Top attention-grabbing films and series of 2020 during pandemic

Monitoring Desk

The American Film Institute has announced the top ten movies and series of 2020. Here’s a pick of our favorites.

Director Spike Lee (left) with Clarke Peters, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors and Norm Lewis.

DA 5 Bloods

Directed, produced and co-written by Spike Lee, ‘Da 5 Bloods’ is a war movie about five Vietnam war veterans. The film was the last movie released in actor Chadwick Boseman’s lifetime. Boseman plays the role of Norman, the squad eader of the five “Bloods.”

Picture showing Viola Davis singing in front of the microphone, surrounded by other members of her band.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Another Chadwick Boseman film features on the list of top movies released by the AFI. ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ was released after Boseman died in August last year. Viola Davis plays the role of the popular blues singer.

Actors Aldis Hodge (left), who plays Jim Brown, with Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke.

One night in Miami

Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm X come together in ‘One Night in Miami,’ a film focused on a life-changing evening for the four cult figures.

A movie still showing an animated African-American man playing the piano.

Soul

This is first movie created by Pixar Animation Studios to feature an African-American protagonist. ‘Soul’ tells the story of a musician whose soul has separated from his body. The film features voices of artists including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Graham Norton.

Bridgerton

A drama set in London during the Regency era, the ‘Bridgerton’ series made headlines because it cast Black actors in a quintessentially White English story. It immediately grabbed the coveted most-watched spot on Netflix when it was released it December and went on to trend on Twitter. Within a month of the debut, Netflix has now announced it would renewed it for a second season.

The combination shows Claire Foy (left), who played the role of the young queen, followed by Olivia Colman in the middle and Imelda Staunton, to the right, who will play the British monarch in the series' next season.

The Crown

The hugely popular Netflix series has also created controversy, with the British royal family complaining that it has been wrongly portrayed. The latest and fourth season of ‘The Crown’ has actress Olivia Colman playing the role of Queen Elizabeth. Season five is already in the works.

The Queen’s Gambit

Beauty and brains come together in this gripping series about a young woman who overcomes the odds to become a grandmaster. The series revived the game of chess and also became famous for its protagonist’s fashionable wardrobe. The character is played by Anya Taylor-Joy.

A scene showing the protagonist Esty standing knee-deep in water.

Unorthodox

The Netflix show tells the story of Deborah Feldman, who flees an orthodox community in New York. The series is based on Feldman’s book, ‘Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of my Hasidic Roots.”

The list of best movies and television or web shows, released by the American Film Institute every year, is considered one of the best predictors of an Oscar nomination.

Here are the top ten movies of 2020:

1. Da 5 Bloods

2. Judas and the Black Messiah

3. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

4. Mank

5. Minari

6.Nomadland

7. One Night in Miami

8. Soul

9. Sound of Metal

10. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Here is the list of top ten series:

1. Better Call Saul

2. Bridgerton

3. The Crown

4. The Good Lord Bird

5. Lovecraft Country

6. The Mandalorian

7. Mrs. America

8. The Queen’s Gambit

9. Ted Lasso

10. Unorthodox

Courtesy: DW