Movies and TV I Enjoyed Last Year or, The Pantry Soup of Entertainment That Was 2020
There are still many on my to-watch list because simply when you're stuck in a house, even our relatively big one, with the kids for a year you don't get as much chance to watch your choices of movie. So on my Didn't Have A Chance To Watch But Want To List:
Greenland
The Midnight Sky
News of the World
Mank
The New Mutants
The Invisible Man
Birds of Prey (or, an obnoxious subtitle trying to be cool)
Nevertheless I did see some decent stuff this year, including a few earlier ones I'd been wanting to see and some I never heard of but was happy to be introduced to.
So, my favorites from this year's fare:
This has been an interesting and entertaining series. As an American I don't know half the stuff that happened across the pond, though this current season focuses a lot on Diana and Charles which I do remember, since I was in college and beyond when all this insanity went on. The acting in this series is stellar, with an award-worthy performance by Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher. Serious, aside from Colman's Elizabeth, Anderson is what made me excited about returning. So good. As is the directing and cinematography. Not a fast paced period piece like, say, Downton Abby. Rather a slow burn, Masterpiece Theater type of show.
9. ONWARD
Early in the quarantine this was one of the first Big Release films which had to settle for small screen release, specifically Disney+ being a Disney-Pixar production. Thankfully I have an ad-hoc theater downstairs so Linda, the kids and I were able to enjoy this fun, kid-understandable (see SOUL farther up the list) story. As always, visually enthralling and a great brother/buddy flick. Needed after so many FROZENs.
So, phew! This one made the list at the 11th hour. Just finished it. It's a complicated mess that will leave a lot of people frustrated. A spy thriller which deals with time travel, but this ain't your mother's time travel plot. It's written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who brought us last decade's mind-f&$% INCEPTION (2010). But it's got great sequences, tremendous acting by John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. If you liked INCEPTION you'll enjoy this one.
From the title obviously this is a series (if you didn't know that you have no sense of modern geek culture). Love this show, a combination of Lucas sci-fi and Sergio Leone Spaghetti western, with a splash of Akira Kurosawa (yea yea OK, so I had to google these, I'm not that knowledgeable). A balance of tough guy Eastwood characters and over the top cute Muppets (can anyone say Baby Yoda?... sorry, Grogu?). Jon Favreau has directed (and written) most of my favorite movies and has made a fun, family-friendly if not a tad violent shoot 'em up with special effects that are on par with the most recent STAR WARS feature films.
I'd read the first book in the series when I realized there was a new sci-fi show based on this, and was completely blown away how good it was. Merging characters (and some minor storylines) from the first two books in the series for the first season, THE EXPANSE is probably one of the best science fiction series I've seen, especially in its attempt to be as realistic and gritty as possible. It's uncensored in its occasional violence but, and I give much credit to the two authors of the series, it has a feel of what space travel could be like in the future, especially when spearheaded by messed up people like ourselves. If you like this genre, you have to watch this - and better yet read the book series.
5. I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
I went into this movie cold, not really knowing anything about it except a side comment from someone mentioning the ending fried a few of their brain cells. Intrigued, I went in to this Jesse Plemons (one of my favorite new, yet understated actors) and Jessie Buckly vehicle on Netflix. In general it's about a couple of pretty depressed people in a wobbly relationship, where the woman (everyone is nameless in this one) is considering breaking off the relationship. Very, very subtle film (if you get a feeling about something, like "I wonder if..." trust your instincts - you're probably right) bv screenwriter and director Charlie Kaufman. The film gets weirder as it goes along (if MOTHER!, 2017, pissed you off this one might not be for you, either), but I absolutely loved it. Such a screwed up movie, and I mean that in every good sense, seriously.
4. SOUL
Pixar hasn't made a bad movie, every, but this one - wow, exceeded even my overstated expectations. And what a major - and uncommon, for Hollywood - message it brings. Like its predecessor INSIDE OUT (2015), SOUL will have the most impact on teens and up (including us mid-life crisis adults). Beautiful, wonderful movie with man subtle touches you might miss that make it even better. The younger kids will watch for the animation but ask a LOT of questions because most will go over their heads.
3. SCHITT$ CREEK
Hated the title when this TV series first came out six years ago, but I love Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara (who doesn't?), I decided to give this half hour comedy helmed (and co-starring) Levy's son Daniel a shot. Like the characters themselves, it grows on you very quickly. Every frickin' episode is funny and incredibly sweet, as we watch the Schitt family go from Riches to Rags to finding out what's really important in life. Its final season was this year and I highly recommend the entire series.
Any production that can keep you riveted with very little action AND make you think chess is exciting, deserves to be in the top 3. This is a limited series (I forget how many episodes, I think 6 maybe 8). It's a brilliant, fictionalized account of a women chess master working through poverty and an exclusive club of men. Anya Taylor-Joy (VVITCH, 2015, SPLIT, 2016) is mesmerizing as the brilliant and messed up Beth Harmon.
One of the best things about the quarantine is that the show no one could see because tickets needed to be bought years in advance, and for exorbitant prices, finally came to Disney+. Well worth the wait. Brilliant show, like seeing one of the best Broadway shows in history and in the best seats in the house. You can use subtitles, too, to follow what the heck they're saying. Can't do that on Broadway. My favorite viewing experience of 2020.
Honorable Mentions:
THE PLATFORM (2020): This sci-fi / horror film from Spain (subtitled in English) had me intrigued enough to give it a try and I couldn't turn it off. Very graphic in violence, but even more so in set design. So, so realistic, even for an over the top storyline of a prison that... well, if the graphicness of it all won't turn you off, watch this Netflix-distributed film without knowing much about it. Very good.
UNDERWATER (2020): a terrific Kristen Stewart vehicle, and an admirable sci-fi underwater flick. Currently on HBO Max, this had some great sets and effects, and a decent if not ALIEN-ish cast of characters. Pretty good ending, too.
WONDER WOMAN 1984 (2020) only because it got made. Honestly, though, I did not enjoy this film, which is sad because WONDER WOMAN (2017) was fantastic and she was one of the best parts of BATMAN V SUPERMAN (2016).
The other films I saw last year were OK but not great. WW84 should be included in that previous sentence but I had to mention it here because, well, Gadot.
There were some wonderful older movies I hadn't yet seen until last year (not listing those that weren't so good or too frustrating to finish, like LES CREATURES (1966)), to wit:
Just finished this the other day. For the longest time I never had any desire to watch this movie about twelve jurors (all men, all white, remember this was 1957) debating over the fate of a young Hispanic man charged with murdering his father. Over the years I've seen at least two TV plots that literally stole this plot, how much better could an old, black and white film be? But it's on my poster of "100 Films to See Before You Die" so I finally did. What an amazing film. The plot, yea, nothing earth shattering. But the cinematography and man, the ACTING by everyone in the cast, is absolutely incredible. And even odder - nothing feels dated (except for fact that everyone is chain smoking the entire time, ha ha). If you enjoy film, watch this damn movie!
CHILDREN OF PARADISE (1945)
Now this French film is, by far, one of the best foreign films I've ever, ever seen. Insanely good. Beautifully restored, amazing performances. It's long, around three hours so I watched over a number of days, but if I had three hours to watch uninterrupted I would have loved to. After having seem so many French films from the later avante garde movement which were poorly rendered and almost incomprehensible in plot, this was a great experience.
THE LIGHTHOUSE (2019)
So this one wasn't that old. Totally bizarre and almost senseless plot, but the acting between Willem Dafoe and Robert Patkinson was so amazingly good it lifted this film to some amazing heights.
AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972)
A powerful "German" film from by Werner Herzog, it grabs your mind and doesn't let go. Stunning cinematography, if not utterly despondent story. I put "German" in quotes because as it went on I was certain most actors were speaking English, but dubbed in German, and after researching, sure enough Herzog hired actors from all over the world, and they spoke mostly English, then he had it dubbed in German for his home market. He'd hoped to rerelease it one day in English for a wider market. Don't think that ever happened.
BICYCLE THIEVES (1948)
An Italian film which starts out sad but beautiful in a stark way, taking place in a post-war depression in that country, and doesn't ever really get happy. Some people say it's one of the best films of its time. It's not, but it is well done in a cinematography way.
FANTASTIC PLANET (1973)
To be honest I'm not sure if I'd actually seen this animated film about a race of beings on an alien planet that keeps humans as pets, in the distant past. Some scenes were familiar, but overall it was a new, and amazing - sorry, Fantastic - experience. Weird, 70's animation ala HEAVY METAL (1981) which I've also never seen, I don't think.
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