Cindy Prascik's Top Ten Movies of 2020

 

Ahhh...2020. Count me among the many who are delighted to say goodbye to you (goodbye to you-oo, goodbye to you)!

2020 was the weirdest of movie years, with most major releases opting to punt to the hopefully safer months of 2021, and many pictures that elected to test the "direct to home viewing" strategy feeling hurried, unpolished, and much like old TV movies of the week. Even with lockdowns and a hybrid work schedule that had me home more than I'm used to, I watched fewer films that I have in any other year in recent memory. Still, my dear reader(s), I feel like I owe you a list, and a list you shall have.

The usual disclaimers:

There were some noteworthy titles this year on which I deliberately took a pass. It seemed like horror was the genre that best comported itself in these new, strange times, but horror just does not interest me. My horror-loving friends report that I missed some quality offerings there. Some subject matter was just too contentious for me, given the times, such as the Trial of the Chicago Seven. I'm accustomed to seeing movies on opening weekend at the cinema, and I don't always get to streaming offerings as quickly as others, so I had advance warning to steer clear of others, like the Prom, which meant too much to too many people to have been bungled as badly as it was. In other words, the pool from which I drew these ten titles is perhaps even more shallow than it had to be.

Also, as in previous years, a movie's original Weasley score may have little bearing on its year-end placement. Some movies age well, and some do not.

Without further ado, my top ten movies of 2020.

10. Mank

As noted in my original review, Mank is a good movie that I didn't enjoy much at all. It is, however, the only place I saw Gary Oldman in 2020, and that earns it its place here. Mank features masterful dialogue and a peek behind the curtain that undoubtedly makes it an instant favorite for students of film history. And for the record, Gary is brilliant...but of course you already knew that. 

9. The Last Full Measure

The Last Full Measure is a bit pedestrian and, thus, isn't the movie it could have been, but it earns a spot in my year-end top ten for a couple reasons: First, its emotional wallop is enormous, and I felt it strongly among the veterans with whom I shared a cinema the day I saw it. Secondly, it represents a decent role for Sebastian Stan, who consistently punches below his weight with Marvel and other parts that don't half tax his enormous talent. More of this for Sebastian, please.

8. Hamilton

Does the filmed version of the Broadway musical Hamilton count as a movie? In the interest of filling ten spots, it sure does! Hamilton is a once-in-a-generation event, and that the original company was captured for posterity and shared so freely is pretty monumental. This recorded version mostly captures the spirit of the show, and hopefully engages many who otherwise might not have access to the theatre in general and a show of this caliber in particular.

7. Jingle-Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Jingle-Jangle: A Christmas Journey is an instant classic filled with festive settings, bright costumes, and bouncy tunes. A top-notch cast makes this Netflix original a holiday home run. Be sure to make time for Jingle-Jangle: A Christmas Journey, as the Twelve Days of Christmas wind down!

6. Tenet

Christopher Nolan serves up another mind- and time-bending adventure that represents one of 2020's few truly epic pictures. John David Washington and Robert Pattinson shine in an exciting movie you'll be thinking about long after you leave the cinema.

5. The Go-Gos

The first of three music documentaries to make this year's list, the Go-Gos chronicles the career of the first (and, so far, only) all-female band to achieve a number-one album with songs written by the band members themselves. From early punk roots through a meteoric rise to fame, substance abuse issues, and recent reunion, the Go-Gos is a remarkable story filled with great music. Get these ladies into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame NOW, please.

4. The Gentlemen

I was lucky to see the Gentlemen at my cinema twice before the world went sideways back in the spring. It is very much the type of movie I most enjoy: testosterone heavy, with lots of violence and swearing. (I'm a simple creature, I like simple things.) In my opinion, it also represents Charlie Hunnam's best role to date. Colin Farrell steals the show, as he is wont to do, but, really, the entire cast is just brilliant, and the story takes many turns before tying itself up in a neat little bow. Probably the most fun movie I saw all year.

3. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

The second of three music documentaries in this year's list is How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, which relates the incredible and sometimes tragic story of the Brothers Gibb. The movie maintains a positive vibe without skirting difficult issues, but primarily it's a wonderful trip down memory lane guided by hit after hit, great song after great song. The Bee Gees have a story worth telling, and director Frank Marshall was smart enough to let their music tell it. A must see!

2. Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

My top music documentary and second-favorite film of 2020 is Gordon Lightfoot: If  You Could Read My Mind. Like the Bee Gees documentary, this film leans heavily on the subject's exceptional catalogue, with frank commentary from Lightfoot himself, who offers fascinating and often surprising insights. This one is also a can't-miss, for fans and not-yet-fans alike. 

1. Bill & Ted Face the Music

Bill & Ted Face the Music is the final installment in this time-traveling trilogy, and what a finish it is! Bill & Ted 3 is a sweet, funny, nostalgic adventure with a positive and hopeful message. It may not be a perfect movie, but it is definitely the perfect movie for 2020, and, thus, it earns the number-one spot on my year-end list.

2021 is here, and with it hope for better days ahead. The first and best way for all of us to help make that happen is to, as Bill and Ted say, "Be excellent to each other."

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GENTLEMEN

Mickey Pearson is an American expatriate who became rich by building a marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he's looking to cash out of the business, it soon triggers an array of plots and schemes from those who want his fortune.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant

Release Date: January 24, 2019

Genres: Action, Crime

Rated R for violence, language throughout, sexual references and drug content

Runtime: 1h 55min

Review:

The Gentlemen is a fun return to the genre that made Guy Ritchie a name back in the early 2000s.  It’s easy to forget how fun his older films like Lock Stock and Smoking Barrel and Snatch were because his subsequence films have fallen into a general blandness that’s made unmemorable.  That’s not to say that certain films like his Sherlock Holmes movies or his underrated The Man from U.N.C.L.E. aren’t fun but they felt way too polished and glossy.  The Gentlemen is a film that’s far better than it deserves to be.  The plot isn’t quite as clever as it thinks it is but the cast of characters and actors make the film so incredibly fun and watchable that you can overlook some of those failings.  Each of the cast delivers performances that make it clear that they are having the time of their lives in this film.  McConaughey gives us a solid mix of charm and underling menace with Charlie Hunnam delivering one of best film work thus far.  The supporting cast shines throughout with Hugh Grant, playing against type with great gusto, and Colin Farrell leaving the biggest impressions.  The story drags here and there but when the cast is clicking it’s the kind of throwback that makes you remember why people noticed Guy Ritchie’s type of filmmaking in the first place instead of something like Aladdin.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Gentleman

Yesterday it was off to the pictures for back-to-back screenings of Guy Ritchie's the Gentlemen.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

The kingpin of Britain's largest marijuana enterprise attempts to ease into retirement and finds there's nothing easy about it.

Dear reader(s), it's important for me to note that I saw the Gentlemen twice yesterday. While I often see movies more than once (hey there, Jack Sparrow!), seldom do I see them more than once before I write about them. In this case, it made a difference of a half to a full point improvement on the film's final Weasley score, so that's material enough to warrant a mention.

The Gentlemen is a rollicking tale that's as clever as it is crass. A wordy script is liberally seasoned with swearing and slurs, weaving its way from twist to unexpected turn. The movie gets off to a bit of a slow start (which I found much less noticeable the second time around), but once it gets rolling, it is ROLLING, through a tense, violent, funny, and often surprising tale. The Gentlemen is blessed with a cast that is perfect in every way. Matthew McConaughey is crafty, dashing, and just the right amount of menacing as the mogul with an eye on retirement. Hugh Grant is hilarious as a sleazy PI looking out for number-one, while Henry Golding impresses as an up-and-comer with his eye on the prize. Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery holds her own with the guys, no refined Lady Mary, this one, but, per usual, it's Colin Farrell who steals the show with a smart, funny turn. Annnnnnnd...to my Charlie People (and all you future Charlie People): this is a GREAT role for Charlie Hunnam. He gets just about the most screen time of anyone in the terrific ensemble, and he absolutely nails it. One of the reasons I'm proud to call myself a Charlie Person (and why I continue to evangelize new Charlie People) is because, despite his obscenely good looks, Charlie Hunnam has never traded on that commodity. He takes interesting roles in interesting projects, almost always aiming higher than he really has to. As McConaughey's smart, stoic, sweatered wing man, Hunnam is given a great opportunity to shine in the Gentlemen, and shine he does. One of my favorite performances from him to date.

The Gentlemen clocks in at 113 minutes and is rated R for "violence, language throughout, sexual references, and drug content." (I really, really feel like the "drug content" should be first there, but oh well.)

The Gentlemen is a humorous, exciting, well-crafted, and perfectly-cast film that takes viewers on a wild ride and effectively corrals an almost impossible number of moving pieces.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Gentlemen gets eight. Until next time...