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Mar 31, 2020 · Netflix. To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. The second chapter of Lara Jean’s love story hit the platform just in time for Valentine’s Day. And since Netflix is the entertainment house ...
- Deanna Janes
- Overview
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
- The Old Guard
- Mank
- I’m Thinking of Ending Things
- The Social Dilemma
- Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
- Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
- Enola Holmes
- The Half of It
Best
By Jon O'Brien
published 26 December 2020
Highlights from a year in movies
(Image credit: Netflix)
It’s been a mixed year for Netflix’s movie stable. Seemingly guaranteed hits such as Hillbilly Elegy and The Prom received indifference from critics, and their most blatant attempt for Oscar glory from 2019, The Irishman, went home empty-handed.
Taking the director’s chair for only the second time in his career, Aaron Sorkin returned to the courtroom dramatics of his first Hollywood venture, A Few Good Men. This is a vital period piece which inevitably draws parallels with a more contemporary wave of civil unrest, exploring the tenuous and politically motivated trial of anti-Vietnam War protestors in 1968.
Sacha Baron Cohen shines as the most antagonistic of the seven defendants threatened with jail for simply exercising their right to protest, but each member of the impressive ensemble cast handles Sorkin’s signature lightning-quick dialogue with aplomb. Meanwhile, unflinching reenactments of the group’s demonstrations and real-life documentary footage help to further amplify the shocking sense of injustice. Unmissable.
Best known for her romantic melodramas (Beyond the Lights, Love and Basketball), Gina Prince-Bythewood initially seemed an unusual choice to helm a comic-book adaptation about a group of ass-kicking immortal mercenaries. Yet it was her ability to craft nuanced characters, and give them room to breathe, too, that made The Old Guard stand out from the usual cookie-cutter superhero fare. Not that she slacked on the action, though: the hand-to-hand fight sequences and another bravura performance from Charlize Theron cementing her position as Hollywood’s ultimate heroine ensured there was still plenty to satisfy the shop-bought popcorn crowd.
Read more: The Old Guard (almost) feels like a blockbuster
Hollywood loves nothing more than rewarding films about Hollywood, so expect this well-crafted peek behind the curtain of cinema’s golden age to feature heavily at the 2021 Oscars. Adapted from his late father’s screenplay, David Fincher’s long-awaited new movie documents Herman J. Mankiewicz’s quest to meet the scriptwriting deadline for a little-known picture called Citizen Kane.
Mank is undoubtedly more of a cinephile’s film than crowd-pleasers like La Land and The Artist. But even those with only a passing interest in the machinations of Tinseltown can appreciate its monochromatic cinematography and superlative performances from Gary Oldman as the titular, self-destructive drunk and Amanda Seyfried as the radiant mistress of his archnemesis.
Mank
6.8/10
Possibly the most bewildering Netflix original to date, I’m Thinking of Ending Things almost makes David Lynch seem a conventional storyteller. Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) has always prided himself on subverting audiences’ expectations, of course, but he takes his dreamlike approach to new disorienting heights with this adaptation of Iai...
Undoubtedly 2020’s most-talked about documentary (that isn't called Tiger King, anyway), this eye-opening insight into the soul-sapping powers of social media inspired many viewers, however briefly, to take a digital detox. Fronted by various ex-Silicon Valley bods attempting to atone for their tech sins, Jeff Orlowski’s call-to-arms revealed in terrifying detail how Instagram, Twitter etc. constantly keep us glued to our smartphones.
And the exploration of such platforms’ damaging effect on the political landscape, particularly with the spread of fake news, proved to be just as perturbing. Sure, the dramatic interludes may have hammered home the point a little too literally. But in a year when misinformation was more dangerous than ever, who needs subtlety?
Eyebrows were raised when Will Ferrell announced he’d be making a love letter to Eurovision. Surely a Hollywood celeb wouldn’t understand all the nuances of a European pop culture phenomenon that’s been entertaining/baffling audiences for 64 years?
Well, the Anchorman star soon proved his unlikely long-time fandom with an affectionate lampooning of the song contest, which nailed its mix of high camp, high drama and high notes. Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens also throw themselves wholeheartedly into an enjoyably ridiculous saga involving wayward giant hamster wheels, murderous elves and a ghostly Demi Lovato. Just be warned: you’ll still have “JaJa Ding Dong” bouncing around your head until the next real thing.
After picking up an Oscar with their first ever feature, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company continued its early golden streak with another empathetic portrait of a Stateside revolution. Whereas American Factory explored the impact of reverse globalization, Crip Camp focuses on the disability rights movement sparked from a 1970s New York hippy retreat.
Combining archival footage with talking heads from activists galvanized by their time at Camp Jened (including co-director James LeBrecht), the Sundance hit allows this marginalized community to tell their own little-known against-all-odds story. Soundtracked perfectly by the classic rock of the Woodstock era, it’s also an inspiring one which warms the heart without ever descending into schmaltz.
Guy Ritchie’s two Downey Jr movies, that disastrous Will Ferrell spoof, the BBC’s intermittent series and 154 episodes of Elementary: even the most ardent fan of Baker Street’s finest could be forgiven for experiencing Sherlock Holmes fatigue. Thankfully, this energetic adaptation of Nancy Springer’s young adult novels brings something new to the super-sleuth’s universe, namely a younger sister.
In one of her first post-Stranger Things leading roles, Millie Bobby Brown grabs the opportunity to play a character more vibrant than the muted Eleven. Her Enola Holmes is charismatic, empowering and, as her quest to discover her missing mother shows, just as resourceful as her brother. It's little wonder a second family-friendly adventure is already being touted.
A studious Chinese-American girl agree to pen a jock’s love letter, only to fall for the object of his affections herself. Alice Wu’s first film since 2005 initially seems like another generic addition to the YA romance genre Netflix has cornered the market in – yet there’s much more depth here than in The Kissing Booth and its ilk.
Following in the footsteps of teen movie great Clueless, The Half of It takes a literary classic (Cyrano de Bergerac) and transports it to today’s high school halls with aplomb, aided some fine naturalistic performances from a relatively unknown cast. Hopefully Wu won’t wait another 15 years for a follow-up.
- Jon O'brien
- The Irishman. If Goodfellas made gangsters cool, The Irishman makes them sad. It’s quieter, almost placid compared to Goodfellas’ manic brashness. In some ways, watching this film is like witnessing Martin Scorsese come of age and mature.
- Dolemite Is My Name. I think that film-saturated folks who see every new release, religiously check sites like this one, and are eager to debate all things movies can sometimes feel cynical about the inherently childlike joy that comes from creation and sharing.
- Velvet Buzzsaw. In Velvet Buzzsaw, writer/director Dan Gilroy offers up a sharp indictment of the Los Angeles art world - following a hyper-competitive group of critics and dealers who make their living off of art without actually creating any themselves.
- Marriage Story. What is there to say about Noah Baumbach's achingly tender and beautifully-wrought 2019 film (and awards season frontrunner) Marriage Story which hasn't already been said?
Dec 29, 2019 · These are the best Netflix Originals of 2019: high-quality films that effectively balanced style with substance, and have something to say. 10. Fractured. Directed by Brad Anderson, Fractured relies heavily on Sam Worthington’s central performance. After a near-tragedy, Ray Monroe (Worthington) brings his injured daughter Peri (Lucy Capri ...
- The Irishman. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci. 168 votes. In the epic crime saga The Irishman, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a labor union leader and hitman, recounts his life's journey through the murky waters of organized crime.
- Always Be My Maybe. Ali Wong, Randall Park, Michelle Buteau. 526 votes. In the vibrant rom-com, Always Be My Maybe, childhood pals Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park), navigate love's rocky terrain.
- The Highwaymen. Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates. 343 votes. Former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault join forces to try and capture notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.
- Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Haley Joel Osment. 562 votes. In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the sinister world of Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) unfolds.
Netflix is an American global on-demand Internet streaming media provider, that has distributed a number of original programs, including original series, specials, miniseries, documentaries and films. Netflix's original films also include content that was first screened on cinematic release in other countries or given exclusive broadcast in other territories, and is then described as Netflix ...
Dec 30, 2020 · Netflix has some great documentaries (as evidenced by their Oscar win earlier this year for American Factory), and 2020’s Crip Camp joins those ranks. The film is a story about the slow process ...
