VT Movies of the Year 2020

[Designer1]

Post them here folks. Usual rules apply - must have an IMDB UK release date of 2020.

I'll have a think and post mine in a bit.

[villa4europe]

will have a look later and then try and blast through some films this week to catch up

first thing that sprung to mind though was the guy in da 5 bloods being excellent and the best performance ive seen this year, he stood out straight away as award winning worthy 

[Follyfoot]

Jiu Jitsu  - not seen it yet but Nicolas Cage is in it 

[Designer1]

[theboyangel]

I concur with the platform and the invisible man (only cinema trip this year) 

i think I have been watching films older than 2020, such as Extra-Ordinary (the best film I’ve watched this year!)

will be watching the lighthouse in the next few weeks. 

[Designer1]

9 minutes ago, theboyangel said:

 

i think I have been watching films older than 2020, such as Extra-Ordinary (the best film I’ve watched this year!)

 

Yeah, it's a belter. Sadly a 2019 release so couldn't get it on the list.

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

11 minutes ago, theboyangel said:

 the invisible man

It's odd, I watched it yesterday and properly hated it.

[It's Your Round]

The Platform was a pretty good film to sit and watch with the family. As Christmas films go, it’s one of the best 

[theboyangel]

25 minutes ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said:

It's odd, I watched it yesterday and properly hated it.

It’s the only thing I saw at the cinema and thought it was a nice reworking/take on the invisible man story. 
 

I enjoyed it and thought it had some decent passages 
 

[Shomin Geki]

I think it's been a pretty miserable year for cinema, largely devoid of bite, provocation, ambition and wit.

However... I did like:

The Whistlers- An excellent and eccentric Romanian neo-noir, which was alternatively knotty and curiously heartfelt.  The kind of film that reminds you, quite vividly, of what a big, strange, beautiful world we lived in.  One driven, in many ways, by strong emotions barely expressed.  Which ties in perfectly with the bizarre code language of the film's title.

Bacurau- A little sketchier and rougher than his masterful Aquarius and Neighbouring Sounds, but nonetheless a feverishly aggressive work from Filho Mendonca.  A perhaps necessary response to the social and cultural privations of the Bolsonaro administration.  I would have liked a little more pulpy, punky flair, but there's a simmering, intoxicating fire to this film.

Vivarium- Strange, and strangely apropos viewing for the lockdown world, I understand the abstraction and archness has put many people off, but I think it's mixture of petit bourgeois nightmare and oblique comedy of manners is the perfect interrogation of our present conditions of barely-grasped madness roiling under the surface of compliant civility.  Imogen Poots is quick becoming very underrated and is typically excellent here.

A White, White Day- Deliberate Icelandic psychodrama of a middle aged man's unravelling psyche.  No, come back!  It's actually incredibly gripping, psychologically astute, and if perhaps the subject matter IS a touch overfamiliar, the odd notes of quiet grace and very dry comedy elevate it from its peers.  Also shot beautifully on film.  Also: Ends, rather charmingly, with a Leonard Cohen song.  Not that kind of Leonard Cohen song.  Those other ones.

And that's where I think I'll have to bow out, although I thought The Beach House did a surprising amount with a negligible budget.  Would go to bat for Underwater too, the Kristen Stewart creature feature.  Possibly the most unexpectedly pleasing cameo this year!

[GarethRDR]

I think this has been a poor year for me but only in the sense of not actually being able to get out to see films of course, thus all the films I've been watching at home are just from all over the shop.  I couldn't tell you what was 2020 or not, so I'm hoping this thread can give me some steer and a boatload of suggestions for the coming weeks.

[WhatAboutTheFinish]

Shout out from me for The Devil All the Time, I really enjoyed it (even if the subject matter is quite bleak). Although maybe my expectations were just so low (not a big fan of the little fella from Spiderman) that it just took me by surprise .

[Designer1]

I have to add this one as a late entrant.

Having just watched it I can say it's comfortably my film of the year.

Absolutely superb in every single aspect.

[PieFacE]

57 minutes ago, Designer1 said:

I have to add this one as a late entrant.

Having just watched it I can say it's comfortably my film of the year.

Absolutely superb in every single aspect.

Watched that the other day, very good.

I think my film of the year would probably be The King of Staten Island. Which isn't usually the type of film I'd go for in these types of things but it ticked a lot of boxes for me. Struggling to think of much else that I've enjoyed as much as that. Been a bit of a 'meh' year for films imo.

[hogso]

On 30/11/2020 at 11:08, Designer1 said:

How's Spiral? And is there any legit way to watch it yet? I can't help but be reminded of Junji Ito's Uzumaki when seeing that poster and the name. 

[Designer1]

4 minutes ago, hogso said:

How's Spiral? And is there any legit way to watch it yet? I can't help but be reminded of Junji Ito's Uzumaki when seeing that poster and the name. 

I thought it was excellent (hence it's place on the list) - I watched it on Shudder iirc.

[Designer1]

9 hours ago, PieFacE said:

Watched that the other day, very good.

@PieFacE

 

Spoiler

 

Absolutely loved the final scene when she took the test again, and this time didn’t mention about feeling bad about the butterfly.

Basically confirming what was hinted at throughout the movie, that she was a particularly nasty piece of work with only a semblance of humanity and empathy left to mask her true self. Her family were simply an inconvenient necessity.

Just brilliant stuff.

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Designer1

[Wainy316]

On 30/11/2020 at 15:48, Shomin Geki said:

I think it's been a pretty miserable year for cinema, largely devoid of bite, provocation, ambition and wit.

I'd say the biggest thing cinema has been devoid of this is year is cinemas.

[PieFacE]

9 hours ago, Designer1 said:

@PieFacE

 

  Hide contents

 

Absolutely loved the final scene when she took the test again, and this time didn’t mention about feeling bad about the butterfly.

Basically confirming what was hinted at throughout the movie, that she was a particularly nasty piece of work with only a semblance of humanity and empathy left to mask her true self. Her family were simply an inconvenient necessity.

Just brilliant stuff.

 

 

Yeah definitely. Was excellent. 

Spoiler

All the mirror images to show who was in more control  throughout different parts of the film was cool too. And the whole mask thing was just weird haha. 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by PieFacE

[Rodders]

In terms of new 2020 films I think I've only see 18 this year, but Little Women it seems was 26 Dec 2019, but I'm counting Jojo Rabbit as it was only festivals prior to 1st Jan 2020.

Jojo Rabbit, 1917, Just Mercy, Uncut Gems, Parasite, Queen & Slim, Tenet, Da 5 Bloods, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Bill and Ted 3

I think in a normal year some of those wouldn't be on the list. Da 5 Bloods had great performances and was flawed. I enjoyed Bill and Ted 3 but the fun was in the nostalgia and the innocence of the film, that otherwise taken on it's own was a mess. Also 1917, whilst fantastic first time around, doesn't hold up on subsequent viewings as well. Wouldn't care for Uncut Gems a 2nd time either! So not a classic year at all. 

I might do a separate top 10 of films I've seen in this year though, far more to include on that list. 122 for the year in total, which is a little more than normal. Plenty of repeats and feel good cheese due to the covid depression but also some gems old and newer I've discovered.