2020 Year in Review

 At an end this year is, and not short enough it was. Friends, another year has passed and what an extraordinary one this has been. Thanks to a certain new virus from a certain communist dictatorship most of the world's nations have had – and continue to have – tight restrictions and regulations forced upon their hapless citizens, costing countless jobs and bringing the economy to its knees. The movie industry was especially hit hard this year with the postponement of numerous films, the shuttering of countless cinemas, and the release of some big box office bombs. As a result I only actually saw three films in theatres in 2020: part of the reason why there wasn't much content on Arnold's Benediction this year! These three films I gave an average grade of 4.2 out of five, but take that with a grain of salt since, again, there were only three films I reviewed. So yeah, this is going to be a very different Year in Review article from previous ones. Now let's get into this.

Best Movie: 1917

Some of you may be thinking, “Tony, wasn't this a 2019 movie?” It may be, depending on where you're from. It did sneak into a handful of film festivals in late December in order to qualify for 2019 awards shows, but in here in Canada 1917 wasn't released in theatres until 10 January so I'm counting it as 2020. Man, British war films have really hit the nail on the head as of late. In 2014 we got '71, then in 2017 there was Dunkirk, and now in 2020 we saw 1917. (Can't wait to see what 2023 brings us!) I love how the First World War is becoming a part of popular consciousness again; with all the turmoil that's going on these days it's easy to forget that just over a century ago millions of young men like me were being swallowed up and annihilated in massive, apocalyptic battles. And if you've ever wanted to see what that struggle looked and sounded like then Sam Mendes' masterpiece has you covered. Not only does it show a good cross-section of all the things that soldiers saw on the Western Front but its continuous-shot perspective places the viewer amongst the main characters as if you're there yourself. Further supplementing this approach is 1917's punchy sound editing, the detailed set design, and the refined acting, which all makes for a quite immersive film experience. Fans of war movies, rejoice.

Runner-up: The Gentlemen

Worst (A.K.A. Least Good) Movie: Tenet

Of the three movies I reviewed this year none of them were bad, but one of them does have to come last. That's why this year I've changed the category to Least Good movie and unfortunately that distinction goes to Christopher Nolan's Tenet. I feel bad for Tenet; not only does it end up being the least good movie I saw this year but it was also a box office bust thanks to its costly production and theatres around the world operating at a fraction of total capacity. Still, had it premiered any other year I highly doubt that it would have matched the resounding success of Nolan's previous films. The lack of a compelling main character, the muddled sound design, and the convoluted plot make Tenet a tough film to recommend to all but the most die hard Christopher Nolan fans. But on the other hand it does present a unique spin on how time travel might work and some viewers may find it rewarding to try to figure out the contorted plot lines. Like I said, Tenet ain't a bad movie. It gets a pass.

Runner-up: (none)

Most Disappointing Movie: (none)

1917 was awesome and I went into the other two films cold, so there really wasn't any disappointing films this year for me. I guess you could say that the biggest disappointment this year was 2020 itself. Let's hope the next one goes better.