Top Ten Films Of 2020!

The arts. Art can have a high falutin connotation associated with it. What is great art? Who is it for? What is so special about it? What value, if any, should a society place on its artists?

Art is important. It is important if for no other reason it introduces us to other cultures and helps us put in perspective the vastness of the world we live in. My father is a musician. He primarily plays Hungarian folk music and the folk music of neighboring Eastern European countries. It was initially through music I was introduced to different cultures. The arts made me realize there was more to life than listening to my family argue. There was a great big world out there and I wanted to see it.

What about film history? Is it important? Should it be preserved? I ask these questions about film and the arts in general because art was under attack. It saddens me that it was under attack by the political left but I cannot deny or ignore it because of that. I must live in the world with both eyes open and both ears listening.

Movies are a reflection of our society. The arts but especially movies are society's eyes and ears. Great movies do many things and one of those things is hold a mirror up to society and show us our faults and accomplishments. If we can celebrate anything from 2020 lets celebrate cinema and its history. Lets celebrate the power of movies. 

As our world becomes increasingly politically polarizing, political opportunists and bandwagon propagandists set their sights to the arts. The movies of yesterday, they complained, don't reflect today's values. Imagine that! And so Gone with the Wind (1939), Birth of a Nation (1915), Blazing Saddles (1974), Peter Pan (1953), The Muppet Show (1976 - 1981), books by Dr. Seuss, and Woody Allen among many, many other things came under attack. If the political left had their way all of these things would completely disappear. Just ask Queen Latifah or the self-righteous filmmakers of Antebellum (2020). Or those that wanted to make sure Woody Allen's autobiography wasn't published.

Film history, like any history, should not be forgotten. It shows us who we were as a society. It is a marvel that we can see how people lived, dressed, spoke, their fears...etc. Movies are time capsules to be cherished. I also don't like political activists having a say about film history. They don't look at the history of cinema with artistic eyes but rather through a political agenda. What do they care if people aren't allowed to see certain movies anymore? They are helping to contribute to the politicization of movies and weaponizing it. That's what happens when you choose to see everything through a political lens. And 2020 provided the political activists the perfect opportunity to latch on to the arts.

Politics and the movies have shared a long history. Unfortunately, movies have long been politicized. Some may believe it all started with D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation because that's what they have been told. But, political commentary in movies dates back even further than that. Take Wallace McCutcheon and Edwin S. Porter's The 'Teddy' Bears (1907), a political satire on President Theodore Roosevelt, as an example. World governments immediately became aware of the potential power movies could have to push propaganda. The political left and right have always viewed the arts as dangerous. Each side has tried to ban one thing or another over the years. For example, the political left and Feminists in the U.S. tried to have various songs banned in the 1960s which they viewed as sexist. On the right, the most famous example would be book burning in Nazi Germany.

As we look back on the best films of 2020 it is a perfect time to embrace the history of cinema and to fight back against those that want to censor it. My film choices express the frustrations and joys individuals experienced throughout the year - the economy, social media, losing yourself in the movies, human interaction, the importance of family, and dolls coming to life trying to kill us.

Before revealing my list, let us also remember the great artists we lost in 2020, those that have contributed to the richness of cinema. One of the biggest loses for me was legendary comedian and filmmaker, Carl Reiner, a comedy hero of mine. We also lost Kirk Douglas, Olivia de Havilland, Rhonda Fleming, Max von Sydow, the brilliant Czech filmmaker Jiri Menzel, composer Ennio Morricone, Ian Holm, Sean Connery, Diana Rigg, comedian Jerry Stiller, Michel Piccoli, Terry Jones, cinematographer Michael Chapman, director Joel Schumacher, Reni Santoni, actress Daria Nicolodi, Wilford Brimley, Buck Henry, Fred  Willard, and Brian Dennehy.

Here are the best films of 2020!

1. SORRY WE MISSED YOU (Dir. Ken Loach; U.K.) - Ken Loach, the British maverick filmmaker, whose work dates back to the 1960s, has been going through a resurgence. Goody! His one-two punch of social-dramas I, Daniel Blake (2017) and Sorry We Missed You (2020), were two of the most powerful and realistic statements released within the last five years on class conflict. What does it say (if anything) that no American filmmaker could have provided us with two more honest depictions of the class divide in the richest country on Earth? I guess we were too busy trying to erase film history and salivating over the Snyder cut of Justice League on HBO Max.

Loach's I, Daniel Blake, the filmmaker's most successful film at the U.K. box-office, was responsible for a political movement! It even won the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival (Loach's second film to win the top prize). I declared it as the best film of 2017 and the best movie of the last decade. 

Throwing such lavish praise at Daniel Blake I was doubtful Loach would be able to surpass it and deliver another devastatingly truthful film. While I don't believe Sorry We Missed You is better than Daniel Blake it is a worthy companion piece. With Loach focusing his attention on the fraud known as the "gig economy" and the ways the system exploits the worker, it was the most relevant film released in 2020. 

2. CAPITAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY (Dir. Justin Pemberton; France) - Based on a book of the same name, written by French economist Thomas Piketty, this documentary explores how capital has caused wealth inequality throughout time, leading to our current system. It is a system that has let down people like the characters in Sorry We Missed You.

3. THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (Dir. Jeff Orlowski; U.S.) - This Netflix documentary explores the ways in which social media manipulates our behavior, creating a dependency upon it, and shines a light on the corporate control behind it, as all of your activities are being tracked for the sake of advertisers.

Corporate and government surveillance has long been an important issue for me. An issue I believe hasn't grabbed the public's attention as it should. Social media is the downfall of our society. That's not open for a debate. There aren't two sides. Tech companies have turned social media into nothing more than an advertising tool and a meeting place for bots to engage in political discourse. 

I get a good laugh from people who have been bitching and complaining about their rights being taken away because they have to wear a mask. For one thing, these were the same "people" (Republicans) that supported George W. Bush and the passage of the Patriot Act, which allowed government surveillance. Our lives are being tracked! You think wearing a mask was the beginning of our government taking away your rights! Fucking morons! Millennials can't understand how elderly people don't know more about social media meanwhile I can't understand how millennials could be such sheep and not question the need for these products. Too bad it wasn't made in the 1930s, then we could condemn social media for not reflecting the values of today and try to have it erased.

4. RIFKIN'S FESTIVAL (Dir.  Woody Allen; Spain / U.S.) - Master comedy filmmaker, Woody Allen, has given us a comedic delight that not only is a glowing love letter to the history of cinema but is Allen's interpretation of the famous Socrates quote, "the unexamined life is not worth living". Allen's surreal invention this time around has his lead character transported to famous scenes from his favorite movies, which end up teaching him about himself and life. Is it a comment on our relationship with movies and how through movies we interpret our own lives? 

If any other filmmaker had brought us this movie, it would be celebrated as a charming surreal fantasy. But the political left is taking their cues from the Fascist right and want to ban art. It is shameful U.S. audiences aren't allowed to see this movie! This was the most fun I had watching a Woody Allen movie since Magic in the Moonlight (2014).

5. THE VAST OF NIGHT (Dir. Andrew Patterson; U.S.) - Marking the feature-length directorial debut of Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night is an affectionate homage to the 1960s TV show The Twilight Zone. Taking place in 1950s New Mexico, where a possible alien landing may occur, this sci-fi movie starring Jake Horowitz and Sierra McCormick, is effectively eerie. The highlight may be an opening sequence film buffs will want to compare to Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1958). The rest of the cinematography is equally impressive creating a claustrophobic feel. Director Patterson displays a real talent with two strong performances from Horowitz and McCormick.

6. DRIVEWAYS (Dir. Andrew Ahn; U.S.) - One of the last movies to feature Brian Dennehy before his death. This is a small, personal movie about human interaction and friendship. Dennehy stars as a Korean War vet who befriends a young Asian boy and his mom. Initially you might suspect this will turn into an  All in the Family type story of bigotry. It isn't. In only his second feature-length film, director Andrew Ahn, proves to be another young talent movie audiences should keep an eye out for. 

7. CORPUS CHRISTI (Dir. Jan Komasa; Poland) - Nominated for an Oscar at last year's show in the Best International Feature Film category, filmmaker Komasa gives us a story about spiritual awakening. What makes someone a "man of God"? Can God speak through all of us?

8. THE FATHER (Dir. Florian Zeller; U.K.) - Nominated for six Academy Awards The Father may be the most realistic portrait of dementia ever put on film. Directed by Florian Zeller and based on his own play, the movie stars Anthony Hopkins, in a justified Oscar nominated performance. He is a man who is unaware of what is real and what isn't. It culminates to an absolutely heartbreaking ending.

The movie is told from the point of view of the Hopkins character, creating a confusion in our own experience as well. It almost functions as a thriller (think Memento). Olivia Colman co-stars as the understanding daughter, delivering a very effective performance as well.

9. ONWARD (Dir. Dan Scanlon; U.S.) - I know what you're saying, Alex, you picked the wrong Pixar movie to champion. Society has indicated Soul (2020) was the better animated movie. Granted, Onward may not be viewed as emotionally complex as Soul but I simply had a better time watching this heartwarming adventure of an elf that comes to learn the importance of family. 

10. BRAHMS: THE BOY II (Dir. William Brent Bell; U.S.) - Now you're thinking, what is wrong with this guy? How could I defend the universally panned, Brahms: The Boy II!

This sequel to the simply titled The Boy (2016) worked for me as an eerie horror story. Telling the story of a family terrorized by a blood thirsty doll, that has befriended the family's son, director Bell creates a lot of atmosphere. I liked this movie more than the original movie. I guess we can file this one under a guilty pleasure of mine.