Mike's Musings: The Top 10 of 2020

 As horrible as 2020 was in every respect, there were some positives on the film front.  Theater closings meant that blockbusters had to be delayed or put in development hell.  Without the MCU and other franchises taking up all the oxygen, smaller films were given a chance to shine.  The difficulty is that, with so many streaming services and the film industry experiencing cinema innteruptus, it was a big challenge for such movies to stake their claim and be seen by the right audience.  But they were there.

10.  The Kill Team.  Not all war movies have to be of the conventional sort with gun battles and explosions.  In fact, many of the best ones are far removed from such things.  "Casablanca" is a romance.  "Lust, Caution" is an erotic thriller.  "Kelly's Heroes" is a comedy."  "The Kill Team" is a psychological game of cat and mouse between a man who rationalizes the murders he commits and the scared kid trying to do the right thing.  The film gains its energy from strong performances by Nat Wolff and a super creepy Alexander Skarsgaard and because writer/director Dan Krauss has the good sense not to hype up the story in any way.  He trusts his actors and the story to pull the audience in and keep them there for 90 minutes.

9. Hillbilly Elegy.  Ron Howard's Appalacia-set biopic was dogged by controversy when it was released.  Some said it was too judgmental of rural America while others attacked it as being not critical enough.  A movie should be judged on its own terms, and I found that watching it was a moving and deeply rewarding experience.  The performances were strong, with a special shout out to Glenn Close and Amy Adams, both of whom give some of the best performances of their careers.  "Hillbilly Elegy" does what it sets out to do: allow the audience to get to know some incredible characters and to become invested in their fates.

8.  Tenet.  When Christopher Nolan makes a movie, it's something to be anticipated.  I mark my calendar.  I search out any news I can find.  I order tickets ahead of time.  That's because Christopher Nolan is a true blue filmmaker.  He demands and earns audience attention and engagement, culls strong performances from his cast members, and pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling.  In many ways, "Tenet" is his most intellectually challenging film to date (I didn't fully understand it the first time I saw it, but I expect to gain more understanding with repeat viewings).  Nolan's name commands respect, and movies like "Tenet" are reason why.

7.  Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula.  The difference between a good action movie and a mediocre one is execution.  By nature, these movies rely on visceral pleasures, not plot and acting.  It's up to the director to keep the pacing fast and the energy level high.  If he can do that, the question of whether any of what is going on onscreen makes sense is irrelevant.  Sang-ho Yeon is able to do this.  He knows how to film action scenes for maximum thrills.  The story isn't anything special but it has plenty of suspense and adrenaline.

6.  The Land.  "The Land" works because of its simplicity.  There is no added melodrama.  Nothing is pumped up for effect.  It's just two people at a crossroads.  It puts a face on a tragedy we hear about all the time.  When your life's work goes belly up, what do you do?  How do you move forward with your life?  Those are the questions at the center of this movie, and the lack of clutter in this movie makes the tragedy palpable.  Not to be forgotten are the excellent performances at the center of the film, plus the surprisingly beautiful camerawork.  "The Land" is an example of what low-budget filmmaking can be with some effort and talent.

5.  Uncut Gems.  This is as far removed from your typical Adam Sandler movie as you can find.  It is 90 minutes of panic and exhausting energy.  The film is about a gambling addict told form his point of view.  Howard is always on the edge, and Sandler's volcanic performance keeps us there the entire time.  You leave this movie worn out, and aghast that someone had the right mind to hire Sandler for the role and that he had the heretofore unseen talent to pull it off.  Sandler should have gotten an Oscar nomination for his work.  I'm dead serious.

4.  1917.  A war movie unlike any other.  Save for one very important exception, "1917" was directed and edited to appear to have been filmed in one take.  We are not used to movies like this, and director Sam Mendes is talented enough to exploit it for all it is worth.  By not allowing us to see what the characters do, it allows us to feel more suspense.  There is no sense of safety or respite, even an instantaneous one, that a cut provides.  Although the film loses a lot of its scale on a smaller screen, it still holds up well.

3.  Mickey and the Bear.  Rarely has a film tackled the subject of addiction with such empathy.  Truth be told, comparing this to something like "Requiem for a Dream" or "Once Were Warriors" is unfair.  This is less an addiction movie than a coming of age tale.  The central character is too smart and too constrained to live her life in such a small town, but she lacks the courage to set off on her own.  Watching her become the person she was born to be is a pleasure.  So are the performances by Camilla Morrone and, in particular, James Badge Dale.

2.  The Invisible Man.  "The Invisible Man" is on this list for one reason and one reason alone: it's scary as hell.  It's been years since I watched a movie that held me in such a grip of terror.  Being stalked by a psychopath is terrifying enough.  But knowing that he has found a way to be invisible is fear on a whole different level.  Even aside from the fact that no one would possibly take you seriously if you told them your suspicions.  This is true, visceral horror, and even after 10 months, I haven't forgotten it.

1.  The Occupant.  What else can I say about this movie?  I've been trumpeting this movie's merits left and right, urging everyone I can to see it.  Much to my frustration, it needs the help.  Netflix didn't know what they had on their hands and are content to let it vanish without a trace.  But this is a movie worthy of Hitchcock.  The Pastor brothers are masters at "playing the audience like a piano," to borrow Hitch's phrase.  But this is colder and more cynical than anything the famed director ever made.  Key to the film's success is the lead performance by Javier Guttierrez, whose transformation from a sympathetic sad sack to an amoral monster deserves to be on any list of all time great performances.  He's that goddamn good.

Now.  Hopefully 2021 will be better.  In every respect.