Tarek’s Top Ten Films of 2020

This year was unexpected and uncharted. Many films were transitioned to streaming or experienced postponed release dates. Cinemas closed, opened with limitations, and then closed again. Many communities were fortunate to have new opportunities to see movies in freshly created or revived outdoor film venues, including restored drive-in locations, pop-up drive-ins in parking lots or stadiums, and outdoor movies in gardens or back-yards. Those experiences were not the same as sitting comfortably in a traditional movie theatre, but thanks to technology and limits on some rules impacting films being lifted, I was still able view many great films during the pandemic. While I am eagerly waiting to see movies that have been postponed, here is my top ten films of 2020!

• The Trial of the Chicago 7: This was an experience I was thankful to have in a theatre a couple of days before it came to Netflix. During this time frame, I was eager to return to Landmark Century Centre Cinemas in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. It has always been my favorite location for art-house flicks and is always dependable showing great movies.As luck would have it, I saw this film on a whim with no real expectations. However, when the film began, I quickly became hooked on all the elements in this adaptation which is based on the true story of the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention. Writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s work soars with spectacle. The dialogue is top-notch, and the suspenseful and legal situations are so real.  The acting by Eddie Redmayne, Frank Langella, Sacha Baron Cohen, and many other celebrities is heroic and breathtaking. This film spoke to me at a time when my mind had not been on cinema news due to my ongoing frustrations with the pandemic and current politics. The Trial of the Chicago 7 left me with many mixed emotions since this is a true story, and everything about it just blew me away.  

• First Cow: The goal, plot and period of this film moves through vast scenery in a time of limited resources. The movie’s recipe for success involved a cook and a Chinese immigrant trying to grow a business and make a profit in Oregon. The film may seem quiet, but it moves effectively through its foundation-building between the two characters, King-Lu and Cookie (Orion Lee and John Magaro). It is a film about building trust and success with limited access to technology and is thorough as it shows the challenges that both cultures must go through to achieve success. Director Kelly Reichardt delivers a captivatingly beautiful film of trial and error. It is magnificent.

• Nomadland: This was a drive-in experience that was simply amazing. I saw it at an outdoor venue as part of the Chicago International Film Festival. Given that it was October, there was something very invigorating about viewing the film’s rural Nevada scenery in an outdoor setting. The film is about the life of an individual after the 2008 recession and the performance is brilliantly done by Frances McDormand. The movie portrays the reality of life for those who face hard times in an economic crash and how they find ways to stay on their feet despite financial constraints. McDormand’s character lives out of her van and works at a warehouse and barely gets by, but she makes the best of it. The concept of never giving up spoke to me with Nomadland, especially because so many Americans are currently in crisis like the main character is due to the pandemic. I felt the directing by Chloe Zhao made Nomadland hit close to home for many individuals, but in a positive way.

• On the Rocks: Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite directors because of her 2003 masterpiece Lost in Translation. On the Rocks is like Lost in Translation in many ways because of the concept of finding reconnection. Bill Murray plays the father of Rashida Jones, and Rashida Jones is someone who feels she is not paid attention to by her husband who is played by Marlon Wayans. Murray’s character is a heartfelt, but also egotistical father. He tries to find connection with his daughter again, but in the weirdest of ways ranging from trying to spy on her husband to going on crazy adventures. In spite of his egotistical behavior, he also shows generosity.  Overall, it is a touching movie about the reconnection between daughter and father, while also trying to find the right answers for later in life.

• Never Rarely Sometimes Always: This is a film that may leave viewers feeling that the adolescent issues hit close to home. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a nail-biter filled with many emotions. The story of a teen who is pregnant with a life she feels disconnected from takes the risks to go from Pennsylvania to New York to have an abortion with her cousin tagging along for support.  Autumn (played by Sidney Flanigan) takes strides to try to dismiss this big deal of a problem due to how her home-life already is. Her cousin Skylar (played by Talia Ryder) wants to be the best support, but with both being under 18 with very little money, the challenges they face in the big city of New York result in a range of emotions and obstacles. Director and writer Eliza Hittman delivers a film about trying to determine what is right to do in negative situations, but her directing also reminds viewers that it is never a bad idea to ask for help.

• David Byrne’s American Utopia: This concert film had me jamming with positivity as it blew me out of the water. The directing, the choreography, and the songs were all amazing and I felt it was the virtual experience that I needed. With most live events being cancelled or on hold due to the pandemic, this one really lifted my spirits. Although different for director Spike Lee, this film is breathtaking and incredible. The different fragments of the concert, the great music that many know from The Talking Heads, and the presentation were all just terrific.  I enjoyed it so much that I still find myself listening to the music from this film.

• Da 5 Bloods: Director Spike Lee delivers again in this war thriller that is structured with history mixed with fiction, and it is one hell of a thrill ride. The film gears on African American Vets who plan to finish a treasure hunt from a fallen squad member. The vets are Paul (played by Delroy Lindo), Otis (played by Clarke Peters), Eddie (played by Norm Lewis), and Melvin (played by Isiah Whitlock). The fallen squad leader is Chadwick Boseman who was incredible in this war phenomenon. (May he rest in peace). The hunt has many unexpected moments, but where the brilliance comes into play is the remaining parts of the Vietnam War, and how the Vets still possess such aggressive and violent behavior which fills this treasure hunt with many emotions. Da 5 Bloods will challenge its viewers incessantly due to the many unexpected outcomes that will blow audiences away.

• The Nest: This was a film of tension and egotistical behaviors. Despite its darkness, director Sean Durkin delivers a seeping and sallow journey through the eyes of Rory O’Hara and Allison O’Hara (played by Jude Law and Carrie Coon). The film is set in the 1980s and Rory is an entrepreneur with many hopes and aspirations.  He moves his family into an English country manor believing he is successful with his career. His wife, Allison, questions the decision but goes along with it. As their time living in the manor goes on, tensions begin as Allison discovers unexplained debts. Those debts and stressors only get worse as Rory continues to remind Allison that he is going to make them a wealthy family. Sadly, much of what he explains is inaccurate, and more disasters arise. The Nest is about trying to find what is right, but also wanting to believe others. The conflict between Law and Coon in this powerful drama had me glued to my seat, and I could not help but wonder what the outcomes of the many debts would be.

• Mank:  Many of director David Fincher’s films involve a unique pattern of mesmerizing directing, cinematography, and storytelling usually accomplished through technology. Mank is not a suspense thriller like we are used to from Fincher, but instead a biography and true adaptation that is surreal. His father, Jack Fincher, wrote the screenplay but passed away a few years ago. Jack Fincher lived in the era of Herman J. Mankiewicz and the film is made through the eyes of Fincher’s father. Mank gears on the early days of Herman J. Mankiewicz (played by Gary Oldman), and it focuses on the early days of Citizen Kane and the film industry in the 1930s. The dark moments in the film are amplified by the use of faded cinematography as it continues through the sad, angry, and irritated life Herman J. Mankiewicz (Mank for short). Now I loved this biopic, but it was different for Fincher because you need to pay close attention to the dialogue and various scenarios. Oldman delivers the performance of his career, and the filmmaking could not be better to fit the time frame of the 1930s. I found myself astonished by its knockout directing and acting and clearly feel it is a masterpiece. 

• The King of Staten Island: This was a comedy that I wish more comedies were like these days. Directed by Judd Apatow, The King of Staten Island gears on the life of Scott (played by Pete Davidson), a young man who struggles to grapple with grief, drug abuse, and being a tattoo artist after the death of his father at a young age. It is a faithful and honest comedy that is based on Davidson’s life. Sadly, his father died on 9/11. This film is an honest representation of Davidson today and he fits the role perfectly with his bizarre humor and crazy scenarios. Marisa Tomei plays his mother, and Bill Burr plays the boyfriend of his mother. These three actors make The King of Staten Island a hysterical yet touching comedy that will have many laughing until it hurts.

While 2020 was not the year we expected for movies, we had to adjust our expectations and find films that were entertaining, especially since many of the ones we were expecting have still not been released and others went right to streaming due to cinemas being closed. Despite the challenges, I did my best to ensure I had memorable movie experiences. I hope that 2021 brings us some light, we can catch what we have been waiting for, and that there are more brilliant movie experiences ahead.

.

Realism, resources, and poverty are the key elements that make up Nomadland’s emotional theme. Director Chloe Zhao chose real-life nomads, and their performances are so authentic that viewers are able to see the emotions from their own life and hardship in this deep motion picture drama. This moving film is powerfully invigorating with its setting featuring life after the Great Recession in rural Nevada. Frances McDormand plays Fern, someone who strives to make ends meet no matter the cost. She delivers a legendary performance in this heartbreaking ride of doubts, financial constraints, and planning for the future in a dark time. Nomadland leaves a trail of questions.

In Nomadland, the introduction focuses on Fern, a middle-aged woman who lost everything in the Great Recession and is on a journey to start over again. She lives in a van and works at an Amazon warehouse to try to get by. Fern has adapted to living in her van and learning to be resourceful as she journeys through the American West. Fern hopes that she can find a path to regaining a life of normalcy again. The friends she makes along the way are the ones who are real nomads. Those real nomads are Gay and Linda (played by Gay DeForest and Linda May). They have adapted to believing their nomadic life of poverty is their new normal, but Fern has bigger aspirations.  The question is whether she can financially overcome her challenges.

The struggles in Nomadland, especially the financial constraints that Fern encounters, are partially due to how rural Nevada lacks the resources for assistance she needs. There are times where her vehicle is glitchy and times where she realizes her health may not be the greatest.  During these scenes, the cinematography is faded with cold blue skies and the mountains of Nevada. The film’s artistic and dramatic direction portrays that the journey for Fern is much harder than she realizes. It is a journey of heartfelt moments and emotional realizations and the film’s storyline and scenery left me breathless by how captivating it was.

In this leading role, Frances McDormand has the talent and attitude required to deliver a outstanding performance as a woman determined to not give up on life. She has the serious looks, the intense attitude, and the attention-grabbing voice which combine to make Nomadland believable. As she says in the film, “It’s strange that you encounter people who invest their whole life savings, go into debt, just to buy a house they can’t afford.” Her honesty and realistic tone send the message about what she may be trying to pursue despite the hardship she has endured taking a toll on her character. It is emotionally riveting!  Nomadland is a film of sorrow and joy that I found to be a true artistic masterpiece. I believe that McDormand’s role is Oscar-worthy, and that Zhao has made her mark with a film that explores values, beliefs, and morals that her audience will cherish. Four stars.

David Fincher is a director who is all about silhouettes, repeated action-take shots, faded scoring, and cinematography.  He is an auteur director who found his inspiration to be a filmmaker from the George Roy Hill classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). In Mank, Fincher’s well-known film elements are there, however, this movie is different than what his fans normally love. His father, Jack Fincher (who was born in 1930 and died in 2003), wrote the screenplay for Mank based on the era in which he lived. Mank is a biographical setup with black and white cinematography. The film is a true story that transitions between present and past through the life of Herman J. Mankiewicz (played by Gary Oldman), called Mank for short. The performance by Oldman as Mank is enthralling. Mank’s connections and subsequent withdrawals with various people in the era of 1930s Hollywood is thought-provoking. The luminous story is where the film is a triumph due to the brilliant acting by Oldman and directing by Fincher.

The plot of the film is solely focused on Herman J. Mankiewicz. Throughout the film, the movie business is featured during an era when there were no technological advancements. The film shows Mank in many endeavors ranging from coming up with film ideas for success to determining what studios are looking for.  Most importantly, the story is about Mank trying to achieve accomplishments in the film industry, while also dealing with his alcohol abuse. The other characters question Mank and his behavior throughout the movie.  They include Marion Davies (played by Amanda Seyfried), Rita Alexander (played by Lily Collins), Charles Lederer (played by Joseph Cross), William Randolph Hearst (played by Charles Dance), and many other important characters who question his decisions. The worrisome, yet entertaining factor is that the scenes take place during the development of the Orson Welles’ classic Citizen Kane (which officially released in 1941). Oldman has the sense of humor, the looks, and the egotistical manner which defines his performance and makes it Oscar-worthy.

I found myself having to pay more attention to Mank to stay interested. Most of Fincher’s films hold your attention with his action scenes and harrowing moments.  To be entertained by Mank, it requires viewers closely follow the story and the characters. While watching the film, I had to focus on the conversations and the various conflicts to keep myself abreast of the premise.  Mank’s erratic humor can almost lead towards disbelief. “But you sir, how formidable people like you might be if they actually gave at the office.” This quote is from a conversation with one of the filmmakers and it truly shows that everyone associated with Mank knows he is a self-absorbed cynical jerk much of the time. Mank does not care, and that is where I found the movie captivating.  Specifically, he keeps pushing to take risks with his films and his health issues in order to make bank in a time when Hollywood’s focus was on the content speaking to audiences over the plot of films.

Mank is brilliant with its acting, its story, and its structure, but it is quiet. I enjoyed it, but not as much as originally expected.  Some portions were rewarding mainly due to the cinematography, the writing, and how faithful it is to the life of Herman J. Mankiewicz through the eyes of David Fincher and his father. I believe that it is an essential film that simply requires viewers to think…a lot.  Three stars.