The Yearly Countdown - Fantastic Films of 2020

Well, this is going to be even odder than usual. Because of *gestures vaguely at everything*, I went kinda far afield in search of movies this year, and while I missed a few of The Big Ones (I'll get to Tenet eventually. Probably.), I mostly went into this post figuring this would act as a map to some of the nuggets I stumbled over, just in case anyone else was on a similar journey through 2020's (shockingly strong) cinematic offerings.

So. . . yeah, let's go ahead and just get to it. This thing's running late enough as it is.

Those of y'all who've been on this ride before, this will be pretty familiar. For anyone new, we don't do a "traditional Top 10" around these parts, but rather a wide swath of worthy films in a variety of sub-categories, followed by 10(ish) favorites in non-specific order. But I always try to start with any excuse to write about older films as I can reasonably justify.

For example:

This One is Cheating:

JALLIKATTU

I'm tempted to not tell you anything about this film other than that it's a must-watch for anyone who wants to give their eyeballs a kick in the ass. The 2019 Indian film is about the fallout of a runaway buffalo and how it upsets the precarious social balance of a remote mountain village, and gleefully goes from quaint and peaceful to "what the shit?" and back again. Director Lijo Jose Pellissery walks a razor-thin line between grounded mayhem and surreal fantasy, and delivers a finale that is delightfully bananas and an existential gut punch at the same time.

Jallikattu is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

(Note: I'll be providing availability information for most titles on this list, as many of them never had a theatrical release, and some are only currently viewable through subscription streaming services.)

Hidden Gem:

HOST

Get ready to see horror to crash this party something fierce, because - even if the genre has been seeing a particularly healthy resurgence lately (and it has) - 2020 was like seeing a bunch of new talent and some reliable hands kick the door down and decide to just own the joint. One of the most evocative-of-the-time (given that it's a film that takes place over Zoom, set during pandemic lockdown), Host took a prank by director Rob Savage and expanded it into a story of an online séance gone horribly wrong. At less than an hour, the film does exactly as much as it can with the "friends fuck around with the afterlife and find out over video chat" premise and executes its gags with relentless efficiency and shockingly solid craft, given the budget and filming constraints.

In a year when scares were aplenty, these are ones well worth seeking out, even if it deliberately evokes some of the bleakest times in recent memory.

Host is currently streaming on Shudder.

See it To Believe it:

LUPIN III: THE FIRST

If you're familiar with the works of Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service), then you might know his first feature film - The Castle of Cagliostro - as one of the only movies not featuring his own original world and characters. He was adapting the Lupin III characters created by manga artist Monkey Punch, and Lupin III: The First marks the 3D computer animation maiden voyage of the titular gentleman thief / adventurer. Along for the ride are his stalwart allies Fujiko, Jigen, and Goemon and erstwhile Interpol foil Inspector Zenigata as they get their Indiana Jones on with globe-trotting chases, ancient secrets, and punching Nazis.

However, as wild as the narrative and settings get (which, to be fair, is pretty "buck," as wild goes), the "Am I actually seeing this?" spectacle here is the animation. The character work not only gorgeously captures the iconic designs and highly exaggerated poses that defined the original work and came across so well in Miyazaki's adaptation, but the action sequences are brilliantly off the wall. It's like seeing an Uncharted game taken over by the Looney Tunes.

Lupin III: The First is available to rent or buy digitally and on disk.

Best Ass-Whoopings:

LOST BULLET

As much as I enjoyed the Donny Yen vs. Scott Adkins dust-up in Ip Man 4: The Finale, the French Netflix actioner delivered some of my absolute favorite scuffles of the year, both with fists and feet as well as rubber and steel. Lost Bullet is the story of Lino, a thief / getaway driver trying to earn early parole by working on the cars of an elite police squadron. Almost before you can say "heroic bloodshed," doubles are crossed, Lino is framed, and he has to go on the run so he can kick enough asses between him and the asses he needs to kick to clear his name.

A lot of asses get kicked in this movie, is what I'm saying. It's a tight 90 minutes of no filler, bare-knuckle beat-downs (Lino fucks up an entire police station, and it rules) and dynamite vehicular madness. This is the feature directorial debut of Guillaume Pierret, and if this is any indication of his action chops, he's already playing in near the same league as the John Wick guys.

Lost Bullet (a "Netflix Original 

Film") is currently streaming on Netflix.

 

Biggest Surprise:

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE

This one almost went to a different, arguably "better" film, but the sheer jaw-dropping shock of the sequel to the legendarily-bloated and misanthropic Bad Boys II being not only a damn good action film in its own right (it's the best Fast & Furious-esque film since 2015's Furious 7), but a better "reflective end of a trilogy" than The Rise of Skywalker was a shock a year ago, and endured as one of 2020's few delightful surprises.

And, honestly, how. . . how? HOW? Smith and Lawrence always had terrific chemistry, but this film not only uses the weight of their years together to good dramatic effect, but it also puts in the effort to make them actual characters and - if somewhat lightly - explore the consequences of their actions. It's a rollicking action movie that's also about bad boys trying to become good men, and it does a good job at both.

Bad Boys For Life is streaming on STARZ, if you don't already have the blu-ray.

 

Biggest Disappointment:

Not getting to take Marian to see Godzilla vs. Kong on the big screen.

Seriously, the kid loves Godzilla, she saw Jurassic Park this year and absolutely flipped for it, she woulda eaten this up.

 

Honorable Mentions:

For the longest time, Mokoto Shinkai's Weathering With You was handily in my Top 10, and while Onward was definitely the "lesser Pixar" of the year, it was still a rip-roaring and emotionally fulfilling fantasy adventure that holds up nicely on repeat viewings (we've, uh, watching a lot of Disney+ this past year). Jim Cummings' The Wolf of Snow Hollow is a flayed nerve of a community drama about battling addiction masquerading as a werewolf mystery that's also shockingly funny, Enola Holmes is a dynamite movie star proving ground as Millie Bobbie Brown sleuths it up, and Vampires vs. The Bronx is an ideal bloodsucker film for younger horror fans.

And not for nothing, but there's no reason that Skylines should even exist, let alone be a better "alien invasion sequel" than both Independence Day: Resurgence and Pacific Rim: Uprising, but here we are, and yes - it is. This scrappy VOD miracle has a shocking amount of muscle behind its micro-sized budget and a hefty heart in its central "military badass and her alien adopted brother" relationship.

I also nearly put Hamilton on here just because, regardless of it being a filmed stage performance from four years ago.

Runners-Up:

BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC / FREAKY

 

Oh dang, we got a tie!

I'm very much here for the resurgence of Keanu Reeves: Movies Star, but I never imagined we'd be fortunate enough to A) see him use his newfound clout to help a long-gestating third Bill & Ted film finally happen, and B) end up with a film that is not only an utter blast of good-natured sci-fi comedy, but one that cements the series as one of the few great comedy triptychs. Bill & Ted Face the Music is a perfect send-off and delightful introduction all at once, and couldn't have come at a better time.

Freaky (originally titled Freaky Friday the 13th) is the latest horror comedy by the team that brought us the delightful Groundhog Day-a-like Happy Death Day, and is their strongest effort yet. It's precisely what it says on the box: "What if Laurie Strode swapped bodies with Michael Myers?" and not only does it use absolutely every possible trick in the barrel that you could think of for this concept, it also makes the exra effort to do the smartest possible thing and for all its comedic intent it has something in common with Bill & Ted, in that it never makes the central characters or their emotional journey the butt of its jokes, but plays them totally straight.

It's also got some dynamite kills - like, "two different kinds of saws" good.

Both Bill & Ted Face the Music and Freaky are available for digital purchase on most platforms.

The Really Good Stuff:

So, since this year's theatrical rollout situation was. . . different, I won't be listing these by release date (since that gets kinda murky for a few of them). Instead, we'll just do this alphabetically.

ANYTHING FOR JACKSON

This was an extremely late arrival, but all the more evidence that the modern horror fan is absolutely spoiled. A "reverse exorcism" movie, Anything For Jackson is about an elderly couple who are haunted by the specter of their dead grandson (three guesses as to his name), and will do anything to get back what they've lost. The movie makes fantastic use of its small ensemble cast, conjures appropriately ghoulish nightmare imagery for its spooks and greeblies, and uses canny editing to rocket the viewer into the next "well, that escalated quickly" story beat.

But it's the actors who truly elevate this, all striking the perfect balance between grounded emotional stakes and increasingly horrifying intrusions from possibly supernatural forces. It's a film that doesn't allow either its tragedy or horror to get in the way, but rather to compliment each other.

Anything For Jackson is available to stream on Shudder.

BIRDS OF PREY

I made sure to catch this one twice in theaters, back when that was still a thing you could do. Cathy Yan took the best part of the train wreck that was Suicide Squad (Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn) and gave her a dynamite action film that was also a backdoor origin for the titular Birds of Prey crimefighting team. Robbie is, again, electric as the Queen of Japes, but everyone else really steps up to the heightened and colorful tone (but still with appropriately bone-crunching stakes) that Yan dresses Gotham in. Ewan MacGregor in particular gorges himself on the scenery in order to give the outlandish heroes an appropriate foil as well as embodying the horrific misogyny that each of the protagonists in one or another puts in her crosshairs.

It also climaxes with a super-cool beatdown in an amusement park featuring car chases and roller skates and giant mallets to the face and it's pure joy.

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is available to stream on HBO Max as well as on physical media.

BLOOD QUANTUM

And here's a film that's equally metal, but far darker and more harrowing. Director Jeff Barnaby proves that there's still plenty of life in the old undead with his (appropriate for the history of the genre) socially-conscious movie about a first nation tribe weathering a zombie outbreak around their reservation - largely thanks to the fact that they (unlike those in the surrounding white "townie" enclaves) appear immune to the zombie bites.

But while Barnaby absolutely brings pointed political commentary and his experience growing up on a Mi'kmaq reservation to bear, he also delivers some genuinely thrilling zombie-smashing set pieces and a canny eye for action and several appropriately larger-than-life supporting players competing for the title of "The Ash of the 21st century." The end result can have the effect of being hammered together more by sheer force of will than machine-perfect assembly, but you have to respect the strength of will it takes to carry that off.

Blood Quantum is available to stream on Shudder.

DA 5 BLOODS

The triumphant return of Spike Lee as one of the most exciting and effective filmmakers regularly working over the past few years has been a sight to behold, and it's difficult to imagine more apt proof that he's always been one of our greats than what he accomplishes with Da 5 Bloods. A film of unjust war and uneasy peace, Lee's most recent joint follows a group of black Viet Nam vets who return to the country decades after the war to find the remains of their fallen leader, as well as a stash of "liberated" gold.

Lee not only pulls legendary performances out of his actors (Delroy Lindo in particular is a towering presence, and Chadwick Boseman's casting as a squad leader that his men revere as something between a warrior poet and a secular saint is obvious in its intention but doubly effective), and he also plays cannily with layers of reality throughout the film's interweaving time periods. The aspect ratio shrinks during flashback sequences to a 4:3 square to emulate the news coverage of the war as well as exploitative action films set during the era only to widen out during the present-day sections.

The film owes a clear debt to war films like Apocalypse Now and treasure hunt dramas like Treasure of the Sierra Madre (and Lee makes deliberate references to both, just to make sure everyone's on the same page), but everything from his factual asides sprinkled throughout the film to the familiar playful visual style that evokes artifice just as pointedly as the film presents uncomfortable truths is 100% Spike. And he nails it, delivering an emotionally fraught epic of broken men seeking absolution from a world uninterested in giving them anything.

Da 5 Bloods is streaming on Netflix.

EMMA.

There's not much I can say about Autumn de Wilde's Emma. that I haven't already covered in my review from nearly a year ago. Suffice it to say that I was immediately enamored of this film when I first saw it, and revisiting it has only secured my fondness. There's a temptation to treat British Period Films in general (and Jane Austen adaptations in particular) with a somewhat staid seriousness and formal distance rather than exploring a different era's humanity. Not so here - while they comedy of manners is still very much bound to the manners of the time, there's a consistent playfulness both in Wilde's direction (and overall design of the film) and the actors' flourishes as they inhabit Austen's colorful characters.

Not only does Emma. have plenty of fun with itself, but it also shows a filmmaker with fine instincts for when to play scenes straight, or what details to hint at rather than spell out. There's a spring and vitality to this adaptation that does the author's playful prose credit, and a fine period romantic comedy for an audience with little to no familiarity with the source material and interest only in a great film.

Emma. is currently streaming on HBO Max.

THE INVISIBLE MAN

Leigh Whannell tansitioned skillfully from writer on the Saw and Insidious films to director of 2018's delightfully gooey sci-fi techno-thriller Upgrade, and with the most recent re-imagining of the classic titular Universal monster, has cemented himself as a voice to listen to closely in the horror genre.

Featuring an Oscar-worthy turn by the great Elizabeth Moss, this modern riff stars Moss as Cecilia, a woman who's just escaped her controlling and abusive ex-boyfriend only to learn that he's apparently committed suicide and left his considerable tech sector fortune to her - with a few strings attached. However, Cecilia quickly begins to suspect that he's not as dead as he seems, and not nearly as absent as she'd like, and. . . well, the movie's called The Invisible Man, so.

What puts this one over the top is not only how un-nerving Whannell is able to make literally any setting a nail-biting window to suspense by clever framing and focus on negative space (so that you're always looking for something even as you know you can't see what you're supposed to be looking for), but how the film deals with gaslighting and our society's refusal to believe women. And Moss in particular carries the ball from her memorable introduction to her absolutely fabulous final scene where she gleefully spikes it into the endzone.

The Invisible Man is currently streaming on HBO Max.

LA LLORONA

Not to be confused with 2019's The Curse of La Llorona, this film is arguably more akin to Tigers Are Not Afriad or the darker "realistic" sections of Pan's Labyrinth than your standard Blumhouse spooky movie. Following the household of a retired general (and war criminal), this film is a slow burn character study with the titular ghostly figure of Latin American folklore as something more hinted at and spoken around than shown for itself.

That La Llorona is as much psychological thriller chronicling the guilty conscience of bad people trying to escape into normal lives as it is a film about vengeful ghosts is less a besmirching of the film's horror bone fides than it is a testament to the current vitality and diversity of the genre. Jayro Bustamante shows a steady directing hand both at building near-unbearable tension between these traumatized family members and the increasingly erratic behavior of their patriarch as well as images that are as ethereal in their beauty as their counterparts are haunting.

La Llorona is currently streaming on Shudder.

PALM SPRINGS

I'm hard-pressed to think of a film that better (if accidentally) captured the "moment" of 2020 while still being a relatively rip-roaring time. The latest "Lonely Island Classic," Palm Springs is a time loop comedy that not only uses the temporal reset premise to great advantage in the familiar lane of romantic comedies, but also adds a few fun twists of its own to the "Groundhog Day, but also X" premise. It's also impossible to ignore how a film about waking up every day in a single place with the same people and you can't escape and nothing you do matters reflected the realities of lockdown life.

But the not-so-secret weapon of this film is the chemistry between leads Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, as well as the surprising depth of emotion both actors bring to characters that could have easily been one note. And with a screenplay as tightly-crafted as its actors are deft at their comedic timing, it's easy to see why it found a passionate audience.

Palm Springs is streaming on Hulu.

SOUL

Well, Pete Doctor is three for three.

There's a lot about Soul that I don't feel especially qualified to pass judgement on (there's not nothing to be said for the first Pixar film with a black lead featuring little relative time of said lead actually inhabiting his own body), but as an exploration of passion and purpose (and the occasional delineation between the two) as well as life and death and what we want our stamp on the world to be, Soul is a triumph of writing and visual craftsmanship. Modern day New York is a vibrant and bustling sight that is both some of the most beautiful and naturalistic animation in terms of detail and lighting while also being populated with unique characters with gorgeous heightened designs and astounding character animation.

It's also funny. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given Doctor's work on Monsters Inc. and Inside Out, but it's really funny. It's also a "teacher movie," so it more or less had my number from jump street.

Soul is streaming on Disney+.

WOLFWALKERS

OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN. I did the thing where I put the films in an order that wasn't specific but my favorite film of the year still wound up as the climactic entry - how about that.

You're shocked, I can tell.

When I first saw this film back in October, I called it a masterpiece. Having watching it 3 or 4 times since, I'm only more sure of my initial assessment. I'd been caught somewhat off-guard by previous Cartoon Saloon features, but I continue to find surprising details and masterful touches in the closing chapter of their "Irish Folklore Trilogy" that enrich subsequent viewings. The sumptuous art is both a visual feast and a fertile bed for visual storytelling, which directors Tom Moore and Ross Stewart make good use of.

What at first seems contradictory about the film - an Irish Folklore entry starring an English heroine, a werewolf movie that's also an all-ages fantasy, a parable about peaceful coexistence that still warns of the need to fiercely resist fascism - reveals itself to be the dramatic fulcrum of the entire piece, the study of two sides of the same coin, as different and yet inseparable as its young leads. It carries the legacy of filmmakers like Walt Disney and Don Bluth and the clear influence of directors like Hayao Miyazaki and weaves them into a gorgeous fable that sets the bar for a new decade of animation very high indeed.

Wolfwalkers is streaming on Apple TV+.