Sunday, February 21, 2021

TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2020 - PART 2

Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s annual End-of-the-Year list where I’m counting down my Top 10 Favorite Films of 2020. Because of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry, which resulted in numerous films either getting pushed back to a later date or moved over to streaming services, I was forced to do a more traditional Top 10 for this year’s list rather than my usual Top 12. Ergo, whereas the second parts of my annual End-of-The-Year posts usually focus on films #9-7, today’s post will instead be covering the second half of this year’s list as we go through my Top 5 of 2020. Also, for those who didn’t check out yesterday’s post, which covered films #10-5 and my one Honorable Mention, just head to the link that’s provided below. And so, without further ado, let’s return to the list…

PART 1

Seeing how Part 1 ended with a Pixar film, it’s only fitting that Part 2… starts with a Pixar film. And yes, as you’ll soon find out, my favorite Pixar film from 2020 wasn’t the more critically acclaimed Soul. Instead, it was a film that will hopefully manage to overcome the terrible luck that it ended up having upon its release.

5. ONWARD

As I’ve stated plenty of times at this point, a whole bunch of films were royally screwed over by COVID-19, and I think it’s safe to say that one of the films that was affected by it the most was Pixar’s first 2020 release, Onward. Simply put, Onward hit theaters here in the U.S. on March 6th… barely a week before the pandemic started forcing theaters to shut down indefinitely. Thus, it only managed to gross around $141.9 million worldwide which, under normal circumstances, would’ve made it a full-blown commercial flop since it had a budget that was around $175-200 million. After that, it was promptly moved to On-Demand services on March 20th, just two weeks after it hit theaters, which then led to its debut on Disney+ on April 3rd. However, it goes without saying that Onward’s struggles at the box-office weren’t really its fault; instead, it was just the unfortunate victim of some utterly bad timing. That said, though, there is a part of me that wonders how the film would’ve fared if it wasn’t hindered by the pandemic given its overall reception. Now to be clear, Onward wasn’t critically panned or anything; at the time that I’m writing this, it boasts an excellent 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, if you look at the site’s consensus statement on the film, one of the main points that it makes is that it wasn’t seen as one of Pixar’s best. Yes, this is yet another instance of what I’ve been saying numerous times over the years in that the expectations for Pixar films have become so monumental that any film of theirs that isn’t considered an outright masterpiece ends up being overlooked completely. And if you ask me, that’s a damn shame because I’d argue that Onward is another Pixar classic.

Onward takes place in a fantasy world occupied by classic mythical creatures; elves, centaurs, manticores, etc. The film’s opening sequence establishes that while this land was originally full of magic, a combination of technological advancements and the fact that magic proved to be a hard thing to master resulted in it becoming nearly obsolete, thus resulting in the fantasy equivalent of modern-day suburbia. And right off the bat, I can sort of see why some felt that the film didn’t really do much with the process of fully exploring its fantastical setting. Instead, it arguably plays second fiddle to the main plot to the point where some have argued that you could’ve told this same story without the fantasy elements and there wouldn’t have been much of a difference. Still, for what it’s worth, the world that this film creates is a genuinely fun one to explore even if it’s mostly just the traditional visual gag of a real-life object being given a fantasy overlay. Plus, due to the nature of the quest that the main protagonists go on, the film ends up featuring a lot of affectionate tributes to role-playing games, including, of course, Dungeons and Dragons. Now, full disclosure, I have ZERO experience with Dungeons and Dragons in any shape or form. But for those who are far more familiar with the iconic RPG than I am, I bet that you’ll love all the references that this film makes to it, including a climactic encounter with the most terrifying threat of them all… the Gelatinous Cube!

But above all, Onward is full of that great emotional poignancy that we’ve come to expect from Pixar films, which makes perfect sense since the main plot was directly inspired by the real-life experiences of its director, Dan Scanlon. Onward follows a pair of elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who learn that, before he passed away, their dad had managed to come across the means to cast a ‘visitation spell’ that would allow them to resurrect him for a whole day. And since their dad died before Ian was born, this would allow him the chance to finally meet the father that he never got to know. As it turns out, Ian proves to be one of the rare folks who can properly wield magic; however, his initial attempt at casting the spell isn’t exactly successful as it only manages to bring back their dad’s lower half (which, to be fair, is a hilarious visual). And so, with only 24 hours before the spell wears off, Ian and Barley set out on a quest to find the Phoenix Gem that they need to properly complete it. Naturally, this journey helps the two somewhat distant brothers bond more, which results in a pivotal moment where Barley admits something that he never mentioned before. Earlier, Barley had told Ian that the three memories that he has of their dad were that he had a scratchy beard, a goofy laugh and that he used to play the drums on his feet. However, in the middle of their journey, Barley reveals that there’s a fourth memory that he has of their dad… and, unfortunately, it’s not a happy one. He reveals that when he was going to see their dad right before he passed away, the sight of him on life-support and in a state where he was far beyond recognition scared him so much that he couldn’t go in. And so, from that moment on, he vowed that he would never be scared ever again.

With that in mind, Onward’s ending is perfectly executed as the brothers do manage to complete the spell and bring their dad back to life… however, Barley ends up being the only one to be with him before the spell wears off while Ian protects the two of them from their final foe, a dragon made from the building materials of Ian’s high school. Despite Ian’s desire to officially meet his dad, he ultimately lets Barley have that experience since he recognizes that Barley was the one who had any sort of connection with him, thus letting him finally have the closure that he couldn’t get when their dad died. It’s a bittersweet ending, for sure, but at the same time, Ian realizes that he had already accomplished all the things that he wanted to do with his dad, such as playing catch, having a heart-to-heart conversation with him, and sharing his life with him… he accomplished all that with Barley. Simply put, Ian and Barley are another outstanding ‘Pixar lead duo’, especially thanks to the outstanding performances from Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively. Plus, as I pointed out in my original review for this film, it’s kind of funny to note how Ian and Barley are basically the animated equivalent of Holland and Pratt’s roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man, Ian is the good-natured albeit socially awkward teenager with something to prove whereas Barley is a lovable rogue who, despite being regarded as a ‘screw-up’ by other folks, is simply haunted by the fact that he was unable to say goodbye to a loved one when they were on their deathbed, just like Star-Lord.

In conclusion, I’d just like to reiterate that me preferring Onward over Soul when it comes to Pixar’s 2020 slate is by no means meant to be a dig against the latter. As I noted in the last part, Soul is yet another beautifully poignant entry in Pixar’s prestigious filmography that will surely be the major front-runner for Best Animated Feature during this year’s awards season. At the end of the day, this all comes down to personal preference, and with that in mind, I’d argue that Onward manages to deliver a story that’s just as emotionally poignant as Soul’s, albeit through obviously different narratives. Whereas Soul delivered a wholly uplifting story that reminded us all of the joys of life, Onward produces a powerful story of brotherhood while simultaneously mixing it with a fun fantasy adventure that feels like it came straight from the iconic role-playing games that its premise was largely inspired by. In short, I genuinely hope that this film manages to gain more of an audience in the years to come after it was tragically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To go back to what I mentioned in the intro about the lofty expectations that the internet has towards Pixar films, I’m not one of those folks who strictly expects every Pixar film to be a, to quote my friend Kyle Ostrum, “15/10 masterpiece”. We’ve seen this before with underrated films like Brave, Monsters University, and The Good Dinosaur, and in a lot of ways, that’s exactly what happened this year with Onward. I mean, for the record, even I’ll admit that I don’t necessarily consider this to be the ‘best’ Pixar film ever made, but even if it’s not a ‘thought-provoking masterpiece’ like, say, Soul was, I don’t really see how that’s a bad thing.

Given all the… well, awful things that happened in 2020, I found myself leaning heavily towards crowd-pleaser films this past year which, for long-time visitors of this site, probably doesn’t sound that surprising since those are usually the films that I tend to watch. And if you ask me, my Number 4 pick of 2020 is a near-perfect representation of that mindset.

4. THE PROM

In my original review for this film, I said that it was sort of like the modern-day equivalent of the 1984 cult classic Footloose. I mean, if anything, both films do have generally similar plots in which the folks of a conservative-minded town enact something that negatively affects their teenage community. In the case of Footloose, we had a town that banned public dancing in the wake of a tragic accident that, in the eyes of the town council, was directly caused by reckless partying. As for The Prom, we have a story that was largely inspired by a real-life incident in Itawamba County, Mississippi when student Constance McMillen was banned from attending her high-school prom in 2010 because she was planning on going with her girlfriend. And in both films, these actions are then promptly challenged by outsiders to the community who slowly but surely manage to convince the townsfolk to start changing their ways. But whereas Footloose centered on a single high-school student, The Prom follows a quartet of self-absorbed Broadway stars who are mainly there in the hopes that it would give them some good PR. As such, it goes without saying that a lot of the humorous beats in this film poke fun at those celebrities who try a bit too hard to contribute to social causes. At the same time, though, the fact that these four Broadway stars eventually manage to overcome their egos and genuinely do whatever they can to give main protagonist Emma Nolan the prom that she deserves is a nice example of how there are still plenty of instances where celebrities’ charitable actions are legitimate.

Really, above all, The Prom is simply a well-meaning story that promotes love and acceptance, and when put under the direction of TV producing powerhouse Ryan Murphy, who’s been a major champion for greater diversity within the industry, you get an incredibly uplifting film adaptation of this hit Broadway show. Now, admittedly, I have not seen The Prom in its original form, so I can’t say anything about how effective this film was at adapting its source material. The most that I’ve heard from Broadway fans is that they felt that the humor flowed better in the show than it did in the film, but overall, it seems like the film was as faithful of an adaptation as it could possibly be. It also helps that The Prom sports an excellent soundtrack that, to reiterate a point that I find myself making a lot when it comes to musicals, is a great mix of catchy showstoppers and powerful emotional melodies. In the case of the former, you’ve got tunes like the big ensemble track ‘Tonight Belongs to You’ that closes out Act 1 in the show and the grand finale ‘It’s Time to Dance’ when the gang has successfully managed to hold an all-inclusive prom. And as for the latter, you’ve got ‘Dance with You’, the first duet between Emma and her girlfriend Alyssa, and Emma’s big ‘solo’ (even though she’s technically joined by the viewers of her video for the climax) ‘Unruly Heart’. The Prom also boasts an excellent cast headlined by both big-name stars like Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman and reliable supporting players like Keegan-Michael Key and Andrew Rannells. Ultimately, though, the biggest star of the show is newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma, who’s very much the heart of the film.  

However, there is one major elephant in the room when it comes to the film’s cast, and that is James Corden in the lead role of Broadway star Barry Glickman. Just like Emma, Barry is gay and has faced similar struggles when it comes to being accepted for who he is, especially from his parents. However, James Corden is not a gay man, and thus, received a lot of criticism for his performance, with many noting it to be a highly stereotypical portrayal of gay men. Now, like I said in my original review for this film, while I’m not ‘defending’ Corden’s casting in the role (it probably would’ve been more fitting for him to switch roles with Andrew Rannells, even if Rannells is an undeniable standout as Julliard alum Trent Oliver), I don’t think that he completely derails the film, either. Now, granted, there’s a very reasonable counterargument to that since Barry is arguably the most important character in the story after Emma and the major addition that the film makes to the plot is that it expands upon Barry’s strained relationship with his parents, culminating in a moment of reconciliation with his mother. However, at the end of the day, the rest of the film’s ensemble makes up for any shortcomings that stem from Corden, and like I said before, I’d argue that the film’s heart is ultimately in the right place. Sure, it may not have been entirely successful in its efforts to promote its universal themes, but overall, this utterly infectious musical is the very definition of an all-around crowd-pleaser.

At Number 3, we go from one musical to another with a film that isn’t a direct adaptation like The Prom was but did allow its viewers the rare opportunity of witnessing one of the most iconic Broadway musicals of all-time in the way that it was originally presented.

3. HAMILTON

Okay, so admittedly, I might be ‘cheating’ a bit when it comes to putting this film on the list given the nature of its production. Instead of being a direct adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rap musical Hamilton, this was a filmed production of the show that was produced in 2016 before the departure of several members of the Original Broadway Cast. It was originally set for a theatrical release this year, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic which, as you might have guessed, thoroughly ravished the theater industry just as much as the film industry, it was decided to make it a Disney+ original and was released a year early during the Fourth of July weekend. With that in mind (also, let’s be real, most of the films on this list weren’t seen in theaters, anyway…), I think that it’s perfectly okay to include this on the list, and I wouldn’t be surprised if other folks have it on their ‘Best of the Year’ lists as well. Plus… I mean, come on, it’s Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece of a production that gives audiences an utterly unique spin on American history as presented from a modern perspective. Every song on the soundtrack is impeccably produced and the Original Broadway Cast is so perfectly assembled that those who are only in it for a few songs (e.g. Jonathan Groff as the hilariously over-the-top King George III) are just as phenomenal as the main leads; Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Tony Award winners Leslie Odom Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Daveed Diggs, etc.

Simply put, this film served as a perfect reminder as to why Hamilton has become a staple of our current pop cultural zeitgeist. And thanks to its release, it allowed Hamilton fans the opportunity to do something that most of them had probably never done before… seeing the actual show. Yes, Hamilton has been somewhat notorious for being a show that is almost impossible to get tickets to; and so, because of this, I think it’s safe to say that before 2020, the most experience that Hamilton fans have ever had with the show itself was simply listening to the soundtrack. Now, for the record, that doesn’t mean that this film is meant to be the ‘best’ way to experience the show; if anything, it sort of reiterates why filmed productions of hit Broadway shows have been a rarity, for the most part, since there’s a good chance that they could hurt the show itself from a financial perspective. But in this instance, I think that most would agree that this release came at just at the right time since, at the time that I’m writing this, Broadway shows are, unfortunately, not set to reopen until June (and really, given the continuing devastation of COVID-19, that closure could go on even longer for all we know…). Thus, one could argue that, at the end of the day, the best thing that this film managed to accomplish is that it reminded audiences of the undeniable beauty of the world of theater by way of what is arguably the first show that comes to mind for most people when they think of Broadway shows.

As we near the end of the list, I should probably preface things by noting that these last two films have been some of the more controversial releases of 2020. Case in point, at Number 2, we have a film that has attracted a whole bunch of controversies that have ranged from politically charged scandals to the method in which it was initially released.

2. MULAN

Like all the other live-action Disney remakes that have come before it, the live-action remake of Mulan has faced a ton of scrutiny, but in this instance, it wasn’t necessarily due to the whole ‘Why remake a beloved animated feature?’ argument that’s always the first thing that’s brought up about these films. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a thing this time around, but in this instance, Mulan faced greater backlash over, ironically, the elements from its 1998 animated counterpart that it didn’t include. First, there was the fact that the film wasn’t going to do a live-action incarnation of Mulan’s love interest, Captain Li Shang, as the filmmakers felt that this would’ve been an awkward development in the age of the #MeToo movement. And then, it was reported that the film was also going to exclude Mulan’s main sidekick, Mushu the dragon. While Mushu may be an incredibly popular member of Disney’s long line of animated sidekicks, he wasn’t as big of a hit with Chinese audiences, who felt that it was a disrespectful portrayal of a creature that their culture holds in high regard. However, the biggest change that attracted a lot of blowback was the reveal that the film wasn’t going to feature any of the original film’s songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel. Sure, Christina Aguilera produced a new version of ‘Reflection’ and said song was also covered in Mandarin by lead actress Yifei Liu, but those only appeared in the credits. Aside from that, none of the songs from the animated film were included in the remake. No ‘Honor to Us All’, no ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’, and yes, no ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’, a song that is easily one of the most popular Disney tunes of the past few decades. Instead, these songs were only referenced via lines of dialogue lifted straight from the lyrics and musical hints that were peppered throughout Harry Gregson-Williams’ score.

But if that wasn’t enough, Mulan has also been subject to some controversies of a political variety. In fact, there’s so much to unpack here that this film could literally spawn its own thesis on all the scandals that it’s faced. There’s a thing about lead actress Yifei Liu showing her support for Hong Kong police right in the middle of the recent Hong Kong protests. There’s a thing about parts of the film being shot in Xinjiang, a region in China that’s faced heavy scrutiny for its internment camps, which was only made worse by the fact that parts of Xinjiang’s government were listed in the credits. And there’s a thing about the fact that while this female-led story was directed by a female director, Niki Caro, she and some other key members of the production crew were not of Chinese descent. In other words, this film has attracted so much negative publicity that it even makes me nervous about placing it at this high a spot on the list because, for all I know, someone out there may end up using the fact that I liked this film against me somehow. However, given what I stated in the intro to this year’s list about my decision to not delve into too much detail about any of these films’ political controversies, let’s just say that this film is the prime example of why I ultimately went that route. As always, this doesn’t mean that I’m ignoring any of the issues that have arisen in the wake of this film’s release. Instead, it’s just a reminder that I’m not even remotely qualified when it comes to talking about politics.

So, with that out of the way and given the fact that I’ve liked all the other recent live-action remakes of Disney’s animated classics, it goes without saying that I loved this new take on Mulan. Despite being Niki Caro’s first major foray into the action genre, she handles all the action sequences incredibly well and the film, in general, boasts excellent cinematography. And as for all the parts from the animated film that the remake didn’t include such as Mushu and the songs… personally, I don’t think that this was that big of a loss. If anything, I understand why they were taken out as the filmmakers wanted to present a more grounded take on The Ballad of Hua Mulan. Now, granted, I’m well aware that this ‘grounded’ approach has been a recurring issue that folks have had with some of these recent remakes since they feel that it takes away many of the most memorable parts of these beloved stories (e.g. Jon Favreau’s The Lion King was dinged a lot for this very reason). That said, though, I also recognize that not all the elements of Disney’s animated classics translate well to live-action, and this remake of Mulan is arguably one of the best examples of how these remakes can work around that. For example, it may lack the original’s songs, but it doesn’t outright ignore them either thanks to the neat little nods to them that are peppered throughout the score. And while this Mulan may not have a wisecracking ancestral guardian to help her on her journey, it means that she’s able to play a greater role in her efforts to prove herself to her commanders and fellow soldiers, whereas in the original, it could be argued that Mushu was often the one who got her into most of those situations.

In other words, this new version of Mulan isn’t trying to be the classic Disney musical that its animated counterpart was. Instead, it’s a more traditional war flick, and in that sense, it does succeed in being that kind of film. Really, the only downside to this take on the story is that because of its overly serious tone (which, to be fair, is usually the case with war films), there aren’t many instances that would’ve allowed the film to include some much-needed moments of levity. And yes, I do think that something like this could’ve been accomplished without having to bring in a character like Mushu. Despite this, however, the live-action Mulan is still a beautifully crafted film that boasts a phenomenal cast headlined, of course, by Yifei Liu in the title role. Yifei’s experience in the action genre naturally results in her having no problems asserting herself as a badass action heroine in this film’s excellent set-pieces. At the same time, though, she also does a great job handling Mulan’s big emotional beats that were key in making her one of Disney’s most noteworthy heroines. Yifei is then backed by an equally excellent supporting cast that ranges from esteemed veterans like Tzi Ma as Mulan’s father Hua Zhou to promising newcomers like Yoson An as soldier Chen Honghui, who basically serves as the live-action equivalent of Shang even though the film doesn’t really try to develop any sort of romance between him and Mulan. Plus, it’s not every day where you have a film like this that features two of the most prominent action stars to ever grace the big-screen, Donnie Yen and Jet Li.

But if I were to note the one major advantage that this film has over its animated counterpart, it would be that it has stronger villains. When it comes to the original film, Hun leader Shan Yu wasn’t exactly one of Disney’s most memorable villains. As imposing as he looked, he was a rather one-note antagonist. Granted, I wouldn’t call this film’s main antagonist, Rouran leader Bori Khan, ‘that much’ of an improvement over Shan Yu, but overall, Jason Scott Lee does an excellent job in making Bori Khan an utterly ruthless and all-around imposing foe. Plus, unlike Shan Yu, Bori Khan has some notable stakes when it comes to his conquest of China since he seeks revenge against the Emperor for killing his father. However, the biggest standout of the entire film (even more so than Yifei Liu) is Gong Li as Xianniang, Bori Khan’s mysterious shape-shifting sorceress. For starters, the addition of a new female lead in this story helps give it a unique new narrative layer since Xianniang is very much Mulan’s foil. Like Mulan, she too has been undervalued for being a woman in a male-dominated society, which is primarily highlighted in the numerous instances where Bori Khan insists that he’s the one in charge and that she simply answers to him. But whereas Mulan is wholly loyal to her country, Xianniang remains adamant in her claim that life will never give them the respect that they deserve. Nevertheless, this ultimately results in a rather poignant climax to Xianniang’s character arc as she ends up sacrificing herself to save Mulan from one of Bori Khan’s attacks, having come to genuinely admire her bravery despite all the incredible odds that she had to overcome.  

In short, the live-action remake of Mulan was very much one of those films that I wanted to show my support to in any way that I could. Obviously, much of that process was by way of me being one of those who willingly paid the $30 ‘Premier Access’ price tag that was placed on it when it was announced that it would be making its debut on Disney+. While I do understand why some folks felt that it was too high a price for just a single film (especially given everything with COVID-19), I had no issue in paying for it since it was one of my most anticipated films of the year (and yes, I will be doing the same thing for Raya and the Last Dragon when it comes out next month as Disney+’s second ‘Premier Access’ release). But then, if that wasn’t enough, I also ‘double-dipped’ and bought the film on Blu-Ray when it was released several months later; not only that, but it was also the special Steelbook release from Best Buy… don’t worry, I also bought the Steelbook for the original film, which came out at the same time. In other words, as much as I know that I’m in the minority when it comes to liking this film, I think that it’s one of the best live-action Disney remakes to date. And with that in mind, while I do understand why some may have been disappointed by the lack of several of the animated film’s most notable elements… I also find some of this to be rather ironic given how remakes of films like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were derided for how similar they were to their animated counterparts. In other words, I’d argue that the live-action Mulan deserves credit for, at the very least, being willing to try something a little different instead of being a straightforward remake.

And at long last, we come to my favorite film of 2020. Now, for those who have been following this site for the past few years, you may recall that many of my recent #1 picks have been… predictable. In other words, my last three #1 picks were all MCU films (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, and Avengers: Endgame in 2019). Thus, with no new MCU film for the first time since 2009, that meant that a different film was going to take the top spot on this list. In fact, given the timetable of their releases, almost all the other films in this half of the list (apart from The Prom since it was released in December) were in the #1 spot at some point in time. Fittingly enough, this means that my favorite film of 2020 ended up being the last major release that I saw before the end of the year, and if you ask me, it’s a film that isn’t even remotely close to being the ‘total disaster’ that the internet claims it to be.

1. WONDER WOMAN 1984

Now, before I get into why I loved this film, I just want to note that the following entry isn’t meant to be a dig against anyone who wasn’t as big on it as I am. As always, I recognize that film is a subjective medium, and if you ask me, this is something that consistently needs to be stressed when it comes to the films of the DC Extended Universe. Case in point, as I’ve made it clear over the past few years, I’m also not one of those moronic DCEU diehards who gets so enraged whenever someone doesn’t like one of these films that they’d try to shut down Rotten Tomatoes or accuse critics of being ‘paid by Disney’ to badmouth the competition. But when it comes to Wonder Woman 1984’s overall reception, I must admit that I’m a bit baffled as to how one of the most anticipated films of 2020 ended up being one of the year’s most polarizing releases. To put this all into perspective, about a week before the film was set to make its simultaneous debut in theaters and on HBO Max, it was sporting a genuinely excellent rating on Rotten Tomatoes that was hovering around the high 80’s and low 90’s. In other words, by that point, it was shaping up to be one of the best-received entries of the DCEU alongside the first Wonder Woman and Shazam. But then, as the week went on, that high rating started to drop at a rapid pace, almost as if every new review for the film was on the ‘Rotten’ side of the RT review spectrum. Thus, at the time that I’m writing this, Wonder Woman 1984’s RT score now hovers around a different point; the threshold that could result in it dropping below 60%, thus giving it a ‘Rotten’ rating… and trust me, it’s been in that range a few times over the past few weeks.

Now, obviously, a film’s Rotten Tomatoes rating is in no way meant to be the definitive indicator of its quality, and if you ask me, Wonder Woman 1984 is a prime example of that. But what was it about this film that garnered all its mixed-to-negative reactions? Well, there seems to be a few varying reasons for this, but the one that we’re mainly going to be focusing on is the argument that it was ‘too light-hearted’. Basically, there were some who felt that, tonally, the film was way too light-hearted and that it should’ve followed the traditional narrative path that most sequels go through where they take on a darker and more serious tone. This line of criticism also applied to the film’s plot as well, which was criticized for being overly cliché since it largely relied on the classic trope of the hunt for a magical MacGuffin. However, I believe that these narrative and tonal routes were wholly intentional when it comes to what the film was trying to achieve. In other words, while the 1984 part of this film’s title may seem like an odd choice to the uninitiated when it comes to naming sequels, it’s a wholly accurate descriptor of what kind of film this is from an aesthetic perspective. Simply put, director Patty Jenkins did a fantastic job in recreating the look and feel of an 80’s film, from the extravagant costume designs to its grand, pulse-pounding score. And yes, in this instance, I’d argue that this also applies to the idea of doing a story that’s not overly complicated, has clear-cut heroes and villains, and, at the end of the day, still manages to deliver some exceptionally strong emotional beats. In fact, I’d even say that this back-to-basics approach is quite refreshing compared to some of the other DCEU films.

Wonder Woman 1984’s plot revolves around the discovery of an ancient artifact referred to as the ‘Dreamstone’ that can grant the most desired wish of its users. Initially unaware of what it can do, Diana and her new friend Barbara Ann Minerva end up utilizing the stone’s abilities, which results in the resurrection of Diana’s lover Steve Trevor, albeit in the body of another man, and Barbara gaining the same kind of strength and charisma that Diana possesses. It eventually gets taken by smooth-talking albeit struggling businessman Max Lord, who wishes to become the physical embodiment of the Dreamstone, thus giving him the power to grant anyone’s wish in exchange for whatever he wants from them in return. And as it turns out, that fittingly sums up the Dreamstone’s powers in general as Diana, Steve, and Barbara soon discover that it was created by Dolos, the god of lies, which means that for every wish that it grants, it also takes away the user’s greatest virtue. In Diana’s case, it is her godlike strength. In Barbara’s case, her newfound abilities come at the cost of her good-natured personality. And as for Max, his physical state keeps deteriorating every time that he grants someone’s wish. Yes, Wonder Woman 1984 utilizes the classic ‘Monkey’s Paw’ scenario where folks learn the hard way that their greatest wish will always come at a cost. As such, the final message that the film conveys is particularly powerful as it reminds us all that we shouldn’t let our deepest desires cloud our judgment… it’s unfortunate, then, that many of these themes were apparently viewed as ‘sappy’ by the film’s critics (I’ll get into why I’m rather concerned about that point later…).

Case in point, I’m aware that some apparently thought that the film’s messages were the opposite of wholesome because they championed the idea that the rich and powerful deserve everything that they want… which, to be perfectly frank, isn’t even remotely close to being an accurate description of this film’s premise. I’m guessing that this mostly has to do with the fact that the film’s main antagonist, Maxwell Lord, isn’t really ‘brought to justice’. After he finally renounces his wish to be the physical embodiment of the Dreamstone, he ends up reuniting with his son Alistair, who he had been neglecting over the course of the film, and willingly admits that he’s a flawed man, to which Alistair responds by stating that none of that matters and that he loves his dad regardless. But the thing is… this is very much the point of Max Lord’s character arc since he isn’t even close to being a traditional ‘villainous’ character. Instead, he’s just a misguided man who desperately seeks the kind of power that he’s never once had in his life. In a lot of ways, this also applies to Barbara, who starts out as a wholly good-natured friend of Diana’s but gradually evolves into a more cold-hearted person, culminating in her transformation into the ‘apex predator’ that is Cheetah. And sure, Cheetah’s final visual transformation may be a bit underwhelming (and no, internet, I’m not making any comparisons to Cats), but overall, WW84 boasts far superior villains compared to the first film, especially thanks to Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig’s excellent performances in their respective roles.

But let’s go back for a moment and address the process of how Wonder Woman’s lover Steve Trevor was brought back after his heroic sacrifice during the events of the first film. As noted earlier, the Dreamstone transforms a random stranger into Steve and it’s implied that Diana is the only one who sees him as Steve whereas everyone else sees the other guy. Overall, I think that this was a solid way of bringing Steve back to life without having to rely on some of the more traditional methods from the comics in which deceased characters are resurrected. In other words, I feel that bringing him back permanently would’ve cheapened the impact of his death in the first film and wouldn’t have allowed Diana the opportunity to finally move on with her life. And, of course, this all ties in nicely to the consequences of using the Dreamstone since Diana’s wish to have Steve back results in her losing her powers. This then results in what is easily the most emotional moment in the film as Steve convinces Diana to finally let him go so that she can properly save the world. Simply put, this is another great showcase of why Steve Trevor has been one of the best ‘love interests’ to appear in a superhero film since, in both Wonder Woman films, he’s shown to be completely willing to make the necessary sacrifices while doing so in a way that doesn’t result in him overshadowing Diana, the true main character of the film.  

(Also, on a quick side note, there’s one point of discussion that’s been repeatedly brought up when it comes to how the return of Steve was handled in terms of how it affects the guy whose body he inhabits, and to be perfectly blunt, I won’t be addressing it today because… well, it goes into a subject that I really don’t want to get into on this site…)

All in all, Wonder Woman 1984 is a delightfully entertaining film full of great action sequences and the same kind of strong character beats that were a major part of its predecessor, the latter of which being something that, as I’ve said plenty of times before, the early DCEU films weren’t quite able to accomplish. Not only that, but I also love some of the ways in which this film pays tribute to Wonder Woman’s extensive lore; for starters, they manage to pull off one of her most famous gadgets from the comics, her invisible jet, in a brilliantly executed manner. This occurs during a sequence where Diana and Steve head to Cairo to track down Max Lord by commandeering a plane from the Smithsonian’s collection. To avoid being detected by radar (which, of course, wasn’t a thing for pilots like Steve back in World War I, resulting in one of the best comedic bits in the film (“Well s***, Diana!”)), Diana successfully manages to cloak their plane in the same way that her father, Zeus, hid Themyscira from the rest of the world. There’s also the matter of the character Asteria, the most famous warrior in the history of the Amazon race. Throughout the film, we learn more about Asteria, who nobly sacrificed herself to save her people, and it is her golden armor that Diana uses in her final battle against Barbara and Max. However, in a mid-credit scene, we learn that Asteria is still alive and well… and is played by none other than Lynda Carter, the definitive Wonder Woman for many a generation thanks to her iconic turn as the character in the 1975 Wonder Woman TV series. Simply put, I just love it when films manage to do something like this, especially in this film’s case since it’s been established that Carter had to decline a cameo in the first film due to scheduling conflicts.

And so, with all that I’ve said about how much I love this film, I can’t stress enough how disappointing it is that, in many cases, it was derided (in a surprisingly hostile manner, I might add…) for many of the things that made it so great, such as its light-hearted tone and its powerful themes. I mean, if you even needed another reason as to why 2020 was such a terrible year, then just consider the fact that, apparently, being a ‘light-hearted’ superhero film is a ‘bad’ thing. And with that said, this brings me back to the point that I’ve mentioned time and time again… the continuously atrocious behavior of the DCEU’s diehard fans. Back in Part 1, I stated that I personally believe that the DCEU diehards couldn’t care less about either of the franchise’s 2020 releases (also, on a side note, did I forget to mention that they were both female-led, female-directed films?). In the case of Birds of Prey, it was largely due to them being inexplicably mad about its existence in a time before the official confirmation of the ‘Snyder Cut’. But in the case of Wonder Woman 1984, I’d say that it was because of… that’s right, its lighthearted tone. It is blatantly clear at this point that DCEU diehards despise the use of humor in superhero films with a burning passion. Don’t believe me? A few months back, some moron on Twitter announced that he was ‘re-editing’ Shazam to, you guessed it, remove its humor even though that was a key part of that film’s charm. But to be perfectly frank, that’s about as far as I’ll go for now when it comes to all the headaches that have been caused by the DCEU’s diehard fans. Instead, I’ll save my thoughts on the matter… for when I review Zack Snyder’s Justice League in March. And I’m just going to warn you now, DCEU diehards, when I do… I won’t be holding anything back…

And so, that concludes Rhode Island Movie Corner’s Top 10 Favorite Films of 2020. As always, I want to thank you all for joining me on this extensive journey through the cinematic highlights of a year that… didn’t really give us many opportunities for said highlights. But since I’ve already gone over how much 2020 sucked numerous times over the course of these last two posts, all we can do now is hope that 2021 will turn out a hell of a lot better in terms of both hopefully returning to the process of seeing films in theaters… and dealing with the ever-increasingly hostile parts of the film fan community. As always, to quote the legendary Roger Ebert, “I’ll see you at the movies!”.  

Saturday, February 20, 2021

TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2020 - PART 1

 

Remember when 2020 was shaping up to be an awesome year for films? Remember when this was going to be the year where we’d witness the likes of Daniel Craig’s last hurrah as James Bond and the start of the next era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, as we all know, all that potential for a great cinematic year was thoroughly thrown to the wayside once the COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head this past March and drastically changed our way of life. And sure enough, the film industry was heavily impacted by all this as movie theaters all over the world were forced to shut down until further notice. Because of this, almost all the major blockbusters that were slated to come out this past year, from No Time to Die and Black Widow to Fast and Furious 9 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, were pushed back to a later date. However, this doesn’t mean that there weren’t any new releases in 2020 as many of the non-blockbuster films that were supposed to come out ended up abandoning their theatrical releases in favor of a digital debut on the current crop of streaming services; Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Still, there’s no denying how utterly terrible of a year 2020 was on all counts because of COVID, and in the case of film fandom, this was only made worse by the increasingly hostile state that the film fan community has been in these past few years. On one side, you’ve got the deplorable racists/misogynists who can’t fathom the possibility of films that are headlined by characters who aren’t white, heterosexual males. And on the other side, you’ve got the utterly frustrating group known as ‘stans’ who mercilessly crucify certain films and the filmmakers who make them for not being politically correct enough regardless of their good intentions.

But I’ve already gone over this crap plenty of times in the past, so I’ll try my best not to repeat myself when it comes to my grievances towards certain parts of internet fandom, nor will I ramble on about anything non-film related from this past year because… well, let’s face it, the less said about the awful parts of last year, the better. So instead, I’ll simply do what I’ve always done whenever a new year rolls around and present my favorite films from the past 365 days of the year. That said, though, the significantly decreased selection of new releases in 2020 ended up causing a unique dilemma on my end in that I’m unable to do my usual Top 12 list this year. For those who are new to this site, the process of me doing a Top 12 instead of the more traditional Top 10 began simply as a joke to tie into the year that I started Rhode Island Movie Corner, 2012. And yet, it ultimately became the norm for my ‘End of the Year’ list as I found that doing a Top 12 allowed me to cover even more of the great films that I saw in any given year. But when it comes to 2020… well, I’m afraid to say that I didn’t see enough films to do that big of a list. So instead, this year’s list will be your standard Top 10, which means that instead of it being a massive 4-part retrospective, it will be a more straight-forward two-parter. Hopefully, 2021 will pave the way for things to start returning to normal so that I can go back to doing Top 12 lists since I do consider them to be one of my trademarks as a film critic.

But before we begin, I need to lay down the ground rules that I always set for this end-of-the-year list. First off, be forewarned that I will be addressing the biggest spoilers from the following 10 films. If you haven’t seen any of these films, then I suggest that you check out my non-spoiler reviews of them first; in fact, I’ll even provide the links to those reviews via the following headers that precede my spoiler-filled writeups. Secondly, as is the case in any given year, I haven’t seen every new release that came out in 2020… yes, even in a year where I could’ve easily accessed certain films by way of the streaming services that they debuted on, I still wasn’t able to see everything. Plus, when it comes to these posts, I usually try to stick to the films that I saw during the year proper so that I won’t be bogged down with the process of catching up on anything that I missed, especially seeing how this undoubtedly resulted in my last two ‘Favorite Films of the Year’ lists taking so long to produce that they weren’t published until as late as April. And so, with that in mind, don’t expect to see films like Leigh Whannell’s remake of The Invisible Man or some of the year’s big Oscar contenders such as Nomadland and Promising Young Woman show up here. Obviously, this is nothing against those films; I just haven’t seen them yet. And yes, for those who’ve been following this site for a while, my end-of-the-year lists are largely made up of blockbuster-type releases that usually aren’t on critics’ ‘Best of the Year’ lists. Simply put, these are the films that I’m most likely to watch and I’m not in the mood to get criticized for liking the kind of films that others may deem as being ‘creatively bankrupt’.

And with that in mind, this brings us to the most important reminder of them all; above all else, please be respectful of differing film-related opinions regardless of how frustrating some of them may be. There’s a good reason why I keep stressing this last beat every year because if you ask me, film fandom has only gotten worse these past few years. Obviously, a lot of this has to do with the ‘racist misogynist’ and ‘stan’ crowds that I mentioned earlier, who have effectively made film-related discussions far more political than they have ever been before. And because of this, 2020 ended up being a firm reminder as to why I usually don’t like to talk about politics when it comes to my reviews. As such, I’m adding a new addendum to my usual ground-rules in that, while there will be instances where I’m going to have to address some of the political-based controversies surrounding some of these films, I won’t be going into too much detail about them simply because I don’t want any of that stuff to dominate this conversation. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that I’m against the film industry’s efforts to better reflect our increasingly diverse world because, if anything, I hope that a considerable amount of the content that I’ve published on this site over the past decade has proven otherwise. Instead, this is simply my way of highlighting the fact that, at the end of the day, talking about politics has always been an emotionally and mentally taxing process that ultimately yields ugly results. And so, as we come to the end of this incredibly long intro, the time has finally come for the main event. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to present Rhode Island Movie Corner’s Top 10 Favorite Films of 2020. This is Part 1 of 2, and in today’s post, we’ll be covering Films #10-6.

But before we get into those films, I wanted to include at least one Honorable Mention. For those who are new to this site, my ‘Favorite Films of the Year’ lists usually include around 5-6 Honorable Mentions. Obviously, 2020 didn’t give me the chance to do a full set for this year’s list, but the one that will make the cut does happen to be one of the few genuine success stories from the months before the COVID-19 pandemic fully went into effect.

HONORABLE MENTION: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

At this point, much has been said about the major hurdles that the first feature film adaptation of Sega’s iconic video game protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog had to overcome. Simply put, the initial attempts to create a more humanoid-looking version of the character were so poorly received that the filmmakers redid the bulk of the film’s visual effects so that Sonic’s design would be more accurate to the games. And because of this, the film was legitimately able to redeem itself in the eyes of internet fandom, thus resulting in it becoming a solid critical and commercial hit upon its release. Not only is it one of the rare video-game based films to do decently with critics (coming out just a little less than a year after the equally successful Pokémon: Detective Pikachu), but it even managed to be the highest-grossing superhero film of 2020 as it earned over $313 million worldwide. Yes, because Sonic can technically be classified as a superhero given his super-speed abilities (that and the pandemic resulted in no new MCU films getting released last year), Sonic the Hedgehog became the first non-Marvel film since 2008 (and the first non-MCU film since 2009) to hold the honor of being the genre’s highest-grossing release. Once again, it’s genuinely impressive that this film managed to pull all this off considering how it was this close to being a full-blown disaster. And while most folks will probably attribute this to Sonic’s pivotal redesign, I’d argue that another key factor behind this film’s success was that, at the end of the day, it was a solidly entertaining family flick.

Now admittedly, Sonic’s first live-action film has a rather basic plot (although to be fair, that’s sort of the norm with this franchise). In other words, it’s your average buddy road-trip comedy that goes exactly the way you think it’s going to go. And yet, despite its inherently predictable nature, the film manages to overcome this by having a surprisingly heartfelt tone. Yes, because a key aspect of the story is Sonic’s desire to find friends (which he ultimately manages to find in Tom Wachowski, the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana) after spending many years isolated from the rest of the world, this film has a good heart to its proceedings. That said, though, it does make me wonder if any of what I just said would’ve even remotely worked as well as it did if Sonic’s original design had been kept. Anyway, aside from that, the film does a nice job of showcasing Sonic’s super-speed abilities even if we don’t get a lot of the traditional elements of the Sonic franchise (e.g. his home-world, other characters from the franchise, etc.). And it’s all bolstered by an excellent trio of performances from Ben Schwartz as Sonic, James Marsden as Tom, and Jim Carrey in a wonderful return to form as the hilariously crazy Dr. Robotnik. With all this in mind, Sonic the Hedgehog is the very definition of a crowd-pleaser. It’s by no means a masterpiece, but its wholly inoffensive nature makes it a solid watch for younger audiences.

To kick off this year’s Top 10 list, we have the most recent film that I reviewed on this site. Not only is it a top-notch adaptation of a classic play from one of the most famous playwrights of all-time, but it also serves as a premier showcase for a fallen star’s indisputable screen presence.

10. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the second major film adaptation of playwright August Wilson’s The Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of ten plays tied together by their central themes that explored the experiences of African Americans throughout the 20th century, with each play set in a different decade and all but one set in Wilson’s hometown of Pittsburgh. The first of these was the 2016 adaptation of Fences, which starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis and was notably directed by the former. As it turns out, Washington would end up being the catalyst behind the process of adapting Wilson’s work to the big screen as he secured a deal with HBO in 2013 (which would later transition over to Netflix) to develop other Pittsburgh Cycle adaptations. Unlike Fences, however, he’s only listed as a producer on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which was directed by George C. Wolfe, a veteran stage director whose work in theater includes projects such as The Normal Heart and Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. And given Washington’s own background in theater, it’s clear that he’s been making all the right moves when it comes to these adaptations. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that while it may not be a Pulitzer Prize-winning play like Fences was, Ma Rainey’s is the best August Wilson adaptation yet. 

Now as I mentioned in my review for this film, that previous statement ultimately comes down to personal preferences and isn’t meant to be a dig against Fences. With Fences, Denzel effectively brought Wilson’s emotionally hard-hitting drama to life in a film that was fully bolstered by strong performances from himself and Viola Davis. Really, the only thing that held that film back was its length, and because the strict adherence to the nature of Wilson’s script resulted in the film having a ‘stage-like’ quality to its proceedings, you did often feel the brunt of its 139-minute runtime. Ma Rainey’s admittedly has the same ‘stage-y’ feel as well, but in this instance, we have a film that’s only an hour and a half long. Because of this, I feel that the narrative themes of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom flow a lot better by comparison, especially through the script’s handling of its conflict of black performers struggling to deal with how they’re being exploited by their white managers. This is something that the titular and real-life blues icon Ma Rainey succinctly points out at one point as she’s well-aware that her superiors will just move on to their next star when she’s of no further use to them. And as for her overly ambitious trumpet player Levee, his dreams of starting his own band are permanently dashed when, after a long and strenuous recording session, he kills Ma’s pianist Toledo simply because he stepped on Levee’s new shoes. To add insult to injury, the last scene of the film sees the songs that Levee was writing being performed by a band that’s made up entirely of white men.  

Moments like these and the various stories that the band members tell from time to time, from Levee’s disturbing tale about how a gang of white men raped his mom and killed his dad to Cutler’s story about a black priest being hounded by white men, are what arguably makes Ma Rainey’s a more relevant story than Fences was. Again, that’s not to say that Fences didn’t deliver on its themes (e.g. the struggle to properly provide for one’s family) but given all the race-related tragedies that happened this past year, I’d say that Ma Rainey’s hits harder as a result. And just like Fences, this film’s biggest strength is its cast headlined by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Davis is great as usual as she brings her trademark fierceness to the role of Ma Rainey. However, it’s safe to say that the most talked-about aspect of this film is Chadwick Boseman’s performance as Levee, especially since, sadly, this was the last film of his career in the wake of his tragic passing back in August due to colon cancer. On the bright side, though, Boseman’s last performance is easily one of the best of his career as he manages to bring a sympathetic angle to a character that, on paper, is an incredibly arrogant schemer. And if that weren’t enough, many have speculated that he’s one of this year’s biggest frontrunners for Best Actor which, if you ask me, would be a fitting way to honor a cinematic superstar. In just a few years, Chadwick Boseman portrayed multiple real-life icons such as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall. And in 2016, his legacy grew even stronger when he was cast as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther, the king of Wakanda, whose 2018 solo film would go on to become one of the superhero genre’s biggest cultural landmarks. Simply put, Chadwick Boseman was one of the best… and it goes without saying that he will be missed.

I think it’s safe to say that the next film on this list is one that I don’t think a lot of people were expecting to ever get made given the circumstances. And yet, it managed to take us all by surprise when it was officially confirmed back in September and ultimately managed to be a genuinely solid follow-up to one of the biggest comedies of the early 2000s.

9. BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

I never saw Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan when it first came out in 2006 (to be fair, I was only 11 at the time…). Despite this, however, there’s no denying that the wildly crude and wholly offensive mockumentary was one of the most iconic comedies of its time. Not only was it one of that year’s biggest critical and commercial hits, but it also quickly became one of the most widely quoted. Yes, it’s safe to say that there was seemingly no end to the number of folks who were repeatedly saying things like “Jagshemash!”, “Sexy time!”, “Very Nice!”, “My wife!”, and “Wawaweewa!” back in the late 2000s. As you might have guessed, this was one of the main reasons why the film’s star and key writer, Sacha Baron Cohen, ultimately decided to retire the character (who, of course, had originally debuted on Cohen’s Da Ali G Show) not long after the film’s release. Given his method of performing his comedic routines on unsuspecting subjects, Borat’s newfound popularity clearly would’ve made it difficult to maintain that shtick. And so, because of this, Cohen simply moved on to other projects, with Borat Sagdiyev only making brief appearances from that point on. But then, in 2019, Cohen was seen in character as Borat, which would ultimately lead to the reveal the following year that, yes, a second Borat was on the way. And against all odds, Cohen strikes gold once again with what is arguably his most iconic role.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm maintains the same general structure of its predecessor in which the titular character interacts with both famous folks and regular civilians, all of whom are promptly weirded out by Borat’s heavily stereotypical and unabashedly vulgar antics. As noted earlier, the key sequences of the original film (and, for that matter, Borat’s segments on Da Ali G Show) were done in a way where those who interact with Borat weren’t aware that they were being filmed. And yet, given the first film’s popularity, it wouldn’t be that surprising to learn that some of this film’s sequences were staged, especially since a key plot-point in the film is Borat realizing that he’ll often need to don disguises because of how recognizable he is. Still, for what it’s worth, Cohen and his team manage to deliver another sharply written satire of the current state of American politics, and if there’s one thing that this film manages to take advantage of to avoid being nothing more than a ‘carbon copy’ sequel, it’s the radically different political landscape that it was made in. Whereas the first Borat poked fun at all the fearmongering brought upon by the Bush Administration and the War on Terror, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm lampoons the rise of white supremacy and misinformation tactics that have largely come from the Trump administration and his devoted band of supporters. And yes, there are even some sequences that address the COVID-19 pandemic, all culminating in a hilarious reveal where Borat learns that his Kazakhstani superiors purposefully turned him into the virus’ ‘Patient Zero’. Ultimately, though, this film’s biggest coup is its breakout star, Maria Bakalova as Borat’s daughter Tutar, who ends up tagging along with him on his latest trip to America.

Right off the bat, Bakalova immediately proves that she can easily match Sacha Baron Cohen when it comes to the latter’s trademark wacky antics and crude sense of humor. But at the same time, Tutar’s inclusion in this film ends up giving its plot a surprisingly heartfelt tone. Now, of course, I recognize that this may sound utterly ridiculous to some of you given that this is Borat we’re talking about, but because Tutar’s role in the film is based around her aspirations to become a journalist like her father, it very much establishes her as her father’s equal. Her experiences in America allow her to gain the confidence to challenge the societal norms in these films’ version of Kazakhstan to the point where, by the end of the film, she and her father end up changing their country for the better. And yes, through it all, this allows Borat, a character whose nonchalant sexism has always been one of his main running gags, the chance to legitimately grow as he comes to fully care about his daughter to the point where he rushes to protect her from the advances of Rudy Giuliani when she goes to interview him. So, in conclusion, amidst all the gross-out gags that we’ve come to expect from the #4 journalist in all of Kazakhstan, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s surprising amount of heart is what ultimately elevates it above its iconic predecessor. But at the end of the day, the biggest thing to take from this film is that, because of Sacha Baron Cohen’s insistence on releasing it before the 2020 election, it could very well be argued that it played some sort of part in this country’s efforts to bring an end to its darkest era. That is, after all, the reason why he even brought Borat back in the first place.

One of the most notorious consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was that 2020 was the first year since 2009 to not see the release of a new MCU film. However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any superhero genre representation on this year’s list as we did get a pair of DC Extended Universe films… even if, through no fault of their own, their releases continued to establish the franchise’s fanbase as one of the internet’s most toxic groups. Case in point…

8. BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

Over the past few years, I’ve repeatedly mentioned how I have some major issues with certain parts of the DC Extended Universe fandom; namely, those who pledge their undying loyalty to the franchise’s original director, Zack Snyder, and the DCEU films that he directed while simultaneously attacking anyone who dares to suggest that they weren’t perfect. And because Snyder’s diehard fans have spent the past few years thinking about nothing but his original cut of 2017’s Justice League, which will finally be released this March, I’d go as far as to say that they most likely didn’t give a single crap about either of the DCEU films that came out in 2020. This was especially apparent with the first DCEU film of the year, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Birds of Prey (as I’ll be referring to it from here on out to avoid having to use that long subtitle) was the first official spin-off of 2016’s Suicide Squad based around its most popular character, Harley Quinn. Despite that film’s largely negative reception, Margot Robbie’s turn as the fan-favorite henchwoman turned antihero was widely considered to be one of its rare highlights. And so, because of this, several Harley-centric spin-offs were put into development, from a Harley Quinn/Joker film to one directed by Suicide Squad director David Ayer based on the Gotham City Sirens. Ultimately, though, Birds of Prey was the first to see the light of day thanks in large part to Robbie herself, who served as the film’s primary producer and was keen on making a female-led, female-directed superhero film.

And folks, believe me when I say that the diehard members of the DCEU fandom HATED the fact that this film existed. Bear in mind that this was all back before this past May when Zack Snyder’s Justice League was officially confirmed. Thus, I can assure you that it was quite common to see those DCEU fanboys complaining about a film like this getting made rather than something like Man of Steel 2. Also, remember what I said earlier about Birds of Prey being a female-led, female-directed superhero film? Well, as you might have guessed, this effectively made it the Captain Marvel of 2020 as it was forced to deal with all those sexist morons who got vitriolically mad at it for no valid reason, and overall, I do think that this somewhat affected it once it was released. Despite attracting solid reviews from critics, the film was a commercial underperformer. It only grossed around $201.8 million worldwide which, despite being at least double the total of its budget, still wasn’t enough for it to break-even. There’s been a lot of reasons thrown out there as to why this occurred, from its R-rating (even though the previous DC Comics-based film, Joker, grossed over $1 billion worldwide with that same rating) to, of course, COVID-19, which was starting to come into play around that time in certain countries. Ultimately, though, I just hope that it’s able to become one of those films that manages to attract a stronger reputation as time goes on because it’s another one of the DCEU’s best.     

But before we get into why that is, I’ll have to address the elephant in the room that is the main reason behind some of the more mixed reactions to this film. Despite being titled Birds of Prey and featuring several of the superheroine group’s most notable members from the comics, this is ultimately more of a Harley Quinn film. It’s told entirely from her perspective and the titular squad doesn’t officially come together until the finale. And yet, even with this in mind, the film manages to overcome this potential shortcoming by delivering on the one thing that the early DCEU films often lacked, character development. As great as Margot Robbie was in Suicide Squad, there were some who weren’t too big on ‘how’ Harley Quinn was portrayed in that film, especially the parts where she was clearly being used for fanservice. Thus, just like what happened with Wonder Woman and Aquaman when they transitioned to their respective solo films, Harley Quinn benefits greatly from being the lead in this film rather than being part of a larger ensemble (even if she was technically the main female lead in Suicide Squad). Birds of Prey does a much better job of highlighting Harley’s madcap personality and, because it revolves around her setting out on her own after breaking off her infamously toxic relationship with the Joker, ties in nicely with her newer characterization in the comics where she’s far from being a hero but works with the good guys more often. In other words, this is where Margot Robbie truly establishes herself as the definitive live-action Harley Quinn, but even though this film is admittedly more focused on Harley than the characters that it’s named after, it still does a great job of setting them up even if they don’t get as much to work with when compared to Harley.

Jurnee Smollett’s Dinah Lance AKA Black Canary is arguably the most grounded of the titular group even though she’s the only real ‘metahuman’ among them given her hypersonic scream abilities. While initially hesitant to partake in any vigilante business because of what happened to her mother AKA the previous Black Canary, she eventually steps up once she sees how low her boss, Roman Sionis AKA Black Mask, will go in his efforts to retrieve the diamond that holds the key to the Bertinelli family fortune. This is then contrasted nicely with Gotham City Police Detective Renee Montoya, with Rosie Perez perfectly cast as the no-nonsense cop who never gets any sort of respect from her fellow officers. However, the biggest standout of the titular group is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Helena Bertinelli AKA Huntress, the sole survivor of the Bertinelli crime family turned crossbow-wielding vigilante. Huntress’ role in the film is a perfect mix of badass action beats and excellent comedic bits that poke fun at her overly serious nature (e.g. her various attempts at perfecting her ‘pre-kill’ catchphrase to the point where she’s seen practicing it in front of a mirror). Finally, to close out the main protagonists, we have Cassandra Cain… who has admittedly been the source of one of the film’s biggest fan-related controversies since it presents a radically different take on the character compared to her usual portrayal in the comics. In the comics, Cassandra is a mute martial artist who ends up becoming one of the most prominent characters to take on the mantle of Batgirl, but in this film, she’s just a street-smart pickpocket. Still, for what it’s worth, newcomer Ella Jay Basco does a great job in the role, especially thanks to the strong camaraderie that she forms with Margot Robbie.

All these well-developed heroines are then perfectly matched by a great main antagonist in crime boss Roman Sionis AKA Black Mask. Ewan McGregor is another one of the film’s biggest standouts as he fully succeeds in making Roman an utterly vile villain who somehow manages to also get many of the film’s best comedic moments (e.g. his frustration over not having control of the ‘Crossbow Killer’ (“I LIKE CROSSBOWS!”)). Granted, those moments are almost always of the ‘black comedy’ variety (e.g. the moment where he goes back on his promise to let the lone survivor of a family that he and his henchman Victor Zsasz just killed go simply because he’s grossed-out by a snot-bubble) but that doesn’t stop Black Mask from being one of the DCEU’s best villains. And so, with all this in mind, Birds of Prey is a great addition to both the superhero genre and the DCEU. Sure, it may have been a bit misleading to call this a Birds of Prey film since it’s ultimately a Harley Quinn story, but at the same time, it’s exactly the kind of film that Margot Robbie needed to fully embrace the role of Harley Quinn, a result that I’m 100% positive will carry over to her next appearance as the character in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. And as for the Birds of Prey themselves, I’d argue that, if anything, this film does a fantastic job of setting them up so that they can potentially become a staple of the DCEU going forward. That said, though, right now we can only hope that this film’s under-performance at the box-office doesn’t end up killing one of the DC Extended Universe’s most promising subseries.

One of the most iconic comedic duos in film history made their highly anticipated return to the big-screen this year for the first time since 1991, and while this newest film may have spent the last decade stuck in development hell, it ended up being one of the rare bright spots in the grim year that was 2020. Let’s be real, though, would you expect anything less from the WYLD STALLYNS!? (*Air Guitars*)

7. BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC

1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is easily one of the most famous cult classics of the ’80s. Case in point, I still remember the moment when I was first introduced to it during, of all places, my Eighth Grade World History class, where we watched the first twenty minutes or so of it before the end of class that day. I then proceeded to watch it in full when I came across it on cable not long after and it quickly became a favorite of mine. This, of course, then led to me seeing its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and while it wasn’t as well-received as Excellent Adventure, Bogus Journey has legitimately gone on to become a cult classic itself to the point where some even argue that it’s better than its predecessor. However, for the longest time, that was it for the cinematic outings of Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted Theodore Logan, mostly due to stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter and series creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson moving on to other projects. Thus, the only major instances of the franchise’s continuation were things like a few TV shows and a stage show at Universal’s annual Halloween Horror Nights event. Solomon and Matheson did begin developing a third film in 2010… but, unfortunately, it ended up getting stuck in development hell for almost a decade, mostly due to the reluctance of most studios to revive a ‘cult-y’ franchise. And once again, to put this all into perspective, I still remember when this was first starting to come to fruition back then only for it to keep getting stuck to the point where it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. But then, once Keanu Reeves experienced one of the best career revivals in recent memory thanks in large part to the John Wick films, the stage was finally set for the WYLD STALLYNS (!) to make their most triumphant return with Bill & Ted Face the Music and boy was it worth the wait!

Really, there’s not much that I can say about this film other than the fact that it’s another highly entertaining adventure starring Bill and Ted that’s narratively more in line with Excellent Adventure rather than the surreal road-trip adventure that was Bogus Journey. However, Face the Music also makes sure to include several of the things that made that film such a hit, such as William Sadler as the franchise’s hilariously dorky take on the Grim Reaper (“I was in the groove!”). And yet, amidst all the hilarious escapades that the lovable main characters get into, there’s also a surprising amount of solid emotional beats that do a nice job of addressing how much time has passed since the previous film, especially when it comes to the ways in which it pays tribute to the late George Carlin (archival footage, having Rufus’ daughter be named Kelly after Carlin’s own daughter (who cameos in the film), etc.). A lot of this also has to do with the introduction of Bill and Ted’s daughters, Thea and Billie, who share their dads’ passion for music and embark on their own Excellent Adventure to help their dads write the song that will bring the world together, which ultimately concludes with the poignant reveal that they’re the ones who wrote it. Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine are phenomenal in their respective roles, have excellent camaraderie with each other and, perhaps most notably of all, very much feel like the natural off-spring of Reeves and Winter. All in all, Bill & Ted Face the Music is the very definition of a feel-good crowd-pleaser. It’s a warmly nostalgic love-letter to fans of the franchise that, at the same time, never tries to be something that it’s not.

If you were to ask me the two kinds of films that are practically guaranteed to make my End of the Year lists every year, I would say MCU films… and Pixar films. And while we may not have gotten an MCU film in 2020, we were blessed with the rare instance of two new Pixar films, and sure enough, both films will be appearing on this list. Ergo, we conclude the first half of this year’s list with the second Pixar release of 2020 and the one that will most likely be the big frontrunner for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.

6. SOUL

Pixar has seen a bunch of excellent directors helm their features over the years, whether they were figures from within their own ranks like Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich or ‘outsiders’ such as Brad Bird. And while any of these filmmakers could easily be considered as the studio’s ‘best’ director, I’d argue that this honor might just go to Pete Docter. At the very least, he’s been responsible for several of the studio’s most critically acclaimed outings, including the second animated film in history to get nominated for both Best Animated Feature AND Best Picture, 2009’s Up, and 2015’s Inside Out which, according to the internet, was Pixar’s ‘return to form’ after a ‘shaky’ run in the early 2010s. And in 2018, he took on the position of being Pixar’s new Chief Creative Officer; a fitting choice, if you ask me, given that he’s been a mainstay of the company ever since he first joined them in 1990. But before he properly took on his new job, he made it clear that he was still going to finish his follow-up to Inside Out that he began developing in 2016 which, of course, would ultimately become Soul. Now, on the surface, Soul might seem like something of a spiritual follow-up to Inside Out since both films explore concepts relating to the things that make us humans tick. But whereas Inside Out focused on our emotions, Soul is more about our personalities; our likes and dislikes, our dreams, our fears, etc.

With that in mind, it should probably go without saying that Soul is one of the most thought-provoking films that Pixar has ever made. Obviously, the deep exploration of a film’s themes isn’t anything new to Pixar, but in this instance, we have a story that truly goes above and beyond to explore the ways of life in as many ways as it can to the point where it even has the guts to openly address the subject of death. It shows both optimistic and cynical views on life and, while obviously leaning more towards the former when it comes to its own outlook on the matter, doesn’t outright vilify the latter by showing exactly how someone could end up that way. In other words, Soul is very much a celebration of life, resulting in all the great emotional beats that you’ve come to expect from Pixar films, with said moments arguably hitting harder than expected for reasons that I’ll get into later. And, of course, as you would also expect from Pixar at this point, it all comes together in a finely polished animated feature with top-notch animation and a great soundtrack comprised of both Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score and terrific jazz tunes from Jon Batiste. But you can’t have a great Pixar film without great characters and Soul certainly has its fair share of fun characters, from Graham Norton’s eccentric soul-rescuing Moonwind to Rachel House’s utterly dedicated soul counter Terry. At the end of the day, though, Soul properly maintains Pixar’s routine of basing its stories around a lead duo which, in this instance, consists of music teacher and aspiring musician Joe Gardner and Soul #22, who’s been stuck in the Great Before for quite some time because she simply has no desire to go to Earth.

As Joe Gardner, Jamie Foxx does a great job in making Joe a generally likable audience surrogate as he embarks on this wacky adventure. At the same time, though, much of Joe’s arc in this film revolves around him overcoming his biggest character flaw, which is his general short-sightedness. His lofty aspirations to become a jazz musician just like his late father are what arguably set this film’s plot into motion as his excitement about being chosen to perform with legendary jazz performer Dorothea Williams results in him falling into a manhole after he had already gone through a bunch of near-death experiences. And after he and 22 begin working on the process of getting him back into his body, his insistence on getting it done in time for the concert that he is set to perform in that night results in him going down some selfish routes since he is generally oblivious towards 22’s personal journey. On that note, when we first meet 22 (a role that was practically tailor-made for Tina Fey, who’s just as excellent as Foxx), she’s the very definition of a snarky cynic who hasn’t found the spark that properly forms a soul’s personality. But once she travels to Earth with Joe, she finally gets to witness the joys of life, only for her own chance at life to be taken away from her because of Joe’s selfish desires, which results in her temporarily becoming a ‘lost soul’. Thankfully, Joe ends up having the epiphany that he desperately needed when he realizes that it’s not about what he’s trying to achieve in life but rather understanding the simple fact that life is something that’s worth living. Thus, the film ends with 22 finally finding her ‘spark’ and making the pivotal journey to Earth while Joe is given a second chance by the Great Before counselors to live his life to the fullest.  

Now, admittedly, I am aware that while this film has fared excellently with critics, it has also garnered some notably mixed reactions here and there. Namely, there’s been a lot of talk about the fact that while this is the first Pixar film to be headlined by an African American protagonist, Joe Gardner spends a good chunk of the film outside of his own body, including a considerable stretch where 22 ends up inhabiting his body while he’s stuck as a hospital’s therapy cat. This was something that was also brought up with Walt Disney Animation’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog, which notably featured the studio’s first African American princess… who spent most of the film as a frog. Ultimately, though, just like that film, I don’t think that this ends up hurting the film too much in the long run given all the other things that are great about it. Earlier, I noted that the emotional beats of Soul ended up hitting harder than anticipated, and the reason why I say that is because of, as you might have guessed, the circumstances of it being released right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time where life as we know it was forced to be put on hold, Soul (which, like many of the films that were impacted by COVID-19, was forced to become a streaming release rather than a theatrical one) is a touching tribute to much of what we will hopefully get to return to once things start returning to normal. In other words, the best thing that I can say about Soul is that it’s one of those films that managed to come out at just the right time, thus making it one of the most uplifting releases from this crazy year.  

And that concludes Part 1 of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s Top 10 Favorite Films of 2020. Thanks for following along and be sure to check back in tomorrow for Part 2, where we’ll close out the list and go through my Top 5 of the year.