John Houzer’s Favorite Films
of 2020
it,” he said. “Since theatres have been closed, in a way it almost put me out of checking for movies. Everything was getting pushed back and dates were getting changed and it began to become hard to keep up with.” With the vaccine push underway, there’s hope theatres will be opening back up and showing at capacity again this year, if they can make it through. Until then, Houzer handpicked four of his favorite films of the year he was able to see and love despite the closed cinemas. These are the movies Houzer has found himself “going back to the most.”
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE
By Scott Berson
TH E YEAR WITHOUT THEATRES
There’s just something special about a night at the movies -- even today, with more streaming services than you can remember and every movie ever made at your fingertips, there’s just something about the theatre. The seats, the giant screen, the sound system, the sense of ceremony. The fact that you aren’t tempted to look away at your phone or get up and let the dog out every few minutes. The theatre allows people to participate in a shared experience: to focus on the movie, and to be present and appreciative and to feel part of something. For John Houzer, esteemed local filmmaker and founder of the underground culture channel Seven Zero Six, the loss of that experience during the pandemic was a tough blow. “It’s almost like something got stolen from you. I’m always in the theatre,” he said. “I’d go out of my way, if I had to drive to Atlanta to see a premiere, I’d do all that. I know streaming is a thing, but I’ve always been very passionate about supporting the movie theatre. That was one of the first jobs I had, working at a movie theatre.” That’s not to say the year was a bust by any means. There were some stellar films released direct to streaming, and Houzer has great things to say about them. He just wishes the year could have been different. “I really wish I’d have gotten to see these films in the theatre, I’d have felt a little more passionate about LocaL
Rated R / AVAILABLE TO RENT OR BUY ON SEVERAL SERVICES Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return for a new edition to Bad Boys franchise, nearly two decades after the release of Bad Boys II in 2003. This action comedy slammed into theatres as the highest grossing film of the year. “This was something fans have been waiting on for years. I was worried it was going to not be as good. Will Smith is such a different entity than he was back then. Martin Lawrence, we haven’t seen him in anything for a few years. The original director wasn’t returning as well, it was two new guys. But the film was great, it was a good, compelling story, and it was cool to see those two on screen again. They didn’t miss a step, it has the same feel as the other movies but it still had its own flow and style”
“The cinematography was perfect, a lot of handheld shots, which I’m a big fan of. You can kind of see yourself in some of the characters. There was just something about the way the story is being told. There’s a lesson in this film. One of the characters is down and out, he’s not happy with his life. Through this experiment he finds himself and something happens within the group that brings all of them in perspective. There’s films like this where it’s personal for whoever is watching it in their own way.”
SOUL
Rated PG/ AVAILABLE ON DISNEY PLUS The latest from legendary animation studio Pixar, this film tackles complex themes about death, the meaning of existence, and the importance of passion. “What’s funny about Soul is, I don’t think i would have watched this film. I like to go to the theatres, and I don’t watch as many Pixar films. Had theatres been opened, I probably wouldn’t have seen this movie. But I watched it, and I didn’t know anything about it. I just knew it starred Jamie Foxx and had something to do with jazz. I was completely taken back by the subject matter, which was death, and it took me at least thirty
ANOTHER ROUND
Rated R / AVAILABLE ON AMAZON PRIME Mads Mikkelson of Hannibal fame anchors this comedy drama about a group of middle-aged men who decide to try an “experiment” of staying slightly drunk at all times to liven up their lives. Things go well, until they don’t. 16
F EBR UAR Y-MAR CH 2021
