As usual with my Top Tens which I post (haphazardly and irregularly), I need to start off with my rules and disclaimers for how I determined my Top Ten. For this one, I debated doing a Top Ten movies from 2020 but I honestly don’t know if I could justify doing that since over half the movies I was looking forward to from this year still haven’t been released due to the pandemic.
So, a little background: at the start of this year I decided to keep a running list of all the movies I watched this year, whether it was a first-time or a rewatch. Thanks to Harris Dang (@FilmMomatic on Twitter) I followed his lead and did a monthly recap on Twitter of movies I watched, including first-timers. As of the writing of this piece, I have watched 96 movies for the first time in 2020 – I will not be providing the full list, but trust me when I say that there were some damn good movies that did not make the top ten. And once again, this is NOT a Top Ten 2020 movies, but a personal list of the Top Ten Movies I Watched For The First Time in 2020.
Also keep in mind this is an opinion piece about the 10 movies I enjoyed the most based on rewatchability, entertainment value and general quality of the movie.
Honourable Mentions: BlacKkKlansman, Crazy Stupid Love, Ad Astra, Detroit, Trial Of the Chicago 7
10. Game Night
I’ll start things off on a light note, because there really aren’t a lot of laughs on the list collectively. By far the funniest first-time comedy I watched this year, this movie has Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams as funny as I’ve ever seen either of them as Max and Annie, the married couple who are the main focus of the movie. But the surrounding cast is just as outstanding, including Kyle Chandler, Billy Magnussen and a highlight-reel performance by Jesse Plemons. We can all relate to games nights gone wrong, but this takes that idea and cranks the dial up to eleven. Hilariously outrageous, incredibly awkward, and filled with laugh out loud moments and dialogue, GAME NIGHT is well worth watching if you haven’t already.
9. Once Upon a Time in the West
The oldest movie on this list, this is one of the first Sergio Leone movies I have watched as far as I can remember. It also inspired me to watch several more Westerns this year, reinvigorating a lost love I had had for Western movies. Henry Fonda, Jason Robards and the legend Charles Bronson are incredible as the three male leads, and Claudia Cardinale is just as good as Jill McBain. But where this movie is at its best is in its visuals and the tension which Leone creates. The movie starts with one of the greatest standoffs and shootouts in cinema history, and the rest of it doesn’t disappoint either.
8. Tenet
Ok, ok, I know what you’re going to say – Tenet was underwhelming and confusing. I’ll admit it’s confusing, but I think that’s part of the charm. Taken at face value as a movie which intends to thrill and amaze with its visuals and action sequences, it excels as high-stakes, blood-pounding, heart-pumping entertainment. John David Washington is awesome from start to finish, and is poised to become the next great action star of our time. Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh and Elizabeth Debicki are all spectacular as well, but the real star is the mind of Christopher Nolan. We may never really understand all of what goes on in his mind – or his movies – but nobody can deny his creativity and incredible practical action setpieces.
7. Klaus
The best way I can describe this movie is the most Pixar-y movie I’ve ever seen that wasn’t made by Pixar – and I mean that as an incredible compliment, because this movie was quite emotional in ways I hadn’t expected. Jason Schwartzman, Rashida Jones, and J.K. Simmons (as Santa! Er…Klaus) voice this animated masterpiece which is officially going to become an annual Christmas movie in my household. Basically an origin story for Santa, it’s designed as an animated seasonal comedy, but will leave you at times with tears in your eyes and a lump in your throat.
6. Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi wrote, directed and co-starred in this Oscar-winner (Waititi for Best Adapted Screenplay) which was released in 2019. Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie and Archie Yates shine as the three young stars, but Waititi (as Hitler), Scarlett Johansson (in a role that should have won her an Oscar), Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen, Rebel Wilson and Stephen Merchant also bring this story to life in incredibly funny, touching, sad, and ridiculous ways. The reveal of the plot twist had me gasping for air, and there were several scenes which left me in tears of laughter. That balance of humour and touching emotion is Waititi’s forte, and the strength of the movie.
5. Atomic Blonde
Charlize Theron is one of the most badass action stars working today. If this had been a list of the best 2020 movies, her action movie THE OLD GUARD would probably be on it, but this movie is way better. Everything from the performances to the action, and especially the cinematography and lighting works together extremely well to create this incredibly fun and completely wild movie. Theron and the action sequences are by far the highlights of a movie filled with twists and turns – some predictable, yes, but sometimes it’s not about the twists and all about the action. And if action is what you’re looking for, this is a great one to turn to.
4. Doctor Sleep
Full disclosure: I love The Shining novel by Stephen King. I also love the sequel, Doctor Sleep. I ALSO happen to love THE SHINING, the movie starring Jack Nicholson adapted by Stanley Kubrick, which as a movie is excellent but a complete departure from the book (I have a whole segment of a podcast devoted to why the movie is a bad adaptation but still a great movie). When it was announced that the sequel novel was being adapted into a movie, I was curious to see if it would lean more towards honouring the book or the movie – and director Mike Flanagan did the unthinkable and did BOTH. And not just did both, but made it work – like, really, impressively well. Ewan McGregor is excellent as Danny Torrance (the kid from THE SHINING, all grown up), and Rebecca Ferguson is magnetic as Rose the Hat. Also, if you want an outstanding story from the set, listen to Flanagan’s interview on the Reelblend Podcast where he goes into detail on filming with Jacob Tremblay and Fake-ob Tremblay. Trust me, it’s well worth it.
3. Parasite
Bong Joon Ho! Is basically what I was screaming at my TV with every award he got at the Academy Awards back in February (remember when live things happened and people were all gathered in the same room? Wild.). I had seen lots of chatter about PARASITE but went in with an apprehensive mindset – as I do for pretty much any movie I watch, but boy oh boy was I not prepared AT ALL for the greatness which awaited me. This Korean masterpiece was definitely deserving of the Best Picture award, but aside from that was just a fun, thrilling ride. Talk about twists and turns, this movie had plenty. Talk about tension, this movie had tons! As the Kim family infiltrates the employment of the much wealthier Park family, you know that things are bound to go wrong at some point – but the way in which they do is mind-bogglingly creative and totally and completely unpredictable, as is the climactic conclusion.
2. 1917
I know what you’re about to say: “Wray, you said PARASITE deserved the Best Picture award – why do you have 1917 ranked higher?” Well, dear reader, at the top of the column I mentioned rewatchability as one of my criteria. I loved PARASITE, it’s true – but I immediately bought the Blu-Ray of 1917 when it became available and it is the movie I have watched the most (3 times) out of any this year. Is it perfect? No. But Sam Mendes’ direction is seamless, as is the editing and cinematography. I am a sucker for one-shot takes, and while the argument will be “But this isn’t one real take, it’s several shots edited together to look like one!” But, much like the cheese from a Big Mac, it might not be real but it plays the part. The night-time sequence is one of the best sequences in any movie I’ve seen this year, and is topped by the spectacle that is the climactic trench run. Top-notch cameos by Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch and more accent a phenomenal adrenaline rush of a movie.
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I could not believe, after watching this for the first time only last month, that it took me this freakin’ long to watch it. What a wildly fun movie – and pretty much perfect. With everyone from Jake Johnson to Mahershala Ali, and Hailee Steinfeld to Chris Pine voicing characters, it’s such a fun thrill ride of an animation which honours all versions and adaptations of Spider-Man from comic to show to big-screen. Watching the adventures, growth and maturing of Miles Morales has me craving a sequel, and has fostered hope in me that they bring this Miles into the MCU’s Spider-Verse in some way, shape and form. A wildly fun movie that will absolutely be a rewatch on an annual basis, it’s an easy #1 for me.
Talking Films 