Movies of 2020

JANUARY
Oklahoma City
A terrific documentary about what led up to and happened during the Oklahoma City Bombing. Part of PBS' American Experience.

The Guns of Navarro (1962)
     Cary Grant is the world's best mountain climber who has to guide a team of spies up a cliff to save a bunch of Allied POWs from being executed by Nazi cannons in Greece during WWII. This was an incredibly dull movie.  

Total watched this month: 2.

FEBRUARY
Patriot Games (1992)
     How can a movie starring Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones and Samuel L. Jackson be terrible? Easily, when it's in a deadly-slow political thriller...

Total watched this month: 1, bringing total to 3.

MARCH
Frozen II (2019)
     More structured like a Broadway show than a movie, and with purposely-weaker dialogue and lyrics to match the fairy-tale tone, this explains well what it's like to live with anxiety, and the score is beautiful.

While You Were Sleeping (1995)
     This is possibly the most perfect comedy ever made.

Big Hero 6 (2014)
     This very light Disney movie pulled inspiration from a variety of superhero movies, but sort of works as an introduction to the genre.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)
     A very simple Pixar story about a timid dinosaur overcoming his fears, but it worked well.

Annie (1999)
     This version is the best of the three, starring Kathy Bates and Victor Garber.

Tangled (2012)
     This is amazing.

Total watched this month: 6, bringing total to 9.

APRIL
The Muppet Movie (1979)
     This was really odd. Not bad, necessarily, just odd.

Coco (2016)
     One of my least-favorite Pixar movies ever, I think. Not sure why I didn't care for it, but maybe it's the overreliance on the importance of family.

Onward (2020)
     This is the male equivalent of Frozen, starring Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as brothers, which works really well. It's midpack Pixar, but that's still pretty great.

Right On Track (2003)
     This Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) about drag racing in the early 1990s stars 7th Heaven's Beverly Mitchell (Lucy) as future NHRA champion Erica Enders, and tween Brie Larson as her sister Courtney.

Total watched this month: 4, bringing total to 13.

MAY
Cinderella (1951)
     The animals are easily the best part of this movie.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
     This seemed thoroughly paint-by-numbers to me, but if you like Star Wars then you might have liked it.

Total watched this month: 2, bringing total to 15.

JUNE
Dolphin Reef (2020)
     Can we get Natalie Portman to narrate all nature documentaries from now on, please? This was great.

Rookie of the Year (1993)
     A ridiculous fantasy about a non-athletic 12-year-old who breaks his arm and becomes a superstar pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.

Total watched this month: 2, bringing total to 17.

JULY
The Rocketeer (1991)
     A lighthearted pre-WWII adventure set in LA, based on a 1980s graphic novel.

Hamilton: An American Musical (2020)
     This was a filmed version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical with the original Broadway cast. A very thought-provoking work of historical fiction, that definitely lives up to the hype.

Alley Cats Strike! (2000)
     This early DCOM starring a teenage Kaley Cuoco is far too earnest about bowling, but was surprisingly enjoyable.

Brink! (1998)
     A movie about inline skaters can never be anything except ridiculous (most DCOMs can't help but be ridiculous, honestly), but there were a lot of good camera shots of skaters, so that's something.

Go Figure (2005)
     Legally Blonde meets The Mighty Ducks as a figure skater gets accepted to a private high school on a hockey scholarship in order to train with an elite coach...except she knows nothing about hockey. This is actually a good movie, DCOM or not, with a soundtrack featuring Brie Larson and Superchick.

Genius (1999)
     A hockey-loving physics genius goes to college at 14, while at the same time maintaining a bad-boy image for his friends at the local junior high. This DCOM comedy is dumb but fun, and stars Emmy Rossum.

Motocrossed (2001)
     A teenage girl poses as her twin brother to save their dad's motocross team. One of the classic DCOMs, but a thoroughly average film.

Miracle in Lane 2 (2000)
     This DCOM was surprisingly deep, going into the physical and mental stress of being a special needs family in this movie starring Frankie Muniz as a soapbox derby racer.

Stuck in the Suburbs (2004)
     Danielle Panabaker (before she was Caitlin from The Flash) is a soccer-playing eighth grader who accidentally winds up with a pop star's phone and ends up torpedoing his career. That pop star is played by Taran Killam, who later starred on Saturday Night Live. Typical dumb DCOM.

Total watched this month: 9, bringing total to 26.

AUGUST
The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

     Fascinating sports history starring Shia LeBeof, and this was fine, but it's hard to make golf interesting. Directed by Bill Paxton, which was odd.

Johnny Tsunami (1999)

     In this early DCOM, a Hawaiian kid learns to snowboard after moving to Vermont. Really dumb.

The Peanuts Movie (2015)

     I really wasn't sure what to think of this one, which is why it took me so long to watch it, but I loved this so much.

Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007)

     This Johnny Tsunami sequel takes place in Hawaii, so cool scenery, and dirt skateboards are cool. This is a mid-2000s movie in every other way, and was a chore to finish.

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)

     One of Disney Channel's most ambitious early DCOMs, this story follows a headstrong teenage girl in 2049 who's grounded to Earth after one of her pranks aboard her space station home gets too annoying. It's decent. 

Zenon: The Zequel (2001)

     Now three years older, Zenon learns how to talk to aliens. This is mainly famous for being the lead-in to the pilot episode of Lizzie McGuire, and doesn't work as well as the first one did.

Zenon: Z3 (2004)

     The first DCOM series to become a trilogy, Zenon and her new cousin Dasha scheme to save the moon from commercial development. Parts of this could have been a good movie...but overall it didn't work.

The One and Only Ivan (2020)

     A toothless, overly-cheerful adaptation of Katherine Applegate's brilliantly melancholy Newbery-winning novel.  

Lost in Translation (2003)

     Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star as travelers in Tokyo in this odd, innocent story about depression and the friendship that develops between a frustrated middle-aged actor and a confused young housewife. It's Very Good Art.

Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (2020)

     A fantastic return to this wonderfully bonkers universe, it was fantastic.

His Girl Friday (1940)

     Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell star in this screwball comedy about the messy ethics of journalism. 

Black Panther (2018)

     An introduction to the MCU world of Wakanda, home of vibranium. Watched as part of ABC's tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who died unexpectedly from colon cancer several days prior. 

Howard (2020)

     A documentary about the life of Howard Ashman, best known for creating the stage musical horror spoof Little Shop of Horrors and writing the lyrics for the songs in Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.  

Total watched this month: 13, bringing total to 39.

SEPTEMBER
The Lion King (1994)

     A beautifully-crafted adaptation of Hamlet that, because it IS an adaptation of Hamlet, is a highly tedious exercise to slog through, despite nearly perfect casting and wonderful music. 

The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004)

     A retelling of the first movie from Timon and Puumbaa's perspective, which makes it into a far sillier and more humorous tale. Straight to video sequel.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) 

     Though not as lavish in animation or music, the emotion is deeper as this darker tale tells the story of Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara. Straight to video sequel. 

The Lion King (2019)

     This live-action remake somehow made the story even longer (by half an hour) and more dull, while a more diverse cast certainly fit the setting better, the voice performances (both dialogue and musical) left much to be desired.

Horse Sense (1999)

     In this tedious and overbearing DCOM, a spoiled Hollywood college student tries to save his cousin's ranch in rural Montana. 

Never Been Kissed (1999)

     Everything about this Drew Barrymore romcom is horrible, especially considering that she'd just come off Ever After. 

Sky High (2005)

     This X-Men spoof starring a teenage Danielle Panabaker is decent. It stars a dizzying array of people involved in other superhero projects, including Kurt Russell, Lynda Carter and Bruce Campbell.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

     The stupidly brilliant Keanu Reeves classic. Never gets old.

Ford vs Ferrari (2019)

     This well-done period drama stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as a sports car designer and racer car driver, respectively, as they try to design a sports car for Ford that will win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That car ended up being the Ford GT. 

Green Lantern (2011)

     This was really bad, to the point of living up to its reputation. The editing was sluggish, the dialogue wooden, and Ryan Reynolds constantly flipped from Discount Tom Cruise to panicked Nicolas Cage.

Total watched this month: 10, bringing total to 49.

OCTOBER
Can of Worms (1999)

     Wishbone meets The X-Files in this odd early DCOM that features aliens and a talking lawyer dog. The lead looks like a teenage version of Richard Dean Anderson.

Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)

     An upright high school freshman tries to solve a supernatural mystery with her little brother's imaginary friend. This early DCOM was way more unsettling and disquieting than that description sounds like it would be.  

That Thing You Do! (1996)

     A mid-1960s Pennsylvania band breaks up after becoming one-hit wonders in this movie that stars a bunch of vaguely familiar faces, written and directed by Tom Hanks. 

Absence of Malice (1981)

     Sally Field is a well-meaning but unethical reporter who accidentally ruins Paul Newman's life thanks to an ongoing feature story. 

Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

     This movie was just ridiculous. Even Bill and Ted might have trouble enjoying it. Stars Elizabeth Shue in the main role, and Bradley Whitford and Vincent D'Ofornio both have minor roles. 

Adventures in Babysitting (2016)

     Sabrina Carpenter and Sofia Carson team up in this DCOM remake that is a much better movie than the original. 

Man of the Year (2006)

     Robin Williams is a comedian who earnestly runs for President on a whim, and thanks to a glitch in the voting records, seems to have been elected. This movie doesn't know whether it's trying to be a political satire, a romance or a conspiracy thriller, so overall was kind of a mess. 

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

     A scoundrelly German Shepherd mix tries to help a human orphan find a family to adopt her. Starring Burt Reynolds, this is a classic of dog movies, but was overall just too strange in tone and lethargically paced to enjoy very much.   

Total watched this month: 8, bringing total to 57.

NOVEMBER
Slap Shot (1977)

     This Paul Newman movie about minor league hockey is foul and grounded for an overall solid result, a worthy classic of sports movies in the same way Major League is.

Super 8 (2011)

     This JJ Abrams coming of age monster movie stars Kyle Chandler as an angry widower and Dakota Fanning's sister Elle as the cute girl the main character has a crush on. Very much 80s vibes despite being set in 1979. It lived up to the hype on first watch after almost a decade after loving the trailer.  

Pleasantville (1998) 

     Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon play 90s siblings who get sucked into a 1950s sitcom. This is Good Art.

Catch and Release (2007)

     Jennifer Garner stars in this odd movie about a group of friends grieving the death of a close companion, and the messiness that results from lives intermingling. 

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

     The canonical ending to Lizzie McGuire, which works on its own, but works better when you know the characters' history leading up to it. 

Doug's First Movie (1998)

     Just as with Lizzie, this is the canonical ending of the TV series, which also works on its own if necessary. 

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)

     This TV special starring Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle is one of the best Christmas specials ever. 

Elf (2003)

     This Will Ferrell Christmas classic is a blast. 

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020)

     This is a documentary/concert of Taylor Swift's album Folklore, which is amazingly powerful. 

Total watched this month: 9, bringing total to 66.

DECEMBER
Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas (2011)

     The halfway point of the series doesn't quite work as its own standalone movie, but it's an entertaining series of Duncan road-trip misadventures. 

My Girl 2 (1994)

     Veda explores Los Angeles with her cousin to learn more about her mother's life. 

Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)

     Not bad for a Nicolas Cage movie, but there are much better car movies out there. 

Maverick (1994)

     William Goldman wrote the script, Randy Newman did the music, and Mel Gibson did fairly well at impersonating James Garner in this Western remake of the 1950s TV series. 

Into the Woods (2014)

     A good adaptation of the Broadway stage musical with an almost perfect cast that includes Anna Kendrick, James Corden and Meryl Streep. 

Soul (2020)

     Decent Pixar, but it thinks it's a little deeper than it actually is. 

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

     This movie didn't make much sense, but it was pretty to look at. 

Total watched this month: 7, bringing total watched this year to 73.