Never Rarely Sometimes Always – I'm Thinking of Ending Things – Nomadland – Dick Johnson Is Dead – Time – Tenet – Minari

2020: World Premieres
2020: U.S. Releases
2020: Still Left to See

Looking Back



Moving Ahead



Browse Films by
Title / Year / Reviews

Home / Blog / E-Mail
Digests newly posted after two dormant years for this site. Links to follow soon!

The Movies of 2020: World Premieres
 By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating  (what's this?)

Full Listing of Films Screened

⑤  Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed

The Careless Crime Dir. Shahram Mokri. Babak Karimi, Razie Mansori A–
Days Dir. Tsai Ming-liang. Lee Kang-sheng, Anong Houngheuangsy A–
Dear Comrades! Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky. Yuliya Vysotskaya, Vladislav Komarov A–
Dick Johnson Is Dead Dir. Kirsten Johnson. Documentary about facing death A–
The Disciple Dir. Chaitanya Tamhane. Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid A–
I'm Thinking of Ending Things Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Jessie Buckley B–
Lovers Rock Dir. Steve McQueen. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Micheal Ward B
No Ordinary Man Dir. Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt. Documentary B+
Nomadland Dir. Chloé Zhao. Frances McDormand, David Strathairn B+
Notturno Dir. Gianfranco Rosi. Documentary about the modern Middle East A–
Quo Vadis, Aida? Dir. Jasmila Žbanić. Jasna Djuričić, Izudin Bajrović, Boris Ler A–
Sweat Dir. Magnus von Horn. Magdalena Kolesnik, Julian Swiezewski A–
Time Dir. Garrett Bradley. Documentary about marriage surviving incarceration A–
The Wasteland Dir. Ahmad Bahrami. Touraj Alvand, Ali Bagheri, Majid Farhang B
Zola Dir. Janicza Bravo. Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo A–

④  Good or bad, this is risky and original work

Another Round Dir. Thomas Vinterberg. Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen B
Beginning Dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili. Ia Sukhitashvili, Rati Oneli B
Boys State Dir. Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss. Documentary about young politicos B
Crip Camp Dir. James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham. Documentary about civil rights B
The Father Dir. Florian Zeller. Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Olivia Williams B
The Killing of Two Lovers Dir. Robert Machoian. Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi B+
małni – towards the ocean, towards the shore Dir. Sky Hopinka. Documentary B
Mank Dir. David Fincher. Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins B
The Many Lives of Kojin Dir. Diako Yazdani. Documentary about a queer Kurd B+
Memory House Dir. João Paulo Miranda Maria. Antônio Pitanga, Aline Marta B–
MLK/FBI Dir. Sam Pollard. Documentary about surveilling Martin Luther King, Jr. B+
The Mole Agent Dir. Maite Alberti. Documentary about undercover stunt B
New Order Dir. Michel Franco. Samantha Yazareth Anaya, Dario Yazbek Bernal B+
No Hard Feelings Dir. Faraz Shariat. Benny Radjaipour, Banafshe Hourmazdi B
The Painter and the Thief Dir. Benjamin Ree. Documentary about fragile bond A–
Pieces of a Woman Dir. Kornél Mundruczó. Vanessa Kirby, Shia Labeouf B
Poppy Field Dir. Eugen Jebeleanu. Conrad Mericoffer, Radouan Leflahi B+
Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time Dir. Lili Horvát B
Promising Young Woman Dir. Emerald Fennell. Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham C+
There Is No Evil Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof. Baran Rasoulof, Kaveh Ahangar B
Things We Dare Not Do Dir. Bruno Santamaria Razo. Documentary B+
Wendy Dir. Benh Zeitlin. Devin France, Yashua Mack, Gage Naquin, Gavin Naquin B
The Woman Who Ran Dir. Hong Sang-soo. Kim Min-hee, Song Seon-mi B+

③  Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it

40 Years a Prisoner Dir. Tommy Oliver. Documentary about MOVE members B
Ammonite Dir. Francis Lee. Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones B–
Apples Dir. Christos Nikou. Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovassili, Anna Kalaitzidou B
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Dir. Jason Woliner. Sacha Baron Cohen B–
Bruised Dir. Halle Berry. Halle Berry, Sheila Atim, Danny Boyd Jr., Adan Canto C+
City Hall Dir. Frederick Wiseman. Documentary about Boston mayor's office B
Da 5 Bloods Dir. Spike Lee. Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis C+
Disclosure Dir. Sam Feder. Documentary about trans* representation C+
Finding Yingying Dir. Jiayan Shi. Documentary about missing college student B+
The Invisible Man Dir. Leigh Whannell. Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge C+
Isabella Dir. Matías Piñeiro. María Villar, Agustina Muñoz, Gabriela Saidón B–
Kala Azar Dir. Janis Rafailidou. Penelope Tsilika, Dimitris Lalos, Michele Valley B–
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain Dir. David Midell. Frankie Faison B–
Let Them All Talk Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen B–
Little Girl Dir. Sébastien Lifshitz. Documentary about a young trans girl in France B–
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Dir. George C. Wolfe. Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman B–
Mama Gloria Dir. Luchina Fisher. Documentary about trans community elder B–
Minari Dir. Lee Isaac Chung. Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho B–
Night of the Kings Dir. Philippe Lacôte. Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu B
Shiva Baby Dir. Emma Seligman. Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Danny Deferrari C
Supernova Dir. Harry Macqueen. Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Pippa Haywood B
Tenet Dir. Christopher Nolan. John David Washington, Robert Pattinson D+
Twilight's Kiss Dir. Ray Leung. Tai-Bo, Ben Yuen, Patra Au Ga Man, Lo Chun Yip B

②  Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking

Antebellum Dir. Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz. Janelle Monáe, Kiersey Clemons D+
Beyto Dir. Gitta Gessl. Burak Ates, Dimitri Stapfer, Ecem Aydin, Beren Tuna C
Breaking Fast Dir. Mike Mosallam. Haaz Sleiman, Michael Cassidy, Amin El Gamal C–
Emma Dir. Autumn de Wilde. Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Bill Nighy B–
Hillbilly Elegy Dir. Ron Howard. Gabriel Basso, Amy Adams, Glenn Close C
Farewell Amor Dir. Ekwa Msangi. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Zainab Jah C+
My Octopus Teacher Dir. Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed. Documentary about sea life C
One Night in Miami... Dir. Regina King. Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir C+
Saint-Narcisse Dir. Bruce La Bruce. Félix-Antoine Duval, Tania Kontoyanni C+
Shirley Dir. Josephine Decker. Odessa Young, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg C–
Soul Dir. Pete Docter. Voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Angela Bassett C
Summer of '85 Dir. François Ozon. Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin C–
The Trial of the Chicago 7 Dir. Aaron Sorkin. Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp C+
Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation Dir. Lisa Immordino Vreeland C
Your Name Engraved Herein Dir. Patrick Kuang-hui Liu. Edward Chen C+

①  Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Dir. David Dobkin C
Isaac Dir. Ángeles Hernández, David Matamoros. Pepe Ocio, Iván Sánchez C
The Life Ahead Dir. Edoardo Ponti. Ibrahima Gueye, Sophia Loren, Abril Zamora C
News of the World Dir. Paul Greengrass. Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel C
Nora Highland Dir. Ryan Spahn. Marin Ireland, Michael Hsu Rosen C–
Sublet Dir. Eytan Fox. John Benjamin Hickey, Niv Nissim, Miki Kam C–