Top 10 Films of 2020

Top 10 Films of 2020

ETCinema Reviews

 

 

It was a year unlike any other. While the World couldn’t always go to the movies in 2020, a lot of the movies often came to us straight on streaming. The selection of films that came out was significantly slighter than what was originally scheduled, with many of the biggest blockbusters being pushed back to next summer. But there were plenty of films to feast the eyes on this year nonetheless, and some really unique and quality visions were able to shine through and given more of a spotlight. Obviously I wasn’t able to see every single film, even though I had more time on my hands than usual, but I think I saw enough to give you a pretty definitive top 10.

So here it is. My Top 10 Films of the year 2020:

 

Honourable Mentions 

 

There were over 20 films that didn’t make my Top 10 this year. Some of which were nowhere near. There’s some I'd like to forget.

But there were some films that just narrowly missed out, some films that were in my top 10 up until the last couple weeks and got shifted last minute.

Notably: Guy Ritchie‘s The Gentlemen which was a return to form and possibly his best work since Snatch, and Pixar‘s first post COVID release; Onward, which hit Disney Plus after a troubled cinema release. These are some of the diamonds in the rough but just couldn’t make it past some of the heavy hitters in the list. Anyway, without further ado...

 

10) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

One of the last films I saw from 2020 was also one of the strongest for performances. 

See my full review here : https://etcinemareviews.blogspot.com/2021/01/ma-raineys-black-bottom-2020-review.html

 

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a well adapted stage play that is carried into greatness by its two lead actors. Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davies both give career defining performances and this will likely and hopefully get some awards buzz soon. If this wasn’t so well casted and acted, it might not have found its way into my Top 10. But luckily, it has two of the best performers of a generation, and they give their hearts and souls respectively. It’s hard to explain Ma Rainey’s story in a way that will entice people with excitement. It’s a movie about jazz musicians trying to record an album. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a powerhouse of storytelling, with both the performers and the filmmakers weaving a gripping and emotional tale. 

 

9) Tenet 

 

Possibly the only movie in existence that’s harder to follow the second time round, in my experience anyway, Tenet is a truly original idea. No one else could possibly be quite so intelligent and or insane as Christopher Nolan to make this science come to life. Watching Tenet is like watching a beautiful chemical reaction in a classroom lecture. Even if you don’t fully follow what the teacher, or in this case the auteur, is telling you, it looks and feels beautiful. It’s not Nolan's best movie, and doesn’t touch the truly titanic heights of Inception or Interstellar, but, like those movies, it’s spectacle and craft is out of this world. If you like movies you simply need to see some of the stuff that Tenet pulls off.

What it lacks in endearing characters, it more than makes up for in scale and cinematography. 

 

8) Soul 

 

In my full review here: https://etcinemareviews.blogspot.com/2020/12/soul-2020-review.html

 

I said that Soul was a perfect film for the here and now, and boy did that get even more relevant within a couple weeks of its release. As we go into another year of uncertainty, films like Soul remind us of the beauty of our individuality. What makes you you? What do you offer to the people around you that no one else does? Soul makes you reflect and reevaluate and it does so with pathos and without patronising. 

It explores some truly brave themes for a children’s film, and if it had explored some of its concepts a little bit more, it could’ve even been in my top 3. Soul is visually and spiritually warming. It came out at Christmas when many of us were experiencing our lowest December in recent memory, and it came with a warm and familiar hug. For that, I can always be grateful. 

Soul is , as it’s name suggests, full of joy and life.

 

7) Mank 

 

There’s not much I can say that I didn’t say a hell of a lot more cleverly in my full review here: https://etcinemareviews.blogspot.com/2020/12/mank-2020-review.html

 

Mank is a film for the lovers of film, made by a lover of film. A courageous attempt to recapture the glory of golden age Hollywood, with its sound and visuals all matching that old aesthetic. Well acted, and definitely well crafted, Mank takes you on a journey into the seedy, imperfect world of the old studio system. Every grimy political move, every double cross and every scandalous aside is a reflection of what once was everyday life behind the scenes. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but Mank was certainly a strong shot of old Whiskey. 

 

6) The Lighthouse 

 

One of the first films released in the UK in 2020 was actually the last film I saw on this list. Technically a 2019 film, but released the first week of January over here. 

If I said Mank may be a polarising cup of tea for viewers, The Lighthouse is probably unpalatable to many, but if you love your experimental and gothic cinema, this is the beverage for you.

 

Robert Eggers' first big film The Vvitch was a breath of fresh air for the horror genre, and it was soon followed by A24's popular releases Hereditary and Midsommar, both directed by Ari Aster and both pushing the boundaries of what makes viewers feel uncomfortable. The Lighthouse opts instead to paint a picture of the fragile and claylike nature of human sanity. How easily can you be made corrupted, hysterical and irredeemable. What happens when two men are cut off from the World with nothing but a light and each other’s mismatched company? Well no spoilers here but it doesn’t end well, and it certainly doesn’t go the way you expect.

 

Cinema is a language. And like words themselves, it can be used to create art. Your favourite blockbusters are art in their own right. They’re well orated and passionately delivered speeches and debates. The Lighthouse is an interpretive poem. An Old English, vivid and at times puzzling poem. Equal parts beautiful and irksome, equal parts totally gripping and totally exhausting. 

This is cinema in its most purely unfiltered and unadulterated form. 

 

5) Jojo Rabbit

 

Lucky for you I didn’t have this review page when Jojo Rabbit was released, or else you’d have had to endure a book worth of my thoughts on the film. I’ve followed Taika Watiti ever since he directed Flight of the Conchords and the fact that he is quickly becoming one of the biggest voices in the Hollywood system is a blessing for sure.

How a film like Jojo Rabbit even gets made these days feels like a complete mountain of a task. The movie about the Nazi boy is totally endearing. 

It’s a sentence I don’t often expect to be typing.

Jojo Rabbit can switch from belly-laughs to stifled tears in an instant, and that’s always been my favourite brand of comedy. Only the best comedy writers and directors can find that balance and pendulum between it with such ease. 

Jojo Rabbit has to be seen to be believed. Don’t take my word for it.

It’s heartwarming, it’s heartbreaking. It’s so so relevant and it’s so so necessary to reflect on the humanity and the light that is so often lacking from our history books. 

In a year where the World fought fascism more than a couple times , a film like Jojo Rabbit reminds us to love and not hate. Question your belief systems and see people for who they really are. 

 

4) The Trial of the Chicago 7 

 

If I hadn’t written a passionate iPhone note about this film , I wouldn’t be writing this list now. Films that make you feel buzzed, not because of action or effects, but because of how incredibly acted or directed or scored they are, are the joys of being a cinema goer.

I see Trial of the Chicago 7 being a big contender for the writing and acting categories in the next awards season. Aaron Sorkin's talent for writing dialogue is unrivalled and he pulls performances out of Baron Cohen, Redmayne and the entire cast that work together like a finely oiled system. 

See my full and original review here: https://etcinemareviews.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-trial-of-chicago-7-2020-review.html

 

And then, if you haven’t yet, check out this incredible story that Sorkin brought to life.

 

 

3) Uncut Gems

 

Full review here: https://etcinemareviews.blogspot.com/2020/11/uncut-gems-2020-review.html

 

I’m probably repeating myself but for me, the best cinema is based on the effect it has on the viewer. If a horror film leaves you terrified beyond belief, it’s a great horror film. If an action film leaves you so excited you can’t wait for the seventh film in the franchise, it’s a good action film. If a film like Uncut Gems gets your heart racing for two hours straight and takes you on a journey through every frustrating low and glorious high of a scum bags get-rich-quick schemes, it’s a damn good movie.

 

Uncut Gems is intense beyond belief. I haven’t felt so clammy in my seat since Whiplash. 

Add to that, a career high for Adam Sandler, who quite frankly deserved nominating at the academy for turning in a transformative and committed role. 

Once again, it’s an A24 release, as the new kid on the studio system block proves that letting directors direct and visionaries have their visions, is quite often the best approach when it comes to this art form.

 

 

 

2) Parasite 

 

The sheer quality of these top 5 films makes it very hard to rank them against one another. For many, Parasite is the best film of 2020. The Academy got their advanced look at it and decided it was the best film of 2019.

Over here, I didn’t get round to viewing the headline piece until it’s Amazon Prime release. 

When I did, I understood the love.

 

Parasite is a beautiful exploration of class and culture. It has some of the cleverest and most soIid script writing in recent years and am overall atmosphere in unpredictability and uncertainty. Grizzly twists and turns abound. The film you’re expecting from Act 1 is certainly not the film you leave with in Act 3. Parasite is truly unlike anything you’ll see on the market at the moment, although that seems to be a common denominator with this top 10. 

What I can say is that it was deserving of its praise. And there’s only one film in 2020 that pipped it for me. 

 

 

1) 1917

 

I can’t ever forget the experience of seeing this for the first time. It was a milestone for cinema that I think has been too quickly overlooked as the year has gone on. Never before had we seen the one-shot technique done to such heights, and with such intent and storytelling purpose. 

Sam Mendes crafted something beautiful here. Truly encapsulating. 

For me, it will always be the top film of 2020. I knew when I left the cinema in the first week of January that it was going to be hard to beat. And I was right.

 

There is top talent in every facet of this production. Sam Mendes' storytelling eye, the beautiful and unmatched cinematography of the incredible Roger Deakins (probably the best in the business right now) and the strong and somber score of Thomas Newman. Matched with two empathic young leads and small but committed appearances from some of the best British actors in the industry. 1917 is my top film of 2020, and it’s in esteemed company.

 

 

 

 

In conclusion, what could’ve been seen as a write off for some when it comes to films, has instead for me been a blessing. I’ve seen some of my favourite stories and visuals in the cinematic medium for years. I genuinely think that while the financial side of cinema is taking a hit, the art form itself is not suffering by any means. Visions are being realised and new platforms, streaming services and companies like A24 are allowing unique and risky auteurs to finally make something new. I have a lot of optimism for what’s to come in film. Here’s to 2021, if we can’t have fun outside, at least we can have fun behind a screen. 

 

 

 

Reviews by Elliott Thomas Griffiths