2020’s Top 5 Films: Tough year for the industry but great films still seen
2020 was a tough year for the film industry and cinemas.
As the pandemic swept the world, productions were abandoned and big studios started to pull their films from the release schedule.
The hotly anticipated No Time To Die was the first to be postponed, kicking off the start of big blockbusters being pulled. Films such as Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984 were pushed back until later in the year. Then the decision to move Bond’s release until April 2021 was the final straw for some cinema franchises and struggling independents, who had been counting on Bond to fill the seats and sell tickets.
Amid all the gloom, 2020 still saw some great cinema as films started making its way to streaming services. Here’s a look at some of our favourite films of 2020.
TENET
Over the summer it seemed like there would be no blockbusters this year. But Christopher Nolan, a supporter of the film-going experience, stubbornly released Tenet in socially-distanced cinemas in August. The film that no one really understands, brought cinema-goers back to the seats and performances from Robert Pattinson and John David Washington were praised globally. Tenet’s thrilling action sequences were a delight to see on the big screen.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Amazon brought us Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie. The plot sees Maria Bakalova playing Borat’s cage-dwelling daughter Tutar, who he hopes to offer to a high-ranking Republican as a gift. In America, Tutar is transformed from a “Notsy” into a “Hotsy.”
In new fancy clothes and a new fake name of “Sarah Jessica Parker Drummond,” she attends a debutantes ball. The film is beautifully absurd and a mirror-held up to today’s world.
ROCKS
This film, brought to us by Netflix, tells the story of a British-Nigerian teenager Shola (or Rocks to her friends) and her quest to protect her brother when their mum goes AWOL. The film starred Bukky Bukray and real-life school kids handpicked for the film. A fresh depiction of London seen on the big screen in a long time.
Parasite
Bong Joon-ho’s film Parasite made its way onto Amazon in 2020. The Oscar-winning film is a satire about the rich and poor swapping lives. It is a perfectly paced film that is full of tightly controlled twists and builds up into a frenzy of violence. The film has a lot to say about class and privilege, without ever feeling didactic.
1917
My favourite film on the list is Sam Menezes, 1917, which found a home on Amazon this year. The simple story of two WW1 soldiers attempting to deliver a message across No Man’s Land was a technical masterpiece. The film followed Lance Corporals Scholfield and Blake in an immersive experience that was made to look like one long shot. It should have won the oscar.
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