I'm Thinking of Ending Things
This film nerd was giddy with excitement when he saw that Charlie Kaufman was going to grace Netflix with his bizarre presence, and it didn't take me long to realize I was watching the weirdest, deepest, smartest and easily the best film of the year. Strange to consider that it feels like Kaufman's most personal film in a long time when it's actually based on someone else's novel. Nevertheless, it's Kaufman's most artistically ambitious and perfect film yet, a masterful achievement in dark surrealism that can either be a little unsettling or highly entertaining depending on your taste.
The Father
First time director Florian Zeller's "The Father" is not a horror film, of course, but it is really scary, because it puts the viewer inside the mind of an old man with dementia and you really get to experience how terrifying it must be to lose your memory in that way. This great film also feels like a last hoorah for Sir Anthony Hopkins, one of the all-time greats, in a role that deservedly got him his second ever Academy Award and that will forever be remembered as one of his absolute best.
Small Axe
Yes, technically speaking, the new opus by extraordinary filmmaker Steve McQueen is not a feature film in the traditional sense of the word, but a cycle of short films, all about the experiences of the Windrush generation, West Indian immigrants in London, from the 1960's to the 1980's. The "Small Axe" films range from outrageous politics to tragic prison drama, from a quite funny coming-of-age story to sweet romance and a tribute to music and culture (Lovers Rock, pictured here), mostly based on real people and places. But they all have one thing in common: they're powerful, moving, kinda groundbreaking and unforgettable.
The Invisible Man
I really dug Leigh Whannell's "Upgrade" from 2018, an outrageous sci-fi action about a paraplegic man who gets a chip installed which makes him able to walk again, until the AI in the chip goes nuts and takes his body on a murder spree instead. It was a fun and stylish B movie that showed Whannell had real talent as a weird filmmaker. With "The Invisible Man," Whannell showed he is also very capable at creating classic suspense, without kinetic camera work and gore, and that he's a good screenwriter, taking a familiar concept and making it fresh with a #MeToo angle that is both provocative and thought-provoking.
Another Round
Only a Danish filmmaker could make a film about a group of middle-aged men who basically decide to experiment with mild alcoholism and not make it depressing or judgmental. But then, it is a film by Thomas Vinterberg, who is no beginner when it comes to tackling difficult or frustrating topics with style and grace. After all, his film career did begin with "The Celebration." No matter how great Mads Mikkelsen is at playing Hannibal Lecter, Bond villain Le Chiffre and Marvel villain Kaecilius, he's really at his best in his native language, and "Another Round" is perhaps his best work yet as a leading man.
Mank
Do you need to be a fan of Hollywood history to truly appreciate David Fincher's film about Herman Mankiewicz and his work on Citizen Kane? Probably. But hopefully it's enough to enjoy Fincher's trademark attention to period detail, use of exquisite cinematography and tasteful tone. Add Gary Oldman in his second renaissance as an actor and it's no surprise "Mank" landed all of ten Academy Award nominations. Fincher first tried getting this witty, stylish, whipsmart film made in the 1990s, but I think somehow it wouldn't have been as special, or consummate of a work of art back then as it now.
Wolfwalkers
Adorable is the best word to describe Irish studio Cartoon Saloon's bittersweet "Wolfwalkers," beautifully animated with a truly engaging story lifted from folklore. So much more than just the best animated film of 2020, with its style and energy, its soulful story and heartwarming message, it could even be one of the greatest animated films ever made.
Da 5 Bloods
Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" is a rich and layered cinematic experience, about many things, mainly black history, the Vietnam war and, in particular, PTSD. But it's also about greed and how to retain your humanity in the face of it. It's also peppered with references, mostly to Apocalypse Now and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and it's got a beautiful score that's reminiscent of old school Hollywood.
Nomadland
"Nomadland," Chloe Zhao's third feature, is not as remarkable as her previous film "The Rider" from 2017. But it is nonetheless quite something, the work of a true visionary director who definitely deserved the Academy Award for directing, only the second woman in history to do so. It's also the perfect film for 2020, for the story about a nomad who lives in her caravan and drives around the United States for work, told in Zhao's unsentimental, freewheelin' way, is just the story that the world needed.
Emma
If you need proof that period drama doesn't have to be stuffy, look no further than this dynamic, inspired and unconventional adaptation of Jane Ausen's "Emma," as vibrant in its cast as it is in the costume department. But that newcomer Autumn de Wilde's somewhat modern yet faithful interpretation should be so enjoyable is no more than perfectly apt, seeing as how "Emma" is Austen's most accessible and entertaining story, the original romcom in fact.
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