20:20 (Pt 4) Contrarian takes, gay comedies, and a KStew double
Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 7:40PM Part One | Part Two | Part Three
We're occassionally surveying the films of 2020 that are already streaming, whether they're great, terrible or anywhere inbetween in case you're looking to get caught up on the film year before December/January's "year in review" style media mania. We're freezing them at the 20th minute and 20th second just for streaming roulette kicks. How many of these twelve 2020 pictures have you seen?
-What are we getting?
-Uh... nothing good.
UNDERWATER (William Eubank, US)
20th Century Fox. Original release date: January 10th. Streaming on HBOMax
KStew's dialogue right there is suddenly how I'm feeling about the cinema of 2020. I know I know we're supposed to be saying it was rich. Well, I was feeling like it was rich until I started drafting up the annual Film Bitch Awards and realized it was a wasteland once I removed all the festival titles that don't have distribution in 2020. Still have to get through another 20 pictures though and if half of them are wonderful the problem will be solved? I promise that I'm not just in a grumpy mood though the following text might suggest otherwise as I had an entirely lovely Thanksgiving. How about you?
They were actually hillbilly royalty because my pawpaw was related to the guy who started the Hatfield-McCoy feud.
HILLBILLY ELEGY (Ron Howard, US)
Netflix. Original release date November 24th. Streaming on Netflix.
Dear readers, I meant to review this -- should I still or has the window passed? P.S. I hated it. And, no, not because it's about characters who probably would have voted for T***p. Anyway we discussed this on the Podcast.
A boat party? That would be fun.
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA (David Dobkin, US)
Netflix. Original release date: June 26th. Streaming on Netflix
One of my most unpopular opinions this year: I thought this was close to laugh-free and one of the year's worst. From a pacing level in particular it's a disaster. Did you know that it's over two hours long? Unforgiveable with this material. It makes the same points and jokes dozens upon dozens of times (you could cut out a full 30 minutes and it would still be the exact same movie which one should never be able to say about an entire feature length film!) Like, how are we 20 minutes and 20 seconds into the movie at this screencap and we still have about 10 minutes left of what is essentially the prologue? Everyone loves Rachel McAdams in it but even she is merely serviceable (if, as ever, adorable). All that said the costumes are fun and Dan Stevens is an unqualified blast.
Breach!
THE OLD GUARD (Gina Prince-Blythewood, US)
Netflix. Original release date: July 10th. Streaming on Netflix
Another movie that had lots of fans that I personally was all ... *shrugs* Pros: high quality in terms of representation: multiple countries, races, sexualities. Physically beautiful cast. Charlize Theron forever obviously. Cons: Most if not quite all of the action sequences felt enormously pedestrian. Storytelling wise it risked coming across as an elaborate series pilot (which is fine if you're a series pilot) more than it attempted being a completely engaging single feature.
You must study so I can ask you in code.
THE MOLE AGENT (Maite Alberdi, Chile)
Cinereach. Original release date: August 28th. Streaming on Hulu
Chile's Oscar Submission. Keep hearing this one is good. Will try to carve out time.
You know what I was thinking about the other day?
HAPPIEST SEASON (Clea DuVall, US)
Hulu. Original release date: November 25th. Streaming on Hulu
Eurocheese just reviewed this for us here and loved it. As befits the unexpected theme of Part four of this 20:20 for 2020 streaming snapshot mini-series... I did not like it very much. Many good actors but not much in the way of characters for them to play. While I do not subscribe to the feeling that "likeability" is an innate positive for film characters, it is in innate positive for this particular genre (romantic comedy). In short I couldn't find one character to root for aside from Jane (the film's co-writer Mary Holland) and the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend (Aubrey Plaza and Jake McDorman). And when your three most sympathetic characters are all peripheral you have a problem. Harper (Mackenzie Davis) made me so angry in every scene and Abby (Kristen Stewart) was such a doormat. In short this movie gave me anxiety!
-And you are...?
-Bruce
UNCLE FRANK (Alan Ball, US)
Amazon Studios. Original release date: November 25th. Streaming on Amazon Prime
Contrarian corner continues. Christopher didn't like this one in his review here but I very much enjoyed it. It is quite broad at all times around the periphery but the center works (the opposite problem of Happiest Season actually). Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis are wonderful. It was also a nice surprise to see Cole Doman again. He plays the teenage version of Frank in flashbacks and some of you might remember him as the lead in the lovely gay indie Henry Gamble's Birthday Party.
[alarm clock ringing]
RUN (Aneesh Chaganty, US)
Lionsgate. Original release date: November 20th. Streaming on Hulu
Previously reviewed here by Abe. I haven't yet watched this one. Have you?
We're in no hurry. The car is charging.
I AM GRETA (Nathan Grossman, Sweden)
Hulu. Original release date: November 13th. Streaming on Hulu
This was one of Sweden's finalists for their Oscar nomination this year but they went with Charter.
-Did you make a new friend?
-There was no avoiding it.
WHAT WE WANTED (Ulrikee Kofler, Austria)
Netflix. Original release date: November 11th. Streaming on Netflix.
Austria's Oscar submission. The plot sounds a bit similar to the Angelina Jolie / Brad Pitt movie By the Sea.
[Rustling through garbage]
DEERSKIN (Quentin Dupieux, France)
Greenwich Entertainment. Original release date: May 1st. Streaming on HBO Max
Reviewed right here. The director Quentin Dupieux is fairly prolific, and has a devout cult following already as far as we can tell. His new film Mandibules got a mini rave right here from Venice, too.
Prepare my ride
DOLITTLE (Stephen Gaghan, US)
Universal. Original release date: January 17th. Streaming on HBOMax
Remember when movie theaters were still open and Hollywood was doing business as usual like releasing big dumb CGI blockbusters into theaters? This was one of the last one of those when business was usual.
Reader Comments (32)
Maybe I'm delusional, but I do think that, despite its hurdles, 2020 is a good cinematic year. I've watched a bit over 150 US releases so far and there are many films I loved.
Because I have lists for everything, I can actually compare this to other years. In comparison with 2013, for instance, my average opinion of 2020 films is considerably more positive. I don't usually like to give grades on reviews, but I do classify the films in my private lists and this year has already over a dozen titles that I'd grade as A- or more.
FIRST COW and GHOST TROPIC battle it out for my #1 spot, while BABYTEETH, TIME, DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD and BEANPOLE aren't too far behind. There are also the amazing SMALL AXE films, for example, if one classifies them as cinema (I do).
It's been such a shitty year that these cinematic gems have really come in handy to lift the spirits.
I guess I missed the other UNCLE FRANK review, but I also just saw that and LOVED it. The way it was able to give narrative paths to Paul Bettany's character AND his niece and partner made the climactic scenes all the more powerful. That movie also felt weirdly more modern in its approach than HAPPIEST SEASON despite it being set a few decades ago versus the present-day.
I quite loved THE OLD GUARD, but I agree that EUROVISION was just okay. I think it would have been better (even great) if Will Ferrell wasn't the lead. And yes Dan Stevens is perfection in that.
nathaniel, i'm with you. the year in cinema so far reflects the year overall: confusing, alienating, and boring. and i can't even get excited about many of the big/good movies ahead the next three months. all the films you list above hold zero interest for me. i'm also confused why all the "streaming releases" haven't been trickling in week by week in october, so we all had new films to watch on the regular, and movies could catch on passionately over time with people?
claudio -- i wish i liked First Cow that much. I did think it was very good but i currently have it just outside my top ten list. I cant classify Small Axe as cinema since I go by Oscar vs Emmy rules and its intended for the Emmys in america and conceived as a tv series.
as for Ghost Tropic i just had to look that up. Wasn't sure what it was. IMDb claims it had a release date in the US but it doesn't show up on Justwatch (which generally lists which service you can rent or buy or stream a movie from. ) and on Rotten Tomatoes it's still listed as "coming soon" so i'm not sure what the deal is. Basically it's a phantom movie in the US. Does it exist or not?
Regarding GHOST TROPIC, it was released in virtual cinemas at the end of August. At least, that's what the New York Times says: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/movies/ghost-tropic-review.html
I watched it at a festival here in Lisbon and it's one of the most beautiful films I've watched in some time.
Ugh, BEANPOLE was unberable. So pretentious.
Nathaniel, EricB, Noriyuki -- Maybe my appreciation of 2020 cinema is just a matter of weird personal taste. I guess my particular sensibilities are being more catered to than usual because of this draught of other cinematic releases. I hope my words didn't come off as pretentious or patronizing.
I'm sad other dear cinephiles are feeling so down about the current cinema. I'm sorry and I hope you find some hidden gem that brightens your 2020 film year.
Good. Now you'll have the time to watch Mariette Heller's superb performance in The Queen's Gambit and then write a rebuttal to that guy on Twitter who times all the nominated movies and writes stupid things such as "Faye Dunaway is supporting in Chinatown".
Peggy Sue -- i have already watched QUEEN'S GAMBIT (loved it loved it loved it -- mentioned how great Marielle Heeller was in this post -- and i have definitely lost my desire to fight category fraud battles because even though i popularized the dissent about it, it's taken on a life of its own and that life has unfortunately subverted the original intent (which was to point out that pretending leading stars are supporting does a great stingy disservice to character actors, robbing them of their one way they can feel like movie stars and be appreciated on the same level, and film culture in general. Now everyone want to argue the other way, which harms no one and is just a bunch of bean-counting ... and beesides time on screen does not always reflect whether someone is lead or support. ANTHONY HOPKINS is a lead in silence of the lambs and i dont care if he was only in it for 16 minutes.
;) HAHA. sorry got carried away.
Peggy Sue -- To be fair, he does justify his category placements and has decried many more cases of leading actors going supporting than the other way around. Still, I find myself disagreeing a lot with the conclusions. Like Nathaniel says, Hopkins deserved his lead Oscar in 1991, no matter the diminutive size of his screen time.
I really must watch THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT one of these days. Everyone keeps raving about it.
I'll piggyback what Cláudio saidy. I love this cinematic year and all of its weirdness and eccentricities, even if I'm yet to grade an A this year. The highest I've given so far is A- and I've seen 38 films as of the moment.
So far, my top five are: THE ASSISTANT, CUTIES, DA 5 BLOODS, LINGUA FRANCA, and ON THE ROCKS. Lots of B+ and B in my book. Can't wait the rest of 2020 films (and I'm excluding 2021 titles, regardless of Oscar eligibility).
Juan & Claudio -- i'm glad you're both enjoying it. i really thought i was too until drafting up my awards. So many categories i just don't feel i have 5 films / achieevementsi want to include for the honor of "BEST" which has rarely happened for me outside of a few categories like say Adapted Screenplay, Animated Feature, or Original Song which sometimes have very off years even if the cinematic year is otherwise excellent. But there's a month left to go and I still have 20 movies i have to get through (and hopefully i'll make time for 10 more after those)
Out of the twelve I have seen, "Underwater" (a completely unoriginal and uninspired thriller), "The Old Guard" (I agree with you completely about this), "Deerskin" (odd but fairly interesting) and "Uncle Frank" which I liked far more than I thought I would.
Nathaniel- totally on the same page with these. Still would like to hear your thoughts on why Hillbilly Elegy did not work.
I keep hearing raves about The Mole Agent. Not a lot of people have seen it, but those who have, love it.
Doolittle 2020 is so silly (not in a good way) and bad that it makes Doolittle 1967 almost a masterpiece. The old version at least has one or other attraction - starting with the poorly used charming cast. The new version neither Robert Downey Jr's talent and charisma manages to save from drowning.
I've heard people saying that Hillbilly Elegy (I don't know why, but I love this title) will be the Mommie Dearest of this generation. A film that will be appreciated in the future being seen with a different look.
Feline -- i also love the title... hmmm. mommie dearest. I guess it does have the BIG acting going for it in that regard.
Just saw Uncle Frank - it was good, if not inconsequential. I could have used less happy ending and more Beth arc
Queen's Gambit - I must be in the minority of 'like', not 'love'. I recognize all its qualities but haven't found myself drawn to binge watching. I find the ending to be a foregone conclusion, the psychological arc not sufficiently fleshed out, and some plotlines just odd or not plausible for a child. In fact the only thing I loved about it is Marielle Heller; what a delight! Her pacing was so unique and it actually anchored the show. A true supporting role without whom the series would suffer.
The Undoing is where's it's at!
Nathaniel, personally I would like to read a review of HB from you. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast, and am interested in why you hate it ( I liked it myself).
*HE
Oh like this overview - would love to know what you think about Glenn's & Amy's performances in HillyBilly ?? I never saw both of them like it in aaaany of their movies before - loved some of their scenes a lot (in the 2nd half) - but I always felt it needed a different DOP & director - but both where the reason I stayed hooked for the time being.... What do u think about their Oscar chances now ? (If I may add - Glenn's performance reminds me a bit of Janney's & Dern's march towards a win with big showy characters.... but in definitely better movies)
I'm not a real person.
In my opinion, Hillbilly Elegy is an awful mess. I can’t even appreciate Adams/Close’s efforts, both were wasted. Hopefully it will be ignored at awards season: Glenn Close deserves an Oscar, but for a better thing than this.
About Eurovision: I liked almost everything in it: the songs, the costumes, the McAdams. Hated the male cast: Will Ferrell is annoying, and Dan Stevens is just a handsome bad actor (he is what we call, in Brazil, “canastrão”).
Agreed with Nathaniel about the year in movies. And maybe it's not quality, but the sheer fact that there's no sense of shared experience in the absence of theaters being closed down in NYC. No sold out Parasite shows and the conversation afterward. No The Irishman at IFC. It's just streaming, streaming, streaming, and that gets old and boring after a while, no matter the quality of the films being streamed.
I'm one of those people who loves movies but sadly tuned out this year because the only way to watch any were at home, and that's not usually how I see new movies.
I actually loved Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, despite all its flaws, and think it deserves to win Best Original Song with Husavik (My Hometown) right away. The songwritting effort in this film is amazing, Dan Stevens and Rachel McAdams are truly great, and the whole thing with the elves was... priceless, as the harbor scene during the boat party (Ferrell and McAdams drove me to hysterical laughter with their expressions and dialogue when *that* happened). I can easily forgive the many freedoms it took with the actual Song Contest and how it works, because I understand the changes for dramatic purpouses...
Nathaniel: I checked out, it seems that Javier Fesser's "Historias Lamentables" is already available on Amazon Prime Video also in the USA, with English subtitles. WATCH. IT. NOW. I know it won't be around but this should win Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (and Best Supporting Actress, Laura Gómez-Lacueva) almost any given year. Not only a masterpiece, but also hilarious... think of Pulp Fiction meets Wild Tales but with an actual care and love for every single character shown on screen. Hope you like it, don't let it fly under your radar (it's by an actual past Oscar nominee, by the way)
Run, Eurovision, and The Old Guard are all in the same category for me - really entertaining movies that go down easily but aren't much more than that. I still found them to be enjoyable and would recommend them particularly this year because people need escapism. (But Unpregnant is the best example of this type of film this year - I really enjoyed that.)
I think it's an average movie year... the last two years have been fantastic in my opinion, but 2020 is better than, say, 2016 and 2015. My favorites thus far are Nomadland, Da Five Bloods, The Assistant, The Father, On the Rocks, The Truffle Hunters, and Gunda... a very strong top 7, and I expect that some of the releases I've yet to see will be very strong as well.
Watched "HAPPIEST SEASON" last night and totally agree with Nathaniel. It was tonally all over the place. The editing was clumsy (like that dull ice skating race between sisters -- which could have been more entertaining with a better edit). And like Nathaniel said, the characters were under-developed and not worth cheering for. And I think the movie committed that fatal flaw of rom coms where the relationship is put to the test... it didn't give us enough up front to make us love the central couple and thus root for the relationship when it's in trouble. Man, I really wanted them to break up! Plus can we just question the central premise here?? It felt like something from 15-20 years ago. I'm not saying there isn't still huge risk for some people in coming out, but (a) the "coming out" plot of queer films is really tired and (b) let's be honest about the fact that in upscale "Pittsburgh" having a queer kid just wouldn't be a liability for most people.
Bright spots: Aubrey Plaza was a total delight (refreshingly not playing "Aubrey Plaza") and my personal hero among the characters. Dan Levy just played it in his usual way but nailed some great moments. And IMHO Mary Steenburgen wins MVP of the movie by delivering her (sometimes tired) lines with aplomb and totally understanding how to make her unlikable character someone who still deserves our empathy.
I don’t know any European (i.e. people who actually watch and enjoy Eurovision) who enjoyed A Story of Fire Saga. The reviews on this side of the pond were universally awful, and the film as a whole just didn’t seem to understand irony or the kitschy but sincere appeal of the contest itself. But at least the songwriters came to play!
Nathaniel, fwiw, GHOST TROPIC was actually one of Nick Davis' "100" films of the last decade.
While I had major problems with HE I have to say that I was blown away by Glenn Close. Her performance has really stayed with me. She reminded me so much of my own grandmother. Felt she really underplayed many of her scenes when the temptation to go big and broad was there. Absolutely loved her work.
No rebuttal no blowjob