RD Harrison’s Top 10 Films of 2020

RD Harrison’s Top 10 Films of 2020

In a year overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the shuttering of movie theaters before the end of the first quarter, we were still able to entertain ourselves with a plethora of movies that allowed imaginations to soar and emotions to rise or plummet. The 2020 movie releases had the highs and lows indicative of every film season and within the substantive storytelling of The Trial of the Chicago 7, Mulan, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Mank, the goofy fun of Birds of Prey and Bill & Ted Face the Music. The least watchable fare included a remake of The Grudge, Dolittle, Downhill and Antebellum.

My selection of  films that resonate with me have what my college professor stated to be essential to all great stories: loss, either metaphorically or literally. What I have listed below are films that were emotionally or intellectually fulfilling to me. I like in films what I appreciate in a great book: creative narrative, three-dimensional characters, strong character arcs, and the photographic capture of the thoughtful, whimsical or lyrical cinematic creation.

RD Harrison’s Top 10 Films of 2020

10. The Gentlemen

The Gentlemen’s director, Guy Richie, can coax the most outrageous performances out of his actors and this rollicking heist adventure was true to form. The storyline was straightforward in its execution of double cross and dubious characters, so the high entertainment factor was in its hilarious depiction of dangerous criminal characters. Hugh Grant is oddly appealing in his unappealing sleaziness and almost steals the show with his performance if it wasn’t for Colin Farrell’s seamlessly earnest coach. Farrell’s  pronunciation of the name, Phuc, is worth the price of admission. Charlie Hunam and Henry Golding gave solid performances, but it leaves the viewer wanting more.  Matthew McConaugnhey was good as always, his Michael Pearson feeling a bit like his role in Wolf of Wall Street with a seedy, murderous edge. All in all, a great ride.

9. The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man  is director Leigh Whannell’s reworking of the H.G Well’s classic novel. In an acting tour de force by Elizabeth Moss, the movie is propelled along by her ability to infuse the confusion, fear and anxiety that is prevalent in an abusive relationship with a malignant narcissistic sociopath. Especially relevant today, as this psychosis rears its ugly head more and more in work, politics and regular life. The audience can relate to instances of bullying, manipulation and gaslighting in personal or professional interactions. The plot develops fairly predictably, but Moss’s emotive dedication to take the viewer on this excursion of terror is exemplary. The Invisible Man is a thoughtful visual treatise on the psychology of the monsters that actually walk among us, and that their outreach can be invisible and deadly.  

8. Underwater

Underwater has a premise that is a familiar trope to science fiction fans: an unseen entity terrorizes a group of professionals and a battle for human survival ensues. There are substantial amounts of suspense, well executed and visually satisfying. There are no new tricks in this tale, but Kristen Stewart gives a worthy performance and is engaging and interesting to watch.  Her face, with minimal expression, manages to convey the internal workings of an engineer’s mind. It is an accomplishment that bears notice, because Stewart also coveys the uncertainty, concern and insecurity of an unexplored and unpredictable circumstance.  Well worth watching for fans of the genre and the actress. 

7. Seberg

The darling of the French New Wave and the target of the FBI, Jean Seberg’s tragic story, is hinted at in Benedict Andrews’ Seberg. A cheat sheet about the life of a complicated but culturally aware person who chose to embrace the Civil Right’s Movement as a cause for justice and to give meaning and voice to her celebrity as a movie star. The film only touches on the complexity and danger of the times, with Seberg sketched as a woman close to being seen as a dilettante, which she was not. The  fear and panic form the realization that FBI operatives are now watching and  recording Seberg’s every  move and association fractured her life beyond repair. Kristen Stewart captures the actress’s intensity, lust and shrewd understanding of her celebrity. It’s an intriguing segue into delving deeper into Jean Seberg’s story and how, when  where an why of the Civil Right’s Movement and the real story of the Black Panthers.

6. Bombshell

Jay Roach’s Bombshell, is based on the true story that blasted the sexism, sexual harassment and abuse before the #metoo movement, stars Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie. These actresses craft their real life and every-woman characters in expressive portrayals that, although set in a very particular industry office with very influential and powerful men, could be any workplace where sexual politics go with the job.  

The events and the release of the book, Bombshell occurred before #metoo, and the movie was released in the aftermath of #metoo accusations, arrests and convictions. The movie serves as an explicating bookend to those who may want to understand fully how easily a woman can be subjected to the culture of her workplace and the dilemma of decisions that must be made in order to survive the situation.  

A tense moment in the elevator with all three women typifies the precariousness, anger and remorse that a victim of sexual politics and abuse goes through as she decides on whether success in a hostile environment is worth the cost. A good illustration of the stories where monetary success and fame take second place to the success of affirming personal worth.