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2020: The Year in Tiers - The Middle

The middle tier of our yearly recap finds the middle of the road, serviceable yet flavorless efforts that are good enough but not all that remarkable. Like a tall glass of tap water. It'll clench your thirst but it's hardly anyone's first drink of choice.

#46. Color Out of Space

Yet another glowing love letter to the b-horror 1980's, Color Out of Space does very little to differentiate itself from the ever growing sub-genre of nostalgia horror. But aside from the synth heavy soundtrack and not so subtle nods to John Carpenter's The Thing, perhaps the most shocking thing holding Color Out of Space back is Nic Cage himself. It feels like he's forcing the manic persona he thrived with in Mandy into a film that doesn't really call for it. His over the top presence in what could have been a slow, understated creature flick only exacerbates the lack of energy everywhere else in the film. And I love me some crazy Nic Cage but here, it seems like he really should have gone more conservative.


#45. Trial of the Chicago 7

As much as I really wanted to like this film, Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama feels grandiose and self-important without making much of a statement whatsoever. From the one note racist judge to the tightly wound prosecutor, everyone does exactly what you would expect them to do. And while the film boasts quite an incredible cast, everyone from Mark Rylance to Eddie Redmayne feels painfully miscast. There's no intrigue to any of the Chicago 7, as hard as Sorkin tries to sell us on his group of misfit freedom fighters. Even massaging some of the historical accuracy, Sorkin can't quite make this a compelling story.


#44. Bill and Ted Face the Music

2020 has seen it's fair share of zoom reunions and that's honestly what Face the Music felt like to me. It was incredibly limited, to the point where you could convince me this entire thing was shot in a single location with a green screen. It's a cheap costume party with even cheaper laughs. I loved seeing Will Sadler return as Death but Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, Samara Weaving, and Brigette Lundy-Paine were all incredibly stiff. Winter really only seemed comfortable when caked in makeup and prosthetics. Bad CGI, an underwhelming soundtrack and a cheesy feel good "the children are our future" ending sour what should have been an easy nostalgic slam dunk. Instead it's just another forgettable reunion special. More of a made for TV epilogue than a final chapter to the trilogy.



#43. Irresistible

Jon Stewart returns with his second directorial effort, in which he attempts to satirize our current political climate. And while the central theme of it's story is pretty brilliant, it takes far too long to get to it's final punch line. The tone is a bit muddled thanks to it's final reveal being held so tightly under wraps and as a result, you never really get a solid narrator to lead you through the story. Steve Carell is made to feel like the hero but his motives are so disingenuous throughout that it never really sells. Chris Cooper's character is intentionally under-spoken and Mackenzie Davis, while absolutely brilliant in her time on screen, doesn't get nearly enough of it. She's the heart and soul of this movie and giving her a more prominent place in it's unfolding may have helped it to move along more convincingly, even if it may have spoiled some of the ending's surprise.


#42. The Way Back

Ben Affleck's latest comeback vehicle is touted as a basketball film but honestly has very little to do with sports whatsoever, aside from providing his tortured character a place to direct his anger. The team itself is so overshadowed by Affleck's performance and his character's somber presence that they feel utterly invisible. The focus is on Affleck's grief and alcoholism. And while his performance certainly carries your interest throughout the film, it's also probably because there's not much else there for it to drift to. Even Affleck's inner struggle never really progresses until the film's closing moments, which makes for a fairly frustrating viewing experience. A basketball movie with very little focus on basketball and a recovery film that never fully tackles the recovery, more so the struggle beforehand.


#41. The Rental

Dave Franco's directorial debut paints a vivid disdain for millennial entitlement along with substance and sexual indulgence. The character development and on-screen chemistry between cast members really sells the group as more than your typical set of slasher victims. Unfortunately all that ground work doesn't save the film from it's predictable second act when they're routinely disposed of. The film does exhibit some promise for Franco's work behind the camera but let's just hope he continues to push himself a little further in terms of writing.


#40. Tigertail

Parks & Rec / Master of None scribe Alan Yang makes his feature film directorial debut with a touching story about a generational divide between father and daughter. The scope is pretty grand but the story doesn't quite fill it. And its' 90 minute runtime feels incredibly brief given the emotional depth Yang's striving for (and mostly succeeds), but ultimately the film feels too rushed and disjointed to really connect the way it should. Yang's narrative jumps between past and present are fairly jarring and ultimately confuse more than enhance the viewing experience. Maybe if the film was framed by Grover walking through Taiwan with his daughter and telling his story instead of ending it rather anti-climatically retelling the same stories we saw in the opening? Regardless, Tzi Ma is absolutely devastating as the tortured immigrant father riddled with regret but his daughter, played by Christine Ko, pales in every way. Her character isn't nearly developed enough and Ko's performance is painfully dry.


#39. I Care A Lot

The opening premise of a scheming legal guardian skirting the legal system to drain captive elders of their wealth and freedom paints a vivid portrait of how terribly mistreated our aging citizens are and how cold and calculating those profiting from their marginalization can be. But what starts as a fascinating social commentary devolves into a viscous power struggle and suddenly the venom is retracted from the film's initial bite. Rosamund Pike delivers a phenomenal performance but her struggle against the Russian mafia doesn't carry the same level of intrigue as the introduction of her character did. It's an odd detour and one that has quite a few plot holes to really work. But it does show a ton of promise for director J Blakeson and features a phenomenal breakout score from Marc Canham.


#38. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

This incredibly bleak and grounded look at a young woman's trip to New York City in order to get an abortion without her parents' consent is sobering and almost too realistic for its' own good. Aside from the stunning "Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always" questioning sequence the film is named after; it feels like we never really get a glimpse of how Autumn is coping with the entire proceedings. She's so stoic and detached that even though the film is emotionally gripping, it never really fully explores it's characters or their motives. Granted, I'm thankful it didn't get overly melodramatic or politicized but I would have like a little more emotion from a topic that brings about so much conflict.


#37. Synchronic

Directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead deliver a fairly effective low budget / high concept sci-fi mystery that never quite hits it's highest potential. It feels confined, almost like an episodic entry into a Twilight Zone or Black Mirror style series rather than a fully realized feature film. The spotty effects are one thing but with the incredibly thoughtful and well constructed concept at play, it's a shame to only see it fully utilized in it's closing 20 minutes or so. They've established such an interesting and innovative twist on the time travel niche and yet fail to fully explore it's possibilities. It's like renting a video game from Blockbuster but having to return it after you finally make it through all the tutorials and the good stuff finally hits.


#36. Come to Daddy

Elijah Wood has a knack for choosing some interesting projects. And while Come to Daddy has a number of memorable moments, it's hard not to feel like this is essentially a cover letter for first time director Ant Timpson's next project. Which by the way, shows plenty of promise for the young filmmaker with his unconventional wit, inventive use of gore and mastery of building tension. But the story on it's own is frustratingly thin, especially considering the biggest surprise is almost identical to another horror film released fairly recently. It really soured the entire experience for me, which otherwise is an entirely enjoyable horror flick and I'm definitely in for whatever Ant Timpson has in store next.


#35. The Father

We've seen plenty of stories of aging parents struggling with their fleeting mental capacity and the toll it can take on their loved ones but first time director Florian Zeller tries to take you through the experience through the elderly's own deteriorating perception of events. And while it succeeds momentarily, the weak spot here is how empty the story is, putting way too much weight on Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman to fill out a fairly uneventful script. And as great as Hopkins and Colman are, they're still barely able to hold this thin premise above water on their own.


#34. Let Them All Talk

Not quite funny enough to be a comedy, not quite a dramatic enough to be a drama; Let Them All Talk serves as more of a casual lunch catching up with old friends. Meryl Streep is playing her usual cold, elitist self but her free wielding co-stars Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest absolutely carry this film with their "too old to give a shit" attitudes. These are phenomenal actresses filling up a semi-uneventful reconciliation tale with enough personality to keep the premise afloat all on their own. It's a pleasure to watch these women work and a trip worth taking, at least once to see these actresses operating at the top of their craft.


#33. Relic

Natalie Erika James' full length feature debut is a tense and emotionally charged haunted house parable about growing old. A brooding, atmospheric tale of decay and grief anchored by phenomenal performances from it's three leading ladies; Relic appears to be a springboard for this talented young filmmaker among a landscape of innovative horror directors that gets more and more dense each passing year. But this isn't your typical fun house of screams and jump scares, Relic crafts a much more detailed and foreboding atmosphere the likes of which you might expect from Jennifer Kent or Robert Eggers. However the story can start to feel a bit redundant with it's metaphor due to it's slower pace.


#32. Kajillionaire

Maybe the most unique viewing experience of the year, Kajillionare is a film that feels like it's daring you to stop watching. The story's protagonist is intentionally numb and without personality and yet the bizarre circumstances surrounding her, including the brilliant supporting performances from Debra Winger and the always amazing Richard Jenkins, keep stringing you along in a way that makes it so that you can't turn away. Watching Evan Rachel Wood's self realization and independence from her parents is a beautiful metaphor for the cold and emotionless capitalist programming instilled in every young American. The love and compassion learned through finding someone to share your life with and how much more worth that love can bring you than becoming a Kajillionaire. But honestly, it wasn't an enjoyable watch. Incredibly well written and smart but in no way do I see myself seeking out this experience again.


#31. The Sound Of Metal

As someone anxiously awaiting Derek Cianfrance's next film, I've been watching for this previously titled "Metalhead" project for some time. Then suddenly Cianfrance's Place Beyond the Pines co-writer, Darius Marder, dropped it onto Amazon Prime as his directorial debut. It's an intimate and gut wrenching look at someone coping with his identity and life's work thrown into upheaval with the sudden loss of his ability to hear but outside of Riz Ahmed's performance, the road to recovery was fairly uneventful. The midsection drags quite a bit due to it's predictable comeback narrative until thankfully being disrupted by our lead's obsessive / addictive tendencies. The entire proceedings just left me wanting a little more, looking for a payoff that never really came after introducing such a promising premise.


#30. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

I love Margot Robbie but let's be honest, Harley Quinn is just not that interesting of a character to build an entire film around. Especially when her back story is delivered in a cliff notes animation sequence before the movie even begins. Establishing Harley as her own character, escaping the shadow of the Joker, is an interesting idea but when the only character building she undergoes in her own solo film revolves entirely around the Joker - it's hard to really see her as anything but an ancillary character. Having the Birds of Prey actually join forces before the final confrontation would have helped immensely. There are some incredibly well choreographed fight scenes and Ewan McGregor as Black Mask almost single handily saves this film from itself. It's not perfect but at least DC's underwhelming films are getting a hell of a lot easier to stomach than they used to.


#29. VFW

Incorporating the blood splattered Grindhouse aesthetic, VFW is a solid throwback horror survival piece that's biggest asset is the ensemble lead by Stephen Lang and William Sadler. And while it's got plenty of over the top gore, I have to say the action sequences left a lot to be desired. It's the film's only weak spot, but being a horror/action hybrid, it's incredibly hard to overlook. But there is a certain charm to it's low budget look and again - the group of Stephen Lang, William Sadler, Fred Williamson, George Wendt, and David Patrick Kelly make for an endearing group of surly old men to survive a futuristic junkie gang war with in a not so distant dystopian future.


#28. The United States vs. Billie Holiday

A fascinating character study brought to life by a revelatory performance from Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a brilliant warts and all biopic muddled by a long-winded and clumsy delivery from director Lee Daniels. Holiday's story is a complicated one to tell, no doubt, but Daniels does himself no favors with his spastic narrative structure and harsh tonal shifts. I appreciate the film not glossing over the uglier sections of her life but without Andra Day delivering the breakout performance of the year, this film really would have struggled to find it's voice.


#27. Vivarium

Re-teaming from last year's breakout dark comedy, The Art of Self-Defense, Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots star in this dystopian look at systematic suburbanization that plays like a feature length Black Mirror episode in the absolute best way. Lorcan Finnegan's writing seems to outshine his directorial abilities but nevertheless, the bizarre fashion in which the story unfolds and the captivating performances from Poots and Eisenberg elevate the somewhat underdeveloped delivery of a story that feels even more relevant thanks to our current state of quarantine. The odd vocal distortion of the young boy was pretty annoying at points as well, even though that was seemingly the intent, it doesn't make it any more enjoyable to sit through. Overall, Vivarium is an intellectual sci-fi horror about confinement and societal sterilization that's effective enough, even if it's potential isn't fully realized.


#26. Antebellum

Antebellum very obviously wants to be the next Get Out and while the film looks and sounds absolutely incredible, it's very obviously written by someone whose only other writing credit is a Jay-Z music video. But regardless, the score is absolutely breathtaking and the directing team of Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz do a brilliant job of capturing the brutal realities of slavery. But the attempt to interweave the three distinct segments of the film together could have gone much MUCH better. But when all is said and done, getting to see Janelle Monae's rampage through a rebuilt plantation is definitely worth waiting through the over the top Gabourey Sidibe and Jena Malone midsection. At least for me anyways.


#25. Bad Boys For Life

17 years after Bad Boys II, the long awaited (?) reunion of Martin Lawrence and Will Smith mostly plays out as one would expect it would. The action is understandably toned down without Michael Bay but the chemistry between Smith and Lawrence is just as palpable as ever. And even though Bay isn't in the directing chair for the first time in the series, co directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah infuse a visual ingenuity that stands out as the film's biggest asset. These guys have a bright future ahead of them. And while I didn't care for where the story ultimately ended up (setting up potentially even MORE sequels), the charm of Smith and Lawrence mixed with the style and technical prowess of Adil and Bilall made this ride much more enjoyable than it had any right to be.


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#24. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Much like August Wilson's previously adapted work, 2016's Fences, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom struggles to escape the confines of feeling like a filmed stage play. But also like Fences, the outstanding performances shine through the limited construct and elevate the material with powerhouse performances from leads Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. Boseman in particular gives the performance of his tragically shortened life and could very easily end up with a posthumous Oscar as a result. The story of exploited black entertainers still resonates today but the theatrical adaptation could have done a little more to enhance the cinematic experience passed a big budget script reading.


View the Rest of the 2020 Tiers Here:


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