Top Series of 2020

 After my Top of Films of 2020 here it is, the top of the series ! and FYI here's the top of the albums of the year 2020 !

1. Fargo season IV  (F/X)

better than the third season, this ganster story set in 1950 Kansas city has also an outlansish black and white surreal episode. Chris Rock is great as the black mob boss, Jack Huston brilliant as the compulsive detective, and the Italians are all a highlight. 

2. Raised by Wolves (HBOMax)

Ridley and Jake Scott direct and produce this classy (& classic) SF created by Aaron Guzikowski, shot in South Africa, with a lot of links to Promoetheus, Blade Runner and Alien series. 

3. The Mandalorian season 2 (Disney+)

Season 2 of The Mandalorian created by Jon Favreau is even better than the first one and brings it closer into the Star Wars  universe. Baby Yoda gets a name, the bounty hunter gets to show his face, and more surprises in this well serialised 8 episodes season.

and in no particular order, up to Ten:

Hollywood (Netflix)

Ian Brennan & Ryan Murphy reinvent Hollywood tales and destinies in the late forties. Revisionist limited miniseries, 7 eps. Trash and LBGB oriented but yeah, Hollywood...

The Boys season 2 (Amazon), not as much fun a season one tho. The Hitler / Goebbels refereences, kudos. 

Devs (F/X Hulu)

Alex Garland's intelligent SF AI Tech marred by budget constraints. 

The Third Day (HBO) 

-six eps miniseries with a great Jude Law, Wicker Man type of thriller, loses breath and grip after ep.3

Truth Seekers (Amazon)

Nick Frost & Simon Pegg supernatural /horror/apocalypse/conspiracy. spoof pomedy series was (too) minor fun, with a great Malcolm Mc Dowell in it. 8 1/2 hr. episodes.

Third season of Norsemen (Netflix), weaker then season one and two but still Monty Python deadpan anachronic nihilistic & sarcastic Northen humour fun. 

saw also:

Freud (Netflix), okeish cheesy Euro trash thriller. kinda guilty pleasure, and what The Alienist should've been. Gave up on that one on season 2, I guess they changed its title too, 

Very disaponted on the Penny Dreadful-City of Angles, witches del muerte, nazis and BS.

caught-up with Call my Agent ! (Dix Pour Cent) on netflix, the French comedy series, good fun, smart. Season 4 is out in France (Oct. 2020), I hope soon also on the Nflix.

***

!!!-in the process of watching 30 Monedas (Alex de la Iglesia, HBO Europe) and the new version of  Stephen King'sTHE STAND. 

Top Films of 2020

It's gonna be in English tho. In 2020 I saw films worth mantioning in theaters (Tenet, Colectiv, Pinoochio), watched a lot of Netflix lucky batch of art films product but mostly It was a re-watch and catch-up pf old movies. managed to count (adding series) 370 films. Not so much, I think. so here we go, a TOP 12 adding one mini-series I Know This Much Is True-tough one- but basically a six-hour long film: "

The Top of 2020 series is here ! And the Top of the albums of the Year !

1. "Mank" (Netflix) David Fincher movie of the year !!!

“Uncut Gems” (Netflix) the Safdie Brothers , technically out in December 2019

 “Another Round” Thomas Vinterberg 

 "Tenet" (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan -my review here

 “The Painted Bird” Vaclav Marhoul (technically out in 2029) based on the controversial Jerzy Kosinski novel 

 "Pinocchio" Mateo Garrone 

 “I'm Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix) Charlie Kaufman 

 “Babyteeth” Shannon Murphy

“The Hater” (Netflix) Jan Komasa 

 "Palm Springs" (Hulu/Neon) Max Barbakow -also comedy of the year, sorry Bill and Tedd Face the Music 

 "Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix) Spike Lee 

 “I know This Much Is True” Derek Cianfrance 

HBO mini-series, but like e six-hour movie with special points for Mark Ruffalo-actor of the year, together with Gary Oldman, Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Mads Mikkelsen 

Mentions: 

Waiting for the Barbarians, Ciro Guerra's adaptation of J.M. Coetzee's Nobel awarded novel,  flawed but a different breed of film, The Trail of Chicago Seven, The Comey Rule with a great Jeff Daniels and Russian SF/horror Sputnik. 

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  Animation 

"Soul" (Pixar) Pete Docter & Kemp Powers 

  Documentary 

“Zappa” (Alex Winter) 

“Belushi” (R.J. Cutler, Showtime)

 “Colectiv” (Alexandru Nanau, also filmul romanesc al anului 2020) -my review here

 Concert Film of the Year

“American Utopia” (HBO, David Byrne's concert of the album named the same) Spike Lee

Season Greetings from Transilvania Blues

Dear friends, / Dragi prieteni, Thanx for your Support in 2020 ! / Vă mulțumim pentru sprijin în 2020 ! Let's Bring the Blues Back Live in 2021 ! / Haideți să (re)aducem blues-ul Live în 2021 ! best wishes, / cu drag, Alin & Vlad Let There Be Blues !!! Transilvania Blues Nights & Transilvania Blues Festival

#TransilvaniaBluesFestival #transilvaniaBluesNights #aldmovieland #LetThereBeBlues #MerryXmas

RIP Leslie West

The Mountain man is gone, at 75, on Dec. 23d 2020. Alwaya someone great in music dies at or around Xmas, the angels must need new people in The BAND Above .... Leslie West was one of the gretest guitarists of rock, a true Mountain (he founded the band Mountain with Felix Pappalardi), later joined by drummer Corky Laing. Mountain played Woodstock in 1969 and disbanded in 1972, they had the hit Mississippi Queen in 1970 that i got to see live with Corky Laing in Brasov last year. Also his friend Jack Bruce, with whom he played in West Bruce and Lang, and did a great solo for Theme for an Imginary Western (see SOTD 2012 when Jack Bruce played the 2nd time Romania at Dracu la bas fest), but not mr. West :( RIP :( obit and legacy in NME here and Rolling Stone here