10. “Imagination” by Jim Davies …”How does your imagination actually work?” This is a question I have never asked, and Jim Davies fascinating book is not only the best science book of the year, but surprisingly accessible even if Science isn’t your strongest subject. 9. “In the Dream House” by Carmen Maria Machado …There were…
Category: Entertainment Editorial
The Best Fiction Books of the Year
Embarrassing note on number 10: I would’ve loved to have included Pierce Brown’s “Dark Age” and Erin Morgenstern’s “The Starless Sea” in this countdown, but I wasn’t able to finish them in time. However, since I’m fairly confident at least one would’ve been included, it didn’t feel right to exclude them completely. 9. [tie] “My…
Best TV Shows of 2019
Runner-Ups: I didn’t want to count TV movies, although HBO had a trio of great ones in “Brexit,” “OG,” and especially the return of “Deadwood.” Also, “Crashing,” “On Becoming a God in Central Florida,” and especially “Veep”‘s final season were all worth watching. 10. “The Righteous Gemstones” …Given the outrageously over-the-top nature of televangelists, it…
My Favorite TV Episodes or Moments of 2019
Runner-Up: I wasn’t a fan of “True Detective”‘s third season overall, but the final episode (resolving the mystery…without the main detective knowing it) was excellent. Mahershala Ali’s dementia-suffering detective having a flashback to where he disappeared into the Vietnamese jungle is one of my favorite shots of the year. 10. Walton Goggins and Edi Patterson…
The BEST TV Characters of 2019
Best Group: “The Good Place”…This series may be a victim of its own success, as there was simply no way I could pick just one or two characters to list here. Conscientious Chidi (William Jackson Harper) grew smoother and more relaxed in the final season, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) found new layers of management skills and…
The WORST TV Characters of 2019
Note: As always, this list is made up of the worst characters on good TV shows or ones perceived to be quality since there’s really no point calling out bad characters on bad shows. Also, this is the very first time half the list has been made up of characters from the same series. I…
“Mr. Robot”–Ranking and Grading All the Seasons
Since this is literally the third “Mr. Robot” article I’ve written today, I won’t spend too much time writing this up. I just hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did, and look forward to seeing your rankings. The “Worst” Season: Season 2…This is a relatively easy one since season 2 lost the…
Mr. Robot’s Most Daring Feature: A Chinese Villain
[Note about spoilers: There are only the vaguest possible spoilers for the series finale–and all season four spoilers are only in the first two paragraphs. This article isn’t about that.] “Mr. Robot” is hands-down the most audacious Drama on television (sorry Damon Lindelof, I know you try). Any given episode can feature head trips, fake…
Ranking (and Grading) the Seasons of “Silicon Valley”
I almost didn’t want to do this for “Silicon Valley” since all the seasons are pretty close together in quality (even the “worst” one is only a B- grade). Most likely, if you enjoyed any of the seasons, you’ll want to watch all the way through–as the real reason to stop will be repetition more…
The Fall Movies I’m Most (and Least) Looking Forward to
August is upon us, and that means fans of adult movies might, maybe, kind-of, sort-of get something besides a reboot of a sequel of an adaptation from a superhero remake. There’s still plenty of stuff for the Comic-Con crowd–because, well, when is there not these days? But if you’re experiencing sci-fi/fantasy burnout (other than “John…
Every 2018 Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
The Worst Film of 2018: The Hurricane Heist…F Skyscraper…D- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2: Crimes of Grindewald…D- Revenge…D- Jurassic World 2: Fallen Kingdom…D- Mortal Engines…D- Uncle Drew…D- The Predator…D- Hotel Artemis…D- Dog Days…D The Spy Who Dumped Me…D Tau…D Mute…D Peter Rabbit…D Extinction…D Proud Mary…D Tomb Raider…D Show Dogs…D Rampage…D+ The Ritual…D+ Irreplaceable…
Best TV Shows of 2018
I’ve already covered some of this ground in “Best TV Characters of 2018” and “Best TV Moments of 2018,” so check those articles out for further details… 10. Who is America?…Shamefully underrated, masterful satire that fully explores (and explains) why we are so very, very far apart in 2018. Not all Cohen’s set pieces work,…
Best Movie Moments of 2018
There so many great movie scenes in 2018, that I wound up having to expand the list to 12, and even then there were several I had to cut (like “most devastating ending” which belongs to The Kindergarten Teacher) Best Twist–“Tully”…I still don’t want to give it away for anyone who hasn’t seen it (the movie’s…