My Top 5 Movies of 2020

2020 was a year unlike any other. We all know the main problems of the year, but the one that concerned me, besides fear of getting sick, was the speed up towards the end of the theatrical experience. This was a concern of mine as I'm hoping to make filmmaking my career and its uncertain future has had me worried. With most theaters closed or in limited capacity since last March, major movie releases were either delayed or sent straight to streaming. As such, due to that and my lack of watching a ton of new movies that did release, I’m splitting my top 10 list into two top 5 lists. One for the best movies and the other for best seasons of tv in 2020. Here are my top 5 movies that I viewed in 2020:

5. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) – Dir. Cathy Yan

In the year with probably the fewest superhero movies in years despite still having 3, Birds of Prey was the best of those 3. A great cast led by Margot Robbie who delivers on the action, humor, and everything else fans expect from Harley Quinn as well as the supporting cast with Ewan McGregor as the very creepy, but flamboyant Roman Sionis really helps this movie stand out from the rest of the DC films slate.

4. The Invisible Man -Dir. Leigh Whannell

While I’m still only a recent horror fan, this movie was definitely a real standout in terms of what the horror genre can do while also being one of the best movies of last year. For a movie with such a relatively small budget, The Invisible Man set up a constant atmosphere of dread using only camera movements making the audience believe he’s always there leaving nowhere the characters can go for safety. This movie’s twists and turns and general sense of dread elevated it to be probably the best horror movie I’ve seen so far.

3. Tenet – Dir. Christopher Nolan

Now, I’ve been a Christopher Nolan fan ever since I saw The Dark Knight and I’ve enjoyed or loved every one of his films ever since. As such, Tenet was my most anticipated film going into 2020 and while the pandemic changed when I saw it, I still managed to see it multiple times in theatres. I was disappointed in the movie somewhat, namely a lack of character development and the majority of the dialogue being convoluted and nearly inaudible. Still, after multiple watches the action scenes, the visuals, acting, and the original score really helped elevate this film into one of the best movies of the year.

2. Palm Springs – Dir. Max Barbakow

In a surprising turn, one of my favorite movies was one that went straight to streaming (Hulu, specifically). Starring Andy Samberg and Christin Milioti, this comedy hit every nail on the head of what I like in movies. If you haven’t seen it I’d highly recommend watching without the spoiler-filled trailer and stop reading right here. While I won’t spoil the plot, the chemistry between the leads is palpable leading to one of my favorite romantic movies while also incorporating some of my favorite science fiction elements. It is not an understatement to call this movie Groundhog Day for a new generation.

1. 1917 – Dir. Sam Mendes.

Finally, the best new movie I saw in 2020 was one that was only left off my 2019 list because it technically released in 2020. There isn’t much new I can say about this masterpiece that wasn’t said this time last year, but I can say that 1917 managed to convey the relentlessness of war better than any other war movie while also showing the humanity and brotherhood between the soldiers all while having some of the best cinematography in the long career of the great director of photography, Roger Deakins. If theatres are on the way out I’m glad I was able to see this film in theatres before then.