Doug's Favorite Movies of 2020

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Soul

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart  

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Beastie Boys Story

Palm Springs

 

Sound of Metal

Features a strong performance by Riz Ahmed and shows us a subculture we’ve never seen before. But the story lacks resolution, and the hero makes choices that don’t make sense. It’s as though the filmmakers ran out of time, and had to wrap it up as quickly as possible. Still, the great, committed showing from Riz will receive accolades.

The Pixar Story

A really warm-hearted and loving doc about the animation studio, made before the Lassiter “unwanted hugs” scandal, so it’s a bit dated. You really have to admire all of these people for what they achieved, and how quickly.

Ghost in the Shell

Second viewing, but this time in the 3-D Oculus movie theater (using the "Bigscreen" App). Still a great looking movie, especially in that 3-D. Picture and sound was great, but relies on a strong wifi signal and a charged battery. Is this the future of movie viewing? Probably not. But a cool, one-off experience.

Wonder Woman 1984

This is a perfectly suitable superhero yarn with lots of running and fighting. The main villain, a sleazy tv salesman (Pedro Pascal), who bears a striking resemblance to a certain twice-impeached, evil, blonde-haired charlatan, becomes exceedingly dangerous when he develops mind control. The world becomes a bunch of selfish, crazed assholes and Diana: Princess of the Amazons can only stop it by fighting with Kristin Wiig, for some reason. It’s nothing to write home about, and lacks some of the exhilarating badassery of the first movie, but it’s an acceptable Christmas diversion. Would it have been funner in theaters? Yes. But I’m grateful to HBO for making it available.

Soul

Pete Docter is a thinker, that one. He challenges himself to manifest dreams, anxieties, and complications of the human psyche more than most contemporary artists; depicting with childlike simplicity the roots of human motivation. By doing so, he also pushes feature animation to its greatest potential. Sure, it’s nice to see pretty colors and hyper-real scenery. But to create a character out of a cynical, unfinished “soul” who has yet to find her “spark” is a deep dive. And to animate that idea into a little talking blob filled with existential angst, and make her relatable to a mass audience, is a rousing ambition. Despite all the marketing and brouhaha, this isn’t about JAZZ. It could be about anything in the human spectrum; what they sometimes call "the calling." But sure: the music is good, and the animated depiction of music is cool. But the big swing for the emotional fences is what makes this special. Certainly one of the best movies of the year.

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

One of the better music docs of late, and we’ve watched several. It teaches you a lot about the background of the band, their childhood and their relationship. It’s very personal, but it also dips into the technical, nuts-and-bolts music recording bits, too. An excellent example of its type of thing and a fun watch.

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

A sad and poignant music doc about the lead singer of the Pogues. A nice introduction to the music, and a revealing look at MacGowan, but it’s not celebratory. He had a rough life, and it shows.

Mank

Great looking and great sounding movie, but I wish I’d been sitting next to a Hollywood film historian as I watched this so I could ask questions and get clarifications. It assumes the viewer knows a lot of the history already, which can be frustrating. Performances are all top-notch and, like the cinematography, will probably get a bunch of nominations. But there's something aloof and impersonal about this -- watching a drunk rant from afar. Filmmakers here are always keeping the audience at an arm's length, and you sometimes wish it was somehow more intimate. Nevertheless, a grand and high-caliber entertainment.