Best Movies of 2020 – Best of the Techs

Posted on by Kevin Wozniak

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Continue our look back of the best movies of 2020, here are my picks for the best technical aspects in the movies of 2020.  These categories include Best Original and Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Song.

Each category will have a top five, with the number one spot being what I consider to be the winner.

 

 

 

MANK (Netflix)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  1. MANK
  2. PALM SPRINGS
  3. MINARI
  4. DA 5 BLOODS
  5. ANOTHER ROUND

– This behind-the-scenes look at how Citizen Kane came to be is complex, layered, and gives us a full story of who Herman Mankiewicz was and what that time in Hollywood was really like.

 

 

FIRST COW (A24)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  1. FIRST COW
  2. THE FATHER
  3. I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
  4. THE OLD GUARD
  5. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

– Kelly Reichardt teamed up with Jonathon Raymond to adapt his novel (titled The Half-Life) about a beautiful friendship set in 1860’s America.

 

DA 5 BLOODS (Netflix)

BEST ENSEMBLE

  1. DA 5 BLOODS
  2. MANK
  3. MINARI
  4. TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
  5. BIRDS OF PREY

– Led by Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, and Jonathon Majors, Da 5 Bloods has a committed ensemble that is so good and so strong that every time you watch it a new performance becomes your favorite.

 

NOMADLAND (Searchlight Pictures)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  1. NOMADLAND
  2. MANK
  3. TENET
  4. NEWS OF THE WORLD
  5. GRETEL & HANSEL

– Though I loved the gorgeous black-and-white, old Hollywood look of Mank, Nomadland stunningly captures a part of America we seem to forget exists.

 

MANK (Netflix)

BEST EDITING

  1. MANK
  2. TENET
  3. THE FATHER
  4. TIME
  5. MINARI

– Kirk Baxter masterfully cuts back-and-forth in time to help give a layered story of Herman Mankiewicz and the creation of Citizen Kane.

 

EMMA (Focus Features)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  1. EMMA
  2. FIRST COW
  3. THE GENTLEMEN
  4. BIRDS OF PREY
  5. TENET

– Emma is a gorgeous period comedy with stunning costumes and colors.

 

MANK (Netflix)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

  1. MANK
  2. EMMA
  3. I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
  4. HIS HOUSE
  5. THE INVISIBLE MAN

– Mank fully immerses us in 1930’s Hollywood with it’s realistic sets.

 

THE INVISIBLE MAN (Universal)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  1. THE INVISIBLE MAN
  2. POSSESSOR
  3. TENET
  4. THE OLD GUARD
  5. MANK

– Outstanding, well-used visuals add levels of creepiness and tension to Leigh Whannell’s horror remake.

 

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (Netflix)

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR

  1. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
  2. BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIE FILM
  3. MANK
  4. EMMA
  5. TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

– Viola Davis is unrecognizable as the Mother of Blues Ma Rainey.

 

TENET (Warner Bros.)

BEST SCORE

  1. TENET
  2. MANK
  3. SOUL
  4. MINARI
  5. TIME

– Though Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross gave us two stellar scores with Mank and Soul, it’s Ludwig Göransson’s thrilling score that I listen to on a daily basis.

 

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA (Netflix)

BEST SONG

  1. “HUSAVIK” from EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
  2. “THE PLAN” from TENET
  3. “WUHAN FLU SONG” from BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIE FILM
  4. “ROCKET TO THE MOON” from OVER THE MOON
  5. “ONLY THE YOUNG” from MISS AMERICANA 

– “Husavik” is a show-stopper and really makes you think about the town you grew up in and its special place in your heart.

 

SOUND OF METAL (Amazon Prime)

BEST SOUND

  1. SOUND OF METAL
  2. TENET
  3. NEWS OF THE WORLD
  4. THE OLD GUARD
  5. DA 5 BLOODS

– Sound of Metal brilliantly uses sound to capture what it’s like to progressively lose your hearing.

 

 

 

 

 

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