When we created last year’s preview of 2020 movies we were pretty sure we were going to have some great movies this year, but we were surprised by what ended up being the best, mainly because what were to be the big box office hits were delayed to 2021 because of the covid pandemic. All year we wondered what we’d get to see and what we wouldn’t–and thanks to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and similar streaming services, an impressive array of movies kept us entertained, especially by way of genre content. Ultimately we think the Best Movies of 2020 will stand up against any other year.
Genredom. As always, we’re after the best genre content of the year–with our top categories from the Best in Movies. There are thousands of other places that cover plain vanilla dramas and the rest of the film world, but here we’re looking for movies we want to watch. What do all of this year’s selections have in common? In addition to those elements that define each part of genredom, each has a good story. Special effects without a good story is not good entertainment, and we saw plenty of films this year that missed that crucial element.
Come back tomorrow for our best on television and later this week for our print media picks and our annual borg Hall of Fame inductees. And if you missed it, check out our Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines of 2020 here. Wait no further, here are the Best Movies of 2020:
Best Film, Best Sci-Fi Film, Best Drama, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Writing, Best Suspense/Thriller, Best Retro Fix – The Vast of Night (Amazon Prime). The man of many hats, writer-director-producer-editor Andrew Patterson dazzled us this year with the sleeper sci-fi film The Vast of Night, from Amazon Prime. Amazon hadn’t before stunned us with a feature film, but this one sure blew us away. We knew this was the #1 science fiction offering of the year at first viewing, but when we went back and watched films again, it also stood out as the clear winner for top prize. Part American Graffiti, part The Twilight Zone and The X-Files, and filmed as faithfully to the era as a Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece (with Orson Welles flair), this story sneaks up on the audience thanks in part to its two talented young lead actors. The script is impeccable and rich, dotted with great jargon that dances artfully like music from the characters’ lips. Expert Chilean cinematographer Miguel Menz adds just the right lighting and camera angles for a film we hope can get recognized by the Oscars, if only so we can see more of these filmmakers and actors in the future. Honorable mention for Best Sci-Fi Film: Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Netflix).
Best Borg Movie, Best Superhero Movie, Best Borg – Bloodshot (Sony Pictures). The story of slain soldier Ray Garrison provided the year’s best look at life as a borg. What do you do with cybernetic enhancements, how do you use them, and what toll does take from your humanity? Jeff Wadlow’s story really kicked in once the audience slides into the plot twist. The Six Million Dollar Man didn’t get to decide to get his bionics, and neither does Ray. Once you give up control of yourself to someone else, more and more of you vanishes. Especially if the person in control is using you as a tool of evil. The best superhero films tend to be about the B-level superheroes, and Bloodshot proved that true again this year. Honorable mention for Best Superhero Movie: The New Mutants (20th Century Studios).
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