Adam Vaughn’s Top 10 Films of 2020

Below is my list, in order of preference:

1. Da 5 Bloods (Spike Lee): Lee delivers a very fresh perspective on the burdens of the  Vietnam War, specifically from the point of view of his powerhouse African American cast. The film is well directed and acted, and the journey the main characters go through is compelling and extremely memorable.
2. The Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell): Just when you thought Universal Studios had exhausted their classic silver-screen monsters, director Whannell takes the classic The Invisible Man tale to new, exciting science-fiction heights. Filled with timely themes of domestic abuse and gender-role restrictions, The Invisible Man thrills as much as it captivates.
3. Freaky (Christopher Landon): Landon takes the “Freaky Friday” story and twists it to the absolute, horror-genre limit with Freaky. Surprising the audience with a perfect balance of terror and laughs, Freaky manages to reach a variety of audiences with its style and tone.
4. The Beach House (Jeffrey A. Brown)
5. The True Adventures of Wolfboy (Martin Krejcí)
6. Black Is King (Emmanuel Adjei/Ibra Ake/Blitz Bazawule/Beyoncé/Kwasi Fordjour): Beyoncé’s music-video-styled narrative of a young Black boy’s journey through life, mirroring the thematic elements behind Disney’s The Lion King, is a visual achievement and a culturally charged wonder. Filled with abstract imagery and compelling (often non-speaking) performances, Black Is King strikes a stunning chord with the audience.
7. LX-2048 (Guy Moshe)
8. Host (Rob Savage): What better time to feature a Zoom-based cinematic story … Director Savage utilizes the paranoid, isolated feelings of quarantine in an intense, gripping horror film with a chilling, realistic aesthetic and claustrophobic tension. 
9. Sonic the Hedgehog (Jeff Fowler): Too often, video games get a lackluster rendition once they hit the silver screen, with directors missing the mark on the content by miles. With Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog, we finally get a family-friendly adaption of the popular SEGA video game that, while staying in its comfort zone, creates a solid narrative of the fuzzy blue hero from start to finish.
10. The New Mutants (Josh Boone): Alas, 20th Century Fox says goodbye to their groundbreaking franchise as they pass the baton to Disney, but not before giving one last “hoorah” with a unique look at the X-Men lore. With surprisingly chilling sequences and adequate character developments, The New Mutants gives a proper sendoff to the X-Men story. 

Where I have previously reviewed the film, the title is hyperlinked to that review. Where I have not, I have written a short description of the movie to help explain why I chose it.

Adam Vaughn

Adam Vaughn is a graduate of the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University, with a focus in Cinematography and Production. He also has a minor in Theater and Media Performance. Adam works as a freelance photographer and videographer, focusing his craft on creating compelling photographic and cinematic imagery. Adam is excited to join the Film Festival Today team and explore the world of cinema and visual arts.