Films I watched in 2020
The feature films and documentaries I have watched in 2020, when and how:
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- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternOne year after Kevin McCallister was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City - and the same criminals are not far behind.27.12. Blu-ray on TV. Second time.
It's especially nice seeing Kevin and his parents again in this sequel. It's fun seeing everything happen all over again with a twist, but the film could have done without Harry and Marv. I never saw this as a child (the first time was probably about ten years ago), so all the traps in this film have never seemed funny to me, they're just violent and lethal. Still, apart from the antics with the crooks that gave me nothing, this was a pretty nice rewatch for me. 5.5/10 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMichael CaineBetween two Thanksgivings two years apart, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.26.12. DVD on TV. Second time.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsRock HudsonDoris DayTony RandallA series of misunderstandings leaves an advertising executive with a campaign for a product which has not yet been invented, while he romances his rival in the guise of its inventor.25.12. Blu-ray on TV. First time.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.24.12. Blu-ray on TV. Somethingth time.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsHugh GrantMartine McCutcheonLiam NeesonFollows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.23.12. Blu-ray on TV. Third time.
I wasn't overly impressed with "Love Actually" on my first viewings, but it has grown on me. It does feel more like #metoo: The Movie than ever (partly because the term hadn't been invented the last time I watched it), but it probably paints a correct picture of working life in 2003. It certainly feels very 2003 in most respects, and it will be interesting to see how a film with a so clear timestamp ages in the public's eye. Most of it's stories of love are pretty timeless, though, even if the wrapping isn't. 6.5/10 - DirectorSergio PablosCarlos Martínez LópezStarsJason SchwartzmanJ.K. SimmonsRashida JonesA simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg's new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.23.12. Netflix on TV. First time.
I didn't love it from the very start, but once Klaus showed up and the story really got going I was hooked. A wonderful, new Christmas classic! 8/10 - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsBing CrosbyDanny KayeRosemary ClooneyA successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.22.12. Blu-ray on TV. Sixth time.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternAn eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.19.12. Blu-ray on TV. Somethingth time.
- DirectorGillian ArmstrongStarsSusan SarandonWinona RyderKirsten DunstThe March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.18.12. DVD on TV. First time.
Take a hike, Gerwig, Armstrong's got you beat. I watched Greta Gerwig's "new" take one the story last year and I gotta say, this is so much better! I felt that Gerwig undercut a lot of the emotions of the story by going back and forth in time, and watching this superior version confirms it. 8/10 - DirectorGeorge SeatonStarsEdmund GwennMaureen O'HaraJohn PayneAfter a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.16.12. Blu-ray on TV. Second time.
I love the honesty of this film. Everyone are so sincere, even the capitalist department store owners and the opposing district attorney, and it makes them so much more interesting as characters. Edmund Gwenn is (of course) the star, in his nicest part of all. 7.5/10 - DirectorClyde GeronimiWilfred JacksonHamilton LuskeStarsBarbara LuddyLarry RobertsPeggy LeeThe romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown Mutt.15.12. Blu-ray on TV. Third time?
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.11.12. Blu-ray on TV. Somethingth time.
It's been way too long since I watched this last, and what better day for a rewatch than Friday, December the eleventh? Celebrating the 60th anniversary of a favourite released in 1960 also feels very appropriate! 10/10 - DirectorCarol ReedStarsMark LesterRon MoodyShani WallisAfter being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.11.12. Blu-ray on TV. First time.
I liked it better in the dramatic parts than the musical, and it really picks up once Oliver gets to London. Ron Moody's fantastic Fagin was the most award-worthy in what is definitely one of the worse Best Pictures. 6/10 - DirectorMary CybulskiJohn TintoriStarsPaul DillonTim GambleOlivia TrevinoThere is more to this story than this review lets on. It reflects all different facets of society over one driver's shift. As he starts out, he seems cold and ignorant, but his character develops as different Chicago riders come and go. His character shows through when he tells a woman the truth about one of the guys he has in his cab. One highlight is the amount of cameos by well-known faces who seem to be doing this film for the craic (fun, "kicks"). The cab driver reacts well to the madness surrounding him, and by the end of the shift the viewer might share his weariness. This low-budget film deals with crackheads, stoners, posh randy lawyers, irate Pakistanis, and the high and lows of the working day.10.12. Pluto.tv on TV. First time.
- DirectorOrson WellesFred FleckRobert WiseStarsTim HoltJoseph CottenDolores CostelloThe spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.08.12. DVD on TV. Second time.
Not as good as I remembered it... 6/10 - DirectorClyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeWolfgang ReithermanStarsRod TaylorBetty Lou GersonJ. Pat O'MalleyWhen a litter of Dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the owners must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.06.12. Blu-ray on TV. Somethingth time.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt AxtonA young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.05.12. Netflix on TV. Third time.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsGaspard ManesseRaphael FejtöFrancine RacetteA French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. Occupying the next bed in the dormitory to the top student in his class, the two young boys begin to form a bond.04.12. DVD on TV. First time.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'02.12. Blu-ray on TV. Fourth time?
- DirectorRúnar RúnarssonStarsSigurmar AlbertssonBent Kingo AndersenSif ArnarsdóttirEveryday life in Iceland around Christmas time: 56 vignettes full of joy, sorrow and thought-provoking situations.01.12. DVD on TV. First time.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsAmy AdamsMeryl StreepChris MessinaJulia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.27.11. DVD on TV. First time.
Another charmer from Ephron. I've always been skeptical of watching "You've got M@il" because of the title, and lately because I discovered "The Shop Around the Corner", but I need my Ephron fix, and with her love of old Hollywood it should be good too. 7/10 - DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintWith their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.26.11. Blu-ray on TV. Somethingth time.
One of my worst rewatches... Yates really is the worst thing to happen to this school. 4/10 - DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMargaret SullavanJames StewartFrank MorganTwo employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.24.11. iTunes on TV. Second time.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsHayden ChristensenNatalie PortmanEwan McGregorThree years into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi pursues a new threat, while Anakin Skywalker is lured by Chancellor Palpatine into a sinister plot to rule the galaxy.22.11. Blu-ray on TV. Somethingth time. *Second time this year
- DirectorJake KasdanStarsDwayne JohnsonJack BlackKevin HartIn Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world's most dangerous game.21.11. Blu-ray on TV. First time.
Unexpected Christmas movies are tight! Alright, so it was just an unacknowladged Christmas setting, but that's exactly what I'm looking for this time of year. A vague hint of Christmas while waiting for the real thing. Anyhoo, the film itself is a fun and silly redo of the first one that's perfectly enjoyable. When the characters switch to the avatars they had in the first one towards the end, it makes you very aware that, while it was pretty fun to see them switch it up, they had the perfect avatars the first time, and it's better when they play those. Awkwafina is a superb addition to the cast, and steals every scene she is in, even before she starts channeling Danny DeVito! 6/10