Rohan Patel’s Top 10 Films of 2020

2020 is undoubtedly the strangest and most twisted year that I have lived through. Granted, I am 21 years old, but it is important to remember that theaters shut their doors in order to prevent our pandemic from taking more lives than it already has. As a result, many of my most anticipated films including Dune, The French Dispatch, Last Night in Soho, and all Marvel films have been pushed to 2021. However, that did not dissuade me from pursuing my goal of seeing more new releases this year compared to the previous (which I am humbly able to claim I achieved!) Continue reading “Rohan Patel’s Top 10 Films of 2020” →

PJ Knapke’s Top 10 Films of 2020

In the introduction to my top 10 list from last year, I was brimming with enthusiasm about the year’s cinematic haul. I had an endless supply of motivation to see everything I could from that year, and as a result I had the luck of finding many films that I will surely remember as longtime favorites. This article was published in January of 2020, and just about 2 months later, our new reality of everything being bad all of the time in just about every way began. Continue reading “PJ Knapke’s Top 10 Films of 2020” →

Review: ‘Mayor’ is One of the Most Important Documentaries Right Now

How is the role of a mayor in the de facto capital of Palestine different from that of one in any other city? The answer: not much. In fact, the daily routine of Musa Hadid, the main subject of David Osit’s 2020 documentary Mayor, is at most times quite banal. The film opens in a meeting between him and some council members, which becomes heated very quickly. You’d think they were discussing some crucial budget cuts or infrastructure planning, but in reality, they’re talking about consolidating their branding. Continue reading “Review: ‘Mayor’ is One of the Most Important Documentaries Right Now” →

Piper Coyner’s Top 10 Films of 2020

The COVID pandemic provoked mass hysteria amongst the film industry, prompting theatres to be closed, release dates to be pushed back, productions to be halted, and even pushing some companies out of business. Countless articles wondered about the fate of cinema, and whether the availability of at-home film rental portended the end of communal viewing culture. Continue reading “Piper Coyner’s Top 10 Films of 2020” →

Stephanie Chuang’s Top 10 Films of 2020

It’s no secret 2020 has been an absolute mess of a year. In addition to a pandemic, the election, racial inequality, and much more, the movie industry was decimated. Films were delayed, then delayed again, then postponed or released on streaming services. Disappointment after disappointment followed each and every announcement bearing bad news. The movies I largely spent time watching were mostly from streaming services, and I must admit that most of what I watched were not your typical top tier worthy films. Continue reading “Stephanie Chuang’s Top 10 Films of 2020” →

Maddie McDougall’s Top Ten Films of 2020

2020 was a crazy year, to say the least. Ostensibly, one of the only good things to come being stuck inside for months at a time was the abundance of time that was given to us to watch movies. While we may have been bummed about the rescheduling of films such as Dune and The French Dispatch (2021 will be the year of Timothée Chalamet), it is secretly a blessing in disguise. Continue reading “Maddie McDougall’s Top Ten Films of 2020” →

Review: ‘Promising Young Woman’ is a Wonderful Dark Comedy with Plenty of Thrills and Chills

Content Warning: This review discusses some topics that might be triggering to some audiences. Read at your own discretion.

Sex, drugs and…vendetta. All three are necessary for the sick fun that is Promising Young Woman, Focus Features’ new dark comedy highlighting gender inequalities while it sends chills down your trembling, newly woke spine. Trembling from nervousness, or perhaps from the rage ignited by the film’s lead Cassie (Carey Mulligan). Continue reading “Review: ‘Promising Young Woman’ is a Wonderful Dark Comedy with Plenty of Thrills and Chills” →

Joe Lollo’s Top Ten Films of 2020

It goes without saying that 2020 was a crazy year for all sorts of things, and this includes movies – due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the closing of theatres and rise of streaming meant there were limited options for people to make and watch new movies if they didn’t have the apt resources. The last time I made a top 10 list, last year, was much easier than it was this year. While part of it is because there weren’t many releases at all, part of it was because a lot of the movies I watched that came out this year were really good. Of the 2020 releases I’ve seen, I would say that my top 20 are all great films that I will be ready to defend in a heartbeat. It was really hard to put only ten films on my list this year, so before we get into those, I think it would be best to quickly talk about those 10 that just barely made the cut.

Continue reading “Joe Lollo’s Top Ten Films of 2020” →

Review: ‘Operation Christmas Drop’ Can’t Get Off The Runway

This year, Netflix expanded their holiday catalogue with a slew of movies, and you’d be forgiven if you didn’t notice any of them. I’m not sure I would’ve even heard of Jingle Jangle or last year’s Klaus if people who watched them hadn’t sung their praises directly to me. On an endlessly scrolling website populated by hundreds of other films that are algorithmically sorted and shown to people who just finished binging an eight season-long show, it’s hard to stand out. Continue reading “Review: ‘Operation Christmas Drop’ Can’t Get Off The Runway” →

Review: ‘The Stand In’ is Nothing But a Shallow Hollywood Satire

When a movie goes off the rails I try to do what Roger Ebert says, and imagine the elevator pitch that got it approved. The pitch for The Stand In might have been “Trading Places meets Death To Smoochy,” or maybe “All About Eve meets Dave.” Come to think of it, either of those look like amazing ideas compared to this strange film about two look-alikes who change places. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Stand In’ is Nothing But a Shallow Hollywood Satire” →