Hello everyone! How’s your 2021 going? I know this list is a little late in coming out, but I’ve finally compiled a ranking of my top 10 films of 2020 – although almost half are actually miniseries. Anyway, without further ado, let’s do some ranking.
Starting in number 10 is a film I remember people went crazy for when it came out. The Invisible Man is certainly a competent film and I definitely was entertained, but it never goes beyond this. I suppose Moss’s performance is praise worthy, and there’s a lot of great shots that are brilliant at creating a feeling of unease despite them not actually showing anything. From a filmmaking perspective I’m impressed, but only impressed in the same way I feel when watching a typical superhero film. I guess this is a supervillain film, but anyway my point is that it’s technically well made, but the screenplay itself is merely mediocre. Some good horror elements sprinkled throughout, but the rather non-cathartic ending kind of puts it all to waste.
The Invisible Man: https://boxd.it/1jGpSF ⭐⭐⭐
Coming in number 9 is Charlie Kaufman’s newest film. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is rife with Charlie’s usual Kaufmanisms, though I think this is the weakest he’s ever put his favourite themes to film. I adore how he explores existentialism in the likes of Adaptation and Synecdoche New York, which have to be 2 of my absolute favourite films. And while this film is lavishly poetic as is characteristic of his style, it just doesn’t reach the same level of sophistication as his earlier works. It starts off well, as I enjoyed the scenes inside the car and especially inside the house where all of time appears to coalesce into a single entity, but I lost all engagement as soon as it reached the school. From that point forward it just felt awfully pretentious, which isn’t a word I particularly like to use since I tend to find profound what most find pretentious, but I finally feel like Charlie got a little too self-indulgent inside his absurd imagination. Still, a lot of wonderful cinematography and stellar performances emanate from this flawed work, so while it’s at the bottom of my list, I do recommend it.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things: https://boxd.it/1oPS4H ⭐⭐⭐
Jumping up to number 8 is the first miniseries of this list. Steven Moffat’s Dracula is even more conflicting than the prior film, but I enjoyed it more. The first 2 episodes (especially the first episode) are masterpieces in all honesty. The characters are written brilliantly, with possibly my favourite Dracula I’ve ever seen. I’ve always adored Moffat’s style – I am an apologist of his work on Doctor Who after all – so I was loving the sick comedy he brought to this twisted story. Unfortunately, like with The Invisible Man and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, everything just gets thrown out the window with the third act/episode. Loads of great ideas were brought forward, but he did nothing with them, instead opting for a really boring and naff finale by jumping to the present. The disparity between the first and third episodes can’t be overstated, as it really does feel like they changed writers halfway through. Though knowing Moffat, this kind of travesty is common practice for him. Even so, at least watch the first episode, as it’s one of the best single hours of TV I’ve ever seen.
Dracula: https://boxd.it/W2IS3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The number 7 entry is a film that I feel less attached towards. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is much more consistent in quality than the previous 3 entries, but this does mean it never reaches the same heights as number 8 and 9. Still, this is a courtroom drama charged with political passion, eloquently written with Sorkin’s usual finesse. Cohen, Redmayne and Rylance give great performances – I really enjoyed spending time with the entire cast. But while everything in this film works, nothing particularly stuck. It just doesn’t push forward in any meaningful way; it doesn’t craft anything that can truly be deemed masterful. It’s just a well made film that I forgot all about until I had to make this list.
The Trial of the Chicago 7: https://boxd.it/1nVXOt ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Number 6 is another miniseries, starring another Doctor Who icon. David Tennant is phenomenal in Des, perfectly inhabiting a ruthless, manipulative psychopath who somehow manages to make one laugh at his unusual sincerity. The miniseries itself is merely competent, though it does have a lot of haunting moments elevated by a dark sense of humour that I adore. I didn’t actually know the real life story beforehand, but I was utterly gripped throughout.
Des: https://boxd.it/1pFVep ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now for number 5 comes the second film I got to see in the cinema after lockdown ended (but before it annoyingly started again). Summerland is simple, sweet and beautiful. The writing itself is nothing astounding, but Arterton’s performance definitely is. This is a really emotional film, shot with the most enchanting cinematography. Unfortunately, it didn’t really stick around in my mind for long after it ended, but I can’t deny how much I enjoyed the experience.
Summerland: https://boxd.it/1hOqL9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blasting its way into number 4 is a laughably obese Russell Crowe. Unhinged has a pitifully low score on Letterboxd, but I really don’t care. I adored every second of this thrill ride of pure excitement, a voyage of hilarious carnage that nevertheless perfectly taps into a feeling of perpetual dread. And my joke is hardly intended to be demeaning towards Crowe, as he really does give one of his best performances to date, becoming the living embodiment of some kind of hellspawn in this frantic, unrelenting car chase. Maybe, like with Summerland, I only enjoyed this as much as I did because it was the first film I saw when my cinema reopened, but I do sincerely believe people have been way too harsh on this popcorn muncher.
Unhinged: https://boxd.it/1hhZc3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ok, if you thought I was finally done with films that had my own mind’s opinion on it polarised, then think again, because number 3 is both the crowning glory and biggest embarrassment of 2020. Tenet has to take the cake for the most frustrating movie of the year. Now, I hold a lot of respect for Nolan, as his indomitable ambition to twist the very fabric of filmmaking is one of the primary reasons I fell in love with film in the first place. And in that respect, this movie continues to break the barriers of what is possible on a technical level. Tenet is a visual and aural marvel to behold! However, it seems that with every passing film, Nolan’s ability to write a screenplay diminishes considerably. This is a film packed full of pointless scenes of endless exposition delivered via jarringly quick editing that jump us from new character to new character who have no semblance of actual ‘character’ behind them, with an utterly unsatisfying conclusion as you don’t understand where they are, what they’re doing and why you should even care. So why on Earth do I have it at number 3? Because I still adored it, damn it! Washington, Pattinson and (especially) Branagh were all superb, and when the film finally got to the timey wimey stuff I was having a blast witnessing the incomprehensibly awesome things happening right in front of me. The plot isn’t even all that confusing – despite what people say – I’m just annoyed it took so long for the film to get to the good bits, as by then there wasn’t enough time to fully explore them. This film is definitely a fantastic experience, but I think the potential for better is glaringly obvious. Ultimately, Tenet has all the tenets (hehe) for crafting a masterpiece, but the brilliant concept is irrevocably destroyed by its atrocious writing.
Tenet: https://boxd.it/1nDvuT ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ok ok, I promise no more divisiveness in my entries. These next 2 are my only 5 stars of 2020, and are both coincidentally miniseries. For number 2 I have selected Devs to be the slightly weakest of my favourites. Even so, I obviously absolutely loved this series. During summer I had found myself utterly fascinated by metaphysics – to the point where I even took a module on it in Uni – so this series by Alex Garland was certainly a welcome surprise. He was already one of my favourite directors, creating Ex Machina and Annihilation, two films that entranced me from start to finish in all their complexities. Devs moves away from the question he explores in his films of what makes one human, to instead dissect the ever enigmatic debate between determinism and free will. Devs‘s philosophical dive into humanity’s futile battle against cosmic forces is undoubtedly a rare gem of intellectual and emotional perfection, served with a healthy dose of jaw-droppingly gorgeous visuals that have quite possibly stolen my heart in all their cinematographic beauty.
Devs: https://boxd.it/1khMcV ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ok, if you’ve been reading my posts then you no doubt already know what’s going to be number 1. But my absolute favourite thing to have come out of 2020 is none other than The Queen’s Gambit. It really couldn’t be anything else. I’ve already review it in Weekly Recap #5, but the short of it is that this is one of those rare times when something just resonated in perfect harmony with me. First of all, it got me back into chess, so I don’t know if I should thank it for helping me fall in love again with a childhood game, or if I should curse it for getting me addicted. Even if you don’t end up playing chess, The Queen’s Gambit is just so beautifully written. Every episode is masterfully crafted, with every word spoken and piece moved providing such a satisfying sense of catharsis. But the finale hit me especially hard with its never ending emotional climaxes, ultimately creating one of the best works of art I have ever had the pleasure to experience.
The Queen's Gambit: https://boxd.it/1DBJ91 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
