Movie | Largo Winch | Liked It

The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch. Fun to see again.

TV | Death in Paradise (Series 6) | Liked It

They seem slightly embarrassed.

Relentlessly and apologetically formulaic, yet still enjoyable. We welcomed a new lead detective, said goodbye to the old one and the writing in the final episode was so boring that it literally put me to sleep (multiple times!). They just kept verbally rehashing the case over and over and over again. No matter, there will be a seventh series and we'll most likely watch it!

Best of 2016

2016 was a huge year for me; I watched more than I ever have since starting this tracking blog. As a consequence, I watched a bunch of stuff that won't stick with me. These are the movies and tv shows that will.

Best Drama/Thriller - Blue Ruin

Honorable Mention - Green Room, Cop Car, High-Rise,
Cold in July, 10 Cloverfield Lane, American Ultra, Peacock,
Kill Me Three Times, Inherent Vice, The Guest,
Swiss Army Man, The Equalizer, Maggie, Stanhope

Best Comedy - Life After Beth

Best Western - Diablo

Best Documentary - Andrew Jenks: Room 335

Honorable Mention -David Bowie: Five Years, An Evening with Noel Fielding,
Henry Rollins: Up For It, Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone

Best Science Fiction and Fantasy - Ex Machina

Honorable Mention - Interstellar, Uncanny, Antiviral, Hidden,
These Final Hours, Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead 

Best Family Film - Minions

Best TV Drama - Animal Kingdom

Best New Television Show - Stranger Things

Best Horror Television Show - Channel Zero

Honorable Mention - Preacher, Crazyhead, Psychoville

Best Sci-Fi Television Show - The Aliens

Best Reality Television Show - Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

Best Comedy Television Show - Maron (Season 4)

Honorable Mention - Plebs, Yonderland, Moone Boy, Cuckoo

Best Drama Television Show - Mad Dogs (US)

Honorable Mention - Search Party, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency,
Ordinary Lies, Baskets, The Family, Lilyhammer

Best Adult Animated Television Show - Monkey Dust

These are the outstanding shows that I saw just in 2016, but there are so many that were just merely very good. If you're interested in seeing a movie or tv show on this list but you're unsure if you'd like it or not, talk to me about it and I can give you an indication of whether or not you will. Just because I did doesn't mean you will, of course.

Shows and movies that made the list last year was bumped from this list. That doesn't mean they're not still fantastic and well worth seeing. It's also worth noting that many of the movies that I saw in 2016 crossed genres and it was much more difficult categorizing them, which I think is brilliant. 2017 is already shaping up to be an absolutely outstanding year, with even more genre-jumping.

Comments are welcome; tell me what your "best of" was in 2016!

TV | Colony (Season 2) | Liked It-ish

This show continues to not quite click. There are moments and then there are ridiculously long pauses between anything that I, as a viewer, care about. And, unfortunately, I still feel like this was miscast and over-acted. That's probably more the show runner's fault more than anybody.

TV | Baskets (Season 2) | Really Liked It

Continues to be for sophisticated viewers only. I think a lot of people don't get this show, whatsoever. It's complicated, unexpected and chock full of ethos.

Movie | Morgan | LIKED It

Been waiting for this a long time. It wasn't great, but I still really enjoyed it. Rule #1.

TV | White Rabbit Project | Liked It-ish

The secondary crew from Mythbusters get their own show. It was good and they're great, but I'm just not that interested in seeing this kind of stuff anymore.

Movie | A Field in England | Liked It

I still hate period pieces, but this was by one of my favorite director/writers, Ben Wheatley (Ideal, Sightseers, Kill List and High-Rise...all of which were superb in their own ways) and featured in the cast were Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh, etc.) and Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9, Psychoville, etc.).

TV | Portlandia (Season 7) | Liked It-ish

Too many misses.

TV | The OA | Really Liked It

Marling continues to be great. This show contains elements of The Family, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest and Stranger Things, among others.

TV | 3% | Liked It

Interesting that there seems to be some really quality Latino sci-fi coming out.

Movie | Miss Meadows | Liked It-ish

To nobody's fault other than the editor and script, this never really gelled. Holmes is excellent and the quirkiness is intriguing and charming. But it just didn't work because it was too slow and felt like it was a bit pointless. Too bad; definitely had potential and not the worst rental out there.

TV | Travelers | Liked It

Oh thank god, McCormack is finally in something actually good.

TV | Our Ex-Wife | Liked It

Better than its premise.

TV | Home From Home | Didn't Like It

Love these two, but this show didn't have enough going for it to peak our interest. It wasn't terrible, tho.

Movie | Mr. Right | Really Liked It

We'd actually seen a part of this previously. At the time, I didn't think it was very good and dismissed it. Well, we tried it again and it was downright delightful. I mean, how many genuinely funny rom-coms about a hitman who falls for a nutty girl can you think of?

Movie | Interstellar | Really Liked It

Another movie for people who are afraid of sci-fi, in that there's nothing new here and the script and editing hold the viewer back, giving them only glimpses or insinuating the dirty bits, which are the most interesting but modern movie watchers won't accept because of their narcissism and ADHD. Nolan does his usual good job, despite the miscasting of McConaughey, who was just awful, and the length being about a half hour too long.

Movie | To All A Goodnight | Liked It-ish

Thought I'd start the new year with something truly bad; that way I've got nowhere but up. Well...success!

Movie | Murder Party | LIKED It

Okay, so this first feature from the dynamic Saulnier-Blair duo wasn't quite the level of their next two films, but it was still darn enjoyable and hugely creative. And it was still better than 99% of the big budget drek out there.

Movie | Daughters of Satan | Didn't Like It

So bad and yet we watched the whole thing. This was one of Tom Selleck's first movie roles and he's in his late 20s in it. Which is not necessarily a good thing, so matter how you look at it. Selleck never meets Satan, by the way. Now you know.

TV | Mad Dogs (UK) | Liked It

So good. But since we've already seen the remake, there weren't many surprises.

TV | Humans (Series 2) | Liked It

Continues to be quite good, if a bit slow.

TV | Motherland (Pilot) | Liked It

We were surprised by how much we actually enjoyed this. I didn't have high hopes, but I did know this was from Graham Linehan (Ideal), Sharon Hogan (Catastrophe) and had Paul Ready (Utopia) in the cast. I hope they get a full series...this was just the one episode?!? Is this the new thing with English television; wing a pilot out there and see if it sticks? That kinda sucks.

Movie | Highway to Hell | Liked It

Hokey fun. All sorts of great little cameos, including the entire Stiller family.

Movie | Green Room | REALLY Liked It

Despite some Rule #1 breakage, this was flat out excellent. The monster cast includes Anton Yelchin in one of his last appearances, which is heartbreaking. After the incredible Blue Ruin and this movie, Jeremy Saluiner is now one of my favorite directors and Macon Blair one of my favorite actors. Blair is more subdued in this, mainly because he plays a supporting role. But his performance is so nuanced and charismatic that he's nearly unrecognizable from BR. I wouldn't have picked the four actors that play the punk band, but they work perfectly. And Poots is outstanding, despite her last name.

This is the kind of movie that a lot of people aren't going to get. It's complicated in its simplicity and there are many confusing moments purposefully written in and I had to watch the entire thing with the English subtitles on, even though everybody is speaking English. They mutter and it's hard to catch what they're saying. But those points just prove that this is the sort of film for truly complex and demanding film-goers.

Brutal. Nerve wracking. Scary. Surreal, yet frighteningly realistic. Fantastic. One of the best movies I've seen this year, no doubt.

TV | Sense8 (Xmas Special) | Really Liked It

Simply spectacular. Bring on the new season!

TV | Josh (Series 2) | Liked It

Some of the magic seems to be gone, but this was still enjoyable enough.

TV | Zapped | Liked It

This was fun, but only three episodes?!? C'mon!

TV | Black Mirror (Series 3) | Really Liked It

Netflix didn't muck it up, thankfully. Continues to be mind-blowing.

TV | Leah Remini: Scientology... | Really Liked It

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. A reality show with not only a purpose, but also social consciousness? Yep! Fascinating and well worth watching.