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Movies and Books: 2020

There’s no doubt that 2020, especially in the movie realm, was an odd one for media. Looking at the movies and books lists, I can draw a hard line exactly where the pandemic began in the US. I never would have guessed that Emma would be the last film I’d see in theatres for the year, or that my last in-person book club meeting would be for Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus. But here we are, none the less. I was actually able to see a lot of old and new films thanks to various film festivals that moved online, and I hate to admit that there was something really nice about, say, not having to hustle across down in the July heat or drive around the Beltway in December to attend these various festivals. (It doesn’t stop me from worrying about those theatres, though.)

I’d also told myself during the pandemic that since I was going out I would try and read a lot more, but the reality was that work swallowed up a lot of that time. I can say that I worked more this year than in past ones, even as the end results were rewarding in their own right. Last but not least, I had to delete the “Plays/Performances” category entirely this year, which stunk. Maybe next year I’ll do better about finding some streaming performances, if nothing else. Anyway, here’s the tally. Onwards and upwards!

Movies:

  1. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
  2. Uncut Gems
  3. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
  4. Bombshell
  5. The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2020: Animated
  6. The Assistant
  7. Emma.
  8. Baby Boom
  9. The Red Shoes
  10. First Vote
  11. Transhood
  12. AFI DOCS: Shorts Program 1 [ Lake, The Paint Wizzard, Elevator Pitch, Mizuko, Dafa Metti, Flower Punk ]
  13. AFI DOCS: Shorts Program 2 [ Out of the Blue, Still Here, Pampas, 808: How We Respond, The Forest Churches of Ethiopia, Mother, All That Perishes At The Edge of Land ]
  14. Freedia Got a Gun
  15. AFI DOCS: Shorts Program 3 [ Abortion Helpline This is Lisa, Now Is The Time, Do Not Split, Patty Are You Bringing In Weed From Jamaica, San Diego ]
  16. AFI DOCS: Shorts Program 4 [ Broken Orchestra, See You Next Time, Memoirs of Vegetation, Huntsville Station, The Deepest Hole, The Lost Astronaut, Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible ]
  17. In a Lonely Place
  18. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
  19. Herself
  20. Assassins
  21. Undine
  22. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
  23. Kajillionaire
  24. Leave Her to Heaven
  25. On the Rocks
  26. Detour
  27. Dog Day Afternoon
  28. Another Round
  29. Summer of 85
  30. Exile
  31. Apples
  32. Wonder Woman 1984
  33. Let Them All Talk

Books and Graphic Novels:

  1. Walt Disney’s Donald’s Duck: The Ghost Sheriff of Last Gasp by Carl Barks
  2. Walt Disney’s Donald’s Duck: Terror of the Beagle Boys by Carl Barks
  3. House of X / Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, and R.B. Silva
  4. The Power by Naomi Alderman
  5. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill
  6. Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill
  7. Isola Vol. 1 by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl
  8. Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Brick by Brick by Gerard Way and Nick Derington
  9. Doom Patrol Vol. 2: Nada by Gerard Way and Nick Derington
  10. Mother Panic Vol. 1: Work in Progress by Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards
  11. Mother Panic Vol. 2: Under Her Skin by Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards
  12. Shade, the Changing Girl Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone
  13. Shade, the Changing Girl Vol. 2: Little Runaway by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone
  14. Milk Wars by Gerard Way, Jody Houser, Cecil Castellucci, Steve Orlando, et al.
  15. Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 by William Moulton Marston, H.G. Peter, et al.
  16. Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey
  17. Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge: The Lost Crown on Genghis Khan by Carl Barks
  18. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
  19. Finna by Nino Cipri
  20. The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley
  21. The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch
  22. Network Effect by Martha Wells
  23. The Devourers by Indra Das
  24. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  25. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
  26. The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch 
  27. What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 14 by Fumi Yoshinaga
  28. Furari by Jiro Taniguchi
  29. Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
  30. Aria: The Masterpiece Vol. 5 by Kozue Amano
  31. Venice by Jiro Taniguchi

Previous Years’ Tallies: