2015 Media Consumption: What Have We Learned?

For the first time, in the vein of Steven Soderbergh, I kept track of every single movie and TV show I watched for the entire year, 2015. This is obviously an insane task if I actually wrote down every single clip on TV I saw (or YouTube, for that matter), so to count I included any film I saw at least 51% of in some form either online, on television, or in the theater.

You may find this monstrous list of 198 films (close to an average of a movie every other day) and 96 distinct television shows here. Let's dig into the data:

There were seven movies that I saw twice. These are the following:

Fast Five (2011)
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
The Avengers (2012)
How High (2001)
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
The Campaign (2012)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015).

The Force Awakens was the only film I saw both times in theaters. The rest were on TV with the exception of Fast Five, which I watched on Blu Ray before Furious 7 (2015) and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, which I watched on a charter bus during a 24-hour ride to Florida.

This gives me a grand total of 189 distinct films

Breakdown by Viewing Medium:

Disc:
DVD: 12
BluRay: 2
Local DVD Rental: 1

Streaming:
Netflix: 71*
YouTube: 5
Download: 4
HBOGO: 3
Crackle: 1
DailyMotion: 1

Theater: 10

On TV: 86

*I lumped both Netflix streaming and Netflix DVD Rentals in the same category, which I'll probably break-up next year. Still, the vast majority of my movie watching comes from Television, which has all sorts of interesting implications on how that shapes culture.

Breakdown by Month:

January: 16
February: 14
March: 16
April: 25
May: 13
June: 8
July: 18
August: 25
September: 13
October: 10
November: 10
December: 28

December clearly wins as I had a strong push to see a lot of great films before the year ended to make some sweet best of lists. You can tell that I lost my TV in May, gained it back in July, then started a new job in September.

Breakdown by Year:

Current Year: I watched 27 movies that came out in 2015, or 14%.
Current Decade: 97 movies from 2010 - 2015 (49%)
2000s: 38 (19%)
1990s: 23 (12%)
1980s: 22 (11%)
1970s: 9 (5%)

The oldest movie I watched was actually surprising, the 1971 Bruce Lee film The Big Boss. I assuredly need to up my classics viewing for 2016. I'm actually decently surprised that the 90s and 80s are so similar. The most repeated year is 2015 with 27, 2014 takes second with 21, and 2012 is third with 20.

Most repeated pre-2010 year: 2008 (9)

Be Kind Rewind

Bronson

Cloverfield

Pineapple Express

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

The Happening

Tropic Thunder

You Don't Mess With the Zohan

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Most repeated pre-2000 year: Tie between 1997 and 1987 with the most random assortment ever:

1997:

Con Air

Face/Off

Jackie Brown

Romy & Michele's High School Reunion

The Fifth Element

1987:

Dragnet

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

Predator

The Monster Squad

The Running Man

Years without a film watched: 1991, 1980, 1976, 1974, 1973

Most Watched Television Shows:

I didn't keep track of what show I watched every day, just for the month, which is a trend I think I'll continue. Here were the shows I watched the most:

The Simpsons: A direct result of me losing FXX caused me to miss an episode in July (11 months)
Seinfeld: Only in February and March did I fail to watch at least one episode (10 months)
Archer: Missed in September and December (10 months)
South Park: Missed in January, May, and June (9 months)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Missed in April, May, and November (9 months)

Other Shows I watched at least one episode of for six months or more:

Adventuretime
Bob's Burgers
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Futurama
Last Week Tonight
New Girl
Rick and Morty
Saturday Night Live
The Flash
Workaholics

This should clearly indicate where my tastes are.

TV Shows Watched Not Currently on the Air

Most shows I watched live but there were plenty of things I caught up on from either long or recently cancelled programs, such as:

30 Rock
Angry Beavers
Chappelle Show
Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23
Home Improvement
Korgoth of Barbaria
Raising Hope
The Amazing Screw-On Head
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Tiny Toon Adventures
Weird Loners
WKRP in Cincinnati

Dramas I Actually Watched:

I know what you're thinking, I am so damn Drama-adverse. Everything is a sitcom or cartoon. True story. But I did actually watch some compelling TV this year, including:

American Horror Story: Hotel
Ballers
Better Call Saul
Fargo
Gotham
Sense8
Sleepy Hollow
True Detective

Ok, fine, those are all genre shows.

What does your 2015 List look like? I've already started 2016 list, which you can follow all year long right here!

2015 in a Bottle: Best in the Movies

This is post #700, by the way. No big deal.

We've been recounting the Best of 2015 all month like a good little Internet site, and here is where we end it. We've already gone through our Top Ten-ish list of the best films of the year, which I can totally see changing dramatically (hint: Star Wars: The Force Awakens [2015] doesn't last), but there's more to film that just good movies. There are always excellent actors, trailers, scenes, and soundtracks to dig into. Most of these were in good movies, but there's always epic moments in terrible films that deserve to be highlighted. So, let's talk about the greatest scenes of the year. I suppose there could be some SPOILERS since a solid amount of these are ending scenes, but whatever. Get over it:

Best Scenes:

Goodbye, Paul Walker from Furious 7



Here's your challenge: watch the above without balling your eyes out. It's impossible. It's amazing that a franchise like The Fast & The Furious, which once made its bread and butter on fast cars, bikini babes, and super bro moments has completely transformed itself into one of the most inclusive movie series in history, also capable of scenes like this. There's almost no other film influenced as much from a major actor's death, to the point where a tribute like this is crafted and worked into the story. The film is full of moments where you think Brian O'Connor is going to eat it, but their choice to instead send him off into retirement in the sunset is both touching and brilliant. For as insane and as stupid as most of this film is, that ending grabs your heart and twists it till the tears come out.

"I got something to say" from Straight Outta Compton



The culmination of generations of racial angst encapsulated in a single performance from 1989 that's more relevant today than ever (not like the issue has gotten worse - we just have cell phones to record it), the emotional build-up to this scene is perfect. It also works as a microcosm for the entire movie - the young, dangerous attitude that strikes against an established yet unjust order that's been opposed on the populace. "Fuck Da Police" is still a great song, blatant in its hatred for the man, but less blatant than the everyday racism, institutional and personal that oppresses victims every day.

"OH WHAT A LOVELY DAY" from Mad Max: Fury Road



It's tough to pick one scene from Fury Road, if only because it feels like most of the film is just one huge chase. There are plenty of epic, worthy contenders to choose from, but this line that became instantly iconic, that leads into the sandstorm chase is what we'll always remember.

Bing Bong's Sacrifice from Inside Out



Pixar has the uncanny ability to rip your heart out and spit on it more efficiently than any other group of filmmakers. You don't need to know who Bing Bong is or what the hell he's doing there with any of these people to just start shedding ridic tears upon watching this. That's the point of really good and concise filmmaking. When you're in the midst of the film and understand the stakes and been on the journey with them, though, it's obnoxiously tragic. Oh, children's films.

Underwater Shenanigans from Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation



A lot of people would point to the opening plane ride, or the daring tête-à-tête opera scene, but there was no other point of Rogue Nation, or any film I saw this year for that matter, than the underwater scene. There are continually "oh shit, no!!" moments that stack on top of each other, until the mission actually became too impossible for Ethan Hunt, and he needed Rebecca Ferguson to step in and do the job. Tom Cruise's wobbly half-dead performance after the fact is an awesome bonus.

Vision is Worthy from Avengers: Age of Ultron



There were a lot of issues with Age of Ultron and it was hard to think of a single memorable scene, but the earlier set-up to this and the shorthand it then affords the story is spectacular. It instantly grants the Vision credibility among the super-team even if his creation and powers make no sense.

A Trip to the Store from Magic Mike XXL



I haven't actually seen Magic Mike XXL, only this scene, which may be even better out of context. It's sincerely goofy yet also full of these really spot-on character beats. It's sexy, of course, but the juxtaposition of this ripped guy trying really really hard to impress an unimpressable clerk offers some hilarious moments. "How much for the Cheetos and water?"

Ex Machina Dance



Possibly the scene of the year, this also works possibly better out of context, which is how I first saw it. It suits an impossible tone between humor and horror, with Oscar Isaac's blithe commentary crashing into Domnhall Gleeson's righteous need for inquisition. In most other movies this would be a funky feel-good number, but here it becomes a distracting bit of terror as you slowly realize what is going on.

Intro to Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland seemed to get an unfair rap when it came out, but when Britt Robertson first steps foot (teleports? transposes realities?) into Tomorrowland, even if it later turns out to be a fake recruiting advertisement, you're blown away by the possibilities of this world. The whole point of Tomorrowland is that our Utopian fantasies will never be as great as the effort we can make in the real world, but for a moment it looks like the greatest place on (or not on) Earth.

Bear Attack from The Revenant



The Revenant is pound for pound the most brutal mainstream film of the year, and the relentless pain suffered from Leo in his Bear Attack sets the tone for the rest of the film and presents his first amazing hurtle to overcome - simply surviving this thing. Iñárritu fearlessly sticks you in the midst of this shit, offering voyeurism that feels as painful as the attack itself.

Honourable Mentions:

The following scenes are all also fantastic. I may need to post about them later.

Margot Robbie explains the financial crisis from her bathtub in The Big Short
The border patrol shoot-out from Sicario
Dia de los Muertos in SPECTRE
Adonis runs with the motorbikes in Creed
Rey overpowers Kylo Ren's mind control in The Force Awakens

Actor / Actress of 2015

This was a big year for a lot of new faces, and even some old ones that seem to have finally gotten some traction. Oscar Isaac, Amy Schumer, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth are all in this conversation. This year, though, truly belonged to Tom Hardy and Alicia Vikander.

After years of playing an underrated chameleon in a dozen notable roles, Tom Hardy blew up in a big way with three major acting creds. Donning the dusty leather jacket and limp in Mad Max: Fury Road is the obvious starring role, although that can honestly be debated based on how much he actually does and how many lines he had. Add to this Legend where he owns his double role as twin British Gangsters. Finally, he completely sinks into his shifty fur trapper role in The Revenant, completing the year of Hardy forever.

Alicia Vikander didn't have any dominant blockbuster roles, but her resume this year is outstanding. She's gone from nobody to on the map with rapid speed. Her showcase is Ex Machina, in addition to narrating a documentary, appearing in the little seen Brad Cooper chef vehicle, Burnt, as well as the summer blockbuster attempt, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Add to this Oscar Bait The Danish Girl and she's got one hell of a year.

Best Trailers of the Year

Sometimes I'll have an assortment of trailers both for movies that came out this year and some for next, but this time I felt like almost all my anticipation is gearing up for things to come.

Hail, Caesar! (2016)



There is a sublime balance of introducing characters, stakes, plot, and tone here that really works. The narration would seem awkward in-film but is pretty precise and specific in setting up what could be an excellent hair-brained Coen Brothers film in vein with a lot of their modern screwball work.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)



It's important to note that the second trailer, while no less impeccably edited, gave away a little too much to be valuable at all. Taking a suspicious property and embedding it with ideological weight like this is a difficult task, and the focus on the central conflict between iconic heroes is smart. The second trailer totally wasted all this good will.

Suicide Squad (2016)



Perhaps its a solid feat, then, that Suicide Squad has stuck with the one exceptional trailer they've generated? The core conceit of the film is laid out plainly, and the character introduction with a focus on Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is an excellent choice, especially with how many acting and character heavy hitters there are hanging around this place. It's got enough gumption and quirk to look really interesting when confronted with the glut of cookie-cutter superhero films both Marvel and DC that we're knee-deep in right now.

Queen of Earth (2015)



The tone here is managed with expert precision in a throwback to a 70s-style exploitation flick. It's a brilliantly captivating trailer as shit slowly starts winding out of control as the dueling women here, played by the ever watchable Elizabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston plunge into insanity against each other. It's sharply cut and wonderfully executed.

Soundtracks

Last year there seemed to be a glut of spectacular soundtracks and scores, but I never got that vibe this year. Straight Outta Compton is the obvious choice, but I'd like to side with Dope, pushed mostly by the in-movie band, Awreeoh, but with a spectacular sample of modern and classic hip-hop hits.

2015 in a Bottle: Best of the Music - Songs of the Year

Another year in music has come and gone and as I'm looking back on it, what a terrible, terrible year for the audial arts. Sure we have some standouts, but taking a look over my big list of top influential songs, how many do we really care about? It's a rough crowd. Take a gander:

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
"Four Five Seconds" by Kanye West ft. Rihanna and Paul McCartney
"Beggin' for Thread" by BANKS
"Stay With Me" by Sam Smith
"Ghost" by Ella Henderson
"Love Me Harder" by Ariana Grande
"Not the Only One" by Sam Smith
"Style" by Taylor Swift
"Budapest" by George Ezra
"Classic Man" by Jidenna
"Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding
"Heartbreak Song" by Kelly Clarkson
"Truffle Butter" by Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Wayne and Drake
"See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
"GDFR" by Flo Rida
"Trap Queen" by Fetty Wap
"Ayo" by Chris Brown ft. Tyga
"Worth It" by Fifth Harmony
"Somebody" by Natalie La Rose ft. Jeremih
"Pose to Be" by Omarion ft. Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko
"Shut Up and Dance With Me" by Walk the Moon
"Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar
"King Kunta" by Kendrick Lamar
"Watch Me" by Silento
"Good For You" by Selena Gomez
"679" by Fetty Wap
"Girl Crush" by Little Big Town
"Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd
"Downtown" by Macklemore
"$ave Dat Money" by Lil Dicky
"Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift
"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Megan Trainor and John Legend
"The Hills" by The Weeknd
"Ex's & Oh's" by Elle King
"Hotline Bling" by Drake
"All My Friends Are Wasted" by Snakeships ft. Tinashe and Chance the Rapper
"Hello" by Adele
"Same Old Love" by Selena Gomez

Best Singles of the Year:

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars This is that rare kind of song that retains its greatness the more you listen to it. It's nigh impossible to get sick of. Imbued with eternal funkiness, sublime catchiness, and maximum long-term listenability, this is that rare song that transcends all critical and commercial boundaries and can play on repeat forever.

"S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Part folk, part Southern Rock, "S.O.B." is a rousing ode to problem drinking with gleeful tone that throws up goofiness along with its impassioned vocal work.

"High By the Beach" by Lana Del Rey The ethereal anti-pop nightmare by Lana Del Rey is a highlight of the album, fully committed to chilling out and avoiding the pressures of life. "You can be a bad motherfucker/but that don't make you a man" Lana coos, a confident front to excessive masculinity.

"Don't Wanna Fight" by Alabama Shakes Another perfect amalgam of genres, Brittany Howard squeals her way across this funky anthem that works both as a chilled out background jam and a hard-rocking arena bolero.

"Hello" by Adele For a little bit there I actually thought Adele might be done for - four years without a major record, although "Skyfall" kept us all at attention. "Hello" unified the country, though, and along with "Uptown Funk", bookended the year with huge widespread hits.

"Trap Queen" by Fetty Wap It was tough to pick just one Fetty song as emblematic of this exaggerated style of rapping, but "Trap Queen" is probably the most rhythmically complete of his efforts. It's a cute love song fueled by hustling drugs and gettin' cheddar with bae - a truer song for our times there is none. HEYWHATSUPHELLO

"L$D" by A$AP Rocky Simultaneously soft and soothing with restrained intensity and a progression that builds to a surreal cosmological climax, this song is a journey that gets better when the video breaks down and transitions to an entirely new song three minutes in.

"King Kunta" by Kendrick Lamar For the second consecutive year I'm picking a Kendrick effort as the top track of the year, that this dropped off the same album as last year's "i" is no coincidence. "King Kunta" emphasizes this year's return to funk and provides an uncanny mix of sampled sources, complex lyrics referencing the temptation of fame, a love of Compton, and Richard Pryor. It's full of community pride, good vibes, and infectious energy along with a strong undercurrent of righteous anger all supplanted by an addictive beat. "Life ain't shit but a fat vagina."

Artist of the Year:

Kendrick would be an obvious choice, but there were so many big names that came out this year. Mark Ronson, Fetty Wap, Drake, Ed Sheeran, the Weeknd, Selena Gomez, Wiz Khalifa, Demi Lovato, Alessia Cara, but in the end, there's really one obvious choice, that's totally Tay Sway.

After dropping her most mainstream, pop-iest album, 1989, late last year, Swift had a string of ridiculous hits that carried her through 2015. It's almost like Katy Perry's Teenage Dream which seemed to be made of only Top 10 singles. As "Blank Space" carried her out of 2014, Taylor dropped "Style", "Bad Blood", and "Wildest Dreams" and in the process, never wrote herself out of the pop cultural conversation for the entire year.



It helps that all these jams are pretty legitimately good, even if "Bad Blood" ended up being kitsch-y and "Wildest Dreams" is floaty and weird. Still, she can do no wrong at the moment, and for now, 2015 is all Taylor.

What do you think about the music of 2015? Any additions or subtractions?

2015 in a Bottle: Best of the Music - Recs and Vids

Welcome again to our look at the best and greatest bits of pop culture to come out of the year 2015, which will soon be known as one of the greatest years in all of human existence. I actually might suggest that this year's movies weren't nearly as great as 2014 and its albums don't really hold a candle to 2013. Nevertheless, the important thing is that the year has ended, so we're still going to talk about this crap.

We'll recount all the year's best songs after the Holiday, for now let's go through Records and Videos:

Top Albums of the Year:

POP:

I always like separating my artists into three big genres that cover everything - Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop. Every music ever is derived from those three big monster genres. This was an alright year for all three, although more seemed to come from Hip-Hop than anything else. On the pop side, though, there wasn't a more intoxicating album than Lana Del Rey's Honeymoon. It's creepy, ethereal, addictive, and I dare say even catchy at times. She continues to grow as a pop artist who seems entirely disinterested with fitting into cultural or musical expectations, unlike say, Fifth Harmony which always gives me the vibe of a completely manufactured act.

Top Tracks: "Music to Watch Boys To", "Freak", "Art Deco"

Runner Up: A lot of people would probably say Adele's 25 but that never did it for me. The stunning debut of The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness which feels more like a greatest hits album because every single song feels like it could be a Top 40 single.

ROCK:

I was torn a lot listening to a few albums, but I ultimately settled on a more obscure record, I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty. The first track is a big ballad that hits you like a mix of sweeping folk with ironic sentimentality and the album never lets up. Each song gets more engaging than the one before it, essentially a romantic record that's stooped in enough casualness and even bits of social commentary to keep the whole thing entertaining. It's a compelling record that pushes the genre forward and is probably my favorite album to chill out to this year.

Top Tracks: "Bored in the USA", "Holy Shit", "I Went to the Store One Day"

Runner Up: The other two best albums this year dropped from more established artists, although one hasn't put anything out in twelve years and the other is still the freshest voice in Rock. Blur came back with The Magic Whip which really made me yearn for another Gorillaz album. The next is the successful follow-up to their break-out debut, Alabama Shakes' Sound & Color, which improves on anything they've ever done.

HIP-HOP:

My and also everyone's pick for Top Album of the year, naturally is Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly. I listened to this record non-stop from its debut to...well, I still am. He's not only become one of the most lyrically complex rap composers but his ability to switch personas with ease evokes Eminem or Nicki Minaj. The beats are infused with a high level of funk this time around while even his top tracks are infused with the pain and angst of de facto segregation and life on the Compton streets not heard since NWA. Fitting that this was the year of Straight Outta Compton (2015) and an increase in general awareness of Black Lives Matter, but the main rub of it all is that this isn't that different from what Cube, Dre, and E were dropping nearly thirty years ago. I wonder if we'll have a landmark album in 2032 rapping about the same thing.

Top Tracks: "King Kunta", "These Walls", "The Black the Berry"

Runner Up: There were a lot of rappers that landed this year with a lot of noise. We'll probably remember 2015 as a landmark year for the game changing with Fetty Wap, Future, Chance the Rapper, and Rae Sremmurd leading the charge. I'll give the edge to the latter, though, whose SremmLife is a glorious exultation of the new wave. I'll also slide in At. Long. Last. ASAP by ASAP Rocky who is also proving his ability to craft some of the most sultuous beats and smooth rhythms in the game.


Top Videos of the Year:

Was there a music video more widely imitated, discussed, loved, hated, parodied, or marveled at than Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood"? No. Was it the best video of the year? Also no. "Hotline Bling" is much of the same deal. I would have thought that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Downtown" would have the same effect, because I'm still stunned by the grandiose marvel of that piece, although I feel like everyone hates that song and no one gives a shit about that video. That's still bizarre to me.

For novelty's sake I actually dig Lil' Dickey's "$ave Dat Money" for being a pure goofy parody of rap videos yet simultaneously emulating their style on a budget that fits the song's conceit. It's a great piece of both homage and satire.

Not to be stuck on Kendrick too much, but he did put out three videos that could all easily be the top of the year. "Alright" is the obvious choice for artistic merit, but something in "King Kunta" draws me in every time it's on. Maybe it's the limited cinematography that resembles a cell phone camera with Dutch angles, yet has incredible depth of frame. Maybe it's the strong sense of community he gets from Compton. Maybe it's the idiosyncratic dance moves and hunched troll dancing that would seem weak and meager yet appear fierce when accompanied by Kendrick's stellar lyrics.

But I actually love "For Free?"



Mostly because it goes for the really weird all the time and also features a unique role reversal between Kendrick and the anonymous ho on display here. Juxtaposed between this silliness is an intensity fueled by American racial tension, slavery, and haters. It's a wonder to behold. Plus, this.

Best Music Video of the Year: "Elastic Heart" by Sia



I've been waiting almost a year to gush about this! Don't drop your videos in January! Sia continues with similar motifs and actor Maddie Ziegler but adds Shia LaBeouf in somehow his best role ever. It's all interpretive dance and you can read into what their struggle represents any way you want, which is in part what makes it so excellent. It's a purely visual digression on the subject of love, power, lost hope, imprisonment in cages of others' or our own making, and finally a freedom that comes natural to some but impossible for others. It's tough not to choke up at that last moment when the girl can't pull what I'd interpret to be her father out of the cage, only to watch him be trapped forever while she's able to go free. Also "Elastic Heart" is Sia's best single.

What do you think about the Recs and Vids for the year? Are you a "Bitch Better Have My Money" or "WTF" person? Let's throw down

2015 in a Bottle: Best in TV

In every way we're suddenly living in a time where I actually can't watch every great TV show on the tube anymore. That's alright. Competition breeds better shows and the ones that fought for my attention and won are therefore exhibited here. Here are the Top Ten shows for the year listed in the order of when I thought of them, which is as good an order as any in sorting a slew of disparate programs.

Broad City, Comedy Central

One of my favorite freshman shows returned after a stellar first season and gave us everything we could dream of and more. It's such a nice feeling when a series builds on everything that made it great, gets more comfortable with the characters, and amps everything up without overstretching its reach. Broad City is also possibly the most New York show ever while also being the most Millennial show ever. The fact that it sheds what could be an easy descent into liberal pretentiousness in favor of unrelenting goofiness is a small part of what makes it great. Abbi, who seemed like the quieter influence of the pair got to step out of her shell this season, and the best episodes came when Ilana is suddenly trying to keep up with her.

Best Episodes: "Hashtag FOMO" (S2;E5), "Coat Check" (S2;E9)

Fargo, FX

A lot of review sites have posited this - but the successful tale of Fargo the TV Show as opposed to Fargo the movie (1996) is endless and incredible. I'm not sure any relationship this year is as compelling as the tug and push between Lorne Malvo and Lester Nygaard last year, but the plot this time around is much more focused, even with one alien saucer to throw things off in the penultimate episode. There's not a better shot or directed show on television, though, and Bokeem Woodbine's Mike Milligan is suddenly the best character on TV.

Best Episodes: "Did you do this? No, you did it!" (S1;E7)

Better Call Saul, AMC

Here's another unlikely candidate for a great TV Show - the prequel spin-off of one of the best dramas ever, Breaking Bad. Prequel spin-offs always seem like terrible ideas, right? Better Call Saul works the same way Fargo does: less interest in call backs to the source material and more interested in drawing inspiration to tell an entirely new story. In Fargo's case the only remaining threads are largely location and tone. in Better Call Saul's case, all we have to go on are characters, which don't even feel like a tether mostly because Bob Odenkirk hasn't even taken the name Saul yet. The show was somehow the best when it forgot about Saul entirely and focused on the history of Mike Ehrmantraut, which is a character we didn't even know we cared about.

Best Episodes: "Five-O" (S1;E6)

Rick and Morty, Adult Swim

Gonna put this out there - there was not a better show this year than Rick and Morty. I'm not ranking these, but if I was, this would be #1. There's an eternal silliness at play here that masks a deep dark sadness. The show is best when the mask is ripped off, however, and its barren darkness is laid bare for everyone to see. As you can imagine, this happens quite often. Despite its insanity, science is magic who cares tone, and shock value, there's actually quite a bit of authentic character growth in Season Two. Of course it ends on a cliffhanger, and is totally meta about it. There's a balance of self-awareness that works here even better than Dan Harmon's other show, Community. The Justin Roiland component, though, pushes everything weirder, and that's when it really kicks into gear.

Best Episodes: "Get Schwifty" (S2;E5), "The Wedding Squanchers" (S2;E10)

South Park, Comedy Central

What other show would be featured here on its 19th Season? Certainly not The Simpsons, which had a wretched Season 19. South Park hasn't gotten enough love this year, possibly because it's just been around so long we tend to forget how good it is, but it's remained on its toes more than ever, mostly due to its ability to cut through modern issues faster and with sharper satire than anyone else around. As I click through ads, deal with PC culture, and even experience the price gauging of gentrification my mind wanders more to this season of South Park than anything else on TV. I'd say in their second attempt at a season-long arc the ending didn't come together and relate as well as it could have, but the ride was unreal. Also in terms of "need to pause the TV and laugh" moments this year, no show was higher.

Best Episodes: "Naughty Ninjas" (S19;E7), "Sponsored Content" (S19;E8)

Scream Queens, FOX

My total guilty pleasure show of the year, there wasn't a Network show bolder than Scream Queens which relished its campiness and pushed its characters towards more intolerably obnoxious levels. Queens swung for the fences on every single episode and balanced comedy and terror like nothing I'd ever seen before. With the final killer revealed I'd like to take a look back and see if it all adds up, but I'm not sure how well it'd work with the lessened suspense. Chad Radwell gets my vote for the second-best new character of the season - endlessly moronic, misogynistic, charismatic, and supremely confident, Glen Powell devours every scene he's in, creating the perfect foil for the biggest girl power show on television.

Best Episodes: "Pumpkin Patch" (S1;E5)

The Last Man on Earth (Season 1), FOX

I wanted to specify Season 1, because when it returned in the Fall for a full pick-up I'm not sure it's maintained the same edge. Every episode in the spring brought some new unbelievable challenge to overcome, and of course Will Forte's Phil Miller is completely inept at dealing with anything. It's great that Forte finally has a baby to call his own after a stint on SNL that was relatively forgettable outside of MacGruber, Fart Face, and Potato Chips (see, chances are you've never heard of those sketches, or you have and can't stand them), and a movie career that's been insane at best. Phil Miller channels his weirdness among one of the best casts outside of Brooklyn Nine-Nine in a show where anything can happen at any moment. Just look at Season Two's mid-season finale. Maybe it hasn't been so bad.

Best Episodes: "Some Friggin' Fat Dude" (S1;E6)

Master of None, Netflix

This show is basically Aziz Ansari's version of Louie, and while that seems like it would be derivative, it's still somehow totally awesome. Aziz is such a positive dude and his energy is infectious as he uses a loose platform to discuss racial stereotypes, generational and cultural gaps, dating, and relationships. It's incredible because Aziz goes so small here, finding little life moments to ponder instead of big broad laughs that even Louie swings for once in a while.

Best Episodes: "Hot Ticket" (S1;E3), "Mornings" (S1;E9)

Review, Comedy Central

This is probably the most under-the-radar show on this list, and I started watching it mostly because I was too lazy to change the channel after repeats of South Park. I had seen the first season a bit, but was never really interested in the premise and didn't pay attention to it much. It was usually on in the background while I was writing or doing something else and I never cared. Slowly but surely, though, with each passing week I was watching Review more and more. By the last three episodes I was totally into appointment viewing. Andy Daly displays a ridiculous range as the hapless Forrest MacNeil who is simultaneously pathetic yet bound to his duty working for the fictional TV show for some reason. The rules applied to him don't make sense and as his personal life unravels and the show gets super dark while maintaining a comedic edge.

Best Episodes: "Murder; Magic 8 Ball; Procrastination" (S2;E8)

BoJack Horseman, Netflix

As soon as BoJack Horseman found its groove the second half of its first season it hasn't taken its foot off the gas. It keeps growing and mutating until it has become the funniest look at depressed failed lives since You're the Worst. It's unrelenting, yet also features zany animal people doing animal things. It takes its insane characters seriously, though, and harbours no fears towards lurching them through the most painful situations possible, although most of it is their own fault. Its Hollywoo industry satire feels fresh, which after dozens of meta movies from Bowfinger (1999) to Birdman (2014), is an impressive feat.

Best Episodes: "Still Broken" (S2;E3), "After the Party" (S2;E4), "Let's Find Out" (S2;E8)

Honourable Mention:
Mike Tyson Mysteries

Flash
You're the Worst
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver I should have talked about this one. It's nice to see out of all The Daily Show alumni, including those on The Daily Show itself, John Oliver has crafted the greatest show of the lot, wisely understanding that leaning into longer, more thoroughly researched pieces would enamour and not alienate a young, intelligent audience.
Sense8 Hardly anyone is talking about Sense8 and it's probably because it was one of the most self-indulgent shows out there, but if every episode was 40 minutes instead of an hour...damn we'd have a lean show. The final episode when everyone finally comes together is the best, and there's absolutely plenty of potential here.

2015 in a Bottle: The Top Ten

This is the ultimate moment for every film fan - the infamous Top Ten List. In years past I have done this many different ways. It's always helpful to look back and re-examine films that have drifted up or down depending on cultural significance or long-term impact. I'm a big believer that these lists are fluid and require constant updating. Or at least updating every couple of years as tastes change and we realise that films we fell in love with upon first glance actually suck a few years down the road.

Here is my original 2014 list, which is still largely solid. But here's where I'd update things:

#10: Whiplash
#9: John Wick

#8: Dear White People

#7: The Grand Budapest Hotel

#6: Why Don't You Play in Hell?
#5: The Double
#4: Gone Girl
#3: Inherent Vice
#2: Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
#1: Under the Skin

In general I consider this a reflection of the films I personally have dwelled on the most in the past year rather than films like Interstellar or Guardians of the Galaxy that may have been more culturally significant. So let's get into 2015, obviously following this protocol:

#10: Slow West / Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

I was debating between these two and then I realised it was hilarious and awesome that I was touting this random obscure indie western alongside one of the biggest films of the year, so I'm already breaking a rule and just lumping them together. It'd be great, actually, if Slow West had TFA's breakneck, enthralling opening instead of a boring roll-out and TFA had Slow West's personal, ironically tragic ending that elevates all that came before it instead of wholly dropping like fifteen characters' stories.

#9: Sicario

Director David Villeneuve in a relatively short mainstream career has suddenly amassed a reputation for bringing the most out of great actors in the grimiest films this side of David Fincher. His astute direction is aided by the best working non-Academy Award winning cinematographer in the business, Roger Deakins, and Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, and especially Emily Blunt at the top of their game. The film ruthlessly builds and draws out tension, to the extent that I wonder if it will hold up after repeated viewings - or like other Villeneuve films if you can even get through repeated viewings without becoming clinically depressed.

#8: Inside Out

It's almost weird that Inside Out has completely overshadowed Pixar's other effort, The Good Dinosaur this year, possibly due to the tough task of marketing two films over six months, but I'd say it's because Inside Out is really good and The Good Dinosaur is just okay. There's no other film this year, animated or otherwise, that rips your heart out of your chest, tenderly kisses it, then smashes it on the ground. It's an emotional ride, even if the premise is merely a Herman's Head update, whose stakes are the smallest of the Summer but somehow feel bigger than any other blockbuster this year.

#7: The Martian

Finally, a pleasing return to good moviemaking by Ridley Scott, whose career by this point has had far more misfires than sure things, despite the legendary films to his credit. His traipsing of genre is underrated and he finds great balance in The Martian, undercutting hopelessness with humour and more science than fiction that's inspiring to budding young astronomers everywhere. Even though it shares half the cast and all of the pro-NASA enthusiasm of Interstellar, its inherent light-heartedness translated into a crowd-pleasing, box-office dominating event of the Fall. That's of course not a bad thing at all, which resulted in the most charming film here.

#6: Creed

I'd have never predicted listing this film here, and although it's actually exactly like the first Rocky (1976) it actually sells its story a bit more coherently, and dare I say it, Michael B. Jordan is even more fun to root for than Rock himself. Stallone provides a moment of unparalleled humility by not throwing a single punch and not even picking up any Gatling guns to kill Eastern Europeans or Cambodians. He's had a string of terrible movies - it's nice to remember he can actually act, even if the last time he did that was actually 1976.

#5: Dope

No movie tackled modern issues of racial judgment better this year, and in addition to spinning stereotypes, expectations, and temptation in ways that seem fresh rather than preachy, Dope is a really funny ass movie. It's bristling with excellent character work, a charming young cast, and one of the best soundtracks of the year.

#4: The Hateful Eight

The latest in Tarantino's middle period (late period?) follows a dream cast of actors who have filled his previous seven films and an acerbic wit penetrates his uncommon wild winter western. It's bristling with violence and attitude, as is most of his work, but it's his penchant for going smaller rather than larger with each consecutive film that gives this its edge (okay, Django Unchained [2012] was clearly his epic tome). Always full of surprises, from its twisting plot to its Glorious 70mm distribution that's simultaneously pure and erudite, The Hateful Eight proves that it's getting really really hard for Tarantino to construct a faulty movie.

#3: The Revenant

So, what do you do with an Oscar in your pocket, at the top of your game and widespread critical acclaim? Do it again! Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose name I always have to look up before typing it, pushes cinema forward again with the brutal in every way Revenant. I don't care as much about Leo's or Tom's Oscar chances, but I do care about the unrelenting story, bravado filmmaking, and the totally assured third win in a row for Emmanual Lubezki's cinematography.

#2: Mad Max: Fury Road

Fury Road has topped plenty of end of year lists, and when you get down to it, it's legitimately really hard to look back on it and name anything better. It's pure visual storytelling on the grandest scale ever, matched with a truly insane mind from renegade Happy Feet (2006) director, George Miller along with every single actor bringing their A game, including knowing when to go over the top and when to go more subtle. Every scene is pumped to the gills with clear and purposeful action, but there's also an impeccable rhythm to everything that somehow keeps the characters grounded no matter how outlandish they may be on the outside. This is the film that showed us that every single other blockbuster film ever made is not nearly trying hard enough. It didn't actually gain the financial traction of some other summer films this year, but looking back on it six months out, can you name anything better? Or even memorable?

#1: Ex Machina

I feel like this was a trendy pick when the year was young and as a ton of other films have came and went, I don't think it's been topped. It's all at once an intricate character study, a bottle episode, an engrossing mystery, a Frankenstein tale, and a look at what it means to be human, even though its most human character is full of wires and powered by Google. There are scenes of humour, tension, anger, pain, relief, and an uneasy friendship / mentor relationship at the core of a story about a boy and a robot where love is all a deception, if there could even be love. There's a lot here and it's all executed with as much precision as its leads would enjoy.

Honourable mentions, because you just have to have honourable mentions. One-line reviews for these.

Crimson Peak Guillermo del Toro goes small with an enticing and gorgeous gothic ghost movie.
Beasts of No Nation Bleak and brutal, but more importantly and hopefully, a total distribution shift for Hollywood.
Straight Outta Compton The hip hop biopic we needed with enough attitude to remind us that we haven't come far at all.
Carol I don't really care about this period piece and haven't seen it, but apparently the acting will change you life.
The Forbidden Room You need to have the occasional super-insane foreign movie here to make you seem smarter for "getting it" when it's totally just whatever the director thought was funny.
The Duke of Burgundy Ditto.
Queen of Earth I love the super brutal emotional assault in a situation that shouldn't escalate so drastically.
The Big Short Adam McKay is really really into checks on the powerful people who secretly run the institutions of this country, and puts enough humour into his work to make it palatable.
The Voices So many people hate Ryan Reynolds and this film got no love, but he displays crazy range here and it's totally the best lovable serial killer comedy of the year.
The Final Girls A modern-day Cabin in the Woods (2012); the most meta movie of the year, full of great horror and comedy.
Zombeavers Ditto.

Well, that's it for the year. What's your Top Ten?

Best Films Seen For the First Time in 2015

Amidst the flurry of Top Ten lists that always clog up the interwebs every December, there is another concept that's far more personal that always feels much more interesting to me. For the first time ever, I want to discuss not only the Top Ten Films of 2015, but the Top Ten Best Films I Saw for the First Time in 2015. That is, regardless of release date, here are truly the best flicks I sunk my eyes into over the past year.

For a comprehensive list of every single film and television show I watched in 2015, you can of course check out this little ditty right here. This is of course a personal and random list that includes movies from all over, certainly skewed towards 2014 releases that I've caught up on, along with a handful of great 2015 films. I disincluded great films that I had already seen before. For instance, I watched JAWS (1975) and Goodfellas (1990) this year, and they would probably make the list otherwise. So, let's get down:

#10: The Raid: Redemption (2011)

The Finest in Indonesian Cinema

I had heard non-stop great things about The Raid: Redemption, and I managed to catch it as well as its sequel this year. Even though The Raid 2: Berandal (2014) is a spectacular film, the first one is a bit stronger with its more focused narrative and relentless action set-pieces. There is hardly a more pure action movie out there and the inventiveness of its brutality, formulation of stakes, and clarity of cinematic composure is magnificent.

#9: Dope (2015)

I was on board with Dope since the first trailer dropped, which promised a unique coming of age tale that also dared to defy dangerous racial stereotypes. It's all that, even when it descends into a slightly preachy final monologue, but the path up to that point is near Michael Corleone-esque as it showcases a straight-A Harvard-hopeful Inglewood youth faced with a series of escalatingly bad decisions that threaten to shove him on the path of a drug dealer instead. It's all this and also really fucking funny, with confident direction and acting by a mostly freshman cast, with one of the best soundtracks of the year.

#8: John Wick (2014)

I brushed off John Wick (2014) as a typical revenge thriller, but it's also the best American action film of 2014. I finally caught up with it this year and was extremely impressed. The plot is nothing incredibly inventive, save for the relentless focus of Keanu Reeves which creates this balance of fear and respect between him and the enemies who killed his dog. So, it's a bit more clever than typical action films. It carries its weight on crisp, steady action beats along with a stellar performance by Keanu. See, he's super-wooden, but the movie uses his super-woodenness to its advantage. It's compelling.

#7: Zodiac (2007)

I don't know why it took me so long to catch up to Zodiac, which is totally Dave Fincher's most underrated film, although maybe that's just it. It hasn't had the lasting appeal of Se7en (1995) or The Social Network (2010), maybe because the story is basically like All the President's Men (1976) with serial killers. Actually, speaking of Fincher, isn't it totally random that he took on The Social Network? Almost all his other movies are about serial killers. Anyway, Zodiac is a near-perfect telling of obsession, fear, paranoia, and slugfest journalism detective work that all adds up to the only thing we know now - that who the hell knows who the Zodiac Killer really was. The cast is spectacular, notably Robert Downey, Jr. minutes before he exploded with Iron Man (2008).

#6: Barry Lyndon (1975)

There was a lot of Internet out there that claimed Barry Lyndon to be Kubrick's greatest work, and I was skeptical, considering how much of his other films have shaped pop culture, even if every single one of them was reviled upon release. It's not easy company to say that this random 18th-century fop epic stood on equal or higher ground to more accessible (could that even be a thing?) films like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), or The Shining (1980), but Barry Lyndon totally does it with a three-hour slow burn featuring simultaneously the most interesting, tragic, and asshole-y figure in Kubrick's oeuvre. Every scene builds on what came before and pushes Barry Lyndon further down this path of becoming a complete dick as he works his way (fakes his way) up to the top of high society. All this in addition to the purity of natural lighting (even in indoor night scenes) makes the film dreamlike to behold while boasting breathtaking cinematography.

#5: Inherent Vice (2014)

As it turns out, Joaquin Phoenix is only mildly insane

Inherent Vice didn't seem to catch on the way I thought it would but as 2015 winds to a close, this film which I saw almost a year ago has stood with me. It's partly a typical Paul Anderson Altman-style ensemble film, but the performances are so ripe and the time period so well defined without becoming gimmicky that it's impossible to look away. It's as if Paul Anderson directed The Big Lebowski (1998) with a little less goofiness and a more concerted effort to divulge into the culture clash, cult wars, and efficacy of doing nothing that the hippie movement was all about. It could even pass as a sillier Season 2 of True Detective. I remain a big fan of its aesthetic and themes in addition to everything else at work here.

#4: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The way things are shaking down it improbably appears as if Fury Road is getting a lot of end-of-year love, which seems insane until you face the challenge of actually naming a better film. This year is sort of all over the place, unlike the remarkably strong 2014, and even though there's typical Oscar bait films that ought to dominate the Awards come February 28, we're suddenly left with this huge split. Can Fury Road be the film that finally brings crazy action movies into mainstream contention for best film of the year? Probably not, so I can no doubt visualize some kind of formal or informal split. The best part about Fury Road is that it's actual this small little simple indie story locked inside one of the most expansive and thrillingly weird movies of the year. It's the kind of film where everything works, and by far the best action film, if not the best film of 2015. Have you recognized a pattern, yet? I like clear action films.

#3: What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

This was technically a 2015 release in the States, but I always feel weird about judging it that way, so for now I'll probably leave it off my 2015, as much as it deserves to be there. There's certainly not a funnier New Zealand vampire mockumentary that was made this year. The core gag of juxtaposing cultural stereotypes of vampires with insights to their every day life activities could have been an ignominious re-tread yet the steady subtle gag-fueled hand of director Taika Waititi steers it into something unique and delightful.

#2: Ex Machina (2015)

Ex Machinia is such a closed-in story, a bottle featuring an alcoholic genius tech billionaire, his Frankenstein-esque robot discovering herself, and the plucky contest winner that gets to give her a Turing test. I know what you're thinking - that's a sexy premise! But the film actually is legitimately sexy and stars three of the hottest stars out there today - 2/3 of which are in fucking Star Wars coming out this week. I'm tempted to name the delicate balance of horror and silliness in this scene as the best of the year, and even though it's a film filled with techno-babble, it also made me think more about what it means to be human than any other film this year. Well, except for one.

#1: A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

Bleh! BLEH!

I had kind of heard of this movie as being good, but the title didn't make it seem nearly as interesting as it is. I read the tagline description, "the first Iranian vampire western" which seemed incongruous with my earlier disinterest. After finally catching the damn thing there's no film I've thought about more this year and no film I consider superior. It builds its story on pure visual brick and mortar, not unlike fellow 2014 entry Under the Skin, although also not quite so opaque. There's an intricate dance of who the protagonist actually is, who is under who's spell, and a constant threat of danger and mystery. Plus it combines the vampires of What We Do in the Shadows with more great dance scenes.

Honourable Mentions:

Since I like keeping this to a crisp and clear Top Ten, here's a handful of other great films I saw for the first time in the Calendar Year 2015: Bronson (2008), Dear White People (2014), Mad Max (1979), and Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2014). I also finally saw Nashville (1975), and while I really loved Altman's direction and how that film was constructed, I hated the subject matter. Maybe if I liked country music at all, that would have been alright.

Well, as it turns out, 7/10 of these films were actually 2014 or 2015 releases, mostly foreign or obscure releases that took me a while to get around to see. That's not really surprising. Stay tuned for more high caliber 2015 coverage!