Well 2020 is now officially behind us, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say, “THANK GOD!” This year has been unusually terrible for quite a number of people, me included. Everything from the loss of some influential people like Kobe Bryant, RBG, and Chadwick Boseman among countless others to wildfires ravaging many parts of the world to a global pandemic shutting down most of the world, this year truly sucked.

The film industry especially took a hit thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many theaters shut down, some permanently, because it just became too unsafe to go outside anymore without risking your health. It doesn’t help that streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the newly released HBO Max among others are already starting to dominate the industry, with major studios now shifting focus on streaming over theaters since theaters have been out of commission for most of the year, movie going culture is changing right now whether we want it to or not.

But as doom and gloom as it may seem for the future of theaters I’m quite confident that movie theaters will still have a place in the future. Theaters survived worse, and I seriously doubt everyone is celebrating the death of the movie theater, especially in Hollywood. Yes streaming is amazing especially for allowing filmmakers to really tell the stories they want to tell, but nothing beats watching something magical on the biggest screen imaginable in a dark room with your best friends, being able to just take a minute outside and talk about the movie you’ve seen with them after it’s all over.

But we’re in a pandemic; theaters are closed and in some cases we can’t even see our friends in person right now. So for most of 2020 we had to make due with our living rooms to watch the latest films, and this year there were quite a lot of great films to have come out believe it or not. I wasn’t kidding when I said steaming is amazing for giving filmmakers creative freedom to do what they want, and if awards circuits still don’t see streaming services as a powerhouse capable of producing top quality films I don’t know what will.

With all that being said, here are the top ten best films I’ve seen in the god-awful year of 2020:

10) Minari

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starting off the list is the acclaimed ̶A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶n̶ South Korean film that’s TOTALLY made in Korea and NOT American at all (at least according to the Golden Globes). Minari is a fantastically well made and personal family drama from director Lee Isaac Chung. The cinematography was great, all the actors were believable especially the child actors, the music was unique, the characters are memorable, and the story is engaging throughout. The film’s ending was the only real issue I had with it but other than that this is something that’s definitely worth watching. You can check this film out when it comes out in theaters and on demand February 12.

9) Another Round

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

The latest Danish film from director Thomas Vinterberg who also directed 2012’s The Hunt (not to be confused with the 2020 American film that shares the same name and nothing more). This film revolves around four teachers going through a mid-life crisis that decide to conduct a social experiment where the four maintain a consistent alcohol level throughout the day to see if their social lives change at all. While the film is consistently humorous, it also manages to nail its more dramatic moments very well. Mads Mikkelsen gives a commendable lead performance, the montage sequences are very well edited, the writing is solid, and Vinterberg’s direction is incredibly well executed. It’s a fun film that’s definitely worth checking out on demand whenever you get the chance.

8) Sound of Metal

Director: Darius Marder

I had no idea what to expect going into this film, but I’m glad I went in blind, because this is as excellent of a character study as you can get. Riz Ahmed gives a phenomenal lead performance, Paul Raci was fantastic, Olivia Cooke was great, the sound design was very interesting, and the main character was so complex and layered. It’s a very artistic look at how deafness affects a man that considers music his identity, and it’s one that needs to be seen. It’s available now on Amazon Prime.

7) Feels Good Man

Director: Arthur Jones

This documentary focuses on the creator the comic series Boy’s Club, specifically how its main character Pepe the Frog went from a care-free cartoon character with a lot of personal history with his creator to a super D A N K internet meme and eventually a symbol of the Alt-Right. This is a very informative and at times really sad documentary about how a man’s oblivious nature led to his baby becoming associated with racists. The art style and animation sequences of Pepe were incredibly beautiful to watch and the film’s subject matter is such an interesting person. This is a very good film about the power that memes have in our society that must be seen by everyone. This film is currently available on demand.

6) Hamilton

Director: Thomas Kail

I was so hyped to see this film in theaters; I loved the soundtrack ever since I listened to it and was excited to finally get a chance to see the hit Broadway musical taking the world by storm without having to buy a plane ticket to New York and spend hundreds of dollars on decent seats six months in advance. An then COVID happened and sent this film to Disney+, which sucked but hey at least I can finally watch it, and let me tell you this film was amazing. Unlike most pre-recorded musicals that I’ve seen, this film manages to treat the musical as an actual film. The editing was purposeful, the shots were not only framed very well but also made the most of the musical production’s crazy stage, the performances were all excellent, the characters were all deeply layered and memorable, the production itself was very stylistic, and of course the music was an absolute banger throughout. I highly recommend everyone to see this film on Disney+ right now, but seeing as this is the one big “Hollywood” film on my list chances are you already have.

5) Pieces of a Woman

Director: Kornél Mundruczó

This film revolves around a couple that struggle to move on after a crippling loss. I don’t want to say too much about the film’s plot because it really is better if you go into this film blind. The film’s opening sequence was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time, Vanessa Kirby was spectacular, giving such raw emotions when the film needed it, Shia LaBeouf was fantastic as expected, Ellen Burstyn was also amazing, giving a very raw monologue in the film, the cinematography was excellent, the characters were complex, and the story was gripping throughout. I’m so glad I was able to check this film out and I highly recommend you check this film out too if anything for that amazing opening sequence alone. Watch it now on Netflix.

4) Dick Johnson is Dead

Director: Kristen Johnson

This is a documentary that centers around the filmmaker’s dad learning to accept the inevitable by filming different ways he could die. Kristen Johnson’s documentary was incredibly memorable to say the least; the shots were well composed, the subject matter is incredibly interesting, the tone beautifully balances weird comedic humor with some serious discussions about death. There’s a lot that goes on in this film that I can’t really explain here without ruining the experience for you so just take my word for it and go watch this film. It’s an emotional documentary that’s both light hearted and deeply emotional, and is something that needs to be seen by everyone reading this. Watch it now on Netflix.

3) I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Director: Charlie Kaufman

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Charlie Kaufman, and his latest film as writer/director continues to show why I love his writing so much. This is a dark, creative head-trip that has so many things going on in it both in the foreground and back. Jessie Buckley was excellent, Jesse Plemons gives his best performance yet, both Toni Collette and David Thewlis were astounding in the little scenes they were in, Kaufman’s writing is as fantastically weird as you’d expect, and his direction is at his best. This is a film that you need to watch multiple times to fully grasp how freaking genius it really is, as you’re guaranteed to discover something new about it with every viewing. Like the last two films on this list, this film is also available now on Netflix.

2) Wolfwalkers

Directors: Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Cartoon Saloon has been cranking out amazing film after amazing film, and this film might just be the best they made so far. Tomm Moore’s latest Irish animated children’s epic is beautiful; the animation in every frame is down right phenomenal, the framing of each scene mimics live action so beautifully, the voice acting is amazing, the characters are all likable, the story is simple and engaging, and the music and soundtrack is beautifully utilized. I can’t gush over this film enough, this is a film for every audience regardless of age. It’s available now on Apple TV+, please go show these filmmakers some love and watch this amazing, amazing, AMAZING piece of film.

1) Small Axe: Mangrove

Director: Steve McQueen

Now this might seem strange. This film is the first “episode” of Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe on Amazon Prime that all revolve about West Indian immigrants living in England between the 1960’s to 1980’s. Mangrove is the first of the five “short films” that was suppose to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and it also premiered at the 2020 New York Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival, so I guess technically you can consider this a movie (it’s also around two hours long so there’s that). Regardless of all that, Mangrove is not only the best film I’ve seen in 2020, it might also be one of the most important to see today. Long after seeing this film and while thinking about which films should be on this list, I realized just how much of this film lingered in my thoughts. McQueen’s direction is fantastic as always; McQueen is known for drawing out scenes to evoke certain emotions out of us, and here every scene gives us either a sense of bliss or dread. Every actor here is brilliant; Shaun Parkes was fantastic, Leitita Wright gives a powerful performance, Malachi Kirby was amazing, there just wasn’t a single bad performance seen in this film. The cinematography was brilliant, the editing was appropriately jarring at times, and the story is not only engaging but also painfully relevant. This is an important film that shows that racism isn’t just an American problem; it’s a global issue that everyone in the world need to address. It’s a beautiful but painful film to watch, and it’s the best film I’ve seen in 2020.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Beastie Boys Story - A in-depth and well made documentary/concert film from Spike Jonze that’s worth checking out especially if you’re a fan of The Beastie Boys. Check it out on Apple TV+

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - Sacha Baron Cohen proves he still got it as Kazakhstan’s beloved journalist in a sequel that’s just as awkwardly funny as the first film, with an excellent performance by Maria Bakalova to boot. Check it out on Amazon Prime

Da 5 Bloods - Delroy Lindo gives arguably my favorite performance of the year in Spike Lee’s incredibly entertaining Vietnam War joint. Check it out on Netflix

David Byrne’s American Utopia - A beautiful matrimony between David Byrne’s unique concert musical and Spike Lee’s unique filmic style. Check it out on HBO Max

His House - A well made and deeply layered psychological horror that features some great performances, terrific imagery, and some actual well-executed jump-scares. Check it out on Netflix

Mank - About as sharp and intelligent as its subject, David Fincher’s classy noire film boasts some great performances and Fincher’s signature attention to detail in the technical department. Check it out on Netflix

One Night in Miami - Regina King’s directorial debut is a interesting “what-if” character study of Black icons Malcom X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown filled with some great dialogue and strong performances from everyone here. Check it out on Amazon Prime

Small Axe (everything else) - The other four short films from Steve McQueen’s “miniseries” are all worth checking out as they all beautifully paint a in-depth picture about being Black in England. Watch on Amazon Prime

Time - A interesting documentary that continues to show that documentaries can be as engaging as traditional narrative films. Check it out on Amazon Prime

The Climb - A really funny dark comedy that boasts some amazing one take sequences you won’t see anywhere else on this list. Available to rent digitally

The Devil All the Time - A dark look into faith and how violent it can be, packed with great filmmaking and a great lead performance from Tom Holland. Check it out on Netflix

The Vast of Night - A loving homage to the classic sci-fi B-movies of the 1980’s, this film also has some impressive one take sequences that makes this film worth checking out alone. Check it out on Amazon Prime