I know this is a little late… since we’re halfway through February already, but 2020 gave us some amazing films and I really want to talk about them!!
So I watched a total of 13 “films” released in 2020.
6 feature-length films
- Palm Springs (Hulu)
- Onward (Disney+)
- the half of it (Netflix)
- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (Disney+)
- Soul (Disney+)
- happiest season (Hulu)
2 musical stage production filmings
- Black Friday (YouTube: Starkid)
- Hamilton (Disney+)
1 documentary mini-series
- Tiger King (Netflix)
1 limited series
- The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
1 Netflix interactive movie
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
& 2 short films
- If Anything Happens I Love You (Netflix)
- Canvas (Netflix)
For the sake of this list, I will only be talking about my top two feature-length films!
NO SPOILERS BELOW!
Pixar’s Soul – Directed by Pete Docter
Soul was released on Disney+ on Christmas Day, which is when I first watched it. It follows the story of Joe Gardener, a middle-aged music teacher as he tries to become a professional musician. That’s all I really want to say about it, as I think it is best to go into movies blind. However, I will say that this movie is absolutely fantastic. I was scared that it would be similar to Onward, Pixar’s first movie of the year, in that it would be lacking overall and turn out a bit disappointing.
The only issue I have with it is that it’s Disney/Pixar’s first black male lead and he spends half the movie as a little blue blob. The film was also written and directed by a white man, which is all fine and dandy, but it would be nice if that crew working on the movie was just as diverse as the cast and characters. However, I am not a person of color so I cannot really speak on the matter. For a review from a person of color, see the link below:
With that said, Soul did not disappoint at all. It showed us a man who was lost and questioning his purpose in life discover all that life has to offer him. It is definitely one of Pixar’s more adult films, covering heavy concepts like death and the purpose of living. I cry every time I watch it. It’s just a wonderful movie overall with a heartwarming message about life.
Hulu’s Palm Springs – Directed by Max Barbakow
Over quarantine, I became obsessed with Brooklyn 99. So when one of the stars, Andy Samberg, came out with a new movie, I was excited to watch it! And I was not disappointed!
The movie follows Nyles and Sarah, two wedding guests who are strangers to one another, as they relive the same day over and over again. They take advantage of their situation, disobeying every rule and learning more about themselves along the way. It is hilarious and sweet and just all-around amazing.
Every time I watch it, I can feel myself falling deeper in love with this movie. And that’s really all I have to say about it. It’s just a solid rom-com with a darker, sci-fi twist! I completely recommend it!
To complete this list, I will be ranking the rest of my 2020 watches from best to worst! thanks for reading!
- Soul
- Palm Springs
- The Queen’s Gambit
- Tiger King
- Hamilton
- Black Friday
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Phineas and Ferb
- Onward
- half of it
- canvas
- happiest season
- if anything happens I love you
