TOP TEN FILMS of 2020 (That I've Watched) on POPCORNX
I dived into 2020 with the continuation of my since decade-long (semi) self-isolation, even before "Circuit Breaker" ("Singapore's equivalent to "Stay At Home" Anti-COVID-19 prevention), and hence all of my viewing experiences were before a desktop screen (not counting the plasma tv screen in the living room, which certainly helped rack up pre-2020 films, which I thoroughly enjoyed), and not a single visit to the cinema, even when the restrictions were lifted (somewhat).
Understandably the global pandemic crippled our ability to watch movies IN a darkened theater, much less films held back from premiering, but to be brutally honest, having access to feature films these days is not necessarily dependant on physically sitting IN a darkened cinema (And I'll leave it at that).
Be that as it may, I had simply chosen to not partake in films that were released in 2020 (forgoing quite a number of marquee films, which I will watch in 2021 instead lol), and count a handful of what I watched in 2020 instead, and even then had to pump up the list with "TV-Films".
I struggled to do a "Top Ten", recognising it could be wholly fragmented and not necessarily a representation of the state of films ... but you know what? THIS represents the slate of FILMS I'VE WATCHED instead, and is my reality I have to deal with ... and who am I to tell you what your top films should be, innit? LOL ... so here is POPCORNX's "TOP TEN FILMS OF 2020"!
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (FEATURES on POPCORNX): When I first watched this early in 2020, I was hardly "impressed" ... but throughout 2020, the film essentially lingered at the back of my mind, actually ... then on the weekend I randomly tuned into the television broadcast on cable, and found it decent fun. I enjoyed it moreso than I had remembered it to have been!
Initially I had doubted the story-telling aspect of the film, but also realised this Adil & Bilall-directed feature was by far much more cohesive than Michael Bay's first two films (hey I enjoyed them too, in fact i loved them), and realised "Bad Boys" was as much "style" as it was about
THE OLD GUARD (FEATURES on POPCORNX): Was this feature the epitome of action adventure? No. Was it highly entertaining? Exceptionally decent, Yes. I would recommend this to anyone looking to relive their "immortal-warrior-Highlander" (temporary)-fix, and to experience how a budgeted action film is achieved (with absolutely ZERO SHADE thrown at the filmmakers, in fact it is my form of high praise). I really should do a review of the film ... I just need to finish what I started :p... Watch "THE OLD GUARD" on Netflix.
"Four undying warriors who've secretly protected humanity for centuries become targeted for their mysterious powers just as they discover a new immortal."
(Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood / Stars Charlize Theron / Radted "R-21" / 2hrs 5mins)
PROJECT POWER (FEATURES on POPCORNX): It's not that I doubt "Jamie Foxx", but having "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" included certainly got my attention, and the resulting "Project Power" feature on Netflix entertained, excited, if not left me wanting a little bit more that what they dangled in front of us. Watch here on Netflix
Reminding me of the good old days of HEROES, or MISFITS OF SCIENCE (which shows how effin OLD I am lol) where I appreciated the notion of SUPER-POWERS without needing the spandex (*Which I love too, mind you, but...). What this feature and the notion of pill-popping unknown-super-powers reminded me of the most, was "DIAL H for HERO" comic book from DC, which I loved the concept of!
"An ex-soldier, a teen and a cop collide in New Orleans as they hunt for the source behind a dangerous new pill that grants users temporary superpowers."
(Stars Jamie Foxx,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Dominique Fishback / Rated "M-18" / 1hr 53mins)
BIRDS OF PREY (FEATURES on POPCORNX): I struggled to LOVE this film, but in reality I enjoyed it more than obsessed over it, and that makes for "longevity" in my book (at least in the corner of my mind).
Standing out like a indie-film, over-dressed (in a good way), and over-hyped (not so much in a good way), the
BIRDS OF PREY took the material, moulded it to fit said expectations, and injected a well calculated comicbook-validity, which I certainly appreciated!
HITMAN: AGENT JUN: When I clicked to view, it was based on the actor Kwon Sang-woo that I had recognised from 2001's "Volcano High" (one of my most memorable first K-Films watched OMG). and Kdrama series I'm currently watching: "Delayed Justice", and what I experienced was a cocktail blend of "WTF-is-this-nonsense?" and "THIS IS FUN!" - I still cannot decide if this was meant to be "serious" or a "action-comedy" (of course it is lah), which South Korean media is deft at doing, IMHO!
A legendary super spy who dreamt of drawing webtoons fakes his own death, to go in search of said dreams ... to find out it was not as he had expected, and when his past comes back, he must relinquish his drawing stylus for his skills ... or that's my take on it ... the sheer irony is him chronicling his past exploits in webtoon form, reigniting the shitstorm that comes after him, is sheer hilarity lah!
SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL (FEATURE on POPCORNX): Look, Mark Wahlberg is great in films such as this. Smartass, tough, a wee bit on the sensitive comedic side = he does them exceedingly well, and coupled up with the more than competent cast and straight-up story-telling, made this one of the more enjoyable watches for me in 2020. Directed by Peter Berg, which is always a plus, as far as I am concerned. Berg & Wahlberg is a splendid combo any given day of the week, IMHO. Watch here on Netflix.
"Spenser, an ex-cop and ex-con, teams up with aspiring fighter Hawk to uncover a sinister conspiracy tied to the deaths of two Boston police officers."
(Stars Mark Wahlberg,Winston Duke,Alan Arkin / Rated "M-18" / 1hr 51mins)
EXTRACTION (REVIEWED on POPCORNX): Was EXTRACTION on Netflix worthy of the action adventure praise folks have been going on about? YES, and then some! Sniper-shot thru my entertainment needs, point blank! This feature on Netflix gave me the exact amount of action and bullet-count I had not known I needed, during a time of COVID, where I needed something to help (metaphorically) shoot the fears
A action-packed, excessively violent tale of forced redemption and amazing stuntwork that'll put plot issues to rest, IMHO. Would’ve made a fairly decent big-screen outing too, IMO. For entertainment value, I rate this 6/10 on any given day, thanks.
Solid action scenes. Solid escapade from reality. Highly enjoyable.
Directed by Sam Hargrave (who shot some of the more harrowing scenes himself), from a screenplay by Joe Russo, based on the 2014 graphic novel "Ciudad" (written by Ande Parks, Joe & Anthony Russo, and artist Fernando León González) watch EXTRACTION here on Netflix.
"A hardened mercenary's mission becomes a soul-searching race to survive when he's sent into Bangladesh to rescue a drug lord's kidnapped son."
(Stars Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda / Rated "NC-16" / 1hr 57mins)
INNOCENCE 결백: I had watched this South Korean film based off watching the (constant) VOD-ad on cable, and had not regretted it at all. Shin Hye-sun was in splendid form, as impressive as I have had ever seen her in the past = all of which led to me watching and currently adoring "MR.QUEEN" kdrama! The plot description of the film shown below belies the "twist" in the movie, which I will not spoil, in case you want to find and watch this, cheers.
PLOT: "Based on a real-life story, the film focuses on Ahn Jung-in (Shin Hye-sun), a lawyer who decides to defend her mother after she is wrongly accused of killing someone at her husband's funeral." (Wiki)
#ALIVE (FEATURES on POPCORNX): I love me my Zombie(lite) flicks, a dash of scares, without too much gore... and South Korean zombie-flicks in the vein of TRAIN TO BUSAN and KINGDOM series on Netflix has certainly entertained me ... then came the news of #ALIVE (yes, the hashtag is apart of the title, and you'll know why by the end of the film), and it shows a urban built-up scenario that certainly reminded me of my own dwelling landscape here in Singapore, and that the resulting difference would only be that of the English Subtitles I needed to understand the story as it progressed. Highly recommended. Watch now on Netflix
"As a grisly virus rampages a city, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out."
(Stars Yoo Ah-in,Park Shin-hye / Rated "M-18" / 1hr 38m)
HAPPY OLD YEAR (REVIEWED on POPCORNX): How do you #MarieKondo your past? Writer/Director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit's "Happy Old Year" was deceptively sentimental and subtly intense, bringing to a boil the shimmering undertones from the 2019's Thai-film start, to Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying's soul-wretched stare into emptiness at the end, creating a void for my tears, of a somewhat familiar path chosen ... of a future we make for ourselves, and a past we choose to forget. I rated this 7/10, because I am a sentimental sob at heart, and my tears will not be in vain. And yes I "cheated", as this was a "2019" film, which I watched in 2020. Watch here on Netflix.
"While decluttering her home, a woman’s hefty house renovation leads her back to the past when she uncovers her ex-boyfriend’s belongings."
(Stars Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying,Sunny Suwanmethanont,Sarika Sartsilpsupa / Rated "PG-13" /1hr 53mins)
HONORARY MENTION (Basically #11):
THE NEW MUTANTS (FEATURES on POPCORNX): The film wasn’t so much a turd as everyone said it was, neither was it a knock-out-of-the-park ... far be it, actually. It ended up a decent average watch at home (where I could shudder in solitary comfort of silence), versus what would have been a regret in the cinema lol ... Read more of my impressions HERE!
And yes, marquee and highly anticipated films are not listed here, simply because I have not watched them. Films like PENINSULA, TENET (*Which I only watched last night, actually :p), WONDER WOMAN 1984, even MULAN crossed my screen but I could not press "PLAY" .. and one that I did for "LOVE AND MONSTERS", I could not bear to watch beyond 20 minutes of what I already did... And no I did not include anime films (A WHISKER AWAY) and documentaries (BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY) ... and I am not counting the "older"/pre-2020 films, such as By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture , and quite a number of Western films on Cable (which maybe I should do another blog-featured list on...).
For references' sake, THIS was the slate of films watched in 2019 (NOT counting those I have NOT WATCHED):
I have no specific access to indie films, or even commerial films, with this hobby-blog my little corner of unacknowledged enjoyment in sharing my watches and views, which nevertheless I am certainly hoping "2021" would yield much better viewing expeience(s)...!
Cheers,
Andy TOYSREVIL
#POPCORNX on Instagram
#ILIKETEEVEE on #Instagram
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