A Year In The Life of Media Addict: 2020 Edition
We can probably all agree that 2020 was the year for watching tv and movies and reading books! At least as a self-proclaimed media addict, that’s how my year turned out. During 2020, I read 50 books, watched 58 movies, and completed 49 entire seasons of TV!!!
Buckle your seatbelts y’all because I’m about to reveal my bests and worsts of those three categories!
BY THE NUMBERS
BOOKS
Best Book: Know My Name by Chanel Miller
This book was one of the most beautiful and painful books I’ve ever read in my entire life. Each page broke me down as Chanel Miller reclaimed her identity from Emily Doe, a victim of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. This book transformed the way I think about sexual assault, and her words will stay in my head forever. Past the trauma, Chanel Miller emerges as a dazzling writer, and I will forever be in awe of her power. Cannot sing enough praise about this book. Highly recommend to those who are ready!
Honorary Mentions: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien and Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
These two books were magnificent. Do Not Say We Have Nothing is a sweeping epic that opened my eyes to the cultural revolution in China. The book follows musicians navigating their lives under a regime that tries to stifle them, and Thien does a remarkable job at depicting how the cultural revolution lingers in the lives of people today. Transcendent Kingdom is a piercing novel that has stayed with me since the moment I read it, and Gyasi writes about family, addiction, mental health, and scientific discovery with poetic dexterity.
Worst Book: One Day in December by Josie Silver
If you like this book, no hate! But I personally hated it… cannot believe I paid money for this and that I forced myself to read all 392 pages of this book. I LOVE a good romance, but I found this boring, unorganized, and overall not it.
MOVIES
Best Movie: Portrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Celine Sciamma
Portrait of a Lady on Fire hive rise up! This movie is about two women who fall in love in 18th century France, and you know this ill-fated love absolutely destroyed me. The visuals and dialogue from this stunning movie are seared in my brain, and it revived my love for art history and classical music. This movie is the reason Vivaldi’s Summer from the Four Seasons showed up on my Spotify Wrapped as one of my top 5 songs of the year.
Honorary Mentions: Daughters of the Dust directed by Julie Dash and Mustang directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
I can’t believe I only recently learned of the movie Daughters of the Dust! As soon as I saw a couple scenes, I recognized the influence this movie had on Beyonce’s visual album Lemonade and my favorite photographer Tyler Mitchell. The movie is a stunning portrait of the Gullah women living on the islands of South Carolina, and more people should know about this film! Mustang was another favorite of mine. It’s an incredible Turkish movie that depicts the insular world of sisterhood as five sisters grow up in a deeply conservative town. After learning to embrace subtitles and watching movies in different languages, my world has been opened to gems like this!
Worst Movie: Mulan (2020) directed by Niki Caro
I was ecstatic when I heard they were making this live action movie, but after viewing, I was left baffled and bored. Confusing narrative choices, lack of music, and a feeble attempt at modernizing the story made this my least favorite movie I watched all year.
TV SHOWS
Best TV Show: Crash Landing on You
This is not me being dramatic in the slightest, but this show CHANGED MY LIFE. I had no idea what I was missing by not watching Korean dramas!! There are so many things to rave about for this show from the romance, the food, the costumes, to the geopolitical implications. As an Asian American, I rarely watch media created by and made for Asian audiences, and the impact this show had on me was astounding. I will never forget how I felt when I saw that the main characters had short stubby eyelashes like me, parents like mine, and habits like me that I had never seen featured in American media before. This show deserves all the awards. Seri and Ri Jeong Hyeok forever!!
Honorary Mention: Over the Garden Wall and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
If you love autumn, this is the show for you. This whimsical fall cartoon is the perfect appetizer to the fall season, and I guarantee you will fall in love with the two brothers who lead you down a delightful adventure through the woods. Full Metal Alchemist (FMA): Brotherhood was my first foray into anime, and I highly recommend to those interested in the genre! The show felt like an elevated version of Avatar the Last Airbender, and they did a fantastic job building out interesting, multifaceted characters. I can’t believe I also now have an opinion on which FMA: Brotherhood opening theme is the best (it’s season 4).
Worst TV Show: Emily In Paris
Don’t get me wrong, I devoured this show. I did not agree with a single thing Emily said or did, but hey I’m still down to watch season two.
