George's Favourite Films of the 2020s
- George Anderson
Well, we’re pretty much at the halfway mark of the decade.
The 2020s thus far have been…interesting. To say the least, the entertainment industry (and the world at large) have been put through the wringer. Despite the adversity, a few filmmakers have manage to produce true gems that have made their way to my personal pantheon of films.
The end of yet another year has found me reflecting on quite a lot. Many of those topics are serious ones having to do with the state of humanity and the world, but I try to have a little fun with my end of year reflection as well. While looking to lighten things up, I couldn’t help but think of how much joy some newer films have brought me. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had compiled a list of the films that brought me the most enjoyment this decade! And now I figured I’d share those with you all in case they bring you some joy during “interesting” times as well.
Nope (2022)
Forever saying yes to NOPE, my favorite film of the 2020s!
Want to hear something crazy? This is my least favourite film from modern maestro Jordan Peele, and yet it’s easily my current favourite of the decade thus far. A scathing critique of spectacle culture that also happens to a be a thrilling spectacle…that’s exactly the kind of storytelling I love. Where all the elements of filmmaking compliment each other in a way that leaves me totally, fully immersed in it.
It’s incredibly fun, visceral, and chilling, and each time I watch it I’m left riding that wonderful high we all crave from experiencing great art!
The Batman (2022)
It can’t be easy to yet again have to reimagine Gotham City and Batman in a new light, but The Batman managed to do it wonderfully.
Gotham City has never looked so good. The Batman manages to paint the fictional-yet-real city in a light that is simultaneously glitzy, grimy, stylized, and realistic. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but they pulled it off! Likely a testament to cinematographer Greig Fraser and the entire crew that worked tirelessly to yet again reimagine the familiar metropolis in a new light. But it’s not all atmosphere and imagery – The Batman also boasts an absorbing story, and shows us a chapter of Bruce Wayne’s backstory we’ve never seen before.
It looked on the big screen and sounded even better, but the more I revisit it at home, the more I’ve come to appreciate the more nuanced aspects of this epic film. And it with each watch, it climbs higher up my rankings. Nope had better watch out…
Babylon (2022)
If Babylon were the last film I ever watched, I’d be happy with that. But thankfully it isn’t!
Babylon may not take the top spot for film, but it definitely boasts my my favourite film score of the decade! Justin Hurwitz‘s art elevates the chaos, magic, and tragedy of this movie in such spectacular fashion that, years later, I’m still mad that it didn’t win the Oscar for Best Score 😡 fair play to Volker Bertelmann and All Quiet on the Western Front, though..that film was a powerhouse in its own right.
While Babylon isn’t quite on the level of two of my other favorite Damien Chazelle films, Whiplash and La La Land, I’d say the whole stretch from the wild opening to the absolutely brilliant talkie filming set-piece gives me a similar feeling of exhilaration. It’s big and bold and full of energy, and as it moves towards its grand finish, it really does feel as though Chazelle put everything he had into this film in a way that makes you feel like it might be the last one ever made. Bravo.
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Licorice Pizza‘s grainy look and lush colours make even simple shots pop off the screen.
Atmosphere is a big part of any film for me, and of the films listed here, Licorice Pizza has the warmest and most intoxicating. A lot of that has to do with being shot on film – the grainy look and lush colours make even simple shots pop off the screen.
The episodic structure may not always satisfy, particularly down the stretch, but the great moments are truly great and in plentiful supply, anchored with great vigour by the two tour de force debuts from Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman.
Rye Lane (2023)
Is it weird to say, of all the things I loved about this movie, the thing I love most is how short it is? At only 82 minutes, this film does so much with such a short runtime.
Rye Lane is the rare romantic-comedy that actually manages to funny and romantic. I love watching the chemistry between these two characters develop whilst London is presented in such a cinematic, vibrant way.
Technically speaking, Rye Lane isn’t doing anything radically different compared to most rom-coms when you look at the story as a whole, yet it’s executed with so much style and heart that, despite moving towards an ending we’ve seen in plenty of other movies, it leaves me with more joy than most conventional rom-coms have!
HONOURABLE MENTION: PARASITE (2019)
Technically I couldn’t see this gem until the 2020s! What a start to the decade.
Yeah, I know it’s 2019, but If I were to go by the UK’s release window, then Parasite very much counts, releasing here only a couple of days before it went on to become the first foreign film to win the Best Picture Oscar in 2020!
While Parasite is a film that very much rewards re-watches, I have to say no viewing has ever matched the thrill of that very first time (one of the last times I was in a cinema before lockdown), going in as blind as I could and being rewarded with enthralling curveball after enthralling curveball in the second half.
The best thing about Bong Joon-ho‘s master stroke is how impossible it is to assign a single genre to it. It’s got a little bit of everything, and given how drastic the tonal shifts seem on paper, it’s particularly impressive that the Korean filmmaker manages to bring it together as seamlessly as he did. As Roger Ebert once said of Fargo – it’s a little like a film festival all of its own!
And there you have it – the films that blew my mind, made me feel the entire spectrum of emotion, and defined the newest decade of movies for me. Despite all of the struggles the industry has faced, between Covid, labor strikes, and production delays, I feel very confident in the future of filmmaking thanks in no small part to these wonderful movies.
