Month: February 2021

The Top 20 of 2020

Top 20 films of 2020

Escapism was essential for everyone in 2020, which would explain why I saw over 50 releases from the past year (not to mention catching up on older flicks I had yet to see).

Regardless of whether I saw them in theaters or on streaming services (like most others did), it was nice to have certain hours of my life to keep me away from the outside world. Of course, the better films made me look at the world in a different way. That sounds like a lesson from Film School 101, but it is true.

4 1/2 Stars Movies

Nomadland (2020)

When it comes to name recognition, it seems like the third time is definitely the charm for director Chloe Zhao.

While I have yet to see her debut film (2015’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me), I did manage to see her second film, The Rider (2017), the story of a young cowboy recovering from a near fatal accident and needing to find a new path in life. It takes more than one movie or so to discover a director’s true voice, but Zhao certainly is going down the path of intimate film making (it also helps that her first two movies were written by Zhao), which is more than evident in her third feature Nomadland.

Tags 2020, Chloe Zhao, David Strathairn, Frances McDormand, Nomadland, R, Rated R, Three Billboards, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

4 Stars Movies

The Way Back (2020)

To describe the career of Ben Affleck as “varied” would almost be an understatement.

After making it in the spotlight by winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (with his good friend Matt Damon) for 1997’s Good Will Hunting, he stretched into the “Razzie” territory with films like 1998’s Armageddon (which Affleck has comically given his own thoughts on), Pearl Harbor (2001), and 2003’s mega dud Gigli.

Tags 2020, alcoholism, Basketball, Ben Affleck, R, Rated R, The Way Back

2 Stars Movies

The Little Things (2021)

“It’s the little things that are important, Jimmy.”

Says the veteran cop to the hotshot rookie detective, and is something heard before in other films. Sadly, the reason The Little Things turns out very subpar and forgettable is, to be honest, the little things.

Tags 2021, Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, R, Rami Malek, Rated R, The Little Things