Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2020

 

Thinking back on the year in movies, “unusual” and “complicated” might be 2020’s most fitting descriptors. Yes, we’ve had plenty of content to watch, thanks to streaming services, and plenty of time at home to view it all, but COVID-19 cancelled the multiplex experience. Watching movies at home, without the excitement of the big screen and a crowd of fellow film-lovers nearby, just wasn’t as satisfying, which is why the number of films I reviewed this year dwindled sharply. That said, I did watch enough to pull together my annual Top 10 Best Films of the Year. And a unique year requires a unique Top 10 list: hence my first ever Haiku Top 10! I hope each of these 17 syllable snippets (and their trailers!) will steer you toward checking out these films, each of which moved, inspired, and stuck with me this year. Here’s to a return to in-person cinema in 2021! (And if you’re curious about what was on my list last year, you can check that out here.)

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Film Review: Centigrade

Tension piles up in snowy survival thriller

Matt (Vincent Piazza) and Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez) fight to survive after becoming trapped in their car during a huge snowstorm.

Regular readers of this site may know that I have an affinity for survival pictures. The terrific Mads Mikkelsen vehicle Arctic was number one on my Top 10 list last year, and over the past few years I’ve also enjoyed Adrift, Walking Out, The Mountain Between Us, and Everest. The latest entry to earn my approval is Centigrade, the first feature from television director/writer Brendan Walsh (Nurse Jackie) and his co-writer Daley Nixon. That this novice duo has created such a taut, tightly constructed film bodes well for their future cinematic projects.

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