Category Archives: Best Of

The List: Top 10 ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Episodes

This anniversary may be hard to believe, but Schitt’s Creek premiered 10 years ago this week. This Canadian production aired in the U.S. on the mostly ignored cable channel Pop (which you may remember as the TV Guide Network). Slowly … Continue reading

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The Best Songs of 2024

Below are my top 50 songs of the year. Check out the Spotify playlist here. James Bay – “Easy Distraction” Beyoncé – “16 CARRIAGES” Bullion feat. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Rare” Cage the Elephant – “Out Loud” Ethel Cain – “Punish” … Continue reading

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The Anniversary Albums Project: Best of 2024

New music has lost a lot of hold on me over the last few years. And six years ago I decided that instead of trying to keep up with it all, I’d look back at music history and listen to … Continue reading

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20 After 20: 2003

20. Whale Rider (dir. Niki Caro)A movie for families that’s not for little kids. This used to be a regular occurrence, but good luck finding one these days. A beautiful celebration of Maori culture – and a sharp critique of … Continue reading

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The List: Top 10 ‘Parks and Recreation’ Episodes

Parks and Recreation premiered 15 years ago this week. While those first six episodes never quite achieved liftoff, the show improved drastically in Season 2, hitting its stride in an abbreviated third season. The show embraced serialization with Leslie’s challenging … Continue reading

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The Best Movie Performances of 2023

ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDYAsteroid CityOnce again, Wes Anderson beautifully integrates longtime collaborators (Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman) and newcomers (Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie) into his largest ensemble yet. Whether inside the story or out of it – in a context I … Continue reading

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The Best and Worst Movies of 2023

2023 was a truly great year for cinema, the best since 2019. We got so many gifts, even if those weren’t reflected in the top-grossing movies of the year. Read on as I celebrate my favorites. 10. Past Lives (dir. … Continue reading

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The Best TV Performances of 2023

As I mentioned earlier, the strikes this summer and fall didn’t actually give me time to catch up on new shows I’d heard good things about. Instead, I watched a lot of movies and plenty of older TV. So this … Continue reading

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The Best TV Shows of 2023, Part 2

COMEDY SHOWS & SPECIALS I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix)The sketches had a meaner edge this season, but they were no less hilarious or memorable. That Robinson has cemented himself as a meme king hopefully means we’ll … Continue reading

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The Best TV Shows of 2023, Part 1

The strikes of the Writers and Actors Guilds cut off the supply of new shows (and that’s good… withholding labor to get a fair contract is the right thing to do), but it didn’t matter. It still felt overwhelming to … Continue reading

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