Category Archives: Best Of

10
May

20 After 20: 2001

Thanks to the world getting to some place approaching normal in 2021, I went back to the activities I loved that didn’t cause me to stay cooped up. Alas, that meant I didn’t devote as much time as I should … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Film | Tagged a.i., amelie, artificial intelligence, audition, bridget jones's diary, devil's backbone, donnie darko, gosford park, hedwig and the angry inch, in the bedroom, in the mood for love, knight's tale, lord of the rings, man who wasn't there, memento, monsters inc, moulin rouge, mulholland drive, ocean's eleven, royal tenenbaums, vanilla sky | Leave a comment

7
Feb

The Best Film Performances of 2021

Ensemble in a Musical or ComedyThe French DispatchUnlike some great ensembles who feel like real families or friends, what’s great about The French Dispatch is how terrific each performance is despite limited interaction and screen time. Some actors feel like … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Film | Tagged eyes of tammy faye, french dispatch, in the heights, judas and the black messiah, last duel, mass, pig, red rocket, titane, west side story | Leave a comment

5
Feb

The Best and Worst Movies of 2021

10. Annette (dir. Leos Carax)“So may we start?” This rock opera from Leos Carax and Sparks never quite reaches the heights of its opening number. (Then again, no movie this year could.) But its bold vision, catchy songs and singularly … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Film | Tagged amazon, amusement park, annette, card counter, drive my car, empty man, flee, french dispatch, hbo max, justice league, kid detective, licorice pizza, mass, netflix, nine days, power of the dog, prime, shudder, west side story | Leave a comment

31
Jan

The List: Top 10 ‘Key & Peele’ Sketches

As sketch comedy exploded in the 2010s thanks to YouTube, Key & Peele stood head and shoulders above Saturday Night Live, a forgotten MADtv reboot, and any number of funny (but rarely brilliant) shows on IFC (which now seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Television | Tagged key and peele | Leave a comment

15
Jan

The Best Songs of 2021

I intentionally avoided a lot of new music this year. I checked out and enjoyed some albums by the likes of Silk Sonic and Lil Ugly Mane, but my focus was mostly on great music from the past. So for … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Music | Tagged 1k phew, adele, angel olsen, arlo parks, arooj aftab, barney artist, big thief, bts, buck meek, Cardi B, caribou, caroline polachek, cassandra jenkins, charli xcx, Christine and the queens, clairo, courtney barnett, cristin milioti, deafheaven, fka twigs, fred again, gang of youths, headie one, idles, illuminati hotties, japanese breakfast, joe pug, john mayer, julien baker, kacey musgraves, kamasi washington, kanye west, keite young, khruangbin, knocks, lecrae, leon bridges, little simz, lizzo, lucius, lucy dacus, magdalena bay, mdou moctar, Mitski, moss kena, mr jukes, nolan potter, noname, olivia rodrigo, purple disco machine, remi wolf, robert aa lowe, royal blood, rxknephew, sarah jaffe, serpentwithfeet, sharon van etten, silk sonic, snail mail, sparks, spoon, st vincent, Tierra whack, tinashe, travis barker, turnstile, tyler the creator, vandoliers, vanilla and pepper, war on drugs, wax motif, weather station, willow, yuno | Leave a comment

14
Jan

The Best TV Performances of 2021

Best Actor in a Comedy SeriesGlenn Howerton, A.P. BioJack is basically Howerton’s Dennis from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but without the sexual deviance. He’s still an awful person, but a year-plus in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, has made … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Television | Tagged ap bio, curb your enthusiasm, hacks, hbo, hbo max, hulu, it's always sunny in philadelphia, kevin can f himself, mare of easttown, peacock, reservation dogs, search party, succession, white lotus | Leave a comment

13
Jan

The Best Comedy Shows and Specials of 2021

Unsurprisingly, with the world upside down for another year, there weren’t a lot of stand-up comedy specials released in 2021 (though it did pick up in December). As such, I’m expanding this category a little bit to include some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Television | Tagged bo burnham, hbo, how to with john wilson, i think you should leave, nate bargatze, netflix, super bob einstein movie, tim robinson | Leave a comment

12
Jan

The List: Top 10 ‘King of the Hill’ Episodes

The best show about life in Texas premiered 25 years ago this week. In fact, Mike Judge’s King of the Hill has aged so well that I’d basically put this as my 1b show, next to The Simpsons as 1a. … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Television | Tagged king of the hill | Leave a comment

11
Jan

The Best TV Shows of 2021 – Honorable Mentions

AnimaniacsWhen I saw the season premiere was rated TV-14, I figured it had to be a mistake. But then they got away with a “grab ’em by the pussy” joke, and I realized it was intentional. This second season pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Television | Tagged animaniacs, birdgirl, brooklyn nine-nine, curb your enthusiasm, derek delguadio, handmaid's tale, hbo, hbo max, hulu, it's always sunny in philadelphia, kevin can f himself, master of none, netflix, search party | Leave a comment

10
Jan

The Best TV Shows of 2021

I think I can be forgiven for avoiding tough dramas this year, which already had enough misery. Even the hour-long series I did watch had plenty of humor. What can I say? The year started with an attempted insurrection, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, Television | Tagged ap bio, apple, great, hacks, hbo, hbo max, hulu, mare of easttown, only murders in the building, peacock, reservation dogs, succession, ted lasso, what we do in the shadows, white lotus | Leave a comment