My Favorite Watches in 2020

2020 was a weird time, and a perfect time to binge shows/catch-up on content; which I didn't really do. I was ridden with productivity guilt so I actually didn't binge as much as I could have. But when I wasn't being so hard on myself, I did allow myself to enjoy some media that I watched either by myself or through Netflix parties.

As a note, this list does not comprise of things that were released in 2020, but rather things that I enjoyed during 2020 since I was trying to get through my backlog. In no particular order, here are my favorite TV and film watches for 2020.

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Reality TV

I watched a lot more reality TV than usual this year, more than I would like to admit. I think I just wanted to escape the reality I was living in so I had to watch a different reality. The reality shows that I enjoyed were Terrace House (Tokyo & Aloha State), Love is Blind, and 90 Day Fiance (Before the 90 Days and The Other Way).

I watched Terrace House with my cousin via Netflix Party and we watched two spin-offs. What everybody says is true, it is a super calm reality show that is strangely enticing. It was a great way to keep in consistent touch with my cousin during this quarantine and I really enjoyed our discussions about our favorite members, the couples we shipped, if we agreed or disagreed with their decisions, and random stories that we would be reminded of while watching. I did feel weird about watching the show after learning about what happens to Hana and it kind of ruined the magic of the show. I also disliked the double standards of the men and women on the show that would be shown through the commentary of the judges. Although I enjoyed the discussions that sprung from Terrace House, I do have mixed feelings about the show itself.

Funny enough, I was pretty hooked on Love is Blind (Netflix). My housemate and I watched the first episode together while we were eating lunch and I finished the rest of the show on my own. I thought the concept was fascinating, the people on the show was interesting, and I was curious on if any of the couples were actually going to get married. There was definitely a lot of drama on the show and it made me reflect on what it means to love someone/choose someone as your life partner. I thought it was a quick, fun watch and I think it's sweet that some of the couples are still together.

90 Day Fiance was a ride. I wanted to watch it because of all of the memes from Rose and Ed so I had to see the source material. My best friend and I even split the cost of Hulu Live TV for a month just so that we can watch the latest seasons. It's a pretty typical dramatic reality TV show and it's fun to try to guess who are the genuine couples. A majority of the couples are super toxic though and I actually felt bad for most of them because they were getting taken advantage of but they didn't want to see it. It reminded me how important it is to work on yourself and to build a healthy self esteem before entering into a committed relationship. Otherwise, if you're still insecure, bad people will take advantage of it and you'll end up like one of the toxic couples on 90 Day Fiance. Great entertainment at the moment but it did make me a little sad.

Parasite (Hulu)

I got on the Parasite hype train quite late but I wanted to wait until there was a showing at my local theaters so I saw it in theaters (when they were still a thing) within the first week of 2020. Totally worth the wait and I am so happy that I saw it in theaters. I couldn't stop thinking about the movie after I exited the theater and I had to do a bunch of research and learn more about the movie. There are so many fun facts about the production and the layers of meaning of the movie. Even though the movie is about Korean society, I think the prime message of growing class inequality is a universal theme which is probably why it resonated with so many different people. It's hard to believe that 2020 was the same year that Parasite was the first Korean film that won best picture. Kind of on theme for 2020 considering the events that happen in the movie. Great watch, highly recommend.

The Half of It (Netflix)

Probably one of my favorite coming-of-age films! I wrote about The Half of It in another blog article (which the movie inspired) but I'll talk about it again briefly. I think the biggest reason why this became an instant favorite is because I wasn't expecting a touching immigration story along with a love triangle. Usually my favorite media are the ones that can surprise me or it's not what I was expecting. I really appreciated the themes of self-love and friendship as well. Romantic interests are overrated anyways. I feel so lucky to be living in an age where Asian-American representation in film is progressing.

Never Have I Ever (Netflix)

Another show that I watched with my cousin via Netflix Party. She highly recommended it to me and she even re-watched it so she could watch it with me. Although the show had a lot of nuances that was focused on Indian-American culture, a lot of it overlaps with immigrant culture in-general so I found it very relatable. I saw myself in Devi as I was also socially awkward, was trying to find my way during teenagehood, and I had a lot of resentment towards my culture while growing up. What really struck with me with Never Have I Ever was the theme of dealing with grief at a young age. Things that deal with the topic of grief usually has a soft spot in my heart. As much as I didn't want to cry in (virtually) front of my cousin, but I couldn't help myself during the last episode and gravity did its thing. Along with it being relatable and tugging at the heart strings, I also found the show really funny. Really looking forward to season 2!

Tigertail (Netflix)

More Asian-American representation! I love the stuff that Alan Yang works on since he wrote for Parks and Rec and Master of None. What stood out about this movie to me is that it is in English, Mandarin, AND Taiwanese! I also wrote about this movie in another blog post but to reiterate, what I got out of this movie was a reminder to get in touch with your roots and to be kinder to your parents as they had a past that shaped them to who they are. Beautiful cinematography, great acting, a touching story.

Jojo Rabbit (HBO Max)

Holy moly Jojo Rabbit is amazing. I love absurdist humor, historical time pieces, and Taika Waititi's directing style. On top of being really witty and satirical, it's also visually beautiful with even lighting, bold colors, art deco patterns and furniture, and great costumes. But it also has a twist with the butterfly scene!! This movie just had everything that I love in a movie.

I, Tonya (Hulu)

Super late with I, Tonya since it was recommended to me a while ago but I'm so happy that I finally got around to watching it! Dark humor, engaging story-telling, figure skating drama, and all based on a true story! I didn't know that Tonya Harding was a real person until I looked it up after the movie. I appreciate the documentary aspect of the movie as well as Tonya breaking the fourth wall. Margot Robbie did an amazing job as Tonya.

Midsommar (Amazon Prime)

Oh boy, I mainly watched Midsommar out of curiosity since I am not a big horror fan but my coworkers love this movie so I had to see what was so appealing about it. It also doesn't have ghosts so I thought I could handle it. I convinced my housemates to watch it with me and we were all shocked at the audacity of the film since it really did not hold back. After processing the movie, I realized that I actually really liked it because I appreciate the message of the film and it gave me a lot to think about. I also got to learn more about pagan cults since I did some research after the movie so that was kind of cool. It was a reminder to not settle for a relationship (look for someone who feels like "home") and how easy to get manipulated when you're emotionally vulnerable.

La La Land (HBO Max)

I re-watched La La Land during the middle of quarantine because I was watching clips of the musical sequences on YouTube so I was inspired since I've only watched it once. Watching La La Land again put me in a La La Land obsession phase because I forgot how good it is. I was playing the soundtrack all the time, researching behind the scenes fun facts, and making other people re-watch it again with me. I'm a sucker for musicals along with it being visually beautiful and emotionally gut wrenching, how could I not love this movie? THAT EPILOGUE SEQUENCE?! So many emotions my my. This movie also appeals to me because I am very much a "follow your dreams" type of person so I really resonated with the theme of struggling artists trying to make their dreams come true. A lot of people find the ending sad because they didn't end up together but I loved the ending because they both achieved their dream and they are able to acknowledge that they helped each other get there ("thank u, next" vibes much?). Plus having them not end up together makes the ending more of a gut punch and makes it more impactful. I might write a separate blog post for this movie because I love it so much.

Parks and Recreation (Netflix, now Peacock)

Parks and Rec was another re-watch! Parks is my favorite sitcom so I was really excited when my housemate started watching it in the living room during lunch and dinner. Parks is my favorite sitcom because I love ironic humor/satire, the character growth, the outrageous political battles, amazing cameos, and each season gets better and better. It is such a great break-time watch and the older episodes even hold up really well. We got through a good amount of the series before it went off Netflix. The quarantine reunion special was amazing and super epic!!

Middleditch and Schwartz (Netflix)

I actually almost went to a Middleditch and Schwartz live show but I ended up being out of town the weekend they came by so I was really excited to see some of their shows on Netflix! I love the shows that they're on (Silicon Valley and Parks and Rec) so I knew it was going to be hilarious, and I was right. I love improv comedy and I wished that I went to more improv shows previously (perhaps after the pandemic ends?). But yes, if you need a good laugh, I would highly recommend!

Kingdom (Netflix)

Watched Kingdom during October as a Netflix Party and for the ~spooky~ vibes. I was really impressed with Kingdom! Super high production value, each episode looked like a movie. They really committed to the zombies. I think these zombies are scarier than those on The Walking Dead because these zombies RUN. I also enjoyed the drama and political factors of the show. I thought it was a great watch and I'm excited for season 3!

Knives Out (Amazon Prime)

Who doesn't like a good and witty murder mystery? A star studded cast, good humor, and PLOT TWISTSSS. I love plot twists. Knives Out is such a fun and solid watch, highly recommend!

Modern Love (Amazon Prime)

A heartwarming and optimistic watch, showcasing different versions of what love could look like. Lots of notable actors and very interesting stories. They all even tie in together at the end, how neat!

You (Netflix)

You was such a ride! I mainly started watching it because I wanted to see all of the LA tropes and stereotypes played out in season 2. It was a pretty addicting watch with cliffhangers at the end of each episode. It gave me Dexter and 500 Days of Summer vibes; super interesting combo if you ask me. Lots of social commentary about dating and projecting your expectations on the other person. Excited for season 3!

Cowboy Bebop (Hulu)

Finally got around to watching Cowboy Bebop; an anime cult favorite. Definitely a fun adventure and it seemed like Firefly was heavily inspired by Cowboy Bebop with the whole space cowboy bounty hunter theme. I kind of wished that the anime was more plot driven but I still enjoyed the random one-off adventures they had. And of course Ein! The best space corgi out there! Cowboy Bebop is also a reminder that you can make your own family. A fun watch with some dark and heavy moments.

Soul

The last thing I watched in 2020! I really enjoyed Soul. I think the topic of finding your spark in life is very common and I thought Pixar did a good job at addressing a topic that is normally very heavy in an easily digestible way. It is a good reminder to chase your dreams, live your life, and that you are worthy of life. Plus Pixar really outdid themselves with the animation in this movie wow. Soul is definitely different from the usual Pixar story style, it's more existential if anything, but I personally don't mind the more loose and vague story structure. Give it a watch and see for yourself!

Crash Landing on You (Netflix)

To be honest, Crash Landing on You (CLOY) was my favorite watch of 2020. I haven't watched a k-drama in years and I decided to watch CLOY after hearing all of the hype around it so I was curious on how possibly good could it be? The answer is: amazingly good. It's the best k-drama I've watched with a super high production value, well written plot, maybe the only k-drama where the ending doesn't feel sloppy, and the first time I cried during a k-drama due to romance (I usually don't cry during dramas unless it's about grief or family things). I binged watched the whole drama during memorial day weekend and I was literally grieving the end of the drama. I was so attached to the characters and invested in their story. Fun fact, the main actors of the drama are officially dating now! Everybody knew it because THEIR CHEMISTRY WAS SO STRONG! I love CLOY, it's going to be really hard to watch other dramas after CLOY. It was such an emotional rollercoaster. SERI AND JUNGHYUK FOREVER!!

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And there you have it! My favorite watches in 2020. My backlog is still extremely long but I'll get around to it eventually. I originally didn't think I watched that much last year, but looking at the list I watched more than I thought! I think I watched more movies this year since you just need to commit two hours and then you're done.

Excited for what 2021 has in store for us! My next post is probably going to be about the books I read in 2020.

Until next time my friend,

Amanda ^_^