TOP 5 VIDEO GAMES
5. Volume
Mike Bithell makes great games by embracing simplicity. Thomas Was Alone was a beautiful game, and certainly one of the more mentioned of the indie sweetheart games. It's success is largely from the way it used simple gameplay in a compelling fashion. His follow up, Volume, follows a similar trend. It's more complex, but his stealth-game that is a futuristic retelling of Robin Hood is really easy to pick up. Each level is a time-based challenge, so you won't get stuck on difficult sections for too long. This allows players to get through it how they wish. More of a casual gamer who wants to get through the story? It's a bit challenging at times, but you won't get overly frustrated. More of a hardcore gamer who wants to get the high score or get under par each time? That will take up a fair amount of time. Volume is another great game that is beautifully simplistic.
4. Rocket League
One of the most genuinely fun games in a long time, Rocket League succeeds by creating the simplest premise combining two things: soccer and racing. How do you describe the game? Well, it's soccer, but the players are rocket cars. It's fast and chaotic, but pure fun. They've recently added mutators to the game as well, only enhancing the mayhem. It takes a while to get really good at it, but even at the "beginner" level, it's hard not to enjoy yourself.
3. Her Story
My big take away from Her Story is that I would be the worst detective in the world. Her Story is a neat and unique little game wherein there's surprisingly little gameplay. No, it's not another one of those "walking simulators." Instead, the game is a big puzzle that wants you to put it together yourself and never tells you if you're totally right or way off base. Basically, you're watching a giant library of old video clips of a woman being interviewed by a detective. The questions are edited out, so all you get are her responses. It's your job as the player to piece together this person's story. The only real input you have as a player is to input keywords as you search the database. You type in keywords and video clips with that word will show up. It's actually a bit trickier than it sounds, as there are a lot of videos. There might not be that much replay value in the game, but few games have provided as awesome an initial experience as Her Story, and the way you feel as you start unwinding this story.
2. Life Is Strange
Episodic games have become a lot more popular and common in the aftermath of Telltale's The Walking Dead success. Dontnod Entertainment tried their hand at it with Life Is Strange. What sets this game apart is how it begins by being really grounded and innocent, then progressively gets darker and darker. By the end, it's almost entirely unrecognizable. At its core, it's very similar to those Telltale games. You control Max around the environment, looking at and interacting with items. Max learns she can manipulate time, which adds a little about to the "walk-and-look" gameplay. Most puzzles involve watching events unfold, rewinding time, and figuring out the proper way to change what's coming. Though the finale is a little weak overall, the rest of it is so nice and emotional. It's the characters that sell it (and maybe the awesome indie soundtrack). And, ya know, the feelings!
1. Undertale
Undertale is the latest indie sweetheart game, but with good reason. It's funny that the retro look of gaming has made for itself a tidy little corner of the market! This RPG takes a lot of its cues from Super Nintendo-era gaming, most often drawing comparisons to Earthbound. It's not hard to see why. While the gameplay might be a little weird - it's largely either timing-based attacks or a Asteroid-like mini-game to avoid attacks while figuring out how to "spare" enemies - everything else is nearly perfect. The characters are great and realized incredibly well. The writing is nearly perfect. And it's just a lot of fun. What's interesting about the game is that you can go through killing everything (like you normally would), you can go through and not kill a single enemy (which requires certain actions during battle), or some combination of the two. It might not be the best game for people who don't like to get stuck on challenging bosses, or who get frustrated easily, but if you don't mind needing a few tries to get through an enemy, it's definitely worth checking out.
TOP 6 SHOWS
6. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The student has become the master as John Oliver took over his own political comedy after his stint on The Daily Show. As the genre expands, there's one that stands above the rest. It might not be the institution of Jon Stewart's show, but John Oliver has crafted one of the most legitimately informative and enraging (in the right ways) comedy show on television. Sure, it's a little unfair to compare Last Week Tonight with The Daily Show or The Nightly Show. Being weekly means that Oliver and his crew can dig deeper into a single subject. Yet it's that ability to do so that makes it the best. Even more is all the stuff they've done outside of the show in service of it, like starting a legally recognized church or putting up billboards around the world.
5. Daredevil
No, it's not a perfect show. The dialogue is sometimes clunky and some of the relationships seem rather contrived. And let's not bring up how bad the Daredevil suit at the end looked! Or that the finale was a bit rushed and disappointing. Still, what made Daredevil so captivating was it's dark, crime noir story and arguably Marvel's best on-screen villain to date. Wilson Fisk was compelling in his layers and complexity. Daredevil stands out from all the other Marvel movies and shows by immediately going dark. The violence can get pretty brutal at times. This is not your Joss Whedon Avengers style of Marvel stuff. It works by remaining true to the character while telling an intriguing story, all while working in some key mystical elements of Daredevil's lore.
4. The Last Man On Earth
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have been making a name for themselves. Even if you don't recognize them, you're probably familiar with their work. The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street have both been widely loved, and they're both really funny. Teaming up with Will Forte again (see Clone High), they've created one of the weirder comedies on a mainstream network. Focused on a group of survivors in a world where a plague has seemingly killed all other life, it's a strange placement for a comedy. Yet it works, largely due to Forte's comedic acting chops, as well as Kristen Schaal's perfect performance as well.
3. Jessica Jones
While Daredevil may have been a more accurate comic book adaptation, Jessica Jones was probably the better overall show. The way everything connected and was in service of the greater themes and concepts adds a layer that its Marvel Netflix predecessor lacked. It also didn't hurt that it had slightly better dialogue and character writing, but overall, it's that it's more than just a comic book show that gives it a slight edge.
2. Master of None
Probably the least likely show you would expect out of Aziz Ansari, Master of None is just really, really good. It's funny and touching and poignant at all the right moments. It's a bit weird seeing Ansari play an actually realistic and relatable character, dealing with a lot of the same generational problems we all are, and keeping it in context with and acknowledging other people's issues and histories. It's just a really well balanced show.
1. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The strange thing about comedies is that it's hard to explain to someone who might not have the same sense of humor as you why it's so funny. Kimmy Scmhidt is the funniest and most charming shows in a long, long time. Ellie Kemper's smile is contagious, and it's awesome to get a show that makes it a point to retain a sense of wonder and optimism at a time when cynicism and brooding characters are making a strong comeback (seriously, it's getting dangerously similar to the '90s lately...) It's a winning combination of cheesy jokes with nerdy referential humor, all anchored by a brilliant performance from Kemper. This is honestly just a show I can always go back to and watch at any point and still be entertained by. I've watched it so many times this year, and rewatching it the other day, I still found jokes I laugh out loud to.
Honorable Mentions: I also just wanted to take a moment to throw out a few honorable mentions to shows that didn't premiere in 2015, but had what I felt to be strong seasons. Most notably, I really though Community recovered well for its final season earlier in the year. It hit a rocky patch in the aftermath of NBC's firing of Dan Harmon and then going from NBC to Hulu to Yahoo, but it did regain a lot of the charm and heart of the early seasons in time for its finale.
Also wanted to give credit to Parks & Recreation for crafting one of the weirder series finale seasons in a while. The futuristic sci-fi elements of the finale, mixed with very modern political issues made it such a joy to watch. For a show that struggled a bit in the beginning, it ended on such a high note.
And finally, Orange is the New Black continues to impress. Season three was really, really good, and has further cemented it as one of the top shows being made.
TOP 10 MOVIES
10. It Follows
Yes, at the end of the day, It Follows is kind of a dumb movie. It's not the scariest, and the psychological terror only goes so far. It's message - if it has one - is muddled and confusing, and its resolution is sudden and almost annoyingly vague. Yet the style and tone of the film makes it such a good watch. It has its thrills, and it's brilliant in the way that it channels its inner '80s John Carpenter. Plus, that Disasterpeace soundtrack.
9. Ant-Man
The general consensus with Ant-Man is that it's pretty ok. Fun, but nothing incredible. Certainly, it's not hard to imagine how much better it would have been if Marvel had been able to retain Edgar Wright. Still, what we got was a return to "Phase I" style of Marvel movies at a time when "Phase II" was in full effect. The return to a smaller scope and a more personal impact, I found, greatly refreshing.
8. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Based on a lesser known Mark Millar comic of the same name, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a stylized, violent, and fun twist on James Bond. Following a mythical group of British spies, Colin Firth gets to try his hand as a quasi-action star, and he kills it. It's just a good, fun action movie. Matthew Vaughn continues to impress with his comic book adaptations. Even Kick-Ass - based on the hugely overrated Mark Millar comic - was good!
7. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
This movie isn't going to be for everyone. Not because it's "scary" (it's not) or "violent" (it's not) or "gory" (it's not), but because it's so stylized and slow. It feels a lot more like a Western than a horror or drama. In fact, a whole lot of nothing actually even happens. There's not much dialogue, and there are a lot of scenes of characters just sort of silently watching each other. But that's why it's such a cool movie. It conveys so much through so little action or dialogue, and it's just visually an awesome movie.
6. The Martian
A good Ridley Scott movie? I know that sounds unbelievable, but it's true! Scott has finally made a solid, fun, entertaining movie that's a blast to watch. Matt Damon turns in one of his best performances as an astronaut stranded alone on Mars. He's largely acting against himself, with no one else sharing the screen with him for the overwhelming majority of the film. It's also refreshing to see a movie that functions as a love letter to science, rather than simply treating it as a silly plot device that can be just randomly made up and altered whenever convenient (a la Gravity).
5. The Overnight
Jason Schwartzman and Adam Scott, and their (prosthetic) dongs. That's pretty much what you're in for with this weird, awesome, hilarious film that's one of the best "adults trying to grow up." On the surface, it might appear to be just an indie Hangover knock off, but it's so much more than that, and so much better. Just watch it. Trust me.
4. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
This one might be a tougher sell, since I haven't found anyone who liked it nearly as much as I did. They sell you on the idea that it's "based on a true story," but it's really just based on an urban legend. There's a tale in Minnesota of a Japanese woman who was searching for the treasure buried in Fargo - the fictional treasure in a fictional movie. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter puts a human face on this legend. Pretty much what drives this movie is the performance of Rinko Kikuchi, who is just a complete joy to watch. If the film is more of a character study, then you need a great actor to pull it off. Kikuchi straight up kills it here. It's one of my favorite movies in a while, but take that with a grain of salt, since - like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty before it - it might just be one of those films that hits me in just the right spot that it won't hit anyone else.
3. What We Do In The Shadows
Two vampire movies on my top ten list! Weird. What We Do In the Shadows is a hilarious fake documentary comedy centered on a house full of vampires as they make their way through the world around them, especially when they have to show the ropes to a new vampire that they accidentally turned themselves. Few movies made me crack up as frequently and as hard as this one.
2. Inside Out
Pixar continues their domination over American-made animation, this time providing one of the most interesting and touching films of their entire repertoire. It was probably always going to be a more emotional tale given it is literally centered around a young girl's emotions, embodied by some great voice actors. The way Joy and Sadness work together makes for some of the most compelling character action of the entire year, and the way it impacts young Riley has it one of the most emotional films in a long time. It's hard to pick a favorite Pixar film, but I thought it was their best to date.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Look, I really, really wanted to find a movie I liked more this year than Mad Max: Fury Road. I tried so hard to pick something over it, just because it's been the one to get all the hype and accolades. So many have put it as their favorite film of the year. At the end of the day, there was just nothing else that even came close. Of all the films I'd seen this year, Mad Max is the only one I specifically went to see several times in theater. It's a high octane blast - just loads of fun - with two great characters in Furiosa and Max. George Miller weirdly advances cinema by going back to more practical-driven effects. Make no mistake; there's a lot of CGI in the film too, but it's all used to enhance the practical effects. Even more, Miller manages to make something new while hitting some of the same beats as some of the other Mad Max films. A lot of the film is derivative of itself, but in a way less blatantly than, say, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I still watch this movie and still can't believe it. It's also one of the few Hollywood blockbusters that doesn't sacrifice substantial story for mindless action. Sure, the story is not the most deep thing ever, but it's not a softball story either. As much as I wanted to avoid doing what everyone else is doing, at the end of the day, there's a reason it's widely being considered the top movie of the year.
So, those are my lists. What's at the top of yours?
No comments:
Post a Comment