What I watched: 2020

Key: (B) = book | (F) = film | (T) = television series | (P) = podcast series | (TH) = theater performance | (M) = musical performance |[R] = reread/rewatch/relisten | (Tk) = talk

• December
• 22
• Started watching The Bonfire of Destiny on Netflix T French period piece; so far, so good.
• 20
• Watched Apollo 13 on Amazon Prime F Amazingly tense, even though one knows it all ends well enough.
• 19
• Finished watching The Crown s04 on Netflix T Didn't much like Mrs Thatcher, now or then.
• 13
• Watched The Right Stuff on Amazon Prime F For Chuck Yeager, and because neither of us had seen it before.
• 9
• Started watching Ethos on Netflix T Nice enough as it went along and then — Wham! — huge grab at the end. Looking forward to the rest now.
• 7
• Started watching Le Bureau s04 on Apple TV T Already regretting that s05 is the final season.
• 6
• Watched The Gentlemen on Amazon Prime F Guy Ritchie, innit. Cracking.
• 5
• Watched half of The Conformist on Kanopy F and then couldn’t take any more, at least for now.
• 4
• Finished watching Le Bureau s03 on Apple TV T Far and away the best thing in years.
• 1
• Finished watching Borgen s02 on Netflix T Still undecided between Danish West Wing and Danish House of Cards; both at times, but mostly the former.
• November
• 24
• Finished watching Queen’s Gambit on Netflix T Such a treat.
• 15
• Started watching The Crown s04 on Netflix T Not as much fun when you have a better idea of how awful things turned out.
• 10
• Watched Hockney on Photography on YouTube T Sweet little film from 2009, in which he explains the why of what he does.
• 03
• Started watching Queen’s Gambit on Netflix T Pretty enthralling.
• October
• 31
• Finished watching Tehran on Apple TV T And blimey it was good. So much suspense. Such an open ending.
• 27
• Finished reading Our Daily Bread by Predrag Matvejević B A bit of a mixed bag, that's for sure. And I still have Gell-Mann amnesia about it.
• 25
• Watched Through a lens darkly on Kanopy F Documentaryocumentary about Black photographers, very interesting, and a bit too arty.
• 17
• Watched I, Tonya on iTunes F Absolutely wonderful permonances, and what a story.
• 16
• Started reading Our Daily Bread by Predrag Matvejević B and it is provoking a severe case of Gell-Mann amnesia
• 14
• Started watching Borgen s02 on Netflix T And it continues to be rather good.
• 13
• Watched one episode of Doctor Foster on Netflix T and that was enough to abandon it with no regrets.
• 11
• Finished watching Borgen s01 on Netflix T Danish House of Cards, I thought at first. Then Danish West Wing. First instinct was correct.
• 07
• Watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix F Just wow. Amazing work, and so uplifting too.
• 05
• Finished watching Enola Holmes on Netflix F … gut gekocht.
• 04
• Finished reading Delizia! by John Dickie B So interesting, so informative, and such a good antidote to all the tosh out there.
• Started watching Le Bureau s02 on Apple TV T Still way too good.
• 03
• Started watching Enola Holmes on Netflix F Scheiss, aber …
• September
• 21
• Started watching Tehran on Apple TV T Very exciting.
• 20
• Started watching Borgen s01 on Netflix T So far, so good. House of Cards for our times.
• 19
• Finished watching Young Wallander on Netflix T Very nicely done, with an annoying, but justified, messy ending.
• 14
• Started watching Young Wallander on Netflix T Never did see Old Wallander, but this is promising.
• 13
• Finished watching Le Bureau s01e10 on Apple TV T and I feel like I've been put through a wringer.
• 01
• Started reading Delizia! by John Dickie B Should have done this long ago.
• August
• 22
• Finally, after much faffing, watched Le Bureau s01e01 on Apple TV T Looking good right from the start.
• 20
• Finished watching The Kominsky Method s02 on Netflix T Well, that was quick. And very good. Smart, engaging writing. Long wait for s03.
• 18
• Watched one episode of Connections on Netflix T and that's quite enough, thank you.
• 10
• Watched Withnail and I on iTunes F Still crazy after all these years.
• 09
• Started watching The Kominsky Method on Netflix T After so many recommendations, had to give it a try. Seems pretty good.
• 06-07
• Watched The Good, The Bad and the Ugly on YouTube F So fine. Took us two nights, but held up well.
• 03
• Watched The Alienist s01e01 on Netflix T and won’t be watching any more. Drek.
• 02
• Finished watching Chernobyl on iTunes T No. Words.
• July
• 26
• Started watching Chernobyl on iTunes T Blimey, it’s good.
• 24
• Finished watching Homeland s06 on Netflix T You can’t trust anyone these days.
• 23
• Finished reading All the Light We cannot see by Anthony Doerr on Kindle B Devastating good.
• 19
• Watched Very semi-serious on iTunes F Funny and interesting documentary about the New Yorker’s cartoon department.
• June
• 30
• Finished watching Giri/Haji on Netflix T Such stylish violence. Bonus points if the messy ending does not presage a second series.
• 28
• Watched Guns Akimbo on Prime F Mindless mayhem, with jokes, because I was on my own.
• 12
• Started watching Giri/Haji on Netflix T Rather classy, so far. Keep expecting Luther to swagger in.
• 11
• Finished watching Homeland s05 on Netflix TCarrie saves the day, Otto makes his move, and Peter … (Couldn’t help seeing the summary for s06e01)
• 09
• Finished watching Bosch s06 on Prime T Nuanced ambiguity right down to the end. Very satisfying.
• May
• 23
• Watched Chinatown on iTunes F Had forgotten enough to make it an absolute treat to watch.
• 17
• Started watching Bosch s06 on Prime T Still too many threads unravelling for my taste, but compelling watching nevertheless.
• 16
• Started watching Homeland s05 on Netflix T And they're still at it.
• 15
• Finished watching Bosch s05 on Prime T Reliably dark, reliably tortured, reliably confusing. Is Bosch really that saintly? Will he spoil things for Chief Irving?
• 14
• Finished watching The Code s02 on Netflix T Pretty well done, I thought, but maybe a tad too slick.
• 09
• Finished reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles B A different kind of life in Russia. I loved it beyond words.
• Finished watching The Road to Calvary on Netflix T They should have just called it All's Well That Ends Well. Except, it didn't end all that well, after the end of the story.
• 02
• Started watching The Code s02 on Netflix T Maybe they got a bit too much cash to spend on the strength of s01?
• April
• 30
• Finished watching Ozark s03 on Netflix T Blimy! Can't say I saw that ending coming. Are these the worst, most compelling people in TV? And can we get a Darlene prequel?
• 28
• Finished watching Unorthodox on Netflix T Really very good, as a partial insight into the community and escape. The Making of ... was very good too, and illuminating. So the whole music aspect was fiction?
• 20
• Started watching Bosch s05 on Prime T The hoohah over s06 made us realise we hadn't seen s05, which is nice.
• 20
• Started reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles B Loving it from the outset.
• 19
• Watched Nikita on iTunes F I could have sworn I had seen this, but couldn't remember any of it. Turns out I was thinking of Léon. Luc Besson clearly has a thing for gorgeous women assassins.
• 11
• Started watching Unorthdox On Netflix T Rather good, especially the lead.
• 05
• Finished watching The Code s01 T Really rather well done disturbed genius hacker stuff. There's a second series, but I'm not sure it can sustain that.
• March
• 28
• Started watching Ozark s03 on Netflix T So compelling.
• 25
• Finished watching Wanted s03 T as they drove slowly into peace of the sunset. For how long?
• 23
• Started watching The Code s01 on Netflix T Rather good Aussie crime in high places caper.
• 21
• Watched The Rose Tattoo on iTunes F Strange film, shot on Key West, which was why we watched it, with Anna Magnina and Burt Lancaster. She plays a woman widowed by her cheating husband, who eventually falls for Burt. Dated, histrionic, fun. Tennessee Williams wrote. Now, a competition: who was the worst young Italian? Burt, in this, or Warren Beatty in _The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone_, another Williams classic.
• 18
• Watched Ghostbusters on Netflix F The girlie one; I thought it was excellent. Why all the hate?
• 15
• Started watching The Road to Calvary on Netflix T Russian period drama, strangely entertaining, like a Russian Gone with the Wind.
• 10
• Started watching Wanted s03 on Netflix T They're still on the run; Huntingdon's seems like a bit of a McGuffin.
• 08
• Finished watching Ottomans on Netflix T Mehmed got there in the end, as we knew he would.
• 06
• Finished watching The Stranger s01 on Netflix T Very satisfying, in the end, but although they are clearly leaving enough loose ends for a second season, I'm not sure how compelling it will really be.
• 03
• Finished reading The Oldest Road: The Ridgeway B and can't wait to start tramping, coronavirus willing.
• February
• 24
• Started watching Better Call Saul s05 on Netflix T Less than compelling this time around. May need time.
• 22
• Finished reading The Secret Pilgrim by John Le Carré B Such fine storytelling, and cleverly done as a series of reminiscences at a special dinner, each a short story.
• 19
• Started watching The Stranger on Netflix T Note from the future: Very well done, and I suppose eventually **all** the threads will come together.
• 16
• Watched The Coldest Game on Netflix F Strange Cold War caper, around the Bay of Pigs. Fictional tosh, and diverting.
• Finished reading The Final Solution by Michael Chabon B Terrifically fun story of The Great Detective at death's door. Very entertaining, but what is it with Chabon and parrots?
• 14
• Saw (heard?) Norma by Bellini at the San Carlo, Naples Th Sublime, in all respects.
• 9
• Finished The Two Popes on Netflix F A lot better than I expected; humane, intelligent, compassionate.
• 8
• Started watching The Two Popes on Netflix F Broke halfway through as it was getting past our bedtime. Easy to do.
• 7
• Finished reading Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré on Kindle B Absolutely thrilling stuff, never mind the loose ends, and so beautifully told.
• Finished watching Messiah s01 on Netflix T Somewhat far-fetched ending, but has been solid throughout, and suitably enigmatic.
• 5
• Started watching Rise of Empires: Ottoman on Netflix T Interesting mix of talking heads, strangely rendered, and drama, equally strangely rendered.
• 4
• Saw 1917 at the Nuovo Olimpia F Astonishing feat of cinematographic story-telling; I'd love to see it with a director's commentary.
• 2
• Watched Uncut Gems on Netflix F Too shouty. I just wasn’t interested.
• 1
• Started reading Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré on Kindle B Never disappoints.
• January
At some point I finished reading, with regret, The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane. So good. Soon after, I started reading Wild Life by Keena Roberts.
• 31
• Started watching Thieves in the Wood s01 on Netflix T Belgian; we may not last the course.
• Finished reading Wild Life by Keena Roberts B Excellent and illuminating on growing up different.
• 25
• Finished watching The Crown s03 on Netflix T Olivia Colman is simply brilliant.
• 12
• Started watching Messiah s01 on Netflix T Interesting.
• 1
• Started reading Draft No. 4: on the writing process by John McPhee on the Kindle B I'd read his laundry lists.