What a year it has been, for so many different reasons. To state the obvious, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken more than one million lives worldwide, devastated the lives of millions more with loss and heartache, and forever changed what we know to be “normal” in our daily lives. On top of that, the more typical turmoil that comes with political instability, racial injustice, and countless other stress-inducing events have made the need to “escape” more necessary to keep sane than perhaps any other year in modern memory since 2001.
Needless to say, various entertainment mediums have satiated that need for many people who spend their evenings temporarily forgetting the stress of their jobs, relationships, or just having the weight of the world on their shoulders. For me, movies have provided that and more. And despite of the seemingly endless delays and cancellations, I have watched over twenty new films this year. So, without further ado, I want to share a sliver of my cinematic journey this year by talking about some of my favorite films from 2020. Bad Boys for Life The first new movie that I watched this year (and one of the few that I watched in theaters), Bad Boys for Life was a surprisingly enjoyable ride that kicked off the year right for movies. To preface with my brief thoughts on the first two films in the franchise, I found the 1995 film Bad Boys to be overall quite boring with some enjoyable chemistry between its two leads: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The 2002 sequel Bad Boys II, on the other hand, was far more entertaining for me because it embraced the utter absurdity inherent to the franchise’s concept that its overindulgent two-and-a-half-hour runtime did not distract me in the slightest. The movie had so many “memorable” scenes (notably the opening involving the KKK and the infiltration scene involving ecstasy in a mortuary). Needless to say, I was interested to see what direction the relatively unknown directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilail Faliah would take the franchise that put Michael Bay on the map. Perhaps what surprised me the most was how emotionally engaging Bad Boys for Life was. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the storyline involving Lawrence’s Detective Marcus Burnett wanting to retire from the line of duty and Smith’s Detective Mike Lowrey dealing with that (on top of his own arc) made the movie far more interesting to watch. And despite assuming that any attempt to ground the franchise would backfire and make it unsuccessful, Adil & Bilail ended up telling a story in Bad Boys for Life that was intriguing but they never let up on the comedic tones and incessant hyper-involved action sequences that define the misadventures of Mike and Marcus. If you are looking for some well-shot action and charming camaraderie from 90s action stars, you cannot go wrong with Bad Boys for Life. The Invisible Man When the credits started rolling upon my initial viewing, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that The Invisible Man, directed by Leigh Whannell (Upgrade) and starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale), would be competing for my favorite film of this year. Some of you may already be familiar with my general distaste for horror movies. But, for those who are not, I tend to steer away from most modern horror movies due to their overreliance on jump scares, excessive and unnecessary gore, and convoluted storytelling devices and plot conveniences. However, I am always pleasantly surprised when I discover a horror flick from the previous couple of decades that I genuinely enjoy, admire, and respect. Needless to say, The Invisible Man fits that description very nicely. As I want people to watch this movie knowing as little about it as possible, I will keep my praise as vague as I can. First and foremost, Moss’s performance as Cecilia, a strong woman who is the victim of an abusive relationship at the hands of wealthy business magnate Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is simply awe-inspiring. Everything about it makes the audience completely invested in whatever comes next in her story. Furthermore, the supporting cast does a great job enhancing the story of Cecilia’s struggle with her own trauma. Specifically, I really liked Aldis Hodge as James, a police officer who offers Cecilia his home as a safe haven from Adrian’s potential backlash. Together with James’s little sister Sydney (Storm Reid), the relationship between those three characters serves as a powerful beating heart for the film’s emotional core. Overall, Whannell’s direction is equally impressive as the main cast. His use of tension in several pivotal scenes to underscore the extended metaphor about processing and overcoming emotional trauma from an abusive relationship is expertly done. His film stands tall and proud among some of the best psycho-thrillers about twisted relationships out there, from Fatal Attraction to Gone Girl. I cannot recommend The Invisible Man enough for fans of both modern horror films, well-made remakes of horror classics, and emotionally fulfilling thrillers. I hope you appreciate it as much as I did. Onward Like many men and women of my generation, I grew up absorbed by the crowned jewels of storytelling that came from Pixar Animation Studios. (Keep an eye out in the very near future for a blog about this topic) So, when the studio announced that their next several films after Toy Story 4 would be original stories I was quite excited for what this new era of Pixar would offer up. And although I did not have the chance to see Onward in theaters before the COVID-19 pandemic affected my area, I was fortunate enough as a Disney+ subscriber to be able to see it in April. To preface my thoughts about Onward, I want to be clear that I LOVE a solid majority of the films that Pixar makes. I certainly have my favorites that I grew up with, but I have stayed relatively invested in the studio’s stories as I have aged because (most of) their films retain an expert quality to them that most animated features lack for viewers over the age of ten. All that being said, I did not love Onward. But, I really enjoyed it. Similar to some of the other lesser-appreciated Pixar standalone films (lookin’ at you, Ratatouille!), Onward presents a perfectly serviceable story with just enough action, humor, and heart to engage a 24-year-old cynic such as myself. As a diehard fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I particularly appreciated the chemistry between Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as the Lightfoot brothers. Easily, the best scenes of the film are the heart-to-heart conversations between them. While the plot was by no means unpredictable or revolutionary, it served the themes of the film well enough to justify the film as quality entertainment over an absorbing, intellectual exploration of brotherhood. Overall, I highly recommend Onward for any parent, Pixar fan, or fellow cinephile like me who just enjoys escapist entertainment from one of the best animation studios in the world. The Way Back As a recent convert to the directorial work of Gavin O’Connor (Miracle, Warrior) who enjoys my fair share of (but does not gravitate to) sports movies, I was cautiously optimistic about O’Connor’s newest feature The Way Back starring Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Gone Girl). It is the story of a former basketball-star-turned alcoholic, blue-collar worker who reluctantly takes the job of head coach for his old high school’s team. This is certainly familiar ground for O’Connor, and on the surface is so for anyone who regularly indulges in feel-good sports dramas (lookin’ at you, Hoosiers!). However, what I think distinguishes The Way Back from some of its genre contemporaries is two things. First, the film has a deeply personal air to it due to Affleck’s own struggles with alcoholism in the past few years. Much of that unquestionably comes off through his portrayal of the ups and downs of Jack Cunningham as he finds a new sense of purpose in life inspiring young men through his unorthodox approach to coaching and mentoring. Second, while I will not argue that the film has a sad ending, I do not think that it has a shallowly happy one, either. Without spoiling the film, The Way Back offers a chance at redemption for Affleck’s Jack but does not assume that he earns it or deserves it, for that matter. That kind of complexity and ambiguity (however subtle or superfluous) is much appreciated from someone like me who needs more than just the sport itself to like a sports movie. I think many types of cinephiles will enjoy The Way Back, from fans of sports dramas to redemption stories. It is certainly worth the watch if you’re looking for that sort of thing. Yes, God, Yes Perhaps the least well-known film on this list, Yes, God, Yes (the directorial debut of screenwriter Karen Maine) is based on a short film of the same name. It stars Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things) as a sexually blossoming teenage girl who attends a Midwestern Catholic high school. Her journey depicted over the course of 77 minutes is defined by confronting her own assumptions about sex and sexuality, the role of her doctrinal education in the formation of such opinions, and her own emotional growth as a young woman trying to figure out what she wants out of life. Seems like just the type of movie for a twenty-four-year-old man, right? Maybe not, but I thoroughly enjoyed this Indie flick (which originally premiered at the SXSW Film Festival last year). Maine offers up a story about sheltered but curious young people whose confinement to a narrow, exclusionary worldview causes their curious natures to be sometimes more harmful to themselves and others than it should be. The film’s sense of humor about itself and its central characters is more than refreshing compared to some other movies in this genre. Dyer’s leading performance is warm and relatable, but there are also some great (albeit minor) performances from other young adult actors like Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why) as the seemingly brainwashed counselor at the youth retreat which serves as the film’s primary setting. But perhaps what I like most about Yes, God, Yes is its core lesson that everyone hides their insecurities and what is important is for people to treat others respectfully because, in the paraphrased words of Dyer’s Alice, “everyone is dealing with their own shit.” I highly recommend this film for the lovers of the young adult genre; I promise that it will use its brief runtime wisely. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom How fitting it is to wrap up today’s blog by discussing the film that includes the final performance of the late, great Chadwick Boseman?! Not only was he the subject of one of my earliest blogs, but for millions of people around the world his death back in late August represents the pain and heartache summed up by the year 2020. So, I am grateful that Mr. Boseman helped wrap up my year in film viewing, because his final performance is just one of the great things about George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is based on a play by Pittsburgh native August Wilson and is produced by Denzel Washington, who starred in the 2016 film adaptation of Wilson’s play Fences (the subject of another one of my blogs). It tells the story of a hot day in a recording studio in 1920s Chicago as the tensions between members of a blues band and their star, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (Viola Davis), boil over. All of them, from the hot-headed trumpet player Levee (Boseman) to the mediating trombone player Cutler (Colman Domingo), live cloaked in personal troubles and the pressures of being black recording artists in a white world that wants nothing more than to strip them of their soul for profit. What can I say about this movie except that everyone should watch it?!? ALL of the performances range from very good to fantastic. Notably, Davis as “Ma” Rainey, Boseman as Levee, and Domingo as Cutler bring incredibly nuanced, complex personalities to life before stirring them up together into ninety minutes of infectious and emotional human drama. The interplay between all of the actors (but specifically, Davis, Boseman, and Domingo) births a believable environment seething with pride and catharsis that engrosses you so effortlessly. For those who know my thoughts on Boseman, they are only encouraged after watching his performance in this film. No matter if he has two lines in a scene or offers up a five-minute raw monologue, you always know he is there and just waiting eagerly to see what he says or does. If I have one and only critique of the film, it is that ninety minutes was not nearly enough time for me to spend with these characters. I wanted the runtime doubled, and only wish that the director had the foresight to put Boseman in front of the camera for another hour or so. I cannot recommend Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom enough to y’all. Trust me, you WILL NOT regret it. So, those are some of my favorite films of 2020! There are certainly others; for one, I have already discussed The New Mutants in my very first blog back in August. And I am sure I will be talking about some more of the best 2020 flicks in the future. 😊 What are some of your favorite films from this year? What movies are you most excited for next year? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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