media update: December

Just out of curiosity, I checked this year's numbers against last year's numbers, and they are WAY lower.  Considering we've been in lockdown for the vast majority of the year, I thought that was surprising at first, but after I thought about it more, it made sense.  Libraries were closed, I spent a huge chunk of time preparing for/engaging in/organizing after/recuperating from a major move, and I got a full-time job after almost two years of being unemployed.  Plus, y'know, like everybody else, I spent a lot of time just staring at the ceiling being terrified of the future.  I know the world won't magically get better the second the clock rolls over to 12AM tonight, but I'll still be very happy to watch 2020 end.  Last year sucked too, so here's hoping that 2021 brings happier times, and may everybody get exactly what they deserve in the new year.

Asterisks denote something I particularly enjoyed or found especially worthy of my time; double asterisks are reserved for the creme de la creme.  As always, your mileage may vary. 

 

FICTION

1. Little Threats by Emily Schultz: In 1993, Kennedy is arrested for the murder of her best friend, but she can't remember anything that happened, so she reluctantly pleads guilty. After her release from prison 15 years later, she tries to figure out the truth.

2. People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd:  Emmy has made a lot of money by laying her life bare on her Instagram account, but she's attracted the attention of someone with a serious grudge.

3. The Sin Eater* by Megan Campisi:  After stealing a loaf of bread, May is condemned to become a sin eater, which means she consumes food symbolizing the sins of a dying person, thus taking their sins onto herself and letting them die with a clean slate.  While visiting the castle with her mentor, she notices a deer heart on the coffin.  May doesn't know what it means, but her mentor refuses to eat it, leading to a mystery.  I love good historical fiction, and this certainly qualified.

4. The Little Brother by Victoria Patterson:  After his brother Gabe takes part in a gang rape, Even finds himself in possession of a camcorder with footage of the crime and must decide whether to turn his brother in or hide the evidence.

5. Everything and Nothing by Araminta Hall: A frazzled couple hires the perfect nanny, but she has ulterior motives.

2020 total:  44 (last year: 62)

NONFICTION

1. Feast* by Hannah Howard:  A memoir about the author's love-hate relationship with food.  Beautifully written, and not to be read on an empty stomach.

2. Let's Never Talk About This Again* by Sara Faith Alterman:  When the author was a preteen, she discovered that her prudish father, who wouldn't even let his kids say "butt" or "fart", secretly published X-rated joke books and erotica collections.  It was kept a family secret for decades, but when her father developed Alzheimer's, he decided he wanted to revive his writing career again with Sara's help.  It's really funny, except when it's absolutely devastating.

2020 total:  17 (last year: 30)

 

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS 

1. The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes

2. Beauty Bunny vols. 2-3 by Mari Yoshino

3. Secretly, I've Been Suffering About Being Sexless by Togame

2020 total: 26 volumes of manga and 14 graphic novels (last year: 51 and 27)

 

MOVIES

1. The New Mutants:  Dani is sent to a facility where teenagers are taught how to control their mutant powers, but there's a more sinister agenda at play.  I saw the trailer for this much-delayed movie about two years ago, and I thought "Wow, a horror version of the X-Men?  That could be good!"  Dear reader, no.  No, it was not.

2. The Rental:  Two couples rent a gorgeous house by the beach for a weekend getaway that quickly turns sour.

3. Mulan:  In this live action remake of the classic Disney film, Mulan disguises herself as a boy to join the army.  Beautiful to look at, but the story was a bit of a mess and the songs were sorely missed.

4. Unhinged:  Rachel is already having a bad day, but it's made worse after an altercation with another driver (Russell Crowe) who takes her refusal to apologize very badly.  A decent little thriller that did exactly what it set out to do.

5. Soul*:  Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a band teacher whose true dream is to be a jazz musician.  There's more to it than that, of course, but I'd hate to spoil this lovely movie for anyone, especially since it just came out last week.  Pixar is certainly not infallible, but they can add this gem to their list of winners.

6. Tenet*:  In Christopher Nolan's latest, an unnamed man (John David Washington) is tasked with preventing World War III.  It's a confusing mindfuck, but I gave it a star because of its exciting and innovative action scenes.

7. Wonder Woman 1984:  Diana (Gal Gadot) springs into action when a stone that grants wishes falls into the wrong hands.  I was hoping this would be great, since I loved the first one and I love the eighties, but it wasn't very good.  They made some REALLY weird choices with the plot (too spoilery to explain) and there were no really emotional moments like the battlefield scene in the first one.  Oh well, there's always the next one.

2020 total: 72 (last year: 88)

best of 2020: TV shows

 And now it's time for my final list of 2020!  A few notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first released in 2020, but that's when I first saw them.
• We haven't actually finished a couple of these series, but we're close enough that I feel confident adding them to the list.  If they take a monster shit between now and the time we finish, I'll update accordingly.
• I made a note of where we watched the series for your convenience.
  
• This was such a great year for TV that I don't have an obvious favorite (though if absolutely pressed to choose, I'd go with the first one on the list), so these are in random order.
  
• And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Harley Quinn:  The titular antiheroine, who's recently broken up with the Joker, is determined to become Gotham's number one villain.  Gleefully foulmouthed and violent, with excellent voice performances (especially by Lake Bell as Poison Ivy and Kaley Cuoco as Harley), it ain't for the kiddies, but godDAMN is it fantastic.  We caught a snippet of it during a free preview and knew we had to watch the rest of it immediately.  (We watched the first season on DC Universe, but caught the rest of it when it came to HBO Max.)

2. Rick & Morty:  Yes, I am EXTREMELY tardy to this party, but at least I finally decided to give it a shot!  Rick is a mad scientist who can visit other worlds with his portal gun; hapless grandson Morty is his (sometimes reluctant) sidekick.  It probably doesn't say anything great about me as a person, but whenever Rick belches, I just about lose it.  (DVD/Adult Swim, though I preferred the DVDs since they're uncensored)

3. Tiger King:  I doubt I have to tell you about this series, since it took a newly locked down nation by storm, but just in case:  this docuseries follows the, shall we say, colorful Joe Exotic, owner of a zoo who is determined to best his nemesis, big cat rescuer Carole Baskin, at any cost.  (Netflix)

4. Castlevania:  A gorgeously animated take on the classic vampire slaying video game, lovingly slathered in gore.  (Netflix)

5. Parasyte:  A teenager is taken over by a sentient parasite that's quite a bit friendlier than the ones occupying other humans.  If you have a problem with body horror, you do NOT want to watch this, but otherwise, it's really good.  (Netflix)

6. Banana Fish:  Ash Lynx is a gorgeous gang leader in New York City whose brother was incapacitated by a street drug called "banana fish".  Along with his allies, including a kind Japanese man named Eiji, Ash is determined to find out the truth behind the drug.  Major content warning:  there is a LOT of sexual assault, both onscreen and implied, and Ash was a child sex slave to a mobster, which is discussed frequently.  But the animation is stunning, the relationship between Ash and Eiji is sweet, and it will break your heart more than once.  (Amazon Prime)

7. Ratched:  The backstory of the infamously nasty nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  It's melodramatic and violent, and sometimes the story goes off the rails a bit, but Sarah Paulson is phenomenal as Nurse Ratched and the production design is absolutely stunning.  Oh yeah, there's also a monkey in a dress!  (Netflix)

8. The Haunting of Hill House:  In Mike Flanagan's take on the classic Shirley Jackson novel, a family moves into the titular house with the intention to flip it; unfortunately, the house is, as you can tell from the title, haunted, and the repercussions of their time in the house will follow the family members for years to come.  It's scary to be sure, but it's also really, really sad.  (Netflix; not finished yet, but only one episode to go as of this writing)

9. The Queen's Gambit:  After losing her mother in a car crash, Beth (Anya Taylor-Joy, who's great) is sent to an orphanage, where she learns how to play chess from the janitor.  She turns out to be a natural, and she winds up taking the chess world by storm.  I know absolutely nothing about chess, but I still really enjoyed this show.  (Netflix)

10. Happy Sugar Life:  Satou is a teenage girl who has a big secret: everyone thinks she lives with her aunt, but she really lives with a young girl, reported as missing by her family, named Shio.  Satou is obsessed with Shio, and she'll do anything to protect her "happy sugar life".  This show is deeply fucked up, and definitely not for everyone, but if you love psychological horror and/or really unnerving anime, you'll eat it up.  (Amazon Prime; not finished yet, about four episodes to go)

best of 2020: video games

 A few notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first released in 2020, but that's when I played them.
• Since this is a short list, these ARE in preferential order.
• In addition to these games, I also finished The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, Unravel 2, and The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope.  Unravel 2 is the best of those three, assuming you have someone to play with (which is optional, but highly encouraged); the Dark Pictures games both had their moments but were disappointing.  Of course, I continued playing Hidden City on a daily basis, as I have for the past 4 (!) years, and also began playing Sherlock, a combination hidden object/match 3 mobile game that is enjoyable enough but didn't make the cut.
• And as always, your mileage may vary.

1. The Last of Us 2:  I don't really want to go into much detail on this game, since it would be a crying shame to spoil it; suffice it to say it's tense as hell, heartbreaking, and a more than worthy successor to the first game.  It wound up in my top ten video games of all time, so as you can guess, it's my favorite game of the year by far, and an absolute must-play.

2. Telltale's The Walking Dead (final season):  I was really sad when Telltale Games announced that they were closing up shop, thinking it meant we'd never get a proper ending for Clementine.  Fortunately, another company took up the reins, and they did an amazing job.

3. Life Is Strange 2:  After tragedy fractures their family, brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz go on the run, trying desperately to hide Daniel's special abilities.  The free-to-play DLC, The Adventures of Captain Spirit, is well worth playing too.

4. Resident Evil 3:  This reboot of the iconic 1999 game still follows Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira as they try to take down the evil Umbrella Corporation, but they've changed so much that even old school gamers who have played the original numerous times [raising my hand here] will find much to enjoy.  It ain't easy, but it's a blast.

5. Shadow of the Tomb Raider:  Lara Croft accidentally unleashes a Mayan apocalypse on the world, so she dutifully slings her bow over her shoulder and tries to fix it.  Great fun.

best of 2020: movies

UPDATE 12/26:  1917 was replaced with Soul.

And now it's time for my favorite movies of 2020, with a "stinger" after the main event!  A few notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first released in 2020, but that's when I saw them.
• These are in random order, though I did make note of my favorite.
• And, as always, your mileage may vary. 

 

1. Bombshell:  A fact-based drama about the sexual harassment scandal that rocked Fox News in 2016.  Excellent performances, especially from an almost unrecognizable Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Margot Robbie as Kayla, a composite character whose dream job quickly spirals into a nightmare.

 

2. Borat Subsquent Moviefilm:  After the release of the first film, Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) is ordered to make up for humiliating Kazakhstan by taking a gift to President Trump.  But Borat's daughter stows away on the trip, and together they have a series of outrageous adventures.  I expected it to be hilarious; I did NOT expect it to make me tear up twice.

3. Joker:  Arthur Fleck is a failed stand-up comedian who's sick of being shit on by society.  When he impulsively performs a vigilante act on the subway, it puts him on the road to becoming the man who would eventually become Batman's biggest nemesis.  Grimy and disturbing, with an incredible Oscar-winning performance by Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.

4. Three Kings:  After the end of the Gulf War, three soldiers find a map they think will lead them to gold stolen from Kuwait, and they set out to find it.  Excellent performances and acerbic humor.  I wasn't thrilled they featured my least favorite song in the world---I have been known to actually leave restaurants when it came on the sound system---but I'll forgive it.

5. Soul:  Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a band teacher whose true dream is to be a jazz musician.  There's more to it than that, of course, but I'd hate to spoil this lovely movie for anyone.  Pixar is certainly not infallible, but they can add this gem to their list of winners.

6. Weathering with You:  After running away from home, Hodaka meets Hina, a teenage girl who can manipulate the weather.  Gorgeously animated, and it gave my tear ducts quite a workout.

7. Parasite:  A poor Korean family schemes its way into the lives of a rich family with unexpected results.  Savagely funny---and occasionally just savage.

8. Birds of Prey:  When a young pickpocket steals a priceless diamond, villain Black Mask (Ewan MacGregor) tells Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) to find it, or she's toast.  She teams up with a crossbow-wielding vigilante, a disgraced cop, and Black Mask's driver to rescue the kid.  It's got all the manic energy of a kid at a slumber party hopped up on Pixie Stix, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.  It was the last movie I saw in the theater before the pandemic hit, and if it turns out to be the last movie I EVER get to see in a theater, I'm glad it was such a good one.

9. Jojo Rabbit:  During WWII, Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis, who's incredible) is a young German boy who has Adolf Hitler as an imaginary friend, so he's not super jazzed to discover his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.  It took about ten minutes before it found its footing, but once it did, I was captivated.  Wildly creative, funny without being disrespectful (in my opinion; I know there's some dissension), and heartbreaking.  It's just a damn good movie, and my favorite of the year.

10. I'm Thinking of Ending Things:  Lucy (Jessie Buckley) is on a road trip to meet her boyfriend Jake's (Jesse Plemons) parents for the first time, but during the drive she keeps thinking the title phrase, and things don't improve much when they reach their destination.  I read the book several years ago and absolutely loved it, but I was pretty sure it would be damn near impossible to adapt to film.  Somehow, Charlie Kaufman managed.

 

MADE ME CRY (OR AT LEAST TEAR UP):  Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; 1917; Parasite; Creed II; The Lion King; Jojo Rabbit; A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Onward; Hamilton; Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll; The King of Staten Island; Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Mulan

MADE ME NOT JUST CRY, BUT SOB:  Soul

SEEN IN THE THEATER:  Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; Underwater; 1917; Birds of Prey

WORST MOVIES I SAW THIS YEAR:  Bill and Ted Face the Music; The New Mutants

best of 2020: manga and graphic novels

 A few notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first released in 2020, but that's when I read them.
• This is a short list as I didn't have enough to make a full list of ten.
• These are in random order, though I did make note of my favorite.
• And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Commute by Erin Williams:  A graphic memoir about getting sober and trying to deal with the demons that alcohol had temporarily kept at bay.

2. No Longer Human by Junji Ito:  Based on the semi-autobiographical novel, this follows author Osamu Dazai from his tormented childhood to his even worse adulthood.  Ito was an inspired choice to illustrate this, because although it isn't pure horror like Ito usually draws, it does look at human existence through a very bleak, existential lens.  600+ pages flew by, but warning: very few pages are happy.

3. Drawing Power: Women's Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival (anthology):  What it says on the tin, and a gripping, sad, engrossing read.

4. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh:  The creator of Hyperbole and a Half returns with another collection of stories, some hysterically funny (like my favorite, about the bizarre neighbor girl who's obsessed with showing Allie her room) and some very dark.  My favorite graphic novel of the year.

5. Flamer by Mike Curato:  Aiden is biracial, chubby, and struggling with his sexuality, so Boy Scout camp doesn't go as well as he'd hoped.  Heartbreaking but hopeful.

best of 2020: nonfiction

UPDATE 12/26:  Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There by Tara Schuster was replaced with Let's Never Talk About This Again by Sara Faith Alterman.

A few notes before I begin:

• These are in random order, although I did make note of my absolute favorite.
• All women again!
• I didn't have enough excellent nonfiction books to make a list of ten, so you get a list of five.
• If I read something between now and the end of December that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.
  
• And, as always, your mileage may vary. 

1. Let's Never Talk About This Again by Sara Faith Alterman:  When the author was a preteen, she discovered that her prudish father, who wouldn't even let his kids say "butt" or "fart", secretly published X-rated joke books and erotica collections.  It was kept a family secret for decades, but when her father developed Alzheimer's, he decided he wanted to revive his writing career again with Sara's help.  It's really funny, except when it's absolutely devastating.

2. Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby:  The latest collection of essays from one of the funniest people alive. 

3. Stray by Stephanie Danler:  After selling her first novel (Sweetbitter), the author wanted to celebrate, but after her alcoholic mother's debilitating brain aneurysm, she found herself struggling to understand her miserable relationship with her parents.  A heavy read, but excellent. 

4. Shit, Actually by Lindy West:  The author wrote a famous post on Jezebel absolutely ripping on Love Actually (which, full disclosure, I really enjoyed that movie but it did have some major problems), and in this book, she rates other movies on a scale of zero to 10 DVDs of The Fugitive (which she considers a perfect movie in terms of enjoyment).  By far the funniest book I've read this year; I usually read on my Kindle in bed after G goes to sleep, but I couldn't read this one because I was laughing so hard.  Shit, Actually is gold, actually, and my favorite nonfiction book of the year.

5. Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford:  When the author was 15, she was sexually assaulted by two fellow students at their elite boarding school.  Decades later, when the school came under federal investigation for sweeping other incidents under the rug, she decided to come forward.  Powerful and beautifully written, but difficult to read at times due to the subject matter.  

best of 2020: fiction

Now that December's rolled around, it's time to start posting my "best of 2020" lists!  A few notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first published in 2020, but that's when I read them.
• These are in random order, though I did make note of my favorite novel of the year.
• It's a coincidence that all of these were written by women, but I ain't mad about it.
• Obviously 2020 isn't over yet (unfortunately), so if I read something between now and the end of the month that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.
  
• And, as always, your mileage may vary.

 

1. The Better Liar by Tanen Jones:  In order to receive her inheritance, Leslie hires a woman to impersonate her dead sister; it does not go as expected.  Good and nasty.

2. True Story by Kate Reed Perry:  In 1999, Nick Brothers attends a party with his fellow lacrosse teammates, and two of them are later accused of sexually assaulting a passed out girl.  In 2015, Alice is now a successful ghostwriter, but she's haunted by the story she can't tell about the things that happened "when [she] was asleep".  One of the reviews said it's about the power of lies to shape the truth, which is spot on.  This book was really good all the way through, but the ending was phenomenal.  I think I actually clapped.

3. Godshot by Chelsea Bieker: In the drought-plagued town of Peaches, California, a charismatic preacher claims he can bring the rain. 14-year-old Lacey's mother runs away after being exiled, and Lacey is left with her strange taxidermy-obsessed grandmother.  Lacey is afraid of the preacher's plans for her and the other girls in the cult, so in desperation, she turns to the women at the phone sex hotline where her mother secretly worked.  Let me tell you, I very rarely cry at books, and this made me SOB.  My favorite novel of the year.

4. The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel: In a poverty-stricken Missouri town, two little girls are murdered. Eve, the mother of one of the victims, is determined to find the killer, but it might mean she has to return to a world she was desperate to leave.  

5. The Return by Rachel Harrison:  Elise's best friend Julie disappears and is declared dead. Two years later, Julie suddenly comes back and claims to have no memory of what happened to her or where she's been.  Elise, Julie, and two of their other friends go on a girls' trip to a weird theme hotel (think a classier version of the Madonna Inn), but it's becoming more and more apparent that something is wrong with Julie. This frickin' book kept me up very late and then I had a hard time sleeping because it got under my skin so badly.   

6. The Searcher by Tana French:  After Cal retires from the Chicago PD, he moves to a tiny Irish village, but his dreams of peace and quiet vanish when a local boy begs for help finding his missing brother.  It's a real slow burn, but you won't mind the wait, especially when French pulls a really nifty trick about halfway through, and as usual, she sticks the landing.  I don't think anyone else writes endings as consistently well as she does.

7. The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe: Michael, a gay teenager living with his aunt after his mother is sent to prison for stabbing his dad, unexpectedly befriends the beautiful rich girl next door.  When Michael falls in love with a much older man he meets online, gossip spreads through their school and Bunny has an unusual reaction to it.  Beautiful and vivid. 

8. Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine: When spring doesn't return for the second year in a row, a young pot farmer named Wylodine hits the road in hopes of finding her mother in California, but she runs into trouble along the way.  Engrossing.

9. Luster by Raven Leilani:  Edie is a young black woman in New York City, meandering through her boring job and having flings with her coworkers.  Things get interesting when she meets Eric, a white married man in an open relationship, and she finds herself entangled in his family in ways she wasn't expecting.  Sharp, smart, and so funny at times I wondered if it was written by Samantha Irby under a pen name.

10. The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter:  A young woman is attacked, and the case is similar to several previous ones, but the perpetrator of those crimes is behind bars and claims that he was set up by a corrupt police force...including Sara Linton's dead husband.  So engrossing I had a hard time doing anything else until I finished it.  (Content warning:  EXTREMELY graphic descriptions of brutal sexual assault and its aftermath.)