Top 11 Films of 2020

2020 is going to go down as a historic year, especially for the arts. The pandemic shut down productions for months. Theatres and cinemas have been closed for most of a year. Even the Academy Awards had to acknowledge the validity of streaming releases for films so enough films could be eligible for the awards.

My Top Films list has rarely cared about critical acclaim or other awards recognition. I include any narrative, edited, or conceived piece of media at least an hour long in run time to set my standard for inclusion. This year’s list is presented in alphabetical order except for the ultimate winner.

1BR

1BR is a great apartment gothic film. A woman moves into an idyllic apartment complex where everyone cares for everyone else. Then she finds out that signing the lease is only the first step to true acceptance. This is disturbing and aggressive in ways traditional Gothic narratives rarely explore, and that’s what makes it so special and terrifying.

1BR is streaming on Netflix.

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

I think Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is one of the greatest superhero films of all time. Harley Quinn is a fascinating character and an exceptional unreliable narrator. The skips in time, logic, and tone play with her mental status throughout the film, allowing her to offer insight or absurdity in equal measure as she reclaims her own life and narrative from the influence of the Joker. This film is beautiful to watch, with incredible costumes, set designs, and fight sequences.

Birds of Prey…is streaming on HBOMax and available to buy on all digital platforms.

Canceling

Natalie Wynn’s feature length video essay exploring cancel culture is a must-watch documentary. She explores the general concept, then dives deep into her “canceling” caused by expressing her own feelings about gender identity as a trans woman and casting an actor to do voiceover work who, himself, had previously been cancelled for controversial statements on gender identity as a trans man. Part documentary, part editorial, part personal essay, and part apology, Canceling is one of the most important films of 2020.

Canceling is available on YouTube.

Guns Akimbo

Did I think I’d fall so hard for a slapstick horror/comedy/action/thriller film about an internet troll getting guns bolted to his hands to force him to play a deadly game? No. I mean, I love a good deadly game film, but this looked ridiculous; I was right. It’s ridiculous in the best ways possible and elevated by excellent acting, measured directing, and a great sense of style.

Guns Akimbo is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Hamilton

The filmed version of the Broadway megahit musical Hamilton is one of the greatest movie musicals of all time. Y’all can argue all you want to about whether it’s really a film. I’ll be here with a bucket of popcorn living for every glorious moment of this perfectly shot, edited, and performed musical. Do you know how hard it is to actually film theatrical lights and make them match what you’d see live? Hamilton is a film teetering the line between documentary and adaptation, bringing new meaning and reach to one of the most influential musicals of all time.

Hamilton is streaming on Disney+.

Onward

I’m a sucker for animated fantasy and urban fantasy. Disney mixed them both together in Onward, the touching story of two brothers trying to use their newly uncovered magical powers to bring their father back using a spell he created to see his children when they grow up. Come for the greatest animated character of all time (the Manticore, who should star in her own film yesterday), stay for the year’s best animated film about life, death, grieving, and finding your purpose.

Onward is streaming on Disney+.

Promising Young Woman

Revenge films are one of my strongest genres as a horror fan. I seek them out to study and explore how creators balance grief, trauma, mental wellness, and satisfaction. Promising Young Woman is messy by design, and I lived for every moment. Carey Mulligan gives one of the greatest performances of her career as a woman tearing down the patriarchy one sexually abusive man at a time.

Promising Young Woman is in theaters now and will be available to rent in January.

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

Did I think a documentary about the star of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge would be one of the most important queer documentaries of all time? No. Am I glad it is? Absolutely. The story of Mark Patton’s rise and fall from grace in Hollywood is the driving force of a narrative that pulls back the curtain of Hollywood’s abusive and homophobic behavior during the height of the AIDS crisis.

Scream, Queen…is streaming on Shudder.

The Turning

Floria Sigismondi’s The Turning is auteur horror cinema. This is the most terrifying adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, taking all the subtext of the story and literally painting the walls with it. The 90s grunge aesthetic, set shortly after Kurt Cobain’s death by suicide, is a provocative choice. It grounds a story of tragedy, loss, and uncertainty in the lives of young people and children in the context of a national tragedy that cemented a generational divide in America. You were either devastated about the loss of Kurt Cobain or had no idea who he was or why anyone would listen to grunge. The Turning is a video installation with a loose narrative structure and I still think about it 11 months later.

The Turning is streaming on Showtime and available to buy or rent on all digital platforms.

We Summon the Darkness

I always have to give credit to a horror film that pulls of an act one twist exceptionally well. We Summon the Darkness is one of the greatest acts of misdirection in all of horror cinema. Three young women on a road trip to see a heavy metal concert meet up with three young men who want to keep the party going. We Summon the Darkness is campy and scary in equal measure, embracing the excess of 80s alt/metal style and the influence of televangelists on daily life in America.

We Summon the Darkness is streaming on Netflix.

Top Film of 2020:

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, adapted from August Wilson’s play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, is one of the greatest stageplay adaptations of all time. The story of the Queen of the Blues trying to record a new album under the meddling hands of white producers who don’t understand her power is incredible. Everything from the cast to the costumes to the sound design makes this an unforgettable cinematic experience.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is streaming on Netflix.

My new book of horror criticism #31Days is available on Ko-fi, Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Kobo. This collection features 65 new and expanded essays on horror films and television series, including new editions of the Scream, Queen and Guns Akimbo reviews.