Are These The Best Movies Thus Far in 2020?

The scourge of the novel coronavirus has affected all spheres of life. And needless to say, the movie industry has taken a big hit this first half of the year. Several new movies ought to have found their way to theaters by now, including the much anticipated ‘No Time To Die,’ Daniel Craig’s last appearance as the iconic British super-spy James Bond, ‘Fast and Furious 9,’ and a host of others.

However, even as multiplexes were forced to shut down when the pandemic blew across the nation, audiences have found their way to get their movie fixes. Thanks to video on demand and streaming services as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO. And a few movies still made it into theaters even under the quarantine wire, indicating that the fighting spirit of movies never dies.

Here are some of the best movies so far in 2020:

True History of the Kelly Gang

Ned Kelly (George McKay), an Aussie outlaw, looks for deep truths about a rock-star bank robber and his gang of cross-dressing bandits. The legendary bandit and 19th-century gang fought against the British colonial rule for the poor. Ned is trained by fully deranged bushranger Harry Power (Russell Crowe) to become the Robin Hood of Australia.

Talk about a very transgressive, revisionist Western take on history. This is another good one, as directed by Justin Kurzel.

First Cow

Director Kelly Reichardt (‘Meek’s Cutoff’ and ‘Old Joy’) showcases this new masterwork set in Oregon during the Gold Rush in the 1820s. A runaway Chinese immigrant and a cook fight for survival in this movie.

But they get deliverance in the form of a crime and something else: a cow. The cook (John Magaro) and the Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) steal the cow from her owner (Toby Jones), a blowhard Briton in order to make oily cakes.

The baked goods become an unexpected hit on the frontier. Reichardt utilizes a minimalist way to take on the toxic roots of capitalism in this movie.

Blue Story

This is a crime story set in London about rival street gangs. It follows Marco (Michael Ward) and Timmy (Stephen Odubola), friends attending the same high school but living in different neighborhoods.

But before the violence erupts, there is class warfare. A ‘West Side Story’ romance that brews between Leah (Karla-Simone Spence) and Timmy doesn’t soften the heat. This is the first standout feature from Andrew Onwubolu, better known as Rapman, a rapper-director.

Da 5 Bloods

Four Vietnam vets called ‘Da Bloods‘ – played by Clarke Peters, Delroy Lindo, Isaiah Whitlock Jr., and Norm Lewis – return to their old battleground to bring home the remains of a fifth member (played by Chadwick Boseman) and recover a hidden treasure. That’s the plot, as directed by Spike Lee.

Lee unleashes his fury in this movie as it reveals how the gallantry of black soldiers has been conveniently written out of history. All these are evident right from Vietnam, the American Revolution, and down to the Trump’s era.

The Vast of Night

Andrew Patterson directs this low-budget but wildly inventive one, a vintage science fiction exciting enough to take one’s mind off the pandemic situation. An alien invasion in New Mexico in the 1950s, (Sierra McCormick) a switchboard operator, and Jake Horowitz, a teen radio DJ: what do they have in common?

Getting lost in ‘The Vast of Night’ is just the diversion one needs in these perilous times.