Cinema Chat: 12/24/20
2020 IN REVIEW: NEW YORK WRITERS (EDITED & ADDED TO BY RUSS REFLECT ON THE YEAR S HIGHS AND LOWS
Since March, the year in cinema has been defined by a near-total absence of significant theatrical releases first, because theatres across the country were shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic and, subsequently, because even after they reopened people largely stayed away. The new 007 film and the new Wes Anderson film, among dozens of others, were bumped to next year’s schedule; “Soul” [“Hamilton”] and “Wonder Woman 1984” are being released on streaming sites rather than in theatres; the Cannes Film Festival was cancelled, and many others, such as the New York Film Festival, were held online. In spite of this, 2020 has been, against the odds, a wonderful year for new movies. … [However,] even the best new independent films were being met with a muted response, stemming in part from … a collective sense of numbness … and the disa
Well, here we are folks. The last Binge Blog of 2020. As promised, below is a top 10 list of the best films I saw this year. Of course, there are many I have not seen yet, and many others I liked a bunch but did not feel like writing about or didn t know what to say about, and still others that I saw and loved but are not readily available to rent or stream, so why do you want to hear about them? All that considered, this is just a list of good films I wanted to share with you today. But there s 10 of them, and they re in a list! That should count for something.