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Post by StevePulaski on Jan 9, 2021 16:10:05 GMT -5
My Favorite Films of 2020:  Alan Kim in Minari.
My full review of Minari: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6602/minari
2. Shithouse: Don't be fooled by its acidic title: Shithouse is a disarmingly sweet film about a sensitive soul navigating the treacherous waters of college. Among everything it does well, perhaps its best play is positing its dichotomous leads in an empathetic way, justifying their respective outlooks to life and romance in a refreshingly mature manner. In many ways, this film felt like a documentary of my first year of college, however I promise that's not the sole reason for my high praise.
My full review of Shithouse: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6574/shithouse
3. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: With Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, all eyes will understandably be on Chadwick Boseman, who gives the performance of his career, making it all the more upsetting it will be his last. Ordinarily stoic, Boseman is loose here; a freewheeling fool you can't tell nothing. His contagious spirit despite his own naivete makes him likable in spite of himself. Levee is a damn good musician, but as much as he loves to scold others for stepping on his fancy yellow shoes, he steps on his own feet more than anyone ever could. Boseman is magnetic, and it yet again reminds us we don't fully appreciate what/who we have until we don't.
My full review of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6603/ma-raineys-black-bottom
4. The Invisible Man: If you're going to dust off an age-old property — or any property you're looking to remake — this is how you make it shine. One of the many superb elements of The Invisible Man is you can view it through multiple lenses. It's effective as a surface-level work of horror/mystery and doubles as an unnerving look at the lingering effects of traumatic experiences and gaslighting. Moreover: it finally allows the great Elisabeth Moss a wider audience that will hopefully grant her the mainstream recognition she deserves.
My full review of The Invisible Man: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6393/invisible-man-2020
5. Driveways: As someone whose hermetic aunt with pack-rat tendencies just passed away earlier this year, Driveways hit closer-to-home moreso than I was expecting. The fact that its release comes not even a month after the death of esteemed character-actor Brian Dennehy makes it all the more poignant. A quiet film whose litany of small moments add up to a larger whole, Andrew Ahn's sophomore effort is a sneakily dense film about the value of intergenerational friendships and taking time in being comfortable in your own skin.
My full review of Driveways: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6449/driveways-2020
6. The Platform: Perhaps amidst a global pandemic, where in America, the divide between income inequality and access to healthcare has never been more glaring, a film where cannibalism and self-sacrifice is at the forefront is what we need. The Platform blends the contemptible human behavior of Lord of the Flies with the uncomfortable truths of capitalism ala Parasite and produces a nasty picture with some Samuel Beckett sprit added.
Check out my review of The Platform on Sleepless with Steve: youtu.be/cm7DXz4MLvg?t=896
7. Palm Springs: Palm Springs isn't your conventional Groundhog Day knockoff. Don't let your cynicism convince you otherwise. Co-writer Barkabow and Andy Siara find numerous ways to invite themes of relationships and existentialism into the familiar formula. This could very well be the most original American comedy since Colossal with its subversion of the time-loop concept and its whip-smart attitude. In a time when we feel like every day is bleeding into the next with little difference, seeing the formula evolve to include themes of love and existentialism (done well too) is inspiring, coupled with some career-best-level performances.
My full review of Palm Springs: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6481/palm-springs-2020
8. Bad Education: Cory Finley follows up his directorial debut Thoroughbreds with another great tale of unchecked sociopathy. Bad Education is a subdued look at two kinds of corruption: the kind entirely motivated by self-interest and status and the insidious kind, justified by those who convince themselves they have the best interest of others in mind. Hugh Jackman, in one of his finest performances, proves he truly is the greatest showman.
Check out my review of Bad Education on Sleepless with Steve: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybgv07oLMxk
9. Never Rarely Sometimes Always: If ardent pro-life people — or even those susceptible to have a hazy opinion on abortion — would cough up a measly six bucks to rent Never Rarely Sometimes Always, they might see the issue is not black-and-white. And, too, see a breakout debut performance from Sidney Flanigan. Not since Quinn Shephard in Blame have I seen a new actress make such a splash with her first notable role. Sometimes too broad and shortchanging in the depiction of its characters — particularly the males — but always engrossing.
My full review of Never Rarely Sometimes Always: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6467/never-rarely
10. Class Action Park: Class Action Park should stand as the quintessential work on the notorious amusement park responsible for many rip-roarin' good times but also a slew of injuries and deaths. Tucked away in the plains of Vernon, New Jersey, Action Park was like a right of passage for teenagers looking for an afternoon of unregulated fun. It was a popular attraction for local kids as well as those from neighboring New York and Connecticut during the 1980s when "here for a good time, not a long time" should've been the decade's unwritten motto. Class Action Park works as both a trip down memory lane and a painful reminder of the reality that people did indeed die at the amusement park. Even in people's fuzzy, nostalgic memories, both of those thoughts can and should coexist.
My full review of Class Action Park: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6513/class-action-park
Honorable Mentions: Charm City Kings, Finding Yingying, Mank |
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Post by StevePulaski on Jan 10, 2021 12:11:37 GMT -5
My Least Favorite Films of 2020:
 Ferdia Shaw in Artemis Fowl.
NOTE: Shockingly, I only had "five" films from this year I would categorically bill as "the worst of 2020." That said, I combed through some of my two-star reviews of the year and added a few to this list that maybe could've warranted half-a-star less. It's not the most unabashedly negative "worst list" I've ever made, but I hope it provides you with the same insight and entertainment I seek with every post!
1. Artemis Fowl: While Disney was scrambling to salvage a theatrical release for Mulan, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise in lieu of a pandemic, it's no wonder why they ignominiously dumped Artemis Fowl onto Disney+. Yet another property 15 years too late to the big screen, Eoin Colfer's beloved book series is shamefully lobotomized into a mess of worldbuilding only lacking a stamped guarantee it'll greatly disappoint patient fans and invite few others into the series' mystique. What it all amounts to is an origins story from a character we'll never see on screen again.
My full review of Artemis Fowl: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6461/artemis-fowl
2. Superintelligence: Superintelligence is intelligence in name only. It's another utterly loathsome effort from Ben Falcone, who continues to show a bizarre infatuation with having his wife, Melissa McCarthy, play pathetic characters in hair-brained comedies. Beyond the deceptively simple yet convoluted concept, it boasts an array of jokes that demand we laugh-at-not-with the characters, which is rarely fun. Save for some curious soundtrack choices (The Chordettes and Connie Francis, anyone?), this is embarrassing.
My full review of Superintelligence: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6586/superintelligence
3. Coffee & Kareem: For all the hate people gave Stuber, I suppose that same crowd needed to see what a *really* terrible action-comedy looks like. Outside of the sparingly funny quips from Terrence Little Gardenhigh, Coffee & Kareem boasts little in the way of effective comedy. Betty Gilpin is again commanding any given scene with her energy and timing, even selling the corny lines. Imagine how great she'll be when a screenplay around her finally matches her level. The rest is comic pablum.
Check out my review of Coffee & Kareem on Sleepless with Steve: youtu.be/s7n13lPhw6M?t=184
4. Like a Boss: When a film opens with a character talking about getting "presidential dick" from Barack Obama, you know you're in for a rough ride. For the following 83 minutes, Like a Boss limps along; a comedy with a shell of a plot and no idea where to take it or how to make it say something. Its most egregious offense is its flagrant unwillingness to recognize its potential as a commentary about women entrepreneurs. It's too busy having Tiffany Haddish make comments about her "coochie" and wasting the boundless charisma of Rose Byrne. A film with a gaggle of fun personalities should not be more insufferable than a bad sitcom.
My full review of Like a Boss: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6372/boss
5. I Still Believe: Following the strong and soulful I Can Only Imagine, the Erwin brothers have their back-to-Earth moment with I Still Believe, one of the worst faith-based flicks in recent memory and a rotten way for the genre to kick off a new decade. Here's a miserably saccharine effort that makes dying of ovarian cancer look like a stroll down a romantic riverwalk, with only the faintest glimmers of progressive questions posed before it's onto the next maudlin sequence. Where I Can Only Imagine kept its proselyting and holy-rolling to a minimum, I Still Believe references God and his alleged miracles so frequently it's a wonder if he'll be receiving royalty checks down the road.
My full review of I Still Believe: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6402/believe-2020
6. Scoob!: As bland as most Hanna-Barbera properties continue to be when you peel back the nostalgic foil, Scoob! is not much different from the myriad of direct-to-video installments that have kept the brand alive. I would've never guessed the silver-lining in a Scooby-Doo reboot would be the pathos, which is handled with just the right amount of sweetness and sentimentality to drive home how connectable these characters have been across now three generations. If this film has any lasting impact, it should be a reminder that next time we think of the early-2000s Scooby-Doo flicks — helmed by Freddie Prinze, Jr, Matthew Lillard, and a goofy-but-memorable computer generated Scooby — we should put a bit of respect on Raja Gosnell's name.
My full review of Scoob!: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6441/scoob
7. My Spy: My Spy and Stuber are more inextricably linked than you might assume. Because Dave Bautista looks and moves like the second coming of Steven Seagal, writers and producers feel compelled to invite elements of espionage, heists, and violence into these otherwise amiable premises. This crossbreeds both films with the tone of a light, fluffy comedy despite coming equipped with explosion-ridden peril that makes this new wave of action-comedies feel woefully interchangeable. Sure the chemistry the spirited Chloe Coleman and Bautista share is grin-inducing at times, yet the ubiquity of cut-and-paste action movie cliches negate the possibility of human interest simply because this is a formula that's been played out.
My full review of My Spy: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6482/spy-2020
8. Hubie Halloween: Another year, another lukewarm Adam Sandler film, another pathetic character he soils with another horrible accent. Hubie Halloween at the very least has a good message, but the journey it takes to get there is largely unmemorable. The biggest laughs come from June Squibb and her uncouth shirts. One thing I'll never understand is how someone as experienced as Sandler cannot figure out comedy is about timing/wit.
Check out my full review on Sleepless with Steve: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XcokWUS9Eo
9. Let Them All Talk: Well, they certainly did talk. Not about much, however. Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk is as formless a movie as he's ever made. With its attractively dapper cast experiencing a litany of first-world problems, it's little more than an opulent beach-read of a movie with the occasional passing musing about consciousness or loyalty that suggests purpose. It's billed as a comedy, but I'm still waiting to laugh.
10. A Fall from Grace: Tyler Perry's A Fall from Grace is evidently what happens if you sucked almost all the fun out of his film Acrimony and turned the shell of it into a lame-duck, agonizingly slow legal drama crossed with low-budget horror. It's all seemingly straight-forward, with a plot that could be summed up in a few sentences, but the narrative chances it takes may surprise even the most loyal Perry followers. Reportedly shot in the span of five days, and judging by some of the pacing, written in an equivalent period of time, A Fall from Grace suggests the scattershot Perry (who is currently juggling five TV projects, with two more set to debut on BET+) has so much on his plate that perhaps expecting films that are more refined is too great of an ask at this juncture.
My full review of A Fall from Grace: stevethemovieman.proboards.com/thread/6376/fall-grace-2020 |
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