TIER 8: EATING FROM THE GARBAGE

It is a rare distinction when I actively advise someone not to watch a movie. Almost everything has some value, but these are car wrecks you shouldn’t even slow down for. (Rated 1 to 2 stars.)

56. Fatman

It's weird and bad, and not in the likable way that Bad Santa is. I really wanted this to be passable. I'm down for filmmakers trying new things in the Christmas genre, but this is a disaster. Nothing about this works or even makes sense.

55. Spenser Confidential

This movie has no idea what it wants to be, tonally. Certain moments are played with the self-seriousness of an NCIS episode and yet the fight scenes look and feel like they’re pulled from 21 Jump Street or Kingsman. It's oddly grisly as if it's aiming for a kind of depth it doesn't even remotely begin to plumb. Tell me this was a pilot TBS turned down.

I didn't expect to like this, but I figured we'd get a passable action buddy comedy. However, there is little to no humor and the buddy aspect is missed because they gave Winston Duke's character the depth of a kiddie pool.

54. The Tax Collector

I'm not a big David Ayer fan by any stretch, but typically his films get by on a certain amount of compelling mayhem. (Fury strung me along for two hours before delivering a brilliant closing set piece.)

I didn't come here expecting an Oscar winner, but figured I'd get some excitement and a memorable Shia LaBeouf performance. I got neither. The Tax Collector feels like the season finale of the types of FX series I expressly avoid. It’s sloppy, generic, artless, and—worst of all—boring. It's not easy squeezing an unremarkable movie out of "Shia runs collections for LA gangs" but they've done it.

53. Hillbilly Elegy

It's as bad as you've heard.

I saw someone say this is the Goldfinch of 2020, and I think that's a pretty good comparison. But I think this is way more in line with some bad Christian movie where all the themes are just totally hamfisted. Or maybe it’s like The Blindside if that were uniformly unpleasant to watch. It's actually such a slog that I think it will have trouble finding the type of audience something like The Blindside did.

This is a story told with the nuance and artistry of an anti-drug PSA. I was desperate for good stuff in 2020. I had hoped Ron Howard, Amy Adams, and Glenn Close (her character in this, man...) would make something good. Unfortunately I just hated it.

52. Scoob!

Watched on May 16th and paid $20 to do so.

TIER 7: NOT FOR ME

Some people may enjoy these, but they were decidedly not for me. (Rated 2 or 2.5 stars.)

51. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

This movie has a little bit of a cult following, but it’s truly one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. Margot Robbie and Ella Jay Basco do a lot to hold it together for stretches, but this thing has maybe the least compelling cast of supporting characters I’ve ever seen. We’re wasting valuable Margot Robbie years on this stuff, people!

50. Project Power

Peak Netflix crap, in the bad way. Aesthetically and conceptually fun, but narratively dull and lifeless. The first 10 or 15 minutes had me hopeful before it absolutely tanked. Not a rewarding watch.

49. The Binge

I knew what I was getting myself into and I did it anyway. It's like Superbad and The Purge rolled into one in the very worst way. Not only does it not have any fun ideas, but it doesn't even know how to execute on its boring ones. This is the dullest night of debauchery ever set to film.

48. The Lodge

It's an amalgamation of a ton of different movies, copying each trope to a less-successful degree (even while pointing at them, in some cases) without having a single standout quality. It makes for a boring watch. Horror movies are not typically my thing, so when I watch one, I want it to be great. This is most certainly not one of those.

47. The Platform

Absolutely not. This one’s a decent metaphor stretched so precariously thin that nothing remains by the end. It's not just high-concept, it's only-concept. These types of movies have to be able to stand up outside of their message, and this one does not.

The Platform feels like it’s pandering to 14 year olds who find telegraphed metaphors deep. Watch any other recent class allegory for a more rewarding time.

46. The Lovebirds

Michael Showalter and Kumail Nanjiani making The Big Sick and then coming back with this mess is eerily similar to when Dan Gilroy and Jake Gyllenhaal made Nightcrawler and then followed it up with Velvet Buzzsaw. Having its theatrical run canceled to premiere on Netflix is the universe correcting itself. It’s actually a bit difficult to have a silly rom-com with two charismatic leads feel like a total waste of time, but they did it.

45. Capone

I still love the premise, and there are moments when the film tickles the heights it reaches for. But so much of this ends up feeling like an SNL sketch that's overcommitted to the bit—setting the audience up for a Shakespearian journey before unleashing Hardy's Capone, reduced to the punchline in his own tragedy. My guy acts and speaks like a senile Muppets character.

I almost kind of respect it to the extent it's a confused mess of abstract poetry and parody. There's beauty to be found here if you go wading in the swamp for it.

TIER 6: FINE

These movies are fine. (Rated 2.5 or 3 stars.)

44. Hubie Halloween

It makes you feel kinda warm inside, and when Rob Schneider shows up he's not playing a horrifically racist caricature!

This movie serves as the finale of the six-film contract Sandler signed with Netflix in 2014. It's not my favorite of the bunch, but it gets the job done like the rest. I'm glad all of these exist in the way they do, and I'm glad he extended that contract for four more movies.

43. Extraction

They really used a whole swimming pool of fake blood in this one, huh?

People are going to be talking about the cinematography. It isn’t “good,” but there’s a lot of it! They threw a lot of money towards making something without character or personality look kind of glossy, which is fine for this type of thing but doesn't really do enough to redeem the film's weaker aspects. It's all just kind of flimsy and ordinary, despite bouts of excitement and glimpses of heart.

Better than 6 Underground. Not as good (or fun) as Triple Frontier.

42. Downhill

Manages to take something really rich on paper and render it in a way that's all at once stressful, depressing, and odd.

It nails some of the neuroses of family vacations but the emotional thrust of the movie spins something foreign out of what's intended to be relatable. I gotta watch the original, but this is a misfire.

41. Big Time Adolescence

I found it surprisingly funny, but what’s the point of this? Usually with these 90-minute, character driven movies starring comedians you get something that works its way around to heartwarming or at least satisfying. But this is the opposite of a feel-good movie. It's a feel-bad movie. I can't figure out what it's trying to say, and it just kind of bummed me out. Not everything in a coming-of-age story needs to be sunshine and roses, but there's a way to stick the landing after the chaos. Mid90s did it.

40. The Vast of Night

There are some really interesting directorial choices. The first scene is a long take in spirit. The second scene is an actual long take, and it's followed by a boastful tracking shot that traverses the whole town. There's also several extended periods of total black screen interspersed during long monologues. The entire movie is basically just a few conversations. It's also one of the (visually) darkest movies I've ever seen.

And it's kind of cool in the way these choices make the movie seem old, haunted, and cozy, like The War of the Worlds radio drama or something. The art direction is pretty fun. It has everything you really could want from a sci-fi indie with a tiny budget.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's very good in its own right, but it's an extremely impressive and promising first feature, and worth a closer examination for fans of Stranger Things (which I am not).

39. Greyhound

As a film lover that has largely given up entertainment formatted for television over the last 18 months, it pains me to say this, but Greyhound feels less like the next great Tom Hanks vehicle than it does the fifth episode of an 8-part HBO miniseries. It's a peculiar issue when a 90-minute movie can only deliver compelling drama in spurts yet also feels like it needs more context to improve itself.

Ultimately, this joins The Lovebirds as the latest COVID-era pivoted-to-streaming movie that feels like it should've been a streaming exclusive all along. It's fine, but I'm glad I didn't pay $10 to watch this in theaters.

38. Enola Holmes

The target audience for this is not me, but I think this will probably connect with that audience—which is good! It’s cool to see Millie Bobby Brown turn into a “real” actress. It’ll be fun to watch her make the leap to stuff more targeted to adults, and I think you can see glimpses of that here.

Anyway, this wavers a bit down the stretch, and the characters here feel almost distractingly catered to 2020.

37. Spaceship Earth

Cults rock.

TIER 5: WORTH A WATCH

Do these sound interesting or feature a director or actor you love? Don’t let my lukewarm evaluation stop you from diving in. (Rated 3 or 3.5 stars.)

36. His House

I’ve been to South Sudan, and I know a number of South Sudanese refugees. Maybe this is ultimately inconsequential, but I do think I have some perspective on how scary the transition from third-world war and tragedy to first-world poverty and loneliness is.

It’s interesting and perhaps unexplored horror movie fodder, which makes it a little disappointing that this plays out as what’s essentially a haunted house movie. I think there’s more meat on this bone (although it is important to note that this is a debut film).

I always couch my horror movie reviews with the caveat that I’m not a horror movie diehard, so your mileage may vary. The imagery it taps into is not dissimilar to Jordan Peele’s work—which feels as if it’s becoming a genre unto its own—so I expect some will find enjoyment in that.

35. Let Them All Talk

I mean, sure. Soderbergh, Streep, and Hedges is not something I'll ever turn down. But it feels extremely inessential. I actually think I enjoy it more as a product. It’s small, talky, and almost breezy, which are not typically sandboxes Steven Soderbergh plays in.

34. The Wrong Missy

Aside from some choices I would describe as “problematic,” this was a surprisingly good one to watch at 2 a.m. It is so, so dumb. It’s also funnier than it should be. Lauren Lapkus carries this. I’m a little bit ashamed to admit that this one truly one of the most enjoyable movie-watching experiences of the year for me.

33. An American Pickle

Good enough!

It manages some real laughs, and it's better looking than it has any right to be—especially the opening sequence, which is lovely.

For being just 90 minutes, it tries to do too much. Is this about finding common ground with relatives? Is it about dealing with grief? Is it about SoCiEtY? Is it about reconnecting with faith and heritage? The funeral scene near the end of the movie was pretty affecting and it made me wonder why the film spent the previous hour on a man trying to get his great-grandfather cancelled while pumping in a bunch of "Millennials really do be using apps" jokes.

I find it most interesting as a possible new direction for Seth Rogen. The last film of his I truly thought was great was 50/50, and that was nine years ago. I don't know that he's particularly interested in a reinvention, or if he even needs one, but I'd like to see him in more stuff that plays in this realm.

32. Tigertail

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that our parents, and their parents before them, have versions of themselves we’ll never know. Likewise, we have versions of ourselves our parents don’t always see. Tigertail is a story most of us, immigrant or otherwise, can find some truth in.

Unfortunately it commits all of the sins of these types of movies: Gratuitous time jumping, voiceover, montage. It’s got the blunt force symbolism of a Pixar short, which is what this feels like: A short film stretched to 90 minutes, cutting corners in ways it shouldn’t have to.

That being said, there are some interesting things being done here. The use of language was clever and unlike anything I’ve seen before. And the closing scene kinda caught me by surprise. The story sprung to life after I waited desperately for just that. I wish some of the earlier chapters had tapped into that heart.

31. Shirley

When you put the frozen pizza directly on the rack like the directions say, but instead of baking it just kind of melts.

It's got all the ingredients, and there are moments where it comes frustratingly close to clicking into place, but it's ultimately just a tad too slippery and ethereal to grab me. To its credit, it does end on a strong note.

Someone please get Elisabeth Moss a great script so she can stop lighting every ounce of her being on fire in an attempt to elevate stuff from middling to compelling. I think I'm in the minority here, but I find myself watching all of her film roles and thinking, "Man, Elizabeth Moss was electric, but that movie didn't quite do it for me."

30. Class Action Park

I've seen a number of YouTube videos on Action Park. This is basically exactly like those, just more well-sourced and stretched out to 90 minutes. It's exactly what I wanted, and I think they got everything they could out of the subject, despite a choppy ending. Chris Gethard has the first half on his back.

29. Happiest Season

It's like an elevated Lifetime Christmas movie, which is to say it's a great time and is sure to find a huge audience. I really enjoyed this.

After spending high school rolling my eyes through the Twilight craze, it's pretty cool how much I appreciate Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's work now. Stewart hasn't quite had the indie breakout Pattison has, but I hope it's coming.

28. Onward

It’s clearly Pixar B-team, but it’s still very good. Let’s call it a minor-league all-star.

I normally prefer Pixar films set in the real world, as I think their animation excels more in a realism sense (Toy Story 4) than an inventive one (Inside Out). But I think Onward strikes a great balance between the two. It’s hyper-realistic when it needs to be and fun and fantastical when it’s required. This is a really pretty movie.

The heavy emotional beats will prevent what would otherwise be a good rewatchable. It’s a fun ride.

27. Bacurau

Kind of a mixed bag for me, albeit a very fun, mostly successful one.

It's Brazilian Tarantino in a really good way, and when the film leans into that in the final stretch it's effective. There are several reveals and camera tricks that feel straight out of Tarantino's bag (which are of course straight out of classic spaghetti Westerns). The parts that focus on the villagers feel pulpy, fun, and rich with subtext. But other parts feel like an episode of Black Mirror, which is not my favorite.

26. Feels Good Man

None of this is shocking—and very little of it is new to me—but it is horrific to see it spread out over 90 (well-crafted) minutes.

TIER 4: I HAD A GOOD TIME

Sometimes movies are good (or important) but ultimately don’t really stick with me. (Rated 3.5 stars.)

25. Time

An empathetic portrait of love, anger, exhaustion, and lost memories. It plays more like a long, impressionist short film than a feature documentary. The state of our criminal justice system makes me feel hopeless.

24. Da 5 Bloods

It's a gorgeous adventure about war that shows only the disenfranchised are forced to keep fighting it.

After The Last Black Man In San Francisco, I became a big Jonathan Majors fan, and he's great here. I'm not familiar with Delroy Lindo's work, but this is his movie. He fills up the screen, sometimes literally, and gives a complex performance that pushes and pulls the audience. I expect to hear his name on Oscars night.

It's very much a Spike Lee movie, but it's also very much a Netflix movie. Although I'm not sure blunt obviousness was the goal (it feels like Spike was trying to make it an adventure as much as he was a sermon), I can't help but feel like the sharp, focused message ended up being clouded in a runtime it didn't need. I'd have been willing to trade in some of the journey for a less-obstructed look at its stakes.

23. The Way Back

Even by inspirational sports movie standards, the actual basketball aspect is trite, but Gavin O'Connor imbues more heart by investing in Ben Affleck's storyline and creating the type of larger narrative that will almost always trump whatever is happening on the playing field.

Affleck, meta-commentary and all, is just great here. His performance in Gone Girl gets the edge, but his work here is kind of beautifully understated and simple. He elevates this from saccharine Netflix-quality movie to something a bit more substantial and compelling. Bound to be a rewatchable.

22. The Devil All the Time

I'm on board for movies that aren't totally sharp but kick up enough dust that they almost manage to make something beautiful in the abstract. That doesn't make it any less frustrating when something reminds you of 1,000 great things and asks 1,000 interesting questions, yet lacks the clarity to say something with it—along the way hamstringing an all-star cast with unnecessary accents.

But when a film places a handful of broken people in a backwoods town, it's firmly in my zone. And when it begins prodding at the weaponization of religion and the cascading, intergenerational destruction of sin, it's just dancing up and down on my buttons. The final scene in particular is exhilarating.

It ping-pongs back and forth between the banality of violence and the poetry of blood, sweat, and mud. While my heart loves The Devil All the Time, my brain still has some reservations.

21. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Much like the first one, the weakest stretches are the actual narrative, and unfortunately (but perhaps predictably) this one requires more of that to make things work. It makes for an awfully slow start, but things pick up in the Jim and Jerry scenes, which—dare I say—may reach the greatness of the original. The back half saves this. It's definitely not the first one, which I expected. But it's better (at least for stretches) than an idea as questionable as Borat 2 has any right to be.

20. Another Round

Easily the best Danish midlife crisis drinking movie I watched in 2020. I could explain the premise and it would seem kind of narrow and gimmicky, yet it's surprisingly affecting and complicated while also somehow managing to be fun. This might be the most tonally unique movie I saw this year. I need to watch more from Thomas Vinterberg.

19. Ammonite

I like this more than most, but the gripes on the lack of chemistry are accurate. Releasing so quickly on the heels of Portrait of a Lady on Fire already meant the chips were stacked against it, but I don't think they did themselves any favors in casting. It’s a great lesson that talent doesn't automatically mean a movie will work. These two are great but it's not quite happening here.

But, looking past its lack of emotional heft, I actually find it to be quite textured. It's rich with detail and subtext, and you could use it to teach a lesson on symbolism in film. Of course, I wish this were all in service of something that weren't quite as sputtering, but I appreciated it nonetheless. It has its moments.

18. The Trial of the Chicago 7

For as timely as aspects of this are, this may not be a moment in which people are looking for feel-good political theater. Read the room, Sorkin.

Yet I have a weakness for his writing, so consider this one an oddly fun watch, despite being one that feels a little toothless and eye-roll inducing given current climates. If you can push past that, this mid-budget adult courtroom drama is worth your 130 minutes.

17. Driveways

Really quaint and tender, but perhaps a little too slight to get over the hump and into the realm of my very favorites of the year.

It's kind of remarkable that something can be shot in 2018, premiere in 2019, and get a wide release in 2020 when we desperately need stories like these. I don't know how I'd react to this in a different year (and it doesn't matter), but the instant I felt where it was headed I just wanted to crawl inside the screen.

TIER 3: SNEAKY GOOD

I will vocally admonish these for their shortcomings but also be there to defend them. If you think they’re overrated, you’re wrong. If you think they’re incredible? Also wrong. (Rated 3.5 or 4 stars.)

16. Tenet

Just such a Christopher Nolan movie. Really loud (awesome) score that drowns out the (corny) dialogue. Unbelievable set pieces shot with a utilitarian eye. A mountain of exposition to explain the obfuscated stakes just enough for you to grasp them. It's a Nolan movie to a fault. It's everything he does, just to slightly ill effect compared to some of his hits.

It's the worst thing he's made in 18 years, yet I still enjoyed the hell out of it and I'm glad it exists. Nobody makes movies quite like this (probably a good thing, we don't need more than one Nolan). It made me miss movie theaters and a normal release schedule.

I don’t have anything very good to say about its dramatic beats or emotional depth, yet I kind of felt like watching it two nights in a row. I’m glad I don’t feel this way about more movies, but I kind of respect the ones like Tenet.

15. S#!%house

A 22-year-old writing, directing, and starring in a dialogue-driven, Before Sunrise-style movie feels wildly ill-advised. I can't believe how well this works. Not only is it surprisingly funny, but there are moments of genuine magic.

This might have been my favorite movie at 17, which sounds like an insult, but I don't mean it to be one. My feelings about this are not terribly dissimilar to my feelings about another 2020 debut: The Vast of Night. Is it perfect? No. But it does hint at a really exciting potential. Cooper Raiff is going to make something incredible once he's free from writing about a life he experienced just three years ago.

Dylan Gelula is, as she was in Support the Girls, completely beguiling.

14. The Invisible Man

Definitely lays it on a little thick, and its fundamental reliance on CGI in certain areas doesn’t totally work at this budget. But holy moly Elisabeth Moss is doing it here. Jodie Foster would be proud.

13. The King of Staten Island

It's overlong, wandering, and loose on plot, even by Apatow standards. Frankly, I don't think this will be a hit among the general public in the way 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, or even Trainwreck were. It requires an appreciation for Apatow-core, and maybe even an appreciation for Pete Davidson. I think this is a lot to ask.

But I really liked it. It kept me guessing, which is more than I gave it credit for going in. This thing threatens to buckle under the weight of its runtime, but the three leads are just great, and utterly convincing in their roles. They keep things on the rails just long enough for the ending to sweep you off your feet. There's a specific instant when this thing turns, and it's not a moment too soon. I'll be the millionth person to say it, but it's true, and it's the selling point: This has lots of heart.

12. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

I hate that I so often default to comparison, especially with movies like this that deserve to stand on their own. But this reminds me a lot of earlier Safdie stuff, even before the story makes it to New York. It's grainy, intimate, and unafraid, and even has the empathy of something like Heaven Knows What. The two differ beyond that (the Safdies have never made anything this sparse), but it was immediate reference point for me and helped me "get there" way quicker than I otherwise would have.

Beyond anything else, I find this to be a story of resilience. Sometimes things really suck, but there we are eating and laughing right after. I think we're all tougher than we give ourselves credit for, even when we shouldn't need to be.

The titular scene is one of the year's best. Just stellar.

11. The Assistant

There is so much that this movie does extraordinarily well. The fluorescent lighting, the cluttered sound, the tight and uncomfortable framing, the drab color palette, the decision to omit basic details like names and faces. Very little of the film is dedicated to dialogue between two characters on screen, lending it a fly-on-the-wall feel that's perfect. The all-in-a-day format, and cloistered setting, makes the tight runtime seem much longer than 87 minutes. I felt trapped by this movie, which is absolutely its intent.

I know the film is about much more than this, but I want to say that I don't know that I've seen a movie that better captures stress and being at a job you absolutely hate. Honestly, this movie is what depression feels like for me, all the way down to the loss of appetite. One of the most deflating movies I've ever seen (which is a complement in this case).

10. Dick Johnson Is Dead

Smart, loving, and beautiful. And packs a few absolutely mammoth scenes.

09. On The Rocks

I'm not even sure I can validate how much I enjoyed this, but I did. I found this to be completely charming and fun, even while it seems to struggle to make a clear statement in its closing beats. Sometimes movies just really work for you.

One thing I can articulate is how pretty it is. And, as if a crowded New York City weren't enough of a COVID taunt, they had to take us to Mexican beaches. I need to get out of my house.

08. Bad Education

So glad this was a movie and not a documentary or a Netflix true crime series or something. In a normal world, these types of stories are a 60 Minutes segment, or if we're lucky, a sexy magazine feature. (This is "based on" a New York Magazine article, after all.) But this works so well as a narrative feature film. I love these kinds of "journalism dramas" and they did a stunningly good job making some relatively dry embezzlement seem riveting and fully formed.

I've never really thought much about Hugh Jackman, but this appears to be his wheelhouse. He, like the film itself, does a lot of little things brilliantly. This is really kind of "sneaky good"—a favorite quality of mine in film. I just love Geraldine Viswanathan here. And major bonus points for adding another chapter to the Ray Romano-ssaince.

TIER 2: I MAY NOT BE BRAVE ENOUGH YET

Sometimes there are movies I half-expect to love more once I live with them. Last year it was Waves Little Women, and (most notably) The Last Black Man in San Francisco. The following movies didn’t crack my top tier but I wouldn’t be shocked if I re-visted them in February to discover they’re actually some of 2020’s very best. (Rated 4 stars.)

07. Sound of Metal

Paul Raci's character (brilliant, by the way) tells our protagonist that God shows up in the moments of stillness. Not only that message the film's heart and soul, but it also encapsulates the way I feel about Sound of Metal. This is good movie that becomes really great in those little moments, and I kind of wish there were more of them. Its patience is wonderful.

As someone who absolutely adores Marder and Cianfrance's work in The Place Beyond the Pines, I knew I'd like this. Sure enough, there's a lot of that film in this one. I'd imagine I'll like this even more when I get around to rewatching.

Riz Ahmed is so, so damn good here. He was also in Nightcrawler, which is interesting because it feels like this is headed for a similar sort of cult following.

06. Soul

The comparisons to Inside Out are coming. That's a movie I feel like I enjoyed less than most. Pixar excels at weaving its themes into everyday stories, so a movie that sacrifices all of the subtlety for on-the-nose personification of those themes seemed to defeat the purpose.

I think Soul returns to those waters but bridges the gaps nicely, almost coming off as a tuned-up sequel to that movie. It'll need a revisit in 2021, but it immediately joins the studio's top-tier.

Their art direction just sings here. It might be their prettiest movie.

05. Mank

Not really what I expected (though I had no idea what to expect) but still really beautiful and clever.

It's fascinating this is premiering on Netflix. I can’t wait to see how it will do. I have no idea what degree of understanding the average person will enter this with (I caught on eventually), but once it becomes clear what Fincher is getting at, it's pretty special.

04. First Cow

I love period pieces, but unfortunately it seems like most of them are either costume dramas or war movies. There's just something special about convincingly old settings filled with subtle human stories. (Not that The Witch is always subtle, but its setting filled me with a similar feeling.)

It’s a movie set in the past that might have more to say about our present than anything else on this list.

The camerawork here isn't the type that will garner attention, but this is a beautiful film. I'm a total sucker for showy, LOOK AT ME cinematography, and this is intentionally opposite in the very best way. I'd survive two days in a frontier setting but the imagery (and cozy score) here was rich and exciting enough that it has me wanting to go live off the land. It's a shame I wasn't able to see this in a theater. I want to swim in this movie.

TIER 1: I KNOW A GOOD ONE WHEN I SEE IT

These are movies that, whether I expected it or not, immediately entered the year’s upper echelon when I watched them the first time (Rated 4.5 stars.)

03. Boys State

Absolutely electric. Not only an incredible lens into partisan politics, but a look at America, Texas, high school, masculinity, and summer camp. It’s so laser-sharp and dramatically satisfying that it almost becomes a weakness. Reality is rarely this tidy, even in its messiness, so I automatically distrust true stories this pitch-perfect. I also never really know how to rate or review documentaries, but I know a really good one when I see it. This is it.

02. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

I enjoyed this the first time I saw it, but I immediately knew ranking it alongside other movies would be futile until I watched again. So I did. And like all of Charlie Kaufman's work, it really opens up on a rewatch.

I'm obsessed with the way this attempts to pick apart the interiority of someone through another's perspective. It's like looking straight ahead and trying to focus on something in your periphery. You can see it, but without your direct focus it's hard to be too sure what's going on over there. And (in one of my favorite moments) the movie taunts this frustrating lack of certainty by breaking the fourth wall, looking you directly in the eyes as it slips through your grasp. When you watch a lot of movies you learn to cherish these daring moments that knock you off your axis.

I still feel like I'm barely scratching the surface here, but now that I've watched it twice I feel content enough to let it rest for a while. It may not be the most forwardly entertaining, but this might be the best (or at least the most interesting) film given a wide release in 2020. That closing scene is quite an exclamation point.

01. Palm Springs

This might be the least pretentious thing I’ve ever done on one of these lists. In a year without a clear runaway winner, I’m just going to go with a very good movie that was also my most enjoyable movie watching experience of the year. (I’m making it sound like Palm Springs didn’t earn this spot, which is not the case. But last year this movie would’ve probably been #4 or #5.)

If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading here and just watch it on Hulu. It’s short and should appeal to just about anyone.

Palm Springs scared me with how much I loved it. It fits in a category with one of my ultimate favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's less heady but way more happy. It's just so watchable—a relentless 90 minutes of humor and possibility that finds a new wrinkle before you have an instant to get bored with the previous one.

The decision to put more people into the well-worn movie trope is so simple and so obvious that it's incredible it hasn't been executed like this before. It creates a whole different type of movie, one that's concerned less with learning about one's self than it is with exploring the illogical magic that, in a world that's seemingly endless, some of us manage to stumble across one person to wake up every day forever with. Marriage rocks.

For 27 years we've been stuck in a world where Groundhog Day is the best time loop movie. Max Barbakow just found a way out.

Favorite Movies of 2020