2020.
Need I have to recap it at all?
Do I really have to go on and on about whether it was a good year or not?
Okay, here goes:
2020 was horrible for all of humanity. No joke. However, I did laugh a lot at the sheer irony of all of the people who spent every waking day and night in real life and/or on social platforms the past couple years about how ____ was the worst year ever. I may have enjoyed them eating crow for a bit but then I just had to return to the sad reality of a socially distant world. A world where a single virus devastated everything and everyone on some level.
The movie industry of course was one of the biggest cultural juggernauts to greatly suffer last year. Movie theaters across the nation had to close up. Film festivals outright cancelled or tried to do them virtually. Everybody, including myself, began to question whether they ever want to go back to viewing a movie in public, where one single cough or one person removing their mask will take you completely out of the experience. The big theater chains tried to welcome back people only to lose even more money than before. The studios had to reshuffle their schedules and move their biggest releases either to 2021 or to a streaming service. Warner Bros. said "fuck it" and released Tenet into theaters only for it to flop hard and really experience what the American public have to think about Christopher Nolan's latest effort. Studios began to experiment with VOD and the rental model, releasing some of their movies to streaming services with a higher payment. Disney took it too far with their "special release" of Mulan at $30, which also flopped hard with consumers but was covered up by corporate spin. Then the year ends with the bombshell that Warner Bros. will be releasing their 2021 film slate on HBO Max at the same time as their theatrical runs albeit only for a 30 day window. This nuclear option looks to doom the movie theater industry entirely though its first test, Wonder Woman 1984, caused a lot of disappointment.
I can't really talk too much about the films of 2020 themselves because there really weren't a ton of standouts, both good or bad. The films that were the most critically acclaimed all seemed to feature depressing subjects and themes or weren't much fun to talk about. Others just kinda came and went, including many supposedly highly anticipated Netflix sequels. Many people had a field day with some truly junk movies, such as 365 Days, Money Plane, and After We Collided, but they all also disappeared back into the ether. The most fervor surrounding a movie came when several stupid people and politicians got way too mad at a random French film on Netflix, labelling it as material for pedophiles mainly due to its really stupid and unfortunately suggestive movie poster and not actually watching it. But ultimately at the end of the day the American public just really didn't care that much about movies last year. The pop culture discourse revolved more around television and docu-series, whether it was rewatches of favorite shows or new offerings such as The Last Dance, Tiger King, and The Queen's Gambit. People cared more about quantity over quality, as they needed something to keep them company and keep their spirits up again and again rather than a singular experience.
Personally, 2020 was a rough one but as with previous years, I kept my head above water and trudged along. I was "lucky" enough to be labeled as an essential/non-essential worker, meaning though I got to goof off and catch up on sleep at my place, I at least had to from time to time leave the household and venture to my work in order to keep everyone else in business. A lot of lonely morning drives, walks around the deserted city, and disposable masks but it was rewarding to help my fellow man in some way during a time of fear and despair. Of course, it does feel weird talking about this like it was the past when as of this writing, it is happening all over again except with myself and more of my colleagues being more at risk.
Though my downtime was plentiful enough to allow myself to immerse in my love for movies, I frankly just didn't want to. I have been on a bit of downward trend with my movie watching but 2020 was a real drop in the red. I couldn't go to the cinema after the first two and a half months of the year and when they kept sporadically try to reopen, I just laughed it off right before they then close up again. The drive-ins were the safer option but the occasional new films they played weren't worth a visit. Of course I have Netflix and other streaming services at my disposal to make up the cinematic experience but rather than watch their weekly new exclusive release or go through my extensive queues, I instead spent time watching a ton of anime television series or playing video games or watching Twitch. Why bother watching some depressing or highly forgettable film when I can have some much needed consistent fun elsewhere?
My final total of 2020 films that I watched is 11. See what I mean about being in the red? This is really disconcerting for a so-called cinephile. I even had time to somewhat catch up with a lengthy holiday vacation this past week but I just didn't want to watch any movies. Not even for a Pixar movie or a film adaptation of a August Wilson play that I was really looking forward to. Like everyone, I just wanted 2020 to be over and move on to a brand new year. Luckily, all of the 11 films that I watched were all good. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to label them as my Best Films of 2020 since that would be too big of a label for some of them. But I did arrange them in the order of my opinion of them. I will say though that if I did watch some more films last year and did do a Best Films list, the first three movies would have made it.
I felt a bit bad calling this the best film of the year. I have nothing against a concert film or a stand-up film but the nature of recording a theatrical live performance is more murky. I also felt a bit bad giving it much kudos since it was taped during the heyday of the Broadway musical's pop culture dominance; I didn't want to come across as awarding it solely for nostalgic value. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic film. It does a phenomenal job showcasing why the show is still so well loved to this day while also capturing what makes the theater and the Broadway experience one of the best things to engross yourself with. The fact that it is shot and directed very well, implementing near seamless camerawork and blocking that would have been impossible to do live, adds points to its favor. And ultimately, whenever I viewed it, it did what movies are supposed to do, more so than ever in 2020: it let me escape reality and be enthralled by the joy of art and entertainment.
2. Weathering With You
Makoto Shinkai has been quietly fuming a lot lately. This film wasn't as universally acclaimed as Your Name and he recently had to watch as this film's boffo box office was easily overtaken by a white hot shonen anime flick. Even though I also felt some disappointment with it, it is still a masterfully executed romantic fantasy drama that's brimming with amazing animation and a luscious score and soundtrack. I'm still thinking about the sheer boldness of its ending.
I'll admit that this movie may be a little too high up the list due to me being a huge Eurovision fan and my joy at how the film was ultimately well received by the American public. But putting that aside, this was just a very funny movie with some great in-jokes and amazing music that perfectly captures the spirit of Europe and the contest itself. The "Song-A-Long" was my absolute favorite scene of the year, I adored the rousing "Husavik", and was glad at the surprise meme success of "Jaja Ding Dong". The film did suffer from being way too long but Will Ferrell did a great job shepherding this project and giving it his all in front and behind the camera.
This was the last movie I saw in theaters and I saw it twice. Like other shonen anime flicks, it was mainly due to my desire to hear both sets of voice casts but I would've gladly seen it again regardless of that idea. Hell, I seriously was thinking of seeing it a third time before the lockdown started. The movie greatly overcomes its standard shonen plot and overdelivers with some exception moments of animation and superhero drama.
It's kinda nice when a new Spike Lee film is an event again. His latest is a nice spin on the Treasure of the Sierra Madre template and featured the absolute best acting performance of the year with Delroy Lindo as the mentally troubled MAGA-loving Vietnam vet Paul. Lee does play too much of his greatest hits cinematically and the script has big issues and plot holes but he does make up for it with some well executed scenes and refreshing ideas, most notably having the older actors physically stand in for their younger selves.
This documentary did hit a lot at home with me about the sad human nature of slowly losing the majestic vision of a loved one and the art of dealing with it through the medium of film. I do value the ideas of Kirsten Johnson in making it and recording the dilemma of executing it. But I just wasn't as wowed as other critics nor even with my fellow family members. I kinda blame the sometimes flat narration and having too many of the artificial scenes of Heaven.
This Japanese export sadly came and went in theaters back in February and looks to do the same now on video. That's a real shame because it's a perfect movie for those seeking 80's style fantasy storytelling or something along the lines of Little Nemo. It's kinda brilliant in its conviction to be a laid back and colorful road anime movie and is a worthy alternative to the works of Studio Ghibli.
I'm always a sucker for anime films, especially ones that come from television shows or properties that I want to have an easy taste of. Goblin Slayer can't be enjoyed in a small dose as it is a very bloody and disturbing piece of work. Even before I returned to the swamps of anime last year, I was well aware of the show's legendarily infamous first episode. I foolishly thought I would skip out on that unpleasantry with this movie only to find out that it starts off with a brief recap of the entire first season. Once that mercifully ended, the film becomes a fun albeit extremely grim flick that, like its property, plays with the conventions of the fantasy world and the expectations of the viewer.
Howard Ashman was an amazing artist that I along with many others wish lived a lot longer just to see the beauty of the man and his imagination. This Disney-distributed documentary does a fine enough job recounting his life and works of art and is supplemented by personal photos and other materials from his family. However, you could feel the kid gloves that are wrapped around it and it isn't helped by some reused footage from Don Hahn's previous Disney doc Waking Sleeping Beauty.
The video game movie that surprised everyone. Yeah, it is not a perfect film and has many questionable elements (the owl people intro, the blatant product placement, etc.) but it was a fun buddy adventure film to make gamer dads connect with their children or warm the hearts of jaded gamers who lived through the ups and downs of the Sonic franchise. Plus you have Jim Carrey's excellently committed performance as Dr. Robotnik.
If you want a decent romance flick with very charming leads from 2020, this really achieved that front. Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae are wonderful and there's a lot of fun humor and soul to it. Not so hot in the dramatic department and falters in its "sins of the parent" theming but the rest is good enough for a viewing or a date night.
That about covers my recap of 2020. I will not be doing any of my other awards. Hopefully the Golden Globes and Oscars can do a better job than I can. Though, after glancing at what the Emmys did, my hopes are not high. Stay safe and let's all have a better year in 2021.
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