Another Top 10 Films I watched for the first time during COVID

Since publishing my list of the top 10 films I watched for the first time during COVID, I have seen much more excellent pre-existing content, and I thought I might as well talk about it as the end of the year draws closer. So, here's another top 10 films I watched for the first time during COVID.

To reiterate, no new releases that came out in this time are included here, as this is all about pre-existing films I wanted to watch as well as ones that I had no intention to watch. Also, this will not include anything I had watched at the time of my last list being published, as this will focus on the films I watched between then and now. To see the full list of everything I watched for the first time during COVID (which contains over 80 films!), be sure to follow me on Letterboxd: Jack W. You'll also find mini reviews of mostly everything I don't mention here.

I'd also like to give a quick warning, but some of the films on this list are in a very unpopular order, so if you are very passionate about your opinion and / or unable to accept differences in opinions, you may not like what you see. With all that being said, let's get going!

10. Apollo 13 (1995)

I love space movies, particularly ones based on real life, and I love Tom Hanks, so there was every way this would be a fine watch at the very least. While Apollo 13 is very long and occassionally plods, it's a thoroughly engaging and tense watch. Like The Martian, which is one of my favourite films, it's essentially built around a problem and all the solutions that are gradually worked out to overcome it, which is a really engrossing way to tell a story. So, I found much to enjoy here.

9. Fight Club (1999)

One of the notable trends throughout all the films I watched for the first time during COVID is that I've started to enter the world of David Fincher films. Pre-COVID, I'd only seen The Social Network, and while I love that film, I was very keen to watch the other works of this fan-favourite filmmaker. So far, I've watched three, and Fight Club is the only one to make this list, with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button just barely missing out and Zodiac not coming close (unpopular opinions I know). This was quite a full-on and generally mental watch, but I really enjoyed it. The fast pace, strong performances, snappy dialogue, and interesting story made it a great experience. I am very keen to go back and take a closer look into it for sure, as there's so much worth coming back for, and hopefully it'll just get better. I should probably shut up about this now because I've broken the first rule enough.

8. The Green Mile (1999)

I didn't really know what to expect from this movie, but it had Tom Hanks in it so it had to be at least passable. What I got was something far better than I could've expected. Usually I struggle with movies over three hours (with exceptions such as Lord of the Rings and Endgame) but I didn't have a problem with that here as it was extremely enthralling. Hanks is effortlessly fabulous, the late Michael Clarke-Duncan gives a phenomenally powerful performance, and the story as a whole is really thoughtful and emotional. While hard to watch at times and slow at others, I have to praise this movie for managing to keep my attention when it so easily could've sent me to sleep.

7. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

I'm all for films being wonderful works of art with great meaning, but I'm also never one to reject something frothy and just plain fun. Four Weddings and a Funeral was a delight, and for the simple reason that it was just really funny and really charming. Hugh Grant, despite looking about twelve, was as likeable as ever, Rowan Atkinson continues to show he can make the very best of a seemingly minor role, and the plot as a whole was just very entertaining.

6. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

If you saw my ranking of more digital 2020 releases I've seen, you'll know that I had never seen Borat before 2020. I love Sacha Baron Cohen and think he is one of the funniest actors around, so I'm surprised it took me so long to catch one of his most acclaimed films, and just in time for its sequel. Borat takes an idea that appears quite one-note on the surface but manages to make the very best of it in almost every aspect. This film is absolutely hysterical and consistently kept me entertained even when it somewhat ran out of momentum. I'll certainly be coming back to this because if something makes me laugh, it gets many points from me.

5. Brother Bear (2003)

I think it's really sad that Disney, despite being the pioneers of animated films and producing tons of great content with the 2D medium, have abandoned such for 3D just because of its greater profitability and convenience. So, I'm always happy to watch any 2D films of theirs that I haven't seen, and Brother Bear is one of them. This is no Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, but it is still a really beautiful and very endearing movie. The humour kind of stumbles in places, which is somewhat of a given for many animated movies, but it pleased my eyes and occasionally my ears for ninety minutes as well as gently tugging at the heartstrings, so I really like it. It's also really funny to hear Joaquin Phoenix's voice in this movie, for someone who is extremely picky about what roles they choose nowadays, it is interesting that he was convinced to star in something of this calibre.

4. Memento (2000)

Continuing my way through the Nolan library, Memento is yet another great movie. Of all his works, this one thrives the most off of its non-linear storytelling, as the story would quite literally have not made sense or have been as effective if it were told chronologically, which is an indicator that it wasn't done for the sake of it, unlike some other films. Additionally, it was a far more captivating experience because of its structure, and it continued (or, I suppose started) the Nolan tradition of demanding you to actively watch and pay attention. Beyond that, there isn't an awful lot to latch onto, but the truly unique nature is what boosts this in my mind.

3. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Yep, we're going way back with some of these. If you were to tell me that a film consisting of twelve men sat bickering in one room for ninety minutes would be good, I wouldn't know what to say. This was terrific. It's a film that almost entirely hinges on one line, a line that makes you rethink almost everything it had established up to that point. Because of that, at the end of the film, you start to think about how the smallest of things can be extremely important, and that they are worth discussing. Additionally, the way this film witholds information is equally genius, keeping you engaged for its whole runtime. Beyond that, the acting and dialogue is expectedly brilliant, I mean, I find a weird funniness in fast-spoken dialogue from older films like this, so it was just a great time. I was anything but angry while watching.

2. Song of the Sea (2014)

If you saw my review of Wolfwalkers, you'll know that I've recently fallen in love with the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. After liking that film and one of their others, The Breadwinner, I just had to get round to seeing the rest as soon as possible. Song of the Sea, in my mind, is tied with Wolfwalkers for being their best film. Films like this just don't come around much anymore; films with actual stories to tell and ideas to share, as well as being conveyed in such a beautiful and utterly distinct way in terms of both the gorgeous animation and the sweeping music. I adored this film so much and it reminds me why I love animation, 2D animation, films, and just storytelling in general. It's magnificent.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

This is simply one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. I have no idea what 2001: A Space Odyssey means, but that doesn't matter. Everything in this film just screams cinema. This is an unbelievable work of art that feels so ahead of its time. Whether we're talking about the visuals, the set design, the colours, the atmosphere, the music, the cinematography, it's all just on another level. Even the smallest of things like a floating pen that is seamlessly picked up by an actor left me astonished and in awe, I mean, how did they do that in 1968? Some literal movie magicians must have worked on this. Honestly, I cannot stress enough how blown away I was by this, I would have happily sat down and watched it again right after it finished, and would have no problem sitting around analysing it for hours. AMAZING STUFF.

Well, that's that all wrapped up. 2020 hasn't been as rough for me as it has been for others, but it has still been pretty rubbish. However, if there is one good thing that has come out of it, it's all the brilliant films like these that I was able to watch. As things look like they'll mostly be the same for the coming months, I only hope I can discover more and more.