It's a typical year-end practice for most film writers to compose a "best of the year" list. That's an entirely sensible resolution; everybody loves a good ol' classic ranking to disagree with and take offense to. But personally, I've never found them all that satisfying to make. I end up publishing a list of 10 films, and then, the next day, I'm already wishing I'd rearranged them or included something else. Already since rattling off a top 10 for today's Odd Trilogies episode, I've had to make some considerations to changing my list for this article.
I simply find it too limiting a way of recognizing all the films I admire, especially when there are so many different aspects of filmmaking to consider.
So last year, I found a way to summarize my year at the movies that might be more fulfilling for me, and perhaps more interesting and distinctive for you.
If you do want a more standard-format list from me, check out my 2020 Ranking on Letterboxd, or scroll down to the bottom where I have some of it listed.
But for a formal write-up, I think I've found my alternative. Welcome to the 2nd Annual The Andy Awards!
The narcissistic name is only intended to convey the idea that these are purely my opinions and no one else's; unlike a real awards show, there was no committee or voting process. I just picked all the "nominees" and chose a winner from them.
Alright, getting started: Under the name of each award, I will describe the category so that it's clear what aspect of film I'm rewarding. The number of candidates in each category is determined entirely by me and how many films I felt like recognizing in said category. One winner per category, and I will briefly articulate why that winner is my favorite in that category. The non-winning candidates will be ranked in ascending order of how worthy I think they are.
The 2nd Annual Andy Awards
(you can call them "the triple A's")
Best Actress
The most engaging, convincing, and/or impressive lead performances from women this year.
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Julia Garner, The Assistant Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Frances McDormand, Nomadland Carrie Coon, The Nest Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman Jessie Buckley, i'm thinking of ending things Runner-up: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Winner: Evan Rachel Wood, Kajillionaire
Wood hits all the right notes of weird, damaged, calloused, and yearning for warmth as Old Dolio. Kajillionaire certainly deserves to be seen more people, but it's especially disappointing that so few will see and appreciate Wood's performance.
Best Actor
The most engaging, convincing, and/or impressive lead performances from men this year.
Gary Oldman, Mank Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Eli Goree, One Night in Miami Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami Hugh Jackman, Bad Education Jesse Plemons, i'm thinking of ending things Runner-up: Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round
Winner: Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
No other actor took me on such a wild ride this year. It's a dynamic and over-the-top performance, yet never unnecessarily grandiose or cartoonish. It's rare to generate such empathy for a character as dislikable as Paul, and I think it's mostly to Lindo's credit that I found myself so gripped and moved by him.
Best Supporting Actress
The most engaging, convincing, and/or impressive supporting performances from women this year.
Gina Rodriguez, Kajillionaire Dylan Gelula, Shithouse Olivia Cooke, The Sound of Metal Jane Adams, She Dies Tomorrow Elizabeth Debicki, Tenet Runner-up: Toni Collette, i'm thinking of ending things
Winner: Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The woman who somehow managed to give Borat a heart. Bakalova is so pure and so much fun to watch as Borat's fiery daughter Tutar who refuses to settle for her father's abusive parenting and shitty worldview, and demands that he be better. She's downright hilarious, too.
Best Supporting Actor
The most engaging, convincing, and/or impressive supporting performances from men this year.
Hugh Laurie, The Personal History of David Copperfield Paul Raci, Sound of Metal Aldis Hodge, One Night in Miami David Thewlis, i'm thinking of ending things Bill Burr, The King of Staten Island Runner-up: Bo Burnham, Promising Young Woman
Winner: Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami
We all know he can sing. Most of us know he can act too. But there's just something really special about this performance. Odom disappears and becomes Sam Cooke; not just in his singing voice (seriously, how?) but also in his non-musical scenes. His throwdown with Kingsley Ben-Adir's Malcolm X has to be one of my favorite arguments in film this year. And that "Change is Gonna Come" closer? Raw power.
Best Ensemble
The most engaging, convincing, and/or impressive performances from an entire main cast this year.
Bad Education Kajillionaire Palm Springs Da 5 Bloods i'm thinking of ending things Runner-up: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Winner: One Night in Miami
An absolute four-man knockout. Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr. trade jabs, jokes, and philosophical quandaries with incredibly natural chemistry, which is all the more impressive when you consider that they're playing historical figures of mythical renown, all with very distinct, recognizable personalities and mannerisms.
Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance
The most engaging, convincing, and/or impressive voice-acting or motion capture performances this year.
Tina Fey, Soul Sean Bean, Wolfwalkers Runner-up: Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time
Winner: Jamie Foxx, Soul
Jamie Foxx is basically just playing "Jamie Foxx with less of an ego," but it works. Joe is sweet and endearing, but not without his flaws. Foxx plays him with an ease and earnestness that's just infectious and easy to get behind. Helps that Foxx has such a smooth voice too.
Best Character
An award for the creation of a well-defined, memorable, and/or affecting on-screen character
Bill S. Preston, Bill & Ted Face the Music Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali, One Night in Miami Tutar Sagdiyev, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Paul, Da 5 Bloods Old Dolio, Kajillionaire Ryan Cooper, Promising Young Woman Cassie Thomas, Promising Young Woman
Runner-up: Fletcher, The Gentlemen
Winner: David Arquette, You Cannot Kill David Arquette
Maybe it's a little disingenuous to call him a character, since he's the real-life subject of a documentary, and he's not putting on a character for the camera. That being said, there's no better underdog hero to get behind this year, and the film's semi-surreal vision of David's journey makes him a near-mythological protagonist. David is undeniably troubled when we meet him, and he often lacks self-awareness, but he just wants to please people and set wrongs right with the wrestling community. The measures he takes to do so are nothing short of heroic. And he's just so damn lovable.
The Gut-buster Award
These are the funniest films of the year, or those with the most or best laughs. These aren't necessarily the "best films in the comedy genre," but rather those that made me laugh best.
On the Rocks Assassin 33 A.D. The Gentlemen Palm Springs The Twentieth Century Runner-up: Promising Young Woman
Winner: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Maybe not quite as funny as the first one, but still a raucous good time. The number of hilarious "gotcha" moments feels even more ratcheted up amidst the tense and polarized year that has been 2020.
The Tear-jerker Award
These films made me cry at least once, broke my heart, and/or left a heavy cloud of melancholy over me after leaving the theater.
Pieces of a Woman Athlete A Promising Young Woman Shithouse One Night in Miami Runner-up: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Winner: Dick Johnson is Dead
I feel somewhat bad giving this film an award named "the Tear-jerker" because it's such a relentlessly positive and optimistic film. It's far more joyous than it is sad. But joy brings tears too, and there's something about facing down one of our culture's remaining social frontiers—death, mourning, and grief—with a smile and a hug that makes my eyes wet. It's such a wholesome, open-armed perspective on a topic that we as a society still have yet to really figure out how to talk about. It's on Netflix; watch it right now.
The Head-scratcher Award
Regardless of quality, these films each beg the question, “How did this get greenlit?” For better or worse, these movies are perplexing anomalies of cinema. This is not a measure of quality, but of absurdity.
Hillbilly Elegy The Hunt The Prom Runner-up: Assassin 33 A.D.
Winner: The Twentieth Century
(This also happens to be the only good movie on this list.) Ejaculating cacti and violent seal-bashing contests are wrapped up in a German Expressionist acid-trip aesthetic to tell a hyperbolized and fantastical tale of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and his journey to office. It's a psychedelic historical satire; the kind of film that could only be the product of an unparalleled obsession with the subject matter and an inescapable compulsion to put it to film in the most erratic way possible. And for that singularity alone, it's admirable.
Most Worthless Film
This is given to a film that displays an all-around lack of competence, moral or cultural regression, or concepts that are not worth subjecting viewers to. These films also may or may not also promote ideas and filmmaking practices that hurt the integrity of the industry and media on the whole.
Sonic the Hedgehog The Last Full Measure The Prom The Lodge Runner-up: Hillbilly Elegy
Winner: Mulan
Like last year’s The Lion King remake, this machine of a movie takes the basic premise of the modern animated classic and strips it of all life, love, and fun. I can’t figure out how the filmmakers thought a protagonist with so little dimension could engage anyone. Mulan, in this version of the story, is utterly lifeless and without character. Meanwhile, the hollowness of the script and acting is exacerbated by undercooked special effects, tacky fight choreography, and incoherent editing. The only admirable thing about it is the production design and costuming. How a movie with so much money and such strong source material behind it could turn out so grey and incompetent is beyond me. What a waste of time.
The Underdog Award
Given to an exceptional film that was not seen or talked about by many; one that perhaps had a smaller release and little press recognition or marketing. Or, if they were talked about, they were not praised as highly as they deserve.
Arkansas Shithouse Another Round Runner-up: Boys State
Winner: You Cannot Kill David Arquette
I think I only know one other person who's seen this movie. It had the disadvantage of getting neither a streaming platform or theatrical release, as it went straight to video-on-demand and, as far as I know, has yet to pop up anywhere else. But please see this film if you get the chance. It's a wild journey. As someone with almost no interest in professional wrestling, and also not much knowledge of David Arquette beyond his role of Dewey in the Scream films, I was floored by how engaged I was.
Best Aesthetic Design
An award for exceptional visual storytelling and beauty through cinematography, production design, costuming, and overall art direction.
Soul You Cannot Kill David Arquette Possessor Ma Rainey's Black Bottom i'm thinking of ending things Promising Young Woman Runner-up: The Nest
Winner: The Twentieth Century
It's kinda the only movie that looks like this, at least that I'm aware of. Clearly inspired by German Expressionism, but there is so much else going on here. I get vibes of David Lynch, Terry Gilliam, and maybe even a smidge of Tim Burton. But it's so much more than a collection of inspirations; you really just have to see it to understand it. I'm also amused that The Nest was my runner-up, as it's almost the opposite: dark, grounded, and visually lean, but no less beautiful or affecting with its atmospherics.
Best Director
These are the directors that most impressed me with their filmmaking craftsmanship and storytelling ability.
Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round Kirsten Johnson, Dick Johnson is Dead Chloé Zhao, Nomadland Kitty Green, The Assistant
Runner-up: Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Winner: Regina King, One Night in Miami
Talk about a directorial debut. Every facet of this movie is powerful and effective, and King's ability to stage conversations in a small hotel room in such a captivating way is nothing short of astounding
Best Film
These are the films that I think are the absolute best of the year. I loved all of these and highly recommend them.
Athlete A Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nomadland The Assistant Dick Johnson is Dead Another Round You Cannot Kill David Arquette Boys State Runner-up: Promising Young Woman
Winner: One Night in Miami
Precise, intelligent, multi-dimensional, tragic, and even fun. Regina King, along with writer Kemp Powers and the four leading men, create such a perfectly small world in which to play with massive and contrasting ideas about race, identity, and using power to help the powerless. It's just utterly sharp filmmaking. These characters may be addressing issues from almost 60 years ago, but they're no less potent in the current zeitgeist, sadly. But it's wonderful to see a higher-profile film from black storytellers who are able to create a more effective and nuanced conversation on the subject than your typical awards-bait melodrama.
My Personal Ranking
As I said above, this list changes all the time, and probably always will. It's completely subjective and based on my personal opinions and preferences. It's more "my favorites of 2020" than "the best of 2020."
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL 2020 RANKINGS
Note: When you follow the link to my full ranking, if you navigate to the upper right menu, you can switch between Grid view (as seen below) and List view, which will allow you to see my star-ratings and individual notes on films.
