Hey everyone,
We've come to the end of the craziest year of all our lives. I have way too many drafts of this returning newsletter saved on my computer, but it never seemed like the right time to drop in.
One of the biggest obstacles in sending out regular updates was just that so much of my pop culture diet this year consisted of stuff from the past. Early in quarantine, for example, I finally committed myself to watching '"The Wire" after years of insisting I'd get around to it. I vowed to watch the classics I had never seen before - the films of Bergman and Cassavetes and Mike Leigh. It's been helpful to have the memories of watching these films to mark the passing of time.
The closest I came to hitting "send" on a draft was in May when Lynn Shelton (director of "Your Sister's Sister," "Laggies," "Touchy Feely," "Humpday," and "Sword of Trust") passed away unexpectedly. It was a heartbreaking loss to independent film. She was a filmmaker I greatly admired and I hope that people continue to seek out her work.
My list of favorite things this year comes with a few caveats. Given their limited releases, I've been unable to see the following buzzed-about films - "Nomadland," "Minari," "Pieces of a Woman," "One Night In Miami" and "Promising Young Woman." I may make more revisions to my list than usual in January. Also, given the fact that so many films have pushed their releases to 2021, you may notice that my list of favorite films has more eclectic picks than usual. However, rest assured that "Eurovision Song Contest" still would have made my Top 10 in a normal year.
This was also the year when it was officially more difficult to compose my "Best of TV" list than my "Best Films" list. I had to expand my favorite television list from the usual five to ten just to make room. It was such a spectacular and surprising year for TV. I spent the first half of the year concerned about the "franchise-ification" of TV, as streaming services bet big on what they hope will be the next "Game of Thrones." The latter half of the year proved that, despite the bigger tent, quality content is still being produced.
As always, free to reply with your favorite film or TV show that's not included in the list!
The Best Movies of 2020
1. I'm Thinking of Ending Things dir. Charlie Kaufman
2. First Cow dir. Kelly Reichardt
3. Mank dir. David Fincher
4. Lovers Rock dir. Steve McQueen
5. Never Rarely Sometimes Always dir. Eliza Hittman
6. Tenet dir. Christopher Nolan
7. Straight Up dir. James Sweeney
8. Palm Springs dir. Max Barbakow
9. Da 5 Bloods dir. Spike Lee
10. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sage dir. David Dobkin
✭✭✭✭ Movies I LOVED ✭✭✭✭
The Invisible Man, Onward, Kajillionaire, David Byrne's American Utopia, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Mangrove, Red, White, and Blue, Soul, The Way Back, Time
✭✭✭ Movies I LIKED ✭✭✭
The Gentlemen, Miss Americana, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Emma., Bad Education, The Lodge, The Vast of Night, Greyhound, An American Pickle, She Dies Tomorrow, Banana Split, The Old Guard, Enola Holmes, Dick Johnson Is Dead, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Shithouse, On the Rocks, The Nest, Let Them All Talk, Alex Wheatle, Education, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Happiest Season, Bacurau, Wonder Woman 1984, The Assistant, Sound of Metal
✭✭✭ Could Have Been Better ✭✭✭
The King of Staten Island, Yes God Yes
Quarantine has changed me as a film-watcher - made me more forgiving of minor details. I'm less focused on plot mechanics, on clean lines and smooth craftsmanship, than I am on the director's vision. If a director has a clear sense of the story they're telling, and if their message is bold and uncompromising, that's enough for me.
It makes sense then that Charlie Kaufman would lead this list.
"I'm Thinking of Ending Things" premiered on Netflix in September, when we were all still indoors while it started to get colder outside. With that chill in the air, it was a perfect time for a film like this to get into one's head.
While Cronenberg is the master of "body horror," Kaufman has established himself in recent years as the master of the mind's terrors. In "Ending Things," the intellect wrecks havoc on the main character's life and relationships.
What makes Kaufman unique is he doesn't offer an escape from the tragedy. His final trick is tossing the audience into a black hole, leaving them with a sinking dread. Kaufman's films are piercing eviscerations of how we live, and even how we think. Even if his viewpoint remains stubbornly sad, we need honest filmmakers like him to work in the dark recesses of the psyche.
Where "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is hostile and despairing, Kelly Reichardt's "First Cow" is a tender, understated balm. It has the warm, familiar crackle of a wood fire - a tale of friendship so simple yet at the same time miraculous. I had a ticket to see "First Cow" the first weekend that movie theaters across the country shut down, so there was a bittersweetness to seeing the film at home. I found comfort in this film, as well as Reichardt's other films such as "Meek's Cutoff" and "Certain Women," at the start of quarantine.
The online conversation around "Mank" has been passionate, and I've heard good cases for and against the film. I'll say this - I don't know a modern film that has reproduced the feeling of watching a Golden Era Hollywood film as effectively as "Mank." This is not a "Citizen Kane" successor - this is "The Bad and the Beautiful," this is "All About Eve." - capturing the irreverent, cynical tone of those showbiz tales. And it's an absolute ball for a TCM watcher like myself - everything from the dialogue to the production design to the playing-to-the-cheap-seats acting put a smile on my face. However, the film is also deeper than its stylistic traits. Fincher clearly connects with the "Forget it, Jake - it’s Chinatown” attitude toward the film business that his father's script is imbued with.
I decided to only pick one "Small Axe" film from Steve McQueen's five-part series for my list. I thought about including the John Boyega-starring "Red, White, and Blue" at first (which I think is underrated compared to "Mangrove" and "Lovers"), but ultimately the memories of "Lovers Rock" were too vivid for me not to acknowledge it. Certain lyrics and line readings ("Mercury Sound!") still ring in my head, typing this. It's an all-time house party film, simply magical in its execution.
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" was another film that I watched at the beginning of quarantine. I had to give a slot to this film based on its accurate depiction of Port Authority alone (I appreciated it as someone who has spent many late nights there waiting for the bus back to Jersey). That attention to detail extends to every element of the film - including the emotional life of the young woman at its center. Sidney Flanigan is marvelous in her debut - so much of the film's story is communicated in her eyes. This is a bracing, relevant, hugely empathetic film.
Now we're getting into the back half of my list. Similarly to "Mank," I've been surprised at how much vitriol has been pitched at "Tenet." Sure, at times it is so unintelligible that it becomes the world's most expensive art house movie (a valid criticism!). Others may still chafe against the decision to release the film in theaters at all in August. As someone who watched "Tenet" at home, I think it is perhaps the best case for films as pure “sound and image” that Hollywood has produced in years. This is like Nolan’s “Mother!” - perhaps the purest distillation of him as a filmmaker. Nolan is the only director alive who can get the budget to pull off action set pieces at this level, and do it so effectively every time. To quote the film itself "Don't think about it - feel it."
"Straight Up" by James Sweeney is a little gem of a movie I started on Netflix late at night during quarantine. I couldn't go to sleep until I finished it, and then felt a desire to go back the next night and rewatch my favorite scenes. This is an actually-fresh twist on the rom com (he's gay, she's straight, they're kind of in love) with screwball dialogue and killer chemistry between the leads (I've been singing Katie Findlay's praises since season 3 of "Man Seeking Woman").
"Palm Springs" is another rom com that succeeds due to the charm of its leads - Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. They are perfectly matched to the material, with a "Groundhog's Day" premise that gives them a broad canvas to be goofy. I'm glad it was a streaming hit immediately, unlike Samberg's "Hot Rod" and "Popstar" which only became classics after their theatrical releases. I also hope Cristin Milioti returns to the Lonely Island universe soon.
"Da 5 Bloods" was one of two great Spike Lee movies this year ("David Byrne's American Utopia," a spiritual sequel to the Talking Heads doc "Stop Making Sense," was the other). The way Lee continues to recontextualize American history (and American film history) with his signature style is nothing short of masterful. Here he tackles the Vietnam war with allusions to "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" and "The Bridge on the River Kwai." The film is bolstered by great performances by Delroy Lindo and the late Chadwick Boseman.
And finally.... I've reserved the #10 slot for a film that gave me a huge amount of joy this year. And yes, it's a movie where Will Ferrell leads a tavern of Icelandic fisherman in singing a song called "Ja Ja Ding Dong." "Eurovision Song Contest," from the director of "The Judge," was the silly musical comedy I needed this summer. Rachel McAdams continues to run the table on her comedic performances, and not get enough credit for it (um, she deserved an Oscar nomination for "Game Night?") I want them to make 10 sequels.
Some Movies I Missed
Nomadland, Minari, Pieces of a Woman, Promising Young Woman, One Night in Miami, Relic, Shirley, Boys State, The Devil All The Time, Another Round, Possessor, News of the World
The Best Television of 2020
1. Normal People (BBC Three / Hulu)
2. The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)
3. I May Destroy You (HBO)
4. Industry (HBO)
5. Foodie Love (HBO Max)
6.The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
7. We Are Who We Are (HBO)
8. The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)
9. What We Do In The Shadows (FX) / Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
10. A Teacher (FX on Hulu)
Honorable Mentions: DEVS (FX on Hulu), The Last Dance (ESPN), Mrs. America (FX on Hulu), Ramy (Hulu), The Boys (Amazon Prime), The Crown (Netflix), How To With John Wilson (HBO)
Other Shows I Enjoyed
High Fidelity, The Outsider, High Maintenance,The Plot Against America, Dave, I Know This Much Is True, Betty, Perry Mason, Ozark, I Hate Suzie, The Undoing, Saturday Night Live, Home for Christmas
Could Have Been Better
Westworld, Run, Killing Eve, The Third Day
My top 5 this year were particularly difficult to organize (I still think "Industry" is too low), but that's a tribute to how much amazing television was released this year. It didn't always seem like that would be the case (in March, it seemed like TV consisted entirely of "Floor is Lava" and "Tiger King"), but come fall I found myself with a long list of shows to recommend to friends and family.
"Normal People" is my #1. This would be a no-brainer to anyone who has talked to me since the show premiered in March. I was obsessed with Sally Rooney's book, and the show actually exceeded my expectations of what Connell and Marianne's love story would look like onscreen. The show deftly depicts how the characters' inner struggles inform their romance, and how both need to learn to grow before they can fully be with each other. It was honest, it was raw, and it was close to perfect. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal deserve their instant stardom.
"The Queen's Gambit" came along at a time when I was bored with TV. There were a few shows I had watched that hadn't worked 100% for me - that I felt were badly missing nuance and great characters. I got all that and more with "Gambit." I tried out the first episode the week the show premiered, and I was floored. I had been a longtime fan of Anya Taylor-Joy going back to "Barry" and "Thoroughbreds," but this was a case where actor and material were perfectly matched. Her ability to internalize Beth's struggles was so compelling I couldn't binge the episodes fast enough. The show itself was just so satisfying, and was intelligent enough to not make you feel bad for enjoying it (the platonic ideal of a Netflix show).
By the time I finished the series, and its fist-pump of a final episode, the buzz has built online to a deafening degree. Now, the series' greatness is universally known. However, I still say that people should believe the hype. It's really that good.
Before "Gambit," "I May Destroy You" consumed my summer. In 12 episodes, Michaela Cole (who wrote all episodes in addition to starring) managed to take my breath away on a weekly basis. In the show, she found many roads in to her main subject of consent. "I May Destroy You" is raw, at times uncomfortable, at times funny. It's an incredibly tricky balancing act of tones, but Cole makes it look easy (with the help of her brilliant ensemble cast). The last episode, "Ego Death," is one of the best episodes of TV I've ever experienced. This show is a singular, unforgettable journey.
I didn't expect to be obsessed with another show for a long time after "Queen's Gambit." That quickly changed with "Industry." This show about ambitious young people in the world of London finance is truly addictive (I binged the whole season in a weekend when it was released early on HBO Max). Myha'la Herrold stars as Harper Stern, a young American who is interested in finance as a "meritocracy," but quickly encounters individuals in her workplace that complicate this view. Ken Leung, who has previously been a supporting player on TV shows such as "Lost," should get an Emmy nod for his role as her complicated mentor. However, the cast is full of standout up-and-coming talent. In addition to the heart of the show in Herrold, Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey, and David Jonsson all put in memorable turns. This show deserves to be a gigantic hit, and I fully expect the cast to be on the covers of magazines in a few seasons.
"Foodie Love" is a straightforward romance (each episode is a date to a different coffee shop / restaurant / bar) done with incredible style from filmmaker Isabel Coixet. It is about two foodies living in Spain (Laia Costa from "Victoria" and Guillermo Pfening) who meet on an app, and enjoy a series of rapturous meals. It was among the most purely pleasurable watches of the year for me, with sizzling chemistry between the leads.
MANDO! "The Mandalorian" could have easily slipped into my top 5. Hour-for-hour, it's the most consistent show on TV. Every week, it delivers with both big-budget action and a deep-dive into "Star Wars" lore. There's a reason why Disney is positioning it as the centerpiece of their "Star Wars" strategy going forward - Favreau and Filoni have mastered the tone of the Saturday morning matinees that inspired "A New Hope."
"We Are Who We Are" is everything you would expect from director Luca Guadagnino ("Call Me By Your Name"). It's indulgent and leisurely-paced, but also textured and deeply felt. It is a show about youth, but also Guadagnino's jealousy of the freedom that the youth of today have. And it is ultimately a show about the winding road that can lead us to who we love. Guadagnino continues to be a hopelessly romantic, entirely idiosyncratic filmmaking voice.
"The Good Lord Bird." Ethan Hawke's passion project that tells the story of abolitionist John Brown, is not a show that flattens or sanitizes history. In fact, the show depicts in its first bloody episode why Brown continues to be a figure of controversy. He is fascinating and complicated, and his story should have more than one one in U.S. History textbooks. Hawke is top-billed here (and deserves the shelf full of awards he'll receive for his committed performance), but Joshua Caleb Johnson as "Onion" is largely responsible for the irreverent tone of the miniseries and deserves just as much acclaim for his performance.
I cheated here by placing my two favorite comedies of the year at #9. However, I couldn't choose between the laugh-out-loud vampire comedy "What We Do In the Shadows" and the big-hearted sports show "Ted Lasso." Both are in the classic sitcom mold - "Lasso" is a workplace comedy, while "Shadows is about supernatural roommates. "Ted Lasso" is the sentimental favorite, but nothing can compare to the comedic genius of the "Jackie Daytona" ep of "Shadows."
"A Teacher" was another late addition. Here's a show that definitely loses steam, but I'm including based on the strength of the performances by Kate Mara and (boy from "Love, Simon") Nick Robinson. The emotional depths they go to in this story of an illicit student-teacher relationship surprised me (A fair warning - this show is truly a DRAMA).
My honorable mentions included two of the best documentary series in years. I went with all fictional tales for my top 10 as usual, but wanted to give a special shout-out to the Nathan Felder-produced gem "How To With John Wilson" and the extraordinary MJ doc "The Last Dance." "DEVS" was the most cinematic program on TV this year besides "Mandalorian," and "The Boys" and "Ramy" both surpassed their first seasons with their sophomore runs. "Mrs. America" and "The Crown" were also both fascinating history lessons that barely missed my top ten list.
Did Not Finish:
The Eddy, Lovecraft Country
Most Listened-To Albums
Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers
Dedicated Side B – Carly Rae Jepsen
Fetch The Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple
Women in Music Part III – HAIM
Folklore - Taylor Swift
How I'm Feeling Now – Charli XCX
Dua Lipa made her case for pop music dominance with "Future Nostalgia" the album, as well as her truly transcendent live performances. "Future" is definitely going to be the first album in rotation once everyone can dance again together.
Too many of the melancholy Phoebe Bridgers tunes from "Punisher" soundtracked my year indoors ("Garden Song," "Kyoto," "Chinese Satellite," "I Know the End," list goes on...). However, I've read so many press interviews with her that I feel like I'm going to develop an alternate personality named "Phoebe Bridgers" in quarantine.
"Fetch The Bolt Cutters" is a masterpiece, obviously - especially when listened to in full. "Folklore" marked the high point of Taylor Swift's career turnaround in 2020. She continues to be such a fascinating cultural force in addition to a dynamic songwriting talent.
"Women in Music Part III" by HAIM was full of poppy ear worms, but fit for singing to yourself alone in your kitchen. Carly Rae Jepsen released "Dedicated Side B," with some fun additions to her catalogue (as well as the new classic Christmas song "It's Not Christmas 'Til Somebody Cries")
Finally, I listened to Charli XCX's produced-in-quarantine album "How I'm Feeling Now" more than anything this year. It's the first great work of art to come out of quarantine, full of excellent bops.
I usually have a "Theater" section here, but I didn't see many live performances in 2020 (obviously). I did see "Madea" with Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale at BAM in February. That was good.
That's it for my favorites of the year. Let's all hope for a better 2021!
Until next time...