We’ve done the Best Characters, the Best Scenes, the Best Episodes, and it’s now time to say goodbye to 2015 for good with the overall “Best TV Shows of the Year.” This is the first year that I can honestly say TV was significantly better than the movies, and the movie lover in me is…
Category: Entertainment Editorial
The Best TV Scenes of the Year
Continuing on with the “Best” of the year, these are the best TV scenes of the year. Check back in the next few days for Best TV Episodes, Best Movie Scenes, and then—of course—Best TV Series. 20. Runner-Up Fight Scenes: Although we’ll get to much better fight scenes in the countdown, the first season of Daredevil had one…
The Best Non-Fiction Books of the Year…
…I don’t read as much non-fiction as I do novels, so this is far from a comprehensive list of the year’s best, but–hopefully–there are enough recommendations here to interest someone. Honorable Mention: “Raw Deal: How the Uber Economy and Runaway Capitalism are Screwing the American Workers” by Steven Hill…I just started this book, but I…
Entertainment Editorial: The Ten BEST TV Characters of the Year
A few days ago I listed the worst TV characters of the year, but it’s only fitting to celebrate the holidays with the best of the bunch… Best Trend: Badass Senior Citizens…Like The Strain’s Eldritch Palmer and especially Abraham Setrakian or Fargo’s Ted Danson or Justified’s cool criminal lovers Katherine Hale and Avery Markham. Sorry, Raylan and Ava, but Mary Steenburgen and…
The “Best” of the Year Coming Soon…
…Be sure to check back this week for the best in TV, books, and movies as we’ll be having some kind of countdown of the year’s “best” nearly every day between Christmas and New Year’s. So if you get bored after the presents or just want recommendations on what you might want to check out…
Entertainment Editorial: The Ten Worst TV Characters of the Year
Before we get to the end-of-the-year accolades (Best movies, TV, books, etc.) let’s get the bad news out of the way first in AL’s third annual “Worst TV Characters of the Year” list… As always, the unofficial subtitle of the list is “…in an otherwise good show,” as I’m sure there are worse characters out…
The Most Disappointing TV of the Year
Not all TV is created equal, and even though this year saw more terrific TV shows than ever before, they weren’t all gems. The following is a list of “disappointing” TV developments that could be TV moments, episodes, subplots, or entire seasons. And it’s not so much “the worst” TV as it is shows that…
10 Fall Movies I’m Looking Forward to…And 10 I’m Not
It’s that time of year again, when Hollywood actually cares about making good movies–or at least releasing good movies so that they can stand the best chance at getting awards recognition. Perhaps it’s revealing that I didn’t review a single new movie released in August, but will have plenty to choose from before the year…
The 7 Best Series You’re not Watching: “Hannibal,” “Show Me a Hero,” “Another Period,” and More
In a week’s time, 7 of the best series that you’re (probably) not watching will have experienced their season or–for shame–series finales, and now might be as good a time as any to catch up with them. Honorable Mention: Welcome to Sweden…I’m sad to see this terrific, underrated Greg Poehler gem go since NBC has already…
Series Finale of “Mad Men” and Ranking the Seasons
Sometimes, when you’ve been watching a TV show for 7 seasons (that were really stretched over nine years) and said TV show has always inspired conflicting emotions—like “Is Mad Men really that good or are we getting suckered by the prestigious vibe?” or “Was that last episode just straight-up depressing and unsatisfying or true art…which is often depressing and…
Series Finale Review of “Justified” PLUS Ranking All the Seasons
It’s an understatement to say that I’m sad to see “Justified” go. Longtime readers know that I was always a big fan of this show, its characters (particularly the “bad” ones), and author Elmore Leonard’s work in general. Plenty of other TV reviewers have called this “the death of the modern Western” but they said…
Book Reviews: “Golden Son” and “Near Enemy”
Two very different sequels to science fiction hits—their predecessors “Red Rising” and “Shovel Ready” are already being shaped into movies—that largely continue their first installments quality (or lack thereof). Near Enemy by Adam Sternberg…The best thing I can say about this book (a continuation of the journeys of futuristic hitman Spademan in a dismal near-future…
Book Reviews: “Her” and “The Girl on the Train”
Two different domestic thrillers that are both England-set and both alternating between opposing female narrators, and that may be a lot of coincidences but these books are worth reading for entirely different reasons… The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins…By far the more well-known book of the two and it’s easy to see why…