Col Needham’s Best Movies of 2020
by Col Needham
This is drawn from a longer list of all my 9/10 and 10/10 movies from 2020 (choosing just 10 is really difficult) and I also have a few hotly tipped 2020 movies left to see, notably News of the World (2020), The Midnight Sky (2020) and Soul (2020).
A companion list contains my Hidden Gem Movies of 2020.
If your IMDb vote history is up-to-date then you can see your own list via these search results.
#1 No spoilers, do not worry. I had extremely high expectations for the latest movie from Christopher Nolan as the director of all-time #2 favourite movie, Inception (2010) especially as Tenet had been billed as a kind of spirtual sequel. I was not disappointed.
The viewing experience was further enhanced because it was the first film I had seen in a cinema since March due to the pandemic.
#2 I am a long-time fan of Aaron Sorkin's writing and the last film which he directed, Molly's Game (2017) made #3 in my Top 10 of 2017 list. He is back here, bigger & better with an ambitious adaptation of the famed trial with a phenominal cast.
Watched (twice) on Netflix in our home cinema.
#3 This is a delicious revenge thriller with a message, along with some twisted humour. Emerald Fennell writes & directs her first feature film and is clearly a talent to watch. Carey Mulligan is, once again, wonderful in the lead role.
This was my favourite film of Sundance 2020 and then I rewatched it via an awards season screening in the home cinema followed by a fascinating Q&A with Emerald and several of the cast.
#4 This is a wonderful love story set in the 1950s and brilliantly made in the style of the time by writer / director, Eugene Ashe. This will take you right back to the magic of Douglas Sirk yet from a new perspective.
Seen at Sundance 2020 where it received a rapturous welcome.
#5 Francis Lee follows his award-winning debut with a Victorian love story featuring exceptional performances by Kate Winslet & Saoirse Ronan.
This was another special viewing experience as the only other film I have seen in a cinema since March (see #1). This was a socially-distanced screening at The Watershed Cinema in Bristol and was the closing night of the (otherwise virtual) BFI London Film Festival which neatly coincided with IMDb's 30th birthday on 17 October. A different, yet great way to celebrate the anniversary under the circumstances.
#6 They definitely had me at "hello" when I heard David Fincher would be directing a script by Jack Fincher about the writing of Citizen Kane (1941). The execution is near-perfect and the film plays as if someone unearthed a prequel to Kane which had been hidden in a box since 1941. A marvel to watch. Amanda Seyfried is amazing as Marion Davies.
Seen in the home cinema via an early awards season preview from Netflix along with a Q&A with the director and cast.
#7 This film plays as crazy as its plot outline describes and balances drama and comedy to create a moving experience.
Originally selected for Cannes 2020 and seen in the home cinema as part of the (virtual) BFI London Film Festival.
#8 Regina King brings style and vision to her directorial debut based upon Kemp Powers' adaptation of his own 2013 play. An ensemble cast delivers excellent performances in this powerful and relevant film.
Seen in our home cinema at the (virtual) Toronto International Film Festival.
#9 This is a fascinating true story directed by Philippa Lowthorpe with a fabulous cast, including the super-talented Jessie Buckley in another chameleon-like performance.
Seen just before lockdown at a special BFI preview and then again as a (virtual) cinema trip with the IMDb Bristol team.
#10 Josephine Decker directs Elisabeth Moss playing Shirley Jackson based on a novel by Susan Scarf Merrell ... what more can I say? Odessa Young is also excellent.
A Sundance and London Film Festival title which I was able to see in the home cinema.
