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Best and Worst Films from April 2020

Best Films from April 2020:

3. SubUrbia

I could have also chosen ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’, ‘The Last Samurai’ or ‘Captains Courageous’ for this third spot for this month, but ultimately I wanted to go in a different direction, so I included a lesser known work that needs much more attention than it continues to receive. This is probably Linklater’s most underrated movie that is fueled by amazing dialogue, terrific themes and a genuinely emotional tone at times. It also features some very colorful characters and it manages to critique the slacker way of life for once.

2. Road to Perdition

I am not the biggest fan of the crime genre, so a crime flick getting on this list means a lot coming from me. But I simply cannot deny the strength of Road to Perdition, a movie that features a terrific ensemble cast with Jude Law being particularly memorable in a very villainous role. The film is also quite atmospheric and genuinely heartbreaking in its ending, and that high emotion made it a much better picture at the end of the day.

1. About Elly

About Elly is yet another classic coming from amazing Asghar Farhadi. It’s not my favorite movie of his, but it comes close as its drama is simply gripping from the moment that the conflict arises. The tumultuous narrative is accompanied perfectly by its seaside setting with rising waves coming and going. The characterization is also stellar as is the acting that is uniformly phenomenal. It explores some universal, but also some very Iranian problems, and thus it becomes a painful glimpse into their complicated culture. It’s such a great movie with such a fantastic script.

Worst Films from April 2020:

3. Empire of the Sun

I did not dislike this Spielberg vehicle, but I simply did not care for it all that much. Empire of the Sun presents a tremendous John Williams score, but it also features a very annoying main character played by Christian Bale interestingly enough. It’s yet another overblown, overly childish and ultimately forgettable WWII flick coming from this director.

2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park

And yet another Spielberg movie got yet another placement on the worst list, but this Jurassic Park sequel is simply not all that good. Yes, Goldblum is a lot of fun per usual, but the story is nothing of the sort. Unfortunately, the franchise succumbed to the regular Hollywood action territory from this moment onward, thus sacrificing its great adventure roots.

1. Jerry Maguire

And the worst movie that I watched in April just has to be Jerry Maguire. This overrated romantic comedy is so cliched that it was very annoying. Yes, the acting from its two great leads is excellent, but the script is bad and the dialogue is absolutely atrocious. This is as cheesy as this genre gets, and I was appalled by those horrible one-liners.