Post Holiday Film & TV Shows Excitement
I love films and TV shows. Because of that, this is normally my favourite time of year. The winter holiday is the unofficial start of award season. We start getting Oscar predication lists, and for me, that means going to the movies at least once a week. However, due to Covid, things look a little different now. Depending where you are in the world, it’s very likely that there are no movie theatres open. And because of the lack of available theatres, the Oscars have been pushed back, and therefore, there are very few new movie releases.
Oh, and hi! My name is Alice and I’m so excited to be part of the Pretty & Smart Co. team! Anyways, back to the movie stuff.
The Good, None of the Bad, and None of the Ugly
However, if you’re like me, since March, you’ve spent a lot of your time watching what has been available to us on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crave, or on good ol’ fashion cable. Despite the very minimal award season movies provided for us so far, 2020 has actually had a lot of incredibly great shows come out, and we are now starting to get some solid feature films. So, to help you get 2021 off to a great start, I’ve come up with a list of my personal favourite shows and films that I watched during 2020. I tried to keep it to projects that came out in 2020, but there might be one or two from 2019 that just had to be on this list. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the programs that saved my 2020:
The Last Dance
(ESPN or Netflix)
I want to begin by saying I am not a sports person at all. Like at all. I’ve never seen a football, basketball, or baseball game in its entirety. However, The Last Dance will convert you. This miniseries had some of the best visual and sound editing I have seen in a very long time. It instantly transports you back to Chicago in the 90s. Even if you know the results of the games they replay, you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat with your heart racing as if you are watching it live.
Cheer
(Netflix)
This was the first show that I watched in 2020, and it is still one of my favourites. Believe me when I say you do not have to be a cheerleading fan to enjoy this program (just ask my dad who watched all 6 episodes with me). Cheer is so much more than a show about cheerleading. It is about acceptance, discrimination, class, upbringing, and finding family. It will make you laugh, cry, wince, feel out of shape, and yes, cheer.
The Queen’s Gambit
(Netflix)
I know this show is all over social media right now, but trust me when I say all the hype is for a reason. This show blew me away. Not only did I want to learn how to play chess after watching the series, but I also became more proud to call myself a woman. It’s about a young female chess prodigy in the 1960s. Sorry, I meant to say it’s about a young badass, smart, strong, powerful, inspiring, determined young female chess prodigy in the 1960s. Please give this show a chance. The cast is stellar, the design is amazing, and Anya Taylor-Joy is captivating. Keep an eye out for the Emmy and Golden Globe nominations because I have a strong feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of her.
Jeopardy
(NBC)
In November, Alex Trebek passed away due to his ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer. 2020 proved to be difficult for me, just like for many others, but the death of Alex Trebek was especially hard. The Jeopardy host is someone I look up to. He was a huge part of the memories my family and I had, seeing as we would watch Jeopardy every single week day at 7:30pm. Alex Trebek is in my opinion, the greatest television host of our time. Starting on January 4th, 2021, his final week of episodes will air. I would highly recommend watching his last week as host of Jeopardy, as well as the re runs airing currently.
Da 5 Bloods
(Netflix)
This was my favourite film of 2020. I had been putting off watching it for a few months because I assumed I knew “what kind of film” it would be. But boy was I wrong. This film blew me away! Delroy Lindo’s performance was some of the best acting I have seen in years. The film was 2 hours and 35 minutes, but it felt rushed. I found myself wanting more! When pivotal moments happened, I was upset because I knew we were one step closer to the movie ending. I was begging for more time; more flashbacks, more time where the characters were just being in the moment, just more! Yes, this film is hard to stomach at times, but it can also make you laugh hysterically five minutes later. It’s such an important film to watch.
Watchmen
(HBO)
I know I said this list was in no particular order, but Watchmen is hands down the best thing I have watched this past year. Yes, I know this came out in 2019, but the final episode aired in December 2019, so basically in 2020 right? I’m sorry, but this show was just TOO good not to put on this list. This show is considered the unofficial sequel to the Watchmen comic, but please don’t count it out just because you aren’t a comic book fan. Neither was I! The cast is absolutely mind blowing. It is a master class in acting. Also, Watchmen had the best directing and cinematography I have seen all year. Episode 6, “This Extraordinary Being”, is in my top three favourite episodes of television ever. If there is only one program from this list that you watch, please let it be this one.
Honourable Mentions/What almost made this list:
- Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime)
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netlix)
- The Trial of the Chicago Seven (Netflix)
- The Invisible Man (Amazon Prime)
- Hillary (Netflix)
- The Crown, season 4 (Netlix)
- How to Get Away with Murder, season 6 (ABC)
