Best of 2016: Film

There no beating around the bush- 2016 was a rough year and movies were no exception. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all of the movies on this list but unlike previous years, it wasn't a tough task to whittle the list down to my favorite ten of the year. It was also a year in which the good movies had to be sought out. The Jungle Book, Deadpool and Doctor Strange were all commercial successes and entertaining but only two of my favorite movies in 2016 were among the top 50 in domestic box office.

10) The Nice Guys


The Nice Guys is not the Ryan Gosling movie that's expected to win a half dozen Academy Awards but it is the movie he starred in that I enjoyed the most this year. Gosling and Russell Crowe are a perfect pairing with both actors showcasing more humor than they have in any movie prior to this one. Writer-director Shane Black does a great job in making a film that is a hybrid of film noir and a buddy cop comedy (even though neither character is an actual police officer).

9) Zootopia


It's hard for a movie to contain a positive message and still be engaging and funny but Zootopia walks that fine line just right. There's also some clever jokes that probably go over the heads of younger viewers but enough silliness and slapstick to make sure the target audience never loses interest. I went in know it had received great reviews but I was still pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Zootopia from beginning to end.

8) 20th Century Women


Writer-director Mike Mills feels to have perfectly captured the essence of Santa Barbara, CA in 1979 and the struggles of an older single mom trying to raise a teenager. Annette Benning turns in another fantastic performance in what feels like a companion piece to 2010's The Kids Are All Right. The ensemble cast of 20th Century Women also includes Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup and newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann are all terrific in a film that feels truly authentic.

7) The Edge of Seventeen


It's rare that a movie made primarily for and about young people rings true but writer and first-time director Kelly Fremon Craig appears to be drawing from personal experience as the whole movie never hits a false note. Hailee Steinfield, who first garnered attention in the 2010 remake of True Grit, is excellent as the lead character Nadine struggling trying to figure out her emotions several years after the passing of her father. Don't let that fool you though as the movie is also sharply funny with an excellent supporting turn from Woody Harrelson.

6) Lion


Lion is an expertly crafted film. The pacing, visuals and music are all executed superbly by Australian director Garth Davis who was making his first feature film. Another surprising first is the performance from first time actor Sunny Pawar which is nothing short of extraordinary. The second half of the movie wasn't quite as enthralling to me as the first half but I was still fully invested in the outcome and very much enjoyed it.

5) Green Room


It's hard to classify Green Room when someone asks what kind of movie it is. It's not exactly a horror film or a thriller but it lives in that realm and it's made all the more terrifying because of how real it feels. Green Room has a terrific ensemble cast led by the late Anton Yelchin who's probably best known for his role as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise or the lead character in Alpha Dog but he really shines here as the terrified punk rocker.

4) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping


Ever since seeing Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on opening weekend, I've been wracking my brain to remember the last comedy that I enjoyed as much. I probably laughed harder when I saw There's Something About Mary in the theater but that's going back to 1998 when I was in high school. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the modern day version of This Is Spinal Tap and is a biting satire on not only pop music but pop culture. It also doesn't hurt that the songs are not only very funny but much better than they have any business being.

3) Midnight Special


Writer-director Jeff Nichols is getting a lot of acclaim and awards nominations for his film Loving, and rightly so but it'd be a shame to overlook the brilliance of his movie Midnight Special that came out earlier in the year. Nichols does a masterful job on sucking the audience into the story in the very first seconds of the film with a local television commercial followed by a news report that only starts to explain this very bizarre story that unfolds over the next two hours. Michael Shannon has been in all five of Jeff Nichols films and he shines in this one as the protective father figure.

2) Moonlight


Within the very first scene of Moonlight, I wasn't exactly sure who the characters are or what time period the movie is taking place but you recognize that you are in the hands of a very skilled filmmaker. Writer-director Barry Jenkins in just his second full length film shows not only a tremendous eye for stunning visuals but a clear grasp of knowing how to let the emotions of his characters breathe for the exact right amount of time. I walked into theater knowing nothing about the plot and was blown away by the story of Chiron which went in a fascinating direction that I never saw coming.

1) Arrival


Last year director Denis Villeneuve was behind one of my very favorite movies Sicario and this year he directed my favorite movie. Arrival is a masterpiece that unfolds before your eyes in a truly original way. Based on "The Story of Your Life" by writer Ted Chiang, screenwriter Eric Heisserer and Villeneuve take a somewhat familiar story of an alien arrival on earth and make it wholly original. The dialogue is smart, the cinematography is beautiful, the acting is engaging and the score is phenomenal.

Honorable mention:

10 Cloverfield Lane
Deadpool
Doctor Strange
Hail, Caesar!
Hidden Figures
Kubo and the Two Strings
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Rogue One
Swiss Army Man

Best of 2016: Television

Making this list was kind of difficult this year because with several of my favorite shows leaving the air for good (Hannibal, Parks and Recreation, Justified, and The Knick) as well as some other shows not airing any new episodes this year (Fargo, Nathan For You and Review) it cut down my list of old standbys considerably. That being said, there were some returning favorites as well as a few great new shows.


10) Brooklyn Nine-Nine

After working as a producer and writer on The Office, Michael Schur went on to co-create Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and most recently The Good Place. There's a common thread in all of these shows which is that the characters are allowed to do silly and preposterous things as long as they are within the boundaries of their character. Following in the footsteps of his previous shows, Schur and co-creator Dan Goor always make sure that on top of being funny the audience ends up caring about the characters used to populate the world.

9) The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

I seemed to have more problems with this anthology series than most viewers and critics but that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. There were winks at the camera with references to the Kardashian family and some subpar performances. However, stellar performances from Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran and Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden helped to elevate the source material and make a story we all know the ending to infinitely watchable.

8) Game of Thrones

I can't really describe why but despite the insane cult following, many awards and and generally universal critical acclaim, Game of Thrones has always been a show I enjoyed but felt it more as a guilty pleasure than the standard bearer for great television. However, in the sixth season, I believe they put forward their best work to date. Several episodes in the season were as good as anything on television.

7) Man Seeking Woman

If there's a more surreal or absurd scripted sitcom on television then I'm not aware of it. Man Seeking Woman followed up a very strong first season with another hilarious 10 episodes. Creator Simon Rich and his writing staff take some big swings and they aren't always home runs but it consistently makes me laugh which is why it made my top ten shows for a second year in a row.


6) Better Call Saul

In a way, I feel bad for the creative team behind Better Call Saul. Even though they've put out two very good seasons of television with some great moments, they'll never be judged on their own because of the show's connection to Breaking Bad. That being said, I've enjoyed the show a great deal and tried to judge it on its own merits even with the numerous winks and nods to the show's predecessor.

5) The Night Of

Another terrific outing from HBO who enlisted talented writers Richard Price and Steve Zaillian to adapt the British series Criminal Justice into the miniseries The Night Of. The writing is excellent in giving the audience just enough rope to speculate as to the outcome of the murder in question. A cast including John Turturro, Riz Ahmed and Bill Camp do tremendous work as the attorney, the suspect and the detective respectively. 

4) Atlanta

I didn't get around to watching Atlanta when it was airing but I caught up later and loved it. It's a show that has moments that feel incredibly real that are juxtaposed with some absurdist satire. Creator and star Donald Glover is great as the down on his luck producer but his co-stars Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and especially Keith Stanfield are all perfectly cast. Slowly but surely FX has built a roster of TV shows to rival or exceed just about any network.

3) Mr. Robot

Following up an excellent first season of a creative new show is very difficult but that didn't slow down Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. It was not a perfect season but it had contained several of my very favorite and ambitious scenes of anything that I saw this year including the insane opening sequence during the season's sixth episode.

2) Stranger Things

No show seemed to have exploded this year quite like Stranger Things. After being rejected by several cable networks, creators Matt and Ross Duffer found a home at Netflix for the series set in 1983 that plays like Stephen King's greatest hits. Despite having some very familiar elements Stranger Things manages to succeed on its own without feeling derivative. The score and cinematography push it to another level.


1) The Americans

Despite being among the very best shows on television for four years in a row, The Americans has yet to find a wide audience. Thankfully the President of FX John Landgraf seems to be less concerned with ratings than making a quality product as the network has renewed the show for a final two seasons despite declining ratings. Everything from the writing to the acting to the set design is nearly perfect in every episode. As the show continues further and further you become more invested in the characters. Given the recent developments politically between the United States and Russia the content of the show is as timely as ever.

Honorable mention:

Animal Kingdom
Comedy Bang Bang
Halt and Catch Fire
Search Party
Silicon Valley
Westworld

Best of 2016: Albums

To be honest, it was kind of hard to make the top ten this year and I really could have interchanged any of the top six albums because unlike the last few years there was no clear cut favorite album of the year for me. With that out of the way, here are the album I enjoyed the most from 2016.


10) Blood Orange - Freetown Sound

With third album the name Blood Orange, Dev Hynes made a very bold decision. Hynes once again is the primary composer and musician for Freetown Sound but he takes more of a backseat vocally as he recruited an amazing collection of female singers including Empress Of, Debbie Harry, Carly Rae Jepsen, Nelly Furtado and Kelsey Lu to provide a large amount of the vocals. The album changes tonally throughout the 16 tracks but somehow manages to remain cohesive.

Listen to Best to You

9) Lewis Del Mar - Lewis Del Mar

There's a hint of Alt-J and Tune-Yards in this debut effort from the New York City based duo Lewis Del Mar. That being said, the album felt like a breath of fresh air from an artist I wasn't familiar with before this year. From the opening track 'Such Small Scenes', I was instantly intrigued by the direction of the album.

Listed to Painting (Masterpiece)


8) Miike Snow - iii

I've been a fan of Miike Snow since shortly after the self-titled debut album was released in 2009. However, this year it was taken to another level with iii which is a great album that I was able to see performed live (most of it anyway) during a great concert at Pappy & Harriet's. iii has the great hooks you've come to expect from Miike Snow but also some slower and somber moments in terrific songs like 'I Feel The Weight' which never feels out of place.

Listen to I Feel The Weight

7) Explosions In The Sky - The Wilderness

Almost exactly five years after the release of their last studio album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, one of my absolute favorite bands returned with The Wilderness. For the unindoctrinated, Explosions In The Sky has no vocals and they generally don't write in songs as much as they do movements like a classical composer. The Wilderness has nine tracks which is more than any previous album and they are shorter than the typical Explosions In The Sky songs but remain incredibly powerful. The first time I gave the entire album a dedicated listen was five days after it was released as I walked along the beach in San Diego shortly after being laid off from my old job and it was a life affirmed experience. I was then lucky enough to see them live for the 8th time the next month at the Ace Hotel. I've mentioned it before but if you have a chance to see them live it will be something you will not regret.

Listen to Disintegration Anxiety


6) Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow

I first became aware of Nothing in 2014 when their debut full length album Guilty of Everything came out and made my list of favorite albums that year. Tired of Tomorrow expands on the shoegaze soundscape they created in the first album and is more accessible without compromising the unique sound that makes them so great.

Listen to Vertigo Flowers

5) Yeasayer - Amen & Goodbye

From the opening notes of the very Pink Floyd esque intro track 'Daughters Of Cain', I was completely on board with Amen & Goodbye. Nearly a decade since their debut album All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer has released what I feel is there most complete effort. Yeasayer as been tagged with the labeled of experimental rock which I think it generally misused when a band or artist can't be categorized into a traditional genre of music but in Amen & Goodbye they do experiment with a wide variety of sounds (including the theremin heavy track 'Uma') and the results of their experimentation are fantastic.

Listen to I Am Chemistry


4) Bon Iver - 22, A Million

If the second Bon Iver album was considered a departure from the first record, then the most recent album 22, A Million is from a different planet. Not everything on the album completely lands with me this time around but most of it does and several of them are among the best songs I heard this year even though they're difficult songs to reference in conversation like '8 (circle)' and '22 (OVER S∞∞N)'.

Listen to 33 "GOD"


3) Flock of Dimes - If You See Me, Say Yes

For fans of Jenn Wasner like myself, 2016 was a sweet relief. Not only did Wasner and her collaborator Andy Stack release a new Wye Oak record entitled Tween appropriately titled as it's somewhere between an EP and a full length LP, but Wasner also released her debut solo album under the moniker Flock of Dimes. You may not know her by name but there's a good chance you've heard Wasner's angelic voice as the Wye Oak song Civilian of the album of the same name has been listened to tens of millions times after being featured on an episode of The Walking Dead. If You See Me, Say Yes is full of expertly crafted melodies accompanied by Wasner's angelic voice that seeming floats above the music.

Listen to Semaphore


2) Jim James - Eternally Even

One year after releasing the seventh studio album with My Morning Jacket, frontman Jim James released his second solo album Eternally Even. As a member of My Morning Jacket, James has helped write a few of my favorite songs of the last 10-15 years (as well as a couple of my favorite late night talk show performances) and now he's created one of my favorite albums. Eternally Even is just one mellow groove song after another that flow so well together they practically melt into each other. It's album that feels like it could've been recorded in the late 1960s and should be able to continue to stand the test of time.

Listen to Here In Spirit


1) Hammock - Everything and Nothing

I remarked before on previous lists that when you listen to dozens or hundreds of albums every year, being able to remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard an album is general a good sign of the impression that it left on you. I remember Everything and Nothing was released on April 1st along with about half a dozen albums I really had been anticipating including two which also made this list (Amen & Goodbye and The Wilderness) but Everything and Nothing is the album that I kept coming back to as the year went on. I'm generally of the opinion that no album should be over an hour long but this is the exception that proves the rule as it glides for 76 minutes of sonic bliss.

Listen to Glassy Blue


Honorable mention:

The 1975 - I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
Beach Slang - A Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings
Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial
Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
Childish Gambino - "Awaken, My Love!"
Dinosaur Jr. - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not
Francis and the Lights - Farewell, Starlite!
Frank Ocean - Blonde
Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being
John K. Samson - Winter Wheat
Peals - Honey
The Radio Dept. - Running Out Of Love
Weezer - Weezer (White Album)

Best of 2016: Songs

Sames rules apply as per usual: no repeat artists or multiple songs from the same album. You can listen to my Best of 2016 Spotify playlist here that has all these songs and over a hundred more released in 2016. To be honest, I wasn't sure how this year was gonna measure up but I had to cut some songs I thought were really, really good to make this list of my 30 favorite.


30) M83 - Solitude
29) Sleigh Bells - I Can Only Stare
28) Everything Everything - I Believe It Now
27) Young The Giant - Amerika
26) Classixx - Just Let Go (feat. How To Dress Well)
25) Sundara Karma - Loveblood
24) Chairlift - Moth to the Flame
23) Jack Garratt - Worry
22) Car Seat Headrest - Vincent
21) Miike Snow - Heart Is Full
20) Frank Ocean - Ivy
19) Har Mar Superstar - Anybody's Game
18) James Blake - I Need A Forest Fire (feat Bon Iver)
17) Beach Slang - Punks In A Disco Bar
16) Flock of Dimes - Minor Justice
15) All Human - Desert Fox Cubs Play Under a Sky Full of Stars
14) Follin - Roxy
13) Day Wave - Stuck
12) Dinosaur Jr. - Be a Part
11) Childish Gambino - Redbone
10) Local Natives - Fountain Of Youth
9) Lucius - Born Again Teen
8) Hammock - Everything and Nothing
7) Grouplove - Enlighten Me
6) Nothing - Vertigo Flowers
5) Glass Animals - Youth
4) Weezer - Jacked Up
3) Yeasayer - I Am Chemistry
2) Blood Orange - Best to You
1) Bon Iver - 33 "GOD"

So Your Asshole Friend Without Kids Wants To Give You Parenting Advice...

As you can probably guess from the title, I understand the audacity of writing this but I felt it was worthwhile regardless.

Today I was out for a morning walk with my dog Arrow listening to the most recent album by Explosions In The Sky when I had a bit of an epiphany.

Before leaving on the walk, I had emailed my mom who had asked me twice already for a Christmas list. I doubt it's normal for a 34 year old man to send a Christmas list to his mom but for better or worse that's the relationship I have with my mom. It has become harder each year to come up with a list because the kind of tangible things I used to collect like DVDs and CDs have become more or less obsolete in the streaming world. I also have a job that pays me decently so when there's something I feel I really want or need, then I usually buy it for myself. I told my mom I wouldn't mind a Movie Pass or movie gift card and I could use a new pair of walking shoes because my current pair has a hole in the heel likely caused by slipping them on and off without untying the laces. However, this year, partly inspired by my friend Travis who came up with a similar arrangement for he and I, I told my mom she could just make a donation to a charity for me.

I suggested the charity Friends & Helpers which I made a physical donation to last night. It's a charity that works with domestic abuse victims who are primarily women and children who have had to flee their homes. During the holidays Friends & Helpers works to give those victims a Christmas to restore some normalcy to a family going through a traumatic time. I drove out to Sunflower School in Glendora, CA dropped off a bag with a couple of movie theater gift cards, a baseball glove, a football, a soccer ball and a few packs of baseball cards. I'm a little out of touch so I don't know if young children have any interest in baseball cards but I figured it wouldn't hurt. The volunteers met me at my car and helped me to take the items out of my trunk then gave me a clipboard to write down my information and I was on my way. It was quick and easy.

There's no right or wrong way to donate your time, money or energy to a charitable cause but this felt more special to me because I was Christmas shopping for a young boy or girl. I realized after the fact my gifts might have been a little too catered towards boys but I'll work on that next time. It was more fulfilling than just clicking a button or writing a check.

Now back to the aforementioned epiphany; I realized during my morning walk that when I was a young boy, my mom would take me and my brother Aaron to pick out toys around Christmas but they weren't for us. We were as spoiled as a middle class family could get around Christmas, don't get me wrong but we would buy some presents to take to a shelter for abused women and children. I don't remember the exact name of the shelter and I wouldn't post it anyway because the name denoted the location and I remember my mom telling me the location was a secret so the abusers couldn't locate their victims. The memory of doing this hadn't crossed my mind for over 20 years until I realized I had done the same thing which brings me to the advice portion of this post.

Most of you who have children will spoil your kids because you love them more than anything in the world and that is okay. You should let your children know they are loved and I'm not trying to preach some pie in the sky ideology that says material gifts don't equal love. One of the most important things my mom did for me was showing love, compassion and empathy for other people which is something that became so ingrained in my psyche I ended up following her example without even realizing it.

This week after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, was Giving Tuesday which is sadly a lot less well known than the shopping holidays. I think part of it has to do with the fact that if you're anything like me, first of all- sorry, but secondly, it feels awkward to talk to someone about giving to a charity because maybe you'll think they'll judge you as someone who is only giving for the recognition. Over the last 24 hours, I've realized donating to charity is not something that only needs to be between you and your accountant when you file your taxes at the end of the year. So, don't feel the need to hold back from sharing if you do something charitable or see something charitable that inspires you but most importantly, share the process and experience with your children because it will help shape them into the men and women they will eventually become.

If this comes across as preachy and pious as it seems in my head, I hope my intentions are understood. I don't write this thinking I'm holier than thou. I can be angry, bitter, depressed or self-indulgent and sometimes all at once. I'll watch the David Foster Wallace commencement speech and try to be kinder to people then find myself honking and yelling at a stranger mere hours later but then I make a concerted effort to try again.

If you're looking for a first step in donations, I'd recommend checking a site like GuideStar just to make sure your hard earned money is going towards the charity and not to pay a board of directors who decides a good use of your money to send out nickels and address labels to contributors. The two charities I personally have donated to recently are Friends & Helpers and charity: water. As I was walking back towards my house and formulating these thoughts I felt a great sense of optimism because even though the country feels as angry and divided as it's been in a long time, the overwhelming majority of people are good and the friends of mine with children are raising them with love, compassion and empathy, and as long as we have that-

Best of 2015: Film

It was really a tremendous year for movies both large and small. Several of my favorite movies from 2015 had only a few characters or voice actors populate the entire film. There were movies that didn't make the cut for the honorable mention this year that might have been among the 5 or 10 best in previous years. Without further ado, here are my favorite films from 2015:

10) Room

Room definitely fits the bill of a great small independent film as the entire first act is ostensibly a play set in one small room. It doesn't hurt that one of the most emotionally jarring scenes of any film this year was set to one of my favorite songs by the tremendous band This Will Destroy You. Brie Larson had shown flashes of great talent before but her performance in Room is a revelation and she deserves every award she gets including the Oscar that's almost certainly coming her way. Room also showcases the incredibly likable and talented young actor Jacob Tremblay.

9) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a strange movie in the sense that it started as a very self-aware homage to great filmmakers but along the way the story progresses into something entirely different. The cast includes three terrific young actors (Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke) who are buoyed by a great supporting cast that includes Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon and Jon Bernthal. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon seamlessly transitions his love of film into a film that becomes a surprisingly emotional love story itself.

8) The End of the Tour

One of the biggest travesties of this year's awards season has been the lack of acknowledgement for Jason Segel's portrayal of brilliant but tortured author David Foster Wallace. The End of the Tour recounts a brief encounter between Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and David Foster Wallace. The movie isn't flashy or over-stylized but the performances are excellent and gives a glimpse into the soul of a successful smart person who struggles with his depression.

7) Creed

By the time the title card is revealed after a brief five minute scene, you know that you're in the hands of a more than competent director. To tell the plot of Creed sounds like a near carbon copy of its predecessor Rocky but it's much more than that and largely due to the terrific direction of Ryan Coogler.

6) Ex Machina

Alex Garland was an established writer who went from novelist to screenwriter and made his directorial debut with Ex Machina which he also conceived and wrote. Much like one of my favorite films of last year The One That I Love, it plays like a great episode of The Twilight Zone and also features only three on camera speaking roles.

5) Anomalisa

Adapted from an audio play written by Charlie Kaufman and told using stop motion animation, Anomalisa is one of the most original movies of the year despite telling a very relatable and universal story. Kaufman skillfully illustrates that what was once fresh and new quickly becomes old and the same. Kaufman is the brilliant mind behind some of my favorite movies ever made and this one feels layered in a way that demands repeating viewings.

4) Inside Out

This one might stick out as one of these is not like the others but it's not. Inside Out is possibly my favorite Pixar movie and it was one of the best movies of 2015. Director and co-writer Pete Docter wanted to come up with a way to understand his daughter better and came up with the genius idea of having her emotions (joy, sadness, anger, etc) turn into animated characters. It might be a little hard to follow for young kids but it is a great heartwarming movie for any age range.

3) Sicario

One of the more underrated films of the year was Sicario. French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve has been working for a quite a while but only recently made the transition to English speaking films and has already made a significant impact. His collaborations with my personal favorite cinematographer in film history Roger Deakins have given his movies a unique style and Sicario is no exception. It's a very dense and intense film but if you give it your full attention then it will amaze you.

2) Mad Max: Fury Road

I'm not sure if it makes a difference but I've never seen any of the original Mad Max movies. I was intrigued by the trailer to Mad Max: Fury Road and planned to watch them ahead of time but didn't get around to it. That is to say, I think Mad Max: Fury Road is best viewed without any preconceived notions but even people who saw the originals mostly seemed impressed. It's stunning visually with some jaw-dropping action sequences. Tom Hardy is great as the titular character but it's Charlize Theron's performance that carries the movie and is a breath of fresh air in the action genre.

1) The Revenant

I went most of the year thinking I wouldn't see a better movie that Mad Max: Fury Road but then the day after Christmas I walked into ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood and watched one of the best films I'll ever see in my life. The Revenant is one of the most beautiful looking films ever made and it's also tremendously well acted. It features several of the most harrowing and intense action sequences that I've ever seen. It is a simple yet fascinating story told in a relentless yet deliberate pace. This is without a doubt, the best film of the year and maybe the best film of this decade. I honestly believe The Revenant is a film that will be studied for the next hundred years.


Honorable mention:

All Things Must Pass

Black Mass

Hateful Eight

It Follows

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

The Martian

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Straight Outta Compton

What We Do in the Shadows

Best of 2015: Television

It was another great year for television in what many are calling "peak TV" or the second golden age of television. Even with some terrific shows like Parks and Recreation, Mad Men, Justified, Hannibal and others coming to an end, there is no shortage of great television on almost a nightly basis.

It is partly because of this overwhelming amount of television that this is quite possibly the last year that I'll post my list of favorite TV shows. The silly self-imposed task of trying to watch every decent show on television is becoming more and more daunting each year. Even though I like to recommend the shows that I'm enjoying it's getting absurd to try to keep up with the nearly 400 scripted shows on network, cable and streaming services. I could easily do a list of my 10 favorite dramas and my 10 favorite comedies and that's without watching the most recent seasons of Mad Men, House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, Veep and probably a dozen other shows that I'm sure are good. At this point, if you're having trouble finding good shows to watch on TV or Netflix, it probably means that you aren't really looking. That being said, if I stop posting my favorite TV shows then you can just do the old fashioned thing and ask me.

10) Parks and Recreation

The 10th spot on this list was a really difficult choice because there were several shows deserving of making the list so I decided as a final sendoff to add Parks and Recreation to the list. It was a truncated 13 episode final season that helped bring closure to the show that I loved watching for the last seven years. The final season was mostly very well done (with one glaring exception) and the series finale was a fitting sendoff for a show that was always about laughs first but never forgot to establish an emotional connection along with it.

9) Hannibal

The third and presumably final season of Hannibal was somewhat uneven but when it was good, it was very good. If you followed the show for the first two seasons then you probably had no idea who made it out alive from the season two finale except for Hannibal of course. With Hannibal on the run for the first time in the show, it took a slow build approach for the first handful of episodes but once it kicked into gear it was in top form.

8) Man Seeking Woman

This was a hard decision for me to make. Master of None on Netflix tackled the similar issue of a single man navigating the world of dating and friendship and it was arguably the better show but Man Seeking Woman's absurd humor for me won the day. Creator Simon Rich was one of the youngest writers in Saturday Night Live history and his bizarre comedic mind helped create one of my favorite comedies in recent years.

7) Nathan For You

Nathan For You is unlike anything else on television. In the third season it appears that Nathan Fielder and his team have realized that his shows are better when instead of a few short segments he focuses on one idea for the entire episode. If you're unfamiliar then it's tricky to explain briefly but he helps businesses with absurd ideas that are often just crazy enough to work. This season was full of excellent episodes during which he launched a fake bestselling fitness book and his own clothing brand Summit Ice to bring holocaust awareness to the public. If you that sounds bizarre and piques your interest then you need to watch this show.

6) The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

Before the viral sensation that was Making A Murderer, there was HBO's The Jinx. Sure, Making A Murderer is the kind of show that was designed for binge-watching (as it was ostensibly just a 10 hour documentary) but The Jinx had real filmmaking polish to go along with its jaw-dropping murder story. Director Andrew Jarecki a decade prior had made the similarly haunting documentary Capturing The Friedmans about an insidious family and returned to the true crime genre to tackle the complicated story of Robert Durst. If you know nothing about the story then I urge you to watch it immediately without doing any of your own research and then be astounding by the mesmerizing final episode.

5) Better Call Saul

In its first season, Better Call Saul showed some flashes of brilliance and its shortcomings were really minor quibbles that are probably the result of the unfair but unavoidable comparisons to Breaking Bad. Bob Odenkirk made it obvious that he's capable shouldering the load as the lead and not just relegated to comic relief he was used for in Breaking Bad. It was also great to see Jonathan Banks reprise his role as Mike Ehrmantraut and he was showcased in a terrific episode that helped to explain his stoic disposition.

4) The Knick

I kind of understand why The Knick has never found a large audience; for one thing, not many people have Cinemax or know that they have any original programming. It's also somewhat of a niche show and certainly not a show for the squeamish but it's a great piece of television that deserves your attention not only for the first rate acting, excellent costumes, great direction and cinematography by Steven Soderbergh and phenomenal score by Cliff Martinez. Those are all perfectly good reasons to watch the show but there's usually a fascinating history lesson buried in every episode and the arc of Dr. John Thackery, loosely based on the real doctor William Halsted, is riveting.

3) The Americans

My natural recency bias finds it hard to remember at times just how excellent The Americans has been because it's usually one of the first shows that I watch every year. The third season might not have matched the great heights achieved in the second season but it was close. In lesser hands the story and close calls with Elizabeth and Phillip would have felt monotonous by now but it hasn't felt that way to me at all. And for those who have been watching the end of the last episode set things in motion that will end up having huge ramifications in the newest season set to debut this March.

2) Mr. Robot

Mr. Robot was one of the most clearly defined and original new shows in several years. Please don't let the title and seemingly odd casting choice of Christian Slater fool you. This is a terrific new show that you need to see and the less you know before starting it, the better off you will be. There are many shows that are well shot right now but the cinematography on Mr. Robot is among the very best and its use of music is impeccable.

1) Fargo

Fargo was my favorite show of 2014 by a wide margin and somehow it got better in its second season. The resurgence of the anthology series is the most exciting development in television over the past decade. It's why Fargo was able to attract an all-star cast of actors and actresses for both seasons and keep the show feeling fresh Creator Noah Hawley had big shoes to fill when he decided to make a television show inspired by the 1996 Coen Brothers classic and he's done it superbly. It had a chance to be the best season of television I've personally ever watched and it came pretty damn close.


Honorable mention:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Comedy Bang! Bang!

Justified

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The Late Show with David Letterman

Making A Murderer

Master of None

Review

Silicon Valley

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt