Top 10 Movies of 2020

 2020 is over, finally, and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  Granted, there weren't a ton of movies this year and I missed a few I would have liked to have seen due to quarantine, but I'll do the best I can.  I only saw 36 movies this year, so a lot of movies made the Top 10 that probably wouldn't have in a normal year, but here we go!


#10.  Sonic the Hedgehog


For the first time ever, a video game movie has made it into my Top 10.  I'm actually stunned.  As a character, Sonic is surprisingly well written and developed.  I was expecting him to be very one note.  James Marsden and Tika Sumpter have excellent chemistry, the action sequences are a lot of fun, and Jim Carrey is an incredible villain.  The second act is a little slow and there are too many pop culture references pretending to be jokes, but this movie was way better than I expected it to be and is one of the best video game movies ever made.


#9. Wonder Woman 1984


Yeah, yeah.  This movie got a lot of hate and I think people are being way too hard on it.  Sure, the writing is kinda sloppy and there are plot holes, but I don't really care.  The movie is about wishing!  There's gonna be some magic bullshit!  Get over it.  The cast is awesome across the board and Kristin Wiig and Pedro Pascal are easily the two best villains of the DCEU.  The action sequences are fun and the 3rd act is straight-up bonkers.  I had a lot of fun with this movie and found it very entertaining.


#8. The Prom


I was actually pretty surprised I liked The Prom as much as I did.  I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but The Prom won me over, big time.  The songs are amazing, the set design is gorgeous, and the cast is a blast, especially Meryl Streep.  Nicole Kidman is underused and the subplots are wrapped up too easily, but this movie wants to be fun and emotional and it succeeds on both counts.


#7. Color Out of Space


I'm always up for a movie that gets utterly batshit insane.  Color Out of Space is one of those movies.  It's also one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, thanks to its otherworldly visuals.  The 3rd act is incredible and Nicolas Cage does an amazing job.  H.P. Lovecraft stories are difficult to translate to film, but they manage to do it well here.  The only real problem is the main characters aren't very likable, which makes it tough to root for them.


#6. Freaky


When I saw the trailer for Freaky, I knew I needed this movie in my life and it delivered.  Vince Vaughn gives one of the best performances of the year, we get some incredible kills, a terrifying villain, and a sequence in a haunted mini-golf course.  Plus we get to watch a ton of unlikable and stupid characters get killed off, which I'm always a fan of.  There are definitely some plot holes, most of which are forgivable.  This is another really fun horror/comedy from director Christopher Landon.


#5. The Invisible Man 


One of the best remakes ever made, The Invisible Man takes the source material in a very different and brilliant direction.  Elisabeth Moss gives an incredible performance and should get her at least nominated for Best Actress.  The Invisible Man himself is genuinely scary with an awesome tech suit.  Plus the movie has some really fantastic cinematography.  There are a couple of character decisions I was frustrated with, but this is still a worthy entry in the Top 5.


#4. Palm Springs


This movie is basically Groundhog Day and I'm ok with that.  I love time loop stories.  The cast is brilliant and the writing is hilarious.  But it doesn't lose itself in the humor.  There is a lot of heart to the story as well.  It would have been fun to see the insanity dialed up a bit more, but I still love the film and it's easily the funniest movie of the year.


#3. The Lodge



One of the creepiest films I've ever seen, my skin would not stop crawling.  This is a movie where you know something terrible is coming and you can't stop it.  The performances are incredible and the cramped cinematography makes you feel claustrophobic.  It's an incredibly dark film that somehow manages to be a family drama first and a horror movie second.  Parts of the film don't make a lot of sense, but this is definitely a movie that will leave you chilled.


#2. The Trial of the Chicago 7


I love a good legal drama and this one fits the bill.  If you're looking for a movie that will make you angry, this one will also fit the bill.  Frank Langella is a terrific villain and I hope to see him win Best Supporting Actor.  Mark Rylance and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are both incredible as well and bring some heart to the film.  The final scene is a little hokey and the movie as as a whole is overly dramatized, but that's part of the reason I like the movie so much.

Finally, before we get into the best movie of 2020, two quick honorable mentions.

Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

Swallow


#1. Soul


Pixar's most mature film and its darkest.  Soul spoke to me on a deep level thanks to the writing of the main character and Jamie Foxx's performance.  He and Tina Fey are very funny and the music is wonderful.  This movie turned into a real emotional roller coaster that I was not expecting nor was I prepared for it and it's easily the best movie of 2020.


So, what do you think?  Am I right on (doubtful) or am I dead wrong?  Let me know!














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