Best of 2020 — Movies

My top 10 picks from the over 130 movies we watched last year. PLUS the movies I'm proudest of watching.

As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new in 2020. In no particular order.

PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Don

1978, starring Amitabh Bachchan  

I loved this, though it would never go on my "best of" list. The accomplishment was in watching a 1970's Hindi movie and loving it. That's something I thought I'd never be able to do. But I've seen so many now that it just seemed to come naturally.

 

 

2020 BEST MOVIES

War

If you want an action thriller with a lot of over the top lines, big in Bollywood acting, and two top male stars in exotic locations doing impossible stunts ... then this is your movie. We really enjoyed it, including my 85 year old mother who laughed through a lot of it (as we did too - over the top, remember?) and said she never needed to watch another action movie. "This one captured the essence of all of them," she said. (My review here.)

Kumbalangi Nights

Four brothers, a sleepy fishing village, and very unexpected twists. As the story goes on it is clear the director is telling us about families, how they are formed, and how they grow. The movie's twists were truly unexpected and there is a clear religious element that interested us as Kumbalangi is about 40% Christian. (My review here.)

The Warrior

A warrior renounces violence only to become prey himself. This is the movie that persuaded Irrfan Khan to continue acting and was pitched to him as almost being a silent film. That may not mean much to those who don't know Khan but the Indian film world owes this a great debt. It is a movie with spare dialogue, gorgeous settings, and the acting done with great subtlety, even as many of the actions show the brutality that accompanies being a warrior. It is hard to describe this but the rewards are great. (More reviews here.)

Gaslight

If you only know the term "gaslight" but not where it came from, then you need to watch this movie. After the murder of her aunt, Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) leaves London for Italy to start a new life. While there, she falls in love with the charming Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). They marry and return to London where Paula begins to notice strange goings-on: missing pictures, strange footsteps in the night, and gaslights that dim without being touched. As she fights to retain her sanity, her new husband's intentions come into question.(My review here.)

Mughal-E-Azam

A classic 1960 Hindi epic — Prince Saleem chooses love over throne. This perpetrates a war between the prince and his father the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, and threatens to bring an empire to its knees.

 

We watched this as part of our education in the great Indian films and to see some of the great actors of Bollywood fame. I liked the acting and the poetic nature of the dialogue. I especially loved the classical Hindi dancing and singing. It really made me think of some of the big old Hollywood movies and on that basis I could understand it even better.(My review here.)

Ford v Ferrari

American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. This is more of a character study of friendship than of following the story of the car development in a strictly truthful way. Nonetheless we all enjoyed it a lot.

Billu

This was really charming. A barber's claim to be friends with a mega-star is put to the test when a movie is shot in his small village featuring, of course, that star. We are left wondering if the barber is telling the truth and what will happen if he can manage to meet the star face-to-face.

 

I am hard put to think of another movie that successfully blends big movie glitz with thoughtful small village reality, or in other words Shah Rukh Khan's style with Irrfan Khan's. But this one pulls it off.
(My review here.)

Karan Arjun

What fun it is with Salman and Shah Rukh being murdered and reincarnated and coming home to avenge the landlord's crimes against the family. Just as mummy wanted! 

 

I especially enjoy the mother and the goddess Kali's involvement - two mothers knowing what's right, even is one of them is a bloodthirsty goddess holding a human head. Definitely for advanced Bollywood viewers. Otherwise it is just going to seem like one of those old, weird Indian movies.

Johnny Gaddaar

Vikram decides to elope with his girlfriend Mini for a better life. For this purpose he decides to steal the money collected by his business partners for a drug deal. Everything goes horribly wrong.

 

An homage to French neo-noir while being a wonderful example of that very thing. Definitely recommended and you don't have to be a Bollywood fan to appreciate this film. It is Hollywood quality, despite coming from India. (My review here.)

Sarvam Thaala

This is the tale of a young man struggling to overcome the hurdles of low caste and shallowness (and possibly his Christianity if I read some of the derogatory comments from the villain correctly) to learn classical Indian drum playing from a master artist. 

 

We all know the familiar beats of such a story but this movie hit them so well and enjoyably that this was a real crowd pleaser for our family. It's an engaging movie that an adventurous American viewer would like.  (My review here.)