THE GREAT TOP 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2020 BY THE CJOHN | TOP 10 FULLY REVEALED

[CJohn]

DREAD IT.

 

RUN FROM IT.

 

CJOHN's THRILLING TOP 10 REVEAL STILL ARRIVES

 

HERE WE ARE BOYS. The final year of theatrical releases worldwide. The final year before the streaming Gods take over our souls, and I have EATEN like a LORD. I have watched 78 movies in theaters this year (1 or 2 more are in the cards but no more top 10 contenders), 59 of them after March.

 

 

To be counted as a potential movie to be in the most prestige top 10 in HISTORY of Hollywood, you would have needed a theatrical release in Portugal from January 1 to December 31 of 2020. A ton of movies tried, but only 10 will be able to gloat to the others about being in CJOHN's TOP 10. I can't wait to see the DVD covers with the sticker.

Movie theaters helped me get throught this insane year where so much happened that changed our lifes together. But I am still here, surviving the actual apocalypse, with all of you silly BOT members that I love (special shoutout to @MrPink which reads my crazy ramblings daily and tries his best to not go insane and provide much needed emotional support in these hard times).

 

This is the end of BOT as we know it, but we will still be connected by the crazy times we spent here discussing passionately if our fetish director/actor newest movie would make big bucks or shaming each other for our deep mistakes (the BvS review looms over my head every day).

 

But it is time to stop the nonsense. It is time to start the countdown until the best movie of 2020 is revealed (which will obviously be THE LAW and not open to any discussion).

 

And that part, well... as one certain character would say...

 

The top 10 will be revealed over the next few days. So, without further ado, 

SHALL

WE 

BEGIN?

 

Also here it is a gif from future Best Picture winner Sonic, because it had to be done.

 

 

Shit I bet all these links will be broken af when I click "Submit Topic".

 

EDIT:

Only two broken. Could have been worse.

Edited December 23, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

10TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

ANTEBELLUM

This thriller juxtaposes the horrendous and cruel past with this new age of discrimation and racism with great effect and a tremendous twist middway that completely changes the game. Janelle Monáe gives a great performance once again showing her talent for acting.

 

 

I couldn't decide what to leave out of the top 10, so I went with 2 movies for the 10th position. The other is...

 

Spoiler

 

PINOCCHIO

The epic Italian adaptation left me breathless. The sets are magnificent and massive for such a low budget production, and everything feels real (because it is 99% of the time). In a way, it reminded me of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy with its use of pratical sets instead an overreliance on CGI for every little thing. The story is magically told throught the lens of the titular character and it will enchant not just kids but grown ups around the world.

 

I watched the original version, spoken in Italian with Portuguese subtitles.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by CJohn

[The Horror of Lucas Films]

The Invisible Man ftw.

[Krissykins]

I thought Antebellum was much better than it gets credit for. 
 

was it in cinemas anywhere though? 

[CJohn]

6 hours ago, Krissykins said:

I thought Antebellum was much better than it gets credit for. 
 

was it in cinemas anywhere though? 

It was a normal theatrical release here.

[CJohn]

9TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

LISTEN

A raw, emotional and brutal look at how problematic can life be for immigrants in several foreign countries and that sometimes can lose everything. Based on several true stories, Listen follows a couple with very bad life conditions which sees social health care taking away their kids and their struggle to get them back. Lúcia Moniz (you might know her from Love Actually) gives one of best performances in any Portuguese production in a movie that got lots of praise in the Venice Film Festival. Listen became the biggest Portuguese movie at the box office this year and opened just two months ago, in October.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by CJohn

[SLAM!]

When CJohn's 9th place pick gets disqualified from the international film Oscar for having more than half of its dialogue in English 😥

Edited December 20, 2020 by SLAM!

[CJohn]

8TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

COME PLAY

The biggest surprise of the year for me, Come Play touches one subject not seen many times in movies, autism, and combines it with the modern day horrors of technology. Come Play is terrifying for its entire runtime, playing with the monster in the shadows of the screens we use nowadays without showing it until the end, and packs a strong emotional punch in the final moments.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

7TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

A passionate period piece with a powerfully acted romance at the center of it that will touch everyone watching it, Portrait of a Lady on Fire contains a rich story with thought-provoking drama and themes that are more present than ever in today's world.

 

 

[filmlover]

Did Icon Cena even have a movie out this year after Fast 9 was delayed a year? That's when you know 2020 wasn't worth shit.

 

[CJohn]

6TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

THE NEST

Jude Law and Carrie Coon give career best performances in this powerhouse drama that combines the period setting and current themes to riveting results. The Nest should be in consideration in this Awards Season for several Awards, and unfortunately it won't. The tension grows as the movie progresses to a level that leaves the audience unconfortable exactly as intended by its unsettling story.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

7 hours ago, filmlover said:

Did Icon Cena even have a movie out this year after Fast 9 was delayed a year? That's when you know 2020 wasn't worth shit.

 

I get two next year. If only Universal could launch Peacock here for me to see Fast 9 on launch day legally...

Edited December 20, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

5TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

THE INVISIBLE MAN

Feauturing one of the most shocking scenes I remember seeing in theaters in a long time, which created a massive gasp that could be felt in the entire room, The Invisible Man was thrilling, scary and incredibly well done, putting a nice sci-fi twist in the usual horror tale, and has one of Elizabeth Moss's best performances on screen. 

 

 

[CJohn]

4TH PLACE

 

Spoiler

 

1917

A stunning technical masterpiece worthy only of the theatrical experience, 1917 was made to be seen on the biggest screen possible. A masterclass of filmmaking and directing by Sam Mendes, 1917 was the biggest movie of the year in Portugal by a massive margin, proving once again our superior taste.

 

 

[CJohn]

3RD PLACE

Spoiler

LITTLE WOMAN

A lovely and beautiful story told throught one of the most incredible casts ever put on screen with a confident and unique direction from Greta Gerwig, which decided to mix up the timelines, Little Woman is a timeless romance for everyone who ever fell in love and an empowering movie for woman around the world. There was definitly a tear in my eye in a few moments. Fun fact: it is one of my mom's favorite movies ever and she has already seen it like 3 times since I got the Bluray in June.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

Before revealing the final two movies, I just wanna leave a few words about movie theaters. Theatrical distribution as we know it, it is dead. It is over. It is no longer the main way to release or watch a movie. COVID accelerated the change from theatrical OD to streaming OD from 10 years to 10 months. I have accepted it. I have been enjoying movies from the past few months perfectly knowing theaters aren't sustainable anymore and are on the verge of closing.

 

The truth is theaters helped me in a lot of dark times in my life. Times where I wanted to disappeared completely, movie theaters were there. The weekend and the new releases would get me throught the week and throught all the bad thoughts. The experience of watching a movie on the big screen will never be replaced for me. Yeah, people talking loud, cellphones, kids, people eating popcorn with their mouths wide opened. It sucked, and none of that happens at home. Yet, I would still go see a movie in theaters over at home any day.

 

Looking at this top 10, I am sure I would still love these movies equally if I watched them at home for the first time, but all of them were great experiences at their own way sharing the experience with other people. The next two movies are, for me, the peak of a theatrical experience in 2020. I cried, I laughed, I was at the edge of my seat and I was loving every single minute of them. Would I love them at home as well? Of course, but these two will go down as the last two big spetacles I watched in theaters, and both will hold a special place in my heart because of that.

 

Goodbye movie theaters. You were there for me when I needed you, and I will be there for you on your dying breath.

Edited December 22, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

2ND PLACE

Spoiler

TENET

Christopher Nolan's latest masterpiece was meant to save theaters. While it did gave them a nice boost in Europe and Asia, the disastrous results in America actually killed theaters forever. Tenet is an exhilarating experience in every way. It features a bombastic soundtrack, massive setpieces like nobody has ever seen before and a trio of charismatic leads that will easily win over audiences around the world (and Kenneth Branagh going absolutely bonkers as the villain).

Once again, Nolan created something unique for everyone around the world to witness and showed once again why he is the top director working in the business right now. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and loved to decifer the complex puzzle presented by the movie. In the end, I grabbed the parts of my brain spread all over the screen and left the theater speechless with what I had just witnessed. An experience to remember.

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by CJohn

[CJohn]

CITIZENS OF BOT. THIS EXPERIENCE IS HERE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE. ANYTHING YOU WANT, ANYTHING YOU DREAM OF THIS MOVIE HAS IT.

Spoiler

1ST PLACE

Spoiler

WONDER WOMAN 1984

I don't know if this was because this was the first major blockbuster I watched since last December (and lets face it, the movie being referenced here... wasn't great), but I had a huge grin on my face the ENTIRE runtime of Wonder Woman 1984. I felt so happy and joyful watching it. Gal Gadot returns as the titular hero in the much waited sequel and she is better than ever. She is naturally charming and lovely and encapsules what being Wonder Woman is all about. She also shows major improvement in her acting since the early days in BvS.

Chris Pine returns as the love interest. Again the natural charm of the actor immediatly wins everyone over and both he and Gal Gadot have a fantastic chemistry on screen and a ton of fun scenes together. There are also some awe-inspiring scenes like the one in the jet with the fireworks which works perfectly. Both also have the most emotional scene of the movie that made me tear up a bit. 

Pedro Pascal gives us a byblical performance for the ages. I wonder if the man is even being payed at all. I probably have never seen someone enjoying a role so much. He is shining and loving every moment he is in it. He is at the same time enchanting with his personal drama and reasons and terrifying as his plans go off the rails and threaten the whole planet.

The weakest link is Kristen Wiig's Cheetah, which is a solid secondary character that many people can identify with, but unfortunately the final transformation doesn't get much of a spotlight, serving mostly for Wonder Woman to have a fight before the final confrontation with Pascal's Maxwell Lord. Her scene at the White House is all kinds of badass, tho.

However, all the characters have valid reasons for what they are doing and why they are doing. All of them are very well developed and all have standout moments which I can't say for 90% of the other superhero movies.

Patty Jenkins once again directs the hell out of this, after an already fantastic first movie, and this time she gets to have a small scale climax which plays much better than the CGI overload in the first movie. The soundtrack was goddamn fantastic and helped carry the movie to an even highler level for me. It just simply worked. Every moment was accompanied with the perfect soundtrack and made every scene even better and more complete.

The final 30 minutes are emotional, epic and also full of hope for a better tomorrow. The combination of the fantastic cast, tremendous soundtrack and stunning visuals created a tremendous ending, which is helped by the previously mentioned small scale. Hope we all need right now.

To see a movie of this size and scope once again in theaters was the peak of my year. I loved it. I am totally overselling this movie but I loved it. It is my favorite movie of the year and one of my favorite theatrical experiences ever. If this is the last big budget spectacle I watched in theaters, it ended with a bang.

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by CJohn

[marveldcfox]

Lame. Any list that doesn't include Bad Boys 3 is a joke. Easily the best theatrical experience this year.