisingly, Coma has a bit more going for it than that. A likeable hero, an intersting mystery, and a suitable, not too forced love story. I know some people have a hard time with Inception, finding the plot too impenetrable and the characters too cold. I don't agree, but I do understand the sentiment. Coma is the kind of film I would recommend to those who feel that way. Assuming the language isn't a barrier, this film delivers a more down to earth, relatable version of Nolans masterpiece, along with some truly memorable visuals.

9) Sputnik

I find the set-up for this film utterly intriguing. A psychiatrist with a questionable reputation is called in to interview an astronaut who's returned to Earth with.... something! This delightfully moody Russian science fiction film doesn't disappoint. Even when the big reveal comes the film stays the course and takes the story to a fascinating conclusion.

8) Queen & Slim

In the year of #BlackLivesMatter this movie is especially relevant. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are riveting to watch as the star-crossed, 1st date, Tinder couple who is forced to go on the run after a fatal run-in with a cop. It's a simple story, and it's familiar at times. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful, poetic, devastating film that is very hard to shake. As well it should be.

7) Volition

Volition caught me off guard. I thought it was just going to be a cool film about a guy who can see his future, and then suddenly sees his own death, but it turned out to be something even more clever. Better still, the film also turned out to be much more heartfelt than I expected. Don't read anything about it ahead of time, just trust me and watch it. This is a real treat!

6) "1917"

1917 crawls quite a bit higher up on this list than I expected. I think I was a little harsh when I originally reviewed it after having seen it only once. At that time I felt it was style over substance and that perhaps the film didn't have all that much to say. I think I expected a more cerebral film from Sam Mendes. Having rewatching the film a few times, I've come to the conclusion that the style and the emotional content is enough. I don't need a history lecture. Good thing, because the film has no interest in providing one. The technical merits alone are worth noting, but it's the "hopeless mission with an impossible deadline" pitch that makes me go back to the film again and again. That part works flawlessly.

5) 21 Bridges

I guess you could argue that 21 Bridges is merely a traditional Hollywood thriller, but then you'd be missing the point. It's an EXCEPTIONALLY solid Hollywood thriller. It plays in a genre, where Tinseltown often disappoints. Everything in this film has the volume turned up. The story is just a bit tighter than similar films. The violence more shocking. The dialogue more slick. The characters have just a little more depth. It all adds up to a gorgeous, engaging film that stands up to repeated viewings, made even more powerful by the tragic fate of Chadwick Boseman. He burns so very, very brightly in this film.

4) The Trial of the Chicago 7

Aaron Sorkin directs this movie about the famous trial against protesters during the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago. Any person with a decent bone in their body will get SO mad watching this story unfold. Even if you know where this is going you WILL get pissed.

Aaron Sorkin is famous for his words, but here he manages to conjure up some memorable visuals and a few very cinematic sequences. I gotta say, I'm impressed. This is a solid piece of work, dealing with a very important historic event.

3) The Vast of Night

Unbelievable. This is made by a first-time filmmaker, Andrew Patterson. It's so stylish, so confident. It looks so cool, and it's so moody. Plus, the story itself is right up my alley. A kind of The X-files meets American Graffiti, a UFO story set in the 50's.

Now, I'll admit, the opening half hour is a bit challenging, because the film doesn't provide a primer to guide the viewer. It requires a bit of patience, which will pay off in the end. The finale is also a bit underwhelming, until you realize it's perfect.

Amazon bought this, and that's unfortunate. This is not a film for a streaming service. It needs to be seen on a large, good screen (it's quite a dark film), in a good video quality, in a dark room, with no interruptions.

2) Tenet

I just can't in good conscience put this any lower on the list. Despite its many faults - and it has MANY - Tenet just too damn brilliant.

I never liked  the hero. I never bought the love story. The bad guy is almost embarrassingly weak. And the less we say about the idea of making a film that simply DOES NOT work on the first viewing, the better. Despite all this, Chris Nolan has managed to construct an amazing, unique film. Tenet is a deeply flawed, confusing, often unlikable, sometimes downright cocky masterpiece, but it IS a masterpiece. The more I watch it, the more I'm convince this will be the final verdict.

1) Misbehaviour

Imagine my surprise, when I went through my list of 2020 favourites and discovered that I had given this film the highest marks. I'm not sure why I was surprised, after all I enjoy the hell out of this deceptively unassuming little gem. It pretends to be a bit silly, but don't be fooled, this is a solid piece of focused filmmaking, full of great performances. Best of all, though, it's got something on its mind, and despite the 70's setting, its themes are still relevant in the world today. I've already rewatched it once, and dare say I enjoyed it even more the second time. I can't wait to watch it again.

WRAP-UP

And so we bid 2020 farewell. A year that changed a lot for the world and for cinema. The effects of The Rona will ripple through 2021 and beyond. It's be interesting to see where we are 1 year from now.

Bottom 20 of 2020

Here we are, once again, back with the traditional look at the best and worst films from the past year. 2020 has taken quite enough of our attention already, so let's get on with it...

As always, we start with the worst.

THE LIST

20) The Old Guard

Charlize Theron should have signed up for Mad Max: Fury Road 2 instead of this strangely unambitious, overly familiar, big bummer of a film. It does nothing interesting with it's well-worn premise, it looks like any other lackluster Hollywood film, but most frustratingly, it's just not fun to watch.

19) Artemis Fowl

I love Kenneth Branagh, but I wish he'd stay away from these soulless big budget effect movies. Having said that, this doesn't seem all that big budget. It's got a lot of flashy effects, but the plot is basically a simple "find a thingy"-plot - the kind the Marvel movies have already worn thin - and most of the movie takes place in a single house. I guess you could live with that if the film at least worked as a good introduction to the title character, but no. This Artemis Fowl is not a "12 year-old criminal mastermind", as described by the books. He's an unlikable, cocky, little shit, played rather unconvincingly by newcomer Ferdia Shaw.

Corona got the blame for the cancelled theatrical release of this film, but I wonder if everybody at Disney wasn't secretly relieved, when they could just dump this on their streaming service and forget about all about it?

18) Charlie's Angels

Another dull and unnecessary attempt to turn the "classic" TV show into a movie franchise. The film looks cheap, it's completely devoid of set-pieces and the only one who appears to be having a good time is - surprisingly enough - Kristen Stewart. I'll have what she's having. And I wish everybody else in front of and behind the camera would O.D. on the same stuff.

17) The New Mutants

I actually wanted to like this movie. A small scale, teen-oriented X-Men film, with a horror bend seemed like a good idea. Turns out: It wasn't.

16) Train to Busan present: Peninsula

I didn't love the first Train to Busan as many did, though I get why everybody seem to fall for it. It did have some solid moves.

At first, this sequel also appears to have some solid moves, but soon the problems reveal themselves. It sets itself up to be a zombie heist movie. The it forgets about the heist. And sometimes also the zombies. The characters are bland, there's no sense of urgency, it's not exciting, or scary, or interesting. I was hoping for Escape from New York with Zombies. This is more like Escape from LA with no zombies.

15) Terminator: Dark Fate

It's time to terminate the Terminator franchise for good. I love Terminator 2. I'm one of the few people who loved Terminator 3 as well, but let's get real for a second. There should really only ever have been ONE Terminator movie. We're now on number..... 6?!

This convoluted reboot, retcon, rehash is so painfully uninspired every step of the way that it quickly feels like nobody really wanted to make it. So why did they? No, don't say money - if they had wanted to score a big payday on that $200 million investment, they would never have turned in such an ugly, unmemorable, and unnecessary piece of shit. Even the spectacular return of Linda Hamilton couldn't save this. She deserves so much better. As do we, needless to say.

14) Da 5 Bloods

What an obnoxious and punchable film. Par for the course for Spike Lee, then!

This clumsy, unsatisfying Vietnam War story and wannabe heist movie fumbles the history lesson, the heist part and even fails on the most rudimentary level (the basic mission is simply impossible). Technical merits are questionable, the direction is sloppy and Spike Lee seems clueless about his own shortcomings, and the myriad of other problems on deck. Ironically, especially considering this film, Lee has a Trump-ish streak, where everybody who dares to question him must be 100% wrong. That probably explains why this and other of his recent films turn out as shoddy as they do.

13) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Make no mistake about it, this is THE most classy film on this list, and it will most likely win a couple of Oscar. That doesn't mean it's any good.

I had looked forward to Ma Rainey's Black Bottom! I though I was going to see a complex period piece about black musicians struggling in a cold, hard, white business eager to exploit their talents, but less eager to pay the musicians their dues. What I got instead was a short, filmed play, with two or three interesting, awkward speeches, but no sense of an organic narrative or a layered portrayal of the period. A huge disappointment.

12) The Rhythm Section

I love when women take the lead in action movies and thrillers, and Blake Lively seemed the perfect choice to head up this potentially franchise-starting revenge-spy movie. Unfortunately it turned out to be a dull mess that only made me want to rewatch Nikita and Taken. They should have saved that cool title for a better story.

11) Bloodshot

Stop it Vin. Please just stop it. Stick to the Fast & Furious movies. Stop trying to start more franchises. Just stop it.

10) The Complex Lockdown

I checked this out on a whim, because I've got a thing for Michelle Mylett who plays the lead. There's an interesting core in the story, but at some point the film fumbles the ball and turns into a groan inducing direct-to-video amateur bore. I still got a thing for Michelle Mylett, but I won't make the mistake of watching THIS film again!

9) The Craft: Legacy

I get it. Take a great 90's movie, update it, modernize it a bit. That makes sense. I'd even go so far as to say The Craft (1996) is one of those movies that could be improved - it's got quite a few scenes and plotlines that haven't stood the test of time.

This remake, reboot, sequel or whatever it is, is baffling, though. It completely fails to establish the most basic parts of the story, it ruins the core concept, where witchcraft gives courage to the disenfranchised. It can't even put together a decent soundtrack. In every imaginable way this is inferior to the original film. And the less said about the painfully awkward attempts to be woke the better.

8) Force of Nature

A heist under the cover of bad weather? Yes! Could it be that we've found this year's Hurricane Heist? Nope. Force of Nature failed to deliver on its promise, despite a decent cast and better than average direct-to-video production value. Watch that 1999 Sandra Bullock film instead.

7) The Tax Collector

If it wasn't for the slick production value and a fully committed Shia LaBeouf, this would look like any other dime a dozen cheap direct-to-video "gangsta" film. Yes, we get it David Ayer, you desperately want to be cool and have street cred! First step would be: Don't make shitty films like this. That is so NOT gangsta!

6) Valhalla

It pains me a little bit to put this on the bottom list, because I know a few of the people involved in the project, but this film just didn't work. The budget is far too low to properly tell a story on the scale the Old Norse myths deserve. Some of the stylistic choices are highly questionable, and the young lead actors fail to convince on any level. Also, I'm not sure how anyone can follow the shoddy plot, unless they already know the old stories. Which of course is another problem: Everybody knows the old stories, because there's already a highly popular animated classic, which covers the same material.

Valhalla should have been a bright, breathtaking adventure, instead of this muddy, moody and claustrophobic mess.

5) The Doorman

I had to check and recheck. No, it's true, this inept Die Hard ripoff is directed by Ryûhei Kitamura. He's usually a competent director, but you wouldn't know it, based on this embarrassment. The film often looks like a cheap video production, assembled by amateurs. Lead actress Ruby Rose's already limited acting abilities are further hampered by the feeling that she's not really present in any of her scenes. A hopeless bore. If you HAD to watch a Die Hard ripoff you could be much better. It's hard to do worse.

4) The Pale Door

A western, horror movie? Yes! SO much yes! A train robbery results in the theft of a locked box, but when it's opened the content is not gold, but a young innocent (right!) girl! Color me intrigued! Unfortunately it very quickly becomes apparent that this low-budget production will not provide a solid foundation for that story. If the cheap video-look didn't give it away, the amateur actors, laughable locations, and other assorted oddities will. The basic pitch could have worked, but this is too cheap and too inept to get anywhere near that potential.

3) Money Plane

A descent heist movie idea laughably executed. You want an airport check-in terminal? I got you! Here's a blue curtain and a lamp. That's the level of filmmaking here. I could almost forgive how cheap the film looks if it actually delivered on the central heist idea, but it turns out that idea only provides about 5-10 minutes of screentime. The rest of the 82 minute running time is spent waiting for something to happen, and laughing at the utter incompetence of everything is this film. Money Plane can't even get through a scene where a guy cooks spaghetti in a realistic manner. For real.

2) Breach

This is just straight up shitty filmmaking. A script that doesn't make any sense and lacks any consistency from one scene to the next. Production value on the level of a 1st grade school play. Devoid of any discernible filmmaking skills. On some level this would be really funny, if it wasn't so painfully bad.

1) Cats

How could you NOT put Cats at the top of the Bottom list? This grotesque misfire barely qualifies as a movie. Never mind the fact that Cats, the musical, is already an inept piece of trash, which owes its entire legacy to a single song. On top of that this film looks SO bad and is SO awful, you really have to see it to believe it.

Director Tom Hooper's sanity was already in question, now we know for sure. That man needs to be locked up. Just look at the way he uses wide-angle lenses. He's a savage and he must be stopped.

WRAP-UP

That's it what a CATastrophe, huh? Oh well, luckily 2020 had some good films too. We'll get to those next.

2020: The Stats

Well, it's a new year and that means we once again must look back on what we accomplished in the previous year in terms of movie-watching. I did quite a bit better this year than last, but I still haven't reached that golden number 365 movies watched in a year. In fact I haven't reached that number since 2013.

Oh well, let's look at the stats for 2020....

Number of films watched in 2020:

329

Comparison:
- 2019 (263) - 2018 (290) - 2017 (263) - 2016 (288)
- 2015 (307) - 2014 (331) - 2013 (401) - 2012 (405)
- 2011 (343) - 2010 (338) - 2009 (302) - 2008 (361)

Breakdown:
- Films watched for the first time: 167
- Re-watched films: 162

Films in play for the top/bottom lists:

99

Quality distribution (of new films):
Good: 53
Meh: 25
Bad: 21

Format distribution:

4K: 26
Blu-ray: 189
DVD: 9
VOD: 98
Other: 5
Cinema: 2

Decade-of-release distribution:

1920's: 2 films
1940's: 2 films
1950's: 7 films
1960's: 9 films
1970's: 16 films
1980's: 29 films
1990's: 32 films
2000's: 38 films
2010's: 139 films (2018: 18 / 2019: 47)
2020: 55

Most watched film:

Tenet (3 times)

TV-SHOW STATS

I did even worse in 2020 than I did in 2019. And 2019 was bad. I have SO many awesome TV-shows waiting for me, I really have to pull myself together this year, and get to them.

Number of TV-show episodes watched:
(not counting game shows)

184

Number of different TV shows watched:

27

Complete seasons watched:

8

FINAL THOUGHTS

That's it. 2020 sure was a strange year, and most of the big films got pushed to 2021, so my top and bottom lists for last year WILL be weird. I'm going to start working on them right now. Let's meet up later on this very site and check them out, shall we?