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Gregg’s Top Five Films of 2020

I certainly don’t need to go into detail on how upended this year was. TV and film production came to a grinding halt which effectively shut down cinemas across the country as well. That being said, this will be my first ‘best films of the year’ article that isn’t the normal top ten. Rather, with the abridged film viewing in the dumpster fire known as 2020, the following will present my top five favorite films of the year. It is just an unfortunate combination of less content to watch and not being overly thrilled with a lot of what was out there. On the bright side, I did discover Schitt’s Creek this year and thoroughly loved it, but with it being a show and not a film, it won’t find a home on this list. I really want to say without further ado let’s skip all of this and just get to 2021, but there were still a number of great projects to watch this year.

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#5 Unhinged

In what could have very well been the first new film to arrive in theaters after they reopened (only for many to close again), Unhinged stormed onto screens with Russell Crowe playing a very unstable, unpredictable individual who will snap at the slightest look. Believe it or not, he’s not playing himself. Haha! I couldn’t resist. When a passing motorist releases her frustrating on Crowe’s character, the madness that follows leaves a trail of violence in his wake. The film is strong on the creepiness factor as a lot of the reaction seems far too possible in today’s world and Crowe delivers it convincingly.

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#4 Just Mercy

Based on a true story, Michael B. Jordan plays attorney Bryan Stevenson who authored the book of the same title. Stevenson fought for the release of wrongly accused bystander Walter McMillian who is played by none other than Jamie Foxx. With Brie Larson joining as a strong supporting character, we soon find ourselves witnessing an impressive roster of actors in the film fulfilling a stirring story of failed justice. The reality that McMillian experienced was both heinous and saddening, compounded by how the State of Alabama handled everything. Just Mercy may not be a civil rights masterpiece, but it is an extremely well done film that is eye-opening if nothing else.

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#3 Extraction

Chris Hemsworth on a Netflix original production? Count me in! Extraction is a seemingly non-stop action film that spends more bullets than a SWAT team in training. Hemsworth takes on the role of Tyler Rake, former special forces operative turned hired gun. Before long, he and his men are hired to return a drug lord’s kidnapped son. Set amidst the crowded streets of India, Extraction delivers big action with a simple yet solid storyline to boot. Bullets fly, punches are thrown and blood is spilled repeatedly in this tension-filled shooter.

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#2 The Invisible Man

I am always a sucker for Universal’s menagerie of classic monster types. The studios’ widely planned reboot of the genre kicked off with 2014’s Dracula Untold starring Luke Evans. With such grand possibilities of the origins of Count Dracula, the film fell short…quite short, like face-plant short.  Such an outcome was not the case for The Invisible Man, which threw us all a curve ball and focused on the Invisible Man’s wife. Played by The Handmaid’s Tale Elisabeth Moss, we are given an at times visceral and more often psychological thriller at the expense of her character’s sanity. Director Leigh Whannell knocked this one out of the park.

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#1 My Octopus Teacher

2020 was a year of a lot of firsts all around. This list is no different as this is not only the first time a documentary appeared on my films of the year list, but jettisoned itself to the top spot. Truth be told, those who know me best understand my fascination with cephalopods, specifically octopuses, and yes, it is octopuses, not octopi. It all started nearly a decade ago and Blu-ray Brian was there when my interest of the eight-legged wonders started. We were at the Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida when I had asked a volunteer there why three neighboring fish tanks were vacant. To my surprise, the volunteer exclaimed that upon the staff reviewing security footage in weeks prior, they were dumbstruck to find the resident octopus pop the lid on its own tank, pull itself out, crawl across the tops of the adjacent tanks, lift the lid on one of those, grab a fish and take it back to its own tank. This happened for nearly a week before the staff locked the lid to the octopus’s tank. Mind. Blown.

When I saw the scrolling ad for My Octopus Teacher on Netflix, it caught my attention. When my dear friend Mark reminded me to watch it, it was so much more than I could have expected. Presented by filmmaker Craig Foster, the South African details his snorkeling excursions off the coast of his childhood home. These dives ultimately allowed for the encounter with one very curious octopus of which it and Foster developed a bond over the next ten-plus months. While the title may seem a bit obscure at first, it is quite appropriate for a film that is deeper than it lets on. My Octopus Teacher succeeds in triggering an array of emotions as it was jaw-dropping, heart-breaking and smile-inducing.