2020 Viewing in Review

One silver lining of this memorable year was an opportunity to watch a healthy amount of new movies that I had yet to see. This year, I tried to stick harder to the numerous lists and themes that help guide some of my watching. This resulted in a lot of movies by directors covered by the Blank Check podcast; including Steven Spielberg, Paul Voerhoeven, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, and Robert Zemeckis. I went through a phase of Westerns, I banged out almost all of the remaining significant Hitchcock and Kubrick movies, and tried to expand into more foreign language film; most notably Korean, including all of Academy Award winning Bong Joon-Ho’s filmography. I also dipped my toes into silent film, crossed a bunch of Christmas movies, and watched more rom-coms and horror with Natalie than I care to admit.

Perhaps the most significant entries came from my effort to watch many of Roger Eberts’s Great Movies. This resulted in the watching of many older classics. Many noirs, the aforementioned Westerns, some old time courtroom dramas, and some from the directors already named above — meaning I was removing movies off of two different lists at once for an extra hit of dopamine.

It also resulted in a top 50 list with more old classics than in years past. I try hard to not sound too pretentious about old movies, and I readily waive handing out ratings when I’m not 100% sure I get them. There are many classics that did not make my top 50 list because I struggled to pay attention or struggled to understand what it was trying to say or do. There were only a couple in which I failed to really see the merit in what brought about it’s reverence.

If you’re not as into older movies, I apologize, but I also encourage you to give them a chance, as there is a reason people are still talking about them 80 years after release.

The Top 50 (in the order I watched them)

• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
• Uncut Gems (2019)
• Little Women (2019)
• JoJo Rabbit (2019)
• The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
• Memories of Murder (2003)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• Paths of Glory (1957)
• Spirited Away (2001)
• Ran (1985)
• The Third Man (1949)
• Double Indemnity (1944)
• Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
• Tommy Boy (1995)
• The Last Waltz (1978)
• The Age of Innocence (1993)
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
• 25th Hour (2002)
• The Insider (1999)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Before Sunset (2004)
• West Side Story (1961)
• The Favourite (2018)
• sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
• Escape from New York (1981)
• All That Jazz (1979)
• Go (1999)
• Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
• Crimson Tide (1995)
• My Dinner with Andre (1981)
• Total Recall (1990)
• Palm Springs (2020)
• Coherence (2013)
• Caddyshack (1980)
• Some Like it Hot (1959)
• The Wind Rises (2013)
• Under the Skin (2013)
• Rio Bravo (1959)
• Rebecca (1940)
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• Borat Subsequent Movie Film (2020)
• The Handmaiden (2016)
• Joshy (2016)
• Starship Troopers (1997)
• The Last Picture Show (1971)
• Contact (1997)
• California Split (1974)
• The Long Goodbye (1973)
• Black Christmas (1974)
• Soul (2020)

The Top 10

Typically I would hope to be able to form a rigid ranking from 10–1 for this list, but I had real struggles doing so. With such a wide variety of movies that spoke to me in extremely different ways, it felt wrong to rank. I limited it to only one movie per director, as I could have easily filled the entire list with hall of fame directors the likes of Hayao Miyazaki, Billy Wilder, and Martin Scorsese.

California Split (1974) (dir. Robert Altman)

I’ve been way up or down on the few Robert Altman movies I’ve seen. From the opening scene on, we know where we will be spending our time, and it instantly convinces you of the enjoyment you’ll find with fast talking Elliot Gould and George Segal. California Split is a rollicking time watching two degenerate gamblers chase score after score, as they sweet talk their way through every interaction between themselves and others. I’ve never seen a movie take its buffoonery so seriously. Gambling is all that brings them together, and once that bond is lost, the friendship immediately falls apart. Of the few gambling movies I’ve seen, this one captures the tone of the dive-y second rate casinos the protagonists frequent.

Palm Springs (2020) (dir. Max Barbakow)

I probably shouldn’t be so surprised to love another Andy Samberg movie so much. But on top of the humour, the emotional weight this movie carried bowled me over. Palm Springs will probably classically be considered a romantic comedy, but it goes so much deeper into existential questions about nihilism, death, relationships, and more. A long ninety minutes, there are genuine laugh out loud moments underneath it’s well timed serious ones.

Double Indemnity (1944) (dir. Billy Wilder)

A fun noir that’s eminently rewatchable, Double Indemnity was my favourite Billy Wilder movie I watched this year. Despite opening with a monologue by the protagonist that gives away the ending, it leaves you guessing at every turn as to how you arrive at the opening scene. The primary character, Walter Neff (played by Fred McMurray), feels stiff at first. You come to realize that is a purposeful and effective choice. Barbara Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson plays across from him, and their sometimes cold relationship provides a subconscious undercurrent for the movies themes.

My Dinner with Andre (1981) (dir. Louis Malle)

This movie was 20 years ahead of the age of podcasts we live in. Two men, at a table, eating dinner and pondering life. Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn play fictionalized versions of themselves, and over dinner discuss themes of spirituality, humanity, agency, and the vast array of life experiences that are and aren’t at people’s disposal. Proud to be quiet but thoughtful, My Dinner with Andre was a film I’m not surprised to like, but am still eminently impressed with it’s ability to feel a part the conversation taking place.

Joshy (2016) (dir. Jeff Baena)

I recently wrote more on Joshy on Letterboxd. In summary, a heart breaking story about male friendship and bonding is captured in the most awkward “bachelor party” ever committed to film. I have rarely laughed out loud this much in a movie, as the quirky cast had chemistry hard to find artificially.

The bachelor party notes never quite land, but it is through the difficulty of creating such a weekend of fun that the film finds its most earnest moments. It comes with moments of anger, frustration, and tears, behind the wall of comedy on it’s surface. That juxtaposition is what melds it together in a crockpot of emotion so well.

The Handmaiden (2016) (dir. Park Chan-wook)

It’s hard to pick the most beautiful movie on this list, but Victorian era Korea under Japanese rule is a gorgeous background for this epic story of love and betrayal. The Handmaiden’s artistic themes are accentuated by the beauty within the plot; shots of rainy forests, splashes of paint and extreme closeups, create visceral feeling. Every maneuver leaves you breathless every time you think you have it figured out. I look forward to revisiting it soon as I can see the full picture of the same story being retold from the various perspectives you are privy to.

The Last Picture Show (1971) (dir. Peter Bogdanovich)

It’s probably not a coincidence that I recently wrote about It’s A Wonderful Life, and have subsequently placed this at my #4 favourite movie this year. Both films ponder questions about leaving one’s small town for bigger and better things. Director Peter Bogdanovich took advice from his friend Orson Welles to shoot it in black and white, in order to focus more on the expressions of the characters. It also helps represent the death of the small Texas town that high school seniors Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges)are trying to escape. As subtle as this movie is in its mood, Bogdanovich uses bar owner Sam the Lion to speak to the boys on the fickle nature of their small town lifestyle The optimism portrayed in the titular Last Picture Show — Red River, starring John Wayne — does not exist as much as we’d like to imagine.

The Third Man (1949) (dir. Carol Reed)

Set in the foggy dusk of postwar Vienna, The Third Man is one of the gloomiest, visually captivating, and rewatchable movies I’ve ever seen. With a mood set with angular shots, shadows around every corner, and Spongebob-esque score, the mystery that unravels is magnified by the natural confusion and darkness shrouding what you’re visually consuming. If there’s ever an argument for black and white over colour, this is it. The lighting in the sewers, like in the still shown below, is not viable in colour. One of the more wry noirs I’ve seen, Orson Welles has an excellent performance as the mysterious and mischievous Harry Lime, one that glued me to the screen.

Spirited Away (2001) (dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

Much like Pixar, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated movies consist of a wide range of worlds and themes that leave them highly accessible for any viewer. The movie kicks off with a girl arriving at an old theme park with her family Pinocchio-esque in its dream turned to nightmare, right down to the parents overeating to the point of mutating into farm animals.

The setting for the rest of the movie is not something you could possibly find in any Western made movie. It’s cross of childlike playfulness with dream/nightmare-like evocations are formed with a pallet of characters coloured and voiced in fashions not conceived by imaginations such as mine.

There is enough immediate investment and concern for the protagonist — 10 year old girl Chihiro — that mysterious nature of the world you‘ve entered is able to wash over you as you let your eyes surprise you in every new scene. It’s unpredictable in a way that prevents conjecture. It’s epic, yet somehow soft spoken climax leaves a feeling of satisfaction, relief, and wonder rarely experienced.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) (dir. Martin Scorsese)

One of the most thought provoking movies I’ve ever seen, The Last Temptation of Christ depicts a universe in which Jesus refuses to die on the cross and the life he experiences following his denial of the crucifixion.

I really have no clue where to rank the film in any concrete way, but I know that a movie that causes me to further ponder with the faith I believe in as much as this, is doing something well. Rightfully considered blasphemous, it’s to the movies’ benefit that Scorcese has the credibility of growing up in the Catholic Church himself. For myself, it allowed it to appear as a thoughtful exercise, more than a harsh critique.