My Top 5 Movies of 2020
Last year, I picked my 5 favorite movies that were released during that calendar year. It seems appropriate to change it up a little bit to recap this year. At the beginning of 2020, I decided that I was going to watch 20 movies that I hadn’t seen before. The complexity of the theater situation this year granted me a little extra time to catch up on some movies I missed.
So, here are my 5 favorite movies that I finally got to see in 2020:
Bottle Rocket (1996)
The debut feature of one of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson, was long overdue. Luke Wilson and Anderson’s college roommate, Owen Wilson, star as two aspiring burglars itching to pull off the heist of their dreams. Bottle Rocket is an adventure filled with charming dry wit and intricate dialogue masked by an unassuming presentation. Anyone with a taste for Anderson’s artistic vision should take a look at his origin.
Palm Springs (2020)
Christin Milloti and Andy Samberg thrive in this beautiful heavy-handed comedy. Palm Springs is easily my favorite comedy that has come out in a while. Probably because it was willing to be more than a simple, money-hungry, and mindless joke reel. This Hulu original takes us on a journey with two screw-ups who learn how to move on and grow from their mistakes… together.
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Hey. I did not know what I was getting into with this one! It’s pretty straight forward with its message, but I did not have any idea the gravity that I was stepping into whenever I put this on in the middle of an afternoon. Funny, tough, and gritty, Boyz n the Hood takes a lot of people like me to a place they know little to nothing about. If one is determined to learn more about the different experiences between Black and White America, this movie is a must watch.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Admittedly, I was expecting some weird art movie about the apocalypse. Any details about this movie from the Godfather director totally passed by me all these years watching and reading about movies. Martin Sheen’s journey into the dark jungle of the Vietnam War to hunt down a former soldier turned cult leader is not for the faint of heart. However, Marlon Brando’s menacing presence and Sheen’s look into the mind of an institutionalized soldier-assassin are worth the price of admission.
Parasite (2019)
This is a perfect movie. I mean it. You’d be hard pressed to find something as artfully crafted and expertly executed. If for some reason you haven’t found a reason to watch Parasite, it’s not too late to get help. There’s still hope for you. The Oscars can be very random at times, but there is a reason that Parasite swept the major filmmaking categories. I don’t know if there is a non-horror movie that has made me feel as tense and excited as this one. It is a tale of desperation that will make you reconsider the lines you draw when defining right and wrong and good and evil.
Okay, so maybe Parasite was kinda cheating because I really saw it to get ready for the Oscars, but I did watch it in 2020. All of these, and many others, were a great friend during this 2020 of a year. I hope this will make you want to see them!
