Every year it is a tradition for me to make a Top 10 Best Movies list and each year I enjoy talking about my favorite films I watched and this year I somehow managed to make this list even though we went through a pandemic and almost every film I was excited to see in theaters either got pushed back to next year or were able to be streamed online. This list would have been a lot different had Godzilla vs. Kong or Halloween Kills came out this year. In fact this year in films wasn’t terrible but it definitely was a letdown for me. Not being able to sit in a crowded theater with your expensive snack and paying mad money to see one film and enjoying yourself outside your home sucked for me because well let’s face it going to the movie theater to watch the newest hottest film is lit, especially if it’s with friends, family or a certain special someone. But fuck that 2020 was hit with its own movie that is a horror drama film about a disease that killed over 300,000 people at this point and a social injustice leader did nothing to prevent it, meanwhile murder is still happening and riots because of it….pretty much it’s been a fun a year to make a film out of. Okay all jokes aside even though 2020 killed the movie theater experience and moved all the films I really wanted to watch till next year I still was capable of seeing some really good films. Now my cutoff for this list was Christmas as I want this list to be the final list I make for this year. Usually I make this list after the first week of January so I can somehow watch all the films of the year prior but just like this year we can’t always get what we want. Anyway if I didn’t see the film by Christmas afternoon, it won’t count. But as I write this I do wish to see any films I missed and I will write down a few within my list when talking about certain films. Comment below and let me know what your favorite film of this year was and let’s gather around the smart TV and stream some great films for $19.99 on Amazon, or be like me and watch them online through a third party site for free and lets countdown the Top 10 Best Movies of 2020.
Top 10 Best Movies of 2020
10. Bill & Ted Face the Music – Usually making a sequel 20 years or more after the original film or sequel to an original film doesn’t really work out well. That is however not true for most films as it worked well for Mad Max, Halloween, and my #10 movie for 2020, Bill and Ted. Bill and Ted Face the Music is the sequel to Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. I am a huge fan of the Bill and Ted films as the films aren’t the best but they are still enjoyable films that have some fun comedy and loveable characters. When I heard that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter were going to return as the duo I was hyped and excited to see how they would do it and if it was going to be a great film and in my eyes of course it worked out really well. The film is about Bill and Ted writing a song to unite humanity together before time and space are destroyed. While the original two films lead up to the idea of Bill and Ted creating a song that unites humanity, it is this film where we finally get that idea. The film is a nostalgia rollercoaster ride from seeing some true Bill and Ted type of storytelling to just seeing Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reprising their roles as William S. “Bill” Preston Esquire and Theodore “Ted” Logan. Not only does this film have the nostalgic feels but we also are introduced to new characters including the duo’s daughters. Bill and Ted’s daughters, Theodora “Thea” Preston played by Samara Weaving and Wilhelmina “Billie” Logan played by Bridgette Lundy-Paine, play a big role in this film and kind of have a big spotlight within the film’s screenplay and story. Did we need a sequel to Bill and Ted 29 years later after Bogus Journey came out? Honestly no but in the end of the day the film did well critically and had it been in theaters it would had done pretty well in the box office. There could had been a lot of films I could had put in this spot but I thought why not pick a film I enjoyed a lot and actually was excited for before a pandemic and wanted to see in theaters. Plus it felt good to see Wyld Stallyns again rocking out with their daughters. I guess you can say it was, EXCELLENT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPGeAYo3yU
9. Sonic the Hedgehog – Okay I’m not going to lie, when predicting my Top 10 Movies of 2020 list in January I did not expect Sonic the Hedgehog anywhere in my Top 10 list. Believe me had this year been different you wouldn’t had seen this film in my Top 10 list so it’s a big surprise for me. Sonic the Hedgehog was originally scheduled to come out in 2019 but due to many fans of the video game icon being furious about how the character was designed in the 1st trailer of the film, Paramount decided to fix the characters look and 6 months later we were surprised by a new trailer and a new design and even though the character looked way better then what we first got I still was on the fence with the film and I can say I was wrong. I can be wrong about films sometimes and this was one of those times. Sonic the Hedgehog is about Sonic teaming up with a town sheriff to find his lost rings and try to escape Dr. Robotnik. The film did really well with critics as they praised the visual effects, source material, action scenes and the performances from Ben Schwartz as Sonic and Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik. The film also did pretty well in the box office as it took home over $310 million worldwide and is the 6th highest grossing film this year. Now while I didn’t care too much for the story as it felt kind of unoriginal as the film felt like a buddy cop comedy, I didn’t mind it as I was enjoying the film from beginning to end. It actually left me wanting more and a sequel is coming in 2022, so I am pretty excited to see more with this film. The action scenes/visual effects actually looked pretty cool and I laughed a lot while watching this movie. Sonic was a very loveable character but I truly loved Jim Carrey’s performance as Dr. Robotnik as he made the character his own, as he always does with his characters coming from different source materials, but he truly embodied his own version of the character and still made him feel like Dr. Robotnik. Plus it was great seeing Jim Carrey performing so highly like he was back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Sonic the Hedgehog you truly proved me wrong this year and made me fan…of the film. Sorry I’m a Mario guy, #TeamMario. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szby7ZHLnkA
8. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – There are a lot of great films that came from Netflix that I unfortunately didn’t watch. Da 5 Bloods, Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and The Devil All The Time are some of the film’s I wish I had saw prior to writing this down. This list is subject to change within the next few months or more so hopefully when I get to watching these films it can but one Netflix film I did see that I really liked was Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The film takes place during 1927 and is about a day where Ma Rainey and her band were going to record some records and tensions between the band mates and Ma Rainey and the theme of racism play a big role within the film. While there are only a couple of scenes that show the racism during that day and in the 1920’s it is the amazing storytelling in the film that tells us about the theme of racism. The film has a very great cast including the great Viola Davis as the main title character Ma Rainey and the late great Chadwick Boseman as Levee Green. Chadwick’s performance is probably most of the reason why I really liked this film as while the film is about the recording sessions of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, it is the character of Levee Green and his amazing dialogue that wins me over. Chadwick’s performance is beyond powerful in this film as this performance in my opinion could get him an Oscar nomination in the Academy Awards and for all we know he could possibly win it. It is unfortunate that he passed away months before the film was released onto Netflix but we were left with a true performance that I will remember forever. The film is defiantly done well with Denzel Washington as the producer, Screenplay being done incredibly by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and the film being amazingly directed by George C. Wolfe. You will most likely see some nominations for this film come awards season. While I didn’t know anything about blues singer Ma Rainey or the events that took place, I can say this film made me want to know more about the true events of that day at the recording studio. Rest in Peace King <3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ord7gP151vk
7. Robin’s Wish – Usually I don’t put documentaries in my Top 10 lists but this one was really close to my heart. 6 years ago we lost an icon, a hero of mine, a legend in the comedy world. Robin Williams’ passing really hit me hard as he was someone I looked up to as a kid growing up and into my adulthood. I wanted to be like him, I wanted to make people laugh and smile and I want to do that now more than ever. I never really got to understand why he did what he did, that was until I watched Robin’s Wish. The documentary film takes us into the final days of Robin’s life as we learn the true reasons of what was going on in his mind, but most of all why his life ended. His wife, Susan Schneider Williams, takes us into this journey of his life from him shooting his show The Crazy Ones and the film The Night of the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and how he was beginning to fall under a deep depression and not be himself to us finally learning more about Robin having Lewis Body Disease, better known as Dementia. I knew that going into watching this documentary that I was going to cry and I cried my eyes out and let out some emotions when I did finally watch it. This documentary not only taught me about why Robin did what he unfortunately did, but it taught me about Lewis Body Disease and how it can change a person and their mind. Robin Williams is a hero to me and to know that you are losing something you love to do is painful, but to know that he took his life because he knew the person he used to be is gone and his memories, everything he loved to do, but most of all his ability to put a smile on our faces was slowly going to disappear and it’s heartbreaking to learn all of this while watching this documentary. Robin Williams I miss you and I love you. Go check out this documentary whenever you have a chance, I promise you it is worth it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNgVioW5IWo
6. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Back in 2006 the film Borat made its way into cinemas and it became a pop culture phenomenon. The sequel however was kept a secret from us by Sacha Baron Cohen and I’m glad he did because this mockumentary comedy film was a film we needed during this horrible time and year. The film was filmed during the pandemic and the actors involved within the film, Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova took risks during the filming of this film and the film as a whole is just as controversial as the 1st Borat film. The comedy in this film is cringe but also laugh out loud comedy and the screenplay is incredible. It isn’t as great as the 1st Borat film but it defiantly is a very great sequel to an iconic film. The film takes is about Borat going back to the states to offer his daughter as a bride to Vice President Mike Pence during the Covid-19 Pandemic and the 2020 Presidential Election. Like I said this was a film we needed during one of the worst times ever and the film perfectly made the whole covid pandemic and the election seem even more controversial. I mean you add in Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Borat into any topic or event and it sure as hell will be controversial. While the film might be a comedy that mocks almost everything about 2020, it actually is a well put together film that has some good comedy, great storytelling and two interesting main characters that carry this film on their backs. Maria Bakalova stands out in this film as she is the centerpiece of the film and plays a key role with the story but she did excellent and this is only her 3rd feature film in her career and I can see her going places within the next ten years. Amazon Prime really hooked us up with this film and this film really would had been different had the Pandemic not had happened. This was a really good comedy film that I think was the best pure comedy film of 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOwaypo3jC4
5. The King of Staten Island – I’m not a huge fan of Pete Davidson and his comedy. He makes a lot of cruel joke that are sometimes funny, with exception of making 9/11 jokes as his father was killed on 9/11 as he was a firefighter. I understand why he makes the jokes but I don’t fully support it but this film I highly support. The film is about a young man played by Pete Davidson who tries to get his life together after his mother begins dating a new man who just like his deceased father is a firefighter. This film is close to home to Pete Davidson as it feels more like a semi-biographical film but the film in general is a really great film that has a great screenplay, great acting from its cast and it really makes you feel some emotions while watching. I need to take a second to talk about this cast as Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow and Steve Buscemi really do a great job in this film, but Davidson and Burr carry this film as they’re dynamic and chemistry in this film is pure perfection and the dialogue and relationship in the film is incredibly done. Judd Apatow really knows how to put comedy and drama together in this film as he goes from a comedic moment in a scene and it then just transitions into a dramatic scene where the characters have dramatic dialogue and there is either tension in the scene or great banter between two characters. This film surprised me because I didn’t expect it to be this good as I thought it would had been a decent film that nobody would really care for after this year but while I don’t know if everyone else in this world cared about this film, I however do and the story really touched my heartstrings and the acting from Bill Burr and especially Pete Davidson moved me a little bit. I would have loved to have seen this film in theaters because I feel like this film would had made bank like most of Apatow’s films and I feel like it could be a contender during awards season. While I’m still not a big fan of Davidson, I can say I liked his acting in this film centered around a big part of his life that I know he struggled with throughout the years and this film perfectly honors his father and him in the most perfect way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azkVr0VUSTA
4. Onward – This was the last and only film I got to see in theaters, in fact I saw the movie one week before the pandemic began. Pixar and Disney created a new original film that many people and many kids can relate to. The film is about two elf brothers who go on a quest to find an ancient artifact that will bring back their father from the dead temporarily. Many people or many kids in general sometimes lose their father or mother at a young age and they always wish to have one more day to spend with them and just see them. I understand that feeling because I wish I could have one day with my grandmother one more time. But while the film’s main plot centers on the two brothers trying to get this artifact to bring their father back from the dead to spend one more day together, the film’s main hidden message centers on the brothers as a whole and while I don’t want to give away the film’s main message I will say it will bring you to tears. Yes I cried while watching this film in the theater, twice. Pixar knows how to get into the feelings and they really hit it out of the park for this film. The animation as always looks beautiful, the story and screenplay is amazing, the voice cast is incredible and all the detail work from making everything in this film feel like it came from a suburban fantasy world is done in the most amazing way. And of course the Pixar Easter eggs and the regular Easter eggs are pretty clever in this film. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt were an amazing duo to bring their characters of Ian and Barley Lightfoot to life. I really enjoyed their work the most in the film. Also I love how the character of Barley and his story of the final time he saw his dad paralleled and related to Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy and his final day with his mother before she passed away. There is no one better for this character than Chris Pratt and he was able to bring that heartbreaking story into new heights with this film. This film might have been a financial flop due to the pandemic but as a whole it is one of the best animated films of the year. I think this is the type of Pixar film that will be remembered but also forgotten at the same time of how good it really is. It’s not their strongest film to date but it is one of their well developed films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn5QmllRCn4
3. Sound of Metal – This film originally premiered in a 2019 Toronto Film Festival on September 6th, 2019 and it finally came out for a limited time in theaters back in November and began streaming on Amazon Prime Video in early December. I feel like not many people know about this film and if so it’s pretty sad because this is one of the most well executed films of 2020 and should be nominated for many awards including Riz Ahmed for Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Sound Design and Best Picture. Amazon has had some decent films come out of their studios this year but Sound of Metal hooked me just from the trailer as I saw the trailer during an advertisement for a video I was watching on YouTube and I knew that I needed to watch this film. The film is about a man who is a drummer and he begins to lose his hearing and is becoming deaf. We follow his journey going into a program to fully understand what is going on with him and become self aware of it and this film perfectly embodies what people who lose their hearing has to deal with and the struggle they have with it. Riz Ahmed carries this whole film as the acting out of him is beyond incredible as his performance truly made me believe he was deaf. There was a moment in the film where the actors were using sign language for dialogue and there weren’t any subtitles for us to understand what they were saying. The reason for that was because Riz Ahmed’s character couldn’t understand and read sign language so we were following his journey through it and once he began understanding it and using it we finally got to see the subtitles. The film centers around the character as everything that he is going through, we the viewer are also going through it as this is his movie and we are following him along. I think this was a great filmmaking technique and I truly loved how incredible it was done in the film. The sound design needs huge credits for this film as the work they did in this film for hearing certain noises, the tone of voices, or just when it was pure quiet and all we hear is the noise around the characters was done perfectly well and honestly I’m already saying and debating that Sound of Metal’s sound design team wins an award or two or many come the upcoming months. The ending was great as well, for some it might seem confusing but if you pay attention to what’s going on in the story and the dialogue then you will understand the ending a bit better. This was a beautiful film and if you ever find the time to watch it I guarantee you it is worth the watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83pjcE-uV7o
2. The Invisible Man – Horror movies in 2020 this year were under the radar as many independent horror films reigned supreme as films like I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Relic, The Rental and Possessor were able to be seen by many eyes thanks to streaming platforms. However while the many big horror films like Halloween Kills, A Quiet Place 2 and the Candyman reboot was pushed back to next year, The Invisible Man was able to overcome the pandemic obstacles and not only be the best horror move of 2020, but one of the best films of 2020. The film came out back in late February and once it came to streaming platforms it was continuously being talked about and praised. Elizabeth Moss puts on an Oscar nominating performance as she puts this film on her back and carries it with her amazing acting. While the cast of this film was extremely good, it was the directing and screenplay of Saw and Insidious writer Leigh Whannell that really drove this film into being extremely amazing. The Invisible Man is one of those remakes that is better than the original and the film has amazing visual effects and incredible storytelling. The film is about a woman who believes she is being stalked by her abusive and wealthy boyfriend after his suicide and she believes that he has the ability to become invisible. The film is a box office success, gaining over $140 million on a $7 million dollar budget. It also was a critically successful film as critics praised Elizabeth Moss’ performance and the amazing scare tactics while also having a smart narrative of how people can be manipulated and abused in a relationship. This movie is very smart, it has a very clever story and it has such a great ending. 10 out of 10 will defiantly be watching this movie again and again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO_FJdiY9dA
1. Soul – I honestly don’t know how Pixar constantly makes heartwarming films that will let out so much emotions. This film is directed by Pete Doctor who directed past Pixar films including Monsters Inc., Up and Inside Out and once again he directed another great film for Pixar. But that’s not why this film is number one on my list. Even though this is a Pixar film, it stands out from all of them. This film has the heart and “Soul” of Pixar movies and the people who create them, but it feels more than just your regular Pixar animated film. Soul is an animation/cinematic masterpiece that will either leave you with tears or with many emotions that all you can do is think about what you just saw. This production team from Pete Doctor to the writers of the film to the producer to the people who made the music for this film really knew what they were doing when creating this film and they knew that it needed to be different than all the other Pixar films. I don’t want to give too much away for this film as I want you all to experience it for yourself but I will say one thing to get you to see this film. Soul has a message about finding your passion in life and following your dreams, a message of living your life and not let anyone put you down on what you want to do with your life. Soul is about a New York band teacher named Joe Gardner who wants to be a Jazz musician and once his dream begins to come true he dies unexpectedly and his soul becomes a part of a world of the Great Beyond (Heaven), but instead he falls into the Great Before, a place for new souls before they go to Earth. This movie had some laugh out loud moments and some really real moments that will make you think about your own life and why you are who you are. There are scenes in this movie that look beautiful and then there are scenes in this film that are beautifully done with no dialogue and just animation and it lets the animation tell the story. In a year where many people are struggling to keep up with what’s going on and don’t know where their lives are going, this is a film that can help you. It’s a film that can open your mind to what you might want to be or to continue your journey to follow your dreams and get to the one thing you are passionate in. In life our purpose and passion doesn’t just come to us, it takes time and this film shows/tells us that. The film and the trailer might look cartoony but I promise you it’s more than a children’s animated film. It’s actually more for older teens or even adults; it’s for everyone to be honest. There is no demographic for this film as all ages can learn something from this film and feel something from it. Soul will open your heart and mind. Soul is a beautifully, hand crafted, masterpiece. I could of said that it’s the first Pixar film led by a black actor/character or I could of said it’s a Pixar film created by the geniuses who created Up, Inside Out and Coco, but I rather tell you that this is a film that will inspire you to follow your dreams and continue to find your purpose in living, to find the one thing you are passionate about and continuing your life. There’s more I want to say about this film but I rather wait till a lot more people have seen it before I start spoiling everything. So instead I’ll give it a while before I do, maybe even do a review. But until then go watch Soul and continue to follow your dreams and never give up on yourself because one day you will find your true passion and purpose in life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs--6c7Hn_A
I missed out on a lot of films this year, hence why I mentioned earlier that this list is subject to change, but I won’t be posting an updated list because it’s not needed. I posted 10 films this year that I enjoyed and loved. I lost the chance of watching them in a movie theater and I didn’t care to see a lot of films because of it, hence why I missed out on some good films; it’s because I didn’t care or weren’t interested. I want to leave you all with one more thing before I give you the Honorable mentions. This year might have sucked and we all dealt with some stressful situations but we all still were able to find a way to deal with what’s going on in this world and get through it. We all stayed positive and I made these lists this year and this website and all the reviews to distract you from what’s going on right now in this world. Whether it’s reading about great films, listening to some lit songs, virtually riding and talking about the Disney Parks or anything I wrote about this year, I did it to help you guys, make you think about something else rather than the bad stuff for this year. So for everyone that did enjoy the list, the reviews, the site, thank you for letting me come into your lives and thank you all for the support. Next week will be a New Year and hopefully it will be better. Stay safe out there and stay positive. Next week we start Animation Month. Thank you all for making my year a bit less stressful and more fun.
Honorable Mentions:
Freaky – This film was very enjoyable. It’s literally The Hot Chick and Freaky Friday combined but in a horror comedy. Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton kill it in this film and it has a mix of great comedy and great horror aspects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqPnIcDW9g0
#Alive – This Korean zombie horror film was amazingly good. I mentioned it in my worst list as a rip off American version also came out this year of this film but this version is way better. It’s scary, has some great action scenes and an unbelievable twist. Plus I love the gore in this movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ8CCg1tOqc
Bad Boys for Life – Yeah this film was freaking great. Not everything about it is great but the action scenes and the chemistry of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is phenomenal and carries this movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M
All the Bright Places – Another great film that not everything is great about it but I really liked this movie. Justice Smith and Elle Fanning performances are really great and the film’s dramatic scenes will hit you real hard. It’s a shame that the critics were mixed with this film because it was a very well put together film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfQXKVCudec
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