Top 10 Movies of 2020

I know, I know, I am VERY late with this list. So late that I thought of just skipping a blog post about it. 2020 was a strange, long and difficult year for everyone. This includes the movies. And though I watched a ton of movies in the year 2020, and even a lot of 2020 releases I have saved some of the best releases for some reason.

So the list I am sharing is just going to be incomplete. It is what it is. Perhaps down the line when I get to some of the movie’s I have held back from they will crack the list. And the record will be tallied on my letterboxd account. And when the Oscars roll around, I will share some posts regarding those movies.

1. Mangrove
2. Mank
3. First Cow
4. Soul
5. Da Five Bloods
6. Boys State
7. Dick Johnson is Dead
8. The Vast of Night
9. Possessor
10. Palm Springs

Here are some thoughts about the top 5 films on this list. I will just be copying and pasting previous reviews from my Letterboxd account, but they are my thoughts nonetheless!

Mangrove (Streaming on Prime Video)

This film really packs a wallop. Love the ways in which McQueen gives us the lively communal atmosphere of Mangrove. The sense of belonging for those who found a new hole. Which makes it all the more impactful when the raids come and that fun atmosphere is punctured by police hostility. The feeling of a freedom taken away for no reason other than the color of your skin. The jingoistic attitude leading towards hate and injustice.

And a line that really struck me was when the judge said to the jury to not take the color of anyone’s skin into account when making a verdict on the case. Of course this is preposterous, because this whole case is about race and prejudice. The absence of race, the desire to see past someone’s skin color, is in fact the problem and why racial prejudice is alive and well.

Mank (Streaming on Netflix)

Just a beautiful movie to look at. The black and white is gorgeous and the atmosphere of the 30s/40s is where this picture excels.

And I always love when movies choose to pull the curtain back and show the behind the scenes Hollywood stuff. Always find that stuff fascinating.

Then you throw in a lot of on-point social commentary and you have a recipe for a movie I am bound to love.

First Cow (streaming on Showtime)

Some really poignant dialogue. It’s understated, but pointed. And it’s critiquing American ideals. The same land, but your class and your wealth warps how you see it.

And the interplay of wealth is also apparent in the use of the cow. The rich and wealthy want the cow mostly as a symbol and when the cow isn’t producing for them their life is largely unaffected. However, it can sustain the way of life and lead to prosperity for two men.

This film also stayed with me for a while. It’s deeply human and beautiful.

Soul (Streaming on Disney+)

What an ode to New York City. The sights. The sounds. The people. Rides on the subway. Street musicians. Pizza. Pizza Rat. Dunking on the Knicks. But the joy of life busts through the seams (literally).

And Pixar is famous for threading adult themes in their movies, but this one is especially for adults. A somber reflection of what it means to be alive and what is most important in life.

Lastly, the music. The score by Reznor and Ross is genius stuff. And the jazz composition by Jon Batiste is sublime.

Da Five Bloods (streaming on Netflix)

Leans heavily into Apocalypse Now and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but still shows that Spike Lee is an important Director who can illicit a response from film.

Also, Delroy Lindo is incredible in this. Just incredible.