Top 10 Films | 2020

We assembled some friends and colleagues to contribute lists of their favorite feature films of the year. Festival and international films from prior to this year were eligible if they were distributed in the United States in 2020. 2020’s festival and international films were likewise eligible, even if they have not yet reached distribution.

See our favorite Dark Side of the Screen picks here.

Wesley Caldwell | Producer

#10. YES, GOD, YES

#9. BIRDS OF PREY

#8. THE INVISIBLE MAN

#7. BLACK BEAR

#6. SWALLOW

#5. SPONTANEOUS

#4. SOUND OF METAL

#3. PALM SPRINGS

#2. SAINT MAUD

#1. SOUL

Favorite On-Screen Moments:

BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC: Bill and Ted reunite with Death
BIRDS OF PREY: the breakfast sandwich sequence
DA 5 BLOODS: the land mine scene
THE INVISIBLE MAN: the tense opening escape
PALM SPRINGS: Nyles and Roy in the backyard
SAINT MAUD: the final image
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: the baseball scene
SOUL: George reflects on his life as he plays the piano and gets in “the zone”
SPONTANEOUS: the E.T. and Elliott moment
TENET: a character tells the audience not to try to understand the movie they are watching

*****

Dave Cowden | Marvel Studios

#10. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS

#9. SHE DIES TOMORROW

#8. FIRST COW

#7. BEANPOLE

#6. POSSESSOR

#5. SMALL AXE: MANGROVE

#4. SOUND OF METAL

#3. NOMADLAND

#2. TENET

#1. A WHITE, WHITE DAY

Favorite On-Screen Moments:

FIRST COW: a line forms to purchase oily biscuits
HIS HOUSE: Bol experiences the presence of Sudanese refugees in his home
THE NEST: Allison’s horse goes down
NOMADLAND: Fern’s entrance and exit from her former home
POSSESSOR: Tasya battles for dominance of mind inside her subject’s vessel
SMALL AXE: LOVERS ROCK: Janet Kay’s “Silly Games” fades out, and the dancers take lead in carrying the song
SMALL AXE: MANGROVE: the Mangrove opens its doors for business
SOUND OF METAL: Ruben wanders through a dinner party
TENET: the cold-open heist
A WHITE, WHITE DAY: a rural Icelandic plot of land is shown through the changing seasons

*****

Mike Dillon | CTVA 102 Instructor/Programmer

Honorable Mentions: THE ASSISTANT / BACURAU / BEANPOLE / NIGHT OF THE KINGS / ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI / THE OUTPOST / SOUND OF METAL / VITALINA VARELA

#10. TRUE MOTHERS

#9. THE WOLF HOUSE

#8. THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION

#7. A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON

#6. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS [tie]

#6. SAINT FRANCES [tie]

#5. SMALL AXE: LOVERS ROCK

#4. FIRST COW

#3. NOMADLAND

#2. EXTRA ORDINARY

#1. ATLANTIS

Favorite On-Screen Moments:

BEANPOLE: Iya gives Stepan one last smoke
BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC: “Thank you, wise old usses.”
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: the debutante rebukes her father
BOYS STATE: Steven Garza tells his family that he is proud
DA 5 BLOODS: Norman forgives Paul
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM: Ma sucks down a Coke
THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF: Karl-Bertil is overwhelmed by his portrait
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN: the violin cover of “Toxic”
SPONTANEOUS: the E.T. and Elliott scene
THE WILD GOOSE LAKE: the undercover cops wearing light-up shoes

*****

Daniel Love | Sony Home Entertainment

Honorable Mentions: ATHLETE A / BIRDS OF PREY / BORAT: SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM / THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY / COLOR OUT OF SPACE

#10. EMMA.

#9. THE FATHER

#8. THE CLIMB

#7. THE INVISIBLE MAN

#6. UNCLE FRANK

#5. DA 5 BLOODS

#4. I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS

#3. MANK

#2. THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS

#1. SOUL

Favorite On-Screen Moments:

THE CLIMB: Kyle rocks out to Shawn Mullins’ “Lullaby”
THE CLIMB: the use of a shovel during the funeral fight
DA 5 BLOODS: dancing in Ho Chi Minh City to Marvin Gaye
EMMA.: Mr. Knightley admits his love for Emma
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: Erick proudly listens to “Husavik”
MANK: Young Orson Welles sports an inadvisable goatee
MANK: a sauced Mank grills Hearst in front of guests
THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS: Carlo discusses marriage
THE INVISIBLE MAN: the psych ward hallway sequence
UNCLE FRANK: Wally follows in a rented car

*****

Aaron Neuwirth | Film Critic, Out Now with Aaron and Abe

Honorable Mentions: THE CLIMB / COLOR OUT OF SPACE / DEERSKIN / DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD / THE FATHER / I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS / THE INVISIBLE MAN / NOMADLAND / PALM SPRINGS / THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW

#10. BACURAU

#9. JALLIKATTU

#8. SOUL

#7. THE VAST OF NIGHT

#6. DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA

#5. THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD

#4. FIRST COW

#3. MANK

#2. DA 5 BLOODS

#1. the SMALL AXE series

Favorite On-Screen Moments:

DA 5 BLOODS: Paul’s monologue
THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME: “Delusions!”
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS: the school dance
THE INVISIBLE MAN: the deadly dinner in the city
MANK: Mank’s dinner rant at Hearst Castle
THE OLD GUARD: “He’s not my boyfriend.”
ON THE ROCKS: the car chase / being pulled over
SMALL AXE: LOVERS ROCK: the “Silly Games” scene
SOUL: the barbershop scene
TENET: the inverted fight scene

*****

Michael Rousselet | Writer/Painter

#10. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

#9. PALM SPRINGS

#8. MANK

#7. DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD

#6. FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARKER WORLDS

#5. DA 5 BLOODS

#4. ZAPPA

#3. FIRST COW

#2. ANOTHER ROUND

#1. DEERSKIN

Favorite On-Screen Moments:

ANOTHER ROUND: the gang needs to get some fresh cod (and are wasted as fuck)
BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS: the camera captures the perfect moment of the one bar regulars eating shit in the background during a heart to heart conversation in the foreground
DEERSKIN: the jacket tells him his most cherished dream
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD: the heaven sequence
FIREBALL: every line delivered by Herzog, especially about how some sleeping dogs on the street are too stupid to realize that an entire species was wiped out by a meteorite
FIRST COW: Cookie slangs his biscuits
MANK: Louis B. Mayer’s walk-and-talk about selling moments
THE PLATFORM: the main character wakes up on one of the lowest levels, tied up
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: when Sonic gives the turtle a rush while Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” plays
ZAPPA: how deep they dig into his classical work for the Ensemble Modern