The Top Ten Films of 2020

It’s safe to say that 2020 was awful for film due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Theaters were shut down, productions halted and many films that I was looking forward to this year, like “Dune,” “In the Heights,” “Black Widow” and “The French Dispatch,” were pushed back to 2021. However, there were still many films this year that reminded me why this art form will never die, not matter what. 

Whether they came out in theaters or dropped on streaming services, 2020 gave us several films that I absolutely loved. Here are the ten best films of 2020 and keep in mind that several films that are said to be the year’s best, like “Nomadland,” “Minari” and “One Night In Miami,” haven’t been made available to me yet so I am going off of the films that I have seen this year.

But first, a few honorable mentions:

The Way Back: Starring Ben Affleck, the film manages to rise above the cliches of the sports film and tells a deeply personal story about overcoming one’s demons and trying to bring hope into the darkness.

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn: The first R-rated film in the DC Extended Universe holds nothing back in this hilarious comedy. Featuring the bad girls of DC Comics like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Black Canary (Journee Smollett), these ladies come together to kick ass and apologize to no one.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: The sequel to the beloved mockumentary tackles racism, COVID-19, the anti-science movement, QANON, President Trump with a cringy and profound sense of humor. The fact that being in this film wasn’t the most embarrassing thing to happen to Rudy Guilliani shows just how crazy of a world we live in. And leave it to Borat to expose just how batshit crazy America truly is.

The King of Staten Island: Judd Apatow’s latest comedy delivers great laughs and powerful drama with the well realized acting chops of SNL star Pete Davidson.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always: The story of a young girl seeking an abortion handles such a controversial topic with two things that the modern day abortion debate lacks: humanity and subtlty. 

Palm Springs: One of the most slow burning, entertaining and original romantic comedies of the past few years, “Palm Springs” boasts many silly moments and balances it well with heartfelt scenes that remind people what it means to be alive versus just living.

Hamilton: For those, like me, who couldn’t see the Broadway phenomenon, watching the concert film of “Hamilton’s” original cast was pure joy. The story of “America then as told by America now” was one of the most refreshing films to come out during a global pandemic. With the world in a current state of revolution, we can all take something from Alexander Hamilton which is to speak out and defend what’s right.

10. Wonder Woman 1984

The most recent film in the DC Extended Universe and the sequel to 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” “Wonder Woman 1984” is one of the best sequels in the history of comic book films. It manages to evolve the main character and display their more human side in a similar fashion as “Spider-Man 2,” “The Dark Knight” or “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

However, unlike those films which are darker in tone, “Wonder Woman 1984” embraces the time period of the 1980s by crafting a hopeful albeit still dramatic film. With an incredible cast including Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wigg, “Wonder Woman 1984” is the comic book film that was needed in 2020 for both escapism and to see a true hero at work.

9. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

The genius of August Wilson’s plays have begun to enter the world of film with Denzel Washington directing, producing and starring in 2016’s “Fences.” Now “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” also produced by Washington, brings a new side of the black experience as we see blues artists trying to stake their claim.

With two incredible performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, the film is a mesmerising piece of art that has powerful performers relaying the timeless dialogue of August Wilson for a modern audience.

Along with a beautiful production that brings out the glamour and grime of a hot day in 1920s Chicago, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is an impressive retelling of one of America’s best plays.

8. Soul

The best animated film of the year, “Soul” boasts incredible animation, an impeccable jazz influenced score and one of the best messages of any film in 2020.

Jaime Foxx and Tina Fey both deliver incredible performances that can make you laugh one minute and cry the next and, despite having distinct voices, the pair of them blend seamlessly into their roles. 

The film has several concepts that are complicated for both kids and adults including the meaning of life, death, how to make a difference in someone’s life and what it truly means to be a human being. Instead of talking to kids like they are clueless morons, “Soul” explains these ideas enough to give people a general idea but leaves enough of the story vague so that viewers can interpret what the film means.

7. On The Rocks

Sofia Coppola’s latest film reunites her with frequent collaborator Bill Murray in one of the year’s most refreshing films which feels refined and lively, almost like one of Sofia’s father’s wines.

Rashida Jones delivers one of her best performances and a steady career in films seems on the horizon for her after nearly a decade of sitcoms like “The Office” and “Parks and Rec.” Along with Bill Murray, the pair have some of the best father/daughter chemistry in film altogether.

The film has a great sense of pacing and, since Rashida Jones plays a struggling author, “On The Rocks” feels like a big metaphor for writer’s block. With a perfect balance of comedy and drama, Sofia Coppola does it again.

6. The Invisible Man

“The Invisible Man” is everything that modern audiences don’t expect in a horror film. It’s quiet, ominous and focuses more on the character being tormented instead of the big, bad monster. For this, “The Invisible Man” is chilling from start to finish.

Relying less on jump scares and more on atmosphere, the film manages to take an iconic monster of the 1930s and translate it effectively to a modern setting.

Elizabeth Moss’s emotionally shattered performance creates an investing character and there’s not one moment where she is being attacked where it’s not convincing.

5. Mank

With a love for cinema history and for deep character studies, director David Fincher makes his return to film with style with some of the finest filmmaking of 2020.

Telling the story of Herman J. “Mank” Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) and how he wrote “Citizen Kane,” the film details all of the contempt Mank had for the Hollywood studio system and how it bled into his writing. 

Not only does “Mank” detail how much goes into writing a screenplay, the film also shows the darker side of Hollywood and the production of one of the finest films ever made which, as a cinephile, is enough to make one of the best films of the year.

4. The Trial of the Chicago Seven

Writer/Director Aaron Sorkin delivers his best screenplay since “The Social Network” and one of the best ensemble casts of the year in a legal drama that has particular relevance today.

Connecting the 1960s peace movement to today’s fight for social justice, “The Trial of the Chicago Seven” is riveting from start to finish with powerful history on display. The film asks of its viewers, “What makes a good American? Being on the sidelines and accepting things as they are or rebelling against the status quo and standing up for what’s right?”

With standout performances by Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance and Frank Langella, the film will leave viewers both enthralled by the defendants and furious with their persecutors in one of America’s most tumultuous times. A perfect film for today which is the sight of yet another divisive time in America.

3. Da 5 Bloods

Director Spike Lee, after returning to form with 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman,” once again shows off his incredible talents as a filmmaker with one of the finest war films of the past decade.

“Da 5 Bloods” tells a story of war and the ghosts it leaves behind as four Vietnam vets go back to Vietnam on an odyssey which forces them to confront their demons. Combined with incredible performances, notably from Chadwick Boseman and Delroy Lindo, and a great sense of perspective on war, “Da 5 Bloods” is one of the most powerful films of 2020.

Not only does the film have Lee’s flair for dramatic storytelling, but it also ties the struggles of Americans during the Vietnam War to the modern day.

2. Tenet

Director Christopher Nolan delivers another powerful film by combining mesmerising practical effects and action with a mind bending plot involving the inversion of objects, vehicles and people through time.

An ensemble composed of John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki manage to make such a confusing concept both investing and manageable.

Visually stunning and unafraid to take viewers to new planes, “Tenet” is one of the most complicated and incredible films of both 2020 and Nolan’s filmography.

1. The Gentlemen 

Despite many great films coming out in 2020, my absolute favorite of the year was released during January which is essentially the graveyard shift of films. However, “The Gentlemen” has one of the best ensemble casts of the year, a well-woven tapestry of dialogue and a sense of humor that balances well with the genre of the crime film. 

Actors like Hugh Grant, Matthew McConahey and Henry Golding are on top of their game and the meta references to filmmaking are unbelievable. The story also has a clever setup and the manner in which it’s delivered is just as powerful. 

For those who love crime films and great comedy, “The Gentlemen” is one of the most refreshing films in either genre.