It’s possible that the indie film Never Rarely Sometimes Always slipped your radar last year. It had the unfortunate timing of being released at the beginning of the pandemic-related shutdown, and played in limited theatres before being available on VOD (and now, on HBO) — as is common with films these days.
Drama
Review: The Midnight Sky (2020)
I was looking forward to seeing another performance from George Clooney, who has been busy the last few years having (and raising) his now three-year-old twins with his humanitarian lawyer wife, Amal. I was curious to see him direct himself, and to see him to do so with a sci-fi story; The Midnight Sky is based on a book, which I haven’t read, but I can imagine it’s better than the movie.
Review: One Night in Miami (2020)
We’re very fortunate to be living at a time when Regina King is acting and making movies, and with her debut directorial debut, One Night in Miami, she has proven to be as adept at filmmaking as she is with acting (she won an Oscar for her terrific work in If Beale Street Could Talk).
Review: Ammonite (2020)
Ammonite was one of the most anticipated films of 2020, and managed to play in limited theatres last fall shortly before being available on demand. It’s one of the few movies not really impacted by the pandemic, but was high on my never-ending movie queue due to featuring two of my favorite actresses, Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet, as lovers in a period drama.
Review: Pieces of a Woman (2020)
Pieces of a Woman has been on every film critic’s radar since people started lauding Vanessa Kirby’s lead performance. It’s also one of those awards-bait-y movies that unfortunately only played in limited theatres for about a week before becoming available on Netflix.
Review: Mank (2020)
This awards season has been thrown out of whack thanks to the pandemic, which caused many high-profile films to be delay their releases and/or to be released primarily (and, in some cases, solely) on streaming services/VOD. It’s easy to see that Mank, the latest film from David Fincher, the lauded director of The Social Network, Rooney Mara’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, etc.
Review: Let Them All Talk (2020)
I was interested in seeing Steven Soderbergh’s latest, Let Them All Talk, and not just because it features three legendary actresses, but also because I’m a fan of some of Soderbergh’s previous work, such as Erin Brockovich. Also, I was curious to see how the cast handled the mostly-improvised script; screenwriter Deborah Eisenberg provided brief outlines and biographies for the actors, in addition to a few scripted scenes.
Review: A League of Their Own (1992)
Honestly, A League of Their Own one of those movies I can watch over and over and never get sick of it. It never fails to entertain and to be worthy of 2+ hours’ worth of my time. For a film that was released nearly 30 years ago, it still holds up very well; it’s still funny, well-directed and acted, and deeply feminist.
Review: Promising Young Woman (2020)
How do I review a film that I unabashedly adore, and one that receives a rare perfect score from yours truly? It’s my favorite film of 2020 so far — there’s still more to see, but I highly doubt anything will be able to top this. Promising Young Woman marked my first time at a theater in person in several months…I’d heard amazing reviews from critics lucky enough to get to see the film a year ago, at Sundance; some even praised it as the best film of the year, and even though I was excited to see it, I doubted it could possibly be that good.
Review: Soul (2020)
Soul has had to deal with multiple delays; first, it was meant to be released last summer, about six months after Pixar’s previous film, Onward. Then, it was pushed until late fall, and finally, it was decided to release it solely (sorry for the pun!) on Disney+.