Thankfully after two long pandemic years, I made it to the theater a lot this year! I worry about the future of the movie theater industry but it’s hard to worry too much when I can go see such big screen spectacle as the films below.

Hopefully more of the studios will give their films a proper release in the future and get away from “direct to streaming”. Even Netflix’s Glass Onion got a one week run over Thanksgiving.

1. The Fabelmans. Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical opus features a knockout performance from Michelle Williams and some of the most emotional and dynamic scenes of the year.
2. Tár. Cate Blanchett plays the most nuanced and fully fleshed out character in film this year, as Todd Field expertly builds to a perfect ending.
3. The Northman. I saw an online review call this movie “the kind of art the Vikings would create if you gave them a camera”. Robert Eggers knows how to pack his films with finely realized detail and unforgettable imagery.
4. Glass Onion. There is no minute of this film that’s not fun. The kind of movie that if it had come out 20 years ago I would have watched it 600 times on cable.
5. Prey. A Predator movie in my top 10? Believe it. This takes the franchise back 300 years and features a young Comanche woman taking on bears, Predators, and worst of all, the French. Astoundingly good action sequences.
6. The Banshees of Inisherin. A strong sense of place and incredible acting buoy this Irish tale of a friendship gone sour.
7. Top Gun: Maverick. Never leave your wingman.
8. Avatar: The Way of Water. I get that it’s not for everyone – the three hour runtime, the cheesy script. But those underwater sequences, my god! I saw it in full IMAX 3D and can’t wait to go back.
9. Kimi. This fun little thriller from Steven Soderbergh brings a lot of tension and also some great location filming right here in Seattle! I may be biased.
10. Decision To Leave. The latest from Korean master Park Chan-Wook, this twisty tale of a policeman and the widow he’s investigating goes to some dark places. The cinematography is phenomenal, the kind of movie where that justifies the phrase “every frame a painting”.

Honorable Mentions: Jackass Forever, Babylon, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Confess Fletch, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Nope, Turning Red, Men, Emily the Criminal, Ambulance

Hope everyone had a great year! I bought a townhouse and in general got out a bit more in 2022, but I also enjoyed some really great television. Here’s the result of me spending way too much on streaming subscriptions.

One thing that many of my favorite shows have in common is a strong “sense of place”. I love a show that uses location shooting and careful details to give a real sense of a specific place and time. This year I traveled from pre-war Korea to modern Sicily to every corner of America, all without leaving my couch. (I did leave my couch and do some literal travelling though, I’m not a shut-in).

1. Atlanta (FX/Hulu). Donald Glover gave us the gift of not one but two new seasons this year, sadly the last seasons we’re going to get. In season 3 the gang explored Europe before returning to Atlanta for the final season. Glover and team continue to play with surrealism and explore race and society with both insight and hilarity.
2. Severance (Apple TV+). A shockingly original sci-fi tale that explores the modern corporate workplace with a ton of humor and suspense. Looking forward to season two!
3. The White Lotus (HBO Max). The second season of Mike White’s resort-set anthology moves to Sicily and explores love, sex, and money under the Italian sun. In only seven episodes the show introduces a cast of characters and then carefully dissects how desire drives them.
4. Andor (Disney Plus). I’m pretty surprised to be recommending a Star Wars show but this was one of 2022’s more welcome surprises. It’s my kind of Star Wars – no Jedi, no light sabers, no Force. Just a surprisingly intricate drama that weaves exciting action setpieces with deft politics.
5. Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu). I caught up on both seasons of this Native American comedy that follows four teens coming of age on the Oklahoma reservation. Riotously funny and stuffed with vibrant characters, this is a show I recommend to anyone.
6. Pachinko (Apple TV+). A sprawling inter-generational tale that follows a family from Korea to Japan, this literary adaptation recalls many epic miniseries of the 1980s.
7. The Bear (FX/Hulu). Working in a restaurant seems like the most stressful job ever. Makes for great television!
8. The Sandman (Netflix). I really enjoyed this comic-book adaptation about a god of dreams and nightmares. Inventive and lyrical, particularly the episode about Death which I think was my favorite single episode of any show this year.
9. Bad Sisters (Apple TV+). This Irish crime show about four sisters plotting the death of their brother-in-law varies widely in tone, at times feeling almost like a live-action Looney Tunes as the sisters’ murder plots go haywire. But it remains emotionally affecting up until the powerful conclusion.
10. Better Call Saul (AMC). Nothing to say here I haven’t said in previous years. A perfect bittersweet ending for Jimmy and Kim!

Honorable Mentions: For All Mankind, This is Going to Hurt, Starstruck, The Dropout, Peacemaker, We Own This City, Karen Pirie, Abbott Elementary, Shoresy, Harley Quinn, She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law, The Afterparty, Pam and Tommy, The Rehearsal, Barry, Rick and Morty, The Flight Attendant, Ms. Marvel, Players, Russian Doll

Still on my list to watch: Irma Vep, Fleishman is in Trouble, Our Flag Means Death, plus new seasons of Hacks, Girls 5eva, Only Murders in the Building, Mythic Quest, Bridgerton, and Undone.

2021 carry-overs that I loved: Yellowjackets, Station Eleven, Starstruck.

Best opening credits sequences: Pachinko, Bad Sisters, Winning Time, Severance, and of course Peacemaker.

So nice to be back in the theater this year! In Seattle, the theaters all installed air filtration and required proof of vaccination, so I went back to the big screen in June and have been going back on a weekly basis ever since.

I listed streaming availability if a movie is free with a paid service like Netflix, assume that the rest can be rented on Amazon or Apple now or in the near future. Usual disclaimer that I’m no film critic and this is just for fun.

1. In the Heights (HBO Max). This may have an unfair advantage because it’s the first movie I saw in theaters since before the pandemic, but I think it’s the best movie musical and best overall film of 2021. I am probably the only musical theater nerd in America that liked it better than both West Side Story and tick, tick, BOOM. Those are both great but for my money, In the Heights had the best music, the best choreography, the most dynamic and engaging story, and . . . err . . . the hottest cast?
2. The Green Knight. Several people have asked me what this movie is “about”, which is a tough question to answer. Certainly it’s about a lot of things – nature and civilization, life and death, and the value of honor in an honorless world. It’s the kind of film so rich in beautiful symbolism that you can spend hours teasing meanings out of it and still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface. My favorite scene of the year was Alicia Vikander’s potent monologue about the color green.
3. CODA (Apple TV Plus). Short for “child of deaf adults”, CODA here refers to a teenager played by Emilia Jones who finds a passion for singing that puts her at odds with her deaf family. Beautifully acted, tugs at the heart strings – this is one to watch with the whole family.
4. The Last Duel. Ridley Scott’s tale of a true-life rape scandal and subsequent duel in medieval France is a harrowing story that contrasts multiple perspectives in a really clever way. Shows the barbarism of a past age in a way that casts sharp reflections on our own.
5. The French Dispatch. Also set in France and divided into three sections – but the similarities end there. Wes Anderson writes a beautiful love letter to feature journalism in his signature style that I never tire of.
6. Licorice Pizza. Paul Thomas Anderson is a filmmaker at the height of his powers; it feels like he can do anything. He’s chosen a largely plot-free hangout film that captures the spirit of youth and the pain of growing up.
7. West Side Story. Flawlessly choreographed and directed by Steven Spielberg, but I’ve never really loved the story, particularly the dour last act. Also I know this is an unpopular opinion but outside of “America” I’m not a huge fan of the music. Still the energy and elegance of the first 2/3 is undeniable, particularly the opening and the unforgettable gym dance scene. The screenplay by Tony Kushner also updates the story in interesting ways and makes the case for why one of the greatest musicals needed a new version for a new generation.
8. The Mitchells vs the Machines (Netflix). The year’s best animated family feature (although Luca is close behind and I’ve heard great things about Encanto). Similar vibe to CODA in that it shows a young woman both in conflict and in harmony with her family, in a way that flutters my heart. It’s also riotously funny (particularly the mall sequence).
9. The Card Counter. Oscar Isaac is riveting in Paul Schrader’s tale of a gambler struggling with his past working in an Abu Ghraib-like prison. The film slow burns before flaring up in an emotional third act.
10. Being the Ricardos (Amazon Prime). This is the least critically beloved film on my list (currently a 60 on Metacritic) but I have a real weakness for Aaron Sorkin’s florid dialogue. Something about the quippy patter – it’s just fun to listen to and I think this film has a lot of fascinating material about 1950’s television, politics, and society. Not sure if Nicole Kidman was the best choice to play Lucille Ball, but she does give a compelling performance.

Still on my list to watch: The Tragedy of Macbeth, Encanto, Drive My Car, The Worst Person in the World, Cyrano, C’mon C’mon, Flee, Parallel Mothers, Memoria, The Souvenir Part 2, Red Rocket, Annette, Zola, Benedetta, Bad Luck Banging

Quick 2020 list since I didn’t make a blog post last year:

1. Promising Young Woman
2. Da 5 Bloods
3. Nomadland
4. The Father
5. Sound of Metal
6. Palm Springs
7. One Night in Miami
8. Mank
9. Wolfwalkers
10. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Year two of this never-ending pandemic brought us a beautiful harvest of television, especially returning shows that had production stalled during the first year of COVID.

One little mini-theme that runs across a lot of the shows on my list – are humans good or bad? The poisonous misanthropy of Succession or The White Lotus stands in stark contrast to the hopeful optimism of Ted Lasso or For All Mankind, but somehow both feel true in this great age of contradictions.

Anyway, usual disclaimer that I’m not a TV writer or any great arbiter of quality, just an IT guy who likes to list the things I enjoyed during the year.

1. Succession (HBO Max). Fun fact – I drafted this list in mid-December before I had seen the final two episodes, and had the third season of Succession listed in the Honorable Mentions. Then I saw the second-to-last episode and moved it up to #7. Then I saw the season finale and moved it to first. The emotional twists and turns of that last episode, wowza.
2. The White Lotus (HBO Max). Like Succession, this show gives a shrewd insight into the brutality of wealth and privilege. Unlike Succession, Mike White’s resort hotel set dramedy also gives equal time to the perspectives of the staff that have to put up with the rich narcissists that float through their workplace. Customer service is rough these days.
3. We Are Lady Parts (Peacock). I have never been able to resist a good show or movie about a band. Something about watching musicians coming together and overcoming their differences to rock out just flutters my heart. This British import is heartfelt, hilarious, beautiful, and way too short. I wish all the people I recommend it to had Peacock so they could watch it…
4. For All Mankind (Apple TV). The second season of this alternate history astronaut show sees the results of the US and Soviet Union establishing rival moonbases and coming into conflict as the show’s timeline continues to diverge from our own. The season ends in thrilling fashion with some harrowing action set pieces and a reminder that space exploration can inspire great heroics and bring people together.
5. Midnight Mass (Netflix). I’m not usually a horror guy but this tale of supernatural dread (in a place called “Crockett Island”, naturally) blew me away. The acting is superb, particularly Hamish Linklater as a mysterious priest who arrives in town and begins a string of strange occurrences. The fifth episode “Gospel” was my favorite episode of television this year.
6. Hacks (HBO Max). This tale of a young comedy writer working for an older comedian struggling to stay relevant hit all the right notes for me. The acerbic chemistry between the two leads, the wonderful performance from Jean Smart, and the insight into the actual business of stand-up comedy was just what I was looking for. Also made me a bit nostalgic for my Vegas days.
7. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu). The very definition of a “cozy mystery” where charismatic actors solve a low-stakes murder mystery. Perfect feel-good pandemic watching, and as I’m sure is news to no one – Steve Martin is very funny.
8. Ted Lasso (Apple TV). Slight disappointment coming off a very perfect first season, but that’s to be expected. A few weak episodes couldn’t keep this off my top ten list as the brilliant cast and sharp writing continue to make this one of the best shows out there.
9. Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix). Another horror entry – this bizarre tale of witches, curses, and filmmaking in 90’s Hollywood feels like it came off a forgotten VHS tape unearthed in a serial killer’s closet. Gives off a grungy surrealist vibe and sticks in your subconscious.
10. The Marvel Shows – (Disney Plus). None of these shows (WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye) are great television or could make this list on their own, but I enjoy the Marvel films and I appreciated the MCU’s strong move into television this year – producing four pretty good shows that were always entertaining and often put some familiar characters in some new and unexpected places. In a down year for Marvel films, the TV shows kept me engaged in the universe and excited for more Marvel content down the road.

Honorable Mentions: Mythic Quest, You, Squid Game, The Other Two, Mare of Easttown, Girls5eva, Maid, The Chair, Tuca and Bertie, Doom Patrol, Rutherford Falls, Schmigadoon, Rick and Morty, Flack, Wellington Paranormal

Still on my list to watch/finish: The Great (my favorite show of last year – we’re two eps into the second season and it seems as great as ever), Station Eleven, Yellowjackets, Reservation Dogs, Too Close, Starstruck.

Preferred the book: Wheel of Time, Underground Railroad, Sweet Tooth, Y: The Last Man, Nine Perfect Strangers

One great episode almost saved the show: Lupin (pilot), The Nevers (finale), Shadow and Bone (finale)

Amazing prior year shows that I caught up with in 2021: Warrior, Bridgerton.

(programming note: I’m not doing a favorite Film list this year, as the pandemic closed the theaters and I just didn’t watch enough new movies to compile a good list. Got caught up on a lot of classic films, though.)

I love that American television is becoming more like British television – shorter seasons and fewer of them. I’d rather shows left us wanting more than drag on past their expiration date. The miniseries (rechristened “limited series”) is in vogue and we’re in a time of great experimentation.

All of the shows in my list below are either new or one-and-done. My favorite returning show, Better Call Saul, probably merited inclusion but I’ve written blurbs about it for several years now. I’m excited to talk about new stuff!

1. The Great (Hulu). Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are fantastic in this hysterical retelling of the rise of Catherine the Great. If you enjoyed last year’s film The Favourite as much as I did, you’ll love this show from that film’s co-writer Tony McNamara. It’s flagrant in its rewriting of history, so don’t expect a history lesson, but it succeeds on every level as a comedy and a tale of political intrigue.
2. Giri/Haji (Netflix/BBC). The most criminally underlooked show of 2020, Giri/Haji (Japanese for “Duty/Shame”) was dumped by Netflix in January and received little attention from audiences or critics, before being cancelled just as a second season was about to go into production. I found it riveting. It’s a tale of a Japanese police detective who comes to London looking for his brother and has an affair with his London partner (the always excellent Kelly Macdonald). It’s a pulse-pounding crime thriller and a moving look at the families we make for ourselves and the families we leave behind.
3. Ted Lasso (AppleTV). I subscribed to AppleTV Plus just to see what critics were going on about and was well-rewarded (you can get it free for a week, plenty of time to binge this show). This is the story of an American football coach who takes a job as a coach of an English Premier League soccer team despite knowing nothing about soccer. It’s a terrific comedy, an exciting underdog sports story, and a heartwarming series about how one genuinely good person can elevate the lives of people around them. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up in these dark times (even if you’re a soccer hater like me) then this show is for you.
4. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix). This was a popular show that got a lot of media coverage so I probably don’t need to tell you about it. This was the most meticulously well directed and edited show of the year, and Anya Taylor-Joy did a fantastic job conveying lots of emotion with very limited dialogue.
5. Lovecraft Country (HBO). A horror tale where the most bone-chilling scare is white supremacy, Lovecraft Country managed the careful tightwalk of balancing trenchant social commentary with magic and monsters. A perfect companion piece to last year’s Watchmen (both dealt significantly with the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots), HBO proves that it’s still the king of comic book stories for smart people.
6. The Good Lord Bird (Showtime). Ethan Hawke is luminous as militant abolitionist John Brown, whose raid on Harper’s Ferry served as a grim preamble to the Civil War. Hawke gives a legendary performance – bellowing Bible verses at the top of his lungs one second and conveying deep soulfulness the next. He portrays John Brown as a flawed man whose own whiteness and dogmatism blinds him from truly understanding his freed-slave comrades, but he dies for them all the same. (Side-note: the worst thing about this show is Ethan Hawke’s contact lenses. Why can Hollywood special effects bring dead actors to life and take us to realistic alien worlds, but they still can’t give a brown-eyed actor blue eyes? And why, lacking this technology, didn’t they just portray John Brown with brown eyes? Do we even know his actual historical eye color?)
7. Teenage Bounty Hunters (Netflix). Another sadly overlooked gem (it was not picked up for a second season), this series follows twin sisters who take after-school jobs catching fugitives. It hilariously lampoons rich Southern suburbanites while still having empathy for all of its characters.
8. Devs (Hulu). This limited series from Annihilation and Ex-Machina director Alex Garland explores an intellectual area of science fiction that I can’t describe without spoiling, but suffice to say I found it phenomenally interesting and each episode stuck in my head for days. A perfectly atmospheric score, incredibly eerie and beautiful set design, and confidently off-kilter direction make this one of the most compelling shows of the year. It does have some flaws that kept it lower on my list, notably a boring central character and a weak finale.
9. The Plot Against America (HBO). David Simon (creator of The Wire) adapts Philip Roth’s novel of an alternate history where Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940 and a wave of anti-semitism takes hold in America. Very depressing in showing how close we were to Nazi Germany in many ways, and clearly a biting commentary on more recent political events. Zoe Kazan in particular shines in a stellar cast.
10. The Flight Attendant (HBO Max). Kaley Cuoco is excellent as a flight attendant with a drinking problem who wakes up next to a dead body in Bangkok. Funny and suspenseful, this show has a strong North by Northwest vibe (several episodes have nods to Hitchcock). I especially loved the surrealist dream sequences as the protagonist’s mind keeps dragging her back to the scene of the crime.

I also quite enjoyed (in descending order): Mrs. America, Bojack Horseman, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul, I May Destroy You, Normal People, Tales from the Loop, High Fidelity, Dracula, Quiz, Killing Eve, Westworld, Rick and Morty

Best prior-year show that I watched in 2020 and now want to retroactively add to my 2018 and 2019 lists: Derry Girls.

Hey everyone. Unlike last year, I didn’t attend any film festivals, so I didn’t get a chance to see quite as many movies this year. Still, saw some great ones!

Lots of films and TV shows with a strong “rich people suck” theme this year, which I love to see although some of you might consider it socialist propaganda. I feel like Chris Cooper in Little Women was the only rich person in a 2019 film who wasn’t a total dick.

I’ll link here the annual box office and give my usual exhortation – everyone, please go see a few movies next year that weren’t made by the Walt Disney Corporation. You can give them your money too – I saw all the Marvel films this year and I’ll probably get around to seeing the new Star Wars. But everyone who is not Disney needs your support, because we’re heading for a future where the Mouse completely owns the multiplex and everything else just gets dropped unceremoniously on streaming.

1. Midsommar. It’s strange, I didn’t walk out of the theater thinking Midsommar would be my best loved movie of the year. I thought it was a well-constructed horror film but short of greatness. However, after several months of thinking about it at odd times, I watched it a second time and am now convinced it’s a stone cold classic with a lot to say about our need for community in our lives to help us through hard times. Also the bear gets me every time.
2. Parasite. Lots of 2019 movies commented on economic equality but none so incisively as Parasite. It’s funny, it’s thrilling, it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and then get you fired up to vote in the next election.
3. Knives Out. I know it’s irritating when people brag that they were “into X before it was cool” but I just want to say I’ve been hyping Rian Johnson since Brick came out in 2005. Like Parasite, Knives Out manages to sneak in some clever observations on class in with the fun parts. It’s the best murder “whodunnit” of all time.
4. Booksmart. Hilarious teen comedy, perhaps my favorite since Ten Things I Hate About You. The box office on this one was really disappointing – don’t people like funny movies anymore?
5. Little Women. Adaptation is difficult – how do you create a new take on a book that’s been adapted several times in the past, while still remaining faithful to the spirit of the original? Apparently the answer is to hand the project to Greta Gerwig.
6. The Farewell. Like Midsommar, an interesting contrast between the isolating nature of American individualism and the community/family first ethos of other cultures.
7. A Hidden Life. It’s a three hour Terrence Malick film so I wouldn’t recommend it to non-cinephiles, but Malick’s dreamy scenery and long takes of people farming puts me in a perfect state of zen that holds steady even when the movie shifts to Nazi prisons.
8. JoJo Rabbit. Definitely the least critically acclaimed film on my list. Critics found it tonally inconsistent and schmaltzy. I thought it was hilarious and moving. It lacks subtlety but makes up for it in punch.
9. Under the Silver Lake. Another one with polarized reviews, no one seemed sure to what extent the movie sides with its asshole of a protagonist. I thought it was an intelligent satire of disaffected young men who spend too much time looking for messages encoded in the world. A Foucault’s Pendulum for the modern era.
10. High Flying Bird. Steven Soderbergh always makes movies look great even when he’s shooting on an iPhone, but what I really want to highlight is the Sorkin-esque screenplay from Moonlight author Tarrell Alvin McCraney. This bird really flew under the radar (the Netflix release never helps).

I also enjoyed, in rough order: Ruben Brandt Collector, The Lighthouse, Wild Rose, Uncut Gems, The Irishman, Hustlers, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pain and Glory, Us, Alita: Battle Angel, Cold Pursuit, Avengers Endgame, Driven, El Camino, Ad Astra, Greta, The Nightingale, Fast Color, Velvet Buzzsaw, The Souvenir, Ford vs Ferrari, Diane, Triple Frontier, and the Deadwood movie.

Best Action of the Year: Bad year for action movies. I liked Alita: Battle Angel, Cold Pursuit and John Wick 3, but I have to give the nod to the last ten minutes of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Best Rom-Com of the Year: Some passable entries with Long Shot and Always be my Maybe, but this genre continues to sadly fade away. For example, look at all the movies on this list that aren’t actually rom-coms!

Still want to see: Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 1917, Ash is Purest White, Her Smell, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Toy Story 4, Shadow, Atlantics, Synonyms, Honeyland, Transit, The Last Black Man in San Francisco.

Several of the shows I liked most this year could definitely be described as a “tough watch”. When you’ve had a long day of work and are ready to kick back, eat dinner, and escape into TV for a couple hours, it’s hard to be confronted with shows that mirror real-life horrors back to us. This year we had depictions of depressing true stories – from nuclear disaster, to unjust imprisonment, to the cruel systemic treatment of the victim of a serial rapist. Even fictional comedies grapple with depression, substance abuse, and the cynical politics of our era. I get why a lot of people don’t want to engage with these shows.

The epitome of this in movies is 12 Years a Slave, which is a meticulous, perfect gem of a film that I believe should be shown in every high school in America – but personally I NEVER WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN. In the realm of 2019 TV shows I would point to the miniseries When They See Us, which crafts an astoundingly deep, empathetic portrayal of the Central Park Five but watching it never stops feeling like doing push-ups or eating kale – something you do to better yourself as a person but not really “recreation”.

I’m not trying to criticize When They See Us, which is excellent, but more explain why I tend to have outsized respect for shows that confront real-life tragedy in a way that actually makes me want to mash that “Play Next Episode” button and not go hide under a blanket.

As Mary Poppins once said, “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine goes down”. The best show creators know how to balance tragic subject matter with more entertaining ingredients – whether it’s the dark humor of Chernobyl or the police procedural elements of Unbelievable. Speaking of which…

1. Unbelievable (Netflix). A few years ago, I was riveted by a Pulitzer Prize winning article that depicted the cruel treatment of a rape victim in my own backyard. (If you haven’t read it – go read it now!). Now comes the amazing miniseries – the first episode is a tough, depressing watch as we see the aftermath of a Seattle-area rape and how the police utterly failed the victim and went on to re-victimize her all over again. But the second episode introduces the Colorado detectives that actually did catch the rapist and the show transforms into a gripping forensics procedural. I may be suffering from recency bias because I just finished watching it but it feels like the best show of 2019 to me.
2. Veep (HBO). One of the greatest comedies of all time went out with a bang this year. No other show on television better speaks to the venality and stupidity of our political system. It’s very difficult to mock current events in 2019 in a way that feels completely fresh and original but this stellar cast and team of writers managed it while landing their best season ever.
3. Succession (HBO). What Veep is to politicians, Succession is to billionaires. The show matured in its second season into a juicy soap opera of corporate intrigue that never let us forget the many ways that these people exploit and hurt everyone around them, including the poor bastards unlucky enough to have to work for them.
4. Bojack Horseman (Netflix). I hate to be predictable but this show has been in my top ten for six years now and will probably be there next year too (the final eight episodes drop in January). This year felt a bit incomplete without a real season finale but it makes the list for the “surprise wedding” episode alone.
5. Counterpart (Starz). Cheating a little bit because most of the final season aired in 2018 but a few eps snuck over into this year. A thoroughly entertaining little sci-fi espionage thriller with an exceptional cast and intricate plotting. RIP.
6. Fleabag (BBC/Amazon). TV critics have named it the best show of 2019 and it’s hard to disagree. Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.
7. Chernobyl (HBO). As I mentioned in the intro, it feels a bit like homework. But in just five episodes, Chernobyl incisively dissects the technical and societal forces that made the disaster possible, in a way that manages to be quite gripping.
8. Russian Doll (Netflix). Honestly I just like watching Natasha Lyonne fall down stairs.
9. The Good Place (NBC). More like The Good Show, am i right? I’m sick of writing these blurbs.
10. You’re the Worst (FXX). The greatest love story of our time draws to a close in a happy ending that never feels untrue to the fundamentally unhappy characters.

I also quite enjoyed: Undone, Tuca and Bertie, The Deuce, Barry, Watchmen, Killing Eve, When They See Us, Silicon Valley, Catch-22, Documentary Now, Brockmire, Game of Thrones, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Rick and Morty, Disenchantment, Dead to Me, Mindhunter, Star Trek Discovery, True Detective, Ramy, Los Espookys, Dollface.

Cancelled before their time: Pour one out for Counterpart and Tuca and Bertie. That’s a short list considering all the “final seasons” listed above but most either ended on the creator’s terms (e.g. Fleabag) or had a pretty long run before the network pulled the plug (e.g. Bojack).

The book was better: Catch-22, The Name of the Rose, The Passage, Good Omens, The Boys, The Rook, NOS4A2, His Dark Materials. Adaptation is hard.

Still on the list to watch: GLOW, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mr. Robot, Lodge 49, Big Little Lies, Stranger Things, Better Things, Pose, Years and Years, The Politician, The Good Fight, PEN15, The Other Two, Schitt’s Creek, and most importantly the fifteen-years-later revival of one of my all time favorites, Veronica Mars. Also there’s some show about a baby Yoda that people keep telling me about.

This year I took a vacation to eastern Canada and while there attended the Toronto International Film Festival. It was a terrific experience and something I recommend for all film nerds. I saw 20 movies in six days which was physically tiring (too much sitting) but spiritually uplifting. Wish I could do it every year!

Another big film thing that happened this year was formalizing my Sunday Movie Club. My best friend and I have a longstanding tradition of going to the movie theater on Sunday afternoon. After some interest from other friends, I started an email list to let people know what movie we were going to see each Sunday so people could meet up with us to watch the movie and then discuss it over food or coffee. It wasn’t a huge success attendance-wise – Seattle isn’t a big town for film buffs (at least in my social circle) and it’s hard to compete with family obligations, the Seahawks, church, outdoor activities, and all the other things people have going on Sunday afternoons. But it did help me reconnect with some good friends that I hadn’t seen a lot of in recent years, and it helped solidify my habits of seeing a film in the theater every week. Hopefully more people will be able to join us in 2019 – let me know if you want to be on that email list.

Here’s my top 10 list. Frankly I saw so many good movies this year that I wish I could do a top 25, but that seemed like it would make for too long of a blog post. I compromised by having eight bazillion honorable mentions.

1. The Tale. As much time as I spent in movie theaters this year, it’s odd that the film that hit me hardest emotionally is one that only played on HBO. The Tale tells the true tale of director Jennifer Fox’s childhood sexual abuse. It’s difficult to watch, but builds to a bravura ending sequence that explores the slippery nature of old memories and our constant attempts to edit and reshape our personal histories. Six months after seeing this film, I still think about it all the time.
2. Roma. While most people were only able to see the most critically acclaimed movie of 2018 on Netflix, I was lucky enough to see it in theaters twice – once in Toronto and once in a very limited engagement at Cinerama in Seattle. Alfonso Cuaron proves that his mastery of creating indelible images and beautiful shots works just as well in a black-and-white historical drama as it did in sci-fi epics like Gravity and Children of Men. Roma is a story of a year in the life of one ordinary family that looks and feels like an epic.
3. Wildlife. This story of a teenager watching his parents’ marriage fall apart in 1960s Montana is a master class in acting and empathy. Actor Paul Dano makes his directorial debut and Carey Mulligan gives my favorite performance of the year as a woman who is heart-breakingly relatable even as she blows up her life and traumatizes her son.
4. Sorry to Bother You. There were a lot of searing takes on race this year but none had the white-hot lacerations of Boots Riley’s comedic take on code switching and telemarketing. The last act got a little silly for my tastes but everything leading up to it was bitingly funny and darkly insightful. Also nice to see a pro-union movie in 2018.
5. Leave No Trace. Debra Granik’s last film, Winter’s Bone, is one of my all-time favorite films. Leave No Trace doesn’t quite reach those heights but it leaves a lasting impression with its story of a young girl and her father living off the land in Oregon. My movie club got into a surprisingly feisty discussion over the ending, so this is maybe a good one to watch with your family if you want something to argue about.
6. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. This Western anthology is definitely a lesser Coen Brothers work. That said, the Coens are my favorite director and even their lesser works are a golden pocket of joy in my heart. Speaking of golden pockets – the prospecting story with Tom Waits was my favorite segment. What was yours?
7. The Favourite. How can we watch heroic king and queen movies like Outlaw King or Mary Queen of Scots after watching The Favourite? This film does such an amazing job at skewering this one awful queen, that it demolishes the entire idea of royalty.
8. If Beale Street Could Talk. Barry Jenkins does work with color and composition in this movie that could hang on the walls at the Louvre. A perfect follow-up to Moonlight and a must-see for film lovers.
9. First Reformed. Great movie for people who thought The Favourite or Buster Scruggs weren’t misanthropic enough.
10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Apologies to Black Panther but the best superhero film of the year is this animated tale of parallel dimensions and learning to live up to high expectations. Spider-Man has long been my favorite superhero due to his cool powers and his relatable, oh-so-human alter ego. Viva Miles Morales!

Honorable Mentions: Paddington 2, A Star is Born, The Death of Stalin, First Man, Burning, Revenge, Tully, Black Panther, Eighth Grade, The Incredibles 2, The Old Man and the Gun, Widows, Crazy Rich Asians, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Avengers: Infinity War, Set it Up, Disobedience, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, A Simple Favor, Three Identical Strangers, Annihilation, Free Solo, The Sisters Brothers, BlacKkKlansman, Support the Girls, Thoroughbreds, The Rider, Sweet Country, Upgrade, Green Book, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hereditary. (gasps for air).

I get some complaints that a lot of my picks are a bit obtuse for average people who don’t always love the critically acclaimed stuff. So here’s some recommendations for normal folks.

Action movie recommendations: Mission Impossible Fallout and Black Panther are obvious choices but for some smaller gems, check out the French revenge thriller Revenge or the twisty sci-fi actioner Upgrade.

Romantic comedy recommendations: I love rom-coms so much that I end up watching Hallmark Channel just because Hollywood isn’t really making them anymore. That said, we got two great ones this year – Crazy Rich Asians and Netflix’s Set it Up.

Movies everyone can enjoy: If you don’t enjoy the cozy Robert Redford bank robber film The Old Man and the Gun, then you just don’t like movies. I also whole-heartedly recommend Paddington 2 for the whole family or even crusty single people like me. You don’t need to see the first Paddington to jump in.

Still on my list to see: Shoplifters, Cold War, Mary Poppins Returns, Vice, Private Life, Happy as Lazzaro, Suspiria, Minding the Gap, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Bad Times at the El Royale, and many more. Never enough time.

I obviously watch a lot of TV, but in this day and age there’s so many great shows spread across so many platforms that it’s harder than ever to keep up (see below for my list of shows that I didn’t have time for). With that in mind, it’s great that we’re starting to see a few trends that make things a bit easier.

For one, the half hour drama is back! Shows like GLOW and Homecoming have big storylines and real stakes but in a 30 minute package that is way easier to digest.

Another thing I really appreciate is lower episode counts per season. When I was a kid, 22 episodes per year seemed to be the standard for any show, whether cop drama or sitcom. Then when TV really started getting good in the 2000’s, the 13 episode season took over. These days lots of good shows clock in at 8 or 10, even on broadcast networks. Not only does it make it easier to watch more things, I think it improves storytelling by reducing bloat and letting writers focus on core strengths without a lot of stalling for time. It’s rare to find a show that can sustain a great story over 13 hour-long episodes. That’s too much story!

Another thing I love to see is final seasons that are planned by the writers in advance rather than based on when the ratings start to droop. A decade ago you saw this with Lost which got immensely better once an end date was decided on. More recently you see it with Game of Thrones which also improved a lot once the wheel-spinning ended and the writers started to wrap shit up. I’d love to see more shows plan out stories with a beginning, middle, and ending across 3-5 seasons. Six is almost always too long (even my #1 show below had some draggy middle seasons).

Which brings up my final positive trend – the miniseries! These used to be big in the 80’s but went away for a long time. Now they’re back in a big way and proving that maybe one season in the best length for a TV show. I don’t actually have a miniseries in the top 10 this year but my honorable mentions are crammed with them.

Speaking of which, here’s the list:

1. The Americans. I hate being predictable and I hate writing again about a show that’s been my #1 or #2 several times. (Fun fact, I’ve only picked two different shows as my #1 in the last five years of lists – at least I’m consistent). I’d prefer to write about some exciting new shows but I can’t deny that the final season of the Americans was the most flawlessly directed, acted, and written season of television in 2018 and compelling from start to finish. The final episode stabbed me in the heart multiple times and wrapped up the six season saga of the Jennings family to absolute perfection. Dasvidaniya, comrades.
2. Bojack Horseman. Being a hysterically funny animated talking-animal show, Bojack doesn’t typically get recognized as being a great drama. But it’s often painfully sad and never without a true emotional core. Bojack waded into the #MeToo movement with characteristic insight and no other show felt so relevant and essential.
3. Killing Eve. Finally a new show to talk about! Equal parts hilarious and horrifying, this tale of the twisted bond between an assassin and the intelligence analyst trying to track her down was one of the most compulsively watchable shows of the year.
4. Atlanta. The Atlanta cast seemed to be everywhere this year, with Donald Glover co-starring in a Star Wars movie and his costars Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz popping up in many of the year’s best films. I guess some casting directors like Atlanta as much as I do.
5. The Good Place. Still can’t believe there’s a twisty, ultra-serialized high-concept comedy about the afterlife and it’s airing on NBC of all places. Broadcast lives!
6. Barry. Yay, another new show! This seems to be the year of the Contract Killer Comedy, but it’s hard to complain when the shows are as good as this. Barry follows Bill Hader as a hit man who decides to get out of the life and become an actor. Like many of the great shows on this list, it wrestles with questions of whether people who do terrible things can ever truly leave them behind. It’s also funny as hell, particularly the Chechen gangster characters. I do think we’re good on hitmen comedies but I’m sure some network is working on a Grosse Pointe Blank reboot.
7. American Vandal. Who is the Turd Burglar? The mockumentary send-up of true crime shows manages to perfectly satirize Making a Murderer while also taking a deep look at the world of high school students and how our quick judgments about each other can cause a lot of pain. Still mad that this got cancelled (on Netflix of all places! They don’t cancel anything!).
8. GLOW. I love the “gang comes together to put on a show” vibe you get on GLOW. With The Americans off the air, Zoya the Destroya is my new favorite Russian.
9. The Deuce. David Simon, creator of The Wire, heads up a murderer’s row of writers bringing 1970’s New York to life. Sure, it’s about porn, but really it’s about a city and a cast of characters struggling against the roles they’re forced to play.
10. Better Call Saul. I suppose as long as Vince Gilligan is making TV shows I’m going to keep sticking them in my top ten lists. I do think this show suffers from being a prequel to another show (I hate knowing how Jimmy’s story ends) but the stellar cast and direction make this one can’t-miss television.

Honorable Mentions (in rough ranking order): The End of the F***ing World, Detroiters, Maniac, Succession, Counterpart, Dietland, Brockmire, Strike, Sharp Objects, The Sinner, Patrick Melrose, Howard’s End, Vida, Cardinal, Aggretsuko, Homecoming, The Looming Tower, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, LA to Vegas, Strike Back, iZombie, Silicon Valley, Forever.

Cancelled Before Their Time: Pour one out for American Vandal, Detroiters, Dietland, LA to Vegas, The Joel McHale Show, Lady Dynamite, Another Period.

Haven’t Watched (or Finished Watching) Yet: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kidding, Lodge 49, The Little Drummer Girl, My Brilliant Friend, The Venture Bros, Doctor Who, Sneaky Pete, Jessica Jones, Orange is the New Black, Escape at Dannemora, The First, The Romanoffs, Bodyguard, Star Trek: Discovery, Big Mouth, The Good Fight. My DVR doth overflow.

Worst of 2018: I somehow watched five episodes of NBC’s Reverie because I think the concept of a virtual reality show is really cool, and I like star Sarah Shahi. That’s time I’ll never get back.