Brad's Favorite Movies of 2020

Honorable Mentions: Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Last Dance, Deerskin

10. Soul: This final spot was an extremely tough call for me. Most of my honorable mentions were in this spot at one time or another and I’ve gone back and forth but Soul stuck with me the most. It’s a beautifully conceived movie that immediately shot up to being one of my five favorite Pixar movies. Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey are perfect foils for one another in the leads with unbeatable comedic chemistry. It has a ton of heart, laugh out loud moments, and exceptional music from the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to the phenomenal jazz music developed and performed by Jon Batiste. Like most Pixar movies, it knows how to drag the emotion out of you and teach the valuable lesson. The ending effectively tugs at the heart strings, but watching Foxx’s Joe forced to be an observer during the barbershop scene (one of the best of the year) and the resolution with his Mom put this movie over the top. It was seriously a tough call for this spot, but ultimately I chose the movie I enjoyed the most.

9. One Night in Miami: Regina King rules. The Emmy and Oscar winning actress jumped behind the camera this year to prove she’s one hell of a director too. As a snub in the Best Director category, she took a play and adapted it to the screen with ease. The blocking and the pacing made the movie feel much larger than four people mostly talking in a hotel room. But her casting choices were spot on: Eli Goree as the bombastic Cassius Clay grappling with a huge decision. Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown provides the comic relief while still adding depth. Kingsley Ben-Adir stole the show as Malcolm X, stepping into the big shoes of Denzel Washington who played the civil rights activist years ago, and truly made it his own. And Leslie Odom Jr as Sam Cooke continued his monster year between this and Hamilton. Malcolm X and Cooke bumping heads drives the film all leading up to the Chain Gang performance scene, my second favorite scene of the year. The build to that scene and King’s direction of it are a perfect microcosm for how the rest of the movie makes the most out of a simple premise in simple locations. I can’t wait to see more from this cast and anything Regina King does. 

8. Sound of Metal: You know this is a good year for films when a movie this terrific is only #8 on my list. Sound of Metal is about a heavy metal drummer named Ruben, a revelatory Riz Ahmed, who starts losing his hearing which will take away his love of playing music. He’s also a recovering addict so his girlfriend and lead singer of the band Lou, a terrific Olivia Cooke who was snubbed for a Best Supporting Actress nod, worries it will trigger his desire to use. Ruben goes to a rehab center run by Paul Raci’s Joe that also teaches deaf children, so Ruben begins to learn sign language. Raci and Ahmed work great together and their last scene is a doozy. But it’s Ahmed’s movie and his desperation throughout is palpable as you see every detail of an addict in his performance. The only thing as good as him in this movie is the sound design. It’s one of the best I’ve ever heard. It’s brilliantly conceived and masterfully executed. And the script helps it build to an ending that is simple and perfect. 

7. Nomadland: Well, this movie broke me. It’s a fascinating look at nomads who work odd jobs here and there but spend the rest of their time on the road. It’s a group of people I’ve never really seen a movie about before. Their bathroom is a bucket, they don’t have much money, but somehow they’re content because they know the road is where they belong. Director Chloe Zhao used real nomads to make it feel as naturalistic as possible and it paid off. This movie won Best Director and Best Picture and it deserves both. You won’t find many movies shot more exquisitely. Oscar winner Frances McDormand is the lead and, no surprise, she’s fantastic. But the real scene stealers are the non-actor nomads as McDormand’s Fern provides more of a vehicle to tell their stories. There are four monologues in this movie delivered by nomads that had me sobbing, each one for a different reason. But all of it combines to give fascinating insight into their lives. Zhao is a rock star and you’re going to hear her name at awards’ shows for years to come. 

6. Minari: This movie begins modestly enough with a Korean family starting a farm in 1980s Arkansas. Steven Yuen and Yeri Han play married couple Jacob and Monica at odds over the decision to move which heightens when they see their modest new home. Jacob is obsessed with growing his farm and Monica is losing faith in her husband’s judgment. Yuen and Han’s tension in arguments are incredibly authentic. It’s not flashy or over the top which makes it even more powerful. Their daughter Anne and son David, played by Noel Cho and Alan S. Kim, are also adapting to the new surroundings. David is the heart of the movie and Kim plays his earnestness effortlessly in one of the better child performances I’ve seen. The movie kicks into another gear when Monica’s mom Soonja, deserving Best Supporting Actress winner You-Jung Youn, moves in with them. She’s hilarious and full of life, but then a twist happens and you see an entirely different side of her, both expertly portrayed. Throw in a quirky Will Patton as Jacob’s religious gardening partner and the cast is top notch. It all converges at a gorgeously shot climax, another one of the best scenes of the year.

5. The Kid Detective: This is my other movie that won’t win any awards but it was perfectly made for me. A noir comedy starring Adam Brody, who is reminiscent of Elliot Gould in The Long Goodbye, playing a PI that got famous in his little town for solving mysteries as a kid until he met the big one he could never solve. Now as an adult, he’s still haunted by it while being seen as a laughing stock around town until a new case shows up at his door. If the film Brick is a high school noir, this feels more like a junior high noir with a supporting cast that, unlike Brick, don’t talk like noir characters and that adds to the comedy. This movie is filled with subversions of some classic noir tropes and I loved them all. Brody is pitch perfect in the lead with his blend of deadpan and self deprecating comedy while still being able hit you hard in the dramatic moments. It all leads up to a shocking climax and the final shot of the movie feels absolutely appropriate. I wanted to start this movie over as soon as it was done so it had to make my top five.

4. Promising Young Woman: No movie this year stuck with me longer afterwards than this one. Carey Mulligan, who is literally great in everything, gives her best performance to date as a woman trying to scare bad men into being better people after her best friend was the victim of rape. It’s a movie that can play as a revenge film one minute, then a rom-com, and then just bulldoze you. Writer and director Emerald Fennell's aesthetic choices aid the storytelling and set the mood in an extremely effective way. The climax of the movie left everyone talking and, whether you like it or not, that’s usually a sign you did something right. I personally thought that while her original ending would certainly have left more of an impression, the actual ending made the movie something that I would watch again (similar to the different endings of Get Out.) If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then just see it. It at least accomplishes conveying the constant threat women are under and how even the “nice guys'' can still be the worst. It’s a polarizing movie and count me as one of the people that loved it. A tough watch but a necessary one.

3. Palm Springs: This is one of the two movies in my top ten that weren’t the best movies of the year, but they were tailor made for me. It’s basically an updated version of one of my all-time favorite movies (Groundhog Day) starring one of my favorite comedy actors (Andy Samberg) that takes a comedically dark look at what it would be like to be stuck in an endless time loop. Samberg can go from muppet-like, over-the-top comedy to breaking your heart in the blink of an eye. Opposite Samberg is the always wonderful Cristin Milioti who is one of the most likable actresses working today. Add in an unhinged JK Simmons and you can’t go wrong. The movie is hilarious, heartfelt, clever, and maximizes the premise of a time loop to its full potential. But the movie really thrives because of Samberg and Milioti’s off the charts chemistry. In a sad year of sad movies, this was a welcomed delight. I saw it at a drive-in and then watched it again at home two days later. I knew I was going to love this movie before I saw it and boy was I right.

2. Hamilton: I’d heard the soundtrack to Hamilton multiple times and had even seen the traveling company live, albeit from high up in the balcony seats. Nothing could prepare me for this movie though. I had a visceral reaction with tears in my eyes throughout, though I wasn’t actually crying most of the time. I was simply in awe. When the beat dropped during the opening number “Alexander Hamilton”, my favorite from the album, and Aaron Burr sings, “Well, the word got around, they said this kid is insane, man...” my skin didn’t have enough space for all the goosebumps. I completely underestimated what seeing this now legendary original cast would be like, getting to see every nuance of their performance up close. I was gobsmacked on my first viewing and have been the other 5 or 6 times I’ve seen it since, always finding something new to love. The Room Where It Happens and Satisfied are absolute show stoppers and Leslie Odom Jr and Renee Elise Goldsberry in those songs are...well you understand why they won Tonys. Obviously the music by Lin Manuel Miranda is incredible but to actually get to see him, Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones and the rest of the original cast was surreal.

1. Judas and the Black Messiah: A long overdue telling about the assassination of the chairman of the Black Panther party, 21 year old Fred Hampton, who I sadly never learned about in school and only knew of from listening to hip hop. Daniel Kaluuya gives one of the two performances this year that rank with the best in the last decade, the other of course being Chadwick Boseman. Kaluuya plays Hampton, who was assassinated in 1969 because his desire and drive for equality was seen as a threat to the FBI. The power, vulnerability, and charm he exudes are something to behold. Lakeith Stanfield walks the fine line of friend or foe playing the man the FBI manipulated to bring Hampton down. Stanfield shines, particularly in the second half of the film when the consequences of his decisions start weighing on him. Dominique Fishback gives a star turning performance and Jesse Plemons gives off major Phillip Seymour Hoffman vibes in a chilling portrayal. The story is fascinating and heartbreaking, giving insight into how easily people in power can take advantage of someone, especially minorities, in a terribly broken system. The “I Am a Revolutionary'' scene is the best of the year, not just because of the jaw-dropping speech, but because of the different layers of experience happening to each main character. It’s a gut-punch of a film with an exceptional cast and the most affecting end title cards I’ve ever seen.

Chris's Favorite Movies of 2020

It’s crazy to look at this list and realize that I didn’t see a single one of my Top 10 in a theater. In fact, you’ll have to dig pretty far into my Honorable Mentions to find one that I did (looking at you, Palm Springs at the Rose Bowl Drive-In). So here it is, my favorites of 2020, the “year without blockbusters,” which, by the sheer number of movies I had competing for these spots can show you, was not a year without quality films.

Honorable Mentions: Nomadland, Mank, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Hamilton, The Last Dance, Palm Springs, Blow the Man Down, Bloody Noses Empty Pockets

10. Small Axe: Lover’s Rock: A seventy minute house party from start to finish and I absolutely adored it. The second installment in Steve McQueen’s incredible Small Axe film series is also easily the best (note: all five films can stand alone.) And much like a house party, this film lives and breathes on its soundtrack and completely delivers. I had never heard Janet Kay’s “Silly Games” before this movie but I immediately added it to a number of playlists after seeing it used here, in one of the unrivaled best scenes of the year.

9. The Kid Detective: You had to know that if an under-the-radar comedy neo-neo-noir came out, it would be on this list. Well, here it is. A really vibrant and clever half-twist on detective tropes, this film is a near perfect mix of original noir material and nods to those that came before it. Adam Brody mades an excellent P.I., washed up before his time. Good music, fun gags, and a plot that kept me guessing. Criminally under-seen.

8. The Vast of Night: A terrific love-letter to classic sci-fi, set in the 50s, but made in the age of podcasting. With a clever Twilight Zone-like framing device, this movie tells a simple tale of a switchboard operator and a local radio station DJ who investigate some “other-worldly” noises that keep popping up on their sound waves. Quirky, fun dialogue, strong storytelling, and an excellent long take that emphasizes just how small a town we’re dealing with.

7. Da 5 Bloods: One of two Spike Lee movies released this year and *spoiler-alert* the first of two Spike Lee movies to make this list. After 50+ years of Vietnam movies made from a purely white American perspective (many of which I do love,) it’s great to finally have one showcasing the Black American, and to a lesser extent the Vietnamese, point of view. It’s a heavy weight to bear but Lee balances the politics with a sometimes wacky, sprawling treasure hunt reminiscent of old Hollywood adventure movies. It now also serves as a strange tribute to Chadwick Boseman, having a young version of his character interact with the older selves of his soldiers, a reminder that both his character and the late, great actor himself are no longer with us. And speaking of actors that absolutely deserved more Oscar attention, Delroy Lindo poured everything into that speech and gives an undeniably award-worthy performance here.

6. David Byrne’s American Utopia: Oh, to be David Byrne and have two of America’s finest filmmakers make two of the finest concert films ever about your shows. While Jonathan Demme’s “Stop Making Sense” is a stone cold classic, Spike Lee’s take on Byrne’s pre-Covid Broadway show doesn’t fall too far behind. Of course the music is spectacular. A great mix of Talking Heads classics and newer solo work, which includes a very surprising cover of Janelle Monae’s “Hell You Talmbout” that floored me. You get some gems of wisdom from Byrne as well, as he pauses between songs to drop anecdotes and philosophy.

5. Never Rarely Sometimes Always: I’m a little ashamed to say that this was a bit of an eye-opening movie for me in terms of what getting an abortion actually entails. The storytelling is seemingly simple, but quite exquisite. Same goes for the photography, unassuming and quietly beautiful. This is low key both a great Pennsylvania movie and a great New York City movie. Capped with terrific, raw performances from Flanigan and Ryder, this movie is anchored in a strong, earnest friendship. And let’s not forget a titular scene that can just break you.

4. First Cow: A quiet, anti-western about non-traditional masculinity in the frontier of the Northwest. Interested yet? You should be. The lead actors, John Magaro and Orion Lee are delightful as a cook and a Chinese immigrant, doing business together selling pastries (deliciously described “oily cakes”) that they can make only because they steal the milk from a local leader’s cow. The only cow for miles. Their blossoming friendship is heartwarming and you can feel the mud and moisture through director Kelly Reichardt’s naturalistic style. If she keeps making westerns, I’ll keep watching them.

3. Sound of Metal: In another world, both Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci could have won Oscars for their performances here. By tying our main character’s hearing loss to his past and current struggles with addiction was a masterstroke of storytelling. The anger, the frustration, the helplessness, the empathy all on display here have made this one of the emotional films of 2020. The final scene between the two aforementioned actors is easily one of the best scenes of the year. And to think, all this praise and I haven’t even mentioned the top-tier, widely evocative sound design.

2. I’m Thinking of Ending Things: Like any good Charlie Kaufman script, this is about loneliness, misery, and failure and it comments on these things with thoughtfulness and dark wit. The core four here (Plemons, Buckley, Thewlis, Collette) are all fantastic, adding the perfect amounts of uneasiness and insidiousness that would come with the fractured memories of someone contemplating suicide. Intriguingly bizarre, fascinatingly executed, and dense with deep-cut references to art and criticism. I love all Kaufman’s surreal storytelling elements and as much as he wants to push away the audience, they only draw me further in. Oh, and there’s a hilarious pot-shot at Robert Zemeckis. What more could you ask for?

1. Dick Johnson is Dead: Kirsten Johnson’s second feature and I’m already a super-fan of her style of incredibly personal documentaries. Here, she sets out to get her titular father on camera before his mind deteriorates into dementia. Together, father and daughter grapple with mortality in a very unique way: by acting out every scenario in which Dick Johnson may die, from the quietly dignified to the most violent Looney Tunes-esque situations. Trust me, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be absolutely touched by this portrait of family, life, and loss. No spoilers, but the funeral scene is among my shortlist of best scenes of the year.

Brad's Favorite Movies of 2019

Honorable Mentions: Us, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Long Shot, The Biggest Little Farm, Booksmart, Rocketman

10. Knives Out: I love murder mysteries. If I can walk away saying that was very clever, then it’s a winner. And that’s exactly what Rian Johnson made me do. The script does a wonderful job of initially subverting the genre by making it less of a whodunnit and more of a how they did it. But by the end, it’s back to a long explanation of how it all happened from the lead detective. Johnson subtly drops in dialogue that seem like throwaway lines but end up helping solve the case. The cast is stacked but the least known star, Ana de Armas, is the most impressive. And it didn’t hurt that Daniel Craig’s southern accent wasn’t annoying, which was my concern. This spot on the list was the hardest for me to choose, but the best choice revealed itself in the end.

9. The Irishman: Scorsese at his most Scorseseist. This movie could have been higher on my list if it wasn’t for some de-aging issues, mostly with DeNiro. Two to three scenes come off quite silly, but the rest of it really worked for me. Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa is the best he’s been in years. Joe Pesci gives a nuanced yet menacing performance, as opposed to his usual bombastic efforts, and steals the show. It is a long movie at 3 ½ hours and the first hour is a little slow. But the next 2 hours are dynamite, ending with DeNiro doing his best work during a phone call. The last 40 minutes could have been 15, but the final shot will stick with you. Truthfully, it was enough for me to watch one of the greatest directors ever work with these legends.  

8. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: You make a movie about Mr. Rogers and I’m going to love it. The documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor was one of my favorite movies last year and this is no different. I was apprehensive when I heard Tom Hanks would portray Fred Rogers only because I couldn’t imagine anyone playing him. Hanks didn’t nail the cadence of his voice, but he made up for it with the pacing of his speech. The script smartly puts him in a supporting role to Matthew Rhys’ protagonist and manages not to fall into the typical tropes of most “journalist interviewing a celebrity” films. The scene where Rhys’ character watches Rogers sing a song as the puppet Daniel transported me back to my childhood. It’s skillfully directed by Marielle Heller and kudos for the scaled down models in place of the exterior shots of cities.

7. 1917: Sam Mendes made the best war movie we’ve seen in years. This movie starts with two British privates receiving orders to warn an infantry to cancel a raid that will be ambushed. Then they’re off on a race against time. Quick and efficient. We follow them in what appears to be one continuous shot throughout, allowing the viewers to experience the aftermath of war in the most realistic way possible.  The movie looks amazing with incredible cinematography from Roger Deakins, no surprise there, which will win him another Oscar. It’s the front runner for Best Picture and Best Director. I do think there are better choices in each category, but if it does win, it wouldn’t be unworthy.

6. Parasite: When we look back at the movies from 2019, this is the one everyone will remember. Like how Get Out was the movie of the year in 2017, Parasite is that in 2019. Bong Joon Ho creates a masterpiece that deals with social hierarchy and the lengths the less privileged need to go in order to survive in this world. The script has twisted fun showing a poor family of four conning and weaving their way into working for a rich family. A methodically paced scene of the working family getting drunk while the rich family is away gives an ominous sense something crazy is coming. And then boy it does. From that point on, it never lets up.  It deserves a Production Design Oscar for the main house alone. The performances are brilliant and any of the actors could and should have been nominated. The direction is the best of the year, hands down. The movie is damn-near perfect and could pull off an upset to win Best Picture.

5. Marriage Story: This film gives the most authentic version of divorce I’ve ever seen. Noah Baumbach begins the film with the couple reading lists of the eccentricities they love about each other as we watch quick cuts of the happy moments in their marriage, before ending at the start of their divorce. It’s poetic. Adam Driver should be accepting the Best Actor Oscar on Sunday, but unfortunately that’s unlikely. It’s the performance of the year. And no one had a bigger 2019 than Scarlett Johansson. She could have won an Oscar for this if it wasn’t for Renee Zellweger and she starred in three of my top five movies this year. Laura Dern will win Best Supporting Actress because of a fantastic monologue about why women need to be seen as perfect in divorce proceedings while also going toe to toe with Ray Liotta in a cutthroat courtroom scene. But the best scene, and one of the scenes of the year, is the climactic argument between Driver and ScarJo. I didn’t breathe once during it.

4. Little Women: Greta Gerwig took a classic novel that already had a successful film adaptation in 1994 and made a gorgeous film that felt timelier than ever. Her brilliant choice to restructure the timeline, jumping back and forth between the past and present, allowed for the emotional beats to hit even harder. It aided beautifully in the visual aspects like cutting from a perfect, sunny day on the beach in the past to an overcast and somber day in the present. The chemistry of the cast is flawless. Saoirse Ronan is perfect as Jo and would be my choice for Best Actress. Florence Pugh has rightfully garnered a lot of attention for her performance, but everyone from Laura Dern to Chris Cooper pulls their weight. Gerwig should win Best Adapted Screenplay. But it’s a real shame she didn’t get a chance at Best Director or doesn’t have legitimate shot at Best Picture. Both would be justified.

3. Avengers: Endgame: Marvel has given us something we have never seen before. Eleven years and twenty-two movies all functioning in the same universe. The expectations for the final movie of the cycle was unlike anything we’ve seen before and they knocked it out of the park. It plays like a series finale of a TV show in all the right ways. It’s three-hour runtime flies by and structurally it’s as solid as it gets. The performances are all great, as they have done incredible job casting their heroes. And Marvel gave us its best villain yet in Josh Brolin’s Thanos, whose depth and purpose in this and Infinity War was an unexpected gift. The action, the comedy, and the heart are all there. Along with a gut-punch of an ending.  I can’t even type the lines “On your left” and “You can rest now” without bursting into tears.

2. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood: A buddy movie from Quentin Tarantino that isn’t your typical Tarantino movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is pitch perfect as aging star Jake Cahill, showing a vulnerability and dwindling confidence I’ve rarely seen him produce. Brad Pitt is as cool as the other side of the pillow as his stunt double and easily earns what should be his first acting Oscar. I love the movie’s focus on smaller Hollywood victories. Cahill and Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate don’t win awards or have the number one movie in the world. Cahill nails one scene in a pilot that floors his director and his young co-star. Tate sneaks into a theater to watch a movie she has a small role in order to listen to the audience’s positive reactions. Anyone who says Robbie didn’t have enough to do in the movie needs to give that sequence another watch. That, the Spahn Ranch scene, and all of Cahill’s day on set are masterful. Throw in an incredible soundtrack plus an insane climax and you have yourself one hell of a film.

1. Jojo Rabbit: My favorite movie of the last couple years. The World War II satire about fanaticism was one of the most polarizing films of the year. Some people thought it was inappropriate for Taika Waititi, the film’s writer and director, to play a buffoonish and comedic version of Hitler as young boy’s imaginary friend. The performance is the funniest of the year and does nothing to paint Hitler in a positive light. Actually, quite the opposite.  The tonal tightrope Waititi walks is a marvel. One moment you are laughing uncontrollably, the next you’re crying uncontrollably, all while remaining on the edge of your seat. It shows how propaganda can influence young minds into blindly following dictators, but then turns it into a message about peace and understanding. The performances are excellent from top to bottom. Roman Griffin Davis gives one of the best performances I’ve ever seen from a child actor and Scarlett Johansson deserves a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this role. The scene where she plays herself and Jojo’s father crushed me.

Chris's Favorite Films of 2019

All in all, 2019 was a pretty fantastic year in movies as far as my own tastes go. What follows are my ten favorite films from the year and I don’t even get to mention that we had two wonderful rock docs in Beyonce’s ‘Homecoming’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese’. I do talk a little about superheroes, but I don’t touch on the fact that ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ came out featuring my all-time favorite Spider-Man villain, Mysterio. And I go through all these films and can’t find a place for some of the most fun I had at the movies this year watching ‘Ready or Not’, ‘Dolemite is My Name’, and ‘Rocketman’. Enjoy!

10. The Last Black Man in San Francisco: A surprising film about class, gentrification, and San Francisco. In addition to shooting the Bay Area with beauty, this film has the electricity that comes with live theater. Appropriately enough, in a meta turn, the film ends with a play brilliantly featuring the supporting cast of the film.  And the version of ‘San Francisco’ by Emile Mosseri that plays throughout is not only a fantastic rendition but also adds to the jazzy, melancholic, tone.

9. Avengers: Endgame: Not many things can stick such an ending with such a massive body of work and collection of characters behind them, in fact, I can’t think of single thing like it that does on this level. Start things off with the gut-punch scene of Hawkeye’s family on the farm, jump to a beheading of Thanos, and I was awash in Marvel wonder. Kudos to the time heist curtain call and thank god we finally got to hear Captain America say, “Avengers assemble”.

8. Us: I always love a movie that allows me to debate it for weeks to come. This year, Us was that movie. A comedic social horror with some of the year’s most memorable visuals in its red jumpsuits, scissors, and rabbits. It’s tense, scary, funny, and bloody. Lupita Nyong’o should have been nominated. Her dual performance carries the film and that inhaling voice still haunts my dreams. Fortunately, I always laugh myself back to sleep thinking of Tim Heidecker’s shadow pulling his handshake short and combing his hand through his hair. Keep the Jordan Peele movies coming.

7. Under the Silver Lake: This is a spiraling, conspiracy-laden noir with an obsessive, misogynist, and all-around-terrible anti-hero played by Andrew Garfield. It’s a dark and not-all-that exaggerated satire of Los Angeles right down to its main character who goes to absurd lengths just to get laid. The plot may update conspiracy-noir, but the camera moves like it did in the 40s . The Songwriter scene alone is almost worth the ticket price. One of my favorite scenes of the year.

6. Booksmart: I’m a sucker for high school films, especially high school party films, especially high school party films that take place in one night. Booksmart does a great job painting the current high school frontier and giving each character their due. They did an excellent casting the high schoolers and it doesn’t stop at Dever and Feldstein: Victoria Ruesga as Ryan, Mason Gooding as Nick, and Skyler Gisondo as Jared all wonderful discoveries.  Olivia Wilde made a classic.

5. Marriage Story: I absolutely adore about half of Noah Baumbach’s work. I find it quirky and universal, funny and heartbreaking. But I cannot stand the other half of his films. I won’t deny they can feel aloof and elitest. And while you can’t take the rich director out of Manhattan, you sure can make a great relationship/divorce movie there. Refreshingly, more funny than sad, this almost plays like a spiritual sequel to ‘Annie Hall’ right down to it’s Los Angeles loathing. Adam Driver is far and away my pick for Best Actor, but this whole cast puts in fantastic work. Dern will be the only one honored on Oscar night, but Alda, Liotta, and ScarJo all deserve accolades.

4. Little Women: I’ve never read Little Women, nor have I ever seen the Winona Ryder version, in fact, all I knew about this film going in was that it had a stellar cast and that I have loved most all of Greta Gerwig’s work. Ronan was terrific, Pugh was a standout, and count me a member of the Chalamet fan club. A wonderfully told story that breathes with life, romance, and vibrancy. Saoirse Ronan lamenting to Laura Dern that she’s doing everything she can to lead the life she wants but is still “so lonely” sunk my heart. Another of my most favorite scenes of this film year.

3. Parasite: This is absolutely, 100%, the best made film this year. It has the best cast with the best director working from the best screenplay on the best set. And I didn’t even mention the best lighting! Like many films this year, it has a lot to say about class issues and does so most effectively. This thing is packed with amazing scenes: The fumigation scene, the coffee cup test, the peach fuzz, the housekeeper reveal, the ghost story, caught under the coffee table, the descending staircase sequence (better than ANY OTHER staircase scene this year), the climax! The movie of the year, the should-be Oscar winner, and my third favorite of 2019. May Bong Joon Ho take home all the awards.

2. Jojo Rabbit: My most cathartic movie of the year. Of course it’s the awful political climate but it’s also Taika Waititi, who’s work I love almost completely top-to-bottom. His quirky directing style with an earnest heart is worthy of Michel Gondry level ‘indie’ praise. Hats off to Roman Griffin Davis and Archie Yates who both give star turns. But it’s honestly Scarlett Johannsen that really won me over. Her scene when she portrays both herself and her absent husband using a beard of soot broke my heart and, by the end, re-filled me with hope. This has hands down the best opening scene of the year with the ‘Heil Hitler’ pep talk into The Beatles “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” opening credits and I will always leave a movie dancing to David Bowie.

1. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood: I loved this movie from the very first shot: we’re in the backseat of a car with the camera, our stars sit down in the driver and passenger seats, and the credit titles have their names reversed. Maybe it’s just a dumb joke, but it sets up Tarantino’s playful relationship with both the audience and the truth that he carries through the entire film. This is easily the least “Tarantino” movie of the director’s oeuvre and certainly the most conservative which surprises even me when I say that this is my favorite film of his career (Pulp 2, Basterds 3). DiCaprio and Pitt are both dynamite, both radiating an unquestionable and misguided cool. Cliff Booth at Spahn Ranch could have been cut straight out of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’. And I absolutely go crazy and get nostalgic for a level of monoculture that I never had. Everyone listens to the same songs on the same radio station, everyone sees the same movies, and everyone, from Rick and Cliff to the Manson Family, watches ‘FBI’ on Sunday nights. I love driving around and hanging out in Los Angeles now. I could live in Quentin Tarantino’s 1969 Los Angeles forever.

Chris's Favorite Films of 2018

As usual, I would like to start with my Honorable Mentions, my 11 through 15, because I loved a lot of movies this year. I could go on and on about how Hold the Dark stuck with me for days, not to mention it’s outstanding gun fight. Blackkklansman had some unbelievable sequences from a legendary director. I was fascinated by Three Identical Strangers. And there was no way both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War were not going to be mentioned in this year’s wrap up. But on to the ten that made the cut.

10. Tully: Sure, it’s not my ‘front runner’, but Jason Reitman has a way with capturing human relationships (I have no problem defending Labor Day).  A stand out performance by Charlize Theron in a film that lovingly shows the struggles and hardships of motherhood.

9. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: I’m pre-destined to like Coen Bros movies. I love genres pieces, mediations on religion, and dark comedy. Their latest anthology brings those with the appealing motif of “life’s a struggle and then you die a joke”.  Tom Waits’ Prospector is a gem, but honestly, there really wasn’t a segment I disliked. It could have been higher on the list if maybe just one of the pieces came from the perspective of a Native American instead of only being used as faceless, stereotypical villains or perhaps a woman could have had a more active role. I would have loved another 2-3 stories.

8. Roma: Who’da guessed that one of the best shots of the year was of water washing over concrete? Well, that’s what comes with the most technically impeccable film of the year. Black & white cinematography at it’s finest.

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: There’s only one superhero movie that can really handle a team-up of a menagerie of characters with twenty years and multiple films behind it. And I was halfway through writing down my thoughts about Infinity War when I saw Spider-Verse. The animation looks nothing like I’ve ever seen before a bit of CG mixed with a Golden comic age style watched through broken 3D glasses, and that’s a compliment. This is the hippest and funniest movie of the year with the best ensemble in a year of great ensembles. And Brian Tyree Henry’s first appearance on our countdown.

6. Won’t You Be My Neighbor: There is no cure for dark days better than the reminder that there once was a person who truly was kind and worked for a warmer, friendlier world. Plain and simple, a loving tribute to a man many of us grew up with. Clean storytelling from Neville and he knows just when to pull the heartstrings. The most cathartic cry I’ve had all year.

5. Widows: Every successful heist movie has an inherent slickness to its heist scene; the writing quickens, the editing sharpens, the shots get silkier. McQueen keeps those qualities at full throttle while keeping an eye on Chicago’s social politics. we’re all still talking about that car ride with Colin Farrell. Brian Tyree Henry is everywhere you want him to be this year.

4. The Favourite: Fourth favorite! Coleman and Weisz give the two finest performances I’ve seen all year. This is my fourth Lanthimos film and I still can’t believe his control of tone.  That dance is better than anything in Save the Last Dance*.

*last dance movie I saw

3. If Beale Street Could Talk: Tender and sweet. Wall to wall great performances. Layne and James are great, King makes her case for an Oscar, and Coleman Domingo adds himself to my list of favorite actors. Beautiful, soft, and compassionately made. Gorgeous shots. Impeccable lighting. Jaw dropping style. And I don’t care that Dave Franco is in this movie, the invisible apartment scene is one of the most romantic moments all year. And I didn’t even mention the family feud! Or Brian Tyree Henry!

2. Minding the Gap: A skateboarding documentary that turns into a very earnest look at domestic violence. The intimacy and honesty shown by the director, Bing Liu, and his friends and family makes this a very emotional film, but the compassion and patience Liu has in the face of such anger and pain make this an extraordinary film.

1. Sorry to Bother You: Socially provocative, sharply satirical, and constantly surprising, it may not be the most perfect movie made this year, but it was the one that delivered me everything I wanted from a movie in 2018. A Witty, angry, and hilarious film from the fresh voice of Boots Riley. And Tessa Thompson’s earrings deserve a special award.

Chris's Favorite Films of 2017

Before we get into the list, let’s start with the Honorable Mentions. Todd Hayne’s Wonderstruck was beautiful and heartwarming, Baby Driver has one of the best opening sequences all year, I absolutely loved Michael Keaton in The Founder, and The Disaster Artist tells a Hollywood tale around a wonderfully bizarre true Hollywood story. But on to the Top 10…

10. Brawl in Cell Block 99: What a place to start. The most brutal film I’ve seen since Zahler’s last movie, Bone Tomahawk. Vince Vaughn beats people to death with his bare hands in prison. Shocking, dark, bloody fun.

9. Colossal: A darkly comic take on the realities of alcoholism through a clever kaiju analogy. Hathaway and Sudekis are so damn likable, it’s terrific when they portray darker and more flawed characters.

8. Patti Cake$: A great tale of outsiders and misfits yearning for something more. Features some of the year’s best music and the final performance still gets me.

7. Lady Bird: I’m always a sucker for a “portrait of the artist as a young person” story. I find the close and personal nature of them very appealing and this film is no different. The beautiful relationship between Ronan and Metcalf makes this a very special film.

6. Dunkirk: I was ready to dislike this movie, Christopher Nolan had lost my trust, but when he’s got a device to wield, he can do some of his best work. The time-framing of the three storylines is just that. I could have done without the actual ticking clock and overly dramatic Zimmer score at the end, but it still serves as a great war movie. Add it to the list of films where Tom Hardy’s face is hidden for most of his screen time.

5. Get Out: An exceptional debut from Jordan Peele, who cast this film perfectly. The suspense is wonderfully strung and relived by brilliant bits of comedy. This will be the movie from this year that time will remember.

4. I, Tonya: What a great perspective of a story I’ve known all my life. Quick, sharp, and lean with hilarious performances from Robbie, Janney, and Paul Walter Hauser.

3. The Shape of Water: A terrific Del Toro fairy tale. Unbelievable costuming and effects for the creature. Hawkins and Jenkins are as good as they always are, Michael Shannon is a delightfully dastardly villain with those damn candies, and Michael Stuhlbarg is in everything.

2. The Florida Project: My god, the colors. The most beautifully shot movie of the year. In two films, Sean Baker has quickly become one of my favorite filmmakers. A delicate piece about childhood set outside the walls of Disney World.  

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: I know this is hotly contested and I will argue with you in our own time, but this is my number one. A Tarantino hold-over about hate and guilt and what it does to people. Barbed, funny, and surprising. I will watch anything with Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell.

Brad's Top Films of 2016

10. OJ: Made in America: One word describes this documentary: epic. This nearly eight hour film digs even deeper into the trial of the century including interviews with Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden, and Mark Fuhrman. The element that put this doc above and beyond is showing how the Rodney King beating and the race riots had pushed LA to tipping point. O.J. had inadvertently become the representative of the black community’s desperate and legitimate desire for justice of any kind. For someone who was very young when this happened, it gave me a better understanding of the size of O.J’s celebrity which I didn’t fully grasp. I did watch it in six parts but it’s amazing how quickly the eight hours go. In a year where the TV series “The People v. O.J. Simpson” was one of the best shows, this is the perfect companion piece to fill in everything that was going on outside the courtroom. Nothing gives you more insight to the insanity of that time than this brilliant film.

9. Jackie: No offense to Emma Stone but Natalie Portman deserved to win the Oscar for playing the former first lady. She is this movie. Early on, it felt like I was watching Portman play Jackie Kennedy but by the end she had completely transformed. The scene with a close up of Jackie’s face trying to wipe the blood off right after the assassination broke me. It’s Portman at her best and she doesn’t say a word.  Pete Sarsgaard plays a stellar Bobby Kennedy and could have easily earned a nomination over Jeff Bridges in Hell Or High Water. One of my favorite scenes was Bobby and Jackie discussing their legacy after John is dead. It’s Sarsgaard’s scene and he nails it. He’s still no match for Portman’s brilliance. The plot device of Jackie telling her story to a reporter and flashing back is a little played out for me but that’s my only gripe. Portman keeps you immersed particularly in the scenes on the day of the assassination.  The director, Pablo Larrain, and the design team did a marvelous job of making the audience feel like you’re in the White House and even in the car when JFK gets shots. It’s horrifying and impressive all at once.

8. The Lobster: This is one of the most unique screenplays I’ve seen in a long time. The plot centers on a hotel where single people are forced to go in order to meet a match. If they don’t find anyone, they are turned into an animal.  The first half of this movie is excellent with some dark, hysterical moments following Colin Farrell as he tries to find his match or be turned into a lobster. The second half feels like a different film that isn’t as good as the first but Rachel Weisz shows up to help keep it together. The film boasts the most interesting ending this year that you will be debating long after it’s over. I’m still not sure what happens but I love the discussion.

7. Other People: You have seen this story a lot: a young man moves home to help his mother who has been diagnosed with cancer. This movie may do it better than any of its predecessors. The opening scene sums up this movie perfectly: a gut wrenching moment that is undercut by legitimate comedy. Jesse Plemons plays the lead and gives the best performance of his career. He’s a man dealing with a breakup, a lack of career success, a homophobic father (the always great Bradley Whitford) who won’t accept his sexual orientation,  all on top of his Mother’s diagnosis. The real star of this film is Molly Shannon who plays Plemons’ mother. This is my second biggest snub by the Oscars this year. Shannon was that good. She even sprinkles in some of the comedy elements that made her a star but her real genius comes in the dramatic scenes. A scene with her fellow teachers where she’s so sick she can barely speak above a whisper and the climax of the film with a tear jerking exchange with Plemons blew me away. Maybe the film affected me more because I watched it with my Mom but I absolutely loved it.

6. Christine: Somehow this gem of a film slipped by the Academy and most audiences. It’s the story of a local newswoman in Florida in the 70’s that shot herself live on the air. Rebecca Hall (The Town, Vicki Christina Barcelona) stars in the titular role and my goodness what a performance.  This was the biggest snub by the Oscars this year. I have never seen a more authentic performance of someone suffering through mental illness. Her slow descent into succumbing to her own paranoia and sickness evolves perfectly. The supporting cast including Michael C. Hall and Tracy Letts enhance the film for sure but Hall’s performance stuck with me for days. Riveting, heartbreaking, and brilliant. Bravo, Miss Hall.

5. Fences: This is one wallop of a film. You can criticize it for feeling like someone just filmed a play and didn’t add enough cinematic elements but I honestly didn’t care. The reason to see this movie is two unforgettable performances. Denzel Washington is my favorite actor ever and he brings it 110% in this film. His performance is so explosive that the screen can barely contain him. He spews out the dialogue effortlessly. Denzel is a film titan and it’s never been more on display than in this movie. Even Denzel can’t overshadow the wonder that is Viola Davis. She gives the performance of the year. The monologue most people saw in the trailer is a marvel. She has another monologue at the end of the film that deserves equal praise. She is a titan in the making. People throw around the term “tour de force” a lot but these two performances define it.  Wow!

4. Manchester by the Sea: This film rips your heart out and then shows it to you. Working from the Best Original Screenplay winner, this movie gives one of the most realistic depictions of tragedy that you will see in movies. Casey Affleck gives one of the best performances of the year as a man trying to hide from his tragic past. With the sexual harassment allegations surrounding the actor, I totally understand not wanting to give him any awards or honor him in any way for it but it’s undeniably a great performance. The scene in the street between Michelle Williams and him is one of the most gut-wrenching scenes you will see and there’s barely coherent dialogue spoken. I read the screenplay and the exact wording of that scene is all on the page. I thought this movie deserved more credit for editing with how seamlessly it jumped from past to present but once I read the script and realized that it was all written, the script impressed me even more.

3. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping: This is probably a surprise pick but I love this movie so much. This was easily my favorite soundtrack of the year and maybe of any year. I’ve listened to it countless times since I’ve seen it. It’s a wonderful mix of parodies from different genres highlighted by “I’m So Humble” and “Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song)”. Both got snubbed for Best Song at this year’s Oscars. This modern day “This Is Spinal Tap” is my favorite comedy in years with hilarious scene after hilarious scene. Andy Samberg is one of the most unique comedic actors we have and he’s always at his best when he’s with his Lonely Island mates, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Shaffer, who both directed. This will be the movie from this year that I watch over and over again particularly because I already own it.

2. La La Land: I feel like this is a very unpopular pick right now but I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Does it deserve all of the accolades it’s receiving? No but this is the most charming movies of the year. I loved the soundtrack which is probably my 2nd favorite of the year (we will get to my 1st shortly) and the musical numbers in the film were captivating. Emma Stone was terrific. I’m not sure if “Best Actress winning” terrific but her Audition song and the acting she did between the lines (her audition being interrupted, the dinner table scene, when the lights come up on her one woman show) all won me over. I even enjoyed Gosling though he doesn’t have the best singing voice. Did it drag in the middle? Did the second half lack musical numbers? Sure but I never stopped enjoying myself.

1. Moonlight: This is arguably the best movie in the last five years. When I walked out of the theater, I knew I had seen something special. It’s an important film that touches on a subject that I have rarely or never seen portrayed on film: coming to terms with yourself and your homosexuality in a masculine dominated world. Every performance is excellent particularly Oscar winner Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris (who would have won as Oscar if Viola Davis would have been in the Best Actress category).  The three actors who portray Chiron gave us engrossing performances that beautifully depict a man going through these struggles at three different phases in his life. The kitchen table scene with Juan, Chiron and his Mother’s final scene, the entire diner scene at the end, I could go on and on about this movie.  It is a landmark in cinema and filmmaking.

Chris's Top Films of 2016

Here it is! After many hours of viewing and careful consideration, here are my Top 10 Films of the year of our Lord 2016. Before I get to what I chose, I want to mention the movies that just missed out but help round out a damn fantastic year of movies weirdly centering on grief, tragedy, and identity. Fences, Green Room, Other People, Kubo and the Two Strings, and OJ: Made in America could have all easily been mentioned here. And, hypothetically, if they did make the list I'd be telling you about other terrific movies like 13th, Rogue One, Sing Street, or Paterson as Honorable Mentions. So, without further delay, my top 10 of 2016.

10. Hunt for the Wilderpeople: If you don't know his name already, remember the name Taika Waititi. He's currently making the Thor movie you're going to want to see next year (Thor: Ragnarok). Here, he has churned out a beautifully quirky, heartwarming tale of building family in the New Zealand bush. In an unabashedly optimistic film, Sam Neill gets my Curmudgeon of the Year award despite stiff competition from Hell or High Water's Jeff Bridges.

9. Deadpool: I didn't want to put this on my list. Years and years of bungled Marvel/Fox films have just left me with a bad taste in my mouth and, despite my love for superhero movies, I just wasn't really looking forward to this one but here we are. From the opening moments of this film, I knew it was going to be a hell of a ride. Sharp, funny, and while it may not be the cure for those with the superhero blues, it's certainly a dose of medicine that goes down easy. No wonder Ryan Reynolds tried so hard to get this made.

8. Jackie: This is my most recent viewing and therefore latest to join this list (sorry, Fences). Again, I went into this film with tampered expectations, having heard that this was another one of "those films" that has a performance that outshines the whole movie. No question, Portman is fantastic and it is her film to carry, but there was so much more to this film that I didn't expect to love. The centered framing, visual style, and shot composition is striking; the score from Mica Levi lives and breathes in this film; and nobody told me Peter Sarsgaard plays Bobby Kennedy! Great performance as well. This served as a perfect cap to a year filled with explorations of grief and identity.

7. The Witch: Any film with this much attention to detail is hard to ignore. As stylistically rich as anything on this list and a nice fistful of gore, this is a tale of unspooled sanity that pulls no punches. A tightly-packed snowball of suspense that will get into your bones more than Ralph Ineson's phenomenal voice.

6. The Lobster: My favorite movie to discuss this year, fully acknowledging that it was designed to get people talking. That didn't hurt the conversation about the hard choices and sacrifices of love and/or a relationship told, quite frankly, through one of the darkest comedies I've seen in a while. I marvel at the control of tone in every aspect of this odd-conceit of a film but the brief flashes of violence keep the stakes high and the film perfectly hyperbolized. I'll admit that watching Dogtooth took a little wind out of my Lobster-sail but that doesn't change the fact that I think Colin Farrell doesn't do it in the end.

5. Hail, Caesar!: I will watch any Coen Bros movie at any time. ANY. A comedic meditation on faith and service through the guise of an old-Hollywood genre mash-up? Count me in. My favorite actor Josh Brolin turning in another solid showing? Sounds great. The breakout performance of tomorrow's (but technically yesterday's because it'll be backstory...) Han Solo, Alden Einrenrich? Awesome. Top it off with the second best original song of the year, the hilarious tap number 'No Dames', and I'm sold. I think it should be noted that while this was the first movie of 2016 that made my preliminary 'favorites' list, it started at #10 and now it's here after a second (and now third) viewing.

4. Moonlight: This is probably the best directed film of the year and if I were a gambling man, this is exactly where I'd place my Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar bet. A touching and not always easy look at identity and the moments and people that shape you. Please give Mahershala Ali the Supporting Actor Oscar in a cast built with Best Supporting Acting nominees. His may be my single favorite performance this year.

3. La La Land: Very few movies exude this much charm, hence the inevitable backlash now popping up, but count me among the enchanted. Easily the year's best first 20 minutes and ultimately a taste of everything the movies can be: funny, sad, exciting, ya know, everything. It feels both nostalgic and new and I found it unwittingly refreshing to see a movie musical made for film rather than stage. Watch out for Damien Chazelle, he has the power to close freeways in Los Angeles.

2. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping: I can hear you, "Chris! It's ridiculous that this is so high on your list!". No, you're ridiculous for not going and supporting this movie in theaters! A great comedy is treasure and to see it with an audience is something incredibly special. A dexterous navigation of precise parody with comedy bits flushed out to their fullest and wackiest without feeling forced. A worthy heir to Spinal Tap and my favorite comedy of the last ten years. AND, in my humble opinion, this year's Best Original Song, 'I'm so Humble'. Sorry La La Land (And really, I put 'A Lovely Night' above 'City of Stars' as my #3 and #4 songs of the year, even though I figure 'Stars' is gonna take the Oscar... I am still waiting on a Moana viewing...)

1. Manchester by the Sea: A devastating film in the best way possible. I know it can look like a horse-pill, but it goes down smooth thanks to a near perfect screenplay by writer/director Kenneth Lonergan. And fret not, this healthy helping of catharsis is alleviated by some humorous moments; the film moves from comedy to tragedy as fluidly as it moves from past to present. Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams bring some of the best and most honest acting this year. I'm curious to see if it has the emotional resonance with me the next time around, but I'm willing to bet the hard choices and tough ending never lose effect.