Big Picture Big Sound

How does one even summarize the hellish year of 2020? The sadness, the fear, the division, and the constant state of unrest and uncertainty has upended almost every aspect of our lives. It's hard to imagine anyone feeling unchanged by this year going forward. In a year where many experienced great suffering, it was more important than ever to find even greater distractions. Thankfully, the movies, as they always are, were great this year, and provided us comfort and safety from the sanctuary that became our living room couches.

It's going to take all my might to not bemoan the current state of how movies are consumed. Who am I to dictate how it should be, just because I want to see every movie in the theater? Warner Bros. and HBO Max upended our expectations of theatrical windows with their day-and-date release deal for 2021, but, frankly, people are going to need just as many distractions at home next year as they did this year. We must adjust. I must adjust.

While I watched most of 2020's great films at home, it didn't take away from their impact. Of course, it would have been great to see the beautiful images represented on my list on a big screen, but the most important thing is that these movies got made. People are still taking chances on telling human stories and continuing to show life outside of franchise filmmaking (not a knock - I just prefer a variety of options).

I could spend all day lamenting the year that was, but Top 10 lists are about celebrating, and celebrate we shall. Per custom, a quick nod to the great movies that didn't quite make my Top 10 list this year: Lee Isaac Chung's Sundance winner "Minari," Florian Zeller's "The Father," the best documentary of the year "Time," and so many more.

Now, onto the countdown of the 10 best movies of 2020!

 

10. The Invisible Man

Leigh Whannell's modernized rendition of the H.G. Wells' classic, "The Invisible Man" was one of the last movies I saw in theaters before the pandemic shutdown. From the opening frame, the movie clutched you in its grasp, buoyed by a strong performance from Elisabeth Moss. In the moment, it was a great watch with some friends, gasping and jumping at all the unexpected and earned scares, but after revisiting, it was clear this was a masterfully constructed piece of popcorn entertainment.

 

9. Let Him Go

"Let Him Go" is the definitive "they don't make ‘em like they used to" movie of 2020. The movie is an unabashedly old-fashion story about family, loss, and grief. Diane Lane, in one of her best performances, and Kevin Costner star as a couple whose son dies in a tragic accident, after which they try to stay connected with their only grandson. The movie shifts between family melodrama and an outright thriller; this could provide a bit of tonal whiplash for some, but writer-director Thomas Bezucha finds a way to navigate the shifts effectively. "Let Him Go" was one of the great surprises of 2020.

 

8. The Nest

It's been nine years since Sean Durkin made his directorial debut with the chilling "Martha Marcy May Marlene." He's back with "The Nest," a different kind of unsettling movie, which charts the strain put on a marriage by a husband's grand ambitions. Carrie Coon gives one of the best performances this year as a wife who isn't always on board with her husband's (played by Jude Law) big ideas for their family. Elegantly shot and chillingly still, "The Nest" harkens back to 1970s melodramas in magnificent fashion.

 

7. I'm Your Woman

If you aren't paying attention to director Julia Hart, you are greatly missing out. Her beautiful movie "Fast Color" was on my Top 10 last year, and she is back with "I'm Your Woman," which projects the crime drama through a new lens. Rachel Brosnahan stars as Jean, who is forced to go on the run due to her husband's criminal activity. The entire film is shown through Jean's eyes, and a more conventional movie would have sidelined her as a pearl-clutching spectator. Hart is a better filmmaker than that. She cares about the people she and co-writer Jordan Horowitz put on screen, giving them agency and telling their stories with empathy.

 

6. Promising Young Woman

There is so much to say about Emerald Fennell's compulsively watchable conversation-starter "Promising Young Woman," which is her directorial debut. The movie is being made available first in theaters but will find its way to households shortly after. Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie, a former med student who seeks justice for traumas of her past. Mulligan, who was excellent two years ago in "Wildlife," continues to outdo herself and show she is an actress worthy of more acclaim than she receives. Some of "Promising Young Woman" shows signs of a first film, but for every minor script contrivance, Fennell offers something bold and daring. It's a remarkable, audacious, and entrancing debut.

 

5. Driveways

Andrew Ahn's "Driveways" is a lesson in never thinking you know a movie before you watch it. Hong Chau stars as Kathy, who must clean out her late sister's house with her young son (played by Lucas Jaye). When they arrive at the home, they meet Del (the late Brian Dennehy), a retired vet who lives next door. What's so great about "Driveways" is the way it upends our idea of what kind of movie it can be. Del isn't some cantankerous guy who needs to be changed by his unexpected friendship with a young boy and his mother. No, "Driveways" is about finding friendship in places you didn't think to look. "Driveways" is the gentle hug 2020 needed.

 

4. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Dealing with abortion in a movie will put a target on your back by some. What's remarkable about Eliza Hittman's "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is that she hasn't made a controversial film. Autumn (Sidney Flanigan, in a debut performance worthy of an Oscar) finds out she is pregnant, but because she is a minor, she can't receive an abortion in Pennsylvania. She enlists her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) to join her to New York City so she can undergo the procedure. Hittman's movie isn't about making its claim on the pro-choice vs. -life argument but aims to show what young girls are faced with and the few options given to them. Human, natural, and empathetic, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is a small-scale stunner of a movie.

 

3. Da 5 Bloods

When Spike Lee is good, he's great. "Da 5 Bloods" is a prime example of what makes him such a good visual storyteller with big ideas and hope for the future. The movie is about four African American vets (Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who travel back to Vietnam to find the remains of their deceased leader (the late Chadwick Boseman) and a chest full of gold that he left hidden. "Da 5 Bloods" is a chaotic mix of old-fashion war picture, a treasure hunt, and a buddy comedy all coming together with Lee's signature touches. It's a sprawling, thrilling, and moving film, which earns its two-and-half hour runtime.

 

2. Nomadland

Fresh off an Oscar win for her brazen work in "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri," Frances McDormand teams up with director Chloe Zhao on "Nomadland" to tell the story of Fern, a modern-day nomad, who lives life on the road. Fern has lost everything, but she doesn't let that take away from her outlook on life. She feels comfortable on the road, living in communities with other nomads, even if she never saw her life going that way. McDormand allows us to get to know Fern through her quiet and nuanced performance and Zhao has delivered one of the most gorgeous and enveloping movies of the year.

And the best movie of 2020 is...

1. First Cow

I really loved "First Cow" when I first saw it in March, but as the year progressed I found myself frequently thinking about Kelly Reichardt's gentle tale of friendship on the Oregon trail. John Magaro stars as Cookie, a cook who accompanies fur trappers on their mission through Oregon. He meets King Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant, and they team up in a money-making endeavor. If you are familiar with Reichardt's films, you know she never works at a hurried pace. Her movies are languid, but not boring, giving us time to live in the world she is presenting. Her subtle and effective direction puts us on Cookie and King Lu's journey, allowing us to feel the mud under their feet and the hope in their hearts and minds. The movie opens with a scene that may puzzle you for the duration of the film, but by the end it packs a quiet punch. For these reasons, and so many more, "First Cow" takes first place in 2020.

Thank you for spending another year reading our reviews at BigPictureBigSound.com. Hopefully, we'll be reporting from movie theaters and a renewed sense of normalcy sometime soon.