2020 Film Review

In this feature I’ll go through the best films I’ve seen this year, the best films that everyone said I should have seen and some quick fire reviews of others I’ve seen and a warning of the worst film I've seen this year.

Top 10 films of the year

Yes, controversy already I love both the top 2 films and just coundn't separate the two of them so we have a joint first place.

1. - Jojo Rabbit

Directed by Taika Waititi

After the success of Thor:Ragnorak you could be forgiven for thinking that director Taika Watiti would firmly entrench himself in the Disney/MCU world and count his money, but no he decided to make a small film about a young German boy whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler! Jojo Rabbit is a fantastical film proving that you can always make fun of the Nazi’s with young Roman Griffin Davis leading as Jojo and director Waititi himself playing a 10 year olds imagined version of Hitler. Scarett Johanssen gives a career best performance as Jojo’s mother Rosie who is secretly hiding a young jewish girl Elsa (the brilliant Thomasin McKenzie) in her attic. As the film progresses Jojo begins to form a bond with Elsa and begins to question his Nazi allegiance. There is sterling supporting work by Sam Rockwell Alfie Allen, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant & the awesome Archie Yates as Yorki Jojo’s best friend. The film is so light and comedic until the scene with the red shoes in the public square and the developing relationship between Jojo and Elsa is beautiful, I’m totally fine with Taika making another Thor movie if we get something as amazing as Jojo Rabbit inbetween again.

1 - Parasite

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

I've seen Bong Joon-Ho’s masterpiece 3 times this year (twice in the same week in the cinema) and I can see why it fully served all the awards and acclaim. The story of the poor Kim family and how they work their way into the lives of the wealthy Park family is comedic, dramatic, horrific and vastly original. With it’s central theme of class the word Parasite can be levelled at both families and the director wrings every last bit of comedy and tension for the situation. The story is brilliant and original, the performances are all pitch perfect, the music haunting and the cinematography stunning throughout. The highlight being the family rushing home from the rich area of the city to their basement flat in the slums late at night during a flood, the cinematography in this scene is breathtaking with the flooded streets bathed in neon as the camera follows the family into the depths of their flooded home.

3. Bill & Ted Face The Music

Directed by Dean Parisot

I was lucky enough to see Bill & Ted in the cinema right before they were closed for at least 6 months where I live and I loved this film, as a fan of the originals I know what a journey it has been to get this film made over the last 20 years and despite staring Keanu Reeves it is still a film with a small budget. Plotwise the years have passed and Bill & Ted have still not written the song that will save the world and the leaders in the future are beginning to lose faith themselves that Bill & Ted can do it. This leads to Bill and Ted deciding to go into the future to try and steal the song from themselves once they have already wrote it, this of course leads to some great alt-future versions of Bill & Ted. Also great job on the casting of Billie & Thea (Bill & Teds daughters) with amazing work from Samara Weaving & Bridget Lundy-Paine who have their own side adventure recruiting members for an all star band, I jsut wish they’d had more to do and I would totally love to so them in a spin off. In a year of shit the goofy optimism of Bill & Ted is exactly what we all need!

4. The Lighthouse

Directed by Robert Eggers

Robert Eggers eldritch horror is exactly the type of the original film we rarely see these, ostensively a two hander with a never better Robert Pattinson as Ephraim Winslow a young lighthouse keeper sent to work with his elderly supervisor an unhinged Thomas Wake played superbly by Williem Dafoe. With virtually no other cast members this is a stunning tale of loneliness and madness as the days pass in a hallucinatory haze. From its black and white cinematography. its 4:3 ratio, nothing about The Lighthouse is conventional. Indeed after my first viewing I watched it again straight afterwards as I couldn't decide if what I'd just watched was genius or utter crap..it was genius

5. 1917

Directed by Sam Mendes

A stunning technical acheivement with the whole film constructed to be presented in one take, it isn't but to the average viewer you won't notice or care. George McKay & Dean Charles-Chapman star as two young soldiers who have to cross no mans land to deliver a message that will stop a battalion being ambushed. It is a simple story and some of performances are merely adequate but the cinematography and direction are unrivalled that take this film to another level.

6. The Nightingale

Directed by Jennifer Kent

A stone cold revenge film set in the Tasmanian wilderness that follows the story of Aisling Franciosi's young Irish convict Clare who joins up with Billy an aboriginal tracker as they hunt down Sam Claflins brutish officer Hawkins so Clare can take revenge for her family. Brtual, uncompromising and anchored by a stunning performance by Franciosi, The Nightingale is not an easy watch but is essential viewing.

7. Mank

Directed by David Fincher

Gary Oldman gives yet another terrific as Herman J Mankiewicz the disputed screenwriter of Citizen Kane. A classic tale of old Hollywood Oldman's Mank is a belligerent ranconteur who continually clashes with all around him as his tries to finish writing his draft of Citizen Kane, ably supported by a great Tom Burke as the young Orson Welles. A nice bit of trivia about the film is that the screenplay was written by Finchers own faather Jack Fincher who passed away in 2003.

8. The Invisible Man

Directed by Leigh Whannell

Once again Blumhouse pictures made a massive success from a tiny budget of $7 million, The Invisible Man went on to make over $140 million. Elizabeth Moss once again gives an amazning performance as a woman who plans to escape her abusive boyfriend. Then after his apparent death she is stalked and sttacked repeatedly while she and everyone else questions her sanity. A very modern take on the source matieral as the focus isn't on The Invisible Man but his victim, although that didn't sit well with everyone. That said, after a shocking restaurant scene the film kicks into high gear before an ending that also split opinion.

9. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Directed by Aaron Sorkin

With an all star cast headed by Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance & Sasha Baron Cohen, this is an old fashioned courtroom drama with Sorkins trademark dialogue, that tells the story of 7 defendants arrested for protesting at the 1968 Democratic National convention. A special shout out to Frank Langella's hiss-worthy villain Judge Hoffman.

10. Borats Subsequent Movie Film

Directed by Jason Wollner

A sequel filmed in secret that few people knew was even made until it was announced the film would be dropping on Amazon Prime right before the US election. Borat travels to America to present VP Mike Pence with a monkey before a mishap means he has to travel around the USA with his 15 year old daughter. Once again Cohen dares to go where few would and the film at times shocking as expected but also has some heart as we see his developing relationship with his daughter played fearlessly by newcomer Maria Bakalova.

Now onto the worst film I've seen this year, a film so bad I asked multiple times should we just turn it off? But that was so bad I also needed to see how it ended.

Worst film of the year

Ghosts of War (Netflix)

Where to start, I'll blame my Dad who wanted to watch a world war 2 film, with the usual low budget Netflix offerings I checked the cast and saw Billy Zane (a black mark) but Sons of Anarchy's Theo Rossi and the soon to be new Jack Reacher Alan Ritchson. The vibe I got was that it was going to be a bunch of US soldiers meet some ghosts in a French mansion, at best I was hoping for some schlockly B movie fun like the underated Overlord with secret Nazi experiments underground in the French countryside, unfortunately this film made Overlord look like Saving Private Ryan.

What a crock of shit, there is so much you can do with a haunted house movie and this was dull and predictable on every level, and what the fuck is up with the ghosts make up? They look terrible even hidden with dark cinematography. Characters disappear for half the movie then turn up again but wait the end twist is truly insane and not in a good way.

Yes the 3rd act twist is that none of the film was real (a horrible trope!) and all the characters are actually soldiers in the modern day using VR to get over PTSD trauma from Afghanistan. I'd say you cannot make this shit up but someone clearly did and I watched it. But thus cinematic sludge doesn't stop there as it throw's some time loop bullshit into the plot as well. An absolute shit show of a film.

I also watched a ton of other movies this past year and here are some quick fire comments on those that I can remember

Quick Fire Reviews

The New Mutants - 6/10

The last Fox studio era X-men film that crept out 2 years after it was finished and shelved. Its a small film with only a handful of troubled teens stuck in the one location. With supremely low expectations I actually quite enjoyed it for the small scale story it told. Great wrk by Blu Hunt as Dani and the scene stealing always Anya Taylor-Joy as Iiyana Rasputin.

Tenet - 5/10

The film that was supposed to save cinema but didn’t (not even making my top 10) as it felt like Nolan by numbers and there was nothing original about the plot. Despite some good performances Nolans narrative held no surprises and some atrocious sound editing made certain scenes completely unintelligible. A rare mis-fire by Nolan

I’m Thinking of Ending Things - N/A

I’ve still not finished this film and depsite the Fargo TV show reunion with most of the cast I’ve fallen asleep twice watching this

Underwater - 5/10

A solid Kirsten Steward underwater monster B movie, but poor cinematography and shaky cam mean we spend most of the film unable to see what is going on, still bonus points for the crew not all running around like headless chickens like you usually get in these films and they have a decent plan to escape.

The Hunt - 7/10

An underrated black comedic gem that was unfairly shelved previously to a shooting issues in the states, but once released The Hunt was a great satirical take on the assholes on both the liberal and conservative sides and with each death early on I kept wondering who our main character was going to be. Bonus points for Dennis from “its always Sunny’ essentially being Dennis from ‘Its Always Sunny and a fantastic lead performance by Betty Gilpin.

The Rhythm Section - 3/10

Ugh, a slow plodding revenge film with Blake Livey badgering Jude Law’s ex MI6 to train her a former drug addict prostitute to take down the people who killed her family in a plane crash 3 years before. Unbelievable garbage

Extraction - 6/10

Or Chris Hemworth as the improbably named Tyler Rake a mecernary who seems to kill 95% of the bad guys in India, and kills a guy with a rake. Could have done with some more laughs but a competent action film

Rebecca - 6/10

Ben Wheateley’s very un Ben Wheatley’s remake of the Hitchcock classi dark romance, well made and entertaining enough but pales next to the original while Lily James looks like she’ about to cry in every scene, still amazing cinematography and locations.

The Devil all the time - 7/10

A great slow burn southern gothic drama with great peformances by Tom Holland and the rest of the cast, though a throughly depressing bloody film but excellently made.

The King of Staten Island - 7/10

Judd Atapows latest featuring man-child Pete Davison’s semi autobiographical comic drama about losing his fireman father and growing up in Staten Island. Davison proves he can act with great support from Marisa Tomei and Bill Burr, special mention for the outstanding Bel Powley in a small part.

Fantasy Island - 2/10

Great poster, terrible film though not the worst of the year but close

The Old Guard - 5/10

A Highlander rip off but nowhere near as fun about a race of ancient immortals, the whole first film seems like a set up for a much more interesting sequel

Da 5 Bloods - 9/10

Spike Lee’s searing drama about 5 Vietnam vets returning years alter to find buried treasure, a stunning piece with Delroy Lindo’s Oscar worthy work and one of the last great Chadwick Boseman performances.

Eurovison - 7/10

A surprise hit thanks to the complete dedication to the characters by Will Ferrell & Rachel McAdams with some classic cheesy pop music, smarmy Russian Dan Stevens and the now iconic ‘Ja Ja Ding Dong’ The first comedy of the year when people really needed to laugh!

Phew and thats it for my review of the year, at some point during lockdowns 5,6,7 I'll get to writing my preview for 2021 which I had already wrote most of as my 2020 preview!