The Highlights – A Year of Film & TV
Well, I could say 2020 has been a wild year but I genuinely feel that would be an understatement. Since March our worlds have drastically changed and for me in particular I have been working from home since then and have more time on my hands than I have since starting my professional life. While I miss the “office” culture of being at work, I don’t miss the hour to hour and a half commute. That extra time has given me the opportunity to truly balance work and life (even more so than before) – from working out more to cooking more and of course watching more movies and TV series. Alongside binge watching classic TV series like Gossip Girl and Mad Men, I worked my way through my favorite film franchises. I watched all of Star Wars (including The Mandalorian), the Jurassic Park films had several watch-throughs, but the biggest undertaking has been the “Infinity Saga” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which I will be very excited to rank in the near future! But when looking at cinema in general I have missed the opportunity to see some films in theaters or they have been pushed to 2021. Despite that, I have seen some amazing films and TV series this year so I will recap what I’ve watched (new and old) and highlight the best of 2020 (series and films released this year) from best picture to best actress/actor.
What I Watched:
The Highlights (New & Old)
Estimated Movies Watched: ~370
Estimated (New) TV Series Watched: ~25
Estimated (New) Episodes Watched: ~415
Month With Most Episodes Watched: May 2020 with 91 Episodes
*Data provided in part by TV Time & Letterboxd
Favorite First Time Watches:
1. Little Women (2019)
2. Whiplash (2014)
3. Amélie (2001)
4. Before Sunrise (1995)
5. A Star is Born (2018)
6. Phantom Thread (2017)
7. Her (2013)
8. Parasite (2019)
9. Babyteeth (2019)
10. The Gentlemen (2019)
Favorite Movie Rewatches:
1. Titanic (1997)
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
3. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
6. Wind River (2017)
7. Lost in Translation (2003)
8. Once (2007)
9. Jurassic Park (1993)
10. The Prestige (2006)
TV Series Rewatches:
1. Sharp Objects (2018)
2. Chernobyl (2019)
3. Mad Men (2007 – 2015)
4. Shameless (2011 – )
5. Gossip Girl (2007 – 2012)
6. Pretty Little Liars (2010 – 2017)
7. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018 – 2020)
8. Make It or Break It (2009 – 2012)
Favorite TV Series:
1. Normal People (2020)
2. The Mandalorian (S01 &S02)
3. The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
4. The Undoing (2020)
5. Homeland (S01-08)
6. The Flight Attendant (2020)
7. Dead to Me (S01 & S02)
8. High Fidelity (2020)
9. The Great (2020)
10. Sex Education (S01 & S02)
Noteworthy TV Series:
1. Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
2. A Teacher (2020)
3. Run (2020)
Most Rewatched:
Titanic (1997) & Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Favorite Actress/Actor:
Actress: Elle Fanning
I watched a lot of her films after seeing her in The Great. She’s incredible in all her roles, big or small. She was my favorite actress to watch this year by far!
Actor: Tom Holland
I’ve got to say – I loved him in the Avengers films and his standalone Spider-Man films. He fits that character so well but watching The Devil All the Time and seeing him do something different was great and he did an amazing job.
Favorite Hidden Gems:
1. Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)
2. Teen Spirit (2018)
3. The Year of Spectacular Men (2017)
4. Never Goin’ Back (2018)
5. Ruby Sparks (2012)
6. Blue Jay (2016)
7. Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)
Franchise Rewatches:
1. Infinity Saga (All 23 Films)
2. Star Wars (Episodes 1-9, Rogue One, Solo & The Mandalorian)
3. Jurassic Park (The Original 3)
4. Ocean’s (All of them)
The Fade Out Awards: Best of 2020
*All based on my opinion personal opinion & preference
Here are my picks for “the Best of 2020” based on what I saw throughout the year.
Best Picture:
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Best Actor:
Best Actress:
Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit)
Tom Holland (The Devil All the Time)
Best Cinematography:
Mank (2020)
Best Costume Design:
The Great (S01)
Best TV Series or Miniseries – Drama:
Normal People (2020)
Best TV Series or Miniseries – Musical or Comedy:
Dead to Me (S02)
The Fade Out: A Movie Blog 