- The Year of the Streaming Service
I am not going to go into
the year that 2020 was, but without a doubt, it has changed (to what degrees we
are yet to fully witness) the way movies are distributed and consumed. Movies scheduled
for release beyond the sleeper months of January and February, saw their fates
swing between several rescheduled release dates and distribution on streaming
platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Netflix having bought
and sometimes produced its own films in previous years had a head start and
this is evident in the list below.
The lockdown and downtime experienced by me during the year saw me watch a record 79 films released this year!
Was quality affected by the pandemic and lockdown? I do not
think so as what I observe is that majority of the bigger, big production (blockbuster
type) movies have been pushed back to 2021 and 2022 in some cases; so, we
therefore have a concentration of small to mid-budget movies that would have
featured in early spring featuring throughout the year.
So, I rank the movies
of the year that I have seen in my own preferred order. This order is based on
the following: the movie's plot, how compelling it is, the wow/entertainment
factor, whether it meets my expectations and how rewarding the viewing
experience is.
Apologies for not going
into greater synopsis of some of the titles this year but I hope you are still
encouraged to watch the ones you have not seen.
Allow me to begin with
3 movies that are unranked because they were too bad for even I to finish
watching:
- I Am Thinking of Ending Things
- The 2nd
- Christmas Crossfire
Poor plot and character development, even Elisabeth Moss’ acting chops couldn’t save this for me as I expected a lot more from this movie.
78. Spell
Tepid horror fare.
77. The Last Thing He Wanted
The entire film was pointless in my opinion and bordered on masochism for the viewers.
76. His House
Not a bad movie for some but for me it did not deliver to the heights that I had expected, despite the lovely Wunmi Mosaku being in it.
75. Vampires vs. The Bronx
Oh this started so well! Then it quickly tapered into mediocrity. I would love to see this remade with a bigger budget as it has some promise.
74. Dangerous Lies
This had its moments like so many others in its genre and I kind of enjoyed it.
73. Tesla
72. Intuition
A fairly good Argentinian police
procedural with twists and turns.
71. You Should Have Left
70. The Rhythm Section
An unbelievable plot and premise make this action thriller featuring Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown fall flat.
69. Rebecca
Netflix oh! Good acting by all involved but it was a waste of time as the mystery and its reveal fell flat.
68. Love and Monsters
This could have been way better but it was basically a less compelling Zombieland.
67. Love, Marriage, Repeat
Groundhog Day meets British wedding
day romcom with less conviction.
66. Guns Akimbo
Someone wrote that Daniel Radcliffe has made so much money from the Harry Potter movies that he now gets to do whatever he likes and acts in any project that tickles his fancy; I agree.
65. Fantasy Island
One of the few movies to come out earlier in the year before the lockdown. I had great expectations for this but Blumhouse let me down.
64. Deathstroke Knights & Dragons (Animation)
63. Raat Akeli Hai
62. The Babysitter 2
The first part was loads of fun,
this just seemed forced and could have been better.
61. Inheritance
It was good to see my man Simon Pegg in this role. Perhaps the script in the hands of a better production team would have been more on the money.
60. Fatman
Slowly but surely, Mel Gibson is making his way back A-list movies. Fatman is a different and interesting take on the person of Santa Claus, featuring Walton Goggins as a Santa Claus hating hitman.
59. The Lift Boy
Feel good fare without the usual accompanying melodrama.
58. Rattlesnake
Poorly cast, this ranks this high for the production quality and does nothing to improve on the beloved original.
57. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (Animation)
56. Triggered
55. Honest Thief
Liam Neeson strikes again as a retiree with a very special set of skills.
54. Wonder Woman 1984
Meh movie that does a great disservice
to the first part and Pedro Pascal’s career.
53. Lego DC: Shazam!: Magic and Monsters
52. The Tax Collector
I think this film suffers from an identity crisis and it shows in the actors’ performances. Great preview but the inconsistency sets it back terribly.
51. We Can Be Heroes
Robert Rodriguez doing Robert
Rodriguez kiddie stuff.
50. The Decline
49. Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Animation)
48. A Fall from Grace
A movie so bad that it
keeps you watching until the end.
47. The Peninsula
Standalone sequel to the greatness that is Train to Busan. It does not reach the dramatic heights of its prequel despite the use of CGI.
46. Superman Red Son
45. Waiting for the Barbarians
Could be viewed as boring but
the performance of Mark Rylance gave it greater life.
44. Ludo
Had a good laugh with this one!
43. The Vanished
A good mystery to be solved.
42. Unhinged
Road rage raised to the power of
100, starring Russel Crowe.
41. Tenet
.14 Tenet
40. The New Mutants
39. Bad Hair
Hahaha!! This was fine comedic horror. The writer director Justin Simien is going to go places.
38. Coffee and Kareem
37. Like
a Boss
36. The Match
35. Project Power
Shows that movies about having superpowers
can be so different from the superhero fare.
34. The Lovebirds
Hilarity! And yes, Issa Rae is fine!
33. Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's
Revenge (Animation)
Enjoyed this!
32. Sonic the Hedgehog
Jim Carrey is back bitches!!! And
no, we can’t wait for the sequel!
31. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous
Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
30. Way Back
29. Mosul
28. Seriously Single
Hahahahaha!!! Abeg, South Africans sabi.
27. Bloodshot
26. Citation
25. The Trial of the Chicago 7
24. Spenser Confidential
23. Greyhound
22. Hubie Halloween
21. Greenland
I like Mr. Butler. 2012 remake?
20. The Call
The Lake House meets Psycho,
Korean style.
19. Eurovision Song Contest: The Fire Saga
I was surprised at how much I was
invested in this movie! Loooooool!!!
18. The Old Guard
17. Rogue
16. Oloture
15. Alive
Do Koreans make the best Zombie
movies in general? I think they do.
14. My Spy
13. Mulan
What can I say? I am biased.
12. Next Boss Level
I totally loved this film! Edge of Tomorrow lite. Frank Grillo should definitely keep at it!
11. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Powerful dialogue and acting by everyone especially the late Chadwick Boseman with themes that resonated with me.
10. The Midnight Sky
George Clooney knows how to make
movies sha.
9. Run
The incredible Sarah Paulson does it again.
8. The Devil All The Time
A film that allows its star cast of mostly non-Americans, showcase their acting chops around a plot that carries you along like a proper film should.
7. Extraction
6. The Half of It
The indie (coming of age) drama of the year in a time when independent films are being outfeatured by superhero, blockbuster fare.
5. Escape from Pretoria
Based on a true story about the compelling tale of two white South African political prisoners trying to escape prison, following their violent/militant protests against the apartheid government in 1979. A very good dramatic turn by Daniel Radcliffe, whom I swear is living his best life!
4. The Hunt
Fun! Fun!! Fun!!! Probably the one film directly affected by the pandemic as it was released in theatres the same week the lockdown was announced in the US. The Hunt was also initially scheduled for release in September 2019 but had to be delayed because of the mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, as well as direct criticisms from Donald Trump. What other reason do you need to see it then? Ok, maybe the total badassery of Betty Gilpin.
3. Bad Boys for Life
This was the closest to a blockbuster that 2020 had (no, Tenet and WW84 do not count) and we are sure glad we saw it before the lockdown situation! A perfectly balanced and realistic action flick that aged in tandem with its audience from the first part and highlights growing old as cops, a bit reminiscent of the later Lethal Weapon movies but with more candour.
2. The Banker
If you haven’t seen The Banker, do try to. Years ago, I stated that Anthony Mackie was one of the best African American actors of his generation but it has been a pity that over the years he has not quite lived up to it. The Banker showcases him doing some proper acting alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Nia Long and Nicholas Hoult – talk about Falcon, Nick Fury and Dr, Hank McCoy walking into a bar.
1. The Gentlemen
Of course, it had to be Guy Ritchie’s movie to top my 2020 films list.
And that's it folks. We look forward to the world moving on from the Corona virus so that we may enjoy the big screen in its fullness!
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