The 2020 Jim Ridley Film Poll Dedicated to late
Scene editor and critic Jim Ridley, our poll asks critics, cinephiles and industry insiders about 2020 in film Tweet
First Cow
Given the chaos and enervating travails of 2020, it was going to be a challenge to find the right assortment of folks to get at the heart of this unpredictable year in cinema. An international assemblage of critics, filmmakers, podcasters, teachers, actors, exhibitors, publicists, festival programmers, artists and even a beloved horror host stepped up to get hierarchical and reflective. We do this every year in honor of the late, great Jim Ridley, who believed strongly in the value of conversations about film. So buckle up, it’s a wild ride ahead.
Twenty-twenty has been a year of disappointment for all of us except for Jeff Bezos, who gets to make money during a pandemic by exploiting his workers and avoiding taxes. Much has been said about the state of cinema this year and just how much of a disaster releases have been, what with arthouses and multiplexes alike having to close down for the safety of their workers and audiences alike. But this isn’t to say that there hasn’t been a lot of beauty in the world of film amid all the garbage we’ve faced.
With all of us stuck at home and new streaming options like the glorious HBO Max and the disastrous Quibi, the lines between what cinema actually is and isn t have started to blur together. Is watching a miniseries the same as watching a movie if you binge it all and there are no plans for a bad expansion? (See