Best TV Shows
BoJack Horseman
Talking horses have come a long way since Mister Ed. They now come fully formed with complex emotions, clinical depression, and nihilism. The third season sees Hollywoo's (not a typo) favorite anthropomorphic horse BoJack coming into more career success than ever before, but he didn't quite earn it. In the end BoJack tries to reconnect with his best self only to realize that comes with the risk of repeating past mistakes. The series has had its fair share of acclaim but it definitively entered the ranks of TV legend with this season's fourth episode, "Fish Out of Water." BoJack visits an underwater city to promote his new film, forcing him to wear an oxygen helmet that limits his ability to communicate with those around him. That concept, combined with the show's trademark animation and deep understanding of emotion, make for a beautiful story with hints of homage to the modern film classic Lost in Translation and maybe a little bit to SpongeBob SquarePants. This is one for the history books, as much as any single episode of a TV show can be one for the history books.
Supergirl
In it's second season Supergirl has definitively staked its claim: it is by far the best superhero show based on DC comics and a strong contender for the best superhero show period. The series markets in inspiration, all the main characters have the noblest intentions and perform admirable deeds, from the mega-powered title hero to her spy/scientist sister to the dork with the keyboard, to say nothing of the constant rays of sunlight beaming down on star Melissa Benoist, casting her in an eternally ethereal glow. And yet, they stumble and fall, not just in battle against mighty villains but also in their personal actions and beliefs. The current season sees Supergirl herself struggling with her own prejudice towards a survivor of Daxam, a rival planet to her native Krypton. The storyline of her adopted sister, Alex, coming out as a lesbian has received well-deserved praise thanks to an impressive performance by Chyler Leigh. The writing has handled it delicately, including a realistically disappointing reaction from Supergirl. Rather than knowing just the right words to say she responded with surprise and confusion. The right words came eventually, of course, but the struggle was there. Supergirl has found a well-proportioned blend of social metaphor, blunt commentary, and examinations of morality and the fabric of heroism. Put simply, the recipe of Supergirl's heroism is compassion and empathy paired with affirmative deeds and a dedication to those ideals even in contrast to our own worst tendencies.
American Crime Story
Who knew a twenty-year-old murder trial could be a mirror for a dozen different modern social issues? I mean, murder never goes out of style but the level of current relevance in the O.J. Simpson case seems uncanny. David Schwimmer's portrayal of Robert Kardashian (Simpson's friend/lawyer and father of Kim, Khloe, and the other K's) drew a direct parallel to the case and our current celebrity culture while also earning empathy from those who know what it's like to lose faith in a hero, whether it's a friend who commits murder or a beloved comedian who is secretly a serial rapist. Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark faced sexism not unlike any woman in a high profile position still would today. The controversy surrounding Simpson's race was addressed and embodied by Sterling K. Brown and Courtney B. Vance's portrayals of Chris Darden and Johnnie Cochran. There's a reason The People v. O.J. Simpson received five Golden Globe nominations; because it's easily the best written, directed, and acted show of the year by a mile.
Honorary Mention: Black Mirror
I saw the highly acclaimed "San Junipero" episode on New Year's Eve and it absolutely lives up to the hype. It's a beautiful story about life, love, and death.
Best Movies
Arrival
Are you paying attention, CBS? Actually, you may want to go ahead and hire Arrival scribe Eric Heisserer for the Star Trek: Discovery writer's room if you can swing it. Arrival is science fiction at its very best; smart, imaginative, and inspiring. The concept is well-tread; aliens land on Earth for the first time, causing military brass to freak out, but a noble intellectual saves the day. However, Arrival is exceptionally well written, acted and directed. Amy Adams is captivating from beginning to end as the clever linguist Louise Banks, who leads the charge in establishing communication with the strange creatures. Louise proves to the world the vitality of information and understanding so that we can learn to see through another's eyes. With a moral like that Arrival could have easily come off as cheesy but director Denis Villeneuve handles the themes with poise, despite, or perhaps because of, his previous work having a tendency towards cynicism like last year's Sicario. One or two storytelling devices cause Arrival to be a bit confusing at times but when you put the pieces together the message is clear: the future won't be perfect, but it will be worth it and the only way to get there is together.
The Nice Guys
There may be no greater master of the action-comedy in Hollywood than Shane Black. To follow up his Iron Man 3, featuring Marvel's literally highest flying hero, he brought things a little closer to the ground. A noir based in 1977, three years after the release of the iconic Chinatown, Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe play a pair of private detectives with wildly different methods forced to work together on the biggest case of their careers. Together they unwind a complicated web of conspiracy full of currently relevant social allegory. Did I mention it's a noir? A really well executed, funny, smart noir? It is. Crowe and Gosling are joined by an extraordinary supporting cast including Kim Basinger, Matt Bomer, The Leftovers' Margaret Qualley, and character actor Keith David.
Ghostbusters
Steve Martin is known to advise young people to "be so good they can't ignore you." When a reboot of the beloved Ghostbusters film franchise was announced many fans were livid, mostly for ridiculous reasons that don't bear mentioning. The answer to their anger was to make a movie so good it couldn't be ignored. It starts with a cast of some of the finest performers in comedy; megastar Melissa McCarthy along with three Saturday Night Live cast members/alumni Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, and a supporting cast including hunky superhero Chris Hemsworth, the legendary Andy Garcia, another SNL star (the woefully underappreciated) Cecily Strong, and a thoroughly creepy and squirrelly villain in Neil Casey. Then there's an incredible script by Katie Dippold and director Paul Feig. On top of being the funniest movie of the year, it was also one of the most exciting and visually spectacular. Ghostbusters, much like its namesake, is one of the finest action-comedies of our time.
Best Albums
A Sailor's Guide to Earth
In 2014 Sturgill Simpson made a name for himself as one of the best/weirdest voices in country music with a philosophical outlaw concept album, placing him in a strange place between alternative country and the Nashville establishment. This year he clarified that he is there to stay. He followed up his breakthrough with another concept; a letter from a sailor to his son, drawing from Simpson's life on tour away from his own young son and his background in the Navy. Sonically, the album is less traditional than Simpson's Waylon-esque breakthrough. It mixes in more soul and rock influences but that Kentucky drawl isn't going away anytime soon. Simpson is as good a songwriter as anyone in the country game but his talent for adaptation once again steals the show. His cover of new wave classic "The Promise" was a highlight of Metamodern Sounds and likewise Nirvana's "In Bloom" is the star of Sailor's Guide.
Blackstar
ANTI
For almost a decade Rihanna has been the unquestioned queen of the radio. Perhaps there was a time that you could argue that Gaga or Beyonce had more quality but none of her peers have more hits than Rihanna. Period. Now she's put a new twist in the qualitative argument. As hip-hop and R&B are moving away from singles and towards sonically ambitious concept albums Ri-Ri is getting on board and taking over. ANTI is a completely immersive listening experience and emotional journey. (I suppose you could say the same thing about Beyonce's Lemonade but the difference is I don't have Tidal and I never will. There comes a time when a man has to take a stand.) Of course, Rihanna hasn't entirely abandoned the hit machine. The hooks are just more subtle; they grow on you then they stick with you, and you never want them to leave. "Kiss it Better," "Love on the Brain," and the chief earworm "Work" are a few standouts.
Best Comics
Archie
Archie Comics holds an odd status in the comic book community. It's possibly the only non-superhero comic book franchise to make a lasting impact on pop culture at large, but the consensus in the comic community has largely been that it's an outdated concept that doesn't know when to quit. Changing Archie's image posed a massive undertaking, but by-gum they are pulling it off. Last summer the franchise was subject to a massive reboot, with hall-of-fame writer of acclaimed DC and Marvel runs Mark Waid taking the reigns of the main Archie title, and other top creators taking on accompanying series like Jughead, Josie and the Pussycats and Betty and Veronica. Waid and Fiona Staples, the artist of the first several issues of the reboot, immediately made a splash, turning the sleepy town of Riverdale into a sleek, modern, stylish comedy-drama. Waid, along with Staples' replacement Veronica Fish, has maintained the momentum beautifully. Every month the series reveals new depth and freshness to the characters and relationships once thought tepid and bland. The upcoming Riverdale TV series could stand to take a few notes from Waid's humor and insight.
Ms. Marvel
For three years Ms. Marvel has seen near-unanimous praise. It has been consistently well-crafted, funny, and the epitome of the word "enjoyable." This year writer G. Willow Wilson has pushed her hero, New Jersey's pubescent Pakistani paladin Kamala Khan, to new lengths. The Marvel comic book universe, like the cinematic universe, was plagued by conflict that pitted hero against hero. Kamala found her moral confidence shaken along with her faith in her own heroes, including her idol and inspiration, Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel. Kamala had her worldview challenged in ways that all people must, young and old alike, but are still uncomfortable to watch. Wilson continues to chart her growth with nuance, empathy, and just the right amount of humor while Kamala continues to be the hero we need as our need for heroes embiggens and embiggens.
All-Star Batman
With Scott Snyder being one of the biggest stars of the comic industry there was a lot of curiosity and excitement surrounding whatever he chose to do after finishing his impeccable run on Batman. It turns out, he chose to do more Batman, but with a very different version of Batman than the last one. Snyder's All-Star Batman immediately set a tone most wouldn't expect from the Dark Knight, but it all just works. The new Batman is strange, quirky, and surreal. Snyder's previous series about the "World's Greatest Detective" carried plenty of noir influence, meaning that the city of Gotham was a major part of the fabric, but All-Star sees Batman on wacky road-trip outside of the city limits. With a new title comes a new artist, following Greg Capullo's horror style is the legendary John Romita Jr, whose work is more cartoonish but strangely primal.
Most Horrifying Pattern that I Hope Isn't an Omen of What's to Come
Game of Thrones
The second-to-last episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones was one of the most impressively cinematic feats to ever appear on television. That is keeping in line with every other season of the fantasy epic; the penultimate episode has the most exciting action while the finale is more about wrapping up old stories and setting up new ones. This year, the finale took the wrapping and setting to new extremes. Finally the Starks (Sophie Turner, Kit Harrington) have been partially reunited and returned to their family home, Daenarys (Emilia Clarke) is headed for Westeros, and Cersei (Lena Headey) obliterated all of her enemies and destroyed the Great Sept in a single massive explosion, killing off a significant fraction of the main cast.
Preacher
One of the most surprising successes of the year was AMC's Preacher. Like the acclaimed comic series it's based on, Preacher is a darkly comedic supernatural philosophical Western. What's even stranger than that description is the unlikely creators, the lords of stoner comedy Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg who executive produced along with writing and directing the first two episodes. The show follows a rural preacher who has recently returned to his hometown after turning his back on a life of crime. The preacher (Dominic Cooper) finds himself at the center of the war between Heaven and Hell and tries to take advantage of the situation, putting himself at odds with angelic visitors and the motley crue of townspeople including a corrupt meat maker and an S&M good ol' boy. Fortunately, he can rely on his friends, a murderously repressed single mom (Lucy Griffiths), an affable Irish vampire (Joseph Gilgun), his violent ex (Ruth Negga), and a disfigured teenager nicknamed "Arseface," (Ian Colletti). Unfortunately, most of those peculiar personalities perished along with the town in a single sewage based explosion
Rogue One
The first movie set in the Star Wars universe without a Roman numeral since the franchise was bought by Disney set out to answer questions no one was really asking. Specifically, "how exactly did Princess Leia get her hands on the Death Star plans she gives to R2-D2 to give to Obi-Wan at the beginning of A New Hope?" Director Gareth Edwards, along with writers Tony Gilroy and Chris Weitz, admirably pull off the feat of exposing the darker, more war-like parts of the Star Wars while keeping things relatively Disney friendly. However, the film raises a new question; "what happens to Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Chirrut Îmwe, (Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen) and the rest of the Rogue One crew considering they aren't seen in any of the other movies?" The answer is, they all died in a single massive explosion caused by the very weapon of mass destruction they were attempting to destroy. On the bright side, Rogue One ends with a message of hope, as a soldier places the plans into Leia's hands shortly before she is captured by Darth Vader and taken to Grand Moff Tarkin who forces her to watch as the same Death Star destroys her entire home planet in A New Hope.
In Rogue One Princess Leia represents a narrow ray of hope in a film full of destruction. Now Carrie Fisher, the actress best known for portraying Leia, has passed away, putting a truly sorrowing cap on a year full of loss. It's hard to not see that as a finishing blow but I'm certain that in the face of such despair neither Carrie nor Leia would give up hope. Neither will we.
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