It Takes a Village to win Two Cups

By Mark Pukalo

One by one, they handed the Stanley Cup to the next in a preordained order. The captain, the first-round picks, the smart acquisitions, the undrafted, all raised the beautiful trophy to the delight of a raucous Amalie Arena crowd.

Each player had his own story, an integral role in this royal achievement and his own reason to be proud.  

Then, it was time for coach Jon Cooper, his staff and everyone else involved in the locker room. Owner Jeff Vinik took the chalice and let his emotions flow.

When you win two straight championships in this day and age of professional sports, it takes everyone pulling on the same rope, everyone fighting together and each person - as Bill Belichick oftens says, “doing their job.”

The Tampa Bay Lightning have done just that since the demoralizing disappointment of a four-game sweep against Columbus in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. Sure, there was some luck involved with the makeup of this year’s team. You always have to earn some. But, in the end, they were just a little better than everyone else - from scouting, to the development staff, to the general manager’s office, to the owner’s willingness to spend and grow, to the class and leadership in the locker room and the talent that translated onto the ice.

The best organization in sports resides at Amalie Arena. Who’s better? The only one that you might argue is close is the Los Angeles Dodgers. But they signed Trevor Bauer. The Lightning would never sign anyone like him.

This postseason, the Bolts faced diverse challenges. They emerged from a knockout, drag out Sunshine State fight with the Florida Panthers and coach Joel Quenneville in six games. They took out the speedy Carolina Hurricanes in five, much easier than expected. They found a way to edge the gritty New York Islanders in a nervous Game 7. Then, the Lightning pushed aside the upstart Les Habitants from Montreal in five to win the third Cup in franchise history.

All through this run, my main thought was - “enjoy this, Lightning fans. Whatever happens. You may never see a better team to root for in your sporting life. You got one Cup. The rest is icing.” But it really wasn’t. Once you make it to the semifinals, it’s so close you have to do it again. You have to make it special, get two of them, and write history.

They made it frustrating at times with Blake Coleman’s turnover in overtime of Game 6 against the Isles and the failed four-minute power play in Game 4 at Montreal. But this team has learned how to close. This group knows what it takes. It starts in goal with the best in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy, but it is truly a group effort that has allowed them to shut out opponents to clinch the last five playoff series. That is the one statistic that best shows what the team is made of.

"I can't tell you how much I enjoyed watching them play through this playoff run," Tampa Bay GM Julien Brisebois told reporters this week. "Not only as the general manager of this organization, but as a hockey fan. Obviously, such a talented group. But most importantly, so much collective heart. All the blocked shots, all the hits given and taken, all the punches given and taken, all the competing through injury. It was outstanding and so inspiring to watch."

So, now the Lightning will have many haters. No one likes the two-time winner outside of its fan community. They will talk about cap circumvention, luck, short seasons and “cheating.” Honestly, it’s just jealousy and laziness. Who cares?

The Lightning is just better. Maybe only a little, especially against the Islanders. But Brisebois was faced with a seemingly impossible situation in the offseason. The injury and surgery for Nikita Kucherov helped, but he also had to give up a lot of future draft picks to assure the Bolts would be under the cap and could acquire a needed right-handed veteran defenseman in David Savard at the trade deadline.

Tampa Bay has given up a first, a second and fourth-round selections in the draft later this month along with second and third rounders in 2020. But how much do you want to bet that scouting director and assistant GM Al Murray gets a gem among his three picks in the seventh round this year?

Anthony Cirelli, Alex Killorn (former scouting department, but developed under Cooper) and Brayden Point - third-round picks.

Ross Colton, Mathieu Joseph and Ben Thomas - fourth.

Ondrej Palat - seventh.

Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde - undrafted.

Heck, Kucherov was the 58th pick in 2011 and Vasilevskiy went 19th in 2012. You could make an easy case that each is the best player in their class.

It takes everyone. The coach, who I was so critical of during the many years of great regular seasons and playoff failures, has learned from mistakes and become a positive force. You never agree with everything, like his benching of Cal Foote this season, but all his moves worked out the past two years.

The shutouts in deciding games were great in their two runs, but just as impressive is the way the Lightning reacted to playoff losses. They won every one of them. When they seemed drained mentally, they always had an answer. That’s on the coach, the leadership, the culture.

Captain Steven Stamkos was only able to lead through all but three minutes of playing time in last season’s run due to injury. He scored eight goals, playing likely on one healthy leg, to help the Bolts this time around. He is a true leader, but he has a great supporting cast in that department. Victor Hedman was also injured the past few months and still had 18 points in 23 playoff games, Ryan McDonagh was the team’s best defenseman in the postseason and Alex Killorn had eight goals and 17 points in 19 contests before breaking his leg blocking a shot in Game 1 of the finals.

Killorn was drafted in 2007, one year before Stamkos and two ahead of Hedman. He has been in the organization longer than anyone and, in my opinion, has often been the glue along with Palat that has kept the middle core together supporting the stars.

After the 2007 draft, I decided to go see Killorn play for Deerfield Academy a few times when he was in Connecticut during his last high school season. I saw a few people standing at the glass behind Deerfield’s goal, cheering for the team one day at Avon Old Farms. I decided to ask them about Killorn.

It went something like this:

“Hi, how are you? I’m a Lightning fan up here, believe or not. Do you know Alex well, what kind of a kid is he?

Cindy or Matt replied: “Well, we hope he’s a good kid. He’s our son.”

They asked about the competition in the ECAC, as Alex was headed to Harvard. We had a nice short chat.

I saw Killorn later that season at Loomis Chaffee and remarked at how smooth and composed he was with the puck. He still is, but in his many years of development Alex has become a real power forward in the NHL - and the kind of player who does all the little things. I remember a few nights looking at the box score this season and being surprised to see he played more minutes than any other forward.

I relayed the story of meeting his parents to Killorn at one of the prospect camps. He laughed. It wasn't hard to see Alex was the type of player you win championships with (one in the AHL, two in the NHL). 

Championship teams need stars like Hedman, the irrepressible Point, Stamkos, Kucherov and Vasilevskiy. But they also need character players that keep getting better like Killorn, Palat, Cirelli, Gourde, etc.

Gourde was an ECHL player and also played for San Jose’s AHL affiliate in Worcester before the Lightning signed him as a free agent. It took a while, but look at him now. Would they have won even one of the two Cups without the energizer bunny as third-line center?

The Lightning nearly won a Cup with a veteran leader Brenden Morrow in 2015 on the fourth line. They signed another similar player for under $1 million before last season and the guy was just a little better. Pat Maroon, ala the “Big Rig,” gave the team another leader who could loosen up the room and give the stars more physical support on the ice. 

Champions also need surprises like Colton, a player getting his chance when injuries struck and running with it. When I first saw Colton at prospects camp in 2016 it appeared he had some offensive tools. But with any prospect, would he develop his body good enough to play in the NHL and did he have the proper drive and patience to keep moving forward?

Colton answered loudly this season. Did you see his textbook play to score the Cup-clinching goal? Amazing.

Several players in the organization could have been him. It could have been Mitchell Stephens, maybe Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh or Alex Barre Boulet. Remember Alexander Volkov, now with Anaheim, played his first career playoff game in the cup decider last year and performed just fine? Prospects are ready when they arrive in Tampa, thanks to Syracuse Crunch coach Benoit Groulx and his staff, among others.

There is always someone coming with the Lightning and that’s why you can’t count them out for a three-peat. This wondrous group will not be together again like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they go for their back-to-back Super Bowl titles later this year.

The salary cap will lead to some difficult goodbyes. 

What will the Lightning do? After what he has done the last two years, you have to have faith in Brisebois and his staff.

You cannot expect Savard, Coleman and Barclay Goodrow to be back as unrestricted free agents. Coleman and Goodrow deserve to go out and make some good money, which they have justly earned. I expect Coleman to get multi years at $4 million-plus and Goodrow at least in the 2.5-3 range. Coleman scored huge goals, especially in Game 2 of the finals, and Goodrow made key play after key play. As I remarked on twitter after it was over - Goodrow is one heck of a hockey player. He’s the perfect third-line digger that a championship team needs.

The rest will be even more difficult. The Lightning might be able to shed Tyler Johnson’s final three years at $5 million after his improved playoff performance, perhaps to the expansion Seattle Kraken near his home in Spokane.

A lot will depend on how Brisebois can deal with Kraken GM Ronnie Francis. Does Francis want to play hardball and steal a veteran forward or a top young prospect from the Bolts? Who does Brisebois protect? Will it only take the Lightning’s 2022 first rounder to get things done?

If JB goes with seven forwards and three defensemen, the guess is - Stamkos, Kucherov, Point, Cirelli, Palat, Killorn and Gourde along with Hedman, Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev. As great as McDonagh has been, Seattle may not want five years at $6.75 left on his contract anyway. After winning two cups though, the cap space moving on from him would be very helpful and Cernak has got to be a keeper as the No. 1 right-handed D man on the roster, right? If he cannot deal with Francis, does JB protect guys like Colton, Katchouk and Joseph and realize he will lose just one veteran?

Wild idea to forget in a few seconds? Trade Sergachev to the Western Conference for a huge haul of picks and/or strong young prospects. Keep the best duo of lefty d men in the league in their early 30s.

Ok, crazy.

And, as an aside, Stamkos should not be traded. That's silly. Maybe at the end of his contract (before 2024-25), two years from now or when Point is up for a new deal (2022-23), the captain will depart Tampa. Not in 2021.

No doubt, there will be a lot of trades with Seattle. Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and Nashville will lose a very good player or give up a ton to the Kraken. If McDonagh stays and they protect four D men, the Lightning may have to part with Killorn or Palat, or perhaps Gourde - along with Johnson.

The lineup I came up with is this one (assuming Seattle takes McDonagh and Barre-Boulet - as a sweetener with Johnson - while Goodrow, Coleman and Savard move on):

Palat-Point-Kucherov

Colton-Cirelli-Stamkos

Killorn-Gourde-Joseph (you could flip Colton and Killorn)

Maroon-Stephens-Katchouk

Raddysh

Hedman-Rutta

Sergachev-Cernak

Lefty D signed or traded for at about $1 million- Foote

Luke Schenn

Vasilevskiy-Mike Smith (FA signing)

Just a thought. But the money can work with that lineup. JB will have to be creative, but man, isn't it much easier after winning two straight Cups?

Lightning fans will always have 2020 and 2021. Take all the hate from outside. Laugh it off. Don’t be snobby about it. Use it as more motivation to do it again without pressure.

There are more good things to come for this organization. As long as the core stays together, Murray keeps picking gems and the development process stays the same, the Lightning should be competitive every year.

Some day, things will change. People move on. But the memories last forever.

For now, enjoy the view from the top of the mountain.

The 20 Greatest Cover Songs of All Time

 

Mark Pukalo

Our latest project had us picking the top 20 cover songs of all time. Once again, there were a wide variety of picks from the 15 voters. Here's my try:

Best Cover Songs

Top 20

1. Ol' 55 - The Eagles (Tom Waits) - One of many great songs on their under-rated album "On the Border"

2. You've Got a Friend - James Taylor (Carole King) - JT released the No. 1 hit the same year (1971) as Carole put it on her standout album "Tapestry"

3. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor (Prince, The Family) - One of the greatest vocal performances in the history of music

4. Don't Let Me be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda (Nina Simone, The Animals, The Kinks) - Nina was the first to release the song, but I loved the latin version that featured Leroy Gomez. It was used as intro and outro music for NBC sports and in the movie "Kill Bill"

5. Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Bruce Springsteen) - Included on the Boss' first album "Greetings from Asbury Park"

6. Heat Wave - Linda Ronstadt (Martha and the Vandellas) - As with many, many of the songs Linda covered, she made this her own

7. You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins (The Supremes) - From Phil's best solo album "Hello, I Must Be Going"

8. Respect - Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding) - Never knew this was a cover until recently, but the Queen of Soul makes it one of the best R&B songs of all time

9. Twist and Shout - The Beatles (The Isley Brothers, The Top Notes) - The Top Notes were the first to record this tune in 1961, the Isley Brothers took it to No. 17 and the Beatles to No. 2 on the US Billboard chart

10. Always on my Mind - Willie Nelson (Brenda Lee) - As Will McAvoy said on "The Newsroom," "A hundred covers of this song and no one sings it like him"

11. I want you to want me - Letters to Cleo (Cheap Trick) - Kay Hanley and the band kill it at the end of the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" on the roof of a school

12. Return of the Grievous Angel - Counting Crows (Gram Parsons) - From "Underwater Sunshine," which has several great covers

13. Tumbling Dice - Linda Ronstadt (The Rolling Stones) - Apparently Mick said he and Keith wrote the song, but "Linda owned it"

14. You Really Got Me - Van Halen (The Kinks) - Eddie, David and the boys covered the song on their amazing debut album

15. For Once in my Life - Stevie Wonder (Frank Sinatra) - Stevie's upbeat version made it all the way to No. 2.

16. Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon - Urge Overkill (Neil Diamond) - Uma dances to it in "Pulp Fiction"

17. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan) - Prince also covered the song in his sublime Super Bowl halftime show

18. Always Something There to Remind Me - Naked Eyes (Dionne Warwick) - The video was in full rotation on MTV

19. All Mixed Up - Red House Painters (The Cars) - Very unique version of the final song on The Cars' first album from the now-defunct San Francisco band

20. Wild World - Maxi Priest (Cat Stevens) - Love the song and really enjoyed the reggae version from Maxi

Joe Lunardi's first 12 out

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello (Nick Lowe, Brinsley Schwarz)

Little Wing - Sting (Jimi Hendrix)

American Woman - Lenny Kravitz (The Guess Who)

Venus - Bananarama (The Shocking Blue)

It's my Life - No Doubt (Talk Talk)

Turning Japanese - Liz Phair (The Vapours)

Jolene - The White Stripes (Dolly Parton)

Tainted Love - Soft Cell (Gloria Jones)

Trapped - Bruce Springsteen (Jimmy Cliff)

I Love Rock'n Roll - Joan Jett (The Arrows)

Take Me to the River - Talking Heads (Al Green)

Get Ready - Rare Earth (The Temptations)

Stevie Wonder's top 20 songs

 

Mark Pukalo

Stevie Wonder

Top 20

Stevie has a great library of tunes that span several decades. Here's my try at ranking them....

1. You are the Sunshine of my Life - Just a lovely song that has always been my favorite from Stevie

2. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours - Terrific, soul/rock tune that President Obama apparently used at most of his rallies

3. If You Really Love Me - A great song I had forgotten about until I did the deep dive on his library

4. Living for the City - A wonderful, biting political song about the plight of black Americans that won a pair of Grammys

5. My Cherie Amour - Beautiful song that even sounded perfect as a backdrop to Kate Hudson getting her stomach pumped in "Almost Famous"

6. Higher Ground - Apparently Stevie wrote and recorded the memorable inspirational song in a three-hour period

7. Superstition - Stevie worked with rock guitarist Jeff Beck on this No. 1 song in 1972 - his first in almost 10 years

8. Boogie on Reggae Woman - The funky R&B song continued his run of top 10 hits in 1975.

9.  Don't You Worry Bout' a Thing - Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper start their dance routine with this tune in "Silver Linings Playbook"

10. I Believe (When I Fall in Love it will be forever) - This song sounds so good and is placed perfectly at the end of "High Fidelity"

11. You Haven't Done Nothin'

12. Sir Duke

13. That Girl

14. Isn't She Lovely

15. For Once in my Life

16. Do I Do

17. Yesterme, Yesteryou, Yesterday

18. Ribbon in the Sky

19. I Wish

20. I Was Made to Love You

Joe Lunardi's first 8 out

Send one your love

Overjoyed

Front Line

Ebony & Ivory

Fingertips

Part time Lover

Uptight (Everything's Alright)

Master Blaster (Jammin')

Top 20 songs from The Boss

 

One of the most difficult assignments ever was cutting my original rough draft list of 60-plus songs down to 20. 

Bruce Springsteen

Top 20

1. Thunder Road - Perhaps the greatest opening verse in the history of music

2. Jungleland - An epic concert song that made Clarence Clemons the king of the saxophone

3. The Promised Land - "Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man. And I believe in the Promised Land." Enough said

4. Land of Hope and Dreams - Beautiful song that becomes more meaningful every day and sounded perfect at Biden's Inauguration

5. Born to Run - Powerful signature anthem from the Boss that could easily be No. 1

6. Rosalita - A rollicking tune that can be put in so many categories and never gets old

7. My City of Ruins - Haunting song about 9/11 that could work at a church ceremony

8. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out - Sometimes we forget how good this song was. Rewatched his Super Bowl show and this one batted leadoff. It worked perfectly

9. The Rising - Title track from one of his best albums makes you scream the words.

10. Badlands - Seemed to be one of the first songs at most of his concerts

11. Dancing in the Dark

12. Out in the Street

13. Bobby Jean

14. Point Blank

15. Brilliant Disguise

16. The River

17. Streets of Philadelphia

18. Janey don't you lose heart

19. Racing in the Street

20. If I was the Priest

Joe Lunardi's first eight out

She's the One

Prove it all night

If I should fall behind

Incident on 57th Street

Spirits in the night

I'm Goin Down

No Surrender

Downbound Train

Eliminated because made more popular by other artists

Blinded by the Light

Talk to Me

Because the Night

The top 20 songs for the Beatles, REM and U2

 

By Mark Pukalo

I have joined a 12-person facebook group rating great artists' top 20 songs. The Beatles were first on the list and here's my effort, followed by REM and U2

It was not easy, because 100 could have made the grade for the Beatles, and I acquired additional respect for Bono, the Edge, Michael and the boys as I examined their impressive libraries. 

The Beatles top 20

1. I Saw Her Standing There - The first track on the Fab Five's debut album "Please Please Me"

2. Revolution - Used to love hearing it booming out of the speakers at the end of New England Revolution games in Foxboro

3. She Loves You - I'm told this was the first song I liked when I was in my second year on the Earth

4. I Wanna Hold Your Hand - Just classic early work from the Fab Four

5. The Long and Winding Road - Just a haunting melodic song from the Let it Be album

6. All You Need is Love - Ended the under-rated movie "Across the Universe" with style

7. Yesterday - I agree with the movie by the same name. One of the best written songs of all time

8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - There's quite a story behind this incredible song written by George Harrison

9. Hey Jude - Paul McCartney wrote this song about John Lennon's son Julian after John left his mom for Yoko Ono

10. Back in the USSR - Paul did not write it as a political song. The Ukraine girls really do knock you out

11. Ticket to Ride

12. Penny Lane

13. A Hard Day's Night

14. Help!

15. Something

16. I'll Be On My Way

17. Across the Universe

18. Here Comes the Sun

19. Can't Buy Me Love

20. Twist & Shout (ok, it's a cover)

Joe Lunardi's first four out

A Day in the Life

Michelle

Let it Be

We Can Work it Out

R.E.M. Top 20

1. Losing my Religion - It's a southern phrase about losing yourself in pursuit of something

2. Man on the Moon - Cheeky tune with tremendous lyrics performed well at Live 8

3. Radio Free Europe - The first song by the group I heard

4. Electrolite - Love this melodic tune from under-rated album "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" 

5. South Central Rain - One of the first hits for the Georgia band

6. At My Most Beautiful - Made to sound like a Beach Boys tune. Well written

7. It's the End of the World as we Know it - I feel fine after listening to this song

8. Everybody Hurts - Emotional song about avoiding suicide

9. Man-Sized Wreath - Under-rated tune from the "Accelerate" album

10. What's the Frequency, Kenneth? - Hard to keep from from humming this song from "Monster" after you hear it

11. Country Feedback

12. The One I Love

13. Nightswimming

14. Pretty Persuasion

15. Imitation of Life

16. Find the River

17. Drive

18. Begin the Begin

19. Bang and Blame

20. Until the Day is Done

Joe Lunardi's first six out

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight

Radio Song

Try not to breathe

Stand

Leaving New York

Fall on Me

U2 Top 20

1. Walk On - I think it's a masterpiece. The song was written about Aung San Suu Kyi, who was jailed for her pro-democracy efforts in corrupt Burma - where the tune was banned

2. Sunday Bloody Sunday - Bono stepped out on the stage at 1985's Live Aid in London and boomed out the song about British troops killing unarmed civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland. The 70,000-plus fans were with him

3. Bad - The tune is about heroin addiction and it was never sung better than at Live Aid

4. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Just a beautiful song about "spiritual yearning"

5. Pride (In the Name of Love) - A historic song about the great Martin Luther King

6. Beautiful Day - The uplifting tune is definitely suited for big stadium concerts

7. Stay (Faraway, So Close) - Love this song, especially Bono's performance, from the Zooropa CD

8.. With or Without You - The group's first No. 1 in both the U.S. and Canada. It spent three weeks atop the Billboard chart

9. The Unforgettable Fire - Haunting, beautiful title track from their fourth album

10. One Tree Hill - Written in memory of Bono's friend Greg Carroll and the group's roadie, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1986

11. One  

12. Angel of Harlem  

13. Red Hill Mining Town 

14. I Will Follow

15. New Year's Day 

16. Vertigo

17. Where the Streets Have No Name 

18. Wild Honey

19. The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)  

20. Acrobat 

Joe Lunardi's first six out

A Sort of Homecoming

Until the End of the World

All I Want is You

Every Breaking Wave

Magnificent

Gloria

The Year in Movies: Women Rule The Big Screen in 2020

 

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

The Worst Movies of 2020: The Doctor Could Not Save It

 

By Mark Pukalo

There were a lot worse things in 2020 than the quality of movies released.

While there were not an abundance of truly great films in the past 14 months, it was a bit difficult to classify the worst of them. Many of those bottom-feeder movies had an element or two that made you want to keep it out of the worst of 2020 list. See that "Passable" list next week.

The criteria I used to put this together - out of more than 300 viewed from Jan. 2020 to February 2021 in the extended Oscar season - were movies that "really annoyed me" or had flat-out awful scripts and dialogue. Perhaps some on the dishonorable mention list might be technically worse than the top 15, but expectations also come into play here.

Here's the worst stinkers of 2020, in my opinion. The only one I spent money on in the theater was "Monster Hunter," although I almost went to see "Infidel" before changing my mind at the last minute and viewing one of my top 20 for the year.

Dishonorable Mention: Amulet, Body Cam, The Boys in the Band, Breach (one of two Bruce Willis fails), Coffee & Kareem, Death of Me, Jiu Jitsu (shame again Nicolas Cage), Lost Bullet, Infamous, Money Plane, Monster Hunter, The Occupant, The Players,  Rising High, Santana, 2067

Worst 15 of 2020

15. Unhinged - Just a lot of mindless violence, and the film never seems to stop to take a breath to develop more of a story. Shame Russell Crowe

14. Bad Education - Many critics liked this one and I can't understand why. I was never interested in any of the main characters and it was cliched

13  The Last Days of American Crime - Futuristic action crime drama that was not compelling and quite confusing

12. The Decline - Murder at a weird survivalist camp with a lot of unlikable characters and a plot that was pretty thin

11. Like a Boss - Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne have a small beauty company that big boss Salma Hayek buys, but there's very few laughs and a poor script to work with

10. The Devil All The Time - Some critics liked this one, but most of the characters are so despicable you don't care about anything.

9. Buddy Games - A group of old friends renew their unique, outdoor competition, and almost all of it is cringe-worthy

8. The Swing of Things - A wedding is mistakenly scheduled at a swingers resort in Jamaica and the script is both awkward and lacks humor

7. The Bay of Silence - The mysterious death of a child is the centerpiece for a hard-to-follow crime drama surrounding a bad marriage. Nothing made you want to keep watching unless you had to

6. Infidel - Dinesh D'Souza is the executive producer, so that's already a black mark against the film, but the script is really, really bad anyway. An American is kidnapped in Cairo and asked to denounce his strong religious beliefs or die

5. The Wrong Missy - A dopey comedy with David Spade and Lauren Lapkus, which never seems to get any more likable over 90 minutes

4. The Last Thing He Wanted - Anne Hathaway is a journalist who helps her dying father with his business - arms dealing. It is just hard to imagine and quite uninteresting

3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Many critics liked this one for some reason, but it is so abstract and impossible to follow that it made me angry. The many explanations for the plot are just as hard to make sense out of as the film

2. Survive the Night - Dumb criminals and a mindless storyline with ridiculous violence. When was Bruce Willis' last good film? Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) shows up in this stinker, too

1. DoLittle - The first scene made me want to turn off the movie right away, but the fast-forward option was a better route. Robert Downey Jr. is the good Doctor and there is really nothing that makes the tale fun to watch. There was no cure

PREVIOUS WORST MOVIES OF THE YEAR

2019 - Cold Pursuit

2018:  Mile 22

2017 - Mother!

2016 - 13 Hours and Hail Caesar!

2015 - Chappie

2014 - The Monuments Men

2013 - The Place Between the Pines

2012 - Cloud Atlas

2011 - Tree of Life