Mini-Reviews - 2020 Edition
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As we know, 2020 has been a horrible year everywhere for everyone and everything, including the beloved art of filmmaking. Countless delays, complete removals of the year’s schedule, and a total stop in filming production. It couldn’t be any worse for cinema. Movie theaters are struggling to survive, blockbusters are gradually moving to home viewing… 2020 is the year everyone hoped to never live through.
Obviously, everyone’s lives and jobs are being affected, but even though the number of films released this year is inevitably shorter than in previous ones, time is still hard to find if someone wants to watch every single film like me. Therefore, this article will contain concise opinions on some films I can’t afford writing a full review right now.
This article will be updated each time I add a new entry, as well as its date of publication, so these mini-reviews can be seen by every reader of mine.
Unhinged
Directed by: Derrick Borte
Written by: Carl Ellsworth
Starring: Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson, Austin P. McKenzie
Runtime: 93 min
Synopsis: Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is a single mother whose bad day gets even worse when she beeps her horn at a fellow driver (Russell Crowe) during rush-hour traffic. After an exchange of words, she soon realizes that the mysterious man is following her and her young son in his truck. The initial case of road rage quickly escalates into full-blown terror as Rachel discovers the psychopath's sinister plan for revenge.
Review: Boasting a ferociously captivating Russell Crowe as an absolutely lunatic driver, Derrick Borte delivers a purposefully exaggerated premise based on something that occurs every day to pretty much everyone. The rated-R action is surprising in its amount of gore and unrestraint in murdering every character in the most shocking yet incredibly entertaining fashion.
However, Carl Ellsworth's screenplay lacks character depth, leaving the viewer with barely any knowledge of anything remotely relevant about the protagonists besides basic relationships, which are merely used as plot devices to more bloody killing. The narrative goes through hard-to-believe developments, and the ending still possesses the cliche "dumb protagonist's decision that no sane person would ever think about".
Still, I defend that its main narrative is closer to reality than fiction, especially the first two acts. In the end, my main issue might actually be that Caren Pistorius' character was indeed guilty of the event that propelled everything. She demonstrated arrogance, selfishness, and the inability to simply apologize to someone who was initially polite. That, to me, it's her biggest sin and the reason why I couldn't care less about what happened to her or her family.
Rating: B-
Run
Directed by: Aneesh Chaganty
Written by: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian
Starring: Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen
Runtime: 89 min
Synopsis: An isolated teen (Kiera Allen) discovers her mother's (Sarah Paulson) sinister secret.
Review: Aneesh Chaganty's Searching was enough to add its debutant director-screenwriter to my list of "filmmakers to follow closely". Run solidifies Chaganty's place in Hollywood as one of the most technically impressive directors working today. His undeniable talent allows him to effortlessly generate incredible suspense throughout the movie's entire runtime, and his second feature-film is no exception.
Possessing the type of premise I enjoy the most in thrillers, Chaganty and Sev Ohanian's screenplay is packed with excruciatingly long takes, filled with extremely tense dialogues, shocking developments, and a brutal amount of pain. All are enormously elevated by one of the most physically-demanding, emotionally powerful performances I've seen in the last few years: Kiera Allen, who uses a wheelchair for mobility in real-life, turns her acting debut into a genuine, realistic display of the challenging obstacles people with her condition have to overcome daily.
Sarah Paulson continues her trend of playing truly evil characters, and I advise her to keep following this dark path of phenomenal interpretations. Her interactions with Kiera are remarkably intense. Story-wise, even though the constant revelations are narratively shocking, most of the script's developments are somewhat predictable. However, the "movie logic" problems stretch believability to a point beyond my limit, ultimately becoming one of those films people will either deeply enjoy or really hate depending on how nitpicky they choose to be.
I'm as moderate as I can be, and the truth is, I didn't really think about these logical issues during the actual viewing. Having in mind Run's brilliant technical attributes (notably Nick Johnson and Will Merrick's editing, and Torin Borrowdale's score), its two impressive lead performances, and its endless suspenseful atmosphere, I can't help but recommend it to every fan of the genre.
Rating: B+
Sound of Metal
Directed by: Darius Marder
Written by: Darius Marder, Abraham Marder
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric
Runtime: 120 min
Synopsis: During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss.
Review: With moderately high expectations, Sound of Metal genuinely surprised me. Darius Marder and Abraham Marder’s exquisite screenplay is the absolute standout, at the same insanely good level as Riz Ahmed’s impressive performance. The former holds a meaningful, enlightening story about not only the deaf community but also about accepting our limitations as something that’s a part of us instead of taking it as a handicap. Except for a couple of unnecessary scenes that could have made the movie a bit shorter, the two-hour duration is quite fair, boasting a very captivating narrative.
Countless storytelling technical details elevate this film into one of the best of the year. From an apparently simple yet extremely clever use (or absence) of subtitles for sign language to emotionally compelling dialogues, an outstandingly realistic atmosphere surrounds the movie throughout the entire runtime. Never, not even for a second, the viewer needs to deal with an over-the-top reaction, cheesy conversation, or a typical Hollywood, overdramatized moment. Darius Marder has terrific control of the tone, keeping it exceptionally grounded.
Riz Ahmed delivers what I believe is his career-best display, incorporating his character’s hearing disability in a seamless fashion. His subtle facial expressions and body movements are essential for the performance that can easily guarantee him dozens of nominations. Olivia Cooke (Lou) is also excellent in her role. Technically, huge praise to Daniël Bouquet’s cinematography, which insists on an almost documentary-style composition by applying standard camera angles and shots often seen in this type of feature, helping to generate the before-mentioned authenticity.
One of my absolute favorite films of 2020.
Rating: A
Possessor
Directed by: Brandon Cronenberg
Written by: Brandon Cronenberg
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Runtime: 104 min
Synopsis: Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), an elite, corporate assassin, takes control of other people's bodies using brain-implant technology to execute high-profile targets.
Review: In a year where the horror genre didn’t have that many great representatives, Brandon Cronenberg’s remarkably captivating concept is an instant attention-grabber. Boasting two phenomenal performances from Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott (Colin Tate), Possessor is one of the most visually shocking films of 2020.
From the extreme gore to the unrestrained depiction of insanely violent murders, Cronenberg fills his movie with creepy imagery that will definitely trigger many viewers to simply give up. Its slow pace helps establish the never-ending suspenseful atmosphere, which ultimately delivers some of the most intense sequences I’ve seen in a long time.
Despite the interesting narrative and its eye-opening developments, Possessor fails to keep the momentum going throughout the entire runtime. The weird imagery helps with visual storytelling, but it reaches a point where it becomes too distracting and unnecessary. The third act is also quite predictable, contrasting with the somewhat surprising first half.
In the end, it’s still one of my favorite horror films of the year.
Rating: B+
Peninsula
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Written by: Park Joo-Suk, Yeon Sang-ho
Starring: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re
Runtime: 116 min
Synopsis: A soldier and his team battle hordes of post-apocalyptic zombies in the wastelands of the Korean Peninsula.
Review: Train to Busan is one of my favorite South Korean films ever, and I firmly defend that it’s one of the best zombie apocalypse movies of all-time, maybe even the best. Therefore, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly excited about another installment set in the same world. It’s not a direct sequel to the original’s story, but it seems to be placed just after the pandemic began. Unfortunately, it ends up being a huge disappointment.
Despite the jaw-dropping stunt work and the extremely intense action sequences, the reason why Peninsula’s predecessor works so well is due to its focus on the characters. By giving them a compelling development and a strong emotional bond, the zombie outbreak becomes instantly more effective because of our immense concern for everyone involved. Every technical element is dialed up to its maximum, transforming the film into an emotionally devastating, heart-wrenching story.
Yeon Sang-ho tries to follow a shortcut to achieve that same emotion of his previous movie, dooming this “sequel” from the very beginning. Every relationship feels forced, and the supposedly heartbreaking decisions/events are a complete target miss. Even the action scenes fail to live up to the original’s level due to excessive CGI in ridiculous car chases. Every fifteen minutes, a major logical issue arises, and some characters are either straight-up dumb or unbelievably smart for their age/experience. Peninsula takes the realistic environment established by Train to Busan and fictionalizes it way too much.
Rating: C-
The Prom
Directed by: Ryan Murphy
Written by: Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin
Starring: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Ariana DeBose, Kerry Washington, Jo Ellen Pellman
Runtime: 131 min
Synopsis: Down-on-their-luck Broadway stars shake up a small Indiana town as they rally behind a teen who wants to go to the prom with her girlfriend.
Review: I really love musicals, but Netflix’s attempt at a cheerful, joyful, colorful, and culturally significant film turns out to be one of the most cringe-worthy, awfully stereotypical, ridiculously exaggerated movies of the year. From the astoundingly over-the-top (and honestly, somewhat insulting) performance from James Corden and Jo Ellen Pellman’s one-dimensional debut to the contradictory narrative, Ryan Murphy’s first feature film since 2010’s Eat, Pray, Love is a massive disappointment.
The Prom is supposed to celebrate equality by supporting an inclusive prom where everyone can go and feel comfortable being themselves. However, it restrains itself from showing a homosexual kiss or really any sort of intimacy, leaving that to the very last second of the movie, but it doesn’t have any problems in fully developing a heterosexual relationship meanwhile. The breaking out into songs (which are a bit too many) mostly feels incredibly forced, making the whole film look more like a collection of sketches than an actual movie.
A few excellent performances (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key), a couple of quite entertaining musical numbers, some nice choreography and camera work (Matthew Libatique), and an admittedly ambitious production design save this film from being a complete trainwreck, but it’s still a disaster.
