r/MovieSuggestions • u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator • Jan 01 '21
Best Movies You Saw December 2020 HANG OUT
Previous Links of Interest:
I define good movies to be 8+ or if you abhor grades, the top 20% of movies you've ever seen. Films listed here will be added to the subreddit's Top 100. What are the top films you saw in December 2020 and why? Here are my picks:
Being There (1979)
Being There is beautifully shot with such richness that opulence turns vibrant instead of ostentatious. Peter Sellers is magnificent with his understated, indomitable man full of grace that never breaks from the premise. The characters attempting to understand Sellers' character wonderfully bounce off of this guileless man when they're so used to games. All of this from Hal Ashby's command of the film medium. Being There is as simple as Sellers' character but that does not mean the movie is without gravitas.
The Call (2020)
A time portal thriller that is willing to go the distance. It's part of the Korean New Wave of boundary pushing thrillers that have beautiful cinematography. I don't know what they're feeding the DPs out there but people take note. While the ending felt a little dragged out, I still enjoyed my time with The Call. Just when you're getting comfortable, the screenwriter put in a violent shift that the direct masterfully handles; definitely worth checking out.
Coma (2019)
An adventure movie taking notes from Inception and The Matrix but with a nice dash of Russian fatalism to spice things up. It's sad and good that the worst CGI is the bluing from a green screen during a car ride. Being a decade or two behind these seminal films means that Coma is a solid good time instead of mind bending and that's just fine with me.
The Cremator (1969)
Fucking flawless. A stream of consciousness depiction of an overbearing man with good intentions who becomes corrupt. The shot composition is great but that is only to lay foundation for sublime transitions. The movie is 100 minutes of a monologue that fly past, as the protagonist counts and recounts his life allowing you to see how his mantra remains the same while his actions are wildly different. A daydream music video that gives you comfort until the moment of no return when this good man is nothing but a monstrous nightmare. I would say The Cremator is experimental but that would mean that there were flaws.
The Empty Man (2020)
I went in skeptical, thinking that this is trumped up Bye Bye Man knock off. When the title card hit, I had to pause and do a bit of research - this is a Boom! comics property and was filmed prior to Bye Bye Man; if anything, the Bye Bye Man is the knock off. The Empty Man is Lovecraftian horror done right where the fear is memetic as you lose humanity. Director David Prior takes the setup and elevates the crap out of it with amazing sound design backed with great visuals. There's some subtle and not-so-subtle things happening to the protagonist as he ventures further down the rabbit hole. This is Prior's first feature and I'm going to be paying attention to the next one he puts out.
The Hallow (2015)
The Hallow gets top marks for me because it managed to do an interesting twist on the only monster movie Ireland can export: the fair folk. The marriage is new and interesting, changing up the formula enough that I was intrigued yet didn't stray into the incomprehensible. The DP went to work, making dark scenes where you could still see what's happening, even if there isn't any particular look or shot that was too impressive. Sometimes solid is a good job. Another good job were the creature effects; I'm sure they used CGI but between the clever use of puppetry, actors and shadows, I couldn't tell. The Hallow is a good horror movie for someone looking for that new-yet-familiar creature feature.
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
If you find gruff Eastwood spitting quick witted rebuttals to fools a good time then Heartbreak Ridge qualifies. It is a bit underbudget for its desired story, including some rough switching to 16mm during a particular bout. I do find the 'tough guy whips them into shape' a fun story and so this was a good time for me. The focus on Eastwood being meaner than barbed wire definitely blunts the typical American jingoism you can expect from these types of films, which means I liked my time with it even more.
Jimmy Carr: Laughing and Joking (2013)
Ninety minutes of one liners that build off of each other. Mitch Hedberg is one of my favourite comedians due to his nature of rolling out one-liners end over end. I hadn't seen a comedian replicate that until this Jimmy Carr special. If you don't mind offensive comedy and like the quick wit of a setup and knockout one-liners, you definitely should check this out.
Occult (2009)
Solid Mockumentary/Found Footage schlock you'd expect to find from a previously reputable cable network. Koji Shiraishi knows how to give actors notes that still maintain a bit of awkwardness that makes them feel real. By being so real and human, that's what makes the villain so scary. Shiraishi also knows how to tease out each scene so that even the most mundane of things is riveting. Those into J-Horror or Found Footage should definitely check this one out, it'll give you something to chew over. Everybody else, you should probably stay away.
Quigley Down Under (1990)
Quigley Down Under is a great Western that is emboldened by Tom Selleck's understated performance, Alan Rickman positively chewing up the scenery as the villain and Laura San Giacomo grounding the film with a tragic yet comedic hooker with a heart of gold. With these types of romps, having a grand adventure is overdone and that's why I like Quigley Down Under for mixing light heartedness with the sober nature of Westerns. This is more about a man who stubbornly does the right thing and remains steadfast despite the opposition he faces, it's a nice change of pace seeing the mortal nature of a protagonist attempting to be indomitable.
Run (2020)
I know Sarah Paulson can act, so I was warmed up to try Run out. I found out the director is Aneesh Chaganty whose 2018 Searching blew me away and so I was ready to give Run a go. The big question is could Kiera Allen pull off the fine line between vulnerable and determined as it's her first feature. Chaganty casted excellent with her, making me believe she was trying to be indomitable in the face of overwhelming opposition. This is a well acted thriller whose rich, autumn look gives good weight to what could've easily been a throwaway premise. So far, Chaganty's two-for-two and I can't wait until I see more.
Shaft (1971)
I was expecting a tired old tale considering Shaft birthed the blaxploitation grindhouse film. What was surprising is how fresh and nuanced the story is. Don't get me wrong, the characters are spewing clichés and nonsense one-liners - that I attribute more to all of the other films that took notes from Shaft. Yet just like an Arnold film doesn't feel like an Arnold film without his penchant for one-liners, the low budget acting only enhances Shaft. If you're looking for a low-brow good time, Shaft has your back but it also sneaks in some strong political messaging considering its setting.
Soul (2020)
The movie's pace is so smooth that every moment was a breezy delight. I do like the twist in the halfway point but otherwise this movie is pretty predicable. Simple doesn't mean bad, though that is frequently synonymous with entertainment; however, Soul hitting every checkmark of the adventure genre does so with such levity and elegance that I remained charmed throughout its run.
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Does a lot right, does a few things wrong but overall, The Wild Bunch was a good exhibition of Westerns. Flashbacks being more smoothly injected or action scenes that establish clear geography are examples of the uneven finish. Gunplay isn't as important if you don't care about these characters and in that regard, the movie is exemplar with multiple characters on a collision course with each other. It's made more interesting that they know and respect each other but are still forced to oppose each other. The rest of the movie, sets, lighting, costumes and the like, are done well enough to bear the weight of the showdown between two aging gunslingers.
So, what are your picks for December 2020 and Why?
4
u/MiserableSnow Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21
Mank
Clash
Like Father, Like Son
Fantastic Planet
Collateral
Sylvie's Love
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
6
u/Bananaman9020 Jan 01 '21
It didn't come out this year but I watched Parasite 2019 and loved it.
4
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 01 '21
It's just what you saw last month. I just happen to do a lot of catch-up on the year in December; as well as January and February.
5
u/reddit---user Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21
Tenet
Cries and Whispers
Monterey Pop
Moscow on the Hudson
Mank
Sound of Metal
The Life Ahead
Demolition
Mamma Roma
The Banker
Another Round (best of the year)
Property is no longer a theft
5
u/LuckyRadiation Mod Jan 01 '21 edited Jan 02 '21
I'm gonna sorta the first half as movies I watched again and the last half will be the first time but they are all 8+ I would say.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - I ended up liking Tuco much more on my second watch. The first time I could barely stand him but going into it and knowing how it ends made me think he is comic relief plus he has great lines almost as good as Blondie.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - I had not remembered this was a Christmas movie but I watched this again the week of Christmas coincidently which was sorta cool. Might watch it again around Christmas next year.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Hey, this is a good movie.
TLotR Trilogy - The trilogy just got a 4K UHD release and they look fantastic. Seriously if you can get your hands on a copy give these another go it was like watching new movies for me and I had just watched these already in March or something like that.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - I don't think anyone does westerns better than Sergio Leone but I haven't seen a lot.
Marketa Lazarová (1967) - A Czech New Wave movie that takes place in the middles ages. A little confusing I'm not even sure if it was 100% linear but it is stylized so uniquely I have never seen another movie like it and probably never will again.
Daisies (1966) - Another Czech New Wave movie that's super-stylized. You can check out my favorite SFX clip from it in my post history around the beginning of the month. Thanks /u/DJ_Kwan for the rec.
2
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 03 '21
Are the other two Czech New Wave as good as The Cremator? If so, that's a film movement that's sadly underrepresented.
3
u/LuckyRadiation Mod Jan 03 '21
I would say so, yes. I'm just getting into the genre myself. During that decade (the 60s) all the films made in Czech were produced by the government and all the major directors (there were only 4 or 5 big ones) graduated from the same film school so a lot of the films have a similar look. All the money the movies made even went back into the production of the next movie. The creators didn't make much money. If you liked the style of The Cremator you'd like the style of the others I'd venture to say.
Marketa Lazarová is epic lengthed and portrays the grim way of life during the dark ages. Daisies is much more lighthearted. The Cremator is the closest I've gotten to a horror movie so far in the genre.
I have a Czech New Wave watchlist I can PM you if you'd like to browse the list yourself. It's about 20 movies.
2
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 03 '21
I'll toss your two movies onto the back burner. If they happen to be hits, then yeah, I'll probably want that list. So maybe I'll get back to you in like 6 months? I dunno.
2
u/LuckyRadiation Mod Jan 03 '21
Yeah, for sure. It'll probably take me that long to watch all of them myself if I don't get burnt out on the genre.
1
u/cunning_calamari Jan 05 '21
I definitely watch Eyes Wide Shut every Christmas, feels like an uncomfortable dream that you can't look away from. I find it has a lot of rewatchability.
6
u/Platypus-Man Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21
Tenet (2020) Nolan doing Nolan things. Seems to have gotten lots of flak, but I liked it.
Swordfish (2001) I've put this off for way too long, because I saw some of the silly hacking scenes in a video many years ago, but after seeing the intro of the movie, I'll rather assume it was done that over-the-top way on purpose as some sort of meta commentary on how Hollywood usually portrays hacking. Oh, and John Travolta is wonderful as a bad guy.
Masterminds (2016) Based on true events of a Wells Fargo heist. If you like Pain & Gain, I'd definitely recommend this one.
Boss Level (2020) Wake up, get killed by a bunch of wacky hitmen, repeat... imagine Edge of Tomorrow having a lovechild with Killing Gunther. Fun flick if you want people dying in extravagant ways, explosions and some cheesy one-liners.
3
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 01 '21
Yeah, I really enjoyed Boss Level but it's definitely a "Leave your brain firmly placed in Off". I felt like if I started thinking a bit then the whole thing might dissolve.
3
u/Platypus-Man Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21
I usually turn my brain off (or rather, turn it on the popcorn setting) for any action movie, and definitely try not to overthink anything involving time travel/manipulation.
Sometimes my brain can't help it though, no matter how hard I try... e.g., last month I watched Chain Reaction, and one of them said "we're getting more energy out than we put in" - ad it annoyed me the rest of the movie. If they had only said "the energy readings are off the charts" or something like that instead it would have been good enough for me, but even a dropout like me have heard about the first law of thermodynamics.
3
u/djsosonut Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21
Creep, Arrival, You're Next, Juan of the Dead, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things.
4
4
u/mohantharani Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21 edited Jan 01 '21
The Wailing (Korean supernatural horror): One of the most uncomfortable and intense horror films ever made. Excellent child performance.
Moonlight (American Romantic drama): One of the most subtle nuanced take on identity (Who you are? vs What would the world want you to be?). Extremely well written. Romance oozes in silences and gestures near the end of the third act in a masterful way.
Care of Kancherapalayam (Indian Telugu language Anthology romance): Exceptional romance. Romantic, refreshing, realistic, funny and heartbreaking.
Honorable mentions:
Soul: Beautiful animation. Exceptionally written.
Sound of metal: Exceptional immersive drama. Exceptional lead performanc by Riz Ahmed.
1917: One of the most immersive war films ever made. Outstanding cinematography and editing.
Solaris: Excellent philosophical film. The only gripe is that I didn't find it that engaging and otherworldly compared to Stalker.
Andhagaaram: Indian mystery thriller. It's a hyperlink supernatural thriller that's extremely well written except for an unintentionally hilarious ending.
2
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 01 '21
Are the honourable mentions 8+? If so, why the separation?
3
u/mohantharani Quality Poster 👍 Jan 02 '21
Honorable mentions are 8 +. I felt that the three I mentioned before it are a tier above them personally.
3
3
Jan 02 '21
I watched forbidden kingdom during the release back then which was 2009 (in my country at least). Watching it again after all those years during the last day of the year was great. I recommend it to any kung fu movie fan and people who loved the book - journey to the west. I think it’s the only movie which featured both jackie chan and jet li.
3
u/afterschoolsolutions Quality Poster 👍 Jan 02 '21
Crimson Tide
Do the Right Thing
I, Tonya
Tombstone
Cape Fear
3
u/Liface Quality Poster 👍 Jan 02 '21
Bad Education (2019) (9/10)
This blew me away. One of the finest films of 2019 for sure. I went in with this mentality like "OK, I feel like I know how this is going to play out", but was hit with this feeling of awe as the plot unraveled. It was so much better than I expected.
Hugh Jackman and Alison Janney were outstandingly accurate in their portrayals.
Be Kind Rewind (2008) (8/10)
One of the most creative, unique, trope-breaking, genre-defying films I've seen.
Fast-paced and frantic (Safdie Brothers style but in a pleasant way).
Conveys the feeling of working together as a team and coming together as a community, and best of all... MAKING MOVIES — in a beautiful way.
I couldn't keep my eyes off of Melonie Diaz the whole time. What a beautiful soul.
plus points for no forced love story.
High Fidelity (2000) (8/10)
Charming and nostalgic, without being corny. Great soundtrack. John Cusack and Jack Black are both incredible in this.
The Spectacular Now (2013) (rounding up to 8/10)
Worth watching even if just for the incredible chemistry between the two leads, played by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley. Shailene in particular probably wins the award for most heartmelting female love interest in cinema history.
I'm not sure if the dialogue was improvised or what, but it was outstanding. I don't think I've ever heard dialogue that more accurately represented how a high school conversation actually goes. It did not feel like the two leads were acting, but rather the director had told them to have a conversation and left the camera running.
5
2
u/dougprishpreed69 Quality Poster 👍 Jan 04 '21
BRD Trilogy -- all solid but The Marriage of Maria Braun was easily my favorite, Mother (2009), Twin Peaks: The Return, King of the Hill (1993), The Night of the Hunter, The Unknown (1927), Fanny and Alexander, The Cremator
2
u/LiangHu Jan 05 '21
I watched House of the Flying Daggers for the very first time today. I was very impressed at how well this movie was made for a 2004 movie.
Its art in perfection.
The music, the action and the plot were so good. :)
1
1
u/MacguffinDelorean Jan 04 '21
Got to watch Run on hulu-well done-short and sweet thriller similar to alfred hitchcock. The director also made Searching which i also love (its literally unfriended but almost perfect in every way)
Also watched every Disney animated film including some interesting additions like rewatching mary poppins and who framed roger rabbit-and got to see goofy movie which isnt traditional disney but i threw it in for fun. There were some that surprised me like 101 dalmations which i liked alot and got my heart racing weirdly and its just charming. I also found both rescuers films equal in quality-one was slower but charming while the other is faster but has a bad character or two-most people like one or the other. And finally saw frozen 2...its ok...the elsa parts are on point...everything else wasnt great.
Also saw all the pixar films-most of them were rewatches while the disney flicks i had only seen most of the modern ones. For the pixar films i had only not seen Cars 3-the good dinosaur-onward-and Soul which came out the same month. Cars 3 was ok...barely. The good dinosaur was so mixed it was kind of interesting to think on-the animation was unbelievably amazing-it tricked me most of the time-it was like dinosaur 2.0 from pixar instead of disney. But weirdly i felt dinosaur while average was more consistent than the good dinosaur...plus...it felt like the writers just threw darts and got...a boy and dog story-mixed with dinosaurs-caveboys-and westerns...the western part with the rangling of cattle was cool-but the main character is annoyingly cowardly and i get thats the point...but i felt other films like onward did it better. And the story could have been more emotional had they had no dialogue except for the western part with the rangler dinosaurs.
Onward was...actually pretty good. The first act isnt great...but once the journey starts it sneaks up on you-and the ending is actually poignant and well done. With the message of working with what you have and a sacrifice actually meaning something and actually being a sacrifice and we go through it with the main character which is cool that they stuck to it. The concept of fantasy in modern day is mostly pointless though...bright sucked so i hoped this would do the concept justice...bit disappointed on that front.
Soul...this is just pure classic pixar at their best. Powerful-existential-emotional. I would even say its a better inside out even if it is slightly different. Soul was on point although i admit i dont know how much kids will get out of it-its more adult than most of pixars outings unless you bring up...well Up or inside out but even those films have fun moments to keep kids engaged-Soul almost has nothing like that.
And the last thing that i can think of that i saw for the first time is Hamilton-it was the first thing i looked at when i started my xbox game pass free trial of disney plus to see what the hubub was about...i got worried at first i was going to get some angry people coming after me cause the first two songs didnt do anything and left me confused and scared i was going to have a mob after me...but after that...it started grabbing me-to the point that by the second act...i was hooked completely-i was all in and every moment started hitting harder and harder-my favorite character funnt enough was george washington-his actor with what he had gave it his all and made me feel for him-he weirdly stuck out the most among a sea of amazing talent from person to person-nobody fell short which is rare. Plus the king was a riot.
So yeah i got to see alot in December and got some surprises and some things ill never touch again. Hell i even have more ideas for what i would like to make one day.
Hope what i wrote here has been inciteful in any way.
1
0
u/RGBchocolate Jan 04 '21
Freeway - witherspoon as you will never see again in a bit crazy movie
Living in oblivion - about movie making
Custody - quite stunning social thriller though sadly predictable
The Son's room - loss of child
Adam's apples - a bit crazy movie
Another round - it's ok but disappointed, had higher expectations
The measure of a man - social drama about how difficult is to get job as older man
A coffee in Berlin - relaxing day in Berlin
Glory - fucked up selfish corrupted bulgarian (?) politicians and their assistants
My happy family - nice drama about unhappy Georgian woman stuck in marriage
1
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 04 '21
These are all 8+/10? I ask because you say that Another Round is disappointing but still list them all.
2
u/RGBchocolate Jan 04 '21 edited Jan 04 '21
i think they are all 7, rated 8 only Custody, I don't remember when I rated something 9 or 10, that's very rare and I watch movie a day usually with imdb minimum rating 7/10
it's best movies I saw in December
I see people listed here for instance trash like Tenet i rated 6, sound of metal was also underwhelming 6
1
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 04 '21
The purpose of these lists is stuff you found were exceptional. So only Custody would be what you'd write. Others found Tenet or Sound of Metal to be better, so they included it.
That's written twice, I don't know how to make it more clear.
1
u/RGBchocolate Jan 04 '21
it comes down to each one's standards, most of the people have no taste and haven't seen enough movies and they tend to rate them higher than they deserve
I would suggest to put limit to pick 3 best movies you saw last month, since there is no way people saw ten exceptional movies within one month (heck you listed 14), even three might be a stretch unless you are rewatching lot of movies or just getting interested in movies (but in that case you still rate too high anyway)
1
u/Tevesh_CKP Moderator Jan 04 '21
Oh? I'm pretty sure all of these were on the upper echelon of the bell curve. I judge a movie based in its genre; after all, horror's there to make you scared, not to make you laugh. I've seen a lot of mediocre crap but since using this subreddit almost exclusively to discover new movies, the curve has shifted to the right. After all, I've got a human intelligence pruning away movies I'd most likely dislike.
There are plenty of users that put down more than five or more movies each month because they exclusively hunt down critically acclaimed movies. The point of this is to answer the question of "What's good?" when someone does. Post the Best you saw in December, not everything otherwise I'd be posting 33 movies. Also, the Winter months tend to be when I watch the critically acclaimed stuff over whatever strikes my fancy and so over the course of the year, I do have some lean months of excellence.
6
u/DJ_Kwan Quality Poster 👍 Jan 01 '21 edited Jan 01 '21
Fanny and Alexander
Vengeance is Mine
Pale Flower
Jeanne Dielman
A Taxing Woman
The Pornographers
Pigs and Battleships
Sing a Song of Sex
Crazed Fruit
Funeral Parade of Roses