2020 Movies Summary

 

Top Movies 

The following lists the best new releases I saw during 2020. In 2020 it was different getting my hands on new movies, due to the whole pandemic thing, so the channel of getting the movies started migrating this year. As I type this in Feb 2020, South Africa’s best cinema chain is entering business rescue, so I get a feeling 2021 will be somewhat empty as I wait for the big ones to release on legitimate channels in South Africa. This year I’m doing a Top 6 only, as I only saw 14 new releases in 2020, and listing any more will include undeserving titles. Still, it's awesome to discover great movies. 

1917 (4/4 stars) 

1917 is an incredible achievement drawing the viewer into two World War I soldiers' given mission. The camera follows them in near real-time (with only two breaks advancing the time, as far as I could tell), as they navigate war-torn Europe in the hopes of reaching another Army Battalion in time to call off a planned attack that will end in tragedy. I've never seen anything like it. 
 

Tenet (3,5/4 stars) 

Christopher Nolan continues to bend minds, but none of his previous movies have been this ambitious and complex. As Nolan stated beforehand, the movie does not feature time-travel - not specifically - but what it does feature is even more complex. It's also insanely cool to experience, and I'd love to watch it again for three reasons, 1) to simply experience it again, 2) to take in more of the twisty story, and my only criticism, 3) to have subtitles available so I can actually follow all the dialogue, as some of it gets obscured by the movie's sound and music to a sadly distracting degree. Tenet is incredible, but falls just short of Interstellar, Inception, and Memento. 
 

Ford v Ferrari (3,5/4 stars) 

Ford v Ferrari is a fantastic drama telling the story of the Ford Motor Company's efforts to compete with and eventually defeat Ferrari in the Le Mans endurance race in 1966. Matt Damon and Christian Bale lead a fine cast in telling a wonderful story. 
 

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3,5/4 stars) 

Aaron Sorkin brings his signature high-octane writing (but more tempered than it was in The Social Network), to an intriguing and rousing telling of the sham of a case that was brought against 8 people who were charged as the leaders of the Vietnam War protesting leftists at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which led to violent riots. It was all about visuals, as the eighth defendant was not even part of the riots - he was merely added to the docket because of his skin colour and his ties to the Black Panthers in order to make the actual seven seem more "criminal" to the jury. It seems not much has changed since then. 
 

The King of Staten Island (3,5/4 stars) 

I really enjoyed this understated but still foul-mouthed dramedy a lot. The King of Staten Island is a semi-autobiographical telling of comedian Pete Davidsons's life story, starring Pete Davidson as himself, but not with his name - he goes by Scott Carlin (after his father Scott Davidson and the comedian George Carlin). The movie is endearing and engaging, and I doubt many people will not enjoy it. 

 

The Report (3,5/4 stars) 

The Report won't be for everyone, as it's almost a documentary style telling (sans interviews) of the Senate investigations into the CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Techniques after 9/11. It's a very good movie with actors disappearing into their roles, and the intrigue is not in any way diminished by the slow pace or the "supposed" factual nature of the movie - it's not credited as being based on true events, but rather based on the heavily redacted Torture Report. 

 

Worst Movies 

In every batch of movies there will be great movies, which I've listed above, average movies, which just float by into yesterday, and these: the ones that felt like time and money wasted. The ones that make you afraid to see new movies and may sway you towards rather re-watching old classics. These are the movies, new or only seen now, from 2020 that I would like to unsee, that I won't ever recommend. 

 

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) (0,5/4 stars) 

I'm giving this movie a half star, only because it technically classifies as a movie. Apart from that, it's crass and stupid. I thought I was a big Andy Samberg fan - turns out I'm a fan of a somewhat controlled, a less vulgar Andy Samberg. Oh, I also abandoned this one after about 25 minutes. 
 

The Burnt Orange Heresy (1,5/4 stars) 

The Burnt Orange Heresy, which turns out to be the title of an artwork with dubious origins, is mostly a boring establishment of the main character, art critic James Figueras (Claes Bang), as a smooth talker with not-so-honourable intentions, and of the old artist Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland) as a famous hermit. Along for the slow yarn is a nearly innocent girl (Debicki) and an eccentric millionaire (Mick Jagger), both victims of Figueras' ambition. 
 

Assassin’s Creed (2016) (2/4 stars) 

Assassin's Creed feels like someone was tasked to write a script based on the game in a rush - on which he did a half-decent job. But the half decent script would have resulted in a 6-hour movie, so he was instructed to cut almost all exposition and anything not flashy enough to get it to under 2 hours, and by this time the budget for proper special effects was depleted - and to hide this fact the movie was shot through a smoke haze. Yeah, it's that bad - and the references to the game are extremely forced. *[gasp], Leap of Faith!" 
 

Project Power (2/4 stars) 

Project Power is another of Netflix's shiny new action vehicles with cool visuals and an interesting premise, but with a less than ideal result. While the premise of taking a drug or power pill to unleash a superpower for 5 minutes is interesting; the meat of the movie seems hollow - as if it was developed with only loose connections to any true underlying humanity. The father's desperation to find his daughter doesn't have depth, the movie merely assumes it; when a protagonist enters the fray, he swallows a power pill, and the result is more predictable than surprising; and the last protagonist to swallow the power pill has the greatest reveal before a last twist and a Deus Ex Machina happy ending. I don't recommend Project Power. 
 

The New Mutants (2/4 stars) 

Not writing this mini review in the week after watching the movie seems to have been a mistake - it's not a very memorable movie to be quite honest. There are the usual mutants trying to figure out whether their powers are good or bad, the inevitable villain trying to tell them it's bad, and the revelation that their powers are good. This time it's told via a horror movie of sorts, but the entire thing is just diluted, not all that much fun to watch. It's time for the X-Men to also properly join the MCU. 
 

Old Guard (2/4 stars) 

The Old Guard is a concept movie and not much more. What if there are a few immortal individuals who've been, over hundreds or even thousands of years, fighting for what they believed at the time to be right? And then some cartoonishly greedy and villainous Martin Shkreli-type hears about them and tries to capture them "for research for the good of humanity". Some cool fight scenes with oddly quiet interludes and cliche dialogue (the words "Go big or go home" are used, verbatim) left me a little more disappointed at having watched it than happy to have done so. 
 

Bloodshot (2/4 stars) 

Bloodshot is a visually attractive movie with a bare bones story which serves more as a set up for a potential trilogy/franchise than truly having a proper complete story of its own. Vin Diesel basically plays himself (or Dom Toretto from the later Fast & Furious movies) - with a ridiculous enhancement: he's basically a near-immortal nano-bot machine on a quest for vengeance, which in turn is based on manufactured emotion. His "creator" places memories in his nanobot mind to further his own agenda, and of course it's all revealed to the hero, who fights to change the status quo, get the girl, and his freedom - and they literally ride of together into the sunset. 

 

Dolittle (2/4 stars) 

Dolittle attempts to be magical and humorous and profound, but fails at all of these. With one funny moment and an annoyingly for-children-only approach, Dolittle falls flat on its face. 

 

Midsommar (2/4 stars) 

Midsommar is not for everyone. It drew critical acclaim and while it is well-made, it's not for me. It's a high-concept horror movie that doesn't rely on blood and guts or jump-scares (even though there are some), but rather a growing dread and consistent feeling of confusion over the completely bonkers motivations of a remotely located, self-justified, Swedish sect. Like nothing you've seen before. 
 

Good Older Movies Only Seen in 2020 

Of course no one can watch all the new releases every year without fail. There are movies that slip through the cracks, that you feel the need to catch up on, for better or worse... 

Serenity (2005) (3,5/4 stars) 

After the cancellation of the cult favourite TV series Firefly, the fans' outcry for some story closure led to Serenity. The full crew returns, and the major questions the prematurely cancelled series left behind are addressed while keeping the highly entertaining nature of Firefly alive. 
 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) (3,5/4 stars) 

In retelling the story of The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Michael Bay has managed to make a tense military survival movie with his signature directorial style - this looks and feels like a Michael Bay movie, but what saves it from becoming another 6 Underground (which was awful) is the constraints of it being a true story - there is limited writer's freedom. Thank goodness for that, as 13 Hours is immensely entertaining. 
 

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) (3/4 stars) 

Out of the 4 Terminator movies to come after the incredible T2: Judgment Day, this is the one that comes closest to the feeling of excitement and flat-out action entertainment that the original two movies brought so many years ago. It may not be perfect, but the return of Linda Hamilton and Arnol Schwarzenegger is great, the action scenes are big and brash, and the special effects are pretty cool. 
 

Doctor Sleep (2019) (3/4 stars) 

Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining (1980). Stephen King, the writer of both novels, 36 years apart, famously didn't approve of Stanley Kubrick's movie based on his original book, as it changed quite a few details to King's chagrin. Doctor Sleep is made as both a sequel to the original movie and an almost faithful rendition of the new book, with Stephen King's buy-in. It is also a pretty good thriller-horror movie with some very dark, Kinglike elements. You don't need to have seen The Shining to enjoy this, but I think it may help a little. 
 

Free Fire (2016) (3/4 stars) 

Free Fire is a high-octane movie that is almost completely one protracted shootout in an abandoned warehouse in the 70's between arms-dealers, the buyers, and a few third party mercenaries. The movie is brutal, but presented in a comical way with lots of quips, foul language, and sudden blood spatter all the way through. The entire cast spends almost the whole movie crawling around behind cover in an attempt to survive and get the money in a sweet and short and relatively fun, but very violent movie. 
 

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) (3/4 stars) 

On a whim I decided to catch up on this old-timer, and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. A young Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter star as two high school slackers who are presented with a unique time-travelling research opportunity to pass history or, in Ted's case, be sent to Military School. The movie is a sincere and goofball comedy with two extremely likeable characters who only want to be great musicians - and who are actually revered in a strange future for their planet-saving music. And the moral of the story simply seems to be: "Be excellent to each other, and party on!" 
 

21 Bridges (2019) (3/4 stars) 

21 Bridges is a tight thriller featuring the king of Wakanda, Chadwick Boseman, as an outsider NYPD Detective after the killers of a group of police officers when a drug deal goes really bad. While I can't really say why the movie's title is 21 Bridges, it is an enjoyable fast moving moving that's over far too soon. 
 

Revisits 

What is any year in movies without revisiting some old favourites? You may find that your tastes have changed or that you have simply grown out of some movies, and these are the most notable ones. 

 

A Very Long Engagement (2004) (4/4 stars) 

To get a romance to resonate with such a somber backdrop is quite an achievement. To not only get it to resonate but be a resoundingly rousing feel-good movie is incredible. A Very Long Engagement will forever remain one of my favourite movies ever, beautiful and heartwarming and haunting. 
 

Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow (2014) (4/4 stars) 

This has to be one of the most exhilarating science fiction action movies ever made, and that puts it firmly on my all-time favourites list. Tom Cruise seems to have capitalised on the public dislike by making a movie where he keeps dying, and in the process he makes (with Doug Liman) a terrific actioner that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Awesome movie. 
 

Snatch (2000) (4/4 stars) 

Yup, Snatch is still a fantastic plot weaved out of craziness and fun, with a lot of big name actors all having a blast. Brad Pitt steals the show as an English-Irish Pikey/Gypsy bare-knuckle boxing champion in a movie loaded with memorable performances and infinitely quotable quotes. 
 

Sicario (2015) (4/4 stars) 

Sicario remains an absolutely brilliant, though cynical take on the war on drugs. Unfortunately this take does make sense, as addicts will create a demand, which will drive the market. Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Too, and Emily Blunt are excellent in this sometimes violent, sometimes thoughtful interrogation of a different angle of dealing with the larger drug issue. I will watch this again any time. 
 

Tenet (2020) (4/4 stars) 

The second time watching Tenet was a better experience than the first, as this time I had the advantage of subtitles, and I was also a bit more prepared for the complexity of the story. It is amazing how, when dialogue is garbled, one can feel like you're missing parts of the movie, but if that dialogue is on a second viewing revealed to have been intentionally garbled (due to plot complexities), the story somehow makes more sense. Tenet is an amazing movie, and repeated viewings only cements the feeling. 
 

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) (3,5/4 stars) 

The first half of the evental culmination on a cinematic universe spanning 10 years and 18 movies, Avengers: Infinity War is enormous and loads of fun. It brings it all together but doesn't yet conclude it all. It opts rather to not try and squash everything into one movie, and leaves viewers with a crushing "snap" ending, the Avengers shattered, and hope only hinging on the eventual climactic movie of the first three phases, Avengers; Endgame - to come in 1 year's time. 
 

Avengers: Endgame (2019) (3,5/4 stars) 

The final culmination of Marvel's Cinematic Universe's third phase (barring an epilogue in Spider-Man: Far From Home) is even bigger and bolder than Infinity War, it's still immensely entertaining, and it comes in a tiny little step above Infinity War when the credits roll. It's overwhelming, but also funny, pulse-pounding, and emotional, ending again with a "snap" but this time it has a satisfying feel of rounding out the story the first three phases set out to tell. These movies are nothing other than a Marvel, still having this much power, and growing, after 21 movies. 
 

The Kingdom (2007) (3,5/4 stars) 

This is one of my favourite movies in the military/Middle East subgenre. The story is simple: an FBI team heads to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist bombing at an American compound and things spiral out of control when one of the team members is kidnapped. The movie is brutal and the tension is racked up to almost unbearable levels as the team fights through an army of terrorists on the streets of Riyadh. 
 

Lone Survivor (2013) (3,5/4 stars) 

Lone Survivor is a relentless and high octane retelling of the ridiculous choice a team of operators were forced to make and the immediate consequences of it crashing onto them in the form of a small war between 4 Seals and an army of Taliban fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan. Breathless action and honest feeling of the horrors of war - Lone Survivor is a real good watch. 

 

Demolition Man (1993) (2,5/4 stars) 

Demolition Man is an over-the-top action movie from the golden era of action movies. The dialogue and characters are somewhat juvenile and the concept of the future not quite thought-through (I can't believe that this much of 1996-life will be forgotten by 2032), but the movie remains a fun way to spend two hours. 

Mission Impossible 2 (2000) (1/4 stars) 

I did not have fond memories of MI2. In fact, I was so convinced of how poor a movie this was that I thought I must be remembering it wrong and I decided to watch it again, 20 years later. It's so, so, so much worse, I was dumbstruck by how terrible it is. It must be the worst action blockbuster in history, and I am so thankful the franchise survived this to give us any Mission Impossible movie after this one. But I am not thankful for this one. Never.