2020 Smart AwardsShows or movies that premiered in the U.S. in 2020 – The Smart Awards are for shows or movies that aren’t dumbed down, that force you to use your brain. And the acting is subtle rather than over the top or playing to the camera.
DS Steve Fulcher must find the killer of a teenage girl. Excellent crime drama based on true events: “What follows is a dramatisation based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts.” The Brits know how to do subtle-yet-powerful dramas. Was even better the second time I watched it.
Writers: Jeff Pope (Little Boy Blue), Steve Fulcher
Cast: Martin Freeman, Siobhan Finneran, Imelda Staunton
IMDb: 7.5
Where: BritBox
Another British true crime drama knocked out of the park. Based on something that happened in 2018, which went largely unnoticed in the U.S. Two Russians are killed on British soil, starting a chain reaction of negative events. Anne-Marie Duff is pitch perfect as usual.
Series director: Saul Dibb
Cast: Anne-Marie Duff, MyAnna Buring, Rafe Spall
IMDb: 7.2
Where: AMC+
I give this a higher rating than most people probably would. From Ridley Scott, this is a feels-new, treading-on-new-ground sci-fi series, which is saying something. In this show, you never know what’ll happen next. The two lead characters/actors are very memorable.
Creator: Aaron Guzikowski (The Red Road)
Cast: Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Travis Fimmel, Niamh Algar
IMDb: 8.1
Where: HBO Max, BritBox-Amazon
Documentary about the harm being done by social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. The documentary scarily shows how people are being manipulated, and how people are the product. The interviewees are industry insiders who have seen the error of their ways. Important viewing for anyone/everyone, hence given Top Honors.
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Interviewees: Tristan Harris, Jeff Seibert, Bailey Richardson
IMDb: 7.7
Where: Netflix
Loosely based on the life of Bobby Fischer, a young girl discovers she’s a genius at chess. This was expertly produced, à la The Crown, has captivating life drama, and manages to make chess interesting. Taylor-Joy is mesmerizing. It’s not something I want to watch again, but I can’t find any fault with it (A+ rating).
Creators: Scott Frank, Allan Scott
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Moses Ingram, Bill Camp
IMDb: 8.8
Where: Netflix
A better-than-average crime drama combined with some of the best action scenes ever put on TV, all courtesy of the team behind The Raid: Redemption and its sequel. What it lacks in drama it makes up for with action. Note: extreme violence occasionally.
Creators: Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery
Cast: Sope Dirisu, Joe Cole, Lucian Msamati
IMDb: 8.2
Where: AMC+, Fubo
Based on the 2016 book of the same name by James Patterson, this riveting documentary details Jeffrey Epstein’s pedophilia and sex trafficking.
Director: Lisa Bryant
Interviewees: Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Maria Farmer, Annie Farmer, Sarah Ransome
IMDb: 7.1
Where: Netflix
Well-made, intelligent British crime drama. A surveillance camera captures footage of a former British soldier assaulting a missing woman. Did he do it or not? The camera says yes. Has twists and turns. Available on NBC’s new streaming platform, Peacock.
Writer/Director: Ben Chanan
Cast: Holliday Grainger, Callum Turner, Laura Haddock
IMDb: 7.8
Where: Peacock
Like A Confession and The Salisbury Poisonings, this is yet another British true crime drama. And like Raised by Wolves, it’s another original series on the new streaming service HBO Max. Three generations of a family are killed, and all of the evidence seems to point to a particular perpetrator. But a persevering detective has a different theory.
Series director: Paul Whittington (The Moorside, Little Boy Blue)
Cast: Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Freddie Fox, Alexa Davies
IMDb: 7.4
Where: HBO Max
Because of Nolan’s previous Inception (2010), I had high hopes that this film would be another mindbender. It was, but it was also more difficult to understand and believe than Inception. I’ve seen the movie twice, and still do not understand it well. Though this movie definitely qualifies as smart filmmaking, and is worthy of mention in these awards, I had hoped to rank it higher. But, in my current thinking at least, there is something about this movie that is just “off.”
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh
IMDb: 7.4
Where: HBO Max, iTunes, Amazon On Demand
These weren’t great, but made an effort to be smart…