By Mark Pukalo
The Year 2020 took away so many things from us.
The Oscar Year 2020 may not have come close to making up for all we lost from a mostly-awful 14 months, but it provided us with a variety of memorable moments, unique films and different avenues to see them.
With extra time that I wish was not available, more ways to view them and so many interesting storylines to draw me in, I smashed my record by viewing 353 films in the extended Oscar Year from January, 2020 to the end of February, 2021. I'm not sure if I'm proud or embarrassed. I think, mostly proud.
It was a great year for documentaries. Four could have easily made it into my top 25. While six other films were close to sliding in, I believe the top 10 separate themselves. Three of my top nine were about women who were taken advantage of in some way.
Cassie looks to avenge a lost friend, Autumn struggles through decisions well beyond her maturity level and Jane tries to cope with an abusive boss. Of my top 25 rated films of the year, 10 have women as the main character and four of the top seven documentaries are about, or have females as key figures. Most of the top individual performances during this 14-month stretch were also from women.
The best of them and my selection for the No. 1 movie of 2020 came late in the year. I went to see "Promising Young Woman" on Christmas Day, expecting to see an entertaining film. But it was so much more.
Former medical student Cassandra lives her life for vengeance against manipulative men. The one time she did not go to a party with her best friend, Nina suffered a sexual assault and was never the same. Carey Mulligan, who has made her name in mostly artsy-type films, did not seem right for the role of Cassie. But, she was simply perfect. Mulligan played Cassie with humor, mystery, inner pain and biting sarcasm. As Cassie leaves the office of the dean of her former medical school - a woman who did not fully investigate the assault on Nina years earlier - she tells a tale of fooling the dean's teenage daughter into a room with sleazy guys earlier in the day.
"She's kind of an idiot, huh?" Cassie says of the dean's daughter. "Gorgeous though. Who needs brains? They never did a girl any good."
Director, writer and producer Emerald Fennell made you laugh, cry and think. That makes "Promising Young Woman" the best film of the Oscar Year 2020 in my opinion. Some did not like the way the movie ended, but I felt like it worked well. Cassie had every possibility covered and the use of a classic song by Juice Newton perfectly put a cap on it. Cassie was "Angel of the Morning."
It was a year in which I needed about six levels of honorable mention. Usually, I can say I fully recommend anything in the high honorable mention category. But there are films on that list this time around that wouldn't make it in the past. They are just a tad better than those on the medium honorable mention list. It all depends on what you prefer, but I put two stars next to the films I recommend more than others in the high honorable mention group.
There were so many great moments in 2020 films, they are hard to narrow down to the top few. Who would have thought a Murder-Karaoke themed birthday party would work? Who would have thought a recorded Broadway show could be one of the best movies of the year, and it wasn't Hamilton? Who would have thought that Netflix would be so dominant? Who would have thought there would be so many great films in a year when theaters were closed for so long?
But here are the top 25 in my opinion. Understand that the films from 18 to 40 are so close, it was very difficult to rate them. But here goes.
As the Nomads say, "I'll see you down the road."
TOP 25
25. The Half of It (netflix) - A smart teen (Leah Lewis) helps an awkward athlete write letters - for a price - to a pretty classmate he likes. But slowly she becomes emotionally involved with both. Lewis is outstanding
24. First Cow - Simple story, beautifully shot, about a Chinese immigrant befriending a traveling fur trapper in the Oregon Territory. John Magaro is terrific as Cookie, who makes wonderful treats with help of a cow he steals milk from
23. Words on Bathroom Walls - A high school senior (Charlie Plummer) diagnosed with Schizophrenia tries to hide his mental illness from a new beautiful and intelligent girlfriend (Taylor Russell), who inspires him to look toward the future
22. Happiest Season - The daughter of politician (Mackenzie Davis) brings her lesbian girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) home for the holidays, but the family does not know of her sexual preference. While it is not a unique story, it is handled with care and Daniel Levy is great in a supporting role
21. The Mauritanian - A young man (Tahar Rahim) is detained at Gitmo for 14 years with no charges, and despite the bare minimum of circumstantial evidence that he was part of the 9/11 attacks. Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley try to get him out of jail in this true story
20. Driveways - A young Asian boy befriends a sad old neighbor (Brian Dennehy) after he travels with his mom to clean out a long-lost aunt's house following her death. Dennehy makes an Oscar-worthy performance in one of his last films before he passed away
19. The Broken Hearts Gallery - Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) starts a unique gallery with souvenirs from failed relationships and finds love after losing her job. It is well-written, humorous, emotional and Viswanathan is terrific - along with her sarcastic roomies
18. Saint Frances - Can you have a feel-good movie about periods, abortion, postpartum depression and the difficulties of same-sex marriage? Yes. Writer Kelly O'Sullivan and director Alex Thompson pull it off nicely, and the acting is outstanding
17. Kajillionaire - With con-artist parents who show her no affection, daughter Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) begins to find her way with the help of a stranger. Wood should be nominated from this odd, but eventually, fascinating little film
16. Judas & the Black Messiah - The story of Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton, who developed the Rainbow Coalition in Chicago but was murdered by police and the FBI. Golden Globe winner Daniel Kaluuya is fantastic as Hampton
15. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (HBO) - A fascinating documentary that chronicles the journey of the amazingly-talented Gibb brothers. You tend to forget how many great songs they produced over the years with their tremendous writing skills, unmatched harmony and creativity
14. Collective - A stunning, heartbreaking documentary about a Romanian newspaper uncovering massive corruption in the state's hospital system and the new Minister of Health's struggle with cleaning it up. The corruption was revealed after the Collectiv nightclub fire in 2015 when hospitals could not care for patients
13. The Invisible Man - Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) tries to escape her brilliant, but evil and abusive, husband in this smart thriller. Writer/director Leigh Whannell (Saw, Upgrade) does a good job of making this more than just an horror action movie
12. News of the World - A Civil War soldier (Tom Hanks), whose new job is delivering the country's news to small towns in Texas, encounters an orphan girl and attempts to return her to the family that she hardly knows.
11. The Vast of the Night - An old-style science fiction thriller in black and white that is sort of cross between War of the Worlds, The Blair Witch Project and the Wizard of Oz. Flying saucers are seen in the sky above a small New Mexico town in the 1950s and two intrepid youngsters investigate
10. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (netflix) - Director Aaron Sorkin smartly tells the story of seven men charged with various crimes at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago. Sasha Baron Cohen is outstanding as Abbie Hoffman, a polarizing political and social activist, in the historic gem
9. The Assistant - Director Kitty Green portrays an intense day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), a hard-working young assistant for a major movie producer. The producer, who is heard but never seen on screen, is said to be based on accused rapist Harvey Weinstein. Garner should be at least nominated for her brilliant and subtle performance
8. The Way Back - A former high school superstar Ben Affleck deals with a tragedy in his life by turning to the bottle, but a chance opportunity as a first-time basketball coach takes his life in a different direction. While most critics liked this film, I may be the only one to put it in the top 10 for the year. It is authentic and deserves to be higher on every list
7. Sound of Metal - The drummer of a two-piece, traveling metal band with his girlfriend suddenly loses his hearing and must deal with a different way of life. Riz Ahmed deserves an Academy Award nomination for his work as Ruben, who has to make impossible decisions in his new world
6. Nomadland - Fern (Frances McDormand) embarks on a journey through the Western United States after losing her house, husband and job in the recession of 2008. She meets many interesting people along the way while living the life of a nomad in this simple and beautiful film
5. David Byrne's American Utopia (HBO) - A wonderful mix of music, dance, performance art, humor and emotion as the former Talking Heads front man's Broadway show is expertly shot by director Spike Lee. It is way more than just a concert video
4. One Night in Miami - Director Regina King hits it out of the park with this film which depicts a mythical meeting between Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) and Jim Brown after Clay won the Heavyweight title. Kingsley Ben-Adir was especially brilliant playing Malcolm X. He did not have to take a back seat to Denzel Washington
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always - An underappreciated 17-year-old high school student (Sidney Flanigan) travels from suburban Pennsylvania to NYC to abort an unwanted pregnancy with her loyal cousin (Talia Ryder). It shows, as director Eliza Hittman,says, "what it takes to stand in a woman's shoes." It is real, sad and gripping from start to finish
2. Da5 Bloods (netflix) - A group of African-American Vietnam vets return to the country to try to find the bones of their friend and the treasure they buried decades earlier in Spike Lee's film. This seems to be a love it or hate it film for some reason, but I was riveted through the entire two hours, 36 minutes. Delroy Lindo is extraordinary as Paul, who is battling PTSD
1. Promising Young Woman - This black comedy was exquisitely-written, directed and produced by Emerald Fennell. Carey Mulligan is brilliant in the lead while Bo Burnham and Laverne Cox provide strong performances in support and the music is so well placed. (I honestly did not know Paris Hilton had a song) Yes, all men are not like the bozos in this film. But too many are. And they get away with it almost every time. That's one of the themes in the movie. While Lee's great film spent most of the year as my favorite, a Christmas Day visit to AMC in Riverview changed all that. I've watched it about six times and would do it again today.
Joe Lunardi's first six out
Buffaloed - Peg (Zoey Deutch) is a cheeky young woman who aims to make money anyway possible and faces obstacles in this likable comedy
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (netflix) - Amazing documentary about the long fight toward the American Disabilities Act that started at Camp Jened in Upstate, N.Y.
I Care A Lot (netflix) - The darkest of comedies with Rosemund Pike brilliantly playing a corrupt businesswoman, who bilks money out of senior citizens. But she finally picks the wrong old woman *(Dianne Wiest) and must figure her way out of a bad situation
Mangrove - The first in director Steve McQueen's series "Small Axe" is a true story about the Mangrove Nine, who were arrested by police in London during a peaceful protest against racism
The Midnight Sky (netflix) - Augustine (George Clooney) is a dying, lonely scientist, who stays behind in an Artic Station after a global catastrophe. Clooney and young stowaway take journey through the snow to another station to inform astronauts on their way home what has happened on Earth
Minari - The story of a Korean family trying to make ends meet after a move from California to Arkansas. Terrific acting, but I wanted more out of this highly-rated film
Other Top 25-worthy Documentaries (best of the rest after the Bee Gees, Crip Camp and Collective)
4. Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something - Tremendous documentary about a great artist and an even better human being
5. The Fight (netflix) - A fascinating and personal exploration of the ACLU's work to overturn the Trump Administration's evil policies
6. I Am Greta - The amazing story of the Swedish teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg
7. Miss Americana (netflix) - Follows the very compelling Taylor Swift through a busy year of ups and downs.
8. John Lewis: Good Trouble - Terrific story about the great Alabama congressman John Lewis. The interviews and old tape of his race against Julian Bond are great.
9. The Painter and the Thief - Unique story about a talented, yet struggling, painter who befriends the thief who helped steal two of her best paintings. It does not seem like a documentary
10. Time - The compelling story of Fox Rich, who fought for the release of her husband Robert on parole after he was sentenced to 60 years for armed robbery
11. Boys State - The goings on at a special camp in Texas where hundreds of young men fight and negotiate to build a representative government among themselves
12. The Go Go's - The all-girl group that burst on the scene in the 1980s is examined from start to finish
High Honorable Mention (**Recommended):
All the Bright Places (netflix) - A teenage romantic drama with strong performances from Elle Fanning and Justice Smith that pull you in to the sad, but in some ways, inspiring story
**All Together Now (netflix) - Auli'i Cravalho steals the screen in every scene of this smart, likable high school drama
A Sun (netflix) - The Taiwanese film about a family of four torn apart by the fates of two sons with different backgrounds
**Belushi - Interesting story about the climb and the fall of one of the greatest comedians of all time
Big Time Adolescence - A coming of age film for a young lad, despite poor influence from his sister's former boyfriend (Pete Davidson)
**Birds Of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn - Margot Robbie kills it as the leader of a group of superhero women trying to save a young girl
**Blow the Man Down - Two sisters, who just lost their mother and did not inherit anything, try to cover up a self-defense killing of a local thug in a small fishing town in Maine.
**Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - Did not like Borat's first film, but I admit I laughed a lot during this one, maybe because it justly made fun of Republicans. Maria Bakalova was terrific as Borat's daughter and fully deserved her Oscar nomination
**The Call of the Wild - Harrison Ford and an awesome sled dog named "Buck" take a long journey together in a revival of the classic tale
Charm City Kings - A 14-year-old aims to join a local gang in Baltimore, which rules the streets while also being expert dirt-bike trick riders
**Citation - It's a little long at 150 minutes, but Temi Otedola is terrific as a woman fighting sexual harassment at a Nigerian University
**The Climb - Light-hearted comedy about the friendship of two men that survives some major obstacles along the way
**Coded Bias - Interesting documentary about the dangers of failed facial recognition
Critical Thinking - An inner-city Miami team goes after the US National Chess Championship
Echo Boomers - Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of Maria Schriver and Arnold, stars in a film about a group of young people robbing the rich
**Emma. - A privileged young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy) enjoys the matchmaking game in another film based on the Jane Austen novel
**Enola Holmes (netflix) - Millie Bobby Brown (Enola) is quite likable as the teen sister of the great Sherlock Holmes, who also shows her talents as an investigator
**Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (netflix) - Just some good Will Ferrell fun. Goofy and entertaining. "Jaja Ding Dong" should win the best original song Oscar
**Extra Ordinary - An Irish driving instructor must try to use her dormant supernatural talents to save a new friend's daughter
The Father - Anthony Hopkins is terrific as an 80-year-old man in London struggling with Dementia, but the movie overall is less terrific
Fatima (netflix) - Based on a true story in 1917 Portugal, three young children see apparitions of the Virgin Mary. While their stories inspire some, the Catholic church and government officials call them liars
Feel the Beat (netflix) - Broadway failure April (Sofia Carson) returns to her small home town and coaches young dancers and rekindles an old flame
Finding 'Ohana (netflix) - Sweet story about a family returning to Hawaii. The kids, including the adorable Kea Peahu, follow a treasure map on a great adventure
The Gentleman - A crime drama with Matthew McConaughey that tries to be more than it is, but still holds your attention until some twists and turns near the end
Greenland - A family faces many obstacles to get to the safety of a bunker while comets hit the planet. Gerard Butler stars in the action film
Greyhound - Tom Hanks plays a US Navy captain, who leads a convoy with German ships lurking at the beginning of World War II
Half Brothers - Two brothers from different mothers and different countries meet to go on an adventure after their father dies
**Hamilton - The original cast performs the successful play about our first U.S. Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton for a movie audience
**Herself - An abused mother tries to make ends meet with two small girls and eventually works with friends and townspeople to build a new house on land given to her. Claire Dunne is tremendous as Sandra
The High Note - Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is the hard-working assistant for a superstar singer/diva who strives for more responsibility in her life. Perhaps Dakota's best performance yet. Did not like that line about the Eagles being "hokey" at all, though.
**Hillbilly Elegy - A Yale law student (Gabriel Basso) returns to his small town in Kentucky to try and help his alcoholic mother (Amy Adams) in a film based on a true story
Holidate (netflix) - Emma Roberts, the niece of Julia Roberts, is very appealing in the predicable - yet enjoyable - rom-com
Honest Thief - Liam Neeson does a little better this year (was in worst of 2019, Cold Pursuit) in the drama about a career thief who aims to change his life. Some scenes were shot just down the road from my brother's house in Oxford, Mass.
The Hunt - Expected much worse from this controversial and bloody movie, but the dark satirical story kind of made sense in the end
Irresistible - Steve Carell and Rose Byrne are political operatives who travel to a small Midwestern town to fight it out over the mayor's race
I Still Believe - Spiritual and emotional love story about the life of christian recording artist Jeremy Camp
Jungleland - Two brothers travel across the country, where one is set to compete in bare-knuckles boxing tournament that could save their lives
The King of Staten Island - Scott (Pete Davidson) slowly finds a way to turn his life around after the death of his firefighter father
**Lady Driver (netflix) - The appealing Grace Van Diem tries to master her deceased father's profession on the race track
**Land - Edee (Robin Wright) moves to a remote area in the wild to get away from the world after a tragedy. Beautiful country, good story
The Last Shift - Soon to retire Stanley (Richard Jenkins) trains the new guy, a young black man, in the overnight shift at a fast-food restaurant. The ending is not particularly satisfying, but sort of makes sense in this racial study film
The Last Vermeer - Guy Pearce plays Dutch painter Hans van Meegeren, perhaps the best art forger to ever live
Let Him Go - Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are great, but parts of the plot and the ending of the intense drama did not fit with me
Let Them All Talk - A popular novelist (Meryl Streep) takes a work cruise with two old friends (Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest), whom she has not seen in many years
Lovers Rock - There's a lot going on at a Reggae Party in West London during director Steve McQueen's second film in the Small Axe series. It's a story about people and relationships
Mank (netflix) - The story of Herman Mankiewicz, the colorful screenwriter for Citizen Kane. Good film, but not thrilling and a bit over-rated
**The Marksman - Southern border resident Liam Neeson tries to help an orphaned Mexican boy find his family in Chicago with the cartel in pursuit
Misbehaviour - The burgeoning Women's Liberation movement plays a part in disrupting the 1970 Miss World Pageant, and Keira Knightley leads the way
**Mucho Mucho Amor - The Legend of Walter Mercado (netflix) - Interesting documentary about a famous person I had never heard of
Mulan - A talented young woman becomes a great warrior, while disguising herself as a young man to save her father
My Spy - Dave Bautista is a CIA agent and meets his match with little Sophie (Chloe Coleman) in this likable comedy
The Nest - A family makes another in a series of moves to England from New York and encounters issues. Another relationship/family study after last year's Marriage Story with Jude Law and Carrie Coon producing solid performances
The Night Clerk (netflix) - A young man with Asperger's Syndrome works at a local hotel and gets embroiled in a murder mystery
The Old Guard (netflix) - Charlize Theron leads an immortal force of mercenaries who face their biggest challenge yet
**On the Rocks - A young mother (Rashida Jones) accepts the help of her playboy father (Bill Murray) in an effort to see if her husband is having an affair
Onward - A unique cartoon story of two elves who go on a long quest to find their father
Ordinary Love - Liam Neeson stars as the husband of a woman (Lesley Manville) battling through breast cancer
Operation Christmas Drop (netflix) - Formulaic love story about a snooty congressional aid sent to an Air Force base to evaluate whether it can be set for closure
**Our Friend - Tearjerker with fine performances from a dying Dakota Johnson, Casey Affleck and Jason Segel. The nonlinear storyline bothered me at first, but it worked in the end
**Palm Springs - Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Millotti) must live the same day over and over at a wedding in the comedic fantasy
Pele' (netflix) - Tells the story of the greatest soccer player in history and the politics that surrounded his time in Brazil as he becomes the only man to win three World Cups. Was missing a little something, though
**Penguin Bloom (netflix) - A paraplegic (Naomi Watts) is inspired by an injured magpie that her family takes in after her tragic accident
The Personal History of David Copperfield - Dev Patel plays David in a modern-day adaption of the Charles Dickens novel
The Photograph - Issa Rae steals the screen as she goes in search of her true family history while falling for a journalist who is investigating her mother
Planet of Humans (netflix) - Climate change documentary with a twist. I learned a lot
**The Prom (netflix) - A musical theater group travels to conservative Indiana to help a young lesbian student who has been prohibited from attending the prom
Rebecca (netflix) - Mrs. de Winter (Lily James) is the new wife for a rich estate owner (Armie Hammer), who must battle the looming shadow of his deceased wife Rebecca
Red, White and Blue - Leroy (John Boyega) tries to change the London police department from within as a black man after leaving his position as a research scientist. The third in director Steve McQueen's series "Small Axe"
Ride Like a Girl (netflix) - It starts slow, but the story of Michelle Payne - the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup - is triumphant in the end
The Secret: Dare to Dream - It was panned by most critics, but I was pulled in by the evolving story and the performances by Josh Lucas and Katie Holmes. It's far from perfect, but entertaining enough
Sonic the Hedgehog - Thought Sonic was cool and, man, the little guy could fly
Soul - A well-done animated feature, but I liked it a little less than most critics
**Spontaneous - High School kids are exploding in a town. Crazy? Yes. But it all works in this romantic black comedy
Squared Love (netflix) - A playboy falls for a beautiful woman who is living a double life as a model and his niece's school teacher in this polish romantic comedy. Adrianna Chlebicka is another new Polish beauty found this year
Superintelligence - Melissa McCarthy tries to satisfy an all-powerful AI, who is contemplating ending the world
**Supernova - An older gay couple (Collin Firth and Stanley Tucci) make a trip through the British countryside to visit old friends before one of them descends into Dementia. Great performances from two elite actors
Tenet - Great action, intrigue and outstanding acting, but director Chris Nolan's film is a bit too confusing
**Tigertail (netflix) - A compelling story about a poor young Taiwanese man who leaves his home for America in an arranged marriage. Later in life, he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter and the love he lost
**The Trip to Greece - Actors Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan make their latest adventure a tour of Greece with great conversation and humor
Vampires vs. the Bronx (netflix) - A group of young friends from the neighborhood try to save the Bronx from a race of vampires
The War with Grandpa - When grandpa (Robert DeNiro) moves in with the family, young Peter does not appreciate giving up his room in a comedy with fewer than anticipated laughs
**The Way I See It - Pete Souza, the chief official photographer for the White House during the Obama and Reagan administrations, tells his fascinating stories
The White Tiger (netflix) - A young man's journey takes him from poverty in India to being a servant for a rich family, and ends with him as an entrepreneur
Work It (netflix) - Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) is likable as a young woman who must learn how to dance to get into school
Yellow Rose - The daughter of an illegal immigrant from the Philippines tries to make it as a country musician in Texas after her mother is deported
**Yes God, Yes (netflix) - A pretty young teen (Natalia Dyer) struggles with sexual temptations while attending a strict religious school
2 Hearts - Hard to totally dislike this tearjerker that brings back memories of Will Smith's movie "Seven Pounds" in some ways
2 Minutes of Fame - Deandre (Jay Pharoah) travels to L.A., trying to make it as a comedian in this surprisingly entertaining film
Medium Honorable Mention (Some good qualities, but also weaknesses):
A California Christmas (netflix) - A Hallmark channel type story where a snobby rich kid falls for a pretty farm girl
Adu' - (netflix) Three intertwined dramatic stories in Africa, including one of the most shocking scenes of the year as a young woman falls out of the bottom of an airplane while her younger brother watches in terror.
After We Collided - Sequel to "After" provides more obstacles for two young people in love
Alex Wheatle - The true story of a black British novelist who was thrown into prison after the Brixton uprising in 1981. The fourth of five in director Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" series
All My Life - Cliched tragic love story, but the characters are likable enough
Alone - A widowed woman is kidnapped by a psycho on the road. Not unique, but intense enough
American Murder: The Family Next Door (netflix) - A good Dateline episode
American Pie: Girls' Rules - The girls, led by Lizze Broadway, take over in a spinoff of the comedy film series
Ammonite - Kate Winslet and Saorise Ronan were great as very different women who fall for one another, but the story left something to be desired
An American Pickle - Seth Rogan's virtual one-man show provides a few laughs, but not enough to be higher
A Nice Girl Like You - Lucy Hale is sexually repressive and tries to change that in this marginally likable rom-com
Another Round - A group of high school teachers in Denmark try an experiment with alcohol intake and find it helps performance at times
Arkansas - Two criminals must improvise when their job for a drug kingpin goes array
Archive - A scientist attempts to create an AI and bring back his dead wife in the process
Athlete A - The story of how the Indianapolis Star uncovered the Larry Nasser scandal with US Gymnastics. It just left me with a few too many questions
Ava - Jessica Chastain as a contract killer who reunites with family
The Babysitter: Killer Queen (netflix) - Jenna Ortega is the star in this bloody, but somewhat entertaining yarn
The Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting (netflix) - A babysitter tries to rescue a child from abduction by monsters
Bacurau - Beautifully shot Brazilian film about a group of evil invaders trying to take over a small remote town.
Bad Boys for Life -Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the latest edition of the crime fighting duo's series
Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar - Likable comedy with Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo visiting Florida
Beastie Boys Story - Learned a lot from this documentary about the groundbreaking Hip Hop group
The Big Ugly - The London mob invests in a West Virginia oil company to try and launder money, and violence occurs
Bill & Ted Face the Music - The old friends come back to try and right the world with the help of their daughters
Black Bear - Didn't really get the plot overall, but Audrey Plaza is very good and I am anxious to see her in following films
Blackpink: Light Up the Sky (netflix) - Interesting look at the rise of the South Korean girls singing group
Bloodshot - Soldier Vin Diesel is brought back to life with super powers
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets - The last day at a dive bar in Nevada brings out some interesting characters
Chick Fight - Malin Akerman fights her way out the doldrums at her mom's secret old club
The Crimes that Bind (netflix) - A mom tries everything to get her son out of prison for attempting to kill his wife
Cuties (netflix) - A coming of age story about young girls expressing themselves with dance. The controversy about it was ridiculous
Cut Throat City - After Katrina rolls through New Orleans, a group of young men are forced to pull off a dangerous crime
Dad Wanted (netflix) - A Mexican film about a young girl (Natalia Coronado) sneaking around to ride BMX after her father died in an accident
Desperados (netflix) - A woman speeds off to Mexico to try and delete an embarrassing email sent to her boyfriend and a little comedy follows
Dick Johnson is Dead (netflix) - Over-rated documentary about a terminal man, directed by his daughter
The Dig (netflix) - Land owner Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) for a historical excavation in the last 1930s
Disappearance at Clifton Hill - Interesting story about woman who goes back to Niagara Falls, where she saw an abduction some 20 years earlier, and is able to uncover the mystery that had long since been forgotten.
Double Dad (netflix) - Maisa Silva is delightful as she escapes the commune where she lives with her mom to find her father
Dreamland - A beautiful bank robber (Margot Robbie) takes a local boy on a journey to Mexico
Education - The story of the British education system during the 1970s, which sent some of the lesser students to "special" schools that did not help them. The final film in director Steve McQueen's series "Small Axe"
Extraction (netflix) - A mercenary (Chris Hemsworth) attempts to recover the son of a crime boss
Fantasy Island - A luxurious island that makes dreams come true quickly becomes a nightmare
Fatal Affair (netflix) - A woman (Nia Long) runs into an old flame (Omar Epps), who becomes obsessed with her in a dangerous way
Fatale - A modern day "Fatal Attraction" with Hillary Swank. It is somewhere between good and average overall
Fierce (netflix) - Gorgeous Marta (Katarzyna Sawczuk) gets back at her deadbeat dad when she participates in a singing contest with him as a judge
Freaky - Comedic slasher film with Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton switching bodies. Kinda hard to believe that someone who looks like Newton would be picked on in high school
French Exit - Michelle Pfeiffer's performance is outstanding, but the movie meanders along while seeming sort of pointless
Friendsgiving - A mess of a comedy, but it has a good cast and a few laughs
G-Loc - Science fiction drama that provides a few intense moments in space on the way to a new colony
Hubie Halloween (netflix) - Adam Sandler's latest dopey comedy has just enough laughs to finish in this position
I Am Woman (netflix) - The Helen Reddy story could be interesting, but ends up being sort of boring
I'm Your Woman - Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) and baby Harry are sent on the run when her criminal husband gets involved in a city crime war
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (netflix) - Musical story that didn't quite pull me in
The Kissing Booth 2 (netflix) - I like Joey King, even though the movie is bubblegum pop at best
The Life Ahead (netflix) - Sophia Loren plays a Holocaust survivor who runs a daycare in Italy for children who need help.
The Little Things - Disappointing crime drama script and Rami Malek's character annoyed me. Denzel Washington kept it from going lower
Lost Girls (netflix) - Amy Ryan searches for her daughter after she disappears without a trace
The Lost Husband - A woman (Leslie Bibb) moves to her long-lost aunt's goat farm after her husband dies, and finds a new life
Love and Monsters - A young man makes a dangerous journey to find his girlfriend in a post-apocalyptic world
Love, Guaranteed (netflix) - A lawyer (Rachel Leigh Cook) investigates a dating website with the urging of her new client
The Lovebirds (netflix) - Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae are in the wrong place at the wrong time to get involved in a murder caper
Malcolm & Marie (netflix) - John David Washington and Zendaya, two terrific actors, do their best with a virtual one-setting movie about their characters' complicated relationship
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things - Think I have seen this time loop storyline before, but it is always great seeing the beautiful Kathryn Newton
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (netflix) - Chadwick Boseman is fantastic in one of his final roles, but the story is not as compelling as I expected
Midnight at the Magnolia (netflix) - Two friends who host a morning radio show are forced to take their relationship to another level
Mighty Oak - A young woman loses her brother/band leader in a car crash and meets a guitar prodigy many years later who makes her think about reincarnation.
Miss Juneteenth - A former beauty contest winner, who could not continue her scholarship education because she became pregnant, prepares her daughter for the pageant.
MLK/FBI - Did not learn a whole lot from this documentary about Martin Luther King and the surveillance from the FBI
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (netflix) - A 16-year-old endures a long fight for her freedom after being imprisoned for murder
Music - A recovering drug addict Zu (Kate Hudson) is forced to take over care of her autistic half sister. It has its moments, but it was kind of a missed opportunity
My Octopus Teacher (netflix) - A sometimes fascinating documentary about a man's friendship with an octopus.
The New Mutants - Young X men and women are tested to see if their powers can be controlled in a remote school
Nobody Knows I'm Here (netflix) - A recluse from a small Chilean town hides a wonderful singing voice that was stolen from him by a better looking young man years ago
Notes for My Son (netflix) - A woman with terminal cancer writes to her young son while fighting to end her life
The Outpost - A story about brave soldiers and stupid politicians in the Middle East
Over the Moon (netflix) - Cute musical cartoon about a young girl who rockets off to find a mythical goddess
Pieces of a Woman (netflix) - Martha (Vanessa Kirby) loses her baby in a home birth and life totally changes for her and husband (Shia LaBeouf)
The Postcard Killings - A detective from New York tries to find the answers to the murder of his daughter while she was on her honeymoon in London
Proximity - A young scientist goes on a journey to try and prove he was abducted by aliens
Radioactive - Rosemund Pike brings Marie Curie to life, but the film is a bit boring
Rebuilding Paradise - Ron Howard documentary about the recovery of Paradise, California after it was ravaged by fires
Robert the Bruce - A passable movie about the Scottish King.
Rogue - Megan Fox leads a mission to rescue hostages in Africa with dangerous lions on the loose
Run - A deranged mother keeps a dark secret from her paralyzed daughter, who begins to suspect foul play in the thriller
Save Yourselves! - A couple from the city turns off social media on a trip to a country cabin while the world is under attack from aliens
Selah and the Spades - Drama at a boarding school which has five factions. Selah, a senior, tries to find a replacement as the leader of the spades
Sergio (netflix) - The story of the aftermath in Iraq through the eyes of UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello
Shadow in the Cloud - Powerhouse Chloe Grace Moretz is on a secret mission in this action thriller with a strange storyline
The Silencing - Jamie Lannister! A hunter teams with the local sheriff to track a killer near a wildlife sanctuary
The Sleepover (netflix) - Two kids rescue their mom from danger in the likable caper film
The Social Dilemma (netflix) - Horrifying documentary about social media. Just didn't break new ground for me
Songbird - Apocalyptic Pandemic story about an immune delivery man who tries to save his girlfriend, whose mother has died of the disease
Sorry We Missed You - A new delivery driver in Newcastle, England faces serious debt and family issues. A somewhat interesting story, but a poor ending
Souvenirs - A teenager finds out she is the daughter of a killer
Spaceship Earth - Documentary that examines the entire story of Biosphere 2 in 1991
Spelling the Dream (netflix) - A documentary about a national spelling bee
Spenser Confidential (netflix) - Iliza Shlesinger is outstanding in a supporting role for this Mark Wahlberg action crime drama
Spree - A different kind of horror film with a ride/share driver killing off customers - as if it's all a joke - to get social media followers
Sputnik - Science fiction horror film about a monster living within an astronaut
The Sunlit Night - The very likable Jenny Slate travels to northern Norway for a job
Synchronic - Science fiction drama film about a powerful drug that allows you to travel in time
To All the Boys: PS, I Still Love You (netflix) - Adorable Lana Condor finds another letter from an admirer that complicates her perfect relationship
To All the Boys: Always and Forever (netflix) - The third in series about high schooler Lara Jean's love life and it's much like the first two. Lana Condor steals the screen and it's mildly cute
Tony Parker: The Final Shot (netflix) - Documentary about the great point guard from France who helped lead the San Antonio Spurs to championships
Uncorked (netflix) - A young black man pursues his dream of being a master wine steward
Underwater - Kristen Stewart battles some horrifying experiences in the Deep Sea drama
The United States vs. Billie Holliday - Golden Globe winner Andra Day is tremendous as the famous jazz singer, who had a drug problem, but the film is a bit of a mess overall
Valley Girl - An 80s soundtrack is the backdrop for a story of young lovers defying parents' wishes
Vivarium - Weird film about a couple who reluctantly take a trip to look at a new house, but are trapped in the development.
Wander - Aaron Eckert plays a mentally unstable detective investigating a murder in Wander, New Mexico, but the plot is a bit confusing
Wasp Network (netflix) - The true story of Cuban spies operating on American soil
We Can Be Heroes (netflix) - Superhero kids save their Superhero parents
Wild Mountain Thyme - The beautiful Irish landscape is the backdrop for a love story with Emily Blunt as the prize
Wonder Woman 1984 - Pales in comparison to the 2017 movie, but it still fits with this middling category. In other years, it might be lower
The World to Come - Two women find comfort and intimacy in their relationship as an escape from their dull husbands during the 19th century
1 Night in San Diego - A few funny scenes, especially "SVU the Musical"
The 2nd - Terrorists try to kidnap a Supreme Court Justice's daughter and Ryan Philippe comes to the rescue
365 days (netflix) - Anna Maria Sieklucka is the Polish beauty in this sexy, action drama
7500 - A pilot (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) must try to reason with a scared teenage hijacker in the intense drama
Passable (A few decent moments or not bad enough for worst of year): A Fall from Grace, All Day & All Night, American Dream, Amulet, An Imperfect Murder, Antebellum, Archenemy, Asphalt Burning, Babyteeth, Bad Hair, Bad Therapy, Beanpole, The Beast, Becky, The Binge, Bliss, Blood and Money (concept good, script awful, with Tom Berenger), Breach (Another Bruce Willis stinker), Breaking News in Yuba County, Christmas Chronicles 2, Christmas Crossfire, Circus of Books, Coffee & Kareem, Crisis, Dangerous Lies, The Devil Has A Name, DNA, Downhill (Shame Will Ferrell. No laughs), Endless, Father Soldier Son, Force of Nature, Fatman (Bloody Santa Claus movie?), The Forty-Year-Old Version (critics liked it, but I was bored), Green Rush, Gretel and Hansel; Guest House, Hard Kill, His House (critics liked it, I did not get the horror film), Hooking Up, Horse Girl, Jiu Jitsu, (When was Nicholas Cage's last good movie?), Impractical Jokers: The Movie (A few laughs near the end, that's it), The Informer, Lost Girls & Love Hotels, Love Wedding Repeat, Martin Eden, Monster Hunter, Most Wanted, Mosul, No Escape, Outside the Wire, The Owners, Possessor, Project Power, Red Dot, Rent-a-Pal (weird), The Rhythm Section, Rogue City, Scoob!, The Secret Garden, The Secrets We Keep, Seriously Single, Shirley, Sightless, Skylines, So Much Love to Give, The Tax Collector, Tentacles, Tesla, Tremors: Shrieker Island, Trolls World Tour, Unknown Origins, The Vanished, Welcome to Sudden Death, Wendy (bored me, but Devin France has a future in acting), What We Wanted, Wrong Turn, You've Got This, Z, 2067
Not Recommended: Bad Education, The Bay of Silence, Body Cam, The Boys in the Band, Buddy Games, Death of Me, The Decline, The Devil All The Time, Like a Boss, DoLittle, Lost Bullet, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Infamous, Infidel, The Last Days of American Crime, The Last Thing He Wanted, Money Plane, The Occupant, The Players, Rising High, Santana, Survive the Night, The Swing of Things, Unhinged, Willy's Wonderland, The Wrong Missy
Worst of the Year - DoLittle
Indies not available: The Artist's Wife, Banana Split, Beasts Clawing at Straws, Cherry, City Hall, Color Out of Space, Corpus Christi, Crazy World, Little Fish, Night of the Kings, On the Record, Red Penguins, Rewind, She Dies Tomorrow, Standing Up, Falling Down, Summerland, The Whistlers, The Wild Goose Lake, The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Wolfwalkers, Working Man
Did Not Care to see: Artemis Fowl, Beckman, Black Beach, Blood Quantum, Bobbleheads: The Movie, Brahms:The Boy II, Brothers by Blood, Burnt Orange Heresy, Cadaver, The Call, Capone, Christmas Under the Stars, Come As You Are, Come Play, The Craft: Legacy, The Croods: A New Age, Deep Blue Sea 3, Don't Tell a Soul, The Doorman, Down Range, Emperor, The Emperor's New Groove, The Empty Man, The Grand Isle, My Grandmother's a Lesbian, Grant, The Grudge, Gunjan Saxena, The Hater, House of the Hummingbird, Inheritance, Iron Mask, The Jesus Rolls, John Henry, The Kid Detective, Let it Snow, The Lodge, Max Reload Nether Blasters, Mortal, Parallel, The Paramedic, Peninsula, Pinocchio, The Quarry, Relic, The Rental, Shortcut, Silk Road, Smiley Face Killers, Spell, Swallow, Think Like A Dog, True History of the Kelly Gang, The Truth, The Turning, Vanguard, You Should Have Left, IBR
PREVIOUS PICKS FOR BEST OF THE YEAR
2019: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, JoJo Rabbit (tie)
2018: The Hate U Give
2017 - The Big Sick
2016 - Lion
2015 - Spotlight
2014 - Birdman
2013 - Nebraska
2012 - Silver Linings Playbook
2011 - The Descendants
2010 - The Social Network
2009 - Inglourious Basterds
2008 - Frost/Nixon-The Wrestler (tie)
2007 - Once
Best of All Time - Almost Famous
