Obviously, I’m not the fucking film critic here, so I’m in no way, shape, or form claiming to have as exhaustive a viewing list as Brandon does for 2020. This year was supposed to be so promising for me, though. I actually made a concerted effort to watch more movies so that I’d be a little more useful to Brandon, and in the process, I was hoping to help build out that vertical of SoBros Network. I was gonna go to the theater more often in 2020. I was gonna make sure I hit up Redbox every chance I got – I wasn’t going to miss a single damn major release!
Then, the whole damn world went to shit. Theaters closed. Production halted. No summer blockbusters. Home release became a big time thing. And, all of our best laid plans went to ruin.
But, with chaos surrounding us, I gotta say we still managed to pull some good stuff out of our asses this year. We had some really fun episodes on The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. With most of the film festivals going virtual this year, Brandon still got to cover festivals from Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, New York, and SXSW from the comfort of his own couch. Hell, I even pitched on Atlanta Film Festival coverage, and Brittany pitched in on Chattanooga Film Festival coverage.
And, somehow, I still probably ended up seeing more new movies this year than any other year in the past. So, while Brandon usually waits until the new year to drop his best of the year, I figured I’d go ahead and throw my five favorite movies of 2020 out there just to whet your appetites. Let’s get after it.
Honorable Mentions: Technically, I saw Uncut Gems in January. So, does that count? I don’t think I was as high on The Invisible Man as everyone else was, but I did enjoy it enough for it to land just outside of my top five. I saw a couple of features as apart of the Atlanta Film Festival that are really sticking with me, too – the deep and powerful Curtis and the offbeat and hilarious 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot. On the family-friendly front, I know there were a ton of options from 2020, but I’m all in on Scoob!
My Favorite Movies of 2020
5. Bad Education – I don’t think I was as high on Bad Education as Brandon was, but the further removed I was from it, the more I appreciated it. It really was one of Hugh Jackman‘s defining roles. Put it up there with Prisoners, Logan, and The Prestige in my book.
4. The Gentlemen – We’ve got a full review of this one in The Vick’s Flicks Podcast archives. While I’d certainly stop short of calling this Guy Ritchie‘s finest effort, it actually surprised me – this one was wholly the Hugh Grant and Colin Farrell show, but I’d also give a nod to Charlie Hunnam as well. I can still smell the testosterone from this one.
3. The Devil All the Time – Maybe I connected with this one because it hit so close to home. Not that I know a bunch of raging serial killers and religious fanatics, but I did grow up in Tennessee and I knew a whole hell of a lot of people that did some pretty not-so-Christian things and still went to church on Sunday morning smiling. Anyway, The Devil All the Time was a relentless flick with an all-star cast including a knockout showing from Tom Holland, and to no one’s surprise, Robert Pattinson stole every scene he was in.
2. Palm Springs – Palm Springs was a vibrant and unusual rom-com that completely caught me off guard. I dare say it was the most refreshing film of the year. Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg absolutely nailed their roles, bringing a lot of humor to a zany story with a heartwarming tint to it. And, let’s be real – any movie we get a little J.K. Simmons in is a good one.
1. The King of Staten Island – Sonofabitch, he did it again. That Judd Apatow put together a film that was funny, but had a whole hell of a lot of heart to it, too. Some of you might not know this about me, but I actually lost my dad back in 2014 – so, there were times that I really had to choke it down to get through this movie. Maybe that enhanced my connection to the story, but I absolutely loved it. Pete Davidson really surprised me with his performance, and Bill Burr took it to a depth I didn’t quite know he was capable of. Aces all around.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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