What’s the most awful film you watched in the weirdest of years?

A little while after this is published, 2020 will finally be over.

That doesn’t mean our problems will go away, but it does mean we have a meaningful bookend to look back on this odd year and reflect on what we learned, accomplished, and watched.

Watched?

Yeah, watched.

We were all stuck at home anyway. I’m sure most of you watched more movies, television, and YouTube videos than you did in the past to make quarantine go by quickly. I saw some great films and television shows in 2020! Some of them are actually from this year, and others are older films I viewed for the first time this year:

• 1917 (2019)

• Knives Out (2019)

• Parasite (Korea, 2019)

• American Gospel: Christ Alone (2018)

• The Case for Ancient Monotheism (2020)

• The Thin Red Line (1998)

• Hail, Caesar! (2016)

• Hotel Artemis (2018)

• The Eichmann Show (2015)

• Hunt for the Wilder People (2016)

• Sword Art Online (2012 — present)

Now, for the nightmare fuel: What was the worst thing you watched all year?

In case you need some help remembering the fever dream that was 2020, Metacritic made a handy list of their worst-rated films:

The 15 Worst Movies of 2020

Thankfully, I was miraculously saved from seeing any of those duds! So, what’s my worst film of 2020? There are a few contenders:

• Double World (China, 2020)

• The Ninth Gate (1999)

• I, Frankenstein (2014)

• Santa Jaws (2018)

• Seventh Son (2014)

These are all contenders, but…let’s face it. Honestly, the worst film of 2020…was 2020 itself.

Covid-19.

Racial injustice.

Civil unrest.

A bonkers election.

2020 was a doozy of a disaster film.

Still, just like with Tommy Wiseau’s infamous cult-classic The Room, you can find gems in even the most obscure or awful piece of cinema. In the same way, I’d like to look back on one of the weirdest years we’ve experienced in recent memory to find the hidden diamonds.

The Big Year

At the start of 2020, all seemed to be (relatively) normal. My wife and I got to see Knives Out, 1917, Parasite, and other amazing films that had debuted at the end of 2019. I particularly enjoyed 1917 as both a filmmaker and a history buff. Bong Joon-ho made history with his Oscar win. 

Things seemed like they’d be alright…until COVID got worse. Then lockdown began. It wasn’t all bad, though. I got to spend more time at home with my wife. We binged excellent anime like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Sword Art Online. Since our trip overseas was canceled, we were able to adopt our cat.

Time Well-Spent

Speaking of cats, we even got to experience the crazed life of Joe Exotic. Tiger King combined with at-home isolation was a recipe for 2020 virality. Hard to believe that was earlier this year because it feels so long ago!

Let’s face it, 2020 felt so long in some ways that it could have been its own era. Since time is such a precious commodity; having “extra” was a bright silver lining. I got more time to write since I didn’t have to commute some days of the week. I even completed another feature screenplay and created an online course to help those who are struggling to be taken seriously as beginning screenwriters. I may have been stuck at home, but I used my time wisely!

What did you accomplish this year while you were stuck at home? (Binging a favorite show counts as an accomplishment.)

One Year & Counting

This is especially true since it’s been a whole year since I started my blog, Storylosopher. Here are some of the most popular articles I wrote this year:

The Screenwriting Book That Changed My Life

Why “Save the Cat” is Bad Screenwriting Advice

How to Adapt a Poem Into a Short Film

The blog itself also changed from its inception. My original focus was on the philosophy and theology embedded within popular cinema and television; now it’s shifted to an emphasis on screenwriting and storytelling. (Don’t worry, I’ll still do some critical analysis of films every so often.) 

Finally, I decided that on Medium (but not Storylosopher) I’d write some articles related to my day job in UX strategy:

The UX of Mobile App Onboarding: Rosetta Stone vs. Duolingo

How My First UX Design Project Failed Perfectly

I’m so glad I decided to start a professional blog and kept working on it this year. Even being stuck at home, I’ve felt as if I had a connection to the world at large thanks to my new platform and growing community of like-minded storytellers. Please join us!

Eyes Up

Now that we’re on the eve of 2021, I’d like to look forward to the opportunities we have. 2021 will mean more than just a new year and new administration for the US. It’s also a horizon on which the sun of our future rises, ever hopeful with the new dawn. 

I say that not because our problems will magically disappear when the ball drops at midnight; rather, I see each new day as the locus of living. Yeshua of Nazareth said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). By keeping my eyes on what (and who) truly matters, I’m enabled to live in the midst of the pandemic (or whatever else) as if it’s just another day.

That’s A Wrap

2020 may have been a weird, awful year — for some more than others, who we grieve with — but regardless of how 2021 turns out, I’m going to take it day-by-day, and I suggest you do the same.

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