Never put a fish in your car
I streamed a hell of a lot more this year than I have in years prior. The combination of slow work days and lousy weather in the second half of the year meant I gave myself more couch time than I have in the past (I get enormous weather guilt – when the sun is out I struggle to stay inside).
Here are the most notable ones.
Series
- Euphoria
My favourite of the year. The cinematography, the subject matter, the cast (it speaks volumes that so many unlikable characters maintained my interest). That carnival episode was incredible. My only gripe? All the loose ends, no doubt designed to bait me into coming back for season 2. - Chernobyl
This was top of my list until I saw Euphoria. I feel most people have seen this so there’s not much to be said. Bleak, sad, heavy, powerful – as it should be. - Russian Doll
This one popped up on Netflix and I started without knowing a thing about it. What seemed like a Groundhog Day ripoff at first blossomed into something more. Natasha Lyonne was great. - Escape at Dannemora
Who’d have thought Ben Stiller had it in him? Like The Shawshank Redemption, but real. Great cast, true story told well. The contrast between how the characters are portrayed behind bars and on the outside is brilliant – with their horrific past crimes sandwiched between. - The Mandalorian
I loved this. Simple, high production-value space-western which straddled the line between “adventure of the week” and a season wide arc. It strangely took me back to my childhood playing Space Quest more than anything to do with Star Wars. - What We Do In The Shadows
Not as good as the movie, but I never expected it to be. Still worthy of sitting alongside the movie. Mark Proksch steals it. - Big Little Lies – Season 2
Aside from Meryl, this stank. A season full of miserable characters which seemed to have no point to it. They should have quit after the much fresher first season. - Mindhunter – Season 2
Visually brilliant as always, albeit a slow burn. Anna Torv had a lot more to work with this time but then vanished for the last 3 episodes. - The Office (US)
I finally got around to watching all 9 seasons after having seen bits and pieces out of order over the years. I loved it and was thoroughly disappointed when I ran out of episodes (even with the quality dip in the final season, which came across like it had been written by a different team). - I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
I’ve been craving sketch comedy since the end of Awesome Show. This managed to scratch my itch. - On Cinema at the Cinema
This will be on my list of must-sees every year it continues to exist.
Features
- Parasite
Favourite movie of the year. If you haven’t seen it, you should – and the less you know about it ahead of viewing the better. Watch it before the inevitable Hollywood remake. - The Irishman
I love Scorsese. But for all the talk of what constitutes “cinema” around the release of this, it played more like a mini-series. Can anyone do the 3 hours and 30 minutes in one sitting? - Joker
Clever take on old material and proof that Joaquin is always great. - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Disappointing. A movie full of memorable scenes haphazardly stitched together. It almost played like a Tarantino clip show. Leo’s chat with the child actor was the highlight. - Avengers: Endgame
The VFX highlight of the year. Ambitious, and yes predictable – but a bit of fun. - Us
This was great, except for the final act, when Peele dropped way too much exposition. There is a beauty to leaving some things a mystery. Two-thirds of a good movie. - El Camino
Great, as you’d expect – but unnecessary. I loved it to get my fix while I wait for more Saul. It didn’t ruin the perfect Breaking Bad ending nor did it elevate it. - Apollo 11
Fantastic for any space or history nerds. The pictures do all the talking.