Let's Talk The Best Movies of 2020

Welp the Golden Globes happened last week. If you didn’t watch the telecast, don’t worry, you didn’t miss much - they were kinda boring. So boring that I finished this write-up a week after I intended. Usually, the best part of the telecast is watching drunk celebrities interact with each other in person, but because of the pandemic, we got a mishmash of awkward Zoom calls alongside some live hosting/bits courtesy of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and some SNL personalities.

Did you guys know the HFPA (the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that puts on the Golden Globe Awards) has zero Black members amidst its cabal of 87 people? It’s why they took time during the telecast to “address” the issue after calls for reform.

Ava DuVernay and Times Up aren’t so convinced they actually are going to do anything about it.

More concerning about the HFPA is that they’ve had a history of being corrupt and its members easily “bought.”

Other stories abound. Here is just one: In 1999, HFPA members were given 82 Coach watches, valued at more than $400 apiece, as part of a promotional campaign for Sharon Stone’s performance in The Muse. (Stone was nominated but didn’t win.) The LA Times noted that in 2011, the group’s publicist “filed a lawsuit alleging that members accepted money, vacations, gifts and a host of perks ‘provided by studios and producers in exchange for support or votes in nominating or awarding a particular film’”; he also alleged that members were selling red-carpet access to media.

Seriously, just read this LA Times article - they have a history of shady practices and outright bribery for nominees and winners. Why do you think Emily In Paris was nominated? It certainly wasn’t because it was a true achievement in the motion picture art form.

So don’t feel bad if you’ve never cared about the Golden Globes or if you don’t recognize the stuff that they nominate. The awards themselves are a sham, but a lot of people watch the telecast each year so Hollywood keeps playing the game. It’s fun to watch famous people interact, especially at dinner with some booze - that’s really why you should be watching in the first place.

That being said, I’m glad Nomadland won top honors alongside its director, Chloe Zhao - it’s a legit amazing film, and my favorite of 2020.

My Top 10 Films of 2020

SPEAKING of my favorite films of 2020, let me drop my top 10 list for ya. Gonna be honest, it was kind of a quiet year for movies, especially compared to 2019. You can blame the pandemic for a lot of films being held back from release.

1. Nomadland (Hulu) - A beautiful film about people who live life in mobile homes moving across the United States. Ok that didn’t come out as poetic as my minds eye had it, but it really paints a deeply sentimental and wistful view on how ephemeral our relationships are with both the people we are closest with as well as those we meet along the journey of life. It really made me appreciate the day to day a little more.
2. Shithouse (many services)- I adored this film about that freshman year of college and finding yourself and where you belong socially in that awkward time. This movie won the SXSW grand jury prize for dramatic film and it was well deserved. It’s from a first time film director, and might not have the scale or cinematic grandeur that some of these other film have - but it really hit close with me.
3. Minari (many services) - This was right up with Nomadland for me - it’s essentially a film about finding the American Dream as an Asian-American immigrant family. I also related to this on many levels, especially growing up trying to balance fitting in with the “American” culture while also recognizing my own heritage. Which, as a kid, you kind of forget the latter for the former because you’re more concerned with fitting in with your peers more than anything. Minari won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance last year - hopefully it’ll take some accolades at the Oscars this year.

Alright, I’ll spare you the continued wall of text to keep this newsletter snackable, but if you’re interested in more - see more of my writeups on Lettrboxd - If you don’t know what Lettrboxd is, it’s kind of like a diary + social network for film lovers. I’ve been trying to log and review each movie I watch, check it out if you have more than a passing interest in your movie watching!

Our Favorite New Song

Duuuude, this is an absolute CRACKED team-up of two amazingly talented artists - Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars. The soul swag just oozes from these two with a retro sound that’s literally silky smooth for your ears.

In Conclusion

NFTs are the next big thing.