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My Year in Movies: Favorite Non-2018 Feature Films (Part 3)

In case you missed it, check out part 1 and part 2! Now picking up where we left off...

28. My Cousin Vinny (1992, directed by Jonathan Lynn, country of origin: US)

I know, I know. I can’t believe it either. But I really hadn’t seen this one til just a few short months ago. Marisa Tomei is, of course, a megababe in it; and Joe Pesci wears the hell out of some ridiculous outfits as he portrays a very unconventional defense attorney trying to help his cousin and a friend beat a murder charge. I laughed and laughed and cheered and laughed some more. Best courtroom scenes I watched all year, (and I watched A Few Good Men this year so that’s saying something). If this is still a blind spot for you, or you just want to revisit it, you can rent it on Amazon for 99 cents right now. 

27. After Hours (1985, directed by Martin Scorsese, country of origin: US)

Talk about things that escalate quickly: In this movie, Griffin Dunne’s character Paul meets a fellow book lover/manic pixie dream girl type (Rosanna Arquette). However, when he accepts her invitation for a late night rendezvous at her place, she quickly turns into a manic pixie nightmare girl. By morning, Paul finds himself a fugitive on suspicion of burglary, sex crimes, and murder in a neighborhood it’s safe to say he will never visit again. It’s a more heightened, comedic take on the classic “wrongfully accused” genre, and Dunne plays every note of desperation perfectly. You can watch this for free on Vudu, or rent on other streaming platforms. 

26. The Big Clock (1948, directed by John Farrow, country of origin: US)

The Big Clock actually has a few things in common with the aforementioned After Hours--hardworking New York City guy agrees to drinks with possibly sketchy woman and winds up the prime suspect in a murder. The whole thing takes place over a 36-hour period, and as you might guess the Clock of the title is ticking. The cast is great--Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Sullivan--and the film balances humor and suspense with ease. Fun fact, the movie is directed by John Farrow, father of Mia. The movie is available for online rental through Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes.

25. The Doll (1919, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, country of origin: Germany)

I adore Ernst Lubitsch, who directed The Shop Around The Corner, To Be or Not To Be, Trouble in Paradise, and Design for Living. Before his English-language talkies, however, he got his start in Germany with silent films like Die Puppe (The Doll). Starring the effervescent Ossi Oswalda (basically the silent era’s Greta Gerwig), this comic fantasy skewers romantic conventions. 

Lancelot is a young prince who must marry in order to receive his inheritance; but he’s afraid of women (or possibly gay... it’s easy to read it that way). He buys what he think is a life-like doll to deceive his family and avoid marriage to a real girl; but little does he know Ossi is actually a real girl pretending to be a doll. It’s all very silly and over the top and winking, and also one of the most hilarious and charming rom-coms this side of the Hallmark channel. The physical comedy is outstanding, the social commentary is scathing, and Ossi is the hero we didn’t know we needed. There are a few versions floating around on YouTube or you can rent it for a few bucks on Amazon. I caught it on Filmstruck during a Lubitsch spotlight, and my life has never been the same.

24. Talk To Her (2002, directed by Pedro Almodovar, country of origin: Spain)

Pedro Almodovar can take the most seemingly absurd situation or plot contrivance and draw out something truly human and moving. He excels at shining a light on damaged but compelling characters, and doing everything with such style and panache that you let your guard down completely and before you know it you’re rooting for someone you ordinarily would scoff at from a distance. This movie’s story focuses on two comatose women and their caretakers, and delves into the limits of love and consent in fascinating, disturbing ways. I had no idea where this film was going but I was with it every second. Available for rent on most online platforms.

23. Crash (1996, directed by David Cronenberg, country of origin: Canada)

From the king of body horror, David Cronenberg, comes a movie about people who find eroticism where most people would find repulsion. Based on the controversial book by J.G. Ballard, this film follows a group of people who are aroused by car accidents and the injuries that result from metal and flesh colliding. It sounds macabre and at times it is, but under the surface are deeper themes that question what is considered “normal” versus “fetish” and why bodies that are whole and untarnished are worshiped while those that have distinguishing marks are tossed aside. There’s also certainly a critique of consumerism and cars as status symbols, and probably a lot more I missed on first viewing. Who better to portray a sexual deviant than James Spader? He’s joined by Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas (you’ll never think of Casey Jones the same way again), Deborah Kara Unger, and Rosanna Arquette. This is a tough one to track down--nowhere online right now, and it’s out of print on physical media; but if you see it at a thrift store or your local library, check it out. 

22. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, directed by Robert Wiene, country of origin: Germany)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of those movies that gets referenced a lot but I still wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this silent German Expressionist film. Sometimes watching such a revered classic can be a little daunting--will I like as much as I’m “supposed to”? Thankfully, I did. Basically all of goth culture could probably trace its lineage back to this weird, creepy, twisty film. The elaborate, off-kilter set design and mind-bending story got under my skin in the best way. I won’t say much about the plot--just watch it (on YouTube unofficially or rentable on various streaming services).

21. Duck Soup (1933, directed by Leo McCarey, country of origin: US)

My introduction to the Marx Brothers was A Night at the Opera, and I went gaga for their rapid-fire verbal gymnastics and their gonzo physical comedy. This film takes it to the next level and throws in some political satire for good measure. So many incredible, iconic routines; song and dance sequences; and dialogue that you have to watch at least 4 times to catch all the jokes. I’m officially a fan of the Marx Brothers after this. You can rent it on most streaming sources, but I’m guessing if you have a male relative over the age of 50 you could probably borrow it from their collection. It’s very popular with Dad/Uncle demographic, and I can see why.

20. They Live by Night (1948, directed by Nicholas Ray, country of origin: US)

Nicholas Ray is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite directors. Rebel Without a Cause, In a Lonely Place, Johnny Guitar, The Racket, and now They Live By Night--just stunning movies about troubled souls who don’t quite fit in with the rest of the world. This film lays the template for so many that would come after it: Young couple, good girl falls for bad boy, they go on the run from the law, love is not all you need.

When things are good, they’re really good and lead characters Keechie (Cathy O’Donnell) and Bowie (Farley Grainger) are rapturously crazy in love. But they also bicker believably when the past begins to bleed into the present, leading to one of my favorite exchanges in the film. Bowie confronts Keechie about her whereabouts, and when she informs him she’s been to the doctor “about the baby we’re gonna have,” he bursts out, “That’s all I need!” She fires back, “You don’t see me knittin’ anything, do ya?”

This is a Criterion film, so you may have to get it from the library or catch it on TCM until the Criterion streaming service launches later this spring. Either way, it’s a must-watch, especially if you love movies like Badlands and Bonnie and Clyde.

19. Paprika (2006, directed by Satoshi Kon, country of origin: Japan)

Look, I love Inception as much as the next person, but now that I’ve seen Paprika I must admit Christopher Nolan owes a major debt to Satoshi Kon for the way he portrays dreams and reality intersecting in uncanny ways. The difference is Satoshi Kon did it with much more weirdness and color and unsettling body horror. Don’t ask me to explain this movie, I’m not even 100% sure it can be unraveled all the way into a linear structure; but it is zany and wonderful in the best way. There’s no Tom Hardy but there is a girl who turns into a butterfly and a band of frogs and a creepy clown and a really fat guy who’s in love with the smart scientist lady... I’m telling you, you gotta see this thing. You can stream it for free on Crackle; otherwise it’s a $2.99 rental from Amazon and Vudu.

18. Good Time (2017, directed by the Safdie Brothers, country of origin: US)

If you missed this in 2017, PLEASE watch it now. Robert Pattinson gives his career best performance as a fast talking petty criminal trying to get his mentally handicapped brother out of jail after making him an accomplice to his own crimes. The soundtrack by Oneohtrix Point Never combined with the Safdie Brothers mesmerizing cinematography make for a hypnotic, propulsive viewing experience. Newcomer Taliah Webster delivers an excellent supporting performance as an unwitting sidekick partway through the film. Watch for free on Amazon Prime or rent on Vudu or YouTube.

17. Cleo From 5 to 7 (1962, directed by Agnes Varda, country of origin: France)

My first foray into the filmography of Agnes Varda, and I loved it. Cleo, a French pop singer, spends a couple hours trying to distract herself from anxiety and dread as she awaits the results of a biopsy. She buys a hat, plays with her kittens, and argues with her male collaborators over song choices. 

Eventually she meets a stranger and they walk around Paris in a vignette that almost certainly influenced Richard Linklater’s entire milieu. Cleo mulls her possible fate and concludes “as long as I’m beautiful, I’m alive”--a notion Blondie would later reference in their tongue in cheek tune “Die Young, Stay Pretty.” But as much as she is fixated on her appearance, she finds herself struggling to be taken seriously by men who dismiss her because of her beauty. 

Special shout out to Michel Legrand, who we learned today has left the mortal plane: He composed the lovely score for this film and also appears in it as Cleo’s pianist.

I watched this on the now-defunct Filmstruck, but it’s part of the Criterion Collection so your best bet is probably getting it from the library or waiting for it to show up when Criterion’s streaming service launches later this spring.

16. Happy Together (1997, directed by Wong Kar-Wai, country of origin: Hong Kong)

Wong Kar-Wai captures unfulfilled romantic longing on film better than just about anyone. If you’ve seen In the Mood for Love or Chungking Express you already know this. Happy Together turns the director’s eye once again toward people on a collision course of love, lust, and disfunction. Leslie Cheung (RIP) and Tony Leung portray a couple hoping their toxic relationship will hit the reset button with a change of scenery when they relocate from Hong Kong to Argentina. At times their passion manifests as tenderness, as in a moving dance sequence; other times, volatility erupts into violence. When one of them meets someone new, the possibility of a simpler, sweeter kind of love  offers an alternative to the cycle of codependency and betrayal. This one is out of print right now on DVD, but check your local library or used movie store and you may get lucky.

15. La Dolce Vita (1960, directed by Federico Fellini, country of origin: Italy)

You’ve got sumptuous Italian vistas, Marcello Mastroianni being gorgeous, Anita Ekberg dancing in the fountain, and a bunch of hedonism that leads down a path of inevitable emptiness and/or destruction. Personally, I prefer this one to Fellini’s 8 1/2--it’s filled with  so many scenes that could work as stand alone short films; and there’s more humor and exuberance here than in his better known, meta film experience. The 174 minute runtime may seem intimidating but for me it flew by. Available with Filmbox on Amazon right now, also part of the Criterion Collection.

14. Cooley High (1975, directed by Michael Schultz, country of origin: US)

If you’ve enjoyed movies like Dazed and Confused, American Graffiti, Boyz N the Hood, or even Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, you should really watch Cooley High. Filmed in Chicago, it follows a group of friends in high school as they skip class in favor of visiting the Lincoln Park zoo, recite poetry, go to parties, make out with girls, get into fights, and navigate the tenuous border between youth and adulthood. Full of laughs, heart, and clear-eyed realism in place of the occasional sentimentality that seeps into movies about “young folks,” this must-see of Black cinema influenced independent filmmakers like Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino. You can rent it on Vudu, or pick up a physical copy on Blu-ray or DVD.

13. Poltergeist (1982, directed by Tobe Hooper, country of origin: US)

Out of all the major blindspots I caught up with in 2018, this is the one that both impressed me the most and made me wonder why it took me this long to see it. I think I just assumed that it would be super cheesy or super scary or somehow both? Needless to say, I was wrong. It’s a blast! Funny, scary (but in a way I loved), original, and one of the best portrayals of family I’ve seen on screen. I now plan to watch this at least once a year to celebrate Halloween the same way that I watch Independence Day on July 4th, Elf/Jingle All the Way/Christmas Vacation at Christmas, and Nightmare Before Christmas/Donnie Darko for Halloween. I’m sure that everyone else in the world has seen it, but if you by some chance have not, go watch it right now! It’s available for rent on YouTube, Amazon, and GooglePlay.

12. Arthur (1981, directed by Steve Gordon, country of origin: US)

This one really surprised me. I became vaguely aware of its existence around the release of the terribly reviewed Russell Brand version; but no idea what to expect when I impulsively clicked the “watch now” button on Filmstruck. At first, Dudley Moore came across as an obnoxious drunken boor, but as I kept watching I realized the levels to his character went much deeper than it seemed at first. John Gielgud immediately won me over as Arthur’s butler Hobson, who loves Arthur like a son despite his many shenanigans. Then Liza Minnelli shows up on screen and isn’t she cute as a button! If you only know her as Lucille II from Arrested Development, you really owe it to yourself to see her in her heyday. You might not think Buster is so crazy for embracing “our nausea.” 

This movie became one of my favorite romantic comedies, in some ways a Cinderella story and in some ways a coming of age story and in most ways something wholly original. It’s a very special film, and deserves a wider audience among today’s movie fans. It’s a $1.99 rental on most platforms right now, so you have no excuse.

11. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971, directed by Robert Altman, country of origin: US)

I knocked out a few Altman films last year, and they were all good but this one was my favorite. I’m not always a fan of Westerns, but this one, which finds Julie Christie’s Madam teaming up with Warren Beatty’s Gambler to open a brothel, well, it’s different. I have a feeling Altman (and maybe his cast) watched Johnny Guitar, an earlier entry on my list, because this is another case in which a powerful woman with a mind for business upends the natural order of things (aka men being in charge). 

The writing here is wonderful, especially the dialogue, which includes such gems as “You know how to square a circle? Shove a four by four up a mule’s ass!” but also some more gentle, sweet exchanges and voiceover. There are also some gorgeous shots in this film, unsurprising with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond on board (who also shot Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Deliverance, and Blow Out just to name a few). 

Watch it via rental on Amazon, GooglePlay, or iTunes.

Next up: The Top 10! Stay tuned! 

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My Year in Movies: Favorite Non-2018 Feature Films (Part 2)

Continuing the countdown of my favorite movies I saw for the first time in 2018 that were released in previous years... for part 1 of this list, click here.

39. Tokyo Drifter (1966, directed by Seijun Suzuki, country of origin: Japan)

Seijun Suzuki pulls together his favorite tropes from the Western, film noir, and Yakuza genres and throws a post modern, new wave sensibility on top complete with lots of neon and surrealism. The end result is one of the most stylistically bold movies I’ve ever encountered, and its influence extends to modern auteurs like Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch, and Nicolas Winding Refn. Tokyo Drifter (which has nothing to do with the Fast & Furious franchise as far as I know) follows a gangster on the run, but the plot really is secondary to the overall feel of the movie. Really fun and one I can imagine revisiting a lot just for its aesthetic choices and action set pieces. Rent it on Amazon Prime; in the meantime, here’s a pretty decent fan-made trailer.

38. Born to Kill (1947, directed by Robert Wise, country of origin: US)

Hollywood’s original bad boy Lawrence Tierney stars in this nasty little noir that fully lives up to its violent title. Sam Wilde (Tierney) is a gorgeous, amoral social climber who doesn’t let a little trifle like murder stand in the way of getting what he wants. Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) finds herself strangely drawn to him, even as she learns of his criminal leanings. There’s a particularly lustful scene between Sam and Helen that could be a direct influence on Natural Born Killers, actually. The fact that this picture was directed by Robert Wise, best known for his work on The Sound of Music and West Side Story, makes it all the more interesting--this pulpy film doesn’t have any musical numbers but it certainly is well-crafted and choreographed. If you love a good antihero, you owe it to yourself to watch this. Available for rent on Amazon, YouTube, and Vudu. 

37. Throw Momma From the Train (1987, directed by Danny DeVito, country of origin: US)

This comic riff on Strangers on a Train starts off with murder on its mind, but there’s a surprising sweetness lying just below the surface. I’m sure most people have already seen this film but in case you haven’t, you’re in for a hilarious and endearing story that showcases peak Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito. Anne Ramsey plays the titular “Momma,” and she was nominated for both the Oscars and the Golden Globes in this supporting role. There are lots of ways to watch this movie for free, including Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, GooglePlay, and Showtime. 

36. Johnny Guitar (1954, directed by Nicholas Ray, country of origin: US)

The title refers to Sterling Hayden’s outlaw cowboy, but the real star of the show is Joan Crawford as Vienna: a saloon owning, jeans wearing, piano playing woman who takes on the whole town in a showdown. Portrayals of women in Westerns vary, but few emanate such power and self-assuredness as Vienna. 

Another woman, tellingly named Emma Small (played by Mercedes McCambridge), has set her sights on getting rid of Vienna and her establishment once and for all, and she will stop at no amount of violence or trickery to make it happen. So basically this is Mean Girls but in the Wild West. Offscreen, Joan Crawford was hooking up with director Nicholas Ray; and she’d previously been romantically involved with McCambridge’s now-husband. Both ladies also consumed a fair amount of booze while filming. This led to their rivalry bleeding into real life, and perhaps added to the tension we see on screen between the two. 

This movie didn’t have the warmest reception when it premiered stateside (Bosley Crowther on Crawford’s Vienna: “...as sexless as the lions on the public library steps and as sharp and romantically forbidding as a package of unwrapped razor blades.”) But European audiences devoured it, and it became beloved of people like Francois Truffaut who saw it as a major influence. You can watch it now on Hulu or rent from a number of streaming platforms. 

35. Sonatine (1993, directed by Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, country of origin: Japan)

Takeshi Kitano wrote, directed, and starred in this cult take on Yakuza films. In it, he plays Murakawa, a gangster who dispatches (often in creatively cruel ways) anyone his bosses happen to dislike. But he’s starting to grow weary of this way of life when he gets sent on a new assignment that has him mediating a dispute with a rival gang in Okinawa. He suspects that he may be the real target, but goes along with the order. While hiding out between confrontations, Murakawa and a batch of young recruits find ways to pass the time--shooting cans off each other’s heads, playing a roulette version of rock paper scissors, pretending to be sumo wrestlers, and more. 

There’s not a lot of dialogue here, and Kitano plays his character with a stoicism that Buster Keaton and Alain Delon no doubt influenced. But the poetry and emotion are all in the action (and inaction) on screen. Here is a man whose main accomplishments are surviving bloody shootouts and racking up the body count for his employer--no wonder he hallucinates about self-destruction and walks the beach in a daze. There’s actually a good bit of comedy here too, as the movie isn’t afraid to veer into cartoonish moments and satirize the very genre it portrays. I also have to specifically call out the action scenes, especially one near the end--completely memorable, unique, and gorgeously shot. Watch this via rental on Amazon, YouTube, and GooglePlay--especially if you’re a fan of movies like Drive, Kill Bill, or Le Samourai. 

34. Metropolitan (1990, directed by Whit Stillman, country of origin: US)

My first encounter with Whit Stillman came via 2016′s Love and Friendship, his adaptation of a Jane Austen story. When his debut film appeared on Filmstruck, I realized what a perfect fit Austen and Stillman really are. This movie follows a group of (mostly) wealthy teenagers in Manhattan, who attend debutante balls and gather at each other’s homes for long pretentious conversations and romantic sparring. If Austen were alive today, no doubt she would have written a novel in the same setting, filled with the same biting wit (no pun intended) that Stillman displays. If you like your movies with a lot of action and plot twists, this may not be your cup of tea; but if you enjoy the works of, say, Woody Allen/Noah Baumbach/Wes Anderson then you will definitely find this a subtle delight. No big names amongst the cast; and many of them only did one or two other projects after this, but I think that adds to the feeling of naïveté and naturalism. Random observation, but when I watched this movie I found connections between a number of its characters and the cast of The Breakfast Club--see if you agree. Right now you can rent this via iTunes, and since it takes place around Christmas and New Year’s, this would be a great time to watch. 

33. Radio Days (1987, directed by Woody Allen, country of origin: US)

This might be the sweetest, least cynical movie in Woody Allen’s filmography. It’s a love letter to the 1930s and 40s, when families would gather around the radio (rather than the TV) for music, serials, and news of the outside world. Seth Green plays the Woody stand-in as a child, Mia Farrow plays an aspiring radio actress, Larry David pops up as the Communist next door neighbor--it’s a real hoot. The music (from the likes of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller) is gorgeous and it’s fun to see old New York recreated for this film. Suitable for all ages and utterly delightful, you can watch it on Hulu with a subscription or rent it on Vudu for $2.99. 

32. Pickup (1951, directed by Hugo Haas, country of origin: US)

I caught up with this low-budget B-movie noir during Noir City Chicago, and fell head over heels for it. The director plays the lead character, a lovable but lonely railroad worker named Hunky (he does not live up to this name in appearance). When he encounters the gorgeous and sassy Betty (Beverly Michaels) at a carnival, he can’t believe a guy like him could hold the romantic interest of such a hottie. As luck would have it, though, she’s more attracted to his life savings than to him. What a golddigger. What sets this movie apart is the addition of a little plot twist: Hunky loses his hearing in an accident, which is just fine by the conniving Betty who can now scheme and talk trash around her husband. But when Hunky’s hearing unexpectedly returns, he doesn’t tell anyone and discovers that his beloved wifey is plotting his demise. Bonus: There’s a pretty adorable puppy in the mix. This isn’t available on DVD, sadly, but someone has uploaded it to YouTube and if you have 77 minutes to kill, I recommend checking it out.

31. Ghost (1990, directed by Jerry Zucker, country of origin: US)

Look, I love Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze just as much as the next person, but for some reason I had always assumed that Ghost was this really cheesy paranormal romance. Wrong! It’s a charming murder mystery with some legit scary moments a lot of comedy, and, yes, some romance too. So if you have somehow missed this gem, you can catch up with it for 99 cents right now on Amazon or rent it for a Few Dollars More on other streaming sites.

30. One False Move (1992, directed by Carl Franklin, country of origin: US)

In part one of this list, I mentioned watching multiple Bill Paxton movies in 2018. This one features Paxton as a small town sheriff with illusions of grandeur--instead of settling small time domestic disputes, he’d love to one day solve murders and thwart serial killers and arrest drug kingpins in the big city. He gets his chance to do something bigger when a car full of murderous fugitives rolls into town. The LA detectives on the case don’t quite know what to make of Paxton; but he views them as heroes. When he gets his chance to show them what he’s made of, he doesn’t flinch. 

Billy Bob Thornton co-wrote the screenplay and co-stars in the film, another connection between this and the other Paxton entry on my list (A Simple Plan). Here, he’s a vile and brutal sociopath (a role he’d go on to play in the TV adaptation of Fargo), with a girlfriend named Fantasia (Cynda Williams) that might be having second thoughts about their relationship. Director Carl Franklin is perhaps better known for the Denzel Washington neo noir Devil in a Blue Dress; and Franklin himself introduced a double feature of these two films at Noir City Chicago. He’s a brilliant, economical director with a deep well of classical film knowledge and a knack for capturing defining character traits in the space of a few frames. Rent this movie on Amazon, Vudu, or YouTube and prepare for a gritty, moving ride. 

29. Peeping Tom (1960, directed by Michael Powell, country of origin: England)

I caught up with this out of print masterpiece (purchased at my local library sale for 50 cents on Criterion DVD!) during my October horror viewing, and immediately wanted it to find a wider audience. Reviled upon its initial release, it follows a talented but troubled young filmmaker whose obsession involves recording the final moments of his murder victims’ lives, as they realize their fate. Pretty twisted, I know. The exploration of voyeurism and the relationship between the camera, its subjects, and an audience really make this a fascinating watch, both from a technical perspective and as a critique of moviemaking and consumption. One can’t help but see the influence this movie has had on horror filmmakers from Wes Craven to John Carpenter, particularly in the way it forces us to identify with the psychologically damaged killer instead of centering the narrative on his victims. Massively underrated, and deserving of your attention if you consider yourself a fan of horror movies. Watch it via rental on a number of streaming platforms. 

That concludes part 2 of the list! Stay tuned for the next segment, coming soon! 

[roseisread]

My Year in Movies: Favorite Non-2018 Feature Films (Part 1)

I watched a LOT of movies this year. At last count, I had logged 229 features and 126 shorts; and that doesn’t count rewatches--only movies that were new to me.

I set a few challenges for myself as well this year. The first one was to watch at least one non-English language/US release per week--this exposed me to so much world cinema and some really amazing filmmakers. Anyone who avoids foreign films because “I don’t like subtitles” is really missing out, and I found myself craving these narratives from voices I don’t ordinarily get exposed to in my everyday life. 

Other personal challenges: Watching as many horror movies as possible in October (with horror defined pretty loosely so I could include entries from silent era and onward, as well as some comedy cult classics that have horror/thriller elements); participating in Noirvember (in addition to attending Noir City in Chicago); crossing off some major blindspots from my list (such as Bicycle Thieves, The Producers, Lethal Weapon, A Few Good Men, Grease, Home Alone 2, Brazil, and Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom); and trying to watch movies and short films from every decade that motion pictures have existed.

In 2019, I hope to do similar personal challenges with a focus on movies made by women, LGBTQ+, and people of color, in addition to filling in the gaps of my classical/canonical movie knowledge. 

OK, so that’s enough preamble. Let’s get to the list! For this list, I’m excluding movies that were released in 2018--that’s coming but this is for movies released before that. 

50. Linda Linda Linda (2005, directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, country of origin: Japan)

High school girls recruit the Korean exchange student (Doona Bae, of Cloud Atlas and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) to join their rock band a few days before the school talent show. This is just a feel good film, recommended if you enjoyed the likes of Sing Street, We Are The Best!, and The Runaways. Unfortunately, it’s out of print in physical form; but last I checked someone had uploaded it to YouTube so you might want to get on that before it’s removed. You can watch the trailer here.

49. The Blue Dahlia (1946, directed by George Marshall, country of origin: US)

This film noir stars Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, and like any good noir, it deals with dark subjects including murder, blackmail, political corruption, and PTSD. It’s been on my watchlist for a long time, and thanks to Noir City Chicago, I got to see it on the big screen at the Music Box Theatre. For small screen viewing, you can catch up with it via rental on Vudu, Amazon, iTunes... the usual suspects. 

48. Siren of the Tropics (1927, directed by Mario Nalpas and Henri Etievant, country of origin: France)

My dearly departed Filmstruck had a spotlight on the films of Josephine Baker, and this was among them. I fell in love instantly with the lively, beautiful Baker, here playing a woman named Papitou who deals with some super scummy dudes but manages to be herself in the face of all that nonsense. Silent films can sometimes be tougher to engage with for modern audiences, but this one flies by and contains some unexpectedly racy sequences for the time. Its racial politics don’t meet today’s cultural standards, but considering Baker’s parents were former slaves and their daughter went on to become the first woman of color to star in a major motion picture, this is still a landmark film worthy of our consideration. She broke down many barriers and contributed a great deal to both the entertainment world and the Civil Rights movement, and this serves as a nice entry point into her career. It’s available on DVD through Kino Lorber, and hopefully one day soon it’ll pop up on another streaming service that carries on the Filmstruck legacy.

47. I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore (2017, directed by Macon Blair, country of origin: US)

Here’s a film that goes to some unexpected places. I had no idea what to expect from Macon Blair, who frequently appears in the movies of Jeremy Saulnier; but in his debut feature for Netflix, he pulled out all the stops. Hilarious, violent, and intense, with memorable performances from stars Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood, this is a movie about getting in over your head and just going for it anyway. I don’t want to tell you about the plot because it’s best discovered through watching--just go to your nearest device and add it to your Netflix queue. 

46. Song of the Sea (2014, directed by Tomm Moore, country of origin: Ireland)

Absolutely gorgeous animation from the team that previously brought us The Secret of Kells, and a touching story that combines family and mythology. I adored this one. Watch it on Netflix or rent on the usual streaming sources--for a preview, click here. 

45. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942, directed by Michael Curtiz, country of origin: US)

I always watch Independence Day on the Fourth of July; but in 2018, I decided to mix it up and cross this patriotic musical off the watchlist. I’d seen James Cagney’s gangster movies like White Heat and The Public Enemy, but seeing him sing and dance was a whole new joyous discovery. This movie is entertaining, funny, touching, and full of iconic sequences that other films would go on to borrow from. I absolutely loved it. Pretty sure I saw this on Filmstruck originally, but since that’s no longer possible you should be able to find it at your local public library or you can rent it for a couple bucks on Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, and the like. 

44. The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950, directed by Felix Feist, country of origin: US)

This tightly wound noir thriller pits brother against brother against the backdrop of 1950s San Francisco. Lee Cobb plays an aging bachelor and an accomplished police detective who falls for the wrong dame. His younger brother, played by John Dall (Gun Crazy, Rope), has just joined the police force and idolizes his older brother. Trouble strikes when the dame murders her no good husband and needs help from Cobb to cover it up. Naturally, Dall gets assigned to the case and as he begins to piece together the clues, he doesn’t like where they’re leading him. The climactic sequence is one of my favorite endings to a noir film, and I’ve seen a lot of them. Watch it for free if you have Amazon Prime; otherwise, there are a few versions uploaded to YouTube of varying quality or you could wait for it to pop up on TCM. 

43. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, directed by Thom Andersen, country of origin: US)

This documentary edits together clips from movies of every era that were filmed or set in Los Angeles, and explains through voiceover narration the significance of each location and the history of the motion pictures in LA. That’s it--very simple concept but also fascinating. I split this up over a couple nights because it’s pretty long, but if you’re a film fan or a Los Angeles native, this is well worth your time. The voiceover is kind of hilariously flat in its delivery--kind of a Steven Wright sound actually--but that sort of adds to the charm for me. Get a taste by watching the trailer, and then you can rent it on YouTube for $1.99.

42. A Simple Plan (1998, directed by Sam Raimi, country of origin: US)

It’s been almost two years since we lost Bill Paxton; I don’t know about you but I don’t think any other actor can really fill those shoes. This year I caught up with three films that showcased his talent: A Simple Plan, One False Move, and Frailty. He plays very different characters in each one but in many ways they all start off with a similar premise: Ordinary guy dreams of becoming more. What that “more” is for each character is what sets each film and performance apart, but Paxton provided a great canvas to paint these unique characters onto. He inhabited the ordinary man better than just about anyone. 

In this film, which I watched during Noirvember, Paxton plays Hank, a college-educated guy working a blue collar job in a small town, trying to make a better life for himself and his family. He’d like to get away from those small town roots, but his socially awkward brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) relies on him. Unfortunately, Jacob is often accompanied by the hard-drinking loose canon Lou (Brent Briscoe). When the unlikely trio discover a crashed plane in the woods containing a suitcase full of cash, they each have ideas for how to handle the situation. Of course things escalate from there, and the way the movie explores human nature and family ties set this story apart. Available for online rental on the usual platforms.

41. The Iron Giant (1999, directed by Brad Bird, country of origin: US)

Given my obsession with Vin Diesel in the early 2000s, it’s pretty shocking I never saw this movie til now--sure, he and his glorious muscles don’t appear on screen, but he does provide the voice of the title character after all. When the Iron Giant made a controversial cameo in this year’s film adaptation of Ready Player One, I decided it was time I saw the source material for myself. 

This gorgeously animated fable unfolds during the Cold War era, and features an ET-inspired story arc of a young boy befriending an unlikely being that the government is looking for. If you’ve never seen it, this is definitely a must-watch. Currently available on Netflix, but rentable on other platforms too.

40. The Unsuspected (1947, directed by Michael Curtiz, country of origin: US)

I adore Claude Rains, star of this film and supporting actor in Curtiz’s more famous work, Casablanca. Here, he plays the host and narrator of a popular radio show that revolves around tales of murder--basically the Law and Order: SVU of its day. We learn early on that he sometimes draws inspiration for his broadcasts from real life criminals. When people in his own life start dropping dead, the plot thickens and he finds himself at the center of the action. A very suspenseful and well-plotted film noir, which is available from the Warner Archive collection on DVD. I got to see it at Noir City Chicago, and loved every second of it. 

That’s all for this entry--stay tuned for part two of this list, posting soon! 

[roseisread]

Grammy Thoughts & Predictions 2018

It’s my tradition. It’s my religion. Every year, I gotta post my predictions and thoughts on the Grammy nominations. Later today, the Grammy Awards will be presented. Buckle up!

Record of the Year Childish Gambino – Redbone (my fave) Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber – Despacito (runner up) Jay-Z – The Story of OJ Kendrick Lamar – Humble (Will Win) Bruno Mars – 24k Magic My favorite thing about this category is that every single contender comes from a person of color. My least favorite thing about this category is that none of these are women. That being said, it’s a solid list. My personal favorite is the most unexpected entry, Childish Gambino for Redbone. Donald Glover has been lowkey taking over the pop culture landscape between his standup, his music, and his TV show Atlanta. He’s come a long way from Troy and Abed in the Morning on Community, and I’m happy for the guy. My money here is on Kendrick, because he’s got a ton of nominations elsewhere and I think the momentum is pretty unstoppable. If anyone CAN stop the Kendrick, it’s Despacito, aka the most inescapable song of the year. And frankly, haters gonna hate but that would be ok with me. It’s a fun song and had an unlikely rise to the top of the heap, so if it wins, I get it. 

Album of the Year Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love! (Possible Upset) Jay-Z – 4:44 Kendrick Lamar – Damn. (Will Win/Should Win) Lorde – Melodrama Bruno Mars – 24k Magic Another solid category, and I’m glad to see the Grammys have finally realized hip hop is here to stay. No old fogey revival acts to be seen here. I’m iffy on the inclusion of Lorde, even though I know people love that album. For me, it was just ok. Nonetheless, my vote goes to Kendrick for both who deserves this and who will ultimately get it. Critical consensus called it the Album of the Year, and it was beloved by fans too. The only upset I could foresee is Childish Gambino, since that album got a lot of unexpected nominations in other categories so I don’t wanna discount the voters who dug its old school sounds. 

Song of the Year Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber - Despacito Jay-Z - 4:44 (Should win) Julia Michaels - Issues Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid - 1-800-273-8255 (Will win) Bruno Mars - That’s What I Like  (runner up) Interesting lineup here--biggest surprise is Best New Artist nominee Julia Michaels, but I’m happy for her and that is a great song. I predict the suicide prevention anthem will win--hard to vote against a cause like that. And it’s a genuinely good song, even if I like others better. My personal fave in this category is Jay-Z’s confessional comeback 4:44, which cuts right to the bone. Bruno Mars could sneak in here with his playful sugar daddy anthem, but that song is less message-y than the rest and therefore and at a disadvantage. 

Best New Artist Alessia Cara Khalid (should win) Lil Uzi Vert Julia Michaels SZA (will win/also should win--don’t make me choose!)  This category is stacked. I can’t make up my mind who will win, but right now I’m leaning toward SZA. She’s nominated for a total of five Grammys this year, which makes me feel like the wind is blowing in her direction. I’ve been a fan of hers since the days she was collaborating with Rihanna, so that would make me really happy. Then again, I adore Khalid and would love to see him take home some Grammy gold. Julia Michaels is an awesome songwriter and it’s nice to see her getting recognition for her performance abilities also. 

Best Pop Solo Performance Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft Kesha – Praying (should win) Lady Gaga – Million Reasons P!nk – What About Us Ed Sheeran – Shape of You (will win) I really really want Kesha to win this one. She came back in a huge way, after all the crap she went through with Dr. Luke. This song is fire. In light of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, I feel like this song captures the cultural moment really well from an important voice who lived it. So basically, I’m gonna be pissed if they give this award to the sole male on the list, Eddy Shears. I mean dude’s gonna be fine, he just got engaged, he was on Game of Thrones, he’s probs gonna get to go to a Royal Wedding this year. Give it to Kesha! 

Best Pop/Duo Performance Coldplay/Chainsmokers – Something Just Like This (puke) Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber – Despacito (should win/will win) Imagine Dragons – Thunder Portugal the Man – Feel It Still (runner up) Zedd & Alessia Cara – Stay First of all, my hatred of Chainsmokers is well documented. They sound like melting fart popsicles. I’m sad Chris Martin has hitched his train to their wagon, but it is just a bad combo. I want Despacito to get this award and I think it will. I’d also be happy to see Portugal the Man sneak in there, because damn if that song does not get stuck in my head for days on end. The other two I’m ambivalent... they were on the radio alot but that doesn’t make them worthy. 

Best Pop Vocal Album Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life Imagine Dragons – Evolve Kesha – Rainbow (should win) Ed Sheeran – Divide (will win) See also, my statements in the Pop Solo Performance category. But I will say it’s cool seeing Lana Del Rey here--everyone thought she was gonna be a flash in the pan but she has proved she has real staying power. Lust for Life might be her best work yet, so if she somehow managed to get this award I wouldn’t totally meltdown. But I would still meltdown a little because this belongs to Kesha and all ya’ll need to back the eff down and give her what she deserves.

Best Dance Recording Bonobo feat. Innov Gnawa – Bambro Koyo Ganda (should win) Camphelphat & Elderbrook – Cola Gorillaz feat. DRAM – Andromeda LCD Soundsystem – Tonite (will win) Odesza feat. Wynne & Mansionair – Line of Sight (runner up) Thank god/Bowie that my hated Chainsmokers aren’t in this list. I’m still recovering from their win last year. This is actually a really fun, varied lineup of songs. I’m not sure Gorillaz and LCD Soundsystem are getting played at actual dance clubs but they are electronic based artists so I’ll allow it. With LCD coming back this year after their hiatus and supposed breakup, I do think they are the odds-on favorite to win. But I would prefer to see Bonobo get this prize. 

Best Dance/Electronic Album Bonobo – Migration (should win) Kraftwerk – 3-D the Catalogue Mura Masa – Self-titled Odesza – A Moment Apart Sylvan Esso – What Now (will win) Another great list, and one in which I support all of the nominees. However, I feel like Kraftwerk, godfathers of electronica that they are, should be exempt from this because the album in question is actually an 8-CD set of live recordings from 2012-2016. The songs are not new. It’s a cool relic for collectors but to me this category should be honoring new musical creations. I would love to see Bonobo take home the prize; but I think Sylvan Esso has won more raves and gotten more mainstream attention. Therefore my money’s on them.

Best Rock Performance Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker (should win) Chris Cornell – The Promise (will win) Foo Fighters – Run Kaleo – No Good Nothing More – Go To War This category is fairly weak (sorry, it’s true). In fact, the only song I genuinely love here is the Leonard Cohen track. The others sound pretty generic to me. I think this comes down to a battle of the posthumous honors, and since Cornell’s passing was more unexpected and tragic compared to a man who lived into his 80s, I think Cornell will pick up the prize. 

Best Metal Performance August Burns Red – Invisible Enemy (should win) Body Count – Black Hoodie Code Orange – Forever Mastodon – Sultan’s Curse (will win) Meshuggah – Clockworks I’ll be honest, I’m never sure where the Grammy voters will come down in this category. My personal fave is August Burns Red, but Mastodon has a wide appeal and good name recognition. I think their album was the weakest they’ve put out even though I’m normally a huge fan. Any of the others could take it, though. This is an unpredictable one.

Best Rock Album Mastodon – Emperor of Sand Metallica – Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (will win) Nothing More – The Stories We Tell Ourselves Queens of the Stone Age – Villains The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding (should win) This category has an eclectic mix of hard rock and dad rock. Metallica released their first album in a while and it was actually decent, so I think that will win. But The War on Drugs really came into their own on this album, and won over a lot of new fans. So I would kind of like to see them pick up Grammy gold. I’d be fine with QUOTSA getting this one too, although this album was nowhere near as incredible as Like Clockwork.

Best R&B Performance Daniel Caesar feat. Kali Uchis – Get You (my runner up) Kehlani – Distraction Ledisi – High Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like (will win) SZA – The Weekend (should win) I gotta throw love to my girl SZA, but I think Bruno Mars will take this one given that it’s also nominated for Song of the Year. Don’t sleep on Daniel Caesar though--that song is a gorgeous tribute to unexpected love.

Best R&B Song PJ Morton – First Began Khalid – Location Childish Gambino – Redbone (will win/should win) SZA – Supermodel Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like Another tight race, and I adore 4/5 of these songs. But since Redbone is also up for Record of the Year, you best believe it’s winning in this category. If Khalid, SZA, or Bruno pull off an upset though, I won’t cry.

Best Urban Contemporary Album 6lack – Free 6lack Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!” (will win/should win) Khalid – American Teen (should win) SZA – CTRL (should win) The Weeknd – Starboy You see my struggle!? I mean. Childish will win this, because again, all the bigger award nominations for this album. But Khalid and SZA released all time great albums and I cannot choose which I like better. Any other year, I’d probably be throwing Starboy in there too. I mean shit. This is just a good year for “urban contemporary,” whatever that actually means.

Best Rap Performance Big Sean – Bounce Back Cardi B – Bodak Yellow (but like, wouldn’t it be cool if this won?!) Jay-Z – 4:44 Kendrick Lamar – Humble (will win) Migos feat. Lil uzi Vert – Bad and Boujee (won’t happen but it would rule if this won) Look at Jay-Z as the elder statesman! I can’t believe I’m not predicting he’ll win this, but Kendrick’s got it without a doubt. I actually would love to see someone else get this prize since Kendrick’s likely to get the bigger awards, which is why if Bad and Boujee or Bodak Yellow picked up some metal it would be pretty rad. 

Best Rap/Sung Performance 6lack – Prblms Goldilink feat. Brent Faiyaz & Sky Glizzy – Crew Jay-Z feat. Beyonce – Family Feud (will win) Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna – Loyalty (should win) SZA feat. Travis Scott – Love Galore  I think this is Jay-Z and Beyonce’s to lose. They put themselves out there, they have this very compelling story, and people like them. This is a pretty good song. Is it as good as Loyalty or Love Galore? Well... maybe not. But SZA and Kendrick have a pretty good shot at other categories, so I’m not too concerned. 

Best Rap Song Cardi B – Bodak Yellow (would be awesome to see this win) Danger Mouse feat. Run the Jewels & Big Boi – Chase Me Kendrick Lamar – Humble (will win) Rapsody – Sassy  Jay-Z – The Story of OJ (runner up) First off, how cool that Rapsody got in this list! She’s badass and I hope her star continues to rise. Second, I’m happy to see two women in this category. That’s better than Rock Song... you go girls. I’d love to see Cardi take this one, but I think Kendrick’s got it and that’s honestly fine. Jay-Z could potentially pull off an upset here but I don’t think he will.

Best Rap Album Jay-Z – 4:44 Kendrick Lamar – Damn (will win/should win) Migos – Culture Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom Tyler, the Creator – Flower Boy Thing I’m mad about: No love for Tribe Called Quest’s Thank You For Your Service. I mean for real. That album was incredible. I am super sad it’s not on this list. Sorry Migos fans, but I’d take Quest over ya boys. Then again, it seems like the baton is being passed a little bit here. We’ve got Rapsody, which is cool; we’ve got Tyler, which is unexpected and cool; and then the big names of the last few years with Migos, Kendrick, and of course godfather Jay-Z. Kendrick’s the obvious choice here. 

Best Country Solo Performance Sam Hunt – Body Like a Back Road (should win) Alison Krauss – Losing You Miranda Lambert – Tin Man (will win) Maren Morris – I Could Use a Love Song Chris Stapleton – Either Way (runner up) I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of expertise in country so I’m going with my gut on this one. My fave on this list is Sam Hunt, but I think Miranda has more fans. Chris Stapleton has gotten a ton of Grammy love in the past and may continue to do so. 

Best Country Duo/Group Performance Brothers Osborne – It Ain’t My Fault (should win) Zac Brown Band – My Old Man Lady Antebellum – You Look Good Little Big Town – Better Man (will win) Midland – Drinkin’ Problem I’m picking the one that made me tap my foot the most. But Grammy voters have shown love to Little Big Town and that song was written by none other than Taylor Swift, so it’s hard to argue against those odds.

Best Country Song Little Big Town – Better Man (will win) Sam Hunt – Body Like a Back Road (should win) Chris Stapleton – Broken Halos (runner up) Midland – Drinkin’ Problem Miranda Lambert – Tin Man Again, I think voters will see Taylor Swift’s name and their eyes will cross and they will have an out of body experience and they will just watch themselves casting a vote for the crossover queen. But I’d prefer to see Sam Hunt get the prize. 

Best New Age Album Brian Eno – Reflection (will win) India.Arie – Songversation: Medicine Peter Kater – Dancing on Water Kitaro – Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 5 Steve Roach – Spiral Revelation (should win) This is a pretty good list, although I have a hard time thinking of India.Arie as a new age artist. The album did have some ecumenical spirituality and Eastern instrumentation but I wouldn’t play it to meditate or anything. Steve Roach is a prolific composer and performer in this genre, and he’s well respected within the community of ambient and new age musicians. This album is one of his best and one of the year’s best as well, in any category. However, Brian Eno has the name recognition and has worked with everyone including many of the voters. So I think he will win even though this album isn’t on the same level as some of his past groundbreaking work. 

Best American Roots Performance Alabama Shakes – Killer Diller Blues (should win) Blind Boys of Alabama – Let My Mother Live Glen Campbell – Arkansas Farmboy (will win) Leonard Cohen – Steer Your Way Alison Krauss – I Never Cared For You “Hey wait, isn’t Leonard Cohen nominated for best Rock Performance?” I hear you asking. Why yes, yes he is. “And didn’t Alabama Shakes get Grammys in both Alternative Album and Rock Performance in the past?” Why yes, they certainly did. “And isn’t Alison Krauss up for a country award also?” Oh, you bet she is. To be honest, this category is filled with silliness as are many others. But I am betting on Glen Campbell, since he is no longer with us. I love the Alabama Shakes song. I don’t know whether it’s “American Roots” or just awesome, but it deserves some love. 

Best American Roots Song Dave Rawlings – Cumberland Gap The Mavericks – I Wish You Well Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires (should win/will win) Rodney Crowell feat. Rosanne Cash & John Paul White – It Ain’t Over Yet Gregg Allman – My Only True Friend I’m only putting this category here so I can talk about how great the Jason Isbell song is. It makes me cry, I adore his music, and he and Amanda Shires are total #relationshipgoals for me. So I think he’ll win, and I hope he does, and I am sorry if anyone disagrees.

Best Americana Album Gregg Allman – Southern Blood Brent Cobb – Shine On Rainy Day Iron & Wine – Beast Epic Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Nashville Sound (should win/will win) The Mavericks – Brand New Day See everything I wrote above. Also, hey, Iron & Wine are still around. 

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Calvin Harris Greg Kurstin (will win/should win) Blake Mills No ID (runner up) The Stereotypes Greg Kurstin produced Kendrick, Beck, Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher, Sia, Zayn, Halsey... I mean dude’s got a resume. And he’s clearly able to work across genres and bring out the best in the artists he’s collaborating with. I think he’ll get his due. If anyone could steal, it’s No ID, who produced Jay-Z’s album and also worked with Logic, Black Thought, Chuck D, and Vic Mensa. 

Best Music Video Beck – Up All Night Jain – Makeba Jay-Z – The Story of OJ (should win/will win) Kendrick Lamar- Humble Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 All of these are worth seeking out, but the one with the most unbelievable vision and execution is The Story of OJ. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. It will make you uncomfortable and it will make you realize Jay-Z is gonna take you to school. The artistry that went into recreating and reclaiming this style of cartoons and animation... it’s mind blowing. No one else comes close.  Alright ya’ll, there’s about 14 million other categories but I can’t talk about all of ‘em. Tell me your thoughts and watch the clock til we see who wins tonight! 

[roseisread]

Oscar Nomination Reactions and Thoughts, 2018 Edition Plus, my favorite films and performances of 2017

Today, the Oscar nominees were revealed and overall there was much rejoicing (from me, at least). A lot of really incredible films and people were nominated. Some crazy barriers were broken (go Rachel Morrison, first EVER woman to be nominated for cinematography). Genre films got recognized in the best picture category (sci fi/fantasy! horror! comedy!). A comic book movie got nominated for a writing category. Music from the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood got recognized. Love stories of many different types (queer/interracial/S&M/interspecies?) were on equal footing for once. People of color showed up in acting, writing, directing, and best picture categories, and several of them are the odds on favorites to win.  All that being said, I still have plenty of thoughts and wishes about this year’s crop of nominees. So let’s dive in. 

Best Picture I have to caveat that I have not yet seen The Post or Darkest Hour; the rest of the nominees I have seen and either like or love. My personal fave here is Get Out; closely followed by Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird. Those are my top three movies of the year. My personal list for best picture would also include:

The Big Sick Colossal The Florida Project Good Time Logan Lucky Wonder Woman

I realize that some of these have not even been in the awards conversation, but those were my favorite films of 2017. In particular, I’m really sad that with ten possible slots, the Oscar voters didn’t find room in their hearts for Wonder Woman here. It received both positive critical acclaim and major box office love. I personally found it incredibly moving and inspiring, to an extent I can’t say I have ever felt about another superhero movie. In a year where Hollywood is trying to right many of the wrongs women have experienced, Diana is this amazing symbol of female power and goodwill. I know the movie itself is not perfect--the ending in particular faltered a bit for me--but a movie with a female director and star that did well with audiences worldwide... seems like a no-brainer. Especially when we have not one but two movies about the plight of British men in World War II nominated for best picture this year. 

Best Director So so so excited for both Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele here. Also, despite my personal lack of investment in Dunkirk as a movie, I am really happy for Christopher Nolan since he has never been nominated despite being one of the best filmmakers working. Likewise, while I prefer their earlier films to this year’s offerings from both Paul Thomas Anderson and Guillermo Del Toro, I’m a fan of both those guys. Nonetheless! I still would’ve filled out my own ballot a bit differently, honoring Dee Rees for Mudbound and Sean Baker for The Florida Project. Both of them brought a lot of personal vision to their films, and put in the work to get the details right. 

Best Actress My money and my love are on Frances McDormand here. She’s a badass lady and totally killed it with this role. I also admire the other actresses on this list, in particular Saoirse Ronan as the title character in Lady Bird. That being said, once again my own picks diverge from those of the Academy. So here’s who I’d be nominating instead:

Anne Hathaway, Colossal Charlize Theron, Atomic Blonde Vicki Krieps, Phantom Thread Brooklynn Prince, The Florida Project

Also worthy of consideration: Haley Lu Richardson in Columbus, a subtle yet wonderful performance.

Best Actor I am thrilled for Daniel Kaluuya and Timothee Chalamet in particular here, even though smart money is on Gary Oldman to win. I can’t comment on his Churchill performance yet, so perhaps I should reserve judgment, but of the ones I have seen, here’s who would fill out the other three spots in my bracket:

Robert Pattinson, Good Time Hugh Jackman, Logan Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes

Best Supporting Actress I have my fingers crossed so hard for Laurie Metcalf on this one. She’s so real and raw as the mom in Lady Bird, making a potentially unlikable character sympathetic. I will jump for joy if she wins. However, it’s leaning toward Allison Janney, another actress I adore in a role that felt a bit one-note to me. I’m stoked that Mary J. Blige is on this list, and I would also be thrilled if she won. I have no beef with Lesley Manville (who is superb in Phantom Thread) or Octavia Spencer (who doesn’t have much to do in Shape of Water)... but my list would have to include Holly Hunter for The Big Sick and Tiffany Haddish for Girls Trip. I mean. Come on. I’d take those two over Spencer and Janney in a heartbeat. Kelly Marie Tran would have been a nice inclusion also, for her memorable turn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Best Supporting Actor This is the category with the snub I’m the most mad about: Michael Stuhlbarg in Call Me By Your Name. Even though I knew it was a possibility, I can’t believe he got shut out. He’s easily the best part of that wonderful, beautiful film--peaches and Armie Hammer dances aside. As for the ones who did make it in, I am happiest about Willem Dafoe. The others are fine but I’d swap out Woody Harrelson for Jason Mitchell (Mudbound) and Richard Jenkins for the aforementioned Stuhlbarg. It’s hard for me to say anything negative about one of my all-time favorites Sam Rockwell, but I’d have been a lot more excited if Daniel Craig had made it in for his hilarious turn in Logan Lucky or if Patrick Stewart had gotten a well-earned nod for Logan.  Other Observations In cinematography, my biggest joys are Rachel Morrison and Roger Deakins. I would’ve also loved to see Vittorio Storaro for his gorgeous work on Wonder Wheel, and Elisha Christian for Columbus.  I’m bummed Colossal didn’t get any acknowledgement for writing, since it was a super original concept. Likewise, I think Logan Lucky deserved some love in the writing categories but I suppose that was a pretty stacked group. In documentary features, I only saw one: Kedi. I loved it though--it’s about cats! So maybe it was only worthy in my eyes, but you should see it and decide for yourself.  For film editing, I’m glad Baby Driver got in and wish Good Time had. That movie kept up such a frenetic pace and I think my heart was still pounding a good ten minutes after the credits rolled.  That’s all my Oscar Thoughts for now! Chime in with your own, and join me in watching all the awards get handed out on March 4th. 

[roseisread]

VINYL VIBES: Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin’ Songs 

Cold weather is great for digging through the crates of vinyl that have been acquired over the last few months and giving those records a proper, dedicated listen. So today, I bring you a random selection from my collection: Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin’ Songs, which was recorded in 1963 in a partnership with Hires Root Beer. 

For the uninitiated, Blossom Dearie was a jazz singer and pianist with a distinctively sweet, breezy vocal style that evoked a youthful innocence and playful spirit. A modern comparison might be made to Zooey Deschanel’s vocal delivery in She & Him, although personally I think Blossom did it better. If you’ve only heard one Dearie song, it’s probably “A Doodlin’ Song” which has been used in a few commercials. However, she’s much more than a novelty act, and her final recording before she died was dedicated to 9/11 victims and survivors, titled “It’s Alright To Be Afraid.” My personal favorite Blossom Dearie tune is in my top ten songs of all time, “I Like You, You’re Nice,” which would have fit nicely on the soundtrack of Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset.  So on to the album at hand. Up to this point, Blossom Dearie had recorded exclusively for Verve, a jazz label, and was known primarily as a jazz singer. This album saw her crossing over into the pop realm, and covering the big hits of the day. It’s very up tempo and one could imagine hearing it in the background of a Mad Men episode. Just the opening bossa nova shuffle of “Days of Wine and Roses” makes me want to summon the nearest bartender to whip me up Tom Collins or San Martin.  Track 2, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” was ten years old by the time Blossom got around to recording her version, but it had been a hit the year before thanks to one Mr. Tony Bennett. It’s hard to touch Tony’s signature song, but I do love the subtle vibrato and unique phrasing of Blossom’s take. Unfortunately for both Tony and Blossom, a human can never equal the wonders of a parrot named Pancho, who recorded his own version of this song and forever established that it belongs to him. I strongly urge you to give Pancho’s version a listen, because it will change your life. And yes, I do own his version on vinyl.  I wasn’t familiar with “I Wanna Be Around” before I gave this a spin, but I dig its shade-throwing vengeance vibes. “I wanna be around... when she breaks your heart to bits; that’s when I’ll discover that revenge is sweet when I sit there applaudin’ from a front row seat,” sings Blossom. Turns out this song was penned by a hairstylist from Ohio who sent it to Johnny Mercer and he retooled it for the likes of Tony Bennett and Brenda Lee. It apparently has an eternal appeal, as evidenced by Michael Buble including it on his latest album.  Next up we have “The Sweetest Sounds,” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. It occurs to me that Blossom Dearie would’ve been an adorable Cinderella, though I don’t know if she ever tried her hand at acting.  Blossom infuses a real melancholy to her version of “The Good Life,” another Tony Bennett tune, with lines like “The good life lets you hide all the sadness you feel/You won’t really fall in love for you can’t take the chance.” The way she sings it, you can’t help but wonder if this song holds personal meaning for her.  I adore “Lazy Hazy Days of Summer” no matter who sings it. I’m personally partial to Nat King Cole’s rendition, which came out the same year as this album. Blossom gives it a lot of pep, and the imagery of a summer picnic with beer and bikinis really comes to life as you hear her voice cascading along over a lively piano accompaniment.  Side A summation: A fun throwback to the early 60s, with a tinge of Blossom’s dark side coming through on a couple tracks.  As we flip the record over, Side B starts with another bossa nova track, “Desafinado.” This tune mourns a love that has turned lukewarm, but holds out hope that there could be a chance for recovery yet. “We used to harmonize, two souls in perfect time/Now the song is different and the words don't even rhyme,” goes one of the saddest lines. For me, the musical accompaniment doesn’t quite match up to the mood of the lyrics; but I’d love to hear a version with just Blossom and her piano as she muses about this mellowing romance. The Stan Getz/Antonio Carlos Jobim version is probably the most famous, but I love Ella Fitzgerald’s take on it. “Our Day Will Come” was originally by Ruby & the Romantics, and if the title sounds familiar, Amy Winehouse recorded it as well (although her version wasn’t released til after she passed away--it’s an outtake from the Frank sessions, and ended up on her Lioness collection). There’s a little too much flute in this version for my liking... but I do love the sweetness and teenage lovestruck feeling of the lyrics, which Blossom translates very well with her vocals.

Blossom’s version of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To the Moon” is so unlike the original that I didn’t recognize it til the chorus. It’s slowed down and intimate, with the kind of yearning not even Ol’ Blue Eyes could capture. Here, it almost sounds like a torch ballad to an unrequited love. I’d say this is the highlight of the entire album, and if I were making a movie about forbidden love, I’d find a way to include this tune. Next up we have “I’ve Got Your Number,” a swinging tune that Tony Bennett also recorded (this could be a Bennett tribute album, as it turns out), which calls out a love interest in a knowing way with a bit of sass. “You ain’t no Eagle Scout,” she sings. “You brag a lot, but you’re unsure a lot, like me.” The sing-songy style of this tune reminds me of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen″ from The Sound of Music, which of course means I’m a fan. I can’t seem to find Blossom’s version on YouTube, but you should definitely give a listen to this awesome cover by Jill Sobule. The introspective, existential sadness of “What Kind of Fool Am I” could end up sounding cheesy and overwrought in the wrong hands, but Blossom keeps it real and raw as she sings lines like, “A lonely cell in which an empty heart must dwell“--I mean, this line on its own is akin to Winona Ryder’s proclamation in Beetlejuice that her “whole life is a dark room, a big, dark room.” And yet, Blossom brings depth and tenderness to this self-loathing ballad. Unfortunately this track is not available online, but for a very different yet equally gorgeous cover, be sure to look up Filipino singer Regine Velasquez. The album closes with “He Loves Me,” a track that rivals “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “Every Breath You Take” for Best Stalker Song. I mean, Mel from Flight of the Conchords should have this as her theme song. Just check out some of these lines: “He loves me/True he doesn’t show it--how could he when he doesn’t know it” and “My teeth ache from the urge to touch him...  it won’t be long now before my love discovers that he and I are lovers/Imagine how surprised he’s bound to be!” All the stalker vibes aside, I actually really love this song and Blossom sings it in such a non-creepy way that I’m willing to accept she is just in love and hoping her secret lover will realize how adorable she is any minute now. Also, this song just happens to originate from the Broadway musical of the same name, and that musical has its roots in the same source material that beget one of my favorite films, The Shop Around the Corner (as well as its modern-day counterpart You’ve Got Mail. So I think in that context, it’s actually a sweet sentiment rather than a bunny boiler. Side B summation: A couple duds but overall a more interesting and varied collection of tunes than side A, delving into some more psychologically fragile territory. So there you have it! Thanks to Hires Root Beer for making this album happen, and thanks to the Discogs Record Fair for helping me get my happy little hands on it at a bargain price.  What have you been listening to lately? Leave me a note with your recommendations.   

[roseisread]

You Make Me Not Wanna Die: The return of the Pop Menagerie playlist! It’s been way too long since I posted anything on this blog. My only excuse is that I’ve had a crazy year in my personal life and sometimes internet things take a back seat to self care. But right now, I think my best form of self care is listening to and sharing my pop culture faves so I’m back to do just that. I’m starting off with a playlist that contains songs I love to sing along to, cry along to, dance along to, write along to, and think along to. Almost all of these songs are from albums released in 2017, although there may be an exception here or there for songs released earlier that I only discovered recently.  In any case, here you go. Enjoy!  1. Allie X - That’s So Us If you love Carly Rae Jepsen, you should love Allie X. This song makes me so happy, and also it makes me cry sometimes because it reminds me of those people that you really can be yourself around and they love you anyway. Those people are rare and wonderful, and if you are one of them for me, then thank you. “You make me not wanna die,” as the song says. I love that line so much I used it to title this playlist.  2. The Drums - Shoot the Sun Down Remember these guys? Kind of sunny indie pop, hit it big with “I Don’t Know How To Love” off of their album Portamento back in 2012? Yeah. They are still here, still awesome, and the album this came from just gives me shivers it’s so freaking great. Also, I joke that this song is dedicated to my cat when she tries to bite and scratch me at night, because of that repeating line, “I put a blanket over my face.” Nena, this one’s for you. 3. Knuckle Puck - Conduit I have such a goddamn soft spot for emo-leaning pop punk, you guys. I can’t even lie. As a bonus, they’re from the Chicago area so technically I can claim them as a local band. This song reminds me of the best of Blink 182, early Jimmy Eat World, and maybe even a little Brand New. I also love the lyrics, with their references to grinding teeth and lucid dreams. Definitely relatable for me. 4. MUNA - End of Desire You might be familiar with MUNA if you love Tegan and Sara, because this band appears on The Con: X covering Relief Next To Me. I love the way their voices blend, and I love the vulnerability of the lyrics. This song is open to interpretation, but it seems to allude to having feelings for another person that you didn’t ask for but can’t get rid of. Who hasn’t been there?  5. Kiasmos - Jarred The Icelandic duo is back with more incredible, chilly electronic tunes that almost sound like icicles forming or frost creeping up the inside of your window pane in the night. This song definitely makes me want to hop the next plane to Reykjavik and spend a week sipping dark liquor in some poorly lit club that only the locals know about.  6. MUTEMATH - War You know about my love of MUTEMATH by now. Their latest album goes in so many different directions musically--not just from one song to the next but within the space of a single track. This one is a banger live, and one of my favorites on the album. Lyrically, it reminds me of my own not so great tendency to get heated as I try to convince someone they’re wrong and I’m right. A good debate is healthy sometimes, but not everything needs to be a battle for the ages. “War’s in my nature,” all right. But I’m trying to find a way toward peace. 7. Cat Dealers/Groove Delight - Calabria This is just a sick dance track. I can’t claim to know all that much about Cat Dealers, although I know they hail from Rio de Janeiro and that this song makes me want to tear it up on the dancefloor or the living room or the driver’s seat of my car. Groove Delight is Brazilian as well, making me think I probably need to go to Brazil sooner rather than later to discover what other booty shaking gems I’ve been missing.  8. Converge - A Single Tear Can you believe these guys have been around for 27 years? This song encapsulates so many things I love about them, from their always insane percussion to the insistent guitar melodies to the impassioned vocals of Jacob Bannon. The lyrics (which allude to “holding you for the first time,” presumably about becoming a parent) are so sweet, a word that doesn’t probably come up in a lot of reviews of metal and hardcore songs but still, I stand by it.  9. Luna Shadows - Jesus Christ (Brand New cover) I have always loved this song, and it’s awesome to hear a young up and coming artist take it on. She really puts her own spin on this classic of the emo genre, and I look forward to hearing more original tunes from her.  10. ROMES - Someone I just saw these guys open for MUTEMATH and they have so much energy live! Canadian by way of Ireland, they bring out anthemic indie pop tunes that are just irresistible. I’m reminded a little bit of Peter Gabriel and a little bit of Bastille, but not in a derivative way.  11. Fever Ray - Red Trails Ahhhhh! Fever Ray is back!!!! It’s been way too long since we’ve heard from her, but the album that she just released online helps make up for the absence because it just kills. She still has that haunting, hypnotic voice layered on top of unexpected instrumentation and arrhythmic beats. The lyrics are mysterious and dark. There’s something sexy about it but not in a Britney Spears way. She sounds kind of dangerous but you can’t help but want to follow her wherever she’s going.  12. ABRA - Bounty Speaking of hypnotic and sexy, ABRA is definitely both. Based in Atlanta, she sounds like she’s based in another planet altogether. Her off kilter brand of R&B does not fit any category--she has this supple voice that leads us along across breathy beats and frantic counter melodies. It’s unsettling and gorgeous at the same time.  13. Tove Lo - Disco Tits Tove Lo is my ride or die. She’s unabashedly herself in all her nympho trashy glory, and I adore her for it. I promise I’m not into club drugs, but Euro pop songs about them sure are fun. I put this song on the car radio when I’m driving to work just to wake myself up and then have to make sure my phone volume is on mute before I walk into the office because “nipples are hard ready to go” is probably not appropriate lyrical content for the workplace.  14. Golden Features - Funeral Tom Stell, aka Golden Features, has sold out tours in his native country of Australia but it won’t belong before he’s selling out everywhere. This track makes me want to see him in an underground dance club at 4am. It’s fire.  15. Jessie Ware - Stay Awake, Wait For Me Another one of my faves is back! I love her upbeat songs but this is one of those instant classic pop ballads, and I had to find a spot for it on this list. It’s intimate and romantic and sexy in a grown up way. Don’t put this song on if you’re trying to be celibate, is all I’m saying.  16. Hundred Waters - Particle If you miss Imogen Heap/Frou Frou, you should most definitely be listening to Hundred Waters. Nicole Miglis has that hushed tone in her voice that belies intense feeling, and the skittering electronic elements fill the spaces in between as a sort of musical representation of anxiety and uncertainty. This song, about a romantic coupling that seems lopsided. “I’m only a particle, a drop in you, forever dissolving,” she sings. Damn. 

17. The Tuts- Dump Your Boyfriend What’s not to love about this UK based garage girl group? This song describes the kind of toxic relationship that it’s easy to criticize from the outside but harder to shake when you’re the one who’s in love with an asshole.  18. Fellwarden - Sun of an Ending This kind of moody, atmospheric black metal is so soothing to me. It feels ancient and primal, like the old gods are still roaming the land slaying dragons and protecting those that live in their realm. If you’re a black metal fan, you may recognize the vocals as those of Fen frontman The Watcher.   19. Palehound - Silver Toaster On Boston-based Palehound’s second album, the writing sounds more self-assured and the songs even more personal than those on the debut. Frontwoman Ellen Kempner attributes this in part to being more comfortable in her own skin as a queer-identifying woman, and in part to being in her first healthy adult relationship. This song is short and simple, but I love the unexpected turns of phrase and imagery, like the line, “hack off my split ends.” There are plenty of bands doing the whole DIY stripped down aesthetic, but this one rises above the rest. If you were into artists like Kimya Dawson and Mary Lou Lord, you should definitely be paying attention to Palehound. 

20. Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More Nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy earlier this year, Kelsea Ballerini hits the ground running on her latest release. She’s been writing songs since she was 12 years old and listening to Britney, Christina, and N Sync. Something about the fact that she considers Shania her biggest influence really charms me. I am obsessed with this song, which I can relate to on a very personal level. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you’ve compromised yourself for another person until you don’t have them in your life anymore and suddenly the real you starts to re-emerge.  21. The Maharajas - Too Late To Repent If you hear this song and think it must be a re-release of some little known 1960s garage rock/British Invasion group, I don’t blame you. I wondered that myself. But it turns out these Swedish dudes have only been active since the 90s, and they are still recording music that sounds like it’s from a bygone era. A little Kinks, a little Beatles, a little surf rock--it’s all here and it’s all great.  22. Margo Price - Don’t Say It This Illinois native was signed by Jack White to Third Man Records, and she recorded her debut album at Sun Studios in Memphis. Both of those things make sense upon hearing her traditional country sound. She has one of those clear, classic voices that really do harken back to the Lorettas and Patsys and Tammys. Her second album even features a duet with Willie Nelson, proving that she’s definitely earned her classic country bonafides.  23. Peaness - Skin Surfing OK, yes, initially I was drawn to this 3-piece English band because of their silly name. But once I heard the first guitar strums and vocal harmonies, I was truly done for. Formed in 2014, they have songs about everything from wasting food just because it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing (”Ugly Veg”) to George Osborne of Brexit fame (”Oh George”). This song is very seductive while staying playful and affirming consent. I dig the occasional Veruca Salt vibes it dips into as well.  24. Dori Freeman - Ern & Zorry’s Sneakin’ Bitin’ Dog I guess an acapella song about a mean neighbor dog might be an odd choice for a playlist but it’s so adorable I couldn’t leave it out. Dori Freeman, who cites Peggy Lee and Rufus Wainwright as her major influences, hails from Virginia and her songs have an Appalachian flavor. I predict a T-Bone Burnett collaboration in her future.    25. The Blow - Summer It’s hard to believe The Blow has existed in some form for going on 20 years, but it’s true. The K Records vets continue to release hypnotic, electronic indie pop with a lo-fi feel, and this song has been stuck in my head from the first listen. It’s a simple melody but good luck escaping that hook.  26. Austra - Beyond a Mortal The Canadian dark wave is back with their third album, this time recorded in Mexico. For this particular track, singer Katie Stelmanis says she recorded the vocals over 100 times to achieve the hushed, whispery effect. The rest of the album, titled Future Politics, is a meditation on the state of the world as it is now and what we all wish it could become.  27. MGMT - Little Dark Age Finally! It’s been 5 years since MGMT’s last album, and even longer since the world sat up and took notice of them. This lead single off their upcoming album makes me think that they’re poised to re-take the synth pop throne. This song has elements of their earliest work, but it also incorporates bits of industrial and even krautrock. I listen and think Depeche Mode! Kraftwerk! Skinny Puppy! So many of my musical faves somehow distilled into a single track. I can only hope that the rest of the album lives up to this single. 28. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Ring-a-Ring O’Roses To me, there’s always been an otherworldly quality to Charlotte Gainsbourg’s voice. She took some time off from music to do some acting, notably in Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac volume 1 and volume 2 and Melancholia. Those films required heavy lifting and emotional degradation, which perhaps allowed her to tap into a deeper place when recording the songs for this album, her first in seven years. The video for this song features Gainsbourg’s son, carrying on the family tradition started by Charlotte and her father Serge Gainsbourg.  29. Sun Glitters - Where the End Begins If there’s one thing I love, it’s shimmery electronic music. And Sun Glitters, who hails from Luxembourg, produces just that. Rarely does an artist’s name so aptly describe their sound, but this is one such perfect marriage. If you enjoy the likes of Gold Panda, Boards of Canada, Fennesz, Teen Daze, or Blackbird Blackbird, you will definitely dig this sound. 

[roseisread]

Top 25 Movies of 2016

I saw 51 of the many more films released in 2016, so naturally this list suffers from the usual incompleteness. But of those 51, the movies listed below are the ones that really stuck with me, entertained me, moved me, or made me see the world through a different lens after the credits rolled. Some of them are deeply personal and hold great meaning; others are just a great excuse to laugh or shudder or sob about something that doesn’t matter so you don’t have to think about the things in real life that might evoke that reaction for a couple hours. 

If you saw something amazing that didn’t make the list, be sure to let me know so I can add it to my watchlist (or defend my choice to leave it off the list of faves). 

25. Zootopia (Netflix) At a time when the world was finding reasons to divide itself into fractious subgroups, along came a winsome little animated film about tolerance and eschewing stereotypes. The animation is top notch, the story is funny and action-packed, and any scene featuring the sloth from the DMV threatened my ability to breathe because I was laughing so hard. If you missed it in theaters, be sure to catch up with it on Netflix. It’s a real gem. 

24. The Conjuring 2 (Amazon/iTunes rental) The first Conjuring got a ton of acclaim but I wasn’t that enamored with it. This one, on the other hand, totally delivers. Once again, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star as paranormal investigators who are plagued by dark forces. This time, the action centers on a family in England (inspired by the somewhat infamous Enfield Poltergeist) with an unwanted apparition who interacts with them in all kinds of upsetting ways. Rather than relying solely on jump scares, there’s a lot of great suspenseful sequences and practical effects that use the atmosphere and physical space to masterful effect. Plus, the characters are likable and we are rooting for them which goes a long way toward making this a better than average horror movie. 

23. The Edge of Seventeen (Theaters) Hailee Steinfeld plus Woody Harrelson equals brilliance. Add to the mix the savvy direction of first timer Kelly Fremon Craig and the charming supporting cast (particularly Hayden Szeto) and you have a winning combo that leaves other teen dramedies in the dust. The story is relatable for anyone who experienced high school: Nadine feels alienated at school and at home, partly because high school sucks and parents just don’t understand but also partly because she sees herself as just a little bit superior to her peers and family members. She’s a classic Holden Caulfield type, really. When her best friend starts dating Nadine’s brother and mortal enemy, she takes it as a personal betrayal. Between this, her crush on a bad boy type, and her tentative steps toward romance with a nerdy but sweet classmate, she’s got a lot on her plate. Naturally, she takes solace by venting to her favorite teacher, the bemused Harrelson who takes all of her abuse and whining with stoic aplomb. 

22. Jackie (Theaters) I was born in 1981, which means I don’t have any personal connection to Jackie O. the way people of my parents generation did. I don’t have recollections of seeing her on TV or experiencing the Kennedy assassination, but I’ve been hearing about it all my life and thus feel like I know the story. This movie took me by surprise by showing me something new, something I’d never considered: The personal grief of a tremendously public loss. Natalie Portman embodies the carefully manicured public persona as well as the private devastation of Jackie Kennedy in the days surrounding JFK’s death. It’s not a traditional biopic, and not a traditional historical drama. That makes sense coming from Chilean director Pablo Larrain, who also gave us the excellent political thriller/comedy No a few years ago. He captures pivotal moments and edits them together into a kind of fractured consciousness befitting the recently bereft Jackie. 

21. 10 Cloverfield Lane (Amazon/GooglePlay rental) I’ve still never seen the original Cloverfield (I know, I know), but I do love me some John Goodman being a possible creeper so I had to see this movie. The title really was an afterthought; the story was written independent of the horror franchise and marketing decided a built-in audience and some name recognition would boost ticket sales. All of this to say, you don’t need to know or love Cloverfield to know and love 10 Cloverfield Lane. Essentially it’s a chamber piece, modeled on some of Hitchcock’s techniques (Lifeboat/Rope/Dial M for Murder).  Oh and also the original script got a once-over by a certain Damien Chazelle, who was once slated to direct it as well until Whiplash got greenlit and then he got a little busy making a movie called La La Land which may or may not be definitely coming up later in this list so... yeah. But anyways. It’s got that breathlessness and intensity Chazelle brought to life in his other movies, but this time in an actual horror/suspense setting. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher, Jr. play Goodman’s reluctant houseguests in his underground bunker. Goodman claims to be protecting them from something horrible outside; they’re not sure whether to believe him or to trust their instinct that the something horrible is Goodman himself. All three performances are excellent, and your nerves will be frayed little bundles by the time 103 minutes is up. 

20. Certain Women (Theaters) Just watching this movie made me feel physically cold. It takes place in Montana, and is essentially a triptych that follows three different women in the same small town. The first, played by Laura Dern, is an attorney with a particularly high maintenance client (Jared Harris). The second is a woman (Michelle Williams) who feels alienated from her husband and their teenage daughter, even as the family is working on building a house together. The final story, and by far my favorite, focuses on a farmhand (the glorious Lily Gladstone in a breakout role) who chances upon a night class taught by Kristen Stewart and becomes transfixed. This is a quiet film, about women who yearn for more than their lives so far have given them. Each one deals with the small injustices and tiny victories that ordinary events bestow, but one senses beneath the surface a lingering question of “Is this all there is?” In that way, it’s totally relatable. There aren’t a lot of major plot arcs here, but that’s exactly the point of the film. In watching this movie, you realize that Henry David Thoreau’s quote about the masses leading lives of quiet desperation might well be answered by Simone de Beauvoir: “I think that where you go wrong is that you imagine that your reasons for living ought to fall on you, ready-made from heaven, whereas we have to find them for ourselves.” 

19. Don’t Think Twice (YouTube/GooglePlay rental) If you listen to podcasts at all (especially This American Life, WTF, or You Made It Weird), you should know the name Mike Birbiglia by now. He’s a comic turned actor/writer/director and this is his latest original work. This time, he enlisted fellow talented comics to join him onscreen: Chris Gethard, Gillian Jacobs, Keegan Michael Key, Kate Micucci, and Tami Sagher play his friends and fellow members of an improv troupe. They’re all people you know or have been--starving artist types who are holding onto a dream that comedy will one day pay the bills and take them to the next level. When that actually happens to one of them, the group dynamic shifts considerably. As Morrissey so accurately sings, “We hate it when our friends become successful.” But really, the truth is we hate ourselves when our friends become successful. It makes us question whether it’s a matter of deserving it or working hard or random chance.  The great thing about this movie is the blend of truly hilarious comedic moments and stirring emotional honesty. It’s about friendship, it’s about surviving your thirties, it’s about figuring out if the dreams you’ve had your whole life are the dreams you still actually want to come true. If you can get through Gillian Jacobs’ incredible solo improv performance toward the end of this movie without tears, you get to be the new Clear Eyes spokesperson instead of Ben Stein. 

18. Love and Friendship (Amazon Prime) This movie features one of the funniest characters of the year, an immensely clueless rich dolt named Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), who marvels at the existence of peas and struggles to arrive at the correct number of commandments. Who could be responsible for such a creation? Well, who else but the writer whose best work pokes fun at social climbers and wealthy nitwits: Jane Austen. Whit Stillman adapted her little known work Lady Susan into this charming and hilarious period piece starring Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny, Stephen Fry, and Xavier Samuel. Beckinsale does her absolute greatest work in this movie--I had no idea she was capable of this kind of performance, and she absolutely slays. As far as Austen adaptations go, this one is my favorite since Clueless--and that’s about the highest praise I could offer. 

17. Don’t Breathe (YouTube/Amazon/Vudu Rental) The premise of Fede Alvarez’s sophomore thriller is simple: A trio of young Detroit opportunists break into the home of a blind veteran (Stephen Lang) after hearing he’s got a lot of cash in the house, figuring it’ll be an easy score. But they underestimate this particular blind man and his ability to protect his home and property. The result is a fast-paced cat and mouse game that will definitely have you holding your breath for long chunks of time. I had a blast watching this movie, even if it should have ended a few scenes earlier than it did. 

16. Hell or High Water (Amazon/iTunes/GooglePlay Rental) One of my favorite pieces of music, classical or otherwise, is Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. This composition was directly inspired by a speech delivered by Henry Wallace in 1942, which outlined the cause of freedom and the stakes of World War II while also setting a tone for the whole century as one in which ordinary people--the common man--would share the same standard of living, of educational and economic opportunity, of scientific discovery.  An excerpt of this speech reads thusly: “When the freedom-loving people march; when the farmers have an opportunity to buy land at reasonable prices and to sell the produce of their land through their own organizations, when workers have the opportunity to form unions and bargain through them collectively, and when the children of all the people have an opportunity to attend schools which teach them truths of the real world in which they live — when these opportunities are open to everyone, then the world moves straight ahead.” Well, the world has continued moving since those words were spoken, but those opportunities are certainly not yet open to everyone despite promises all around that anyone in America should be able to succeed on grit and good will alone. When grit and good will fail to deliver, some people give up and some people become outlaws. That’s where we find our protagonists in this movie, Toby and Tanner Howard (Chris Pine and Ben Foster, respectively), as it opens. They’re robbing banks out of perceived necessity, and also out of a sense of Karma not acting quite fast enough for their liking. Meanwhile, a pair of Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) get assigned to the case and aim to catch up with whoever’s responsible and give ‘em hell.  The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Giles Nuttgens, and the screenplay contains scintillating dialogue and the kind of characters you might find in a classic Western, plus a final showdown for the ages. On the performance side, there’s not a weak one in the bunch. Chris Pine proves he’s more than just a pretty face and Jeff Bridges sheds his Dude persona to give an even better performance here than in his Oscar-winning turn in Crazy Heart. If you need a movie to watch with your Dad that you can both enjoy, this is that movie. 

15. De Palma (Amazon Prime) Sisters. Carrie. Dressed to Kill. Blow Out. Mission Impossible. Body Double. Scarface. The Untouchables. Casualties of War. About 20 other films--all directed by Brian De Palma, the subject of this documentary. For some, he’s alienating. For me, this guy is legendary. His films pick up where Hitchcock left off and go running off in their own bonkers directions, oozing style and excess and delivering tawdry and thrilling twists along the way. I’m convinced that one day he’ll be revered by film students and not just genre lovers, and at that point this doc will serve as a Hitchcock/Truffaut type text.  The doc is really just De Palma going through his filmography chronologically, shots of him talking edited together with clips from every one of his movies and archival behind the scenes footage. That might sound boring but I promise you it is not. He tells lots of stories, does not shy away from pointing out the flaws and issues in his movies, and reflects on the reception his movies have received from critics and cultural scholars over the years. He also tells some fascinating stories from his youth that shed light on the types of movies he grew up to make. He also talks a lot about his techniques and the way his shooting style developed. If you are interested in filmmaking or De Palma or both, this movie will have you riveted from start to finish.

14. Manchester by the Sea (Theaters) For a meditation on grief and loss, this movie made me laugh a lot. That might sound inappropriate, but if you’ve ever experienced loss yourself, you know it’s not linear and doesn’t follow rules or codes of conduct. Sometimes you laugh at inopportune times. Sometimes you want to cry and can’t. Sometimes you melt down at the sight of frozen food (see what I did there? Melt/frozen! Ahh I kill me sometimes).  Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges make a great onscreen team, with Affleck playing Lee Chandler and Hedges playing Patrick, Lee’s teenage nephew. They’ve both lost someone important to them, but neither is great at opening up on the subject. Lee does his best to take care of his nephew, but he feels ill-equipped to be the stable parental figure Patrick needs. For his part, Patrick would prefer to keep things the way they are. “I have two girlfriends and I’m in a band!” he points out, and who is Lee to argue with that kind of logic? 

Of course I can’t finish discussing this movie without highlighting the luminous presence of Michelle Williams, who owns every second she’s onscreen (which isn’t very long). Her final scene with Affleck broke me right in two. 

13. Born to be Blue (Digital Purchase) Every year springs new musical biopics upon us, to varying degrees of creativity and critical acclaim or derision. My favorite one from 2016 was Robert Budreau’s nonlinear narrative inspired by incidents from the life of Chet Baker as portrayed by Ethan Hawke, who gives his best performance outside a movie with “Before” in the title. For the unfamiliar, Chet Baker is best known as the singer of “My Funny Valentine” today, but he was also a prominent jazz trumpet player and part of the West Coast jazz scene in the 1950s and 60s. As so many artist types, his genius was often threatened by his dalliances with substances and people whose momentary glamor gave way to decay and destruction. 

Hawke captures Baker’s charming qualities as well as his tendencies toward self-sabotage, and the movie does not feel like a typical biopic as it incorporates a more meditative approach than a chronological one. There’s also a movie-within-the-movie which adds to the novel feel and keeps this from just hitting all the major events in Baker’s life in order. Carmen Ejogo is excellent as Baker’s primary love interest, a complex and well-drawn foil for the troubled musician. Her character is an amalgam of real life people, but she stands out as more than just your typical long-suffering wife/lover trope. 

12. Fences (Theaters) August Wilson’s intimate play gets the cinematic treatment at the hands of Denzel Washington, who both directed and stars here. Troy (Washington) is a garbage man who drinks a lot and talks a lot more to his wife Rose (Viola Davis), his friend Bono (Stephen Henderson), his son Cory (Jovan Adeppo), and others who show up at his doorstep.  The story is simple, but the characters are anything but. This may be my favorite ever Denzel performance, and certainly my pick for Best Actor in a Leading Role of 2016. Davis is phenomenal too, in a quiet but steady way. And not as many people are talking about Stephen Henderson, who played Bono in the play as well as the movie, but he’s excellent.  If you want to hear beautifully written dialogue (and monologues), see some of the year’s best performances, and be moved by a family drama that feels relevant even though it was written and set in a bygone era, go see Fences. 

11. Midnight Special (On Demand) In the first of two Jeff Nichols-directed movies that came out in 2016, Michael Shannon (a frequent Nichols collaborator) is a father trying to protect his son. The boy has some unique abilities, to say the least, and everyone from cult leaders to government agencies wants to exploit those abilities. It’s part superhero origin story, part Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and all about the joy, terror, and unbridled love that come with being a parent.  The movie features memorable visuals as well as supporting performances from Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver. The ending may leave you with more questions than answers, but the emotions it evokes are unmistakable.

10. Tower (iTunes) In 1966, a lone gunman stood atop a tower on the University of Texas campus and opened fire on the unsuspecting people below. For the next 96 minutes, chaos and carnage took over the scene as law enforcement and campus officials tried to devise a way to stop the shooter without endangering more lives. This documentary tells the story of that day from the perspective of people who were there, using interviews and re-staging events using rotoscoping animation.  The result is one of the most powerful documentaries in recent memory (outside of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence). Hearing from victims, bystanders, police officers, journalists, and students who experienced this firsthand reveals so much about the nature of trauma, the way we react in extreme circumstances, and the contrast between what was then a first-of-its kind incident and what is now an all too frequent occurrence: The campus shooting spree. It’s never preachy, just lets each person tell their own story. Always, the focus is on the people on the ground rather than the person behind the violence. It’s a must-see film.

9. Arrival (Theaters) Denis Villeneuve has become one of my favorite directors of recent years, and it’s great to see a film of his get embraced so widely by audiences as well as critics. In case you haven’t yet seen it, this movie features Amy Adams as a linguist and Jeremy Renner as a scientist. Both of them have been recruited to help the government communicate with the aliens who have recently parked giant pods all over the world.  The movie opens with a much more human story, and if you cried at the beginning of Up you will certainly shed tears here too. I won’t give more away than that, but what happens informs the emotions and decisions made throughout the film in interesting ways.  I love the visuals of this film, and the emotional arc of the story. I also adored all the technical linguistic things that were going on, and I don’t know enough about science or language to know whether they were plausible so I’m just going to assume ignorance is bliss and aids in suspension of disbelief. There is one scene that seems to create a divide in audiences between loving and hating this movie. I won’t explain beyond saying it involves a phone call, so if you’ve seen it you know what I’m talking about. I can understand the criticism, but for me it was not enough to derail all that came before and after.  If you haven’t seen this yet and you like your science fiction with a few tugs on the heartstrings, this is definitely worth your time. 

8. The Lobster (Amazon/iTunes/GooglePlay Rental) I adore this movie, but that does not mean you will. I have to put that caveat right up front. In fact, at least one person I recommended this movie to absolutely hated it. So, take my opinion with a grain of salt but I will try to convey truth in advertising.  Yorgos Lanthimos, whose previous films were Dogtooth and Alps, makes his English language debut with this dystopian romantic comedy. Colin Farrell, John C. Reilly, Rachel Weisz, Ben Wishaw, Lea Seydoux, and Olivia Colman are the human subjects who populate the story. In their world, if you find yourself without a partner, you go to a hotel where you have 45 days to pair up with someone. If you do not find a suitable match, then at the end of 45 days you get turned into the animal of your choice. You can extend the time of your matchmaking opportunities by going out to the forest and hunting “loners,” people who have escaped from the hotel in the past and choose to live lives of solitude.  It’s a wacky premise, but leads to numerous laugh out loud scenarios in addition to the more plaintive moments. I should warn you that there is a scene or two of violence involving an animal, which may be tough to watch for some. That may be one of the reasons people hate it. But as a critique of human behavior and society’s obsessions, it’s quite an effective parable. 

The latter half of the film takes a different turn, and while I don’t want to give away what happens, that’s why I called this a “romantic” comedy. You may not want to watch it with your date on Valentine’s Day, but if you do it should certainly give you much to discuss afterward.

7. April and the Extraordinary World (YouTube/Vudu/GooglePlay/Amazon Rental) This animated steampunk French film features a talking cat and a whipsmart girl and an underground lair and a bunch of other wondrous things that I don’t dare attempt to describe. It’s an alternative history film, it features the voice of the marvelous Marion Cotillard, and it should’ve been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. Alas, it was not. But if you want to watch a gorgeous, funny, charming film that might inspire a generation of girls to go into STEM careers, watch this. 

6. The Neon Demon (Amazon Prime) I feel intoxicated every time I even recall this sumptuous film. If you missed my review of it earlier this year, go check it out and then go watch this film... if you dare.

5. Sing Street (Netflix) This is, hands down, the feel good movie of the year. Written and directed by John Carney, who gave us Once and Begin Again, this film is set in Ireland in the early 1980s. The premise is simple, really: A boy starts a band to impress a girl that’s out of reach. Not only does he hope to impress her with the music, but he convinces her to star in their music videos since she’s seeking a career as a model. Then he has to actually form the band, and learn how to play instruments and write songs. Along the way, his older and cooler brother educates him on the cool musicians of the day: The Smiths, Duran Duran, The Clash, The Jam, Hall & Oates, The Cure, Spandau Ballet.  The original songs in this film are super catchy and fun, and serve as homages to the great bands referenced above. If you’re a sucker for the films of John Hughes, the music of the 80s, and stories about brothers and coming of age and following your dreams, this is the movie for you. 

4. The Handmaiden (Theaters) Take a novel  set in Victorian England about pickpockets, conmen, and insane asylums that’s been referred to as “lesbian Dickens” (Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith), and set it in colonial South Korea, and make sure it’s directed by the guy who made Oldboy. This is a recipe for the most gorgeously photographed, erotically charged, bonkers in the best way movie of the year.  I don’t want to get too far into the story which has so many delicious surprises, but the quick version is that an orphan pickpocket goes to live with a rich but possibly mentally ill young woman to serve as her handmaiden. This is all in an attempt to con said rich young woman into a marriage plot with a smooth talking ne’er do well man. And there’s also the added wrinkle of the rich girl’s creepy uncle, who collects banned erotic books and holds readings in his library for men who pass through. It’s a very unsettling atmosphere for two young ladies, and they form a bond with one another in spite of themselves.  There are moments of horror, laughter, and blush-inducing romance in this unrated film (don’t watch it with Grandma unless she has a very open mind and you have a very comfortable relationship). Its runtime is 145 minutes but I wanted to stay in this world forever. 

3. Green Room (Amazon/iTunes/GooglePlay Rental) We lost too many good people last year, and Anton Yelchin was one of the losses that hurt the most. In this movie, he gives arguably his best performance as a member of a punk band that gets in way over its head when they take a gig for gas money that takes place in a remote area where most of the audience is neo-Nazi skinheads. They get through the performance, uncomfortable as it is, but the real trouble happens later when one of them witnesses something their hosts really don’t want them to see. From there, it’s a tense stalemate as the band members have to improvise and evaluate who can be trusted. The movie is directed by Jeremy Saulnier, who gave us the excellent and underrated Blue Ruin a few years ago. This one has a similar blend of regular people in irregular situations, with plenty of blood and gore but also a fair bit of humor and a whole lot of real raw punk rock, both on the soundtrack and in the aesthetic. It helps that Saulnier was in a band himself back in the day, so he brings a real authenticity to the characters in the movie.  This stayed atop my “best of the year” list all the way into December, when I finally saw the last two films on my list. I’ve watched it multiple times and would watch it many more. If you took delight in a video of a Nazi getting punched a few weeks back, you should definitely watch this movie. And if you didn’t, well, you should still watch this movie. 

2. Moonlight (Theaters/Digital Purchase) Barry Jenkins (director/co-writer) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (co-writer) have created a moving, timeless piece of visual poetry in this film that captures three significant chapters in the life of a young man named Chiron. When we first meet him, he’s maybe six or seven years old and people call him “Little.” He hides out in an abandoned house to escape from neighborhood bullies, and is discovered by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a local drug dealer with a complicated moral compass. Juan and his wife Teresa (Janelle Monae) become de facto surrogate parents to Little, whose mom (Naomie Harris) works late and brings random men home and sells their belongings off piece by piece to afford the drugs she craves.  In the second chapter, Little is now “Chiron,” in high school and life hasn’t gotten easier. He’s still quiet, still has a troubled relationship with his mom, and feels pretty alone in his peer group with the exception of his friend Kevin. He and Kevin share an unexpected but life-changing evening on the beach that is intimate and believable and raw. The next day at school, however, another life-changing exchange takes place between the two young men and this one is even more visceral in its immediate and long lasting impact on Chiron’s future. Finally, we see him as “Black,” a little older and transformed from the skinny vulnerable teen into a muscular, physically intimidating presence. He’s clearly fighting against his past by embracing everything he can to seem larger than life and untouchable, in both his physical appearance and his lifestyle. He gets a phone call one night that reconnects him with a part of his past he could never quite shake. I won’t spoil what happens next, but the final twenty minutes of this movie are a perfect encapsulation of long-suppressed feelings finally forcing their way out into the open. It’s such a personal story, but the specifics make it so relatable that it feels universal in its specificity.  The performances in this movie are wonderful, the cinematography is gorgeous, the score is amazing--I could go on for years. To me, this movie showed a story I’ve never seen on screen before, from a perspective that’s completely underrepresented in pop culture. It never feels manipulative or stereotypical or preachy--just real and achingly human. Some moments in this movie have replayed themselves over and over in my mind hundreds of times, and even having seen it twice in the theater I can’t wait to study every frame of it on multiple viewings once it’s available on Blu-Ray. I want it to seep into my bones the way it seeped into my heart. 1. La La Land (Theaters) “This is the kind of movie that just fills your heart up,” I texted a friend the second I exited the theater after seeing La La Land the first of three times (and counting). And every time I watch it, my heart overflows a little more. Here’s a film that will resonate differently depending on your frame of mind when you watch it, the same way Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind can feel funny or sweet or tragic or dark or romantic depending on your current relationship status.  At first glance, Damien Chazelle may seem to be showing off in his follow up to Whiplash, tapping into an easy sentimentality that short circuits our center of reason by throwing in references to Singin’ in the Rain, Casablanca, West Side Story, and an LA that probably only ever existed in the imaginations of the people who never actually visited the City of Stars but fell in love with its many portrayals on the silver screen. And yes, Hollywood does love stories about itself and yes, the novelty of an original movie musical does scream “anachronistic film school prodigy.” So I get the skepticism, I truly do. I can’t promise this movie will live up to the hype of a record-tying number of Oscar nominations for you, but I can tell you that it means so much more than that to me. It’s not just another charming but forgettable throwback (I’m looking at you, The Artist).  In case you haven’t yet experienced this movie, a quick breakdown: Sebastian and Mia, portrayed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, are both in LA chasing their dreams of artistic success. He’s a jazz pianist; she’s an actress. Neither has quite made it, and “making it” to them means doing something authentic on their own terms which makes success even more elusive. Compromise may be part of real life but neither of them is quite ready to give up the fantasy yet. Their relationship starts off adversarial, then tentative, then before you know it they’re literally floating into space so carried away are they with love and visions of a future together. The stages of their lives and the story are divided up by seasons, and sure as summer follows spring, you can’t get through the year without the fall. Fall in this movie has a double meaning, and the cute flirty interludes give way to frustrated sighs and changing priorities. Other seasons follow, which I will not spoil, but I will say that the final five or ten minutes of this movie could stand on their own and still be my favorite film of 2016. People compared Whiplash to The Red Shoes, and I would make the same comparison to this film although for different reasons. The ballet sequence of The Red Shoes and the final sequence of La La Land share an artistic splendor the can induce wonder and catharsis in equal measure. I’m prone to quoting Charles Bukowski, so I’m going to close by quoting him again. I think the following poems explain the core of this film, and why it resonates so much with me: “the area dividing the brain and the soul is affected in many ways by experience – some lose all mind and become soul: insane. some lose all soul and become mind: intellectual. some lose both and become: accepted.” --You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense “if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don't do it. if you're doing it for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your bed, don't do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way. and there never was.” --So You Want To Be a Writer?

[roseisread]

Grammy Predictions 2017

Today’s the day! Prepare to yell at your TV a lot and scratch your head at the choices the voters make. Cross your fingers for some really memorable performances like last year’s Kendrick Lamar showstopper. And read on for my predictions of who will take home Grammy gold today.  By the way, most of the awards are given out during the pre-televised ceremony, so if you want to watch that portion you will need to go to the Grammy website and stream it. The “Premiere” show starts at 12:30pm PT, which is coming right up. The rest of the show with all the performances and millions of commercials happens this evening. 

I do my best to keep up with a lot of genres of music, but there are plenty that I can’t claim any expertise on. If I left out your favorite category it’s because I don’t feel qualified to comment on it. I’d love to hear your input on those categories though! 

Best Music Film

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Steve Aoki)

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years (The Beatles)

Lemonade (Beyonce) WILL WIN

The Music of Strangers (Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble)

American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry (Various Artists)

Normally I don’t pay a ton of attention to this category, but this year it should be an early indicator of how some of the bigger categories will go. Why? Because if Beyonce loses this one, she may be poised for a night of disappointments. Lemonade was basically THE musical event of the year. I feel pretty comfortable predicting she’ll win this award. I haven’t seen the others so I won’t say who “should” win--but let’s just say I feel like the Beatles already had their time to shine. 

Best Music Video

Beyonce - Formation (WILL WIN / SHOULD WIN)

Leon Bridges - River

Coldplay - Up&Up

Jamie XX - Gosh

OK Go - Upside Down & Inside Out

Again, this is Bey’s to lose; but I am happy to see Jamie XX get some love and OK Go are always setting a high bar for innovation in the video department. 

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Benny Blanco (SHOULD WIN)

Greg Kurstin (WILL WIN)

Max Martin (RUNNER UP)

Nineteen85

Ricky Reed

Looking at the biggest songs of the Grammy year (which runs from September to September), Max Martin and Greg Kurstin are pretty evenly split. Martin had Can’t Stop the Feeling, Dangerous Woman, Into You, Send My Love To Your New Lover, Side To Side, and collabs with P!nk and Katy Perry. Kurstin had Sia’s Cheap Thrills, Tegan and Sara’s Love You To Death, and three giant Adele songs (Hello, Million Years Ago, Water Under the Bridge) plus Ellie Goulding’s Something in the Way You Move. Because the Grammy voters love Adele, I can see this one going to Kurstin. Nineteen85 is the biggest up and comer, but probably too hip hop oriented for voters to truly appreciate (Drake, DJ Khaled, and dvsn are on the list of hitmaker collabs here). Ricky Reed mostly has Meghan Trainor and Phantogram on the resume, although the insanely catchy HandClap by Fitz and the Tantrums is one of his so that could push him over the edge. My favorite, though, is Benny Blanco who worked with my beloved Francis & the Lights on several tracks as well as Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, Major Lazer’s Cold Water, Selena Gomez’s Kill Em with Kindness, and Tory Lanez-Luv. I love the production on all those tracks and I think Blanco is the most deserving in the category.

Best Song Written for Visual Media

Justin Timberlake - Can’t Stop the Feeling (Trolls) WILL WIN

21 Pilots - Heathens (Suicide Squad)

P!nk - Just Like Fire (Alice Through the Looking Glass)

Skrillex & Rick Ross - Purple Lamborghini (Suicide Squad)

Shakira - Try Everything (Zootopia) SHOULD WIN

Peter Gabriel - The Veil (Snowden)

Look, Can’t Stop the Feeling is well named because you can’t stop that song. It landed on the charts about nine months before the actual movie came out, and remained inescapable the entire year. But for my money, the better song is Shakira’s and it fit so well with the themes of tolerance and diversity in Zootopia. I’d love to see an upset in this category but it seems highly unlikely. 

Best American Roots Song

Robbie Fulks - Alabama At Night (SHOULD WIN)

Jack White - City Lights (WILL WIN)

Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars - Gulfstream

Vince Gill (performed by The Time Jumpers) - Kid Sister

Lori McKenna - Wreck You

I’m just excited to see Chicago favorite Robbie Fulks get nominated for a Grammy. Having seen him perform numerous times at The Hideout, having listened to him for the last 12 years, I just hope this leads to bigger things and more recognition to a very deserving performer. I’m sure Jack White’s the biggest name here and therefore he stands the best chance of winning, but damn if it would be a nice surprise if things went a different way. Jack’s got enough awards by now. 

Best Rap Album

Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

De La Soul - And the Anonymous Nobody

DJ Khaled - Major Key

Drake - Views (RUNNER UP)

Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

I love this category. They mostly got it right--although I’d love to see Danny Brown in here over Khaled, personally. I’m thrilled to see Chance getting the love he deserves, I’m beyond excited to see Schoolboy Q get his due, and while I personally think Pablo is the most inconsistent Kanye album it’s nice to see it here because it’s ambitious as hell and its best moments are pretty fucking undeniable. Drake had a great year so it makes sense he’s on the list. De La Soul have deserved a Grammy forever so I’m happy to see them among all the newcomers. I feel like DJ Khaled is more relevant as a Snapchat star than a musician, but hey good for him nonetheless. I think Chance is the most universally loved so I’m expecting him to win here and that’s great. 

Best R&B Performance

BJ the Chicago Kid - Turnin’ Me Up

Ro James - Permission

Musiq Soulchild - I Do

Rihanna - Needed Me (SHOULD WIN)

Solange - Cranes in the Sky (WILL WIN)

This is a super solid category--no bad songs here, and all artists I’d be happy to see grab a statue. For me, Solange and Rihanna are almost equally deserving but I have listened to Needed Me about a trillion times in the last year, so I’m giving that my vote. I think Solange got a little more critical acclaim and it could be a Knowles night overall so I’m giving her the edge. 

Best Alternative Music Album

Bon Iver - 22, A Million

David Bowie - Blackstar (WILL/SHOULD WIN)

PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project

Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (RUNNER UP)

First of all, this is the most hilariously named category because “alternative” means nothing if these all fall under it. We’ve got an indie singer songwriter, a glam rocker’s swan song, a punk rock god, and then two actual legit members of the 90s alternative cadre coming back into the spotlight. So saying who “should win” here is kind of difficult because I do not think they should be competing against each other at all. Nonetheless, my vote for who will and who should goes to David Bowie. I loved that album, and he’s got the posthumous love going on so I’m guessing Grammy voters will jump on board. If he weren’t there, I’d give my vote to Radiohead who really did make a huge comeback last year and actually ARE alternative at least in broad terms. 

BEST ROCK ALBUM

Blink 182 - California

Cage the Elephant - Tell Me I’m Pretty (WILL WIN)

Gojira - Magma (SHOULD WIN)

Panic! At the Disco - Death of a Bachelor

Weezer - Weezer

This is kind of a garbage category, and the only really good album on this list is by the absolutely killer Gojira. The rest are mediocre to bad in my humble opinion, but maybe I’m just bitter that Car Seat Headrest didn’t get nominated here. 

BEST ROCK SONG

David Bowie - Blackstar (SHOULD WIN)

Radiohead - Burn the Witch

Metallica - Hardwired

21 Pilots - Heathens (WILL WIN)

Highly Suspect - My Name Is Human

OK so two seconds ago Bowie and Radiohead were “alternative,” but now they’re “rock.” Make up your mind, Grammys. Out of this rather odd collection of songs, I think the one with the most airplay will get it so that’s 21 Pilots; but the actual best song on the list is the Bowie track. 

BEST DANCE RECORDING

Bob Moses - Tearing Me Up

The Chainsmokers feat. Daya - Don’t Let Me Down (IF THIS WINS I WILL BECOME A CHAINSMOKER MYSELF BECAUSE I WILL HATE EVERYTHING)

Flume feat. Kai - Never Be Like You (SHOULD WIN)

Riton feat. Kah-Lo - Rinse & Repeat

Sofi Tukker - Drinkee

The only horse I have in this race is Flume. I want Flume to win and if Chainsmokers win I will riot. But this category very rarely goes the way I want it to, so I should probably prepare for disappointment. 

BEST POP/DUO GROUP PERFORMANCE

The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey - Closer 

Lukas Graham - 7 Years (BARF SOUP)

Rihanna feat. Drake - Work (SHOULD WIN)

Sia feat. Sean Paul - Cheap Thrills (WILL WIN)

21 Pilots - Stressed Out

OK I may be turning into an old person but this category makes me kind of angry. There have to be better contenders out there than the ones they nominated here. At least my beloved Rihanna gets some love. I swear to god if Lukas Graham wins then we might as well stop listening to music altogether. That song is the most treacly awful ear destructor ever. It’s what I imagine is playing on the radio in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron.”

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

Adele - Hello (WILL WIN)

Beyonce - Hold Up (SHOULD WIN)

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself (RUNNER UP)

Kelly Clarkson - Piece by Piece (Idol Version)

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman 

I seriously hope Beyonce wins this, she deserves it the most and Hold Up is probably my favorite song on Lemonade. But we know how much the Grammy voters love Adele, despite 25 being a fairly lackluster album filled with boring ballads. (Sorry Adele. You know it’s true.) I’m not sure why Kelly Clarkson gets to coast into this category when Rihanna or Sia could be here instead. 

BEST NEW ARTIST

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chainsmokers (KILL ME)

Chance the Rapper (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

Maren Morris

Anderson.Paak (MY RUNNER UP)

The two ladies in this category are both country, and this category hasn’t gone country since Zac Brown if I recall correctly so it seems like they’ll either cancel each other out or voters will gravitate toward a different genre. They are really talented though, so if you like country you should give them both a try. I’m super stoked to see Anderson.Paak show up here, and honestly since I think he’s an actual new artist and Chance has been around for a while, that might be a more accurate title to bestow to Anderson. As I’ve stated above, I despise Chainsmokers; so my vote of who will and should win is Chance. He had a huge year and he’s done it all on his own terms. Even a stodgy voting establishment like the Grammy voters should be able to get behind that. 

SONG OF THE YEAR

Beyonce - Formation (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

Adele - Hello

Mike Posner - I Took A Pill in Ibiza

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself (RUNNER UP)

Lukas Graham - 7 Years (THE WORLD WILL UNMAKE ITSELF IF WE ALLOW THIS TO WIN)

I know I should probably predict Adele here but I just can’t bring myself to do that. It does seem like a distinct possibility but I’m just hoping that the Grammys can surprise us all and be a little more up to date by giving it to Beyonce. I’m surprised to see the Mike Posner track here, but hey good for him. It’s a decent song. We’ve been over my feelings on the others. If Beyonce and Adele split the vote and it goes to someone else, I really hope it’s Biebs and not Lukas. 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Adele - 25

Beyonce - Lemonade (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

Justin Bieber - Purpose

Drake - Views

Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor’s Guide To Earth (RUNNER UP)

Again, I should probably expect Adele but I think song for song Beyonce’s got this. If the votes get split between the two heavy hitters, I could see Simpson pulling an Arcade Fire. That blend of roots rock and country is definitely the type of thing Grammy voters love. 

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Adele - Hello (YEAH I KNOW)

Beyonce - Formation (WILL WIN)

Lukas Graham - 7 Years

Rihanna feat. Drake - Work 

Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out

I don’t understand why Lukas Graham gets in here but no JT with Can’t Stop the Feeling, no Drake with One Dance... the list of worthier contenders goes on and on. I’m going big on Beyonce but it could easily be Adele’s prize. That would be a pretty yawn inducing finish but it wouldn’t surprise me. I gotta give props to my girl RiRi who definitely is worthy of this appearance, and even though 21 Pilots aren’t really my thing I’m happy to see some new blood in this category.

Alright--that’s my picks! Tell me yours and let’s watch tonight to see who’s right! 

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Top Podcasts of 2016

I listened to more podcasts than ever in 2016 and I’m sure that I can make the same statement at the end of next year and it will be true. There are so many thoughtful, entertaining podcasts out there and I still feel as though I’m barely scratching the surface with the ones I do listen to even though I spend multiple hours a day consuming them (thanks, long commute). One quick recommendation: If you are using an iPhone and relying on the default podcast app, you need to get yourself to the app store and download Overcast, which is way, way better and has great functionality for the devout listener. 

Let’s start off with my honorable mentions: Literary Disco, which would rank higher except they haven’t released a new episode in several months when they previously came out with a new one every other week or so; Pop Culture Happy Hour, which is a fun and thoughtful weekly digest of cultural discussion hosted by some of the most pleasant humans you can hope to listen to; Slate’s Political Gabfest, which gave me plenty to digest although to be fair there were times when my own views aligned closely enough with one or more hosts that it probably fed my bubble tendencies a little; and Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, which I got to attend a live recording of not too long ago and it was awesome. 

And now, for my top 10 list!  10. Radiolab Presents: More Perfect I catch up with Radiolab on occasion but it’s not on my weekly listen list. However, when they launched this spinoff over the summer I took notice. It’s devoted to stories regarding the Supreme Court, a topic I’ve always found intriguing. The reporting and storytelling is excellent, and of course anything affiliated with Radiolab is going to feature top notch production.  Best Episodes:  Object Anyway, The Imperfect Plaintiffs

9. Slate’s Culture Gabfest I love and listen to a long list of pop culture related podcasts, but what makes this one special is the perfect cocktail of hyper-intelligent discussion and the random bursts of profanity and arbitrary disagreement amongst the hosts. They each bring a unique perspective, and when they disagree it makes for the most engaging listening because each of them builds such a compelling and impassioned case for why they are right and their co-hosts are wrong. Best Episodes:  Beige Goo Edition, The Beautiful Ones Edition

8. Judge John Hodgman If you like your humor with a side of wisdom, this is the show for you. Somehow, Hodgman has turned a fake Internet courtroom into a place where real people can get thoughtful advice amidst lots of snark and hilarity. Whether it’s a dispute between friends, parents and their kids, or, most frequently, a couple--the judge will find the crux and mete out a sentence that takes into account the needs and quirks of both parties. My absolute favorite episode this season contained the best distillation I’ve heard about the power dynamic that exists between the customer and the person serving them. As someone who worked retail for ten years and YMCA front desk for 4 years before that, it was refreshing to hear someone describe the service industry with such empathy.  Best Episodes: Dad Nauseum, Bros Before Globes

7. The Next Picture Show I cried when The Dissolve ended. It was that once place on the internet where smart people could talk to each other about movies without devolving into trolling and ad hominem attacks, and the critics who wrote for that site found a way to contextualize current and classic films the way greats such as Roger Ebert once did. Imagine my delight, then, when a number of those gifted writers teamed up late last year to form this excellent podcast. The concept is pretty simple: They choose a new movie as their “movie of the week” and compare it with an older film in great detail to gain new insights into both movies. They always have great observations and often make me think of movies I love in a different way, something that’s not easy to do.  Best Episodes: In the Mood For Love/Moonlight; Wait Until Dark/Don’t Breathe

6. NPR Politics Podcast This year I went through a period of wanting nothing to do with news coverage or politics, but as the election drew closer I had to face reality and snap to attention. I felt overwhelmed by the barrage of online news outlets and Facebook posts, but this podcast helped me sort through the noise and get the facts as well as really thoughtful commentary from a group of reporters who were embedded with the campaigns of both Trump and Clinton. The podcast ordinarily broadcasts a couple short episodes per week, but in the weeks leading up to the presidential election they got into a daily routine and I found myself hanging on their every update, with events shifting so rapidly at times that even the daily updates didn’t seem like they were enough. The best thing about the show is how decidedly unpanicked their coverage is. Even when they are covering something unprecedented, they do their best to put it into historical context and be as objective as possible. So even if I was in the fetal position at times, they never seemed to be and that brought me great comfort. Best Episodes: Quick Take: Clinton’s Health / ‘Basket of Deplorables’ ; Covering 2016 as a Muslim

5. Little Gold Men This show is peak me. Like, it just feels like they took a survey of me and a hundred of my clones and developed a podcast around our interests, in particular, the obsession with the Oscars and other awards shows. The hosts talk plenty about predictions and contenders, but they also spend time contemplating what should and shouldn’t factor into voters’ decisions. I especially appreciated their open dialogue about topics like #OscarsSoWhite, Birth of a Nation’s fall from grace after the sexual assault accusations came to light, and issues of gender overall. At a time when awards show coverage might feel frivolous, their treatment of the topic examines deeper issues than one might expect and I appreciate that. Best Episodes: Can We Like Woody Allen Movies Anymore? ; Where Are All the Good Scripts in Hollywood? This Guy Knows Where

4. Reply All This show went from being an occasional listen to a must-listen for me this year. Their reporting got more in-depth, their stories diversified, and I got hooked. Still ostensibly “a show about the internet,” hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman chased down topics that had real world impact and showed a different, more human side at times than in the past. Whether they were talking to a community of adults who have relationships with imaginary friends or tracking down a guy in a meme-friendly photograph to learn whether rumors of his death were in fact true, or trying to get to the bottom of hoax-prone websites that prey upon people in their most desperate moments, they relentlessly sought after the truth and balanced it with humor and awkwardness.  Best Episodes: The entire multi-episode arc of Sruthi Pinnamaneni’s “On the Inside” story; Voyage Into Pizzagate

3. You Must Remember This This year, we got two seasons of Karina Longworth’s amazing podcast devoted to the “secret/forgotten histories of Hollywood’s First Century.” The first season focused on the Blacklist, HUAC, and related stories. Each week gave a little more history and focused on one or two key players in the saga. The second season, which was really a miniseries rather than a full season, focused on Joan Crawford, a beloved cult figure with a fascinating backstory as well as a diverse filmography. Both seasons were riveting, and as usual featured a great deal of research and juicy details that I never would’ve known without Karina.  Best Episodes: Storm Warning: Ronald Reagan, The FBI, and HUAC; Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 

2. The Run-Up While NPR Politics and Slate’s Political Gabfest were great at rounding up current events and reporting on them as they happened, NY Times podcast The Run-Up took a slightly different approach by going in-depth on a particular topic for each episode and interviewing primary sources whenever possible. What started as a short-term podcast leading up to election day has turned into a longer-term assignment, and the post election coverage has continued to be excellent and relevant.  Best Episodes: Post-Truth Media; Bonus: We Are All Now Rooting For His Success

1. Filmspotting One of the first podcasts I listened to faithfully, and still my favorite. Adam, Josh, and this year quite a number of guest hosts shared their thoughts on new movies, gave top five lists, had marathons on Nordic Cinema and Luis Bunuel, and interviewed the likes of Jeremy Saulnier, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Kelly Reichardt. If you aren’t a regular listener yet, I don’t know how to help you except to say you have over 600 episodes to catch up on and Godspeed. Best Episodes:  #589: The Royal Tenenbaums / Top 5 Non-Kids Movies You Should Show Your Kids; #613: The Edge of Seventeen / Top 5 Teen Girl Movies Directed By Women

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“It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.” --Arthur Conan Doyle “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” --Leonard Cohen  We all have a penchant for darkness at times. Whether by circumstance or disposition, it lurks inside of us and outside in the world, occasionally spilling over and threatening to engulf us. And then, at the last second, before we surrender ourselves forever to the murky depths, the faintest flicker of light reminds us who we really are.  Maybe you’re feeling that darkness bearing down on you lately. The cold of winter, the dread of an uncertain future, the losses both personal and public that this year has brought--those can’t help but weigh me down and I’m surely not alone in those feelings. So here I am, turning as I always and inevitably do, to music. This playlist, whose title “Fill My House With Light” comes from a lyric in How To Dress Well’s Salt Song, is filled with songs that radiate at least a flicker of hope and warmth. It also recalls a lyric from another favorite song (not on this playlist) by Japandroids, “I happened on a house built of living light, where everything evil disappears and dies.” I can’t promise that this playlist will rid you of everything evil, but maybe it can notch a crack into the wall of shit that has been 2016 and cast some light into your December days.  Tracklist: 1. How To Dress Well - Salt Song 2. Dawn Richard - Voices 3. Teen Daze - Cycle 4. HAW/Helena Arlock - Gold Day (Sparklehorse cover) 5. Bed - The Rule 6. The Hotelier - Soft Animal (inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem Wild Geese) 7. An Autumn for Crippled Children - I Will Never Let You Die 8. Bonobo - Kerala 9. Flume - Heater 10. MUTEMATH - Changes 11. Francis and the Lights - May I Have This Dance 12. Sinkane - U’Huh 13. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - Rough Going (I Won’t Let Up) 14. The Preatures - I Know A Girl 15. Martin Garrix & the Federal Empire - Hold On & Believe 16. Famous feat. Lily Elise - ∞ 17. Asta - Shine 18. Emily King - Focus 19. Pale Blue - Embrace 20. Solange - Don’t Wish Me Well 21. Alcest - Kodama 22. Local Natives - Everything All At Once

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Mysterious Hymns: Beyond New Age

Walt Whitman wrote in Song of Myself, “Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” That spirit of composure in the face of infinity can be difficult to channel, particularly in uncertain times like these. While we should all find ways to care for ourselves and the people in our spheres of influence, it can be helpful to zoom out sometimes, and realize we’re part of a much greater whole, the ends of which we have yet to reach. 

To assist in the task of unburdening the mind and focusing on the cosmos, we have at our disposal an entire genre of music conceived for precisely that purpose. I’m referring, of course, to that much-maligned genre of which most detractors have only heard one or two songs: New Age. Several articles have cropped up recently that delve into aspects of the genre, but it’s hard to find audiences that don’t dismiss it out of hand. I’m here to ask you not to dismiss it at all. To better persuade you, I made a playlist with some New Age essentials, a few obscurities, and a number of artists that share some DNA with New Age even if they wouldn’t naturally be categorized that way themselves. After you hear me (and them) out, then heed the words of Whitman: “Re-examine all that you have been told, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul.” 

What is New Age, exactly? Well, it shares roots with a number of musical genres you probably already know and perhaps love. Most notably and broadly, artists in the genre are influenced by classical, jazz, and world music traditions. There are elements of improvisation and instrumental proficiency on display that borrow from prog rock. Vangelis, known best for scoring Chariots of Fire but one of the most prolific artists in the genre, even recorded with Jon Anderson of Yes on multiple occasions. Other elements in the mix include ambient and electronic sounds--the synthesizer being a prominent fixture of the first decade where New Age rose to prominence. So we have people like Brian Eno (and his lesser known brother Roger) who paved the way for the ambient sound, and the Krautrock pioneers like Neu, Kraftwerk, and Can who wanted to shed the traditional rock structure of three chords and a 4/4 time signature for something a little freer and more experimental. While late 70s punk was all about rebelling by stripping rock to its component parts, late 70s ambient music (which bled into early 80s New Age) was about abandoning the component parts altogether. So in a way, New Age started out as a more radical movement than punk--the punk kids just did it with more abrasive style and cooler haircuts.  A bit ironically for a genre that emerged out of synthetic instrumentation, the overarching theme of New Age (at least at the outset) was a oneness with nature. In a way, it seems like an attempt to reconcile the technological innovations of the 20th century with the natural world those innovations threatened with obsolescence. Then again, we couldn’t have gotten to space without technology, and much of the early New Age music drew inspiration from the larger universe (just as its pop counterparts seemed to do during that era--see also David Bowie, Pink Floyd, et al). The spiritual side of New Age varied widely from artist to artist--some embraced a kind of pagan or pantheistic ideology; others turned to concepts from Eastern religions like Bhuddism and Taoism; a few traced their spiritual roots back to ancient Christianity (as in the Gregorian Chants) and others left religion out of the equation entirely. Because so much of the music leaves itself open to interpretation, framer’s intent ends up being largely irrelevant to the listener.  Not all artists associated with New Age would label themselves this way (including Yanni, perhaps the second-most famous face of the musical movement after Celtic superstar Enya); but like other musical genres (Shoegaze, Emo, Post Rock), the label gets applied by critics or fans and becomes hard to shake. Labels with a large roster of New Age artists emerged, among them Windham Hill, Narada Productions, and Higher Octave. Some of these labels also signed artists more accurately classified as folk or jazz; but they were being promoted on samplers and compilation discs alongside their New Age counterparts and definitions became murkier. Stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble gave New Age equal shelf space with Classical and Jazz, and helped legitimize the genre by placing it in an commercially intellectual context, easily accessible by the middle aged, middle class consumer. Radio shows, including the public radio syndicated program Echoes, further propagated the sounds of New Age to larger numbers of listeners.

Billboard’s New Age album chart debuted in November of 1994, though in a rare instance of the Grammys being somewhat ahead of the commercial curve, they awarded their first album in a New Age category in 1987. The genre is probably most associated with the 80s and early to mid 90s, but every so often it gets a signal boost that reignites interest. Enya’s appearance on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack certainly helped propel people toward her albums again, and modern film composers like Cliff Martinez have perhaps sent synth lovers back to the likes of Tangerine Dream. In fact, anyone who regularly pays attention to film scores should recognize some names on the playlist: Mike Oldfield (whose Tubular Bells haunt anyone who’s seen The Exorcist), Harold Budd (who composed the music for Mysterious Skin, White Bird in Blizzard, and Jerry Maguire to name a few), Tangerine Dream (who most recently made an appearance on the Stranger Things soundtrack but also wrote original music for Tom Cruise classics like Cocktail and Risky Business), Jean-Michel Jarre (whose songs have appeared in Something Wild, 9 1/2 Weeks, and Gallipoli)--just to name a few.  Arguably, connection points exist between New Age and electronic sub-genres like Trip Hop, Drone, Minimal Techno, and Witch House. Anyone who enjoys the ethereal chamber pop of Julianna Barwick, the stark soundscapes of Tim Hecker, the mysterious sampled sounds of Boards of Canada, the soothing strains of Explosions in the Sky, or even the dark brooding drones of Sunn O))) should find something in common with their New Age forebears.

If you like what you hear on this playlist, dig a little deeper. Make some playlists of your own. Discover some artists you might come to love from a genre you’d previously written off. Or, if you are already a New Age lover, embrace that love and share your favorites with the rest of the world. New Age is more than just Yanni-Live at the Acropolis and Enya-Only Time. It’s a Whole New World, and there’s plenty here to be discovered. We’re going to need all the calming influence we can get for a while, so bring on those chill vibes. 

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Movie Review: The Neon Demon (2016, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn, now playing on Amazon Prime) From the first notes of the propulsive score (Cliff Martinez’s best work yet) and the accompanying credit sequence oozing with highly saturated colors and flashes of glitter, we are lured into a hypnotic, hyperreal plane, a place where danger and beauty co-exist in uneasy symbiosis. Expectations exist to be subverted, something we learn within the first few frames. In this world, in this movie, so much emphasis is placed on what appeals to the senses; and yet, the senses can so easily be deceived.  “Am I staring?” asks Ruby (Jena Malone) in the movie’s first line of dialogue. In most scenarios, staring might be a bad thing, but not here. A few scenes later, and we’re hearing Elle Fanning’s Jesse explain that as a girl she used to think the moon was a giant eyeball and she would yell out, “Do you see me?” This thread of being seen, stared at, being an object of someone’s gaze, runs throughout the film.  The premise of the movie could be best summed up by Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray: “Beauty is a form of Genius--is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in the dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It cannot be questioned. It has divine right of sovereignty. It makes princes of those who have it.” In simpler terms, to quote Jesse again, “It’s everything.”  For maximum effect, go into this movie blind (disclaimer: I loved it but some elements are definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, so buyer beware--it’s Refn and he’s a got a flair for over the top spectacle that at times verges into the grotesque). If you choose to keep reading, I’ll avoid spoilers but it’s possible that the overall power of the movie could be diminished slightly.  Our protagonist is Jesse, who just arrived in LA with aspirations of becoming a fashion model. She’s a natural beauty and has that babe in the woods quality which reads as both naive and charming to the casting agents (Christina Hendricks) and makeup artists (Jena Malone) who have seen it all and are accustomed to the eye-rolling scorn and duplicity of more experienced girls. Fellow models Sarah (Abbey Lee) and Gigi (Bella Heathcoate) see Jesse as the competition and barely conceal their raw jealousy of her apparent perfection. Jesse shrugs off the well-intentioned warnings of people who have seen the decaying underbelly of this glamorous but fickle industry. “I’m not as harmless as I look,” she says, which may be true, but neither is anyone else. 

On the other hand, there’s Dean (Karl Glusman), an amateur photographer who insists on reminding Jesse she could be good at a lot of things, that she has more going for her than her looks. His intentions are murky but he’s the only person in the film who seems to care about more than the superficial qualities of aesthetic perfection.  And let’s not forget Hank (Keanu Reeves), the leering motel manager who seems unimpressed by the 16-year-old Jesse because in room 214 there’s a 13-year-old runaway, “real Lolita shit.” A reminder that for every perfect specimen, there’s a sell-by date right around the corner and if you don’t get used up by then, you’ll get tossed out with the rest of the trash.  I won’t give away the ending, but I will go back to Wilde for final thoughts:  “In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures, and so we fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope of keeping our place. We shall all suffer for what the gods have given us, suffer terribly.”  In the meantime, the wild struggle on display here results in one of the most fascinating and transfixing movies of the year. 

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Book Review: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain If this title sounds familiar, it may have something to do with the Ang Lee movie adaptation coming out in later this year. However, unlike that trailer with the slow-mo and the ultra dramatic choral cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” this book doesn’t get bogged down in melodrama. It’s closer to satire, although some elements might be truer to life than we’d like to believe. The story takes place over the course of one football game, happening on Thanksgiving day (with some flashbacks thrown in, naturally). A group of soldiers, including the titular Billy, is being honored/exploited by an appearance during halftime alongside Destiny’s Child. They’re heading back to Iraq after a brief publicity tour highlighting their recent televised takedown of some key terrorist types. Billy is 19, never asked to be a hero, and isn’t entirely sure he is one even now. But he wouldn’t mind finding a nice girl while he’s back in the States, and he’s not saying no to the free booze and limo rides either. What he could do without are all the random Americans asking him what it felt like to kill those guys and fight for our freedoms--he’d rather not think about that, much less talk about it.  This might sound like a preachy anti-war novel, but it’s actually got a lot of laughs within its pages. Plus, Fountain’s writing is really compelling stuff. It’s impossible not to hear the dialogue in the voices of the characters, with their idiosyncrasies and flaws making them all the more believable.  A few choice quotes, to whet your appetite: “There is a vast asymmetry in the dynamic here that Billy can’t quite put his finger on, even though it’s the elephant shitting all over the room.” “‘Maybe we need a war now and then to get our priorities straight,’ a man says.”  “How does anyone ever know anything—the past is a fog that breathes out ghost after ghost, the present a freeway thunder run at 90 mph, which makes the future the ultimate black hole of futile speculation.” The book is a quick read and a good one--catch up with it before the movie, which has a lot to live up to in its source material.

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My Favorite Music of 2016 So Far This year, I find myself returning to the same small group of albums over and over rather than listening to a whole bunch of albums only a few times each. The playlist attached here includes two songs each from my top ten albums of the year so far, plus a smattering of other songs that make me hit repeat most often.  Hopefully you’ll listen to the playlist and fall in love with these songs too; but if you’d like more context then read on for my thoughts on these songs/artists and the albums from which they originate. 

Best Music of the Year So Far, Honorable Mentions: The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It I love the dreamy quality of this album, and the way the band has doubled down on its 80s influences. For me, this album has yet to cast a spell equal to their self-titled, but it’s still growing on me with each new listen.

Memoryhouse - Soft Hate This Canadian indie duo bears comparisons to the lush sounds of Beach House, plus they both have “house” in their band name... but I think that this album helps them carve out their own niche a little more. I find them pretty charming. 

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool I was pretty much over Radiohead, or so I thought. Their last few efforts just didn’t connect with me at all. This album, though, hits an emotional and musical (bitter)sweet spot. I could see this one climbing higher on my list as the year goes on.  Xenia Rubinos - Black Terry Cat A bold, soulful voice unites the disparate musical traditions and sonic experiments that make up Xenia Rubinos’ sophomore album. She can be funny, sexy, political, and poetic in the space of a single song without ever feeling forced. I look forward to spending more time digging into her artistry.  Frightened Rabbit - Portrait of a Panic Attack As usual, the lyrics are personal and poignant; musically, this album has more happening than the spare folk of earlier efforts. That could be in part due to a lineup change; plus the addition of The National’s Aaron Dessner as a producer which surely brought some new ideas to the table.  Miles Mosley - Abraham (single) This is basically a placeholder for whatever comes next musically from bass extraordinaire and musical genius Miles Mosley. He’s probably best known as part of the jazz collective the West Coast Get Down, where he frequently tours and records with Kamasi Washington. I just saw him play with Kamasi at Pitchfork and frankly it was the best set of the entire weekend. He’s also toured and recorded with the likes of Lauryn Hill, Chris Cornell, Rihanna, Jonathan Davis, Andra Day, Kendrick Lamar, Kimbra, Jeff Goldblum, and a bunch more folks. Get to know this name, ya’ll.  Bob Mould - Patch the Sky Once I spend more time with this album, I have no doubt it will move into my official best albums of the year list. Mould continues to release the kind of gimmick free rock that feels so rare these days; and this album documents a time of personal crisis and loss for him. The name, according to Mould in a great NPR All Songs Considered podcast episode, refers to his wish that people he loved would stop dying. He wanted to patch the sky so no one else he loved could leave this world. He also spoke about going weeks in isolation as he dealt with his depression, and knowing he came out on the other side of it gives me comfort during my own darker moments.  Soren Juul - This Moment As usual, I seek musical inspiration/salvation in the Nordic regions, and I am not disappointed. This album from Danish singer Soren Juul (who formerly recorded as Indians) takes up a little more space in my heart every time I hear it. Its relative simplicity makes it feel intimate and vulnerable in a way that really moves me.  A$AP Ferg - Always Strive and Prosper Ferg is my favorite of the A$AP Mob hip hop collective. He knows how to party, he’s great at coining a memorable couplet, and he knows how to get serious without getting corny. This album feels like a real leap forward for him artistically, and it deserves to be in any conversation about the best hip hop of 2016. LANY - kinda I have to thank a friend for introducing me to this playful, winning trio whose name is a reference to the two big coastal cites in America: Los Angeles and New York. This is an EP, but it shows a lot of promise and I can’t wait to hear what comes next.

Heiress - Made Wrong This band has been around for a decade, but I’m ashamed to admit I only discovered them this year. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, apparently. This album (which almost cracked my top 10) reminded me of Deafheaven in the way it blended metal and post rock sensibilities. If you, like me, enjoy some screams and sludgy guitars with your beautiful melodies, give this album a try.  Astrid S - Self-Titled Sometimes you want metal, sometimes you want the 5th runner up on Norway’s Pop Idol. For the latter, look no further than Astrid S. With her syrupy voice and breezy choruses, she definitely has what it takes to top the charts in the US. Watch out, Tove Lo and Daya... Astrid’s coming for her spot on the siren throne! Nite Jewel - Liquid Cool Do I need to explain my love of synth pop to you at this point? Probably not. The title of this album sums up its sound perfectly. If you love synths and smooth femme voices, you will love this.  Kanye West - The Life of Pablo My favorite track on TLOP is I Love Kanye, a 45 second a capella riff that gets real meta and, depending on your view of our culture’s favorite lightning rod, real endearing or real obnoxious. Truth be told, this is not my favorite Kanye album of all time and there are some tracks I skip over on a fairly regular basis; but damn if it isn’t ambitious and fascinating and fun to dissect both musically and culturally. I get why it’s not for everybody, but I think you’d be hard pressed to argue against the exuberance of Ultralight Beam or the earnest nostalgia and introspection of Real Friends.  And now... THE TOP TEN!  10. The Avalanches - Wildflower Most of us thought this album was never going to happen. We’ve been waiting 16 years for a follow up to this Australian group’s brilliant debut, Since I Left You. Given the level of expectation, I can’t honestly tell you whether this album is better, equal to, or less than that first record. It’s only been out a few weeks, after all; but to me it’s a small miracle that brings me joy each time I hear it. There are some high profile guests on a few tracks (Danny Brown, Toro Y Moi, Ariel Pink, Camp Lo, MF Doom, Father John Misty, et al); but it still feels like it contains that weirdo vision that made me fall in love the first time.  9. White Lung - Paradise Remember when Paramore was a punk band? Maybe that’s a sacrilegious way to begin a rave review of White Lung’s latest album, but I have to admit that my first listen to this album made me think of my 2007 adoration of Riot! White Lung combines fangs out, soaring vocals with the kind of guitar prowess you don’t often find on punk-flavored projects. The lyrics are memorable, filled with unexpected imagery and self-assured proclamations. I enjoy blasting this album out my car windows at the gas station, drowning out the soft rock overhead and the insipid entertainment clips emanating from the tiny TV screens on the pumps.  8. Tegan & Sara - Love You To Death I got into a 45-minute debate with someone over this album, and more specifically, the career trajectory and evolving sound of the former indie darlings turned legit pop sensations. On one hand, for those of us who clung for dear life on dark nights to the raw emotion of songs like “Knife Going In” and “You Wouldn’t Like Me,” it takes a second to adjust to Lego Movie Theme Song era. Those songs, that band, felt so personal that it’s odd to now be sharing any version of them with the wider world. Plus, they sound a little more polished and hook-laden these days; which to some ears translates as inauthentic. But to me, Tegan and Sara have simply refused to stagnate. They have worked hard to get to this level of success, and they also grew as performers and people which means experimenting with new sounds and themes in their songs. To me, a lover of both the indie era and the pop era, I get the best of both worlds. Their discography now encompasses all possible moods and I go to whichever album I need most. This year, especially the last few months, seems filled with dread and anxiety and tragedy on a worldwide scale. So hearing something upbeat and poppy sometimes feels like the remedy and respite I need.  7. Cliff Martinez - The Neon Demon The Neon Demon is going to come up on my list of favorite movies as well, but even if I didn’t love that film, I’d have to find a place for this tantalizing, insistent score. I loved Cliff Martinez for his previous collaboration with Nicolas Winding Refn on Drive; his score for Spring Breakers was also a highlight; but this, to me, is his crowning achievement. It’s on par with Tangerine Dream’s Risky Business score, a claim I do not make lightly. The synths and occasional tinkling chimes set the atmosphere of the high fashion world while also subtly establishing the menace lurking around the edges of each frame as the movie builds toward its mindfuck climax.  6. Jessy Lanza - Oh No I first fell for Jessy Lanza’s supple vocals and minimalist dance/R&B stylings in 2013. She once again shares production duties with Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys, and delivers a batch of infectious, off-kilter tunes. Isolating the vocals, a few of these songs have melodies and choruses that could be re-imagined as Carly Rae Jepsen-like anthems; but Lanza takes them in unexpected yet equally satisfying directions. A few songs employ almost whispered vocals over electronic beats and wavering synths, resulting in the sonic equivalent of a featherbed in a field of ice sculptures. I hope that when Chronicles of Narnia gets its inevitable cinematic reboot, Jessy Lanza gets cast as the White Witch. 5. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book Even if you’re one of those “I don’t listen to rap” people, I implore you to please do yourself a favor with this one and listen to Chance. (Give Chance a chance, as it were...) This dude embodies exuberance and charisma, plus he melds his own talent on the mic with really talented musical collaborators. He taps Gospel choirs, jazz ensembles, and a few famous friends he’s picked up since he dropped Acid Rap a couple years back (Kanye, Bieber, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Future, Jeremih). He threatens to give Satan a swirlie, he celebrates the birth of his daughter, he reflects on his friendships and how they’ve changed, he celebrates and mourns his city and neighborhood. And yep, Grandma gets another shout out on this album too.  4. David Bowie - Blackstar Goddamn. This year sure does have it in for my heroes. We were a week into 2016 when this album came out; two days later, its author returned to his distant planet as a Starman waiting in the sky. I still get misty-eyed hearing literally any Bowie song, but especially selections from this album, which he knew would be his last even though none of us did. Death and transcendence are recurring themes on this album, which ends up sounding like a self-written eulogy. I feel haunted and comforted by equal measure every time I hear the opening lines of Lazarus: “Look up here, I’m in Heaven; I’ve got scars that can’t be seen. I’ve got drama can’t be stolen--everybody knows me now.”  3. DJ Shadow - The Mountain Will Fall In the twenty years since Shadow Endtroduced himself to us, a lot has changed in both the technological and musical landscapes of sample-based electronic music. He pioneered a sound that influenced electronic and hip hop producers in the same way The Velvet Underground and Nico influenced a generation of art rock and noise artists. There have been other good albums from Shadow since Endtroducing, but this is the one that comes closest to that original recipe in terms of artistry, variety, and brilliance. It has a sense of forward motion and plays with patterns and audience expectations, never resolving the way we expect. Plus, who can argue with that Run the Jewels track?  2. Rihanna - Anti This album has been my number one most-played, most beloved for months. It’s only recently been unseated but if I’m being honest, it could definitely swap spots in months to come. I have so much to say about this album that I’m planning to devote an entire post to analyzing and obsessing over it line by line, track by track. But for now, let me summarize: This is Rihanna’s best album, full stop. She experiments with bluesy stunners like Love On the Brain (which feels like a newly discovered Amy Winehouse track); puts her own spin on the psychedelic indie of Tame Impala with Same Ol’ Mistakes; makes no apologies for herself on Needed Me and Yeah I Said It; collaborates with The Weeknd and Drake and Travis Scott but still sounds 100% like the HBIC on every song. The interludes on this album are better than most full length songs on albums from her peers. “I got to do things my own way, darlin’,” goes a line from the opening track--and she proceeds to have her way with us over the remaining 44 minutes.  1. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial Can we get personal for a minute? I am loved, employed, well-traveled and well-fed and surrounded by my cats and my movies and my music collection and my books. I have friends and family who I see less frequently than I should but they’re only a phone call a way. I feel pretty ok today. But I don’t always feel ok. Some days, I feel hopeless and shitty and the worst part is there doesn’t seem to be any logical explanation for it. Enough of those days string together, and it starts to feel interminable and not only do I feel secretly awful (because why would I want to burden my friends and family with my problems when they have problems of their own), but I also feel guilty for feeling down. After all, I have a great life by most reasonable standards and some people are living in poverty or getting beaten up by their parents or significant other and some people are starving to death and some people have lost family members to horrific illness or unexpected tragedy and really I am just the worst for even daring to feel bad when my life is fine. It’s a privilege to even call depression by a name because for a lot of the world they don’t even have time to think about how they feel, they’re just surviving. Or at least that’s the narrative that gets stuck on a loop in my head. Even though I know it’s totally illogical to guilt trip myself about my depressive episodes, I still can’t seem to stop myself.  This vortex of negativity was swirling around me for much of 2014 and early 2015. Eventually I couldn’t hold it in anymore and I talked to my doctor and got medicated for a few months and started letting my friends and family back in bit by bit, and now it’s just a bad day here and there.  I bring all this up for two reasons: One, if you feel depressed or anxious or any kind of not ok, please ask for help because it’s the only way through and it does not make you a weak person to admit you’re having a hard time. Two, because I wish this album had existed in 2014 but I’m so glad it exists now because I still need it.  Opening track Fill in the Blank articulates with uncanny accuracy that inner struggle I described above: “You’ve got no right to be depressed; you haven’t tried hard enough to like it. Haven’t seen enough of this world yet, but it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.” And later, on 1937 State Park, “I didn’t want you to hear that shake in my voice--my pain is my own...I’m worrying for two, so don’t worry, baby.” But singer Will Toledo doesn’t merely hold a mirror up to the pained mental state he sings about--songs don’t offer false happy endings, but there are lines that point toward hope and redemption. On Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales, Toledo sings, “Here’s that voice in your head giving you shit again, but you know he loves you and doesn’t mean to cause you pain. It’s not too late--turn off the engine, get out of the car, and start to walk.”  Aside from the lyrics, which are reason enough for this to be my number one, the music recalls my favorite things about Pavement, Beck, Titus Andronicus, Fucked Up, and Japandroids--but never derivative. I don’t even know how to classify this--it’s got some garage rock lo fi moments, some complex sounding rhythmic changes, and some punk elements. Descriptions seem beside the point, I really think you just need to go be alone with this album and turn it up as loud as you possibly can. Maybe you’ll cry. Maybe you’ll pump your fist. Maybe you’ll chuckle at Toledo’s description of his one bad experience with drugs. Maybe you’ll learn that it’s an unforgiving world, but you aren’t an Unforgiving Girl--and maybe it’s time to forgive yourself: “Well everyone learns to live with themselves and you aren’t the only one who’s been through hell.” 

[roseisread]

My 30 Favorite Albums of 2015

Every year, I try to keep up with all the noteworthy album releases; and every year, I probably end up hearing less than 1% of the albums that got released. So if your favorite artist is missing from this list, tell me! This may not be a definitive list of the best albums, but it’s a list of the ones that meant the most to me. Aside from the top five, admittedly the order is probably a little arbitrary but I always *try* to rank by how much I listened and how much the music resonated with me. Let’s get on with the list, shall we?

First, I’m gonna throw out some honorable mentions that I also really liked that aren’t in my official top 30, even though maybe I would change my mind on another day: Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit; Dornik - Self-titled; Foals - What Went Down; Ashley Monroe - The Blade; Deafheaven - New Bermuda; Ryan Adams - 1989. 

30. God is an Astronaut - Helios/Erebus

GIAA is an Irish post rock band that makes the most majestic, I’m-just-a-speck-in-the-cosmos kind of music. This is their seventh album and they just get better all the time. The album’s title embraces both light and darkness, and the music reflects that dichotomy. 

29. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Style

At some point maybe I’ll tire of the 90s DIY indie guitar dude aesthetic, but it hasn’t happened yet. Car Seat Headrest, which is basically just one guy from what I understand, writes smart lyrics that range from introspective or observational to deep and littered with heady references to literature and mythology. I don’t know why that works when it should seem pretentious; but it ends up endearing and personal and really relatable. 

28. Girlpool - Before the World Was Big

Speaking of 90s DIY indie, Girlpool feels like a band that could’ve been labelmates with The Softies, All Girl Summer Fun Band, Bratmobile, The Juliana Hatfield Three, Kimya Dawson, or any number of riot grrrl-adjacent projects. It’s stripped down--just a guitar and a bass, no drums; but it’s also really personal and real and lovable. There’s a little bit of yearning for better times mixed with the acknowledgement that times probably never were quite as good as we remember them. 

27. Carter Burwell - Carol (original score)

I enjoyed the film a great deal (even though it missed the cut for my best of the year list); but the music stood out even more to me: Moody, romantic, and perfect. Burwell’s composition is spare yet persistent, beginning softly like the hesitant flirtations of the movie’s subjects and building into something that won’t be ignored. I’ve enjoyed his work in other films (particularly collaborations with the Coen brothers), but this might be his best. 

26. Leona Lewis - I Am

Because the world is unjust and stupid, most people only know Leona Lewis as that X Factor contestant who sang Bleeding Love. That’s admittedly one of the great singles of the last ten years, but there’s a lot more where it came from. She follows in the Mariah/Christina school of vocal ability, and if you, like me, wish that Adele’s latest album had more up-tempo numbers, you’ve come to the right place. Why Jessie J keeps getting foisted upon us when we could be listening to Leona is beyond me. 

25. Shamir - Ratchet

A supple, soulful voice cascades over breezy, funky beats that meld 70s disco with modern electronic elements. Imagine if Dinosaur L and Sylvester formed a supergroup with Juan MacLean and Junior Boys--and you still won’t capture the kinetic energy of Shamir. He’s from Las Vegas, and some of that atmosphere seeps into the album. He also has a way with words (”Don’t try me--I’m not a free sample” from On the Regular). If I need a pick me up, this is the album I go to. 

24. Eskimeaux - OK

Let’s file this one under Most Likely To Induce Tears Of Relief. It’s the most intimate, comforting album of the year by many miles. Think about that one friend you had that you could tell anything to and they’d say just the right thing or know when not to say anything at all and then think about the way that friendship slowly but steadily eroded into an artifact of a previous life. Think about the unrequited loves and the unconfessed secrets and the looming anxieties that threaten to undo you every time you close your eyes in a darkened bedroom, the utter isolation you feel at a party where everyone else seems to be on another planet and you can’t get out of your own goddamn head for even five minutes. This album encompasses all of these feelings, and listening to it, you can almost feel singer Gabrielle Smith’s arms around you telling you it’s going to be OK. 

23. Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album

2015 was a treasure trove of phenomenal R&B, and Jeremih gave us a hell of an entry with this album. I spent most of the summer driving around listening to “Don’t Tell ‘Em,” which predates the album by almost a year and a half; but the rest of it is just as good if not better than that massive single. There are a ton of awesome collaborators on Late Nights, including Big Sean, Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, Future, Migos, YG, and J. Cole; but it’s definitely Jeremih’s vision, and his seductive voice permeates every track. When talking about the mood of this album, Jeremih told an interviewer, “I’m single as hell right now.” Regardless of your relationship status, play this album if you wanna get some because it will work. 

22. The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Harmlessness

Are you still allowed to listen to emo as a happily married, gainfully employed 34-year-old? I hope so, because I can’t get enough of this band and album. I haven’t spent enough time with it to put it on the same pedestal as, say, Clarity by Jimmy Eat World or Deja Entendu by Brand New; but I could imagine one day holding it that dear. The band has something like eight members (I say “something like” because the lineup seems to be in a near-constant state of flux), and compositions bear some resemblance to the instrumental arrangements of Explosions in the Sky at times. The vocals range from Postal Service/Stars levels of softness to At the Drive In muscularity. There are violins, the tracks are called things like “Haircuts for Everybody” and  “I Can Be Afraid of Anything,” and if you have feelings of any kind, this band probably has written about them. 

21. Ane Brun - When I’m Free

I’m a sucker for Scandinavian music, so when a friend recommended this Norwegian singer, I was practically predestined to become obsessed. Turns out, she’s on her sixth studio album; but she’s new to me. Her voice is reminiscent of Kate Bush, Emiliana Torrini, Maire Brennan, and even Cocteau Twin’s Elizabeth Fraser at times. In other words, ethereal and lilting and hypnotic. Her musical accompaniments range from chamber pop to jazzy trip hop, occasionally borrowing elements from other cultural traditions as on Shape of a Heart with its Middle Eastern tinges. Ane Brun has spoken publicly about her ongoing battle with lupus, which landed her in the hospital on multiple occasions. Knowing the fragility of life in such a tangible way and dealing with the constant anxiety of another serious bout of illness translates to a real vulnerability that comes through in her music and occasionally lyrics. 

20. Colleen Green - I Want To Grow Up

If you miss Veruca Salt and The Breeders and Mary Lou Lord and the days when Liz Phair and Courtney Love were dominating the alt rock charts, you owe it to yourself to listen to this album. Plus, how often do you meet someone who claims both The Descendents and Akon as influences? Colleen Green rules my world with her buzzy guitars and catchy melodies and fun videos and lyrics so confessional she was nervous about sending the demos to her producing partners. Exhibit A: Deeper Than Love, which reveals her fear of intimacy and anxiety around relationships both romantic and platonic: “The closest to true love I ever came was with someone I kept many miles away...Cause I’m shitty and I’m lame and I’m dumb and I’m a bore, and once you get to know me you won’t love me anymore.” 

19. Disasterpiece - It Follows (original score)

A big part of what made It Follows one of my favorite movies of 2015 was the incredible score, which enhanced without intruding on the dread inherent in the film. Some of the most iconic horror films--The Exorcist, Halloween, Psycho, Suspiria, The Thing, Jaws--are known almost as much for their music as for their kill scenes. This movie, which pays tribute to the golden age of horror spanning the late 70s to the early 90s, gains some of that retro credibility from its score. Disasterpiece (aka Rich Vreeland) had scored video games and short films before, but this was his first feature and he pulled it off in three weeks using custom synth patches and probably some alien wizardry. He cited Goblin, John Cage, and John Carpenter as major influences, which definitely comes through; but this also doesn’t stop at mere imitation--these themes and creepy motifs stand on their own merit as something future film composers will draw on for inspiration. 

18. Torres - Sprinter

I think the peak usage of “fierce” as generic female compliment is behind us, which is why I’m gonna reclaim it to describe this album and its mastermind, Mackenzie Scott. She has this intensity and power in her delivery, and her lyrics hold nothing back. People have compared her to PJ Harvey, which is apt; but doesn’t give you a full picture of her unique delivery and songwriting. At 22, she’s singing about deeply held grudges and diseases that make parents forget their children’s faces and figuring out how to reconcile the faith you’re raised with and the doubts that creep in the longer you live in the world. She also delivers lines like, “You dove to save a child that must be drowned; you drowned to save yourself” in a way that will haunt you forever. 

17. CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye

This band, this album, makes me giddy. Listening to it is like jumping on a trampoline and occasionally bouncing all the way up to heaven for a minute before gravity brings you back down to the stretchy black canvas. Once again, Lauren Mayberry’s vocals soar above the synth pop backdrop, and blend exuberance with a tenderhearted wistfulness. If you don’t love this, I feel sorry for you. 

16. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness

He’s dark and moody and a little dangerous (or at least his character in some of these songs seems to be), but The Weeknd also brings such a playfulness to his songwriting. Comparisons to Michael Jackson are warranted, but the interesting thing about Abel Tesfaye is that he embodies both MJ’s early career sincerity and creativity and the world-weary cynicism that seemed to stifle the King of Pop. Instead of being stifled, though, Tesfaye draws on the grittier side of fame to craft some of his best songs. 

15. Bjork - Vulnicura

Bjork has evolved and transformed herself so many times in her career, from the post punk of the Sugarcubes to the trip hop of Post and the minimalist electronica of Vespertine. Each new musical excursion exposes a new layer, but with Vulnicura, it’s as if Bjork has ripped herself wide open and let us witness her raw, messy insides. She has been very transparent in explaining the album’s origins in her personal life and the end of a major relationship. The music is perfectly calibrated to be both devastating and healing, depending on your frame of mind while listening. 

14. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

On his best album since Illinois, Sufjan Stevens shares painful autobiographical details (“When I was three, maybe four, she left us at the video store”) and works through the residual scars of his mother’s abandonment and later death from cancer. So yeah, not a record you’re gonna put on at a party anytime soon. But it’s endlessly gorgeous and piercing and perfect, and exactly what you’ll need to hear someday even if you’d rather not think about it.

13. Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material

“Life ain’t always roses and pantyhose,” sings Kacey on the title track of this buoyant follow up to her 2013 breakout Same Trailer, Different Park. In other words, she might be more famous these days, but she’s still the same old Kacey. “Nobody needs a thousand dollar suit to take out the trash... gonna turn off my phone and start catching up with the old me,” goes another line, this one from album opener High Time. She returns to this theme of staying true to her roots throughout the album, amongst references to Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, wicker furniture, Friday night football, Mexican restaurants, and relatives behind bars. 

12. Beach Slang - The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us

As you may already know from previous posts, I adore The Replacements. Against all odds, they reunited and I saw two of their shows and my life had greater meaning. Right now, they’re broken up again, and I don’t dare hope for more miracles so I’m just accepting it and finding bands that pick up where they left off. Beach Slang does just that--in fact, they even opened for Tommy Stinson on some solo gigs. Singer James Alex has referenced Swervedriver and Jesus & Mary Chain as other influences, which goes a long way toward explaining why I love Beach Slang. I also dig the sincerity and open-heartedness of the lyrics, like these from Noisy Heaven: “Most of the words get stuck in my mouth, but I mean all the ones that punch their way out.” 

11. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love

With a ten year break between albums, you might expect SK to ease back into things, maybe mellow a little the way so many hard-hitting bands do as they get older. After all, these women have been making music together on and off for over twenty years now. But the years haven’t softened them one iota--in fact, this set of songs sounds sharper and their voices more self-assured and the guitars more strident than ever. To paraphrase Wayne’s World, they really wail. If you feel like rock music has been stuck in a rut lately, this album is just the ticket to shake you to your foundations and crack that rut open and swallow whole everything and everyone that gets in the way. 

10. Jamie xx - In Colour

Disclosure’s sophomore album may not have quite lived up to the dizzying perfection of Settle, but thankfully another UK artist emerged to become the EDM standard bearer last year. Jamie xx pulls together UK garage, house music, and soulful samples into a melange of electronic bliss. It’s rare that an album works equally well in headphones or pumped over a club sound system, but this one doesn’t sound out of place in either setting. Like the music of The xx, it feels intimate; but the quieter moments build, giving way to grander sounds and immersive refrains. 

9. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet, and Other Distress

Godspeed’s shortest album to date is also one of their best, second only to Lift Your Skinny Fists by my reckoning. If you like your post rock loud, epic, orchestrated, and created by Canadian anarchists, then this is the band for you. It’s intense and beautiful and mournful and foreboding, which is probably what you’ve come to expect from GYBE if you’re familiar with their work. Listening to instrumental music means you get to project whatever you’re feeling onto the songs, and that’s probably why this album feels so cathartic to me. Plus, when I’m having a bad time, I can crank the volume all the way up and burrow into cacophonous depths of guitar, violin, bass, and organ where my anxious thoughts can’t be heard.

8. Grimes - Art Angel

She might not be the only person who loves K-Pop, Skinny Puppy, and 12th century sacred chants equally, but she’s the only one who filters these and other disparate influences into a cohesive electro-pop aesthetic. The songs on Art Angel would feel right at home on a Top 40 station, but there’s a lot of experimentation and off kilter vibes happening under the bubbly surface. I’d love to see her tour with Selena Gomez, Tove Lo, or Rihanna to get some wider exposure and maybe cross pollinate and give those artists a little more weirdness by association. Speaking of weirdness by association, this album rises even higher in my estimation because Janelle Monae the ArchAndroid herself guests on one of the tracks. Be still my heart! 

7. Miguel - Wildheart

I must have listened to Kaleidoscope Dream, Miguel’s previous album, an average of twice a day for about three years straight. Seriously, it outlasted everything on my ever-rotating iPhone music library. My expectations could not have been higher for this follow up, and Miguel blew my mind with this sexy, eclectic, brilliant album. He dares to be a little playful in spots, he taps into the talents of Lenny Kravitz and Raphael Saadiq, he gets inspiration from The Smashing Pumpkins, he revels in the raunch the adult film industry, he mourns his mistakes, he celebrates the simple pleasures of coffee after a late night tryst, and he embraces the reality that maybe he’s not for everyone but he’s fully himself and that’s all anyone can really hope to be. 

6. Kamasi Washington - The Epic

I get it. The word “epic” gets tossed around pretty flippantly these days to describe everything from classroom decor to breakfast foods. I can see why you’d be skeptical of an album released in 2015 using that word as its title. But trust me. Kamasi Washington, jazz saxophonist and badass extraordinaire, contributor to albums by the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus, has schooled us all on what epic really means on this triple album. Featuring mostly original compositions, Washington showcases a modern jazz sensibility that’s informed by the greats: John Coltrane; Miles Davis; Weather Report/Jaco Pastorius; Herbie Hancock; Charles Mingus; Wayne Shorter; probably others I am not thinking of because I’m not as versed in jazz as I wish I could be. This is no Kenny G smooth jazz--it’s alive and pulsating, challenging at times and invigorating at others. It’s vital. Get it.

5. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment - Surf

Chance the Rapper gets a bunch of friends together and makes one of the most hopeful, dynamic albums of the year. I’m reminded of projects by Digable Planets, Guru’s Jazzmatazz albums, and even Lauryn Hill--there’s a real poetry here, but also a playfulness. I also think of Sly & the Family Stone, both because that band was a collective and because Surf fuses soul, funk, and tripped out grooves the way Sly did. Check out the list of names that appear under the “Social Experiment” banner: Janelle Monae, J. Cole, Big Sean, Jeremih, B.O.B., Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, the list goes on. These are heavy hitters, and some of the best songs on this album aren’t even theirs. That’s how good it is. 

4. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

Jason Isbell is one of the best American songwriters still living. It’s not hyperbole, it’s just true. He and his band, The 400 Unit, comfortably shift between classic country grooves to Southern rock barn burners to lilting love ballads, and all of those sound equally compelling and note-perfect. Hearing this album and Southeastern back to back, I think, “So this is what it was like to grow up when Hank Williams was around. This is how people felt when they heard Willie Nelson for the first time.” I know some people dismiss country as a genre, but even if it’s usually not your thing, give this album a chance. And by all means, go see Jason Isbell in concert. You can thank me later. 

3. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion

I didn’t see this album coming. Sure, I belted out “Call Me Maybe” every time it came on the radio in the summer of 2012, but like most people I chalked it up to a one hit wonder and moved on. But then! CRJ had to go for that 80s jugular. For an 80s pop junkie like me, this album dazzled me from the get go. Plus, with collaborators like Dev Hynes, Rostam Batmanglij, Ariel Rechtsaid, Sia, and Shellback--I mean this could only be a recipe for the most massive pop album since Robyn’s Body Talk trilogy. The production is lush, the hooks are insane, and above all, those vocals soar and swoon and breathlessly evoke the nights you stay up way too late dancing and drinking and flirting and then you get home and you can’t even sleep because you’re still so caught up thinking about that person, and wondering if they might by chance be lying awake thinking about you, too. 

2. MUTEMATH - Vitals

In the four years since Odd Soul, members of this band have gotten married, become parents, ditched their old label, and started a record label of their own. Drummer Darren King has lent his talents to projects by Son Lux, Say Anything, Travis Scott, and Kanye West. Todd Gummerman became a permanent member, pulling double duty on guitar and keys in addition to backup vocals. I mention these extra-textual elements mainly to highlight that this band has evolved and, yes, grown up some too, since we last heard from them. While the last album was rooted in classic rock and soul, Vitals turns toward pristine synths and electronic arrangements. It’s more pop oriented, and it also features some of the cleanest and most heart-wrenching vocals Paul Meany has ever put to record. Lyrics are personal and relatable, embracing love and family on one hand while acknowledging fears and bitterness on the other. “I used to care, I had no fear of falling, I used to never feel like I do now,” goes the chorus of Used To. But a few songs later, the mood shifts to a more optimistic one: “We’ll never find our way back to days of innocence, but I know we’ll be safe if we don’t look down. Take my arm, hold your balance, rest assured we’re right where we belong.” 

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

I pretty much knew from the second this album came out, it was going to be my album of the year. For starters, Kendrick is a hell of a rapper--he makes it sound so effortless, and he can pull off narratives from different characters with sincerity and anger and playfulness and desperation and bravado and everything in between. He’s also rapping about timely topics, particularly the violence and poverty that widens the racial divide in American communities. He acknowledges his own complicity and hypocrisy, the guilt he feels having escaped the street life but wondering if he’s done enough for the people he left behind. There’s a lot of introspection and philosophy here, but that’s not to say it’s a preachy album. It’s got a lot on its mind, but it’s also optimistic, as evidenced by songs like Alright. Beyond the powerful message and the singular voice delivering it, this album also features amazing musicians like the aforementioned Kamasi Washington; Bilal; George Clinton; Thundercat (who is best known for his hip hop connections these days, but once played in Suicidal Tendencies so you know he’s got that thrash metal cred). If you need any more persuasion on Kendrick generally or this album specifically, just go watch that Grammys performance and get back to me. 

[roseisread]

Oscar Predictions 2016

The day has finally come! My favorite televised event of the year! Below are my predictions along with who I would vote for if I were an Academy member. I made every effort to see the nominated movies, and at this moment I’ve seen 55/57. 

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road (SHOULD WIN)

The Martian

The Revenant (WILL WIN)

Room

Spotlight (RUNNER UP)

This has been a three-way race for the last few months. For a long time I was sure Spotlight had it in the bag, but The Revenant has been building momentum and seems like the one to beat right now. Of course, if I had my way, Mad Max would walk away with the big prize. There’s not a bad movie on the list, though I’d personally replace Bridge of Spies with Creed or Sicario. If they expanded the field to 10, it would’ve been nice to throw some love to Tangerine or Inside Out.

Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo (RUNNER UP)

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

It’s the surest bet of the year. I love Leo and he’s deserved this for years. My personal favorite performances of the year in this category would include Michael B. Jordan in Creed, Jason Segel in The End of the Tour, and Paul Dano in Love & Mercy. Jacob Tremblay from Room also deserves a nod, because he was amazing in that movie. This isn’t to say the other nominees aren’t worthy--but of the ones on this list, the only two I’d keep are Matt Damon and Leo. 

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn (RUNNER UP)

One of the few categories to actually contain a bad movie (Joy). I love JLaw, but that thing was a mess and even she couldn’t save it. The other nominees are worthy, but I wish these ladies had gotten serious consideration also: Bel Powley, Diary of a Teenage Girl; Elisabeth Moss, Queen of Earth; Melissa McCarthy, Spy; Charlize Theron, Mad Max. 

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant (SHOULD WIN)

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies (RUNNER UP)

Sylvester Stallone, Creed (WILL WIN)

Sly has put in his time, and he’s got a great narrative which voters love. He’s really good in Creed, though I really really wish the movie had gotten recognition outside of his role. Bale is fantastic in The Big Short, and Rylance is easily the best thing about Bridge of Spies. I love Ruffalo, but to me the standouts in Spotlight were Liev Schreiber and Michael Cyril Creighton, who plays a survivor that shares a pivotal scene with Rachel McAdams. Oscar Isaac from Ex Machina, Benicio Del Toro in Sicario, and Richard Jenkins in Bone Tomahawk would also be great choices. On the truly wishful thinking side, I wish Karren Karagulian from Tangerine, O’Shea Jackson Jr. from Straight Outta Compton, and Joe Mangianello from Magic Mike XXL had any shot at all here... but they were probably never in the conversation. 

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight (SHOULD WIN)

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl (WILL WIN)

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs (RUNNER UP)

I’d love to see JJL get her due, but it seems like the odds are favoring Vikander, whose performance truly belongs in the lead actress category over supporting. Same for Rooney Mara. There’s a lot of category fraud going on here. Remember when supporting meant maybe 5-15 minutes of screen time? Now you can be in every scene and still get it. Dumb. Anyway. I love all these ladies, so whatever happens, happens. But in an ideal world, here’s who else should be in the category: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria; Tessa Thompson, Creed; Jada Pinkett Smith, Magic Mike XXL; Güneş Şensoy from Mustang; and Mya Taylor, Tangerine. 

Best Animated Feature

Anomalisa (SHOULD WIN)

Boy and the World

Inside Out (WILL WIN)

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

All of these are delightful. This is what I wish the rest of the Oscars looked like--diverse, thoughtful, unexpected. Anomalisa is my favorite but Inside Out is totally wonderful too, and I’m ok with it winning. Boy and the World is a gorgeous Brazilian feature, and worth seeking out. Shaun the Sheep is funny and charming. When Marnie Was There is possibly the last of the Studio Ghibli movies, and it’s a lovely and heartbreaking fable. You can’t lose with any one of these movies, and I’m thrilled that some of these lesser known picks won out over Minions or other schlocky cash grabs. 

Best Cinematography

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

Sicario (RUNNER UP)

Ah this category is painfully good! I do think that Chivo (Emmanuel Luzbecki) will pull off a three-peat for his stunning work on The Revenant. Any other year, I’d pick Sicario so that Roger Deakins could finally get his Oscar; and who can argue with the visual perfection of Mad Max or Carol or Hateful? I just know that The Revenant’s framing, lighting, every shot had me spellbound. 

Best Costume Design

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl (WILL WIN)

Mad Max: Fury Road (SHOULD WIN)

The Revenant

Period pieces usually win this category, and Danish Girl’s only competition is Cinderella as far as fancy dresses go. But George Miller’s post apocalyptic series has always featured unique, specific visions that are very much informed by the wardrobe choices. I’d love to see Max pull off an upset here. 

Best Director

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road (SHOULD WIN)

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, The Revenant (WILL WIN)

Lenny Abrahamson, Room

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

It seems like it’s gonna be two in a row for Innaritu. He’s talented and daring and has a big personality, so I can see why he’s gained such a following. Personally, though, I think Miller’s the more deserving of the two. 

Best Documentary Feature

Amy (WILL WIN)

Cartel Land (SHOULD WIN)

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom

You should watch all of these. I believe between Amazon Prime and Netflix, they are now all available to stream for free. Amy is a worthy nominee, does some unusual things for a doc, and tells a compelling story about a musician and popular figure. Usually music docs do well with the Academy, and there are two here between Amy & Miss Simone. But Amy is the more groundbreaking since it uses pre-existing footage exclusively. My personal favorite is Cartel Land, which plays like an action movie and put the filmmakers lives in real danger. But yeah, just watch all of them. They are all great. 

Best Documentary Short

Body Team 12

Chau, Beyond the Lines

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah (WILL WIN)

The Girl on the River: The Price of Forgiveness (SHOULD WIN)

Last Day of Freedom

Don’t watch these if you’re having a bad day. They will make you seriously bummed out. But they are really well made. My two favorites would be Girl on the River, about an attempted honor killing, and Last Day of Freedom, about a Vietnam vet with PTSD who ended up on death row. I think the academy will favor the doc that’s a kind of making of/retrospective on Shoah, a filmmaking achievement that opened a lot of eyes about the atrocities of the holocaust. 

Best Film Editing

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

The Revenant (RUNNER UP)

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

If anything besides Mad Max or Star Wars wins here, that movie will probably go on to pick up the Best Picture win as well. Word to the wise. 

Best Foreign Language Film

Embrace of the Serpent

Mustang (SHOULD WIN/RUNNER UP)

Son of Saul (WILL WIN)

Theeb

A War

I tried in vain to see Embrace of the Serpent before the ceremony, but it’s not playing in Chicago yet and it’s not available online. I look forward to catching up with it next month. The rest of these are really good, with Son of Saul being the most experimental and gut wrenching (shot almost exclusively from one man’s POV at a concentration camp where he is trying to give a young boy a proper burial). Mustang was my favorite, and I wrote more about it in my round up of favorite films of the year. Theeb is like a spinoff from Lawrence of Arabia but told from a child’s perspective, and A War examines ethical dilemmas facing a Danish military leader both at home and in his unit. 

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Mad Max: Fury Road (should win/will win)

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

The Revenant

I have to thank this category for introducing me to 100-Year-Old Man. It’s like a European Forrest Gump meets Weekend at Bernie’s but with more explosions, gangsters, an elephant, and some romance. It’s free on Amazon Prime. Go watch it. 

Best Score

Bridge of Spies

Carol (SHOULD WIN)

The Hateful Eight (WILL WIN)

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I think Ennio Morricone will be the sole winner that comes out of The Hateful Eight, and it’s a legacy award because he’s contributed so much to movies over the years. I’m happy to see Sicario here, and wish that It Follows and Inside Out made the cut. 

Best Song

Earned It, Fifty Shades of Grey (WILL WIN)

Manta Ray, Racing Extinction

Simple Song #3, Youth (SHOULD WIN)

Til It Happens to You, The Hunting Ground (UGH)

Writing’s On the Wall, Spectre (NO)

This is the weirdest category of the year, I’d say. My guess is that the average person, movie goer or music listener, has only heard one or two of these: Earned It and Writing’s On the Wall. I love Sam Smith, but that Bond song was abysmal. I think The Weeknd will pick this one up, although some people are banking on Lady Gaga and Diane Warren, for their dirge-like contribution to a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. The movie whose song is actually integral to the plot here is Youth, because the lead character is a composer and everyone’s trying to convince him to come out of retirement to perform this song. It’s really good, but probably not got a chance. Then there’s Manta Ray, the most curious selection, which is performed by Antony of Antony & the Johnsons and appears in a documentary about how human consumption is threatening to drive multiple species into extinction. The real tragedy is the absence of the Tripledent Gum commercial jingle from Inside Out.

Best Production Design

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

The Martian

The Revenant

You know I’m gonna go with Mad Max on these tech awards. It’s deserving and even though Revenant has momentum, Max has such loving detail and so MUCH imagination. 

Best Animated Short

Bear Story (RUNNER UP)

Prologue (WTF)

Sanjay’s Super Team (WILL WIN)

We Can’t Live Without Cosmos (SWEET)

World of Tomorrow (SHOULD WIN)

I will do a write up about all of these later, but Sanjay’s the Pixar short and it’s really fun and packs a lot of cultural nuance and animated splendor into its short runtime. Thus, I think it’s got the best chance. Bear Story has amazing detail and tells a more tragic story, and I could see it winning too but it seems like a longer shot. My favorite is Don Hertzfeldt’s goofy, wonderful World of Tomorrow. It’s on Netflix, go watch it right now. 

Best Live Action Short

Ave Maria

Day One

Everything Will Be OK (Alles Wird Gut)

Shok (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

Stutterer (RUNNER UP)

Again, more to come on these in a separate post; but to me, the story of two boys in Kosovo whose friendship is threatened by their involvement with Serbian soldiers has the best chance and it’s the most moving of the stories. Stutterer is a more light hearted, quirky romance, and if voters are in the mood for something cheerier, I could see them going that direction instead. 

Best Sound Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Better luck next time, Star Wars. 

Best Sound Mixing

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

See above. 

Best Visual Effects

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

The Martian

The Revenant (YEAH I KNOW THE BEAR THING)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I’m happy to see Ex Machina sneak in here, because it used its relatively small budget to great effect (see what I did there). And yeah, The Martian and Star Wars showed us cool space stuff. And The Revenant with its bear attack. BUT MAD MAX RULES ALL! And so many practical effects! 

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Big Short (WILL WIN)

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian (SHOULD WIN)

Room

I’m going with Short because it’s got a best picture nom, so that bodes pretty well. But my own favorite was The Martian, which actually managed to improve on an already pretty great book. 

Best Original Screenplay

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina (SHOULD WIN)

Inside Out (RUNNER UP)

Spotlight (WILL WIN)

Straight Outta Compton

Again, not gonna bet against a best picture frontrunner, much as I think Inside Out could somehow pull off an upset. To me the most truly original screenplay on this list is Ex Machina, but it’s a super longshot. Straight Outta Compton deserved more, and the screenplay was not the best thing about it by far (the performances take that honor, followed by editing). The Duke of Burgundy and Bone Tomahawk would have been really fun surprises here, but let’s not kid ourselves. 

There you have it! Let’s see how these predictions shake out in a few hours.