Let’s get right to it. This is going to be a pretty casual post in bullet point form because, let’s be real—I watched 40+ movies in 2020 and I’m guessing you’re not going to want to read paragraphs for each of those movies, just like how I don’t want to WRITE paragraphs for each of those movies. Man, I miss going to the movies. Anyway, here are my thoughts on all the movies I watched in 2020, in chronological order. Let me know what you think!
Bombshell
- WOW I came out of this movie angrier than I thought I would be
- Entertaining the whole way through
- Somehow I really liked all the female leads despite not watching Fox News ever and disagreeing with a LOT of what happens on that channel
- I wonder how much of it is real and how much I would like those ladies from Fox in real life
1917
- Beautiful cinematography, one-take style
- Quentin Tarantino’s favorite movie of 2019, eh???
- One of my favorite scenes is when the dude jumps into the water to escape the Germans because he just lies there, and it’s quiet and the water is pretty and blue… and I realized that we hadn’t really seen much blue in the movie until then
- Benedict Cumberbatch = Benadryl Cucumber = Bandersnatch Cummerbund
- The last war film I saw before this was Jojo Rabbit (which I really liked, I think). Comparing the two made me think: (1) Jojo Rabbit spoke more to me and felt more personal so I think that’s why I liked it more, (2) Does a movie have to SPEAK to an audience and connect with you in order for it to be a “good” movie?, (3) War is bad, (4) Trump better not have started WWIII
Little Women
- Really sweet and beautiful movie !!
- I don’t want Emma Watson out of work because I adore her but she canNOT pull off an American accent
- It’s a long watch (over 2 hrs) but it was paced well
- That being said, I still don’t know if I would watch it again
- Is Timothee Chalamet gonna be the same character everywhere
- Likewise is Saoirse Ronan gonna be cast in anything nowadays where she doesn’t play a stubborn girl
- Laura Dern is also Laura Dern everywhere
- Direction was nice — GJ Greta
Parasite, 2nd time (SPOILER ALERT)
- Went to see it with Hanna at a movie theater and it actually stopped playing about 2/3 of the way through!! So we got two free movie passes each and David & I gave our passes to Hanna so now she can see 6 movies for free lol
- Thought a lot more about symbolism throughout
- Felt so sad when the maid was fired and she kept looking back at the house when she left because her husband was there
- Love love love this movie
- Probably one of my favorite movies ever
- I could write a dissertation on this movie
- Is ANYONE ELSE drawing connections between the rock in the movie and “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck??? No??? Just me???
The Irishman
- Way too freaking long (watched it on a flight to Chicago, then on a flight back from Chicago, THEN had to finish at home)
- What I got out of it is that gangs are bad and what is being in a crime family worth?? All the money and prestige in the world wouldn’t make me want to join a business where I’m constantly fearing for my/my family’s life and playing stupid mind games with other sociopaths
- Would not watch again mostly because of length
Better Luck Tomorrow
- Very tragic
- I didn’t really like any of the characters tbh
- Very 90s
- Gangs suck in general and when immature, undeveloped teenagers try to do gang stuff it’s just so bad
- So sad that this basically happened in real life
Ford v Ferrari
- zoom zoom
- white male rage
- Cool race scenes (100% real and no CGI!!) but it’s just like ok cars cool
- Why Oscar worthy…?
Birds of Prey
- Pretty much what I thought it’d be like
- What it has me thinking more about than the plot or how dumb Ewan McGregor looked was the different facets of female reaction to disgusting male behavior (Margot Robbie in Bombshell vs. Birds of Prey)
Sonic the Hedgehog
- I fell asleep
- Hahahaha Jean Ralphio Saperstein is Sonic
- Jim Carrey was probably the best part
- Favorite scene is when Robotnik is dancing in the vehicle thing and his assistant brings him a latte and is dancing but Robotnik is startled because he doesn’t know his assistant is there and then Robotnik yells at his assistant and says he loves the way he makes his lattes
Hidden Figures
- I liked this!!
- I like that Jim Parson’s character brings Katherine coffee at the end, HAH
- Still funny to me that Glen Powell plays John Glenn in the movie (you know, because of the “Glen” thing)
- Kind of sad that this didn’t win any Oscars (it didn’t, right?)
Onward
- IM CRI
- I didn’t even want to see this originally but I’m glad David took me
- Comedy felt really fresh
- Loved the scene at the tavern
- I knew it’d be about the brothers but I didn’t know it be THIS MUCH about the brothers and I’m like :’)
- David really liked it too
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (SPOILER ALERT)
- Super gay and y’know what? Here for it.
- Reminds me stylistically of Phantom Thread (slow pacing, setting, contrast between dark and light scenes, etc.) and reminds me thematically of Call Me By Your Name (content, tragic ending, last shot of someone crying for a long time)
- Blonde lead looked like a mix of Florence Pugh and Billie Eilish, and brunette lead looked like a mix of Daisy Ridley and Emma Watson?
- Not sure if I liked it a ton and I don’t think I’d see it again, but I think I liked it
- I really liked the Orpheus/Eurydice thing and how the last thing the blonde girl said to the brunette girl (SORRY I DON’T REMEMBER THEIR NAMES) was “turn around”
Bloodshot (last film I saw in theaters in 2020… sadly—SPOILER ALERT)
- …Still better than Cats
- Honestly, I had really low expectations and the movie actually surpassed them juuuuust a tiiiiiiny bit
- Girl who played KT was so beautiful WHAT
- Some cool ideas here, but wish they would have expanded more on some key things (ex: how Vin Diesel’s character REALLY died, how the other ex-soldiers ended up in the lab thing, KT’s backstory, what actually happened with Vin Diesel & Gina and where in the timeline that is in relation to when he’s fighting, etc.)
- I BET Vin Diesel puts on the deep voice all the time because his normal voice is like nasally and kinda squeaky and not at all attractive
- I cannot believe they got that dude from New Girl to play a supporting character, with a WACK British accent
Big Hero 6
- Hurt people hurt people :’(
- Cute! But also kinda dark and not Disney-like in some ways
- We love Tedashi
- Ba la la la la la
- Not super memorable in my opinion (do people really talk about anything except Baymax?) but I liked it
- Toooons of stuff happened in the second half so fast, not sure how I feel about pacing
Snowpiercer (SPOILER ALERT)
- Ok wow really intense!!
- Sometimes I feel like movies like this are gory and graphic for no reason
- I think compared to Parasite this was more in your face and not as nuanced, but about similar content
- Interesting how even Chris Evans dies at the end and the two lil kids die at the end and the only person left is the Korean girl and someone else??
- I guess it was good but idk if I would watch again
- The train scene with the tunnels and the darkness definitely made me think of Train to Busan (which I think may be a better movie in my book)
Okja (SPOILER ALERT)
- K I’m writing this maybe a month after I watched the movie and I’m still not really eating meat so that tells you how watching this movie went
- Bong’s movies are definitely all dark in some way for one reason or another and I wonder how he decides what topics he’s going to make films about
- I was reading that a lot of production companies wouldn’t pick up the film because of the slaughterhouse scene but I actually felt like the mating scene was worse… maybe it’s because I’m a girl and the fear of being r*ped has been very real to me for most of my life… also there’s a sense of humiliation and degradation attached to it and it’s not just straight-up killing
- Good movie but also very in your face and I will definitely NEVER watch it again
- Hard for me to see Jake Gyllenhaal in a normal role ever again, I think (but you should totally watch this)
Tigertail (slight spoilers)
- Really beautifully done
- I think I was craving some sort of emotional climax or explosion and I didn’t get any… which is good and bad: bad in that non-Asian audiences who watch the film may think the film is boring or plateaus at some points, but good in that Asian audiences can relate because Asian families REPRESS things ALL THE TIME
- Brought a tear to my eye even just realizing that there were people speaking TAIWANESE (and not just Chinese) in a NETFLIX MOVIE
- Man, I love my parents
Bad Education (SPOILER ALERT)
- WILD
- I thought it was good but I think the film missed a great opportunity to tell the story from “Rachel’s” lens — yes, Hugh Jackman was phenomenal and it was interesting to see his character, but I think the fact that Rachel brought everything to light (in real life, too) gave the filmmakers an amazing chance to tell a more investigative story where the moral is that kids are the future and kids are capable and also kids are brilliant not because of money or gifted programs or administration but because KIDS ARE BRILLIANT
- I can’t believe “Roosevelt Field” and “Fortunoff Old Country Road” were things I saw in the movie hahaha
- Wish it talked more about Long Island public school culture and competitiveness and all that stuff
Becoming
- I have some feelings about the Obamas but I felt empowered by this movie!!
- Loved that the only time Barack came out was to crack jokes lol
- I want to make a positive impact on the next generation of young girls
Logan Lucky (SPOILER ALERT)
- I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would
- What is Channing Tatum up to now except dating Jessie J, and why isn’t the answer “doing more comedy because he’s great at it”???
- Really funny — the part where the machine sucked Adam Driver’s prosthetic arm straight off had me SHOUTING
- I like that Channing’s character gave all the money back at the end
- Do I like Daniel Craig??? Still leaning towards no but I guess he’s talented
Prisoners (SPOILER ALERT)
- Long and stressful
- I got so nervous thinking that Hugh Jackman was really gonna be underground and die there
- I feel like this was one of the last times Jake Gyllenhaal was a good guy and not a creepy guy
- I’m so glad the two girls were safe
- The TWIST is so INSANE like it was an OLD LADY AND HER HUSBAND but also it makes sense but WOW
21
- Fun!
- Kevin Spacey…. ew…..
- I didn’t like the main character lol
- I think I liked the girl? The main girl?
- I also felt like this one was kinda long but maybe I have a short attention span now
Uncut Gems
- This is one of the most stressful films I’ve ever seen in my LIFE
- The opal is like The Pearl again???
- Adam Sandler is really good in this honestly
- Everyone is annoying and everyone needs to stop talking
- Except Julia, I like Julia
- And Idina, I like Idina
Just Mercy (SPOILER ALERT)
- Wow! Super good!
- I don’t really remember Jamie Foxx in roles except now this one I guess
- Really liked that they kept basically the whole The Old Rugged Cross chapter (except I thought Herb’s family was there?) and they kept the part about the bad security guard having a change of heart
- I wish they had told some of the other stories from the book but I understand that they had to focus more on the main storyline
- Is that how it ended though?? I don’t remember the bad guys choosing to dismiss all charges against Walter
- Long but good
Love Wedding Repeat
- It was…. ok
- I think I would have liked it more if I liked more characters… I only liked Dina and this was an ensemble cast kind of movie
Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis
- Unexpectedly really funny! I like that she’s not CONSTANTLY talking about sex (like John Mulaney)
- Makes me want to watch more of her stuff… I hope she makes more content
Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal
- Also unexpectedly funny!
- I didn’t think it was that funny the first time, but I heard David and my brother watching it (after David & I had already watched it) while I was trying to take a nap, and I actually found myself laughing while I was trying to fall asleep
Late Night
- HOLLY!!!!
- I think I liked it… it was cute
- So sweet that Mindy wrote that role with Emma Thompson in mind and EMMA IS IN IT PLAYING THAT ROLE
- I like the ending :’) not sure how realistic it is, but hey, it’s a movie
The King of Staten Island
- I think I like Pete Davidson a little more than before
- Full disclosure, I’m writing this wayyyyy after I saw the movie so I don’t remember much… which means it wasn’t super memorable
- I was skeptical about making Pete the lead in anything but I think it works
- It’s fine? I don’t know too many of Judd Apatow’s movies so it doesn’t mean much to me when people say it’s his best
Palm Springs
- So surprised by how amazing this was… I was going to take a break in the middle but I ended up watching the whole thing
- Still can’t tell if I like Cristin Milioti or not but she seems to pick good stuff to be in
- Andy Samberg is not excessively Samberg-ing in this role which is a nice change and probably makes this one of his best performances
- I’m sorry, I don’t like Camila Mendes’ eyebrows, SUE ME
The Nice Guys
- So freaking enjoyable
- Honestly also really surprised I liked this
- “8008135” HAHA
- The WRITING is SO FUNNY and I was so genuinely interested to know how everything was connected!
The Assistant
- I… what…
- I feel like I know why people would say it’s genius but like… SUPER overrated in my opinion
- Best scene was when she was trying to report to HR. So infuriating. The rest was just :I
One Day (slight spoilers)
- Dang, I think I’m going to have that scene with the truck seared into my memory forever
- Definitely Sparks-like but I still enjoyed it even though I found out later that not many people thought it was good
- Love Anne Hathaway
- I’m a big o’ sap
Full disclosure: I’m writing about these last few movies several weeks/months after seeing them, as opposed to right after seeing the movies like with the ones above this note, so my memory is probably a little fuzzy on some of these.
Girls’ Trip
- I don’t remember too much about this one but that scene with the pee was… a lot
- I like that on Wikipedia, it says: “Mike Colter as Stewart Pierce, Ryan’s cheating husband” (LOL “CHEATING HUSBAND” AND NOT JUST “HUSBAND”)
- I liked the ending :’) GIRL POWER
- Tiffany Haddish is so. funny.
- Would probably watch again just for fun
Mulan
- I have… thoughts
- I didn’t like it
- I thought it would’ve been so cool if Gong Li’s character decided to team up with Mulan at the end but did that happen?? NOPE.
- All the heart of the first movie is gone, in my opinion
- I think it’s funny that they turned Cricket into a guy
- Is that.. Jet Li?? Oof I see the years on this guy
- The cameo though ❤ ❤ ❤
Before Sunrise
- FEELS
- Wow I really felt like I was there with them
- I didn’t really like Ethan Hawke and I don’t really know him in anything else but I think I liked him in this
- David told me that a bunch of the conversations were improv’d which is so cool
- I need to watch the other movies in the series for sure, but I need to be in a certain mood for it
BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky
- BLACKPINK IS THE FREAKING REVOLUTION
- Ugh, I loved this so much I watched it 2x in 48 hours
- Love that they spent so much time on Rose because I feel like she’s so underappreciated—this movie makes me feel like I could really be friends with her
- Wish they had spent more time on Jisoo but I feel like Jisoo is the “most Korean” out of all of them so she may not appeal to a global market as much as the other three do… I hate to say it because I also love Jisoo but I can imagine the people working on this film thinking that
- Something happened to Jennie, I think… I feel like she might have a chronic illness because she is tired and sick all the time (although I really hope that’s not true), or she’s probably unhappy, especially after the dating thing that happened a few years ago
- On a separate note about Blackpink: They really just released their album, performed “Lovesick Girls” and “Pretty Savage” a handful of times, and then dropped off again, huh??
Run
- Sarah Paulson is sp00py lady
- Apparently this is the first horror film to star someone in a wheelchair since the 70s or something, so that’s cool!
- There were a few plot holes in my opinion but overall very tense and well-done
- Not sure how I feel about the ending! I wonder what I would do, honestly
The Devil All The Time
- DELUUUUSIONNNNSSSSS
- Was really excited about this when I first saw the trailer!
- Very well-acted
- All the scenes with Jason Clarke and Riley Keough made me so so so stressed
- I think it’s funny that Tom Holland and Sebastian Stan are both in a not-Marvel movie
- In my opinion, it’s lumped into the same “Three Billboards” category (or, at least that’s what I call it)—movies that are about people taking matters into their own hands and sinful people creating increasingly sinful situations
I feel like I definitely watched movies in between “The Devil All The Time” and “ariana grande” but I forgot to write them down and they’re not coming to mind which makes me sad :(
ariana grande: excuse me, i love you
- As someone who actually went to the sweetener world tour, I had a great time watching this (shoutout to Naomi who Netflix Party’d this with me)
- I wish there was more behind the scenes footage though, and I wish “goodnight n go” was in the movie
- The “breathin” and “Dangerous Woman” runs will forever kill me
Nocturnal Animals (slight spoilers)
- The first hour of the movie is so deeply distressing and disturbing and stressful and I will never watch it again
- I hate to say it, but one of my first thoughts after watching the movie was…….. so Jake Gyllenhaal’s character basically pulled a Tommy Wiseau and wrote “The Room”?
- I wish I had seen more of Amy & Jake’s love story pre-Armie (sorry I don’t remember any of their names, and now I’m also realizing that Amy & Jake reminds me of Brooklyn Nine-Nine haha)
- Wow, the last time we see Amy and Jake interact with each other is when she’s in the car with Armie, and we don’t see what happens after that
- David was telling me about the ending of the book and how it’s more ambiguous, and I think I agree with him in that we both think the ending of the movie is better (you can Wikipedia the ending of the book if you’d like)
- This was directed by… Tom Ford? Like… “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford?”
- Also in my “Three Billboards” category
Wonder Woman 1984 (SPOILER ALERT)
- Imagine there’s…… no heaven…….
- IT’S EASY IF YOUUU TRYYYYY
- Was not impressed
- Definitely liked the first movie a LOT better
- The first movie had WAY better action sequences (No Man’s Land scene was crazy and very memorable in the first movie, and the pairing of that scene with the incredible score was insane)
- I had a lot of questions throughout this movie (ex: she didn’t clearly wish for Steve to be alive so I didn’t even know it happened, doesn’t Max have to physically touch everyone for their wishes to come true?, etc.)—so many questions that it kept me from fully enjoying the movie
- I think the first movie did a better job at showing that Diana is very pure-hearted/wants to believe that people are good—I felt that was sort of lacking in this movie and that the villain just being really greedy made it feel like a Disney movie
- Also, why did Steve have to come back in someone else’s body? Didn’t she just wish for him to be back—period? And did the actual guy whose body Steve took just lose his memory while Steve was in him? So confused.
- ALSO, how come at first, everyone only had one wish, and then Max said that he could break the rules?
- I was very skeptical about Kristen Wiig in this movie, and I actually think she was fine
- I guess the movie was ~fine~ but it felt preachy and didn’t make me feel much else
Soul (SPOILER ALERT)
- ❤ ❤ ❤
- I love that Disney/Pixar is exploring mortality more—creates opportunities to talk about it with kids and makes the idea a little more accessible
- Makes me appreciate life and what I have :’)
- Beautifully done in my opinion
- The quick jump cut to the cat on the conveyor belt thing in The Great Beyond had me ROLLING
- I wish more people were talking about this movie!! I also wish more people talked about Onward when it came out
On The Rocks (slight spoilers)
- Interesting last movie of 2020
- It was okay.. they really had me in the first half hahaha
- Rashida isn’t super expressive, and Bill Murray is just being himself, and Marlon Wayans didn’t really get a chance to show much of his range in this movie
- I wish there were more emotional moments, especially towards the end when Rashida’s character and Marlon’s character REALLY talk about their marriage, and lies that they believe about themselves and the roles they play in their relationship
If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading some of my thoughts :)
