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AHFW Top 20 Films of 2020: #11 ‘Promising Young Woman’

Jeff Mitchell

11. “Promising Young Woman” – Carey Mulligan deserves an Oscar nomination as a femme fatale striking fear in the hearts of men.  Cassie (Mulligan) is a vigilante of sorts, but rather than ride NYC subways like Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) in “Death Wish” (1974), she pretends to be inebriated in local watering holes, dance clubs, and Irish bars.  She then terrifies her aggressors when they overstep their bounds.  Director/writer Emerald Fennell’s sobering – but also playful – screenplay takes dark turns and steers into some levity with Bo Burnham’s breezy,…

AHFW’s Top 20 Films of 2020: #12 ‘Sound of Metal’

Jeff Mitchell

12. “Sound of Metal” – Riz Ahmed delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as a 30-something heavy metal drummer who reinvents himself, but not because of a new band.  Ruben (Ahmed) loses his hearing, as director/writer Darius Marder’s character study follows his lead’s journey to find acceptance and peace with his new reality.  Olivia Cooke and Mathieu Amalric play key supporting roles, and Ruben’s mentor Joe (Paul Raci) is a much-needed lifeline.  Ahmed wore auditory blockers on-set to simulate complete hearing loss, and Marder plays with sound that sometimes reproduces Ruben’s world-perspective. …

AHFW’s Top 20 Films of 2020: #13 ‘Sorry We Missed You’

Jeff Mitchell

13. “Sorry We Missed You” – Winston Churchill said, “Never give in.  Never, never, never.”  For Abbie and Ricky Turner (Debbie Honeywood and Kris Hitchen), that’s easier said than done.  Abbie’s an at-home care worker who runs herself ragged all over Tyne and Wear, England, and Ricky works for a delivery company – with long hours and tricky stipulations – that treats him like an indentured servant.  With debt climbing higher than their eyeballs, no free time, but plenty of exhaustion, this family of four suffers the consequences of dire…