I really wasn't joking when I said a lot of this is 'I agree with Christopher Nolan'
The first film I saw in the cinema during the brief period of "not-locked-down" in the summer was Inception, because I felt the precautions were solid enough, and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to see Inception on an IMAX screen.
Totally worth it.
Admittedly, part of that was because I one of maybe 5 people in the cinema, so social distancing was simple. That might explain why film studios decided cinema releases weren't financially viable for the time being.
One of the most fun parts was watching the interview before the film which was Christopher Nolan talking about making Inception, and why he chose practical effects - as he suspected, yes, they have held up better than their CGI equivalents would have done - and the sheer glee-making thing of listening him talk about Hans Zimmer's score and using the same sound effects to describe *that* noise as the rest of us do. It was so much fun. I like that Nolan is an utter film geek, and loves cinema. I feel the same way.
It's not just films themselves. There's something I like about going to the cinema, the whole process. Possibly it's because my hometown didn't have a cinema from when I was 7 to when I was about 15 so seeing a film was always a treat. Or it could be that going to the cinema means there's at least an hour and a half where people can't expect to be in contact with you. I like the way the room darkens and the anticipatory hush. I like the ability to set myself aside for some time and be elsewhere. I like going with friends and watching the trailers to decide what we want to see in future. I like sharing popcorn and watching other people's reactions.
Even at my lowest, films in the cinema have been able to transport me away from everything, and watching them at home doesn't give me the same kick.
And I'm slightly worried that this will be the excuse companies use to switch to streaming only. I understand that some people prefer watching films at home, and I want them to have the possibility of doing that, but I don't enjoy watching films at home as much as I do at the cinema. It's just not as easy to lose yourself in the film's world, to see all the details and enjoy the full effect of all the hard work that goes into how a film looks and sounds.
So, about the films I did get to see in the cinema, and where I've ranked them.
I continue to use these 4 criteria:
a – did the film do what it set out to do?
b – did it use its resources to its best ability? A £250,000 film is not going to have as good explosions as a £25,000,000 film, or it shouldn’t, and if it does, there’s something wrong with the £25,000,000 film. Basically, it's a technical merit score.
c – Intellectual satisfaction – does the film’s plot pull some really stupid move at the last moment? Does the plot rely on characters being more stupid than they are?
d – Does this work as a whole? Did it work for me? I am aware that this is the most subjective of subjective criteria!
My top 4 films of 2020 are
1 - Jojo Rabbit - This is a masterwork. There is no aspect of the film that I can't heap heavy praise on - the acting, the writing, the soundtrack, the costume, the acting (I do not care that I am repeating myself). It is a fantastic, human, film that I can't praise enough.
2 - Away - other than wanting to know which sociopath thought that this was kid-friendly (it really isn't, it would have terrified me and caused nightmares as a child), I was blown away by it. It's an odd, slight film, but very effective. You have this real fear about what will happen to the protagonist.
3 - Spies in Disguise - I can tell whether someone is going to like Spies in Disguise with one phrase. If "pigeon Bond girl" does not spark joy, you will not like this film. It sparked idiot glee in me and I enjoyed it a lot. It's a bit heavy-handed in parts, but it's a good film for when you want big stupid fun.
4 - Tenet - Tenet didn't work for me. But I enjoyed watching it not work. I want to watch it again, to try and make sense of it. It's a type of "didn't work for me" that I want to see more of, because it's original, not based on a work in another medium, it's not a prequel or a sequel and it's telling a fresh story.
Every film I saw in the cinema this year was worth watching. There might not have been a lot of them, but the quality was high. I would recommend all four to other people, with the caveats above.
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