2020: my year in movies and books

At last. I won't be dwelling on what a ride this year has been for everyone, we all know well; in fact, this last post for the 2020 is dedicated to the best reads and best movies I have had the pleasure to enjoy this crazy year. Lockdown really challenged us, but luckily writers never stopped writing ( we don't ever) and although cinemas and theatres are still suffering, some great productions saw the light thanks to online platforms. And these I want to celebrate whishing you a happy new year full of new movies and new books! Here I present you MY TOP 5 BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Little disclaimer: unfortunately I didn't have the time to read some great novels on my to-be-absolutely-read list because of lack of time due to university but I will be catching them all up soon (Yes Poppy War by R.F. Kuang I am talking about you), and some books I was waiting for or expected to be good didn't end up here because well, they didn't deserve at all (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, I wish you never existed) 5-Midnight Sun, by Stephenie Meyer

Let me tell you: WE NEEDED IT

What a blast from the past: suddenly my whole generation forgot about being in a pandemic and felt dragged back in the '10s, when we were all swooning about Edward and Bella. You know the story, it's still Twilight but from Edward's point of view, but it was definitely a treat. And the success it got was well deserved, ten years waiting and the whole scandal of the stolen draft gave it justice. It's the same good style (yes, Stephenie Meyer writes GOOD for a young adult author), the same comfort characters that shaped us back in the days and we missed dearly. We definitely needed it in such a moment of our lives.

4-The Deep, by Rivers Solomon and Daveed Diggs (yes, THAT Daveed Diggs), William Hutson,Jonathan Snipes Actually this one came out late 2019, but it was a great surprise. I was looking for some good merfolk lore novels and I stumbled upon this very short novella, without even noticing that Broadway and Hollywood star Daveed Diggs worked on it and I was surprised. How to describe The Deep? As a white woman I have little to no voice in the matter, but this fantasy take on african slaves trades leaves a mark. It's a story of memories, of traditions, of the history of a people that must be remembered and told. Black history meets mermaids in these pages.

3-In The Dust Of This Planet, by Eugene Thacker If you know me, you know I am made by 50% horror and 50% phylosophy. Imagine my reaction when I found a trilogy of essays that took modern horror culture and fiction and analized it under the lense of pessimistic phylosophy. I was screaming, yes. If you love horror and/or phylosophy you might want to give it a shot and if you are not into either but just like books about life and are looking for something a little different, this is also for you. 2-The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by Victoria Schwab

Call it the most discussed book of the year (and we know, discussing it makes it popular) Loved or hated with no in between, this novel at some point got us all hooked. 200% inspired by the movie The Age of Adeline, in this novel we follow the invisible life of Addie, a 1700 french girl who makes a deal with the darkness to have her life spared but ends up being cursed to an eternal youth yes, but forgotten by anyone she meets if the look away even for just a second. Terrible isn't it? Well until she meets Henry, a troubled american librarian who remembers her. It's the beginning of their dramatic love story. Warm, intimate, teenager-y, an handsome villain, this novel has it all. If you are in for a sappy and dramatic love story with bittersweet twists, this is your book. You are either gonna hate it with your whole self or like me, love it so much you underline most lines of it. 1- The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig

This is it. The book of the year. When in doubt, if there is a Matt Haig book in a bunch, pick that, you will never be wrong. This novel is illuminating, life-saving and life-changing. Nothing more to add. Young Nora has suffered enough all her life and decides call it a day. Forever. But instead of ending in the deadly void, she will find herself in the midnight library, where she has the chance to see all the possible lives she could have lead if she took any little different choice and pick one she likes if she finds one happy enough, instead of dying. This novel makes your guts turn and your chest stretch and your eyes tear up. But it's all fine, because this is what life is about. Sadness, regrets, bad choices and new possibilities. Give yourself the possibility of reading this one, you won't regret it. MY TOP 5 MOVIES OF THE YEAR Same little disclaimer: some movies didn't end up because either I didn't get to see them yet (I admit I have caught up with movies from previous years and neglected a little the 2020 movies) or because they didn't live up to the expectations (most movies I was looking forward got delayed due to the pandemic and the industry released mostly blockbusters such as Tenet or Mulan and such so...yeh..no) And I didn't include Hamilton because I didn't consider it an actual movie (otherwise instead of a top 5 movies, it would be a top 5 moments from the Hamilfilm) 5-The Thief And The Cobbler (Re-Cobbled Cut, Italian Version), by Richard Williams.

This is a bit of an anomaly. The movie came out on 1993, and it was recobbled in 2006 and then in 2013. So why it's here? Because in 2020 an amatour groups of Youtubers and dubbers obtained the rights to dub the movie in italian and release it completely for free. This movie is creepy, eerie, problematic. But I had to give it an honorable mention because of its history. If you are not familiar with Richard Williams (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and watch this cartoon thinking 'ok, it looks like Aladdin but on acid' well you are right. Richard Williams was a visionary and The Thief and The Cobbler was his utopistic masterpiece he never got to see finished. For a half century this movie has been stolen, destroyed to bits countless times and to finally be able to watch it in italian, thanks to the effort of guys who wanted to give Williams justice for his work, was an honor. 4-Mank, by David Fincher

I swear I didn't know it was about to come out until a week before its release.

But I would have never missed a biopic about the man who wrote the script for Citizen Kane, the process of the creation of a masterpiece, the inspirations and controversy.

As a writer myself I couldn't miss it at all.

Gary Oldman keeps serving probably the best performances of his career, the whole cast is a jewel though (Tom Burke as Orson Welles, god if he didn't look IDENTICAL to the young genius)

This is a movie for movies lovers, and I would 100% recommend the full Kane marathon: watch (or re-watch) Citizen Kane and as it finishes press play to Mank. Magical.

3-Soul, by Pete Docter

They did it again. Damn Pixar.

Their 'children friendly- adults wreaking' movies. Not a completely new idea (what's new Disney), but a more than good piece. The animation is sublime, the warm lights of the sunset on the city are something else, the detail of some inanimate objects make them seem real. They are back with movies that can entertain an audience of kids with little skits, funny characters and colors, and at the same time wreak the adults next to them. If this was released in cinemas, I swear I can hear the sobs and sniffs. A movie about life, death, purpose, second chances. In a time like this, it's a spark. 2-His House, by Remi Weekes

Ok. Ok. This movie. Found randomly while browsing Netflix new releases of the month, the poster inspired me (just like most horrors do, what can I say), I watched it expecting another cheap netflix horror about a haunted houses and ghostly presences.

This movie slapped me in the face and called me stupid. An african refugee couple are allowed in their first house in a small England village, too small, full of racism and prejudices. But everything is better than the life in Sudan and what they endured. The house hides something, but they hide something too. Very Jordan Peele-y, this movie leads you where it wants you to be, and once you think you understood what's going on, it slaps you right in the face. A very human horror story, about how scary and evil humans can be, quoting: ''After I have seen what humans can do, do you think I am afraid of ghosts?'' 1-I'm Thinking of Ending Things, by Charlie Kaufman

This was, in my opinion, the movie of the year. Almost perfect under any aspect: directing, editing, the writing no need to say it, it's one of the best written movies I have seen in ages (you can find the screenplay online, give it a read), acting. God, the acting on this one (Toni Collette and David Thewlis' backs must hurt from carrying the whole first act) A couple is driving to the boyfriend's hometown for the holidays. The girlfriend gets to meet his parents, and keeps the secret of wishing to end things. But things get strange and suddenly you realize it's not a romantic/dramatic movie you are watching but something else, something completely different that it's gonna keep you glued on your chairs.