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Slashdot Asks: Favorite Movies and TV Shows You Watched This Year? 128

Posted by msmash from the recollection-time dept.
What are some good movies and TV shows that you watched this year? You do not have to narrow down your selection to titles that came out this year, but feel free to give one a shotout.
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Slashdot Asks: Favorite Movies and TV Shows You Watched This Year? More

Slashdot Asks: Favorite Movies and TV Shows You Watched This Year?

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  • The Good Place (Score:4, Informative)

    by mccalli ( 323026 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:09PM (#60819798) Homepage
    Everyone will do Mandalorian and quite rightly so, but...a popular, engaging series based on practical philosophical discussions? And it's funny? Superb.

    • I'd agree with that - very good ending to a series that made you think (and laugh).

      I kind of liked the Westworld reset, but like the previous seasons, it really didn't close the deal overall.

    • Yes, like so many others have stated, The Mandalorian is restoring my faith that good Star Wars stuff can still come out on the regular, unlike the mixed outcome prequel/sequel main-line trilogies and sideline movies.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It's good but a bit generic. Mando needs some more character development, they basically dropped his back story after season 1. They seem to have decided it's all about the child now, with action scenes in between.

  • Good Omens (Score:4, Interesting)

    by fermion ( 181285 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:14PM (#60819814) Homepage Journal
    I found good omens to be really well made and creative. The gags that were set up early were not wasted I also found the live version Warrior Nun to be an intersting take.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by TWX ( 665546 )

      It helps that Neil Gaiman had a strong hand in the miniseries, and that he well-understood the combinations of setups and payoffs to make bookending jokes work.

      Admittedly I had not expected the actor that played Lucian in Underworld and its sequels to play the goody-two-shoes and slightly bumbling Aziraphale so effectively, but he's obviously a talented actor.

      • Admittedly I had not expected the actor that played Lucian in Underworld and its sequels to play the goody-two-shoes and slightly bumbling Aziraphale so effectively, but he's obviously a talented actor.

        You might enjoy "Staged", which is a socially-distanced production made by David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by nagora ( 177841 )

        Admittedly I had not expected the actor that played Lucian in Underworld and its sequels to play the goody-two-shoes and slightly bumbling Aziraphale so effectively, but he's obviously a talented actor.

        Yes, well, he's probably the best actor working at the moment. Michael Sheen might be the best actor of my life time.

        The downside is that he can completely dominate a scene when sharing it with lesser mortals. In Passengers his performance as the robot barman is just perfect - watch the moment when he says "Is that true sir?" to Chris Pratt. The whole film pivots on that question and Pratt's answer, but he delivers it so smoothly and so simply yet at the same time manages to plant the slightest hint of the

  • lots more, I can't remember, (Score:4, Interesting)

    by theNetImp ( 190602 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:20PM (#60819830)

    The Mandalorian, Star Trek: Discovery, The Queen's Gambit

    • Currently making my way through Voyager, after having rewatched TNG and for the first time DS9 in its entirety. Discovery will come soon enough.

      • Discovery is a totally different beast, but it's good, a lot of people get turned off by the first season cause it's not what they wanted (ie DS9, TNG etc), just give it a chance. Let it become it's own.

        • Discovery is not Star Trek. But it's an enjoyable show regardless.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Every era reinvents Trek and brings something new to it. TOS was very preachy, TNG era went to the other extreme and avoided anything controversial for the most part.

          Discovery is somewhere in the middle.

  • We don't watch much traditional TV anymore. Last program we regularly watched with a script and a definitive timeslot was The Big Bang Theory, and we haven't gotten in to new streaming shows really either.

    We did go through Endeavour and Good Omens, and we've found some entertainment from the American TV late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Trevor Noah, and Seth Meyers, but those are through the various clips they've been putting up on Youtube and the following day.

    Been introdu

  • I will watch any time-travel thriller, but this one doesn't settle for just one or two time loops' worth of hyjinks. "Dark" really lets the characters make a tangled mess out of their timelines, and it's a freakin' blast to watch.

    I needed to read an episode synopsis after watching each episode in order to absorb all the details and implications, but it's really worth the extra thought to understand it all.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by spun ( 1352 )

      Simply the best time travel story I've ever seen in a visual medium. Right up there with the very, very best time travel novels. Incredible character development, absolutely sticks the ending, like almost no other time travel story. I

    • Been meaning to watch this. You make it sound like Primer: The Series

    • I really thought the first two seasons were some of the best television I've seen in several years, but season three seemed to lose its way. I no longer had any interest about which side won - I didn't know or care whether the knot should be cut. I thought that the scene at the end of one episode where Eva read out the names of her team as the camera showed each facer was contrived and didn't make much sense. I'm normally a completist - I will almost always finish a show/book I'm watching/reading just to fi

  • Long, very long queues to empty.

    Of the movies/shows released this year (that I watched) favourites were:
    Doom Patrol S2
    Candance against the universe

    As I said, most of the year was catch up.

  • I found it interesting that the only "big" movies that made it into the theatres were crappy ones. I'm looking forward to Wonder Woman 1984 but that's not available yet - I'm a bit suspicious because it's coming out this year as I remember the hype for Mulan.

    I don't think there's any movies that came out this year that I would comment on - I did start watching "Dust" shorts and generally enjoying them.

    • The Oscars are going to be pretty messed up this year eh?

      A unique opportunity for smaller films that went straight to streaming I guess.

      • If someone told me last year that "Sonic the Hedgehog" would have a decent shot at a best picture Oscar, I would have laughed in their face.

  • The Blacklist (Score:3, Interesting)

    by codevark ( 1070362 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:33PM (#60819886)
    My wife and I got hooked, and are up to ep 115.. Despite some directing twitches, and other minor issues, we're enjoying it. Spader's character and lines are great; especially when he does one of those "Oh, look! A Squirrel" things and goes completely off topic for a minute or two. If I were going to assume the role of an international criminal, I'd want to be James Spader as Raymond Reddington.. (or.. is he?)

  • A 2020 primer (Score:4, Interesting)

    by cahuenga ( 3493791 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:33PM (#60819888)
    The Boys.

    Epic corruption and abuse of power supported by a complicit fan-base. Marvel meets Trump in the perfect metaphor for 2020
    • Seconded. And I am by no means a fan of superhero stuff. But this thing shows what I think any band of superheroes will eventually turn into.

    • I totally forgot about The Boys, really good show that is something different in a played-out superhero story world. Also very graphic in terms of violence and gore...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Sadly neo N@zis might have been a bit too 2020, but I'm glad they didn't shy away from it though.

      Homelander is one of the best villains on TV, up there with Alice from Batwoman.

  • TV Shows (Score:3)

    by JBMcB ( 73720 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:33PM (#60819892)

    Can't say I've watched any good new movies recently. The Irishman is probably the only *really* good new movie I've seen recently.

    But as for TV shows:

    The Queen's Gambit: More of a mini-series, really well done

    Scientology And The Aftermath: Far too overproduced, but the stories coming out of that organization are mind-blowing. It had the same effect on me as Narcos - "That couldn't possibly have happened, they are making stuff up (Does some research) Oh crap that did happen...."

    The Mandalorian - My favorite Star Wars thing since the original three movies.

    The Good Place - Binge watched the whole thing this year. Now one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Also features Jason Mendoza, one of the greatest TV characters of all time: "I'm too young to die! And too old to order off of the kid's menu! What a stupid age I am!"

    • "The Mandalorian - My favorite Star Wars thing since the original three movies."

      And Bill Burr came back yesterday!

  • Good Omens was really well made and super fun to watch.

    Lucifer. I realize it's been an ongoing series for a while, but we didn't catch it until this year. A great portrayal of the Devil attempting to lead a "normal" life, and helping the police in the process.

    Letterkenny. If you pay attention to nothing else I say here, pay attention to this. It's every bit as funny as "It's Always Sunny. . ." but much less mean spirited. Not that there's anything wrong with Sunny, but there's a friendly spirit around

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Jarwulf ( 530523 )

      Good Omens was really well made and super fun to watch.

      Lucifer. I realize it's been an ongoing series for a while, but we didn't catch it until this year. A great portrayal of the Devil attempting to lead a "normal" life, and helping the police in the process.

      *SNORE* nothing says phoning it in in 2020 like turning your premise into a police procedural or genderswapping an established character for no story reason. They ruined New Amsterdam and Limitless in the exact same way.

      • Normally, I'd agree, as I burnt out on cop shows decades ago, but this one is just different enough to keep things interesting. While they do sometimes fall into the "case of the episode" trap, they keep an ongoing plot and mythic themes going well enough to make it a fun watch.

    • Letterkenny. If you pay attention to nothing else I say here, pay attention to this. It's every bit as funny as "It's Always Sunny. . ." but much less mean spirited. Not that there's anything wrong with Sunny, but there's a friendly spirit around Letterkenny that you just don't see in comedy much anymore. The one liners here are fast and furious, and sometimes they overlap they come at you so quickly. And the characters are just spectacularly portrayed. Possibly the best comedy of the current era, maybe even ever.

      I'll second this. I think the best way to describe it would be if Shakespeare wrote a play about hicks. I have been slowly working my way through it and still have a lot to go, but so far it's been great.

    • Letterkenny is good. It's like if the Trailer Park Boys and Corner Gas combined, only smarter (in other words, it seems very Canadian). I did a two-month membership of Hulu last year to binge through the new Veronica Mars, all of Handmaid's Tale, and Letterkenny too.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Bigbutt ( 65939 )

      The Lovecraft Country book was quite good. A bunch of short stories that were all tied together.

      [John]

  • Comment removed (Score:3)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:39PM (#60819906)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Also on Apple+, I really liked "See". Set in the future where a plague has killed off everyone who can see, the survivors are all blind and have created a unique society (there's a scene in the first episode of two blind armies fighting on a hillside that is intense). Now some children are being born sighted and are hunted down as witches since they have an uncanny fifth sense. I really hope it comes back for another season.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I really enjoyed it but kept wishing they would do more in space and less on the ground.

      A lot of Apollo era dramas have that issue, probably because they want to have women in it but there were none in space at the time. For All Mankind has female astronauts though.

  • My list:

    • Shitt's Creek
    • The final season of The Good Place
    • The Queen's Gambit
    • Currently watching Lilyhammer. First few episodes were pretty good

  • I saw this serie in 2020, I was more than impressed, it is a state of the art piece of art!

    Movie? I don't remember... Since LOTR trilogy I am not impressed by anything :-(

  • This kind of echos what others are saying but some things I liked a lot this year:

    1) The Mandalorian, we are almost done with season 2 and I think this may be some of the best Star Wars ever made, because it understands what makes Star Wars great and what the roots are based in.

    2) The Good Place. I've been watching this whenever new seasons came out on Netflix. I wasn't sure they would managed to come up with a good ending (ironic) yet I ended up being really happy about how it ended.

    3) Eurovision - one o

    • 4) The 100. There seem to be some people that didn't like how the series ended but I like it quite a bit.

      While I enjoyed parts of the show, the ending was way too saccharine. I could see leaving Clark to live out her days with just the dog. The rest was pure bullshit from a story perspective. Half or more of the people there wanted her dead right up to that moment.

      Granted, 75% of the enjoyment my wife and I got from that show was hating on Clark, so seeing her get a mostly happy ending was disappointing. Especially when so many good people suffered so much through the run of the show.

      • While I enjoyed parts of the show, the ending was way too saccharine

        To me it seemed pretty extreme to ban Clarke from elevation, the only human to block altogether...

        So I didn't find the ending very saccharine at all, since all she got was to live her life instead of what the rest of humanity got.

        I do think it should have been just her and the dog alone though, or at least not so many people coming back to join her. But they got something out of coming back as well so that didn't bother me so much.

    • +1 for Cobra Kai, Umbrella Academy, and Locke & Key.

      • Shoot, I forgot about Cobra Kai! What a great show. Kinda dumb, but it is well aware of it's own dumbness. Looking forward to the new season!

  • I did like the 'magic system' in Motherland: Fort Salem [imdb.com] and the story kept me pretty gripped too. Looking forward to the 2nd season.

  • I binge-watched it yesterday, it was hilarious. A Californian twen of Finnish origins goes on vacation in Finland and unbeknownst to him his parents' tax machinations make him a draft dodger in Finland and he has to co to the military without speaking a word of Finnish.
    Very funny!

  • Queen's Gambit (Score:4, Interesting)

    by djbckr ( 673156 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @01:54PM (#60819986)
    While not realistic, I thought Queen's Gambit was a superbly done series. The right amount of protagonist/antagonist storyline, well acted, well shot, and a very satisfying ending. Left room for another series, but ended in such a way that it could just be the one season and it would be just fine.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by OzPeter ( 195038 )

      ... ended in such a way that it could just be the one season and it would be just fine.

      I've watched too many shows this year where the first season was great and then the 2nd season totally failed to live up to the same quality as the first.

      I'm happy that Netflix has been experimenting with "limited season" shows IE Telenovelas for the non-latino market.

    • I loved it, but I hope that they don't continue it, although I'm sure they will. Sometimes a story is so good that adding more to it results in the addition not being as good as the original and even somehow lowers the quality of the original.

      In my mind, this season didn't have too many more episodes in it. There are only so many times that the cycle of "does well - triggering event causes descent into drugs/alcohol - problems ensue - friend pulls her out - does even better" can work without becoming trite.

  • Ragnarok - interesting twist on the Norse legends Manhunt: Deadly games - not sure how historically accurate but intriguing presentation Dead to Me - somewhat predictable but still entertaining In the Dark - surprising plot twists, especially in the first season Queen's Gambit - great story, just when it seems to be getting cliche it takes a twist Norsemen - fantastic humor Ratched - did not care for this one. Stopped watching halfway thru the first episode Evil - good story Mile22 The Founder - Ray Krock
  • Stranger (Korean) and Babylon Berlin (German). Decent plots and characters with political threads woven in which make them rise a bit above the others. On Netflix.

    • Regarding the Stranger, the first season is superior. Unfortunately the key figure driving the story was killed off at the end of that season. The second's set of villains are no match to him. Moreover, it takes a very long time for the story to build in the second series and the outcome has less of an impact.

  • Great series. Very funny. Monty Pythonesque take on the vikings.

  • Insanely quirky and funny.

  • Mr. No Legs (1978)
    Pistolera (2020)
    Good Omens (2019)
    Shoot 'em Up (2007)

  • The British show Taskmaster is already several seasons in. But every episode through season 7 is posted free on Youtube. A panel of (mostly) comedians compete to complete really dumb but challenging tasks.

    I love narrative TV with longer story arcs, but haven't had the energy for it this year.

  • 1. The Expanse - Binge watched all four seasons. Great scifi
    2. Eternal Love - If you enjoy the chinese drama (CD) genre, this is a great 60+ episode series.
    3. Legend of Haolan - another great series in the CD genre
    4. Frontier - Netflix - good period piece with Jason Momoa in the lead.
     

  • Too many too list ... (Score:4, Informative)

    by UnknownSoldier ( 67820 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @02:45PM (#60820144)

    === TV Shows ===
    * Archer
    * Castlevania
    * Community (old finally binge watched it to see what all the fuss was. Ending was lame but series was great)
    * Lucifer
    * Schitt's Creek
    * The Expanse (Fantastic Sci-Fi)

    === Documentaries ===
    * High Score [netflix.com]
    * My Octopus Teacher [netflix.com]
    * The Century of Self [youtube.com]
    * The Social Dilemma [netflix.com]

    === Movies ===
    * Peanut Butter Falcon

  • Michael McIntyres Big Show on BBC One (Score:3)

    by Proudrooster ( 580120 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @02:46PM (#60820146) Homepage

    I discovered this show: Michael McIntyres Big Show on BBC One

    It's a happy show that makes you smile. It is all clean fun!

    It features segments like this:
    The midnight game show wakes a celebrity up at midnight for a game show. They literally sneak into their bedroom and wake them up.
    Send to All where a celebrity turns over their cell phone and they send an interesting text message to everyone in the address book.
    The unexpected star of the show, where a common person with extraordinary talents is lured to the show under false pretenses and ends up showing off their amazing talent in the finale.

    Note: I am not British, but I need a happy show to get me through COVID.

    Here is an example opening monolog from YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ad-adUHh5mY [youtu.be]

  • Star Trek (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Joe2020 ( 6760092 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @02:48PM (#60820158)

    God, I feel terrible. Nobody has been mentioning it and it's now so far down. From the new Picard, Discovery to even Lower Decks do I watch it all. Shall critics put me down, but I'm just gonna beam out of here now...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by OzPeter ( 195038 )

      I already subscribe to two streaming services. I'm not going add more services just to watch a couple of shows when I haven't tapped out what I can already see.

      • I already subscribe to two streaming services. I'm not going add more services just to watch a couple of shows when I haven't tapped out what I can already see.

        CBS has actually been pretty good at releasing season N-1 on DVD before season N's release. I've already got Discovery Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, as well as Star Trek Picard, Season 1. Tangentially, the new Twilight Zone season 1 is out on DVD, with season 2 being released in mid-January. Lower Decks doesn't have a release date just yet.

        Ironically, I've probably spent more on the CBS:AA content by buying it that way, than I would have spent just subscribing...but like you, I've already got Netflix and Hulu (an

    • I wouldn't say it's the best show out there but it really is a parody of everything that is wrong with the "Star Trek" franchise since "The Next Generation".

      The show runners are very aware of the various tropes that really makes the newer versions of Star Trek frustrating to watch:
      - Miracle cures/No matter what you're infected with and no matter what it does to your body, you'll be your old self by the end of the episode
      - Interfering (for the best possible reasons) will result in things being much worse tha

      • I would hope that future writers of Star Trek would study this show are realize that that there needs to be some new ideas injected into the franchises.

        You don't make Star Trek into something other than Star Trek. What you do is you watch other shows, i.e. Star Wars or The Expanse. That's why it has multiple franchises so you can choose.

        Perhaps in the future, when actors can be fully replaced by CGI, can you have custom-tailored TV shows where you can create your own cross-over of any franchise and genre you like. However your complaint about what's wrong with Star Trek is as old as Star Trek itself. It is in fact a list of what Star Trek is about, only vi

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I just couldn't get in to Lower Decks. I tried, I really did. There were some good ideas and jokes but the manic characters were just too much.

      I enjoyed Harvey Birdman which is pretty manic too so I'm not sure exactly what put me off Lower Decks.

  • Upload (Score:3)

    by SWPadnos ( 191329 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @02:51PM (#60820166)

    On Amazon. I thought it was an interesting take on the whole cyber-life genre.

    Also, season 4 of the Expanse. (actually seasons 1-4, I re-watched everything after getting my sister hooked with S1EP1.) Eagerly awaiting season 5 next week.

    I have to agree with all the others who have mentioned the final seasons of The Good Place and Schitt's Creek also. I can't think of a better idea of Heaven than the one in The Good Place.

  • Better than Us (Score:3)

    by OzPeter ( 195038 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @02:52PM (#60820168)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

    Russian near future Sci-Fi about what happens when an advanced android prototype escapes into the real world. The portrayal of future tech and how androids are treated in society is pretty realistic.

  • I really enjoyed Ted Lasso... even though it's not typically the type of show I would watch. Seduced was a good insight into the NXIVM cult, just wished I didn't waste so much time watching The Vow and just watched Seduced instead.

  • On Disney+.

  • Allan Adams is excellent in MIT 8.04 https://youtube.com/playlist?l... [youtube.com]

    I had forgotten a lot of QM over the years, so it was a great way to spend some free time.

  • The expanse is coming out this month. Amazon is putting serious money in the production since season 4 and the results are superb. Fans of space opera and hardcore sci fi should give it a try. Books are amazing too...
  • I watch maybe one series every 3 years or so, the last one being GoT... But started this series just to see how accurate to the current situation it would be. A bit disappointed at how dumb and annoying it is at times, but episode S3E10, which I just saw before seeing this /. post, was quite on point !

  • Classic fun (Score:3)

    by ChrisMaple ( 607946 ) on Friday December 11, 2020 @04:30PM (#60820464)

    It's been a depressing year.

    Rocky and Bullwinkle
    Morecombe and Wise
    Bob Hope
    Laurel and Hardy
    W. C. Fields
    Cary Grant

  • This is not the year for traditional film festivals to show works from new filmmakers. Long ago, on the Los Angeles N.E.T. (now PBS) affiliate, in a program featuring works of young filmmakers, I was captivated by "THX 1138 4EB" by some USC student named George Lucas. We know where that went.

    One traditional film festival subjected me to a film that was mostly guys shaving each others' scrota. When the lights came back up, audience heads turned back and forth, mouths open, in a silent "Whuh?".

    This yea

  • Both great for laugh out loud absurdity. Both on Prime.

    The Great Courses' "Black Death: The World's Most Devastating Plague" was a real eye-opener. The parellels to today"s pandemic are uncanny/

    Another good watch was the Russian series To The Lake. Filmed in 2019 it imagines a deadly virus breaks out in Russia.

  • Thanks to Tubi I discovered this show just this year. It blew me away and I've rewatched it several times. This may be the TV show fans of "My Dinner With Andre" might enjoy.

    WIKI: "The series follows the fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each enter into a Faustian pact with a mysterious figure, the Man (Berkeley), whom they believe possesses the power to grant any wish, in return for which they must carry out a task he assigns them – hence the series tagline, "How far would you go t

  • I do and always will love Dirk Gently holistic detective season 1. All the nuts randomness and weirdness of episode 1...is paid off thuroghly by the end. Loved every moment.

    Also, LEGION is terrific.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Not Warrior Nun, but Warrior. Then comes Mandalorian. Feelyfeely Discovery does not make the list.

  • In some ways it's better than "Breaking Bad." The entire cast is so good, but Odenkirk and Seahorn are just awesome - her not winning the Emmy shows how little that award matters. Even though you know where it's going, it is still incredibly compelling watching Jimmy's transformation into Saul.

    You know that Kim isn't in Saul's life by the beginning of "Breaking Bad," but you're hoping that she gets her crap together and dumps him rather than paying the price for his sins. However, with this show, that's not

  • If I had to pick just one show. "Kipo and the Age of wonderbeasts"

    Season 3 was not as good as Season 2.

    But the twists that payoff in Season 2 are perfectly setup in season 1.

  • None of these came out this year but I found myself rewatching them a lot.

    Movie: Spaghettiman [imdb.com]. Low-budget and more than a little goofy with some shaky acting on occasion, it does have one of the best archvillain creation stories I have seen. I also felt there was a lot of clever jokes throughout the film. I swear I like good movies!

    TV Series: Harley Quinn [imdb.com]. I wasn't expecting much from this but I love it. I love their characterization of Bane though the others characters are humorous as well. I am a suc

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