THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best MOVIES Of The Year

 

THE YEAR IN MOVIES - 2020

- 2020 was ... a year. And yeah, that's been a recurring theme in all of this year's Best of 2020 blog posts. 2020 saw a pandemic, an economic crisis, an increasingly unhinged and psychotic "President," an incredibly stressful and unpredictable election season, racial injustice and police brutality, and just, in general, unprecedented upheaval and chaos. In a lot of ways, this was quite simply a year spent in the darkest of timelines.

The last movie I saw in theaters in 2020 was Pixar's Onward. I remember going to the movies that night in March - there was a bit of an unsettled feeling in the air. I recall hoping that the theater wouldn't be at capacity, and feeling a bit nervous when I realized that it was close to it. Still, at that time, I never could have imagined what was to come - the severity of the imminent pandemic or how long it would last. I was lucky to have some really cool moviegoing experiences early in the year. I remember seeing Invisible Man with a great crowd - a perfect theatrical experience. I saw an Emma director Q&A at the Arclight in Hollywood, hosted by Elijah Wood. It was a ton of fun. I remember going with a group of friends to see the insane Nic Cage cosmic horror movie Color Out of Space - a gloriously weird midnight movie if ever there was one. I remember going to see the Alien-riff Underwater, because it seemed very much like my jam, and like a movie that needed to be seen on the big screen - I'm glad I did. I remember, after hearing so many great things about it, finally getting to see the superlative period drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire at the Arclight. It was an amazing movie that completely captivated me. While not technically a 2020 film, it was one of the best movies I saw this year.

Then, the pandemic hit. I was working from home, cut off from most friends and family. In those early days of quarantine, aside from a few new movies that jumped straight from theaters to digital, there were pretty slim pickings in terms of new movies, as studios scrambled to either push back release dates or else find a new distribution strategy. My work in digital distribution put me smack dab in the middle of this crazy new Wild West. Things very quickly got very crazy and very busy.

Since moviegoing is, normally, such a big part of my life - and since it soon became clear that we were going to be in this quarantine for the long haul - I talked to my girlfriend and we came up with a plan: we would create a Google Doc filled with movie themes, and we'd add to it whenever a new theme idea occurred to us. If a new movie was coming out, we'd plan a theme around it. The themes could be based on actors, directors, genres - pretty much anything. It was a fun and safe way to have something to look forward to every weekend of the pandemic. We made the plan and have stuck to it - and I'm so glad we did. We watched Hitchcock films, golden age Hollywood musicals, fantasy movies, and childhood favorites. We had a Body Swap-a-thon Marathon, a Time Loop Weekend, a Shark Weekend, a Weekend of Goldblum, a Merry Meryl Movie Marathon, a Ewan McGregor McMovie McWeekend, and of course (timed with the release of the new Bill & Ted), Keanu-Con. During October we had consecutive horror-themed weekends - like Scary 90's and Vampire Weekend - and continued the annual tradition of me throwing a Halloween Horrorthon. When Mank released, we paired it with a viewing of Citizen Kane. When Tenet finally became available at home, we paired it with my favorite Christopher Nolan movie Memento. We showed each other our favorite films, and watched a number of classics (everything from The Birds to The Jerk to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) that neither of us had ever seen. It was the best of times, even in the middle of the worst of times.

Truly, a silver lining of 2020 was the chance to watch so many great movies - new and old. Certainly, this year did not see the volume of great movie releases that we've had in years' past. Big mega-budget blockbusters were rare this year - with most pushed back to a hypothetical future when theaters will be open once again. At the same time, a number of anticipated films saw production halted, and in turn saw delays. Where once many a film fan was a bit weary of the original films from streamers like Netflix and Amazon - especially the ones that mostly skipped theaters - this year, Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu's steady stream of original films that we could all watch at home was a godsend. And there's no denying that, just as in the last few years, many of the year's best movies could be found on streaming platforms. Of course, the pandemic quickly upended the entire distribution system - so, next year, we're going to get WB's entire theatrical slate day-and-date on HBO Max. What's clear is that many of the changes to the movie business that happened this year are going to stick around even post-pandemic. But man, I hope that theaters still find a way to stay alive and thrive in the years to come. While I'm all for movies going straight to the home when going to the theater is unsafe ... it will be a truly sad day if and when theaters are no longer an option in which to see a vast majority of first-run movies. 

In any case, I've heard some ask why even bother listing the best movies of 2020. Did anything good or great even come out this year? My answer: an emphatic "yes!" - a lot of great films *did* come out this year. If anything, the lack of big blockbusters forced us to give smaller, quirkier, and less conventional movies a chance. By the same token, the delay of some of the more traditional Oscar-bait-ish movies forced us to consider less obvious films as potential Best of the Year candidates. But if you were a savvy movie viewer in 2020 - with access to several streamers and a VOD service - there was, in fact, a lot of great stuff to watch even in this craziest of years.

So here is my list. Movies meant a lot to me in 2020, and so a lot of the films below in turn - they meant a lot. I'm glad we still got so many new movies, and so many good ones. That said, I look forward to, hopefully, going back to a theater in 2021. A big group of friends, a huge IMAX screen, and a new Marvel movie on opening weekend? Yeah, that ... that would be nice. 

One last note: since this was a really weird year for movie releases (with many major Oscar contenders not actually releasing wide until January or February 2021), here is my criteria for this list: any movie that received *at least* a major limited theatrical release in 2020, or was released straight to streaming/digital in 2020. That means that a few films, like Promising Young Woman and News of the World - that many won't see until 2021 - are in fact on this year's list. But others, like Nomadland and Minari - that I have not yet seen (nor has anyone yet seen save select movie critics) - are not on the list.

DANNY'S BEST MOVIES OF 2020:

1.) Da 5 Bloods

- The great Spike Lee, with Da 5 Bloods, gave us one of his greatest movies to date. Pure rock & roll filmmaking from start to finish, this story of a group of Vietnam vets going back to jungle - decades later - in search of lost treasure felt like the film we needed most in 2020. A scathing, satirical, in-your-face movie that dealt with legacy and family and toxic masculinity and Trumpism - that looked at the underlying sickness infecting America itself in a way that only Spike Lee can - had many of the best movie moments of the year. From Delroy Lindo's delirious trek through the jungle (give this man an Oscar!) to the all-timer line of "Bloods don't die, they multiply" - there was so much greatness here. The movie makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you cringe, makes you sit up on the edge of your seat from the tension of it all. It's full of blood, sweat, and tears and it takes you on a spiritual, emotional, and visceral journey into the proverbial heart of darkness. Da 5 Bloods pulled off a double whammy - it was, perhaps, both the most essential movie of 2020 as well as the most entertaining.

2.) Sound of Metal

- An absolute tour de force, Sound of Metal is literally difficult to watch at times. The story of a drummer in a metal band who is losing his hearing, the movie puts you in his shoes - making you viscerally feel the loss of sensation, the distortion of sound. It is, at times, terrifying. But it's also incredibly affecting - anchored by a best-of-the-year performance by Riz Ahmed. Ahmed is so, so good in this one - an all-time great performance.

3.) The Assistant

- The Assistant tackles the #MeToo era with a powerful subtlety. At first glance, the film seems like a simple day-in-the-life story of a low-level entertainment industry assistant. But around the edges of the film, a darker picture begins to take hold - one that brilliantly mirrors the way many of us see bad behavior around the edges of our own day-to-day existence. With a stunner of a lead performance from Julia Garner, The Assistant was vital 2020 viewing.

4.) Palm Springs

- A brilliant, twisty entry in the time-loop genre, Palm Springs felt like a prescient film. After all, how many of us seemed to be stuck in our own personal time loops in 2020 - doomed to perpetually repeat the same basic stuck-at-home routines over and over again? Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti crushed it in this one, combining hilarity with heart and a healthy dose of hard-earned Millennial cynicism. The expertly-crafted script took the time-loop idea to a lot of very interesting places. At the same time, it gave us one of the year's most compelling and easy-to-root for on-screen relationships. 

5.) Never Rarely Sometimes Always

- One of 2020's true hidden gems, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a movie that deserves an audience. A moving, poignant, 100% authentic-feeling film - the movie tells the story of a teenage girl who finds out she's pregnant, and takes her best friend on a harrowing trip to get an abortion. The movie doesn't take its premise lightly - it thoughtfully examines all sides of the issue. In doing so, it paints one of the best portraits of teenage angst, struggle, and friendship I've ever seen in a film.

6.) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

- Speaking of 2020 movies ... holy lord, Borat 2 was a much-needed annihilation of so much of everything that sucked this year. Sacha Baron Cohen took on right-wing bigots, anti-semites, COVID-deniers, and embarrassed Rudy Giuliani so badly that it was almost painful to watch. Cohen simply has no fear, and as always jumps right into the fray - using his over-the-top Borat character to cut right to the heart of the absolute worst aspects of our society. Best of all, he does so in absolutely hilarious fashion - with some of the most laugh-out-loud moments of any movie in years. Plus, credit he and co-star Maria Bakalova for not just being funny-AF, but for also bringing unexpected heart to the movie as well. Very nice!

7.) Spontaneous

- One of 2020's best and brightest indie surprises, Spontaneous is a much-welcome burst of genre-bending originality. It's a teen romance, but also a horror movie, but also a conspiracy thriller, but also a comedy/satire, BUT ALSO ... All I can say is that writer/director Brian Duffield knocks it out of the park, giving his directorial debut a vibrant, funny, and original voice. Who knew that a movie about spontaneous combustion could be this crazy-good? Katherine Langford kills it in the lead, the needle-drops are incredibly on-point, and the movie somehow works on just about every possible level even though it probably shouldn't. A minor movie miracle.

8.) The Platform

- One of the first new movies I watched post-lockdown, this Netflix original horror/thriller left my jaw on the floor. A mind-bending, high-concept social satire - the movie attacks the excesses of capitalism in gory, gruesome, violent fashion - concocting a what-if scenario that sees criminals locked in a towering, multi-leveled prison in which those at the top can thrive, but those on the bottom are left with mere scraps, if anything. To say more would be spoiling - best to go into this one cold. But rest assured, this movie will scar you and shock you in the way that only the best horror really can.

9.) Let Them All Talk

- A late-in-the-year surprise, this HBO Max original from the great Steven Soderbergh is an absolute joy to watch. This is one of those great films where you just want to keep hanging out with its characters even after the credits roll - because their conversations are so well-crafted, well-acted, entertaining, and absorbing. The film casts Meryl Streep as a novelist taking a cruise ship to the UK to accept an award, who mysteriously invites a pair of long-estranged friends - as well as her aspiring-writer nephew - along with her. What's really going on here? With so many great performances (including an all-timer supporting turn from Candice Bergen), the movie's central mystery is simply the icing on the cake.

10.) Onward

- The last movie I saw in theaters in 2020 was also one of my favorites of the year. Pixar's first of two 2020 movies was a fun adventure that, admittedly, felt a bit un-Pixar-ish. In fact, the movie's zany fantasy-world setting (chock full of awesomely geeky references), two-brothers-on-a-road-trip adventure story, and numerous goofy gags almost felt downright Dreamworks-ish at times. But what so impressed me about the film was that, all along, there were layers of emotional resonance just beneath the surface - culminating in an absolute gut-punch of an ending that is, in my view, among Pixar's most powerful big-finishes. So yeah, come for the absurdly fun geekiness, stay for the perfectly-planted emotional payoffs. At the end of the day, this may go down as an underrated but awesome Pixar gem.

JUST MISSED THE CUT:

11.)  Run

- From the team that brought us the superlative thriller Searching, Run is another absolutely riveting thriller - that's just ingeniously clever and edge-of-your-seat exciting. And man, Sarah Paulson kills it. This is just pure popcorn fun from start to finish - I only wish I'd been able to see it with a packed theater audience, because this one is filled with big-applause moments.

12.) Kajillionaire

- Director Miranda July tempers her trademark quirkiness with some real heart and soul. The film starts out as an offbeat tale of a family of low-level con-artists, but ends up as a surprisingly poignant story about love and identity and finding your own way on this crazy journey we call life.

13.) The Way I See It

- In a year of really good documentaries, this one was the best. Profiling photographer Pete Souza and his time in the Obama Whitehouse, the film was an extraordinary and powerful look at the shared humanity we'd lost in the era of Trump.

14.) I'm Thinking of Ending Things

- The latest bit of eccentricity from the one and only Charlie Kaufman, this Netflix original sees the always-great Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons paired as a new-ish couple en route to meet the parents. And then, this being a Kaufman movie ... weirdness ensues. A fascinating, thought-provoking movie - this one makes you thankful we've got creative visionaries like KAufman who continue to push the envelope.

15.) Feels Good, Man

- Another of 2020's incredible docs, this one is an absolutely fascinating look at how internet meme culture and toxic alt-right culture converged to make Pepe the Frog - a satirical underground comic book character - into an unlikely symbol of right-wing nutjobs, white nationalists, and Trump cultists. If you want to do a deep dive into how we got to the dumpster-fire that was 2020, this is a great primer.

THE NEXT BEST:

16.) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

- Adapted from an August Wilson-penned play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a crackling film with sharp dialogue, great performances, and a whole lot to say about race, gender, life, death, and everything. And man, what a fantastic final performance from the great Chadwick Boseman. 

 

17.) Lovers Rock

- Arguably the standout film from director Steve McQueen's Small Axe series of movies (each exploring race and social justice in London's West Indian communities), Lovers Rock is, on the surface, a straightforward tale of a night out at a party one evening in 1980. But along the edges, the movie has a lot going on - making it a deceptively thematically-rich and memorable film.

18.) An American Pickle

-  Seth Rogen's man-out-of-time comedy is surprisingly poignant - often very funny, but also a film with a lot to say about heritage and tradition and what we've both lost and gained in modern times vs. times past. Rogen is great in it in a double-role too. And also, few films in recent memory have dealt with themes of Jewish identity so effectively.

19.) Mank

-David Fincher's highly-anticipated Netflix film had many of the qualities that make the director one of the most admired in the business: the movie looked incredible in striking black & white, and offered a deep, dense, layered look at the real-life inspirations behind the writing of Citizen Kane. And Gary Oldman went-all-in to deliver an acting master-class. While the movie at times meandered, it delivered some truly memorable moments in its tale of Old Hollywood drama.

20.) News of the World

- Tom Hanks reunites with Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass for a good, old-fashioned Western epic that's got action, adventure, and plenty of inspirational speeches. Despite its historical setting, the film's got a message about truth and justice - in the face of lies and division in a torn-apart America - that rings true today. 

21.) First Cow

- Speaking of Westerns - this quirky, comedic tale of the American frontier also provides a moving tale of unlikely friendship. A Jewish baker, a Chinese immigrant, and a rare cow make for a potent parable about the harsh principles upon which America was founded, and upon which it still operates. An indie gem.

22.) The Invisible Man

- I became a huge fan of director Leigh Whannell following his kick-ass sci-fi action movie Upgrade, and I'm an even bigger fan now after his amazing work directing this update to The Invisible Man. The film is ultra-intense, downright chilling at times, and features an awards-worthy performance from Elisabeth Moss to boot.

23.) Soul

- Pixar's second film of 2020 helped to end the year in movies on a high note. Who else but Pixar could make an animated family film that's filled with humor and hijinks and body-swapping - but also packed with meaningful messages about life, death, and about not letting chasing your dreams get in the way of appreciating what you already have? A beautifully-animated film with a lot to say.

24.) Hamilton

- One of the big movie events of the year was the Disney Plus release of Hamilton - and rightfully so. With Broadway and other play-houses shut down during the pandemic, it was cathartic to see such a vibrantly-filmed musical production. For me, I was brand new to Hamilton - as I'd been hoping to see it live. The show more than lived up to the hype - it's a brilliant musical whose original cast overflowed with talented performers.

25.) Promising Young Woman

-A candy-colored, punk-rock, pop-art revenge flick, Promising Young Woman is not your mother's prestige film. The movie is a clever, subversive, thought-provoking original - with an instantly iconic lead performance from Carrey Mulligan. I can't wait for people to see this one en masse in early 2021 and hear the discussions it provokes.

MOE GREAT FILMS OF 2020:

26.) The King of Staten Island

- Judd Apatow's dramedy about a messed-up kid (Pete Davidson) - trying and flailing to grow up and move past his lingering traumas and issues - was one of Apatow's strongest directorial efforts in a while. 

27.) The Vast of Night

- This Amazon original was an awesome surprise - an earnest and super-likeable sci-fi movie that evoked golden-age 50's sci-fi and X-Files esque alien-abduction paranoia. The movie featured great characters, some real visual ingenuity, and some genuinely creepy moments.

28.) Black Bear

- This indie starred Aubrey Plaza in the performance of a lifetime, playing two variations of the same character in a unique, mind-bending drama. Plaza rules in one of the most powerfully raw performances of the year.

29.) Mulan

- The best of Disney's live-action remakes, this version of Mulan gave us thrilling action scenes, stunning scenery, and some legit gravitas. In a year without many blockbusters, Mulan provided some much-needed epicness. 

30.) Totally Under Control

- This hard-to-look-away-from doc is the definitive chronicle of the United States' complete mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 under the inept and corrupt Trump administration. Frustrating yet compelling to watch, this is an important film that serves as a record of a year that must be learned from so that history is not repeated.

31.) Emma

- Featuring colorful costumes, plenty of dry wit, and a magnetic lead performance from the great Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma was a wonderfully witty and entertaining update to the Jane Austen classic.

32.) The Trial of the Chicago 7

- Aaron Sorkin's dramatization of the famous trial features an all-star cast, some memorable dialogue exchanges, and a story that feels extremely resonant today. 

33.) The Midnight Sky

- George Clooney directs and stars in this sci-fi adventure that evokes the classic, golden-age works of Rod Serling and Ray Bradbury. Clooney's direction dazzles, and the script contains some great twists.

34.) Jingle Jangle

- Talk about a complete surprise - this Holiday musical was a ridiculous amount of fun. With a colorful, steampunk-inspired setting and a number of well-done musical numbers, this one was an unexpectedly perfect holiday movie guaranteed to make you smile.

35.) Ammonite

- This slow-burn period drama about forbidden lust features two of today's best actresses giving fantastic performances. Kate Winslet in particular is awards-worthy.

36.) Color Out of Space

- An instant midnight-movie cult classic, Color Out of Space features trippy Lovecraftian horror and a fully insane performance from Nic Cage - who starts out measured but, eventually, goes full Cage. 

37.) Becky

- This compelling action/horror/thriller pits a thirteen-year-old girl against an invading gang of neo-Nazi assailants. The result is an over-the-top action-fest with some absolutely insane moments. A very well-done grindhouse flick.

38.) Underwater

- Already, the cult audience for this one is growing. And why not? It's Alien but underwater, with some excellent set-piece action sequences and a kick-ass performance from Kristen Stewart doing her best Ellen Ripley impression. 

39.) Red, White and Blue

- Another excellent entry in Steve McQueen's Small Axe series, this one features John Boyega - in a fantastic turn as a rookie cop trying his best to enact positive change from the inside.

40.) Possessor

- It appears that a knack for pull-no-punches horror runs strong in the Cronenberg family. David's son Brandon directs this captivating sci-fi/horror thriller about a near-future assassin who inhabits others' bodies in order to better stalk her prey.

41.) Freaky

- A very funny, very entertaining body-swap horror/comedy, this one strikes a Happy Death Day-like balance between humor and horror that works to near-perfection. And man, stars Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn really go all-in.

42.) Enola Holmes

- An incredibly fun mystery/adventure, this one sees Millie Bobby Brown, as Enola, take up the Holmes family mantle of detective-hero extraordinaire (usually held by older brother Sherlock). This Netflix original filled the popcorn-blockbuster gap well this past Fall.

43.) Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

-  A much-needed absurdist comedy, Eurovision was goofy as heck ... and yet had some real humanity too. But let's face it, at the end of the day, we're *all* all about the Jaja Ding Dong song.

44.) Save Yourselves!

- A sharp and funny Millennial satire, this is a fun and clever alien-invasion indie comedy that's admirable for what it's able to do on a limited budget. Original and funny.

45.) His House

- This British horror film combines creepy haunted-house scares with some interesting and not-often-explored thematic territory. A Netflix original that was one of the hidden horror gems of 2020.

46.) Bill & Ted Face the Music

- While it was always going to be a challenge to update early-90's icons Bill & Ted for 2020 in a way that worked, this long-delayed sequel gave it its best shot. The result was a movie that provided real joy and optimism in a bleak year - with a rocking ending that provided hope for a world in which we could all learn to be excellent to each other.

47.) The Old Guard

- This adaptation of Greg Rucka's comic book series got a script actually penned by Rucka himself, and that made all the difference. Rucka has always written some of the best strong female characters in genre fiction, and getting Charlize Theron to portray the film's lead immortal warrior proved a perfect fit.

48.) The Personal History of David Copperfield

- This whimsical update to the Dickens classic provides a funny and vibrant re-telling. A cast of virtual British royalty (Tilda Swinton! Hugh Laurie! Peter Capaldi!) help this one really come alive.

49.) Sonic the Hedgehog

- Last year we all made fun of Sonic the Hedgehog's lame-seeming trailer - but as it turned out, this movie was actually a ton of fun, re-worked CGI Sonic likeness and all. With Jim Carrey hamming it up as the villain, this one was an unlikely winner.

50.) Tenet

- I had my issues with Christopher Nolan's latest, but I wanted to include it here because, for all its faults, it still delivered some of 2020's most memorable cinematic sequences. Even lesser Christopher Nolan is still a wild ride - and still one-of-a-kind, must-see movie-making.

HONORABLE MENTIONS - OTHER RECOMMENDED MOVIES FROM THIS YEAR:

- Wild Mountain Thyme

- Red Penguins

- Prom

- Wander Darkly

- The Lovebirds

- The Croods: A New Age

- David Byrne's American Utopia

- Let Him Go

- Honest Thief

- Birds of Prey

- Valley Girl

- Come to Daddy

= The Lodge

INDIVIDUAL 2020 AWARDS:

BEST LEAD ACTOR:

1.) Delroy Lindo - Da 5 Bloods

2.) Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal

3.) Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

4.) Gary Oldman - Mank

5.) Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

BEST LEADING ACTRESS:

1.) Evan Rachel Wood - Kajillionaire

2.) Aubrey Plaza - Black Bear

3.) Kate Winslet - Ammonite

4.) Julia Garner - The Assistant

5.) Elisabeth Moss - The Invisible Man

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1.) Mark Rylance - The Trial of the Chicago 7

2.) Paul Raci - Sound of Metal

3.) Orion Lee - First Cow

4.) Colman Domingo - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

5.) Sacha Baron Cohen - The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1.) Candice Bergen - Let Them All Talk

2.) Viola Davis - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

3.) Talia Ryder - Never Rarely Sometimes Always

4.) Dianne Wiest - Let Them All Talk

5.) Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

BEST DIRECTOR:

1.) Spike Lee - Da 5 Bloods

2.) Darius Marder - Sound of Metal

3.) David Fincher - Mank

4.) Pete Docter - Soul

5.) Steven Soderbergh - Let Them All Talk

BEST SCREENPLAY:

1.) Da 5 Bloods

2.) Palm Springs

3.) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

4.) Sound of Metal

5.) I'm Thinking of Ending Things

6.) Onward

7.) Run

8.) Never Rarely Sometimes Always

9.) Kajillionaire

10.) Let Them All Talk

And that's a wrap on the Best of 2020. Here's to all the great movies of 2021 - happy movie-watching in the New Year and in the new decade!

THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best GAMES Of The Year

 

- Early on in the pandemic, I was sitting at home, under lockdown. I was sitting on a couch in an apartment in California. But also, I was Spider-Man. I was swinging through New York City - through midtown and Queens - soaring between buildings and through crowds of New Yorkers. I was happy and I was free.

Such is the power of videogames, and such is the reason why so many turned to our game consoles for much-needed escapism during this crazy year. For me, videogames have alway been that way. Growing up in a small Connecticut suburb, games took me to faraway fantasy worlds and made my reality feel bigger and more interesting. They gave me new places to explore, new adventures to have, and new challenges to best - all from the confines of our family living room. This year, I think many of us were reminded of just how great videogames can be. Longtime gamers took comfort during the pandemic in having these familiar virtual worlds to escape to. Lapsed gamers rediscovered an old pastime, and marveled at how far games had come in the time they'd been away. And a new crop of people turned to games to help cope with the craziness of 2020 - helping gaming - at a time when many industries were struggling - become bigger than ever. Some of the absolute biggest pop-culture launches this year were games, bar none. As some industry insiders continue to wonder why TV viewing is down even when everyone is stuck at home ... well, maybe poll some of that key demo audience as to how much couch time they're spending instead on Animal Crossing or The Last of Us.

I mean ... in 2020 we saw a Congresswoman (AOC) work to get out the vote by playing Among Us with popular streamers on Twitch. You might say videogames have crossed a threshold.

But hey, with great power ... well, you know. Games this year came under ever-increasing scrutiny for a lot of reasons. As with other media, in the wake of this summer's #BlackLivesMatter protests, the games industry was called upon to be more inclusive and to promote better representation. Additionally, a lot was written and discussed about the game industry's reliance on "crunch" work conditions - in which employees are forced to work long hours with few breaks or days off - to complete increasingly ambitious and massive games by too-short deadlines. Part of the issue is that the games industry has painted itself into a corner of unsustainable development practices, where the big Triple-A games are expected to be these gigantic, 50 to 100 hour behemoths that have single player campaigns, online play, and huge open-world design schemes. Creating that kind of game is an almost insurmountable undertaking, especially with rushed release dates - and that's how we get epic botched-launches like that of Cyberpunk, the much-hyped game from CD Projekt Red. The Cyberpunk crash and burn this December is, hopefully, a lesson to the industry. On one hand, take your time and get the game right. On the other hand, perhaps reconsider if your game *has* to be a massive open-world experience? Many are pointing to one of the clear standouts of 2020 - the indie game Hades - as an example of how to do things right. Keep games small and focused and make sure they do what they're meant to do really well - and you may just have a major success on your hands. It's why this year's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a runaway success whereas Marvel's Avengers is a bomb - Sony's Spider-Man games know exactly what they are and what their mission statement is: let you swing around New York City and, basically, feel like Spider-Man. These games tell a compelling story, have on-point gameplay, and are just plain fun and good at what they do. The Avengers, meanwhile, tried to be all things to all people. A single player adventure. An online multiplayer loot-quest. Pick a thing, game developers. 

Amidst all of this year's craziness, we also got a new generation of game consoles! But between the new consoles' scarcity, the rough economic realities of this year, and the relatively low-volume of exclusive must-have games at launch ... many were content to wait on ushering in the next generation into their living rooms. I know that for me ... even though I've been stuck at home for much of this year, I still have a huge backlog of PS4 and Switch games to play before my eventual upgrade to a PS5. And to that point, a lot of my gaming in 2020 was spent still catching up on older and recent games like Spider-Man, God of War, Luigi's Mansion, and many more. There's just too much! Even so ... I am excited to, at some point, get that PS5 and dive in, especially once games like Ratchet & Clank and Horizon 2 release.

So yeah, given everything I said above, keep in mind that my list of the best games of the year consists of games that are, for me, currently in various stages of completion. I always get torn between my desire to actually finish some of these big games, and also wanting to try out a wide variety of new games (and in doing so, feeling like I'm part of the conversation). But man, for all of the craziness of 2020, I definitely enjoyed some quality time with controller in hand.

And by the way, I'll end this preamble by giving a shout-out to one of my favorite weekly podcasts: Triple Click. An entertaining and informative listen, the podcast is a great way to keep up to date on the gaming industry and what's new, noteworthy, and worth paying attention to.

 

DANNY'S BEST GAMES OF THE YEAR:


1.) The Last of Us Part II

- The Last of Us Part II, to me, is just another example of why Naughty Dog is my favorite videogame development team. No one else combines great gameplay with compelling, cinematic narratives like they do. And really, with all the talk and controversy around this game's narrative, I think the fact of how good the gameplay is gets a little lost. This game just feels great to play, with seamless and smooth controls that only add to the "you are there" feel of playing through an epic post-apocalyptic film. The possible strategies for confronting enemies are numerous - you can be headstrong and aggressive, you can be stealthy and sneaky. The Last of Us 2 quite simply has some of the best-feeling and most polished gameplay around. Then there's the narrative. Look, I get a lot of the issues and frustrations. But I also think you have to give Naughty Dog credit for the sheer storytelling ambition at play here. They make one of the most interesting attempts I've ever seen at contextualizing videogame violence - and even if the second half of the game can be a bit much in that regard, I mean ... this is something new. It's something we're going to see copied and refined for many years to come. And hey, even if the uber narrative of the game gets a bit wonky, the moment to moment narrative is incredibly effective. The first Last of Us game brought emotional urgency to gameplay like I've never seen before - it's why I named it the best game of the decade last year. The sequel has moments every bit as urgent, every bit as cinematic, every bit as scary, every bit as awesome. For all of its narrative missteps and overly videogame-y facets (must we collect so MUCH loot, all the time?), this to me is, still, the absolute gold standard. No other game has this sort of narrative drive to advance, no other game creates narrative moments like this one does - or manages to infuse its narrative with storytelling that has the player genuinely invested not just in the action or horror, but in the relationships, the romances, and the personal struggles of its main cast of characters. This game, with its bleak setting, creepy monsters, and graphic violence ... in theory, this was not exactly the best game for a time when it felt like we were living in our own apocalypse. And yet ... it was so good, it didn't matter. It had to be experienced. And that's saying something.

2.) Hades

- Hades quickly redefined the "rogue-like" genre of games by making the genre's conceit of constant death a part of the fun. The game brilliantly combines endless dungeon-crawling action with a seemingly, equally-endless narrative that just constantly provides new motivation to make one more go at escaping the underworld. The game also continues developer Supergiant's penchant for awesome aesthetics - with an eye-popping art style, amazing music, and top-notch voice-acting. The gameplay is also just plain great - and addictive as hell. Action-game perfection.


3.) Spider-Man: Miles Morales

- The semi-sequel to Sony's breakout Spider-Man game from 2018, Miles Morales brings back the original's pitch-perfect gameplay - delivering more of that amazing, you-are-Spider-Man sensation that won over fans worldwide. What's more, the narrative here is even better than in the first game, with lots of heart, lots of crazy cinematic moments, and a great lead character in Miles. Even on the PS4, it looked awesome to boot.


4.) Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition

- This cult-favorite graphic adventure was originally released in chapters over a several-year period, but 2020 finally saw the final chapter's release - as well as the launch of a "TV edition" that combined all the chapters and also brought the game, for the first time, to consoles. With a haunting, surreal narrative that has definite Lynchian vibes, this tale of a roadtrip through the lost highways and forgotten landmarks of a broken-down America has moments and imagery that I won't soon forget.


5.) Streets of Rage 4

- As a kid, I was obsessed with beat-'em-up games - those classic, side-scrolling arcade brawlers that rewarded button-mashing and expertly-timed special moves. One of the classic series of the genre was SEGA's Streets of Rage - a stalwart of the Sega Genesis era that had classically over-the-top characters and best-in-class brawler gameplay. Well, lo and behold, in 2020 we got an all-new Streets of Rage game - and it rocked! The game is a total early-90's throwback in the best way possible - except with a shiny new coat of brightly-colored paint. The game looks awesome, plays awesome, and is one heck of a nostalgia rush for those who grew up on the mean virtual streets.


6.) Final Fantasy VII Remake

- FF7 was a seminal game for many. For me, it was the game that made me ditch my childhood Nintendo fandom for the CD-ROM-powered stylings of the Sony Playstation. The game's graphics were revolutionary for the time, and its storyline twists and turns were still talked about by fans for years after the game's release. Now, decades later, we get a ground-up remake that features new graphics and a whole new combat system. Revisiting one of the best games ever was a lot of fun, and its crazy anime narrative is still entertaining all these years later. The craziest part is - this is only the first part of the remake! When will subsequent installments arrive? We don't know. But as always, the fantasy is never, actually, final.


7.) Ghost of Tsushima

- This open-world samurai game was a fitting closer for this generation of consoles. Sony's final PS4 epic looks amazing, and features epic sword-based combat that's right out of a Kurosawa movie. While I'm still early in the game, I'm very impressed so far - a lot of the clutter of other open world games is gone ... instead, we get a more streamlined experience that, first and foremost, is focused on making the player feel like a badass samurai roaming the countryside in search of adventure. Mission: accomplished.

8.) Life Is Strange 2

- The original Life Is Strange is one of my favorite videogames ever - a graphic adventure that told the kind a teen sci-fi story that, for all of its quirkiness, felt in many ways more affecting and more genuinely heartfelt than anything similar I'd seen on TV or at the movies. I loved the characters, the story, the aesthetics, and just the overall vibe of the game - as well as the way that your choices felt meaningful and consequential. The sequel is more so a spiritual one, with new characters and a whole new story - but there are a lot of similar themes and, once again, that particular emo vibe that's somehow both authentic-feeling yet also highly stylized. Additionally, the story - about two brothers on the run - hits on some very interesting social/political themes.

9.) TIE: Super Mario 3D All-Stars / Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2

- For a long while, I was a Playstation-only gamer. I missed the N64, the Gamecube, the Wii, and WiiU (though I dabbled with the DS), and only in the last few years have I, the proud owner of a Switch, come back into the Nintendo fold. So for me, getting to go back and play some of the classic 3D Mario games - in particular the superlative Mario Galaxy - on the Switch was a more-than-welcome opportunity. And while I do sort of question why Galaxy 2 was not included in this collection, I did have a blast finally playing through the first Galaxy game and seeing what I'd missed out on. Now, Tony Hawk, on the other hand - I spent a lot of time with the original game in my dorm room back in college. While I never really mastered it, it was one of my favorite "pick up and play" games of that era. And the music - no other game has ever made me a fan of so many bands I hadn't really even heard of prior to playing. So playing the new remaster/remake of the two OG Tony Hawk games was an absolute blast. I still sort of sucked, but man, just getting into that groove again really took me back.


10.) Crash Bandicoot 4

- I was *all* about Crash growing up. As the Playstation mascot character, Crash sometimes got made fun of as the poor man's Mario or Sonic. But the fact is, his games flat-out rocked - providing some of the absolute best, best-looking, and most polished platforming gameplay of the 32-bit era. After several less-than-stellar spinoffs, Crash 4 is a back-to-basics homage to the original Crash trilogy - and it's pretty great. Lots of old-school 2.5D platforming challenges straight from the Playstation 1 era. If that's your jam, then this one is well worth checking out.

THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

THE BEST COMICS OF 2020:

- 2020 was a trying year for the comics industry. The pandemic put even more strain on already-challenged comic book stores. Major conventions like WonderCon and Comic-Con were cancelled - as were smaller cons around the country and around the world. And the early months of lockdown saw publishing schedules in disarray, as, for weeks on end, books were delayed or just plain MIA. 

But, man - was I ever thankful for comics this year. As we all struggled to cope with the new normal of the pandemic, logging on to Comixology each week (now on Tuesdays!) was a much-needed and always-exciting ritual and event. Eventually, publishing got back on track, and having that weekly dosage of escapism and storytelling was crucial. This was a year where we needed heroes - we needed inspiration, we needed imagination, and we needed art. And comics provided that in spades - from new takes on classic superheroes to mind-bending sci-fi to gritty crime stories - there was a great diversity of great stories this year. And in the absence of big superhero blockbusters on the big-screen, comics gave us the brightly-colored superhero epics we craved. We got heroes that were just plain fun and badass and awesome (Kelly Thompson's runs on Marvel's Captain Marvel and Black Widow), and heroes that dealt with current-day issues like bigotry and racism head-on (John Ridley's DC Comics magnum opus The Other History of the DC Universe, Gene Luen Yang's Superman Smashes the Klan). We got more riveting work from some of today's best writers - like Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Robert Kirkman, and Jeff Lemire. We even got movie and game tie-in comics - like Blade Runner 2019 and Life Is Strange - that were unexpectedly excellent. 

So like I said last year: read comics. We need them now more than ever. 

Here are some of my favorites from this past year.


DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2020:


1.) Pulp

This year, writer Ed Brubaker - aka arguably the best comics writer working today (or, arguably, the best writer - period ...) decided to eschew weekly comics for standalone graphic novels. The results, predictably, were pretty spectacular. His first, Pulp, was a flat-out masterpiece - an incredibly-crafted story about a former Wild West outlaw turned small-time thief. Now an aging, past-his-prime relic in the late 1930's, the man once known as The Red River Kid must pull one last score, with an unexpected target. Pulp is, as the title suggests, pulp fiction of the highest order. It's a masterclass in pulp-noir writing - with stunning and atmospheric art from Brubaker's frequent collaborator Sean Phillips to boot. This was the comic of the year, and further evidence that Brubaker and Phillips are the best in the game.


2.) Reckless

- And here we have Exhibit B of Brubaker and Phillips' undisputed greatness - their second graphic novel of 2020, Reckless. I mean, look - I wanted this list to be diverse - but when you have a creative team putting out two stone-cold classics in one year, you've got to give them their due. Reckless is classic Brubaker/Phillips - hard-boiled crime-noir storytelling about a broken man in a hard-edged world seeking justice. The difference here vs. Pulp is that Reckless is designed to be the first in a series of stories about the book's star - former FBI agent and former undercover Weather Underground member Ethan Reckless. It's gloriously pulpy - with its 80's LA noir setting, colorful cast of characters, and twisty mystery story. And man is it good. I can't wait for more.


3.) The Other History of the DC Universe

- As 2020 comes to a close, we're only one issue into screenwriter John Ridley's multi-part DC Comics epic - but already, it has the makings of a new classic. Ridley's conceit is that he's mixing real-world and DC Comics history to tell a story about America and about superheroes, from the perspective of characters who are of color, who are LGBTQ, who have often been relegated to the fringes of the DC Universe. The first issue gives us a biographical story of Jefferson Pierce - aka Black Lightning - and takes us through the decades as he comes up as black superhero in a world where such a thing is rare. Ridley pulls no punches here, taking aim at everyone from Ronald Reagan to Superman - and the result is an ultra-compelling, thought-provoking read. Bring on the next chapters.


4.) Black Magick

- After long gaps and delays between issues, in 2020, we finally got a sustained run of writer Greg Rucka and artist Nicola Scott's amazing supernatural series Black Magick. The story of modern-day witch Rowan Black, the comic combines real-feeling characters with a sprawling mythology that spans centuries. And the art by Nicola Scott is incredible - stunning black and white, peppered with the occasional burst of color. While it looks like, sadly, we're headed for another hiatus for the series in 2021 ... I'm so glad we got more of this book this year. 


5.) Superman Smashes The Klan

- Writer Gene Luen Yang gave us a deceptively powerful Superman story for the ages with this one, which concluded its multi-part tale at the beginning of 2020. The story, based on a classic episode of the old Superman radio show, sees Superman take on the KKK in the 1940's. This felt like the Superman we needed in 2020 - even if the book is set decades ago. It's a Superman who stands up for the oppressed, who speaks out, and who attacks hatred and bigotry head-on. 


6.) Black Widow

-  Kelly Thompson continues to be one of my favorite writers. I was a big fan of her work writing Hawkeye, and this year she's been killin' it on two of Marvel's best ongoing books - Captain Marvel and Black Widow. Black Widow got a reboot this year, in theory timed to the ultimately-delayed movie. But who needs a movie when you've got an incredible BW comic coming out every month? What Thompson has done here is brilliant - giving Black Widow a husband, a kid, a regular job, and ... no memory of her life as a super-spy/superhero. The ongoing mystery of what the heck is going on has been a joy to watch unfold, made all the better by Thompson's knack for quippy dialogue and fast-paced action.


7.) Dark Knights - Death Metal: The Secret Origin

- DC's sprawling Dark Knights - Death Metal saga is finally reaching its long-time-coming conclusion in January. The epic story chronicles the final battle between DC's biggest heroes and their evil, mirror-universe counterparts from a sinister "dark multiverse," led by the all-powerful Batman Who Laughs - a nightmarish mash-up of Batman and The Joker. Along the way, there have been numerous side stories and spin-offs - the strongest of which has, easily, been The Secret Origin. Written by Geoff Johns - the DC writer who quickly rose to fame (and an executive position within Warner Bros) over the last two decades - The Secret Origin actually marks one of the only comics written by the once-prolific Johns over the last several months (I'll cut him some slack - he's been writing movie scripts and showrunning the fantastic series Stargirl). But The Secret Origin lets Johns provide a final chapter for one of his most memorable characters - the once-innocent, now-evil villain known as Superboy Prime. In this awesome story, Prime gets one final shot at redemption - and Johns makes the character's final fate both moving and epic.


8.) Lazarus: Risen

- Another year, another spot reserved for Greg Rucka's long-running masterpiece Lazarus on my Top 10 list. Lazarus started out as a monthly comic book - a grimly bleak near-future dystopian tale about a world ruled by ruthless corporations locked in Game of Thrones-style perpetual conflict. A few years ago, the book evolved to become Lazarus: Risen - releasing oversized quarterly issues that feature extra pages of prose stories to compliment the main comic. And man, with each passing year, our own reality seems to inch closer to that of the one in Lazarus. Rucka even writes mini-articles in the back pages that discuss how our real world and his fictional one seem to be converging. But Lazarus remains top-tier comics. A must-read.


9.) Blade Runner 2019

- A comic that hit my radar in 2019 became one of my full-fledged faves in 2020. This new entry in the Blade Runner canon is damn good, giving us an entirely new story in the world of the films - one that gives us a great new lead character in the form of a blade runner (and, eventually, ex-blade runner) named Aahna "Ash" Ashina. Ash is a great new protagonist - a morally-conflicted, hard-boiled badass in the grand Blade Runner tradition. And the comic does a great job of throwing her into the deep end, in a story that mixes the familiar with the new in pretty brilliant fashion If you're a fan of the franchise, this one is essential.


10.) Fire Power

- Robert Kirkman, the maestro behind The Walking Dead, hit it out of the park with the oversized #0 issue of his latest series, Fire Power. That first issue gave us a mini martial arts epic - the story of a young man who travels to a distant mountain monastery, to train with a secretive clan of kung-fu warriors who've mastered the use of fire as a weapon. Awesome, right? Well - twist! (Kirkman is pretty good at those ...) It turns out that was just a prelude - the series then flashed forward decades, and our hero now lives a quiet suburban life with a wife and kids ... until his past comes calling. It's great, page-turning stuff - made even better by the ultra-fluid, cinematic art of Chris Samnee. 


Other Favorites from 2020:

• Rorshach
• The Department of Truth
• Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson
• Hawkman by Robert Venditti
• The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage
• The Boys: Dear Becky
• Justice League Dark by Ram V
• Batgirl by Cecil Castellucci
• Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy
• Lois Lane
• Batman and the Outsiders
• Basketfull of Heads
• X-Men by Jonathan Hickman
• Sweet Tooth: The Return
• Ascender
• Oblivion Song
• Nightwing by Dan Jurgens
• Teen Titans by Robbie Thompson
• Detective Comics by Peter Tomasi
• Ms. Marvel
• Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Gideon Falls
• Fantastic Four by Dan Slott
• Doctor Doom
• Life Is Strange

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Ed Brubaker (Pulp, Reckless)
2.) Greg Rucka (Black Magick, Lazarus, Lois Lane)

3.) Kelly Thompson (Black Widow, Captain Marvel)
4.) Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth: The Return, Ascender, Gideon Falls, The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage)
5.) Robert Kirkman (Fire Power, Oblivion Song)
6.) John Ridley (The Other History of the DC Universe)
7.) Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan)
8.) Mike Johnson and Michael Green (Blade Runner 2019)
9.) Peter Tomasi (Detective Comics)
10.) Ram V (Justice League Dark, Catwoman)


ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Sean Phillips (Pulp, Reckless)
2.) Nicola Scott (Black Magick)
3.) Chris Samnee (Fire Power)
4.) Fernando Pasarin (Hawkman)

5.) Russ Braun (The Boys: Dear Becky)
6.) Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth: The Return)
7.) Elena Casagrande (Black Widow)
8.) Jorge Fornés (Rorschach)
9.) Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls)
10.) Carlo Pagulayan (Batman)

THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best ROCK Of The Year

 

- Continuing what will be a recurring theme of this year's Best of 2020 posts ... 2020, it must be said, was a strange year. Because of COVID-19, it was a year (mostly) without concerts and live music. It was a year where we were all stuck at home. It was a year where almost nothing went according to plan.

The last live concert I saw was in February. My amazing girlfriend Rebecca and I went to the Microsoft Theater in downtown LA to see the annual 80's Weekend show (it's an annual show, but this was my first!) - featuring dozens of bands who made their name in the most radical of decades. It was a ton of fun - I saw some of my favorites of the era live for the first time. From bands I am genuinely a big fan of like Missing Persons, to one-hit wonders (okay, in some cases three-hit wonders) like Wang Chung, Josie Cotton, Flock of Seagulls, Dramarama, Big Country, Violent Femmes, and The Romantics. The closer was none other than MC Hammer himself - a bit of an outlier in the lineup (especially given that I think of him as more of an early 90's star) - but man, I was an MC Hammer *fanatic* as a young kid, so it was cool to once again get "2 Legit 2 Quit." And by the way, MC Hammer was actually the first big concert I ever attended as a kid - so it was definitely a full-circle moment. I guess if things never get better, pandemic-wise, it would be a weird irony if somehow my first and last concerts both featured Hammer.

And then, things just ... stopped. When things got bad in March, I had tickets to see a bunch of live shows later in the year - Alice Cooper, a live performance of Hamilton at the Pantages theater ... and sadly, one by one, they were all cancelled (along with other planned 2020 events like The Paley Fest, WonderCon, and Comic-Con ...).

Even so, music was a big part of my quarantine survival strategy. Music helped me to concentrate while working, writing, and exercising. It helped me to relax, whether I was chilling out at home or driving to nowhere in particular. It helped to funnel my anger at the insane politics of this year, and motivated me to do what I could to "fight the power," scream to the rafters that #BlackLivesMatter, and push for change to whatever extent that I could. In fact, for me (and I suspect many), one of the best musical moments of the year came on a Saturday night in November - watching Joe Biden's big victory speech on TV. After the speech, a medley of songs played as fireworks boomed in the night sky. Tom Petty's "I Won’t Back Down" began to play, and man, was that a great moment. It was then that the battle of the last four years finally felt over - at least for a bit. We could pause, reflect, breathe, and take a moment to remember those we'd lost along the way.

So with that said, here are my top rock songs of 2020. A mix of long-established stalwarts and newer acts, this was a year where hearing new music from old favorites was certainly welcome. To that end, this year saw great new music from the likes of AC/DC, Springsteen, and McCartney. It also saw the reunion of one of my favorite recent rock acts, Foxy Shazam. And it saw a flood of pandemic-inspired songs meant to inspire and rally us - some worked, some didn't.

Here's to a better 2021 filled with concerts, live shows, and lots of rock.

DANNY'S TOP ROCK SONGS OF 2020:

1.) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - "Ghosts"

- The Boss has always been a chronicler of hard times, and there were no harder times than 2020. In a year when so many were in denial, when so many seemed so removed from the plight that this country was in, from the hurt people were feeling - here was Springsteen to guide us towards the light. I'm no diehard Bruce fan - casual at best - but every so often one of his songs just really soars and speaks to the moment, and this year that song was Ghosts. We are here, we are alive, and we will get back to where we were and where we can be. 

2.) AC/DC - "Witch's Spell"

- AC/DC has been a constant in the world of rock for decades upon decades - but it seemed that their long trek across the highway to hell might finally be coming to an end. The death of Malcolm Young and the health issues of Brian Johnson forced the band to cancel their tour several years ago and stay off the road (I was lucky enough to be at their last-ever show in LA). But against all odds, AC/DC returned in 2020, and they were as thunderstruck as ever - with a new album that was exactly what any fan would want. "Witch's Spell" was, to me, the standout - a hard-driving rocker with a hint of supernatural menace. Inject it into my veins, baby.

3.) Miley Cyrus (with Billy Idol) - "Night Crawling"

- Miley is no ordinary pop princess - she knows how to turn out genuine rock bangers, and her latest album has a few of them. But to me, the one that hit the hardest was her retrowave, synth-filled, fist-pumping song "Night Crawling" - a collaboration with 80's icon Billy Idol. The song could stand proudly next to other 80's Idol classics, prompting listeners to let out a rebel yell due to its sheer retro awesomeness.

4.) Tom Petty - "California"

- I was devastated by the death of one my my true rock n' roll heroes, Tom Petty, back in 2017. I was at his final concert - an incredible show held at the Hollywood Bowl only days before his passing. It was a death that hit me hard - Petty's music had particular meaning to me, and I always looked forward to buying new Tom Petty albums. In 2020 though, we got one last collection of new Petty songs - as part of the Wildflowers & All The Rest album reissue, which included a whole batch of unreleased songs from the archives. "California" was the one that spoke to me - as a California transplant, the lyrics hit home - "California's been good to me." It was good to Tom, and it's been pretty good to me too.

5.) Paul McCartney - "Find My Way"

- A late-in-the-year treat, Paul McCartney's latest solo album featured a song, "Find My Way," that felt like the perfect song with which to end 2020 and head towards (hopefully) a new and better year ahead. Yes, in this upbeat rocker, Sir Paul promises to guide us towards that light at the end of the tunnel. With blaring horns and crunchy Queen-like guitars, this song acknowledges the anxieties of the pandemic era while also offering to lift us up towards good times to come.

6.) Foxy Shazam - "Dreamer"

- After a seeming breakup and long hiatus, Foxy Shazam returned in 2020, and thank the lord for that. At one point, I was convinced that Foxy was destined to be the next big thing in rock - a band that seemed to channel both the majesty of Queen and also the unhinged energy of Iggy Pop. "Dreamer" is a great song from their comeback album - a slowly-escalating power-ballad that, eventually, erupts into a glorious explosion of rock. Welcome back.

7.) Alice Cooper - "Don't Give Up"

- Perhaps Alice Cooper was an unlikely candidate to provide an inspirational, motivational pandemic anthem - and yet, as a devoted fan of the legendary shock-rocker, I know well that he's an incredibly versatile musician who can do just about anything. "Don't Give Up" has a 90's grunge sort of sound - complete with spoken-word interludes in between its hard-driving chorus. Cheesy? Maybe. Awesome? Hell yeah. Released back in May, hearing Alice Cooper's distinct voice telling us "don't give up" was just the rallying cry I needed.

8.) The Pretty Reckless - "Death By Rock And Roll"

- The Pretty Reckless at their best create music that rocks like some femme fatale version of Guns n' Roses. One of their new 2020 songs, "Death By Rock And Roll," channels that classic brand of GnR sleaze-rock to great effect, augmented by Taylor Momsen's powerful pipes. Come for the kick-ass rock, stay for the cheeky Gossip Girl reference in the song's opening line.

9.) Dead Sara - "Hands Up"

- Dead Sara is one of the best rock bands of the last twenty years, and they delivered some new rock n' roll goodness this year - with another album that went hard against bigots, fascists, and Trump himself. This was the kind of rage-against-the-machine rock we needed desperately in 2020. And few frontwomen can growl out lyrics like singer Emily Armstrong.

10.) Weezer - "Beginning of the End"

- 2020 saw a new Bill & Ted movie, and thus it also needed a new catchy rock song to go along with this new most-excellent adventure (after all, let us not forget that Bogus Journey gave us the KISS classic "God Gave Rock & Roll to Us"). This new Weezer jam from the Bill & Ted soundtrack is a catchy bit of retro guitar rock - fitting with the classic-rock tone that seems to characterize the band's upcoming and long-delayed album Van Weezer.