What I Watched: December 2020

Happy New Year! I swear it was Christmas Eve, I blinked, and then it was 2021. I’ve loved having all this time to spend with my little girl but crickey I’m tired! I’ve been flaked out every evening so I’ve watched hardly any movies and blogged even less. Next week I’ll be cracking on with some reviews that have been sitting in draft, as well as compiling my best and worst movies of the year lists. Exciting! For now though, I’m putting together my usual monthly round-up of everything I’ve watched in the last month.

Superintelligence (2020)

I was ready to enjoy this one, despite James Corden’s voice trying to ruin it. This movie just doesn’t know what kind of movie it wanted to be, though. It wasn’t very funny, and tries to be all serious towards the end, by which point my interest had been lost all together. I’ll forever be here for Melissa McCarthy despite it however!

Run (2020)

My dumb ass completely forgot about this movie. I completely confused it with something entirely unrelated. That’s probably not a good sign but I promise, it’s a great flick! A young girl suffering from a number of illnesses and is also reliant on a wheelchair begins to suspect that her Mother is lying to her about her ailments. Sarah Paulson never fails to deliver.

Freaky (2020)

I was so mad that the UK went into Lockdown 2 just before Freaky got released (of course, I know a worldwide pandemic is a more serious issue but humour me), this is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I realise now it takes a lot of inspiration from other slasher movies and as someone who could probably count on 1 hand the number of movies like that I’ve seen, a lot was lost on me. Still a lot of fun and so much gorier than I expected.

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

So, everyone who watched this hated it, or so it seems. I went in with low expectations but do you know what? Ii thought it was good. It’s a sad story and it’s quite choppy but I was so invested in Gabriel Basso’s character (if we get a Dexter prequel can he PLEASE play Dexter?) that I was kind of hooked. It’s not a movie I’m ever going to want to watch again probably, but I don’t think it was bad at all. Reminded me a little of Beautiful Boy (2018) for the same reasons.

Ava (2020)

I’ll admit that I only put this on to watch whilst doing chores, I knew it was never going to be a masterpiece. But UGH, how can a spy movie be so damn boring? What an absolute waste of that cast!

Nativity! (2009)

I re-watch this almost every December, it’s one of my favourite Christmas movies. It’s set in a city really close to me too so it’s always felt extra special to me.

The Prom (2020) – Full review here 

Sound of Metal (2019)

I’m kicking myself for not getting a full post out for this movie. It was a little too slow for me to truly love it, but I can’t deny how amazing Riz Ahmed is. He plays a musician who loses his hearing and the sound team behind this movie are absolute geniuses. The final scene is so beautiful I sat through the entire credits just thinking about it.

Songbird (2020) – Full review here

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) – Full review here

Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)

Thanks, Twitter. I saw so many tweets blasting this movie that I had to see it for myself to find out if it was that bad. It’s…bizarre. A tiny little Irish romance story weirdly acted by a star-studded cast with one of the most absurd plot twists/confessions I’ve ever seen. I’m contemplating making a bee-related movie list now, starting with this and Jupiter Ascending (2015).

Promising Young Woman (2020)

I’m staying quiet for now because I’m already working on a review for this but let me say this. BELIEVE THE HYPE. Carey Mulligan is a goddess.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)

Another one I’m still writing a full review for. I was cynical about the praise, I’ll be honest. We all love Chadwick Boseman but I wondered if people were hyping his performance because devastatingly, it’s his last but he deserves all the praise in the world here. Viola Davis is equally stunning but plays a much smaller role than I expected.

Soul (2020)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m planning a full post for this too. It is, of course, an excellent movie. It didn’t grab me as much as Inside Out (2015) did – but only Pixar can create something so meaningful and deep about our very reason for existing, and disguise it as a fun family movie.

Death to 2020 (2020)

I chose a very fitting movie to be my last watch of the year, I think. By the creators of Black Mirror, this is sort of a documentary of the year but with fictional characters. Some jokes are laugh-out-loud hilarious and others don’t really land at all, but it’s worth a watch just as a reminder of how batshit crazy this year has been.

Finally – I’m sorry I haven’t been actively reading and commenting on everyone else’s posts this last week and a half. Tomorrow night I’m going to watch my first movie of 2021 and catch up with my new blanket-hoodie and a glass of wine!