DYLA's Top 10 Movies of 2020

Billy and Drew count down their most memorable movies from a year to forget

Jan 08, 2021

Contrary to popular belief, new movies were not entirely put on hold during the garbage fire that was 2020. While many big-budget movies meant to play in huge multiplexes were postponed, there was still plenty of room for smaller and more idiosyncratic fare for us to watch at home. No, this was not a banner year for the movies (or anything really), but we were still able to find cool stuff. And the good news? Most of it is easily accessible via streaming right now.

Check out our top 10 lists below, as well as our top 5 TV shows, and please hit us up on Twitter or Instagram with some of your favorite 2020 movies.

Drew’s Top 10 Movies of 2020

Da 5 Bloods

This was a year full of tumult and upheaval, which may be why Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods loomed so large in my mind. It’s an explosive and fervent movie made by a restless and passionate filmmaker at a time when our country was reckoning with racial injustice and its own checkered past. Da 5 Bloods is the story of four black veterans that return to Vietnam to find the remains of their squad leader and the gold treasure they buried back then. It’s a treasure-hunting adventure mashed up with a war movie that surprised and gripped me. Marvin Gaye carries the film along on the soundtrack, and the actors all bring their A-game, including Chadwick Boseman in a performance that is even more heartbreaking after his recent passing. (Streaming on Netflix)

Soul

Imaginative, funny, and profound. Soul is top-tier Pixar, at their most bold and metaphysical. This time they have combined arresting visuals, a beautiful score, and a poignant and thought-provoking story about purpose, passion, and the little joys of life. I can’t wait to return to this existential triumph. (Streaming on Disney Plus)

Palm Springs

If your quarantine days stuck at home felt like one long version of Groundhog Day, then Palm Springs may have resonated deeply in 2020. This delightful and witty time-loop romantic comedy was the most fun I had watching a movie all year. With well-matched lead actors Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti playing off their dynamite chemistry (not to mention all-star supporting actor J.K. Simmons), this high-concept comedy delivers absurd laughs and giddy antics, while still making time for genuine emotional connection. (Streaming on Hulu)

Tenet

It’s a shame Tenet wasn’t released in normal times. Because it only opened in part of the country this summer due to closed theaters, many people weren’t able to see it on the big screen. I saw it in a mostly empty IMAX theater and this mind-bending action blockbuster played like gangbusters. The discussion around Christopher Nolan’s visually spectacular (and, admittedly, pretty confounding) Bond-esque movie would’ve been fascinating. Tenet surrounds an inventive and original story with some of Nolan’s best action filmmaking to date. (Rent it on digital platforms like Apple, Amazon, Google Play, and more)

Sound of Metal

Headlined by Riz Ahmed’s spellbinding central performance, Sound of Metal is a deeply empathetic drama that never feels manipulative. This story of a metal band drummer (and recovering addict) that loses his hearing manages to sidestep addiction drama cliches thanks to Ahmed’s lived-in performance and writing that refuses to take the easy path. I can almost guarantee the moving final scenes will stay with you for a while. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)

Dick Johnson Is Dead

Perhaps the only 2020 film that brought me to tears, the Netflix documentary Dick Johnson Is Dead was a balm during a soul-crushing year. Dick Johnson, the director Kirsten’s father, suffers from dementia. In a morbid and surprisingly entertaining experiment, the documentary portrays different ways Dick could die (falling down a flight of stairs, crushed by an A/C unit, etc.) in order to confront death and Kirsten’s fear of losing her dad. Dick Johnson Is Dead is an equally sad and funny doc about aging, memory, and death. It’s one of the most honest things I saw this year. (Streaming on Netflix)

Mangrove

I mostly liked Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, but Mangrove -- the first installment of British director Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series -- was simply a better and more powerful courtroom drama. McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Widows) tells the story of the Mangrove Nine, a group of black activists that were tried for inciting a riot at a 1970 protest in west London. Mangrove features forceful performances from the whole cast, with Letitia Wright (Black Panther) shining brightest. The entirety of Small Axe is worth watching, but Mangrove will live on as another elite film from McQueen made with breathtaking potency and grace. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)

Mank

Mank is the least commercial movie David Fincher has ever made, but I found myself locked into this immersive and transporting character study of how Herman Mankiewicz came to write the script for Citizen Kane. This is due in large part to the tremendous screenplay, full of fast-paced wit and intelligence, by Fincher’s late father, Jack. It also helps that the actors, particularly Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, and Lily Collins, are so effective at bringing his writing alive in order to recreate 1930s Hollywood. Mank is another sparkling example of Netflix dropping the bag for a master filmmaker to make a movie about whatever they want. (Streaming on Netflix)

Another Round

Would your life improve if you maintained a low level of intoxication throughout the day? Four high school teachers try to find out in Another Round, a terrific comedy-drama from Denmark. Dissatisfied with their humdrum middle-aged existence, these men hear about a psychiatrist that claims the human body is naturally 0.05% alcohol-deficient, so they plan to day-drink at that level to see if it enhances their social and professional performance. (For research, of course.) As you would expect, things escalate from there in ways both hilarious and tragic. Starring Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Rogue One) in an unexpected and memorable role, Another Round brilliantly displays the joy and sorrow of life, as well as everything in between. Skol! (Rent it on digital platforms like Apple, Amazon, Google Play, and more)

On the Rocks

During a miserable year like this there were some films that were just nice to sink into. On the Rocks is Sofia Coppola’s elegant and amusing hangout movie between Rashida Jones as a frustrated 40-something writer and her carefree womanizer father played by Bill Murray, who blesses us with his best performance in over a decade. It’s a funny, sweet, and heartfelt 90ish minutes -- just what the doctor ordered in 2020. Plus, you can vicariously enjoy a few cocktails in classy New York City bars during a year when that wasn’t really possible. (Streaming on Apple TV+)

Billy’s Top 10 Movies of 2020

Palm Springs

Early on during the pandemic the ex-roomie and myself went on a long rant on how iconic Andy Samberg is turning out to be. This was pre-Palm Springs. I’m a huge fan of movies that bring originality to a trope we have seen over and over again. Here we have Nyles (Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) starring as nihilistic people who get stuck in a time loop that is set at a wedding. Naturally they begin to fall in love, create some hijinks, and lose their minds in this infinite time loop. The story is sweet and our leads are characters I never want to leave. The best film of 2020 is one of the few bright spots that I can latch on to time and time again.

On the Rocks

It’s not often that what you think is going to be a melodramatic father-daughter drama is actually an investigative buddy comedy with an insane amount of heart. Rashida Jones gives the best performance of her career as a mother and wife who is stuck in a life she did not expect to be in. Her life is not completely void of joy and that decision by director Sofia Coppola to portray this life like that was a brilliant choice. It facilitates the repair of a relationship with her father and when there is suspicion of cheating by her husband I did not feel a “screw you” attitude towards him right away. Instead I was holding out hope that it wasn’t true. The crux of the emotion throughout the whole movie is Bill Murray, though. An almost constant presence in Coppola’s career and here he is at his best. In a year with a normal Oscars this may have been an “its time” Oscar for Murray. He would have deserved the win and I hope he still gets a nomination this year.

The Vast of Night

The biggest announcement from a first time director in a while. This is on par with Jordan Peele’s Get Out when it comes to bursting onto the scene. Here is another example of a director (Andrew Patterson) breathing life into a genre that so desperately needed some updating. The Vast of Night follows a radio DJ and a charismatic high-schooler who are looking into a strange frequency that is appearing on their airwaves. The way this movie is shot and the way it introduces the main characters is so unique. It makes this simple, yet mysterious sci-fi movie more terrifying, engaging, and worthwhile. I hope small budget movies like this are what the home viewing experience is going to be as movie theaters begin to make their way back in 2021. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)

David Byrne’s American Utopia

The live show that is adapted to the screen you have been watching is Hamilton and it shows. While Hamilton is lovely, anything with David Byrne is an automatic must-view experience. It all started with the 1984 live concert film Stop Making Sense and 36 years later we are shown another one of his live shows. This time it is directed by Spike Lee. David Byrne and Spike Lee? A collaboration I didn’t know I needed. No matter the time or place this will get you on your feet and dancing. When things get back to normal and friends are able to watch movies with me again this will be the banger I throw on. (Streaming on HBO)

Soul

Soul is uplifting at a time where many people’s purpose feels stripped from them. Pixar is at its best when it challenges the audience that is paying to see the movie: the adults. Of course Disney/Pixar makes their money when kids want to watch the movie constantly and have all the fun associated toys, but parents are only going to shell out the cash if they want to revisit it as well. Soul, more than any other Pixar movie, brings in themes that adults can relate to and kids can begin to think about potentially for the first time. Our main character is a 40+ failing jazz musician who feels like he has missed out on his purpose his whole life. Now closer to the end than to the beginning he is willing to do about anything to make that a reality. Pixar always seems to hit a homerun and this might be the farthest one they have it.

Another Round

No movie in 2020 made me miss pre-COVID life more than Another Round. This is an ultimate hangout movie that starts off an absolute blast and creates a wonderful experiment that many of us have been tempted to try. Another Round follows 4 teachers who have been seemingly stuck in their profession, marriages, and lives for far too long. A lot of the passion has left them and one teacher, a psychology professor, brings up philosopher Finn Skårderud. Skårderud claims that it is sensible to drink all the time and that humans were made with a blood alcohol content that is .05% too low, arguing that at this level you are more loose and therefore can thrive in life more. This pact made by these 4 friends starts off exactly how they want it to. They’re exciting their students again, their wives begin to fall in love with them again, and they haven’t had this much fun in years. Then it moves into a destructive lifestyle. The ride we take with these characters is exciting and takes full advantage of this fun premise.

Da 5 Bloods

My next two movies are more examples of Netflix giving auteur directors a sizable budget and what seems like full creative control. Let’s start with director Spike Lee. Lee tells the story of 4 friends who are veterans who fought in the Vietnam War. Like every single one of his movies Lee is packing a lot into one movie. This time it is through the easy-to-digest buddy comedy which was a smart story structure. Without it the themes may have come off as too much to handle, but he is able to escalate what he is trying to say in increasingly intense ways. So when the climax does hit we are somewhat ready for it. Lee weaves in real footage from the Vietnam War and we see our four characters continually feel slighted from the country they were protecting when they got back to the United States. This is a challenging watch, but anything Lee directs is worth watching. Luckily for us, this is in the upper echelon of his filmography.

Mank

Here we have my favorite director David Fincher. Anything he makes will be at the top of my most anticipated movie list. It kills me that I was not able to see Mank in a theater. Not being able to see it in the theater did not sour my love for this movie, though. Gary Oldman brilliantly plays the titular Mank, an alcoholic screenwriter who is tasked to write a movie for the young and unknown master filmmaker Orson Welles. Essentially a film nerd's wet dream. Fincher masterfully weaves in and out of so many different ideas. Classic Hollywood, newspaper empires, and political unrest. Some of the plot lines may fall on deaf ears if the setting does not create initial interest, but Fincher takes what sounded like a simple story about a writer writing one of the best screenplays of all time and makes it exhilarating from start to finish.

Happiest Season

Seeing Kristen Stewart (Abby) and Mackenzie Davis (Harper) lead a movie together is such a treat. Stewart continues to prove that her Twilight era was the anomaly and Davis continues her ascent into a leading actress. Happiest Season immediately hooks the audience with the traditional tropes and director Clea Duvall does a wonderful job making them feel refreshing. There is a relationship we love, an eccentric/hilarious best friend as the moral compass, and a family that brings all the drama. Duvall decides to focus on the moment when a relationship is ready to bring the family into the mix. Abby is going to meet Harper’s family during Christmas, but Harper has not come out to her family yet. Making them hide their relationship and if the truth comes out Harper may lose her family in the process. This simple premise is packed full of laugh out loud moments from everyone in the stacked cast. Plus each of them getting a moment to show their acting chops is always a good recipe for success. Happiest Season is going to be a part of the holiday rotation from here on out. (Streaming on Hulu)

Host

This was the first movie I watched when I moved into my new house and it was a horrible/amazing way to christen what was an almost completely empty house. You need to have a smaller streaming service called Shudder to see this one. At only 56 minutes long it is hard to place it higher than tenth, but it is one of the scariest movies of 2020. This seems to be a theme for 2020, but it created a unique entry into the found-footage genre that was completely played out. We peek into a Zoom call that is performing a seance. One girl believes in this stuff, some others are going along for the ride, and the girl that is making a mockery of the whole thing lets the entity into the real world. What ensues will make you look around every corner once it is over. (Streaming on Shudder)

Drew:

Devs (Hulu)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The Last Dance (ESPN)
The Third Day (HBO)

Billy:

How To With John Wilson (HBO)
Sex Education (Netflix)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The Last Dance (ESPN)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

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