The second decade of the second millennium offered some ground-breaking movie moments — both within the industry and the films themselves. From jaw-dropping spectacles at awards ceremonies — who can forget the Moonlight/La La Land debacle — to true innovation in film technology, the past decade has facilitated meaningful conversations about the roles of class, race, and politics in cinema.
We have a lot to look forward to this year. From the classic to the new, up-and-coming directors, 2020 is sure to be an interesting year for film.
Stars from the 2010s
The French Dispatch — directed by Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson made his mark on the 2010s with movies like Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs — all films that displayed his unique touch of symmetry and colouring. His films are lovably absurd, and their contributions to pretty concept art coffee-table books have contributed to how beloved he and his work are.
The French Dispatch stars Tilda Swinton and Timothée Chalamet, and has been described as being a “love-letter” to post-war journalism in Paris.
Dune — directed by Denis Villeneuve
If anyone could be argued to be the director of the decade, it would be Denis Villeneuve. Starting the decade off with Incendies — which is, in my opinion, the unrivaled best film of the 2010s, — Villeneuve went on to direct Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. His films are slow and cerebral, but that doesn’t make them any less exciting or tense.
Dune is the ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s famous sci-fi novel of the same name, and will be split into two parts so as to be faithful to the story. The movie will star Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson, and will centre on the son of a noble family who must protect a treasured element of the galaxy.
Other movies to watch out for are
Tenet — directed by Christopher Nolan
Last Night in Soho — directed by Edgar Wright
Legends
Blossoms — directed by Wong Kar-Wai
One of the world’s most prolific directors, hailing from Hong Kong, Wong Kar-Wai cemented himself as a visionary filmmaker with efforts such as In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express, and Happy Together. In the past decade, however, he has remained relatively silent. The Grandmaster, released in 2013, was his only movie during the 2010s, so the hype for Blossoms, his newest film in nearly a decade, is real.
Blossoms details the day-to-day lives of several people in Shanghai, taking place in two different periods: the 1960s and the 1990s. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Jin Yucheng.
Mank — directed by David Fincher
David Fincher was anointed a legend in the ’90s thanks to his releases of Seven and Fight Club, but he proved that he is still going strong, directing The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl in the past 10 years.
Mank stars Gary Oldman as Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz. The movie is supposed to be a biopic, following Mankiewicz during the tumultuous production of one of the most iconic films in cinema’s history.
Also watch out for
Thrilla in Manila — directed by Ang Lee
Future stars
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon — directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
Ana Lily Amirpour made a name for herself in 2014, when she wrote and directed A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. It was a stylistic black-and-white film following a lonely, skateboard-loving vampire who stalked the people of her small Iranian town. Her follow-up film, 2016’s The Bad Batch, replaced vampires with cannibals and proved that Amirpour was no one-trick pony.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon follows a young girl with special abilities as she breaks out of an asylum, and stars Burning’s Jun Jong-seo and Kate Hudson.
Shirley — directed by Josephine Decker
In 2018, Josephine Decker rejuvenated the age-old question of what separates art from reality — and reality from art — in her unique film Madeline’s Madeline. Her vision and direction really took the forefront, marking her a director to watch for years to come.
And we will get to see how she has evolved in her 2020 effort Shirley. The film stars Elizabeth Moss as Shirley Jackson — writer of “The Lottery” — who is inspired to write a new novel when a young couple moves into her farmhouse. The film is a psycho-drama which will undoubtedly be riveting.
Other movies to watch out for are
The Devil All the Time — directed by Antonio Campos
Candyman — directed by Nia DaCosta
Blockbusters
No Time to Die — directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
Although James Bond is a figure we’ve all grown familiar with, whether we’ve seen his movies or not — sophisticated international spy with a propensity to seduce any young woman within his vicinity — Beasts of No Nation director Cary Joji Fukunaga is going to usher this iconic character into his seventh decade.
No Time to Die sees James Bond leave his short retirement in order to rescue a scientist who was kidnapped by a nefarious force. Daniel Craig will return as James Bond.
Birds of Prey — directed by Cathy Yan
After the disastrous Suicide Squad, it is only right that Harley Quinn gets the cinematic redemption she deserves. Margot Robbie returns as Quinn as she splits from the Joker and turns hero, embarking on a journey to save a young girl who was taken by a crime lord.
Keep an eye out for
Wonder Woman 1984 — directed by Patty Jenkins
The New Mutants — directed by Josh Boone
The King’s Man — directed by Matthew Vaughn
