Join us as we look back at some of this years greatest hits!
Hey everyone!
Welcome back to the lab and its penultimate post of 2020. In a special Through the Vortex post, we thought we would take a look back at some of our highlights from the past twelve months and why we loved them so much. This will be followed by another post on Wednesday looking ahead to all the things we are most excited for in 2021.
Without further ado, Let’s get started!
Beware Spoilers for everything follows:
TV
Doctor Who Series 12 - BBC One.
Well of course i was going to start with Doctor Who wasn't i?
The year started with the Doctor blazing back onto our TV Screens on new year's day. For the nine weeks that followed after that fans everywhere were on the edges of their seats as the Doctor and her gang dealt with old foes such as The Master and The Cybermen, as well as new foes and adventures. After a whole year of waiting for a new series Doctor Who was back, and what a joy it was.
We were also treated to the return of Captain Jack (Who will be returning in the upcoming special) as well as the series arc of The Timeless Child, Doctor Who was on form each week, each episode being spoken about for days afterwards. With the series itself ending on a cliffhanger that has had viewers anxiously waiting all year for answers, which we get to see on new year's day. Series 12 was a true return to form after a divisive Series 11. Series 12 had everything from danger and stakes, to laughter and adventure and was a welcome way to kickstart 2020!
The Mandalorian - Disney+
After months of endless lockdowns, social distancing and being away from friends and family, people were finally treated to the new season of The Mandalorian in October. This time being presented as a weekly installment, we got to see the further adventures of Din Djarin and Baby Yoda as they travel to take the Child to a Jedi master for training, we travelled to many planets, encountering fan favourite characters as well as encountering completely new ones. We also saw the return of Moff Gideon as his sinister plan was put into effect.
For me, Series 2 was much stronger than season 1, it felt like it knew what it wanted and where it was going. There was a clear direction for the show, added with the moments of fan service here and there, and boy was there many, Series 2 truly showed why The Mandalorian is not just one of the strongest shows on TV/Streaming, but is also the future of Star Wars. We are in very safe hands with showrunners Dave Feloni and Jon Favarou.
Aunty Donna’s Big Ol House of Fun - Netflix
An absolute gem of a show this year comes from some of my favourite comedians. Aunty Donna is an australian improvisational comedy group, they have a vast Youtube and Podcast following and have been operating for many years now. So when it was announced they had their own Netflix series coming out, produced by Ed Helms, I was overjoyed.
The show is 6 episodes long at around half hour each and consists of many different sketches from the Aunty Donna Lads, some familiar favourites and many new ones too such as their Ellen Sketch; Everything is a Drum and the introduction of Cowdoy. This series is just a great piece of escapism to anyone that needs it in what has been a rollercoaster of a year. If you just want to see back, relax and enjoy some comedy then i cannot recommend them highly enough.
Film
Tenet - Christopher Nolan
Tenet is the latest work from the talented mind that brought us The Dark Knight Trilogy; Inception and Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan. The film has been many years in development and finally in July of this year, After some uncertainty, fans were finally given the opportunity to be completely intrigued yet confused in Nolans latest flick.
The film has a stellar cast in David John Washington; Robert Pattinson; Kenneth Brannagh and Elizabeth Debecki as well as many others. The Film centres around The Protagonist (David John Washington) as he learns the secrets of time inversion so that he can stop a nuclear war. This time the score is not done by Nolans Collaborator Hans Zimmer but is instead done by the genius that is Ludwig Göransson. The Score for this film alone will have each viewer on the edge of their seats. With a stellar cast, Stellar action set pieces and a fantastic score, why not give this a go?
1917 - Sam Mendes
From the mind of Sam Mendes comes my personal favourite film from 2020. The british war epic, 1917. Filmed as a ‘One Take’ with the help of its editor (Lee Smith) and its cinematographer, the amazing Roger Deakins, 1917 was a cinema spectacular at the start of the year.
The film centres around soldiers Schofield and Blake as they have to deliver a crucial message to their own forces. They must travel across enemy lines, avoiding detection at all costs or suffering losing 1,600 men including Blake's brother. You spend the film with these two soldiers as they desperately do what they can to get to their destination, as an audience member you root for them with every step they take. The film's cast includes George Mckay; Dean-Charles Chapman; Mark Strong; Colin Firth; Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott amongst many others. With a cast as strong as this, you would be a fool to miss it. For UK readers the films available on amazon prime right now!
Gaming
The Last of Us Part 2 - Naughty Dog.
This year has been a varied year for gaming as a whole, we had the release of some outstanding games whilst also having many games delayed. We had the release of brand new consoles too. For this section of the post, I wanted to talk about one game in particular, but that doesn't mean there weren't other games I loved, some shoutouts include Ghosts of Tsushima; Animal Crossing and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. However this year there was one game that truly stood out for me, The Last of Us Part 2.
After an amazing first game back in 2013, gamers waited for 7 years to find out what was next for the characters of Joel and Ellie and in June we got to find out. What starts off as a story of revenge ends up taking you on an emotional journey of growth, betrayal and grief that will leave you gasping for breath. This game had everything, it had action; scares and a heck of an emotional story. This game really did take it out of you but in the best ways. The story had you crying one moment and then laughing the next. The narrative is one of the strongest I have seen in a game in many years and the design is simply breathtaking. This has been many peoples game of the year, mine included, and you need to try it out. It is amazing.
Other
The Weekly Planet - Podcast
Podcasts have always been a great part of my day to day life, however in a year when we spent most (If not all) of it in isolation, they became an integral part of my day to day activities. This is why I highly recommend The Weekly Planet Podcast. The podcast has been around since 2013 with hosts Mr Sunday (James) and his trusty Co-Host Nick Mason getting together each week to speak about all the latest happenings in the world of all things Comic Books; TV; Film and much more.
With regular segments such as “What We Reading, What We Gonna Read” and “H8 Mail but the Hate has an 8 in it”. Just simply sit back, relax and let James and Mason take you through all the latest news with some good laughs thrown in along the way. Trust me, in a year like 2020, The Weekly Planet is just the thing you need to put a smile on your face.
Well there we have it, just a few of our favourite picks from this year, do you agree with the choices we have made?
Come back this wednesday for our look-ahead to 2021 and what we are excited for the most!
Until Then,
Stay Safe. Look out for each other.
Harry x
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