My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

What are yours?

https://i.imgur.com/Mpbyqo9.png

I had the likes of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Parasite, Waves etc in last year's list.

I'm always so perpetually behind on current releases that I can never compose anything that feels like a top film list for the current year. 8 of your top 10 are movies on my to-see list. I will honestly mostly use responses in this thread to add to my watchlist.

That said (and that there are many other films I need to get to), things I loved from 2020 are:

Sound of Metal--I wrote up a long review of it. But suffice to say it's one of the most excellent evocations of subjective point of view and a compelling story. Solid performances, powerful message. I'm rarely excited to rewatch movies soon after seeing them, but I'm really looking forward to watching it again.

Palm Springs--Even for me, I will concede that my love of this one is very, very subjective. It came out right when I'd been sent home from work and uncertainty and anxiety were the watchwords of the day. I find it genuinely funny, I was charmed by the lead performances, and as someone who can dwell on the past, I appreciated its message.

Emma--I was thoroughly delighted by this adaptation of Austen's novel. And a huge chunk of that was how much I enjoyed the costuming and overall color scheme of the film.

The Invisible Man--I know some people took issue with the last act of this one, but I liked it from beginning to end. It's also the last film I saw in the theater before lockdown.

Honorable Mentions:

Wolf of Snow Hollow--Not as strong as Thunder Road, but I still enjoyed the odd mash-up of Cummings' cringe-comedy and a horror film.

Enola Holmes--A lovely dose of easy escapism with winning performances. Automatically added to the list of films to put on if I'm feeling down.

The Old Guard--Falls short of being great, but I really loved the cast and there were some solid action sequences.

Amulet--More something that put Romola Garai on my radar as a director, but there were some interesting ideas here and some unforgettable imagery.

I'm behind on my 2020 watches, here's my watchlist;

Sound of Metal
The Vast of Night
The Platform
Mank
The Assistant
The One and Only Ivan
Palm Springs
Da 5 Bloods
Tommaso
Honeyland
Night on Earth
The Call of the Wild
On the Rocks
The Banker
Big Time Adolescence
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Way Back
LA Originals
For Sama

Interim score;

Agree with The Invisible Man and Emma.
Particularly, Anya Taylor-Joy has become, along with Florence Pugh and Saorse Ronan, have become actresses to watch.
I started Enola Holmes (auto correct keeps trying to change that to Ebola 🤨) and enjoyed what I saw of that, but I was interrupted and never got back to it.

I can't reduce to Top 10 and still too many left to see but in consideration so far:

The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Da 5 Bloods
Uncle Tom
Crip Camp
Hamilton
Whirlybird
Belushi
Zappa
Soul
WolfWalkers
The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo
My Octopus Teacher
World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime
David Byrne's American Utopia
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Mank
Mangrove
Another Round
The Boys in the Band
The Invisible Man

I think I had Bacurau in my last year's list, I really enjoyed it.

Nice to see the small axe films get recognition. Think I preferred Lovers Rock

It's total fluff, and a very light watch.

Also, I should have included in my list David Byrne's American Utopia. An excellent concert film.

They should all be watched to get the full effect.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

As usual, I'm way behind on new releases (according to Letterboxd, I've watched only 40 films made in 2020). Most of them have been mediocre at best, so I'll just list the ones that I've given above-average ratings.


The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw
Underwater


Don't Listen
The Devil All the Time
Sputnik
Legacy of Lies

The Painted Bird listed in the OP is 2019 according to Letterboxd. I rated it 4/5, so it would be #1 if it counts.

The Painted Bird would definitely be there if I didn't list it as 2019.

Release dates for The Painted Bird:

USA 17 July 2020 (internet)
Spain 21 July 2020 (internet)
Turkey 14 August 2020
Sweden 4 September 2020
UK 11 September 2020
Ireland 11 September 2020
Japan 9 October 2020
Netherlands 15 October 2020
Norway 16 October 2020
Taiwan 30 October 2020
Finland 6 November 2020
Denmark 19 November 2020

Lots of 3.5s on mine so far this year. Which is unfortunate. I have seen 37 2020 releases. This list includes a couple people would include in 2019. As I always say, until I start getting sent screeners I go by US release.

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things
Mangrove
The Assistant
Sorry We Missed You
Sound Of Metal
Trial Of The Chicago 7
Tenet
Vast Of Night
Mank
First Cow

I have stalled on this one because of what I have heard about it. You think it would be something I would like?

Seen and loved these. Haven't seen to many this year because of no theaters being open here since last March. A few others I'd add are:


"The Florida Project"
"Miss Juneteenth"
"1917"
"Fatman"
"Jojo Rabbit"
"The Lighthouse
"Bad Education"

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

Well, I consider it a horror film, but it's horribly beautiful.

The Florida Project is 2017 isn't it? The Lighthouse was my 2019 #1 I think.

Guess should have checked the dates, lol. Still first viewings on both.

Going by U.S. theatrical or streaming release date:

1. Sound of Metal
2. The Vast of Night
3. Palm Springs
4. Soul
5. The Invisible Man
6. Zappa
7. Bad Education
8. Emma
9. The Boys in the Band
10. Circus of Books

Honorable Mentions: Athlete A, Be Water, Bloodshot, Onward, The King of Staten Island

Need to see: Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, Da 5 Bloods, Mank, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Wild Goose Lake

A strange year for obvious reasons. I can't believe I only saw one of these, The Invisible Man, in a theater and that I did so ten months ago.

Eh, I’m not sure it’s totally fluff from what I saw of it (maybe 30-40 mins). Very much a coming of age story of a clever girl who relies on her own resources rather then relying on the men, and society for that matter at the time, who expect her to live up to certain standard. Only Sherlock seemed to show any interest in her.
It’s definitely a fun watch, and that was just a short sample size.

I don't mean fluff in a bad or dismissive way at all. "Escapism" might have been a better word to use.

I did like the character arc of Enola finding her own path and slowly gaining the esteem of her siblings and unraveling her complex relationship with her mother. It's a good film and I really hope there are sequels in the future.

Ah gotcha. Im sorry.*
Usually fluff is used pejoratively. My mistake!

I'm with you, I thought the movie was rock-solid from start to finish and I've been surprised to hear people say otherwise. I thought of it as kind of unassailable for what it was trying to do and be.

Amusingly, after looking over this thread, it appears that I only watched ONE film this entire year that was released in 2020 (before I pulled the trigger on the awful Wonder Woman 1984 a few days ago).
Which, honestly, is not that different from my normal habits.
So I have a top-1 list for 2020.

When I use it, I'm usually talking about movies that are light or a little silly but know that they're that way and embrace it. It made my honorable mentions list, after all!

I think it's kind of silly that there is often snobbery around such films. Enola Holmes isn't trying to be There Will Be Blood. I think that it does a great job of achieving exactly the tone and character arc that it wanted to.

I'm often baffled by the criticism that "once things start being explained" it gets less interesting. Like, were you not watching the movie? Did you not know what was happening?

I agree that the first half and its eerie thriller/horror setpieces are more compelling than the more action-driven second half. But that second half, and the final act, still packs a punch.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

I don’t think I’ve even seen ten 2020 films. Onward was pretty but mediocre. Soul was good but I didn’t love it. Unhinged was worse than I thought it would be. I was hoping for at least some cheesy so bad it’s good kind of fun but it didn’t even deliver that.

I hadn't heard that criticism because I actually hadn't heard that much criticism, but I did hear it was 3rd-act "issues". I certainly don't understand anything referring to "things being explained" because there was nothing really to explain. The audience should have known what was happening all along it was not some sneaky twist thing, it was all happening right there on the screen and it played out almost like a straight line between point A and point B.
I wonder if people were sitting too far back. Could they see the screen ok?

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

My top 10 of 2020:

Trial of the Chicago 7
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
The Way I See It
Disclosure
Soul
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Cuties
Hamilton
The Prom
Tenet

I can understand why some people might prefer the more psychological-thriller nature of the first half to the more action-oriented second half.

But I think it's weird when people say they like the ambiguity of the first half. I mean, there isn't ambiguity (in the larger sense).

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

1. Sound of Metal
2. Wolfwalkers
3. Vitalina Varela
4. Soul
5. The Vast of Night

I'm dying to see Sound of Metal...I've loved Riz Ahmed ever since I saw Nightcrawler. Really enjoyed Palm Springs too... big Andy Samberg fan.

1. Soul
2. Da 5 Bloods
3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
4. Hamilton
5. Tenet
6. The Invisible Man
7. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
8. Mank
9. Borat 2
10. Host

I'm very conflicted about several of these and it's my least enthusiastic top 10 for a year in a very long time.

Sound of Metal is the rare film that I don't worry about over-hyping because I can't imagine someone being disappointed by it. And if you like Ahmed, I think you'll really appreciate his performance.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

stop listing 2019 movies as 2020

kthxbye

I use USA release dates in my lists.

For example, I had no way to watch Sound of Metal until 2020.

I take your point that it could easily turn into just "favorite movies I saw in 2020."

Don't take Minio too seriously.

Rude! Get back to watching 25 hours of film a day or something!

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

Like I said.

As always I’m very much behind on new releases... I already got a couple written down that I know I want to watch. So right now I don’t think I have enough for a solid list.

Yeah, but that's kind of to be expected given, y'know... what was going on this year. I say, just sort of consider 2020 a "mulligan" year as far as new releases go.

Indeed. There are many high profile releases I haven't gotten to see yet (Nomadland, First Cow, Possessor, etc) that could lift it up a bit. So far, the only two that I gave 5 stars (simply meaning I loved it) were Soul and Da 5 Bloods. Usually the bulk of my top 10 would carry such a rating. I'm hoping that once these hit streaming or home video, even in a weaker year, all this picks up a bit.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

I thought it was a great year for film personally. Loads that I didn't even get round to seeing.

Didnt get to see that many but will mention a few i loved/liked. I'm filtering by IMDB release date.
Sound of Metal
Possessor (favourite of the year)
Trial of Chicago 7
The Painted Bird
Devil All the Time
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
First Cow
Never Rarely Sometimes Always


I'm actually ending there bacause IMDB is giving me Bacarau, The Lighthouse etc.
Anyway, Possessor is all we should be talking about here anyway lol


https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...f?format=1500w


Funny because this is probably what I look like right now

I enjoyed Posessor but not enough for a top 10. The reluctance to overuse CGI and instead use in shot effects and prosthetics was a breath of fresh air though.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

I have seen 10 2020 movies, but I only really liked 4 of them.

Emma.
The Old Guard
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Summerland

For me, I feel like the film year runs more like March-February than January-December. The first couple of months of each year are always catching up on films that officially came out the year before, but weren't actually released here. 2020 is probably a bit of an anomaly though, in that so many films either came out direct to streaming or didn't actually get released at all.

I understand I'm probably overrating it at the minute and becasue of this I am scared to rewatch it but at the time of watching I was just so in the mood for the exact type of film Possessor is. Everything just fell in to place for me. Looking forward to Nomadland too.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

I'm so far behind on my film watching over the last 18 months but some good posts here...so I think 2021 will be the year I get back to it. I will also post my top 2020 list at some stage

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

I've seen almost nothing from 2020 and pretty much all of the feature-length narrative films I did see were trash lol. I'm trying to catch up on stuff now but currently the top 10 be:

01. In My Room dir. Mati Diop
02. Home in the Woods dir. Brandon Wilson
03. Substance Without Science dir. Daniel Barnett
04. Strasbourg 1518 dir. Johnathan Glazer
05. this one weird trick dir. Joanie Wind
06. Apiyemiyeki? dir. Ana Vaz
07. Puparia dir. Shingo Tamagawa
08. June Night dir. Mike Maryniuk
09. Feels Good Man dir. Arthur Jones
10. Vertigo A.I. dir. Chris Peters

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

I can't name a top 10, but I could say Sound of Metal and Trial of Chicago 7 are the best 2 from what I've seen.

Re: My Top 10 Films of 2020
 

The Trial of Chicago 7
The Old Guard
Emma
The Devil All The Time
Enola Holmes
The Invisible Man
Greenland
The Gentlemen
The Platform
Mr. Jones

Nice to see some love for the remake of Boys in the Band...I was beginning to think I was the only one who had seen it.