Top Ten Movies of 2020!

2020 has almost come to an end. It's been a crap-tastic year for sure, with COVID making a ruckus and all the political unrest and whatnot. But with all that quaran-time on my hands, I did manage to see a bunch of fantastic movies despite theaters being closed for the majority of the year. I whittled down my top ten of the year based on the following subjective criteria: how likely I'd be to recommend it, how strong of an emotional reaction it gave me, and how it well it captures that 'X' factor in the cultural zeitgeist right now. 

10. Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

Directed By: Jason Woliner

Written By: Sacha Baron Cohen, et al.

I had to put Borat 2 on the list, because no other film this year made me laugh as much, or made so many headlines! Yes, the scene in which Maria Bakalova, playing Borat's daughter, interviews Rudy Guliani leading to an awkward hands-down-pants encounter in a hotel room, is one for the history books! But that alone isn't what makes this a "top ten" film - it also hilariously exposes the problems in our country in that special way only Sacha Baron Cohen can do. 

Cohen puts his life on the line for his comedy - like in the scene where he performs a "Wuhan Flu" song at a conservative rally and he almost literally gets attacked, or stays in character for days and days while living with a couple of old gents deep into QAnon conspiracy theories. Few comedians have that mix of societal insights and balls of steel as Cohen, and I'm so happy that he's able to constantly push the boundaries!

BEST and WORST 2020 Superlatives!

Welcome to my annual movie superlatives for 2020! Although I focus my reviewing skills more on my Letterboxd page nowadays than my blog, I have to at least compile my best-of lists at the end of the year! And what a crazy year it's been. Despite the fact that movie theaters were shut down for the majority of the year due to COVID, there were still a bunch of great movies released, mostly to streaming platforms, that deserve to be lauded.

But before I reveal my official top ten list of the year, I want to spotlight a number of movies that were the best of the best (or the worst) of 2020 in certain categories. Each category features a main winner, a runner-up, and five honorable mentions in order of best to next-best. I've also created a YouTube playlist for the music sections. So without further delay, here are my 2020 Movie Superlatives! 

BEST ACTOR - Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Riz Ahmed first came onto my radar in 2014 acting opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler (my #2 movie that year), and he was also magnificent in the HBO miniseries The Night Of as an innocent college student sent to prison. His career is only going up, and Sound of Metal is his first major breakout leading role. 

Here he plays punk-metal drummer Ruben Stone, who is starting to lose his hearing. Thinking his music career and life is over, Ruben's girlfriend convinces the ex-heroin addict to check into a farmhouse rehab for the deaf community. Ahmed's performance is wonderfully complex as Ruben navigates his new, unwanted situation that transforms who he is. It's an incredibly emotional and physical performance, and not to mention he took six months of drum lessons to prepare for the role. Easily one of the best of the year - hopefully he earns his first Oscar nomination!

Predicting the 92nd Academy Awards!

Prediction time, baby! The Oscars this year came under fire for not having any female directors represented, and only one person of color among the twenty acting nominations, but there is one major way I think the Oscars will be shaken up in the Best Picture category... read on for my thoughts on that and the rest! Here are my official predictions for this year's Oscars!

BEST PICTURE
1917
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Marriage Story
Parasite

I Predict: Parasite

If Parasite wins Best Picture, it will mark the first time a foreign film ever wins the big prize at the Oscars! This is sort of a long-shot pick, but its big win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards shows it has a lot of industry support. As opposed to the other front runners in this race, it doesn't seem to have as many controversies, and with the Academy's preferential voting system (where voters "rank" each movie rather than vote for their single favorite), I think it holds a shot.

The movies to watch out for, I'd say, are 1917, which won the Golden Globe for best drama, the BAFTA for Best Picture, and the Producers Guild Award, and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, which won the Golden Globe for best "comedy" and the top prize at the Critics Choice Awards. I think any of these three films are in the running, but I just have that gut feeling about Parasite!

10 Biggest Oscar Snubs of 2020

It happens every year... there's only so many nominee slots to fill. Certain filmmakers and cast members are bound to be left disappointed. But this year felt particularly snubby. Here are what I consider the most surprising Oscar snubs of 2020!

10. Dolemite is My Name for Best Actor and Best Costume

Eddie Murphy made a wonderful comeback with Dolemite is My Name, about the blaxploitation legend Rudy Ray Moore. His performance as the eccentric comedian-turned-cult figure brought him some awards buzz, but unfortunately wasn't enough to land on the nominee list. Same goes for costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who won the category last year for Black Panther.

Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies for 2020!

Sometimes the build-up is better than the end product, but here are the top 20 films allegedly coming out next year that I am most hyped about! 

20. Macbeth
Director: Joel Coen (Fargo, True Grit, Burn After Reading)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins

There have been a ridiculous amount of Macbeth adaptations over the years. Orson Welles has taken a shot at it, Roman Polanski, Akira Kurosawa took the play to feudal Japan with his Throne of Blood, and just five years ago Michael Fassbender starred in an adaptation. But despite this abundance of dramas featuring the famed King of Scotland, it's impossible not to get excited at the prospect of DENZEL himself playing the leading role, and Frances McDormand playing Lady Macbeth, following up on her Oscar-winning performance in Three Billboards. Joel Coen is a hit-or-miss director for me, but I'm looking forward to his take on this material, especially as an English teacher!

Release Date: TBA (currently in pre-production)