2020 Movie Reviews

 If the link is not live, I intend to review it but have not finalized it.  If you have a question about a specific movie, feel free to email me with a question at sam@srstaley.com or samuelrstaley@aol.com. 

I have three platforms for publishing my reviews: the Independent Institute in Oakland, California, where long reviews and analysis typically run;  Facebook  (Movie Reviews by Sam Staley, or @themovieswithsam), and on my personal blog (blog.srstaley.com).  Facebook is typically the most timely. Also, follow me on twitter @samrstaley.

Don't forget to check out my book Contemporary Film and Economics (Routledge, 2018) and see why one film producer called it "subversively educational." 

Reviews for 2020 movie releases

• Birds of Prey (B+). Well produced Marvel super hero movie showcases an excellent performance by Margo Robie, but suffers from non-redeemable characters.  
• Brave New World (B+). This Peacock Network series is anchored by its focus on the personal freedom and liberty as the key to human happiness. 
• Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words (A). A long overdue treatment of the man who rose from abject poverty to become one of the most important Supreme Court justices of the last 50 years.
• Da 5 Bloods (A-). Another tour de force from Spike Lee as he examines commitment, loyalty, and African American identity through the later lives of Black Vietnam veterans.
• Greyhound (A-).  Another strong performance by Tom Hanks as he keeps this true World War II story about a destroyer protecting a convoy of merchant ships from German submarine attacks across the Atlantic on track. (Netflix) 
• I Care A Lot. (B+). A disturbing, black comedy about how grifters exploit the loop holes in elder care. A strong lead performance by Rosamund Pike.
• Lady Driver (B-). A fun, authentic story with a glimpse of what a young woman can do behind the wheel of a dirt track race car. 
• Lost Bullet (B+).  This French action film about police corruption and redemption keeps audiences in the drivers seat (Netflix)
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (A).  This biopic of blues pioneer Ma Rainey set in 1920s Chicago is based on the play by famed playwright August Wilson. The movie adheres closely to the play and is propelled by fantastic performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Bosman's final movie appearance.  
• Minari (A-).  A finely crafted historical drama of the Korean American immigrant experience set in rural Arkansas in the 1980s.
• Mr. Jones (A-/B+). A sobering, even terrifying, historical account of how Stalin's famine-induced genocide finally came to light in the West, making the case for a free press and scrappy journalism in the process. 
• Mulan (A). A faithful, engaging, and entertaining telling of a classic legend about a girl who rises to become a fierce commander in patriarchal China.
• News of the World (A-/B+).  A striking film about identity and prejudice set in post-Civil War Texas as a veteran confederate officer (Tom Hanks) must re-settle a young girl with her biological family after being raised by Kiowa Indians. 
• Nomadland  (A). Chloe Zhao's brilliant and innovative film about the people living out of their vans in a nomadic life. There's a reason this one the Best Movie Oscar.  
• The Extraction (A-). A conventional, high-octane action film with an extraordinarily harrowing chase scene set in the busy, urban streets (which scored higher in my rubric than I guessed). (Netflix) 
• The Outpost (B+). Gritty realism shows the frustrating futility of America's war in Afghanistan. (Netflix)
• Promising Young Woman (B+). A college sexual assault leaves deep scars in this revenge thriller that has more than a few twists and turns.  
• The Rhythm Section (C+). A serviceable, well-executed, if uninspired, action film about a female secrete agent (Blake Lively). 
• Run Hide Fight (A-). The filmmakers did their homework on this authentic and surprisingly well scaled action movie about surviving a high school mass shooting. 
• Sergio  (A-). Sizzling on-screen chemistry between Brazilian screen icon Magner Maura and Ana de Aramas anchor this biopic of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the first High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations.  
• Spencer Confidential (B-).  A straightforward action film with Mark Wahlberg as a disgraced Boston police officer released from prison and now embroiled in a murder and corruption in the Boston police department. (Netflix)
• The Stand At Paxton County (B). A romance between a San Francisco playboy and a and Army medic returning to take care of the family farm will determine its fate. 
• Wonder Woman 1984 (B). A sprawling plot and confused history nearly sink this film.

For movie reviews for files released, 

• In 2019, click here.
• In 2018 reviews click here.  
• For a complete movie review archive click here. 

A movie may not be on this list for one of two reasons: I have not seen the movie, or the movie scored lower than an 8.5 on my rubric (roughly a B). 

Given the subjective nature of movies as an expression of art, and the fact negative reviews tend to prejudice the commercial success of a film more than positive ones, I generally do not post negative reviews.  

If you have a question about a movie, feel free to email me at Sam@srstaley.com or samuelrstaley@aol.com.