It's time to pick up this blog from off the shelf, dust it off, and fire it up. Because it's time for an end of year list! And what a strange year this is to do an end of year list on. The whole world was thrown off its groove with COVID. And while there are much bigger problems to worry about than movies getting postponed and theaters shutting down, that was nevertheless a major part of my routine that got taken from me. The consequence of that is me not spending much time on this blog in 2020. But I promise that once things go back to normal with the movie industry, I'll get back into the groove of things. Believe it or not, though, movies actually did come out this year. And I did see a lot of them. And not just in the first two months. Yeah, most of the major blockbusters that we were expecting all got shoved into 2021 and beyond, but streaming got thrown in the spotlight, with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and other services becoming the center of the movie universe. And that let a lot of the smaller, independent films get more attention than they normally would've. All things considered, there are so many disclaimers and stipulations that could be said about how this list ended up, but I'm not going to dive into all of them. You understand. So let's just dive in!
10- Horse Girl
If you take one look at the title of this film without knowing anything about it, you might think it's a Disney-esque family drama about a girl and her horse, like Secretariat or Seabiscuit. Nope. That couldn't be further from the truth. This is about a shy, awkward young woman who starts having dreams about being abducted by aliens and suddenly begins to think that she's a clone of her grandmother. But is she just going crazy or is she the only sane one around? The movie is so bizarre and up to your own interpretation that it kinda becomes a choose your own adventure thing. Is it a psychological drama about mental illness or is it a sci-fi movie with aliens and time loops, akin to Netflix's series "Dark"? You decide. Although I do think there is a definitive answer. It just requires watching the film, thinking about it, then watching it again to pick up clues that were secretly left behind. It also provides an interesting social experiment. Did you enjoy this movie and try hard to understand it because you knew it was a Sundance film? Or did you toss it aside after the first watch because you assumed it was dumb Netflix original? One's expectations of a film can go a long ways in determining one's level of enjoyment. Just some food for thought for you.
9- Clouds
The story of Zach Sobiech and his song "Clouds" is one that I have a strong personal connection with. Zach was a high school student who got diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. In 2012, he learned that the cancer was terminal and only had a few months to live. So he wrote the song "Clouds." Zach passed away in May 2013 and that's when the song went viral. Zach's song and story really meant a lot to me because my younger brother passed away in January 2013. I used the song to help me through a lot of rough times. So when I learned that Disney+ was releasing an original film based on Zach's experiences, I knew I was in for a bit of an emotionally traumatizing ride. And that's exactly what I got. I feel like a bit of a dork because I know the real story well enough to notice that they manipulated the facts a bit to turn this into a teen romance like "The Fault in Our Stars." But the director here does know the family and the screenplay is based on a memoir written by Zach's mother. So the movie doesn't do anything too crazy. What they certainly nail is the emotion behind the story and why it means so much to a lot of people. So if you're in the mood for a good cry, fire up your Disney+ because this is one of the best original films that they've released.
8- The Invisible Man
When I started to think about creating this list, my initial thought was that I was going to end up with a list full of indie films that no one has heard of. And I was totally fine with that. But then I went through my list of movies that I'd seen and I was like, "Oh yeah, that was this year!" This was one of the final movies to get released before COVID struck in the United States. That means life was normal when I saw this in a theater. That feels like such a long time ago. There were a lot more mainstream horror films that were supposed to come out. And I was really excited for a lot of them. But this is a solid representation of mainstream horror. There's nothing deep or metaphorical about this movie. Just a really solidly executed scare-fest and perfect example of what a remake should do. This wasn't an attempt to recreate the old classic. It takes that premise and does something completely modern and unique with it. A girl's boyfriend fakes his death, figures out a way to become invisible, and terrorizes the poor girl while making everyone else think she's crazy. Much of the horror comes in the idea that the guy could be present in any scene. If more of these Universal Monster remakes were like this, maybe the new Dark Universe would've worked out.
7- Relic
Of all the movies on this list, I'm predicting that this is the top candidate for movie you've never heard of. This is a Sundance film. One of four of them that made this list and one of two that I actually saw at Sundance as me and a friend decided to purchase tickets to a few showings. And I was really hoping that this would be a movie that would breakout like "The Witch" or "Hereditary," two other indie horror films that initially premiered at Sundance in past years. But then COVID hit and they chose to release this in drive-in theaters during the summer. That means it probably flew right under everyone's radar, but if you like "The Babadook," you need to check this one out, too. Different studio, different filmmakers, but the two movies are pretty much cousins. "The Babadook" is a metaphorical horror film tackling mental illness. "Relic" is a metaphorical horror film that tackles dementia. Perhaps it's not quite as good as "The Babadook," but it's still extremely effective. A movie that you need to check out if you're a fan of good indie horror. Much of the film is vague, leaving it up to your own interpretation. Unless you're fancy like me and the director walks out and explains the whole thing. Perhaps that's cheating, but it did make me appreciate it even more.
6- Onward
Pixar made two solid original animated films in 2020, "Onward" and "Soul." And while it might be the slightly less popular opinion, for me it was "Onward" that was the better of the two. In fact, at this point in time, "Onward" is my pick for best animated movie of the year. Although I do have to add the disclaimer there that I haven't seen "Wolfwalkers," mainly because I don't have Apple TV+. And I'm waiting until March to get my free trial so I can see a few more Oscar films at the same time. I'll keep you posted on that. Back to "Onward," though, the great thing about Pixar is that they are so good at tugging at the heartstrings. And they're always good at going at it at different angles, meaning all of their films manages to hit someone in the feels in a personal way. "Onward" was that for me. And it goes back to my paragraph about "Clouds." My younger brother passed away in 2013. And even though "Onward" came out seven years later, a Pixar movie about the relationship between two brothers who realize how important they are to each other completely wrecked me. Plus, on top of that, it was a super nerdy film with a lot of fantasy and adventure. Maybe that caused it to fly over some people's heads. But that's OK. Pixar has something for everyone, right?
5- I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Going into this movie, the title made me assume this was a movie about suicide. I braced myself and dove in. Only to find out that the title refers to the girl thinking of ending things... with her boyfriend. It's simple at first. They've been dating for a month or so and they're finally going to meet his parents. He thinks things are going very well, but she's a lot more unsure about it. But lest you think this is some sort of simple romance, this is a Charlie Kaufman film. His niche is writing or directing challenging films that make you think. He's probably most well known for writing "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," if you want a film comparison. But this one starts to get weirder and weirder until at the end it has gone completely bonkers and off the rails. It's one of those movies where you have to immediately dive into internet theories about what it all means, spend some time thinking about it, then watch it again. Each viewing gives you more clues about what it is until eventually the movie completely transforms into something much different. Once it connects, the full picture of it is quite the amazing work of art. And it's on Netflix, so multiple viewings is very doable. Just beware, if you prefer your movies to be simple, this is a movie to stay clear of.
4- The Half of It
Boy loves Girl A. Girl A doesn't acknowledge Boy. Boy goes to Girl B for advice on how to win the heart of Girl A. Typical teen romance, right? One might expect Boy to eventually fall in love with Girl B and for them to live happily ever after. But that's not what this movie does. It subverts your expectations for this type of teen romance and instead has Girl B also falling in love with Girl A, while she's giving Boy advice on how to win over Girl A. Girl A is the popular, attractive type. Girl B is the nerdy, unattractive type, who not only has to deal with her lack of confidence, but also the pressure of what her family and society will think if she comes out as being attracted to girls. Thus this is a very real and messy teen romance film that included my favorite quote of the year: "Love isn't patient and kind and humble. Love is messy and horrible and selfish... and bold. It's not finding your perfect half. It's trying and reaching and failing. Love is being willing to ruin your good painting for the chance at a great one." As this is another Netflix film, once I heard that line, I paused the film and wrote it down in my notes on my phone. And I rarely do that. But this is truly a special teen romance film that is superior to most. And that quote is one that I will always remember and refer to.
3- Kajillionaire
The third of four films on this list to come from Sundance. And the second of two on this list that I actually saw at Sundance, the other being "Relic." For a while I thought this was going to be my No. 1 film of the year. The Sundance experience combined with a film I loved and a movie industry that screeched to a halt due to COVID nearly resulted in this winning by default. But further thought this week resulted in me putting it at No. 3, which is still really good. This is a quirky comedy about a paranoid, compulsive family of three who commit a bunch of small cons to make a living. The result is their 26-year-old daughter being highly uncultured when it comes to the world around her. In my initial Sundance viewing, I was completely caught off guard with the humor and the quirkiness because I literally had no idea what to expect. Upon a deeper exploration a year later, it's the drama and emotion that stood out. The daughter develops a desire of wanting to be cared for, then feels quite empty when she realizes that her parents refuse to satisfy that desire. Thus the movie becomes extremely well-rounded. This came out in select theaters in September following its January Sundance premier, then to PVOD in October. You can rent it for $6 right now. I think that's worth it!
2- Da 5 Bloods
This is the choice that I surprised myself the most with in terms of how high up it wound up being on my list. But when I compared it to all the other options, there just simply wasn't much question in regards to how superior it is to many of the other 2020 films. This comes from Spike Lee, a filmmaker who most definitely is not afraid to express exactly what he is feeling. Most of his films are very socially relevant and speak to issues that he is passionate about. I'm not a Spike Lee expert by any means, but I don't think I've heard of a casually entertaining Spike Lee film. That's not what he does. With "Da 5 Bloods," the topic at hand is the Vietnam War, specifically the experiences of some black Vietnam War vets years later in their life. They not only have to deal with racism, but also the negative reactions from other towards people who served in the war. There's a lot of conflicting emotions for them and a lot of trauma that has built up for years. The plot follows them returning to their old war grounds to search for treasure that they hid. I'll admit that it's a bit slow to begin, but once it hits, it hits hard. The entire second half of the film left me speechless in a way that perhaps only Spike Lee can accomplish. It's the type of film that sticks with you long after you watch it.
1- Promising Young Woman
And here we are. My award for the best movie of the bizarre year that was 2020 goes to "Promising Young Woman." This is the fourth Sundance film on this list. I didn't see it at Sundance, but I did spend 11 months listening to people rant and rave about it. After finally seeing shortly after its Christmas release, I was left stunned. Carrying the whole film is a legendary performance by Carey Mulligan, who is left broken and scarred by a past I will not reveal because that's kinda the point. What happened to her to cause her to drop out of a potentially successful career path in order to go on a revenge tour towards those who wronged her? And lest you think this is going where you think it's going, this movie will spend its entire runtime blindsiding you at every turn. And that's all I'll say. My only critique is that it leans a little too much on shock value at times, but it was rather effective in the moment. "Gone Girl" is my movie comparison. Both are extremely effective, female-led thrillers that cause your jaw to hit the floor. I haven't watched all the Oscar contenders. Some haven't yet been released due to special Oscar rules this year, but at the moment I hope they shower this with all the awards. At the very least, give Carey Mulligan her well-deserved Oscar.
