Best of 2020 in Movies, Shows & Albums

I know 2020 was a rough year for everyone. If you’re like me, you probably spent a large amount of time binging shows or movies on Netflix, reading books, playing videos or just doing anything to escape reality for just a little while. In 2020, I learned the importance of self-care and tried to allow myself to do these things without feeling guilty for not being super productive. It’s something I’m still working on this year, and I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of the same things in 2021. 

I thought it would be fun to share my top movies, shows and albums released in 2020 to give you some new things to check out and have to look forward to. Be sure to let me know if any of these things made it to the top of your list! Without further ado, here are my top movies, shows and albums of 2020.

Top 5 Movies of 2020

#5 Unpregnant

This movie follows the journey of a highschool girl who finds out she’s pregnant and wants to secretly get an abortion. I liked how it turned a heavy topic into a lighthearted movie, but still shows the real-life challenges young women face. I especially loved the cheesy friendship moments throughout the movie. 

Unpregnant is available to stream on HBO Max.

#4 The Invisible Man

The main character, Cecilia, runs away from her husband and is later told that he committed suicide while she was gone. She soon starts questioning whether or not he’s still alive when strange things start happening to her. She claims he somehow turned himself invisible, but she can’t get anyone to believe her. I thought this movie had a lot more potential, but I thought it would have been better if certain things weren’t given away in the trailer. There was also a mistake towards the end that I don’t know how the editors didn’t catch – you’ll just have to watch to figure out what it is. 

The Invisible Man is available to stream on HBO Max.

#3 Work It

Quinn finds herself in a sticky situation after lying during a college interview claiming to be a professional dancer. She only has a certain amount of time to learn how to dance. This movie may sound like a cheesy dance movie, which it honestly was, but I thought it was way better than I expected it to be. If you’re a fan of Pitch Perfect, I feel like this is the dance version of it. A very fun and lighthearted movie that I very much enjoyed.

Work It is available to stream on Netflix.

#2 Birds of Prey

As I mentioned in my November Favorites, I had never seen Suicide Squad, so I didn’t know what to expect from this movie. Seeing as this movie made it to my top 2 for 2020, I bet you can guess that I really enjoyed it. Watching a heartbroken, crazy, Harley Quinn was pretty hilarious. The last half of the movie was so good! Even if you haven’t seen many other DC movies, I’d still recommend watching this one! 

Birds of Prey is available to stream on HBO Max.

#1 Love and Monsters

Of course, my top movie of the year would star none other than my favorite actor, Dylan O’Brien. He plays a guy named Joel who is living during a monster apocalypse. At the beginning of the apocalypse, he got separated from his girlfriend, Aimee, and found a colony of new people to live with. One day, he makes the crazy decision to leave the colony on his own and tries to go out and find her. This movie has a little bit of everything - humor, friendship, love, creepy giant bug monsters and a dog that you can’t help but adore. Plus, the graphics of the monsters were amazing. This was by far my favorite movie of 2020, and I highly suggest you watch it asap!

Love and Monsters is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

Other contenders worth mentioning:

Chemical Hearts on Amazon Prime Video

All the Bright Places on Netflix

Top 5 Shows of 2020

#5 The Flight Attendant 

This show follows a flight attendant named Cassie who spends the night with one of the passengers on her flight. The next day she wakes up next to his dead body with no memory of what happened. I know this show received a lot of praise at the end of the year, but honestly I didn’t think it was as good as everyone made it out to be. It still made it into my top 5, but I found most scenes that were meant to be funny, really annoyed me. I thought the ending was pretty good and that was what made it worth it. My favorite characters were the ones who didn’t receive much screen time.

The Flight Attendant is available to stream on HBO Max.

#4 Outer Banks

This show caught me by surprise. By first glance, I thought it was just a surfer movie. I heard such great things about it and saw people were comparing it to a modern-day version of The Goonies, so I decided to give it a try. It was full of mystery, action, romance and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit! I’m definitely ready for season 2!

Outer Banks is available to stream on Netflix.

#3 Pokémon Journeys

I’ve been a Pokémon fan ever since I can remember, so the nerd in me was thrilled that they came out with a new Pokémon series on Netflix. I will admit, I haven’t seen ALL of the original series. My boyfriend and I recently started the series at the very beginning and we’re slowly making our way through it. Netflix has already released 3 parts of Pokémon Journeys and I am really enjoying it so far. It’s both similar and different from the original series, but it is a nice new addition. I like that this series is more fast paced and we get to see a variety of Pokémon from different regions, every episode. I get to see new Pokémon from the Galar region, like Sobble, who I’m obsessed with. 

Pokémon Journeys is available to stream on Netflix.

#2 Emily in Paris

This show received a lot of criticism when it first came out. The main character, Emily, is asked to move to France for her marketing job. Being a millennial from Chicago with essentially no clue how to speak the French language, she finds herself having a difficult time fitting in with her new coworkers. Emily starts sharing her new adventures in Paris on Instagram, and her account starts taking off practically overnight.

As someone who works in social media and has used Instagram for years, I know that adding a few hashtags to an Instagram post won’t make you an influencer overnight, but that’s essentially what happens in Emily in Paris. Although I found the show to be quite unrealistic, I still enjoyed the comical moments, especially between Emily and her neighbor, Gabriel. It was a nice escape from all of the heaviness that 2020 brought.

Emily in Paris is available to stream on Netflix.

#1 The Undoing

I’m a sucker for murder mystery shows. I love trying to figure out who committed the murder before the final reveal. I love how this show kept me guessing throughout the entire thing. I loved Big Little Lies, and this miniseries is similar and also stars Nicole Kidman. If you love trying to solve a murder as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll love this one. This show was very hyped up at the end of 2020 and I can see why.  

The Undoing is available to stream on HBO Max.

Other contenders worth mentioning:

The Circle on Netflix

Dash & Lily on Netflix

Ratched on Netflix

Top 5 Albums of 2020

#5 Folklore by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift always has the most magical lyrics, and Folklore didn’t disappoint. I love the concept of this album and how Taylor created her own stories and characters for the album. Folklore is the perfect album to throw on a record player while snuggled up in a cozy cardigan. It’s definitely different from her other stuff, but it grows on me a little more with each listen.

#4 All Distortions Are Intentional by Neck Deep

I’ve been a pretty avid pop punk fan for years now, and Neck Deep is always a classic in the genre. My favorite album will probably always be Life’s Not Out To Get You, but I think they’ve done a good job of evolving their sound over the years. This album is a nice addition to their discography and has a good combination of fast, catchy songs and slower jams.

#3 Manic by Halsey

I don’t know why, but this was the first Halsey album that I listened to. I love everything of hers on the radio, so I don’t know why it took me this long to listen to more of her stuff. I was very impressed when I first listened to Manic, and I found some of my favorite songs to be ones not overplayed on the radio. Let’s just say I had “3am” on repeat pretty much all year.

#2 Into the Raging Sea by Broadside

I’d say Broadside is another classic pop punk band, alongside Neck Deep, who I’ve been listening to for years. I was very impressed with their first two albums, and Into the Raging Sea was no exception. My favorites, “Nights Alone” and “Heavenly” were constantly on repeat on my 2020 playlist. But if I’m being honest, the whole album is so good!!

#1 Wake Up, Sunshine by All Time Low

Without a doubt, All Time Low’s Wake Up, Sunshine is my top album of the year. If you know me personally or you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you know All Time Low is my favorite band of all time, and I don’t hold back whenever there’s a chance for me to talk about them. I ended up getting Wake Up, Sunshine on cd, vinyl and even replayed it countless times on Spotify. Here’s my Spotify Wrapped to prove it. 😂

But in all honesty, whether we’re talking about the catchy songs on the album, or the lyrics and meaning behind the songs, I think this will remain one of my favorite albums for a very long time. I couldn’t be more proud of my boys and this work of art. 🖤

I’m dying to know what movies, shows or albums made it to the top of your list! Be sure to let me know in the comments.

Until next time,