Top 10 Movies That I Saw in 2020

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, 2020 was an excellent year for me as far as movie watching. With watching so many great movies, it was hard to pick my 10 favorites but I compiled a list at the end of the year of bests and worsts. My top 10 are in no particular. If I had to rank these, I would be up for hours. The only one that is ranked is number 1 because it was truly the movie that I loved the most last year. Before I go into my favorites, I want to give out some honorable mentions. These movies were fantastic but just didn't make the final cut. These include:

Roman Holiday

Chinatown (love the movie but not the director)

Seven Samurai

Her

City Lights

Wings

Nightcrawler

Little Women

Saving Private Ryan

The Christmas Chronicles and It Happened on Fifth Avenue

Psycho

2020 was a year that I discovered my love for Hitchcock's films and this is my favorite of his. Alfred Hitchcock has a distinct way of making movies that is exciting and thrilling to see. Watching this in October added to the experience. This film is a classic for a reason. It truly is a cinematic masterpiece that was chilling, creepy, eerie, and subtle. Anthony Perkins truly became Norman Bates. He lost himself in this role and he delivered the creep factor. This was brilliant and had me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be rewatching this film every October. It was absolutely fantastic.

Dial M for Murder

Another Hitchcock movie making my top 10. I really enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would. This to me feels underrated compared to his other more famous films. It was so well crafted and had a lot of suspense. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering what was going to happen next. What stood out to me the most was the acting and the score. The ending blew my mind and it was something that I wasn't expecting. Grace Kelly is stunning as always. This was so good and I believe that more people should watch it if they haven't already.

Sunset Boulevard

This was one of the few movies that after I watched it for the first time, I rewatched it a few days later so I could show my mom. In fact, as I'm writing this now, I just finished watching it for the third time. Sunset Boulevard is that good. While watching this, I got the vibes of a film noir. The atmosphere sucked me from the very beginning. The camerawork is just marvelous and made me gasp at its beauty. The movie lover in me was happy by seeing aspects of working in Hollywood. While the camerawork was stunning, what really made this movie shine was the cast. It was excellent from the supporting characters Max and Betty to the main characters Joe and Norma, but especially Norma. This was Gloria Swanson's movie and she delivered one of the best performances I have ever witnessed in cinema. How did she not win an Oscar? I guess we'll never know.

Double Indemnity

I had wanted to see this film for 2 years upon watching it and I finally did, for a class called Perspectives in Film, which dived deeper into film noir and neo-noir. Upon a first watch, I thought the beginning and end were great but the middle was boring. The second time I watched this, I had grown to like the pacing and take notice of the true film noir effects such as the chiaroscuro lighting, the shadows resembling the characters' demons, and the Venetian blind effect that would make them feel trapped. The third time I watched, I just sat back and enjoyed this film-noir masterpiece with my mom, letting her experience it for the first time. Showing movies to those I love and having them like it is a true treat and this was a success. 

1917

Conceptually, this film is very unique. I'm sure making it look like one continuous shot was not easy but it allowed for seamless transitions within the story. Roger Deakins is an amazing cinematographer and what he was able to achieve, besides the look of a continuous shot, is nothing short of amazing. He is a genius. It took me on an emotional roller coaster and didn't let me off. The acting from the two male leads was spectacular. It was a great depiction of war and the struggle of just trying to survive. It is a great movie that I would highly recommend.

Ford v Ferrari

I had been interested in this movie for some time before watching it but before the movie started, I was thinking to myself "How the hell am I gonna be invested in a car racing movie for 150 minutes when I don't know anything about cars?" I was glad to be wrong about that statement. I was actually really invested in this film. Christian Bale is an amazing actor and can do just about anything. If you tell him he needs to put on 70+ pounds, he'll do it. If you tell him he needs to lose 70+ pounds and learn to drive a car, he'll do it. He is a committed actor. Matt Damon was also really good in this movie. Their chemistry was definitely not forced or fake by any means. Something else that I liked about this film was the editing. I felt that I was right there in the car and the behind-the-scenes clips made me appreciate racing just a smidge more. This movie made me laugh, cry, feel anxious, and laugh, particularly the fight scene. 

Purple Rose of Cairo

Watching this movie felt like a warm hug. I truly felt that I was in another world. It is one of those movies that cinema lovers will enjoy. The magical realism was fascinating with the integration between movies and the real world. It was a great time and I was laughing throughout. When I finished the movie, I felt that the ending was abrupt and I was taken aback. I decided to rewatch the ending to see if I missed anything and I found my own interpretation of it after seeing a great review about it. One thing this film does a great job capturing is how cinema can truly help us get through dark times such as The Great Depression or the Coronavirus.

Paris, Texas

This movie affected me in a way that not a lot of others did in 2020. It was one where even after I had finished it a couple of hours later, I couldn't begin to describe the type of gem that it is. At the end of the day, it was an example of simplicity and complexity. It is a journey of self-reflection and discovery, with added moments of heart and emotion, and I got to go along for the ride. If you want to talk about cinematography, this is some of the best that I have ever seen. It is absolutely gorgeous. The long, wide shots of landscape show how beautiful, yet isolated America really is. Another thing that stood out was the acting, especially from Harry Dean Stanton. He takes you on this journey and you truly feel for him, right until the very end. The score is another aspect of this movie that is spectacular. It truly transported me to another place. The pacing of this film can be slow for some people but I never had a problem with it. The last hour had me glued to the screen to see the outcome of the story. To say that I cried during that last hour was an understatement. Paris, Texas is a beautiful piece of film and has stuck with me long after the ending credits started to roll.

Parasite

I was a little late to the hype around this movie but I did see the Oscars in early 2020 when Parasite was getting all the awards. So in March, I naturally decided to check out the movie with my mom. To say I was blown away is an understatement. I was speechless. This film is a masterpiece. It has a great plot, great acting, and great cinematography. It is so complex with so much to digest that I feel that multiple rewatches will be needed in order to truly comprehend the masterpiece of this film. It is because of this film that I have checked out some more of Bong Joon-ho's films and I have grown to like him a lot. If by chance you haven't seen Parasite, do yourself a favor and check it out.

A Mighty Wind

I did say that I'm not ranking any of these movies from 10-1 but if I had to pick my favorite movie that I watched last year, it would have to be A Mighty Wind. My mom and I watched this together after checking out Best in Show, which is alright but this is definitely better. It is so ridiculous and out there but it is so funny. I was genuinely laughing throughout the movie. What really sold me on this was the music. The fact that all of the characters played their own instruments and wrote a majority of the songs still blows my mind. It made me respect the cast that much more. The work that Christopher Guest and the production team did with the album covers, snippets of music videos, and making the movie feel as if it was in the 60s was amazing. I loved this movie more than I thought I would. My mom ended up gifting me the DVD for a graduation present and we watched it again that day. The soundtrack is so good and I listen to it frequently. If you like comedy, I would highly recommend this movie.

That is my top 10 movies that I saw in 2020. What were some of your favorite movies that you saw in 2020? Let me know in the comments. Until next time, happy watching.