Here it is my trial for both the good and the evil of 2016. Bear in mind that the items appearing in the dock below may or may not be the best of the last twelve months but I feel are deserving of bringing to your attention. Alternatively some of the items are not the worst either but I feel the need to mention them as a warning to steer clear. So please read through case by case and form your own opinion.
Warning there may be SPOILERS below...
The Scorchers
As is my custom you will find reports from film, television, music & books below. I have tried to cover different genres; whether that be an amusing family drama to a war thriller; or an electronic album to a mostly guitar based record. I have tried to keep each category as broad as I can to give you an eclectic mix of entertainment.
Films
What a year for good films. I have chosen three that stood out for different reasons. There were so many others that I could highlight too. Both Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War were terrific additions to the ever expanding superhero genre, especially Deadpool with its refreshing R rated approach. Hell or High Water was one of those movies where you don't know if you should be rooting for the good guys or the bad guys. I love films such as this where you can debate afterwards who you wanted to see victorious in the end. Unusually for me I also found more than a couple of comedies tickled my fancy. Mascots continued Christopher Guest's run of mockumentaries without hitting the same heights as Best In Show; it was still amusing. Then there was Florence Foster Jenkins with top notch performances from all the main cast and Simon Helberg in particular. I do also have to mention The Witch; a film that should have everything against it: the language, the setting, the lighting, the pacing, and the lack of a star. Despite all of these points that normally would work against a film attaining an audience; The Witch did gain followers and those lucky enough to see it have seen what will go on to be considered a modern classic.
This was the most surprisingly entertaining film for 2016 in my opinion. This is a film that the whole family can enjoy. The most unlikely but likeable New Zealand rogue, Uncle Hector unwittingly has to look out for delinquent Ricky who has been placed in his care. What happens next is an adventure of self-discovery and bonding that really hits all the right notes. There is pathos as well as humour as Taika Waititi continues his winning streak as director.
Generally speaking films relating to war zones or terrorist activity rely on set action pieces to get the adrenaline racing. Eye In The Sky eschews those conventions to bring us a taut thriller about a battle of wits between the higher echelons of command and a drone pilot. Their actions will have dire consequences one way or another and so you get both perspectives of the argument. It makes for fascinating, edge of the seat viewing as they go back and forth deciding will they or wont they push that button. By the end of it you feel like you have been a part of the decision making process and that you too have either won or lost.
I guess you could also class Green Room as a thriller too. This one however is in a completely different vein to the previous film. Green Room is definitely more of your horror type thriller. A band perform to a bunch of neo-Nazis and then are witness to a crime that then threatens their own lives. One of Anton Yelchin's final appearances and he is terrific as one of the protagonists trying to escape the clutches of Patrick Stewart's menacing thugs and boy oh boy does Mr Stewart make an excellent villain. My pulse was racing throughout which is a good sign that a film is doing something right.
Television
Like my 2015 list for television I decided to focus on individual episodes that grabbed my attention rather than whole shows. That isn't to say that there weren't some stand out series that I started watching; for example Stranger Things which I promise will be entering into our courthouse hopefully in the not too distant future. Besides that there was also Preacher which was immense fun. I also liked the intrigue of The Night Manager but the music annoyed me a great deal and I also hated the romantic subplot in that mini-series. To find out the episodes that I loved the most on TV read on...
Rarely am I as bamboozled by a shows plot as much as I was watching Westworld. It took me until episode nine to start to put the major pieces together. There are many who worked things out a lot earlier than I; and believe me I feel they should be recruited to the Inquisition in my place; it was a failing in my duty! What I loved about the season's concluding episode was that it tidied up all these plot threads and gave answers to nearly every question raised throughout the series. It was the perfect ending to the show and if there were no more seasons filmed then this also was a satisfying way to end as a ten episode mini-series.
I know this episode was released in 2015 but I actually waited until the whole series was finished before commencing to watch it; therefore it qualifies by my reckoning. I will admit that I had my reservations how well the much beloved Evil Dead story would transfer over to the small screen. Would the humour still be prevalent? Would the Deadite's look and feel the same? Would Bruce Campbell still be able to imbue Ash with the same manic energy? Thankfully all my concerns were answered with an unequivocal "Yes" from the first episode onwards and I had a blast with this show.
Was this the best season of Game of Thrones so far? That is the question I kept asking myself as there were possibly three episodes that I considered for inclusion here (the two others being 'The Door' and 'The Winds of Winter'). However I had to plump for the resolution of Jon Snow's story arc, much like last year's inclusion in this section. For so long we have been waiting for someone to stand up to Ramsay Bolton and we get to see it in all its bloody glory in this episode. The battle scenes are ferocious and scary. The way some of the battle is filmed; in such close ups with the focus on one character, really messes with your senses and you get to feel how disorientating the madness of slaughter would be. Game of Thrones once again proving its magnificence.
Music
I will admit that I have been a bit lapse with my listening habits for 2016. I haven't listened to nearly enough music as I would normally like to but in saying that I have heard some quality output. Some of my favourite material has been from musicians coming back from long absences such as Suede and The Avalanches who I mentioned in one of my Weekly Witch Hunts. These are three other artists whose work last year I deeply admired.
This is the third album from this New Zealand band (New Zealand seems to be getting all the love). They don't stray too far from their formula and when the songs you produce consistently make the listener want to get up and dance as much as theirs; then why would you? It is the perfect type of record to throw on at a party and get people moving. Simple form indeed.
There aren't many artists in the world with the same level of freedom to create such a bold record as Beyoncé. She has simultaneously made a concept album and a cathartic album and it works so well. Beyoncé has broadened her horizons and included different styles to what you would normally expect to come from her and the choices she has made for her collaborators are inspired. She is fully deserving of all the accolades coming her way for this brave endeavour.
This is an artist that only came to my attention late in the year and it may be because he is fresh in my mind that he has made it into my Scorchers. I love a good guitar based artist that can blend different tempos on the one album and Kiwanuka is more than capable of doing just that. This is one of those records that you can put on and the songs feel instantly recognisable. The songs tend to stick in your mind immediately. One gem of an album I am pleased to have discovered, albeit late in the game.
Books
Once again I have included in this category books which weren't published in 2016 but ones which I read during this calendar year. These are books that I had a lot of fun with that I think are deserving of a wider audience.
This is a book of 33 short stories all interlinked by a radio station who asked for submissions of tales residents of Lost Town either experienced themselves or heard about over time. There are a mix of different stories with plenty of creepiness, suspense and horror throughout. Scattered amongst these tales are the occasional illustration relating to the particular story being told which adds to the fairy tale aspect. Overall this book is a great way to end the night with a spooky tale or two before you turn out the lights.
A ghost hunter who traps the spirits she captures in a drinking canteen but then has the tables turned on her by a particularly tricky spook. This peaked my interest and I was not disappointed one bit. The book has excellent characters with plenty of backstory to make you want to learn more about them. It contains enough scares and surprises to keep you turning page after page. I found myself swept up in this adventure and really cared for the hero. There was enough interest for me to want to check out the continuing adventures of Lydia Trinket.
Jet is a former Mossad agent in hiding whose false identity has been discovered and is now marked for death. Why, well that is what she intends to find out. This is a fast paced espionage thriller that jumps across countries in the best traditions of James Bond. The story is filled with everything you want to see in a spy novel with a hero who has the skills and know how to succeed. It is only the beginning too as Jet's adventures continue in a further eleven books! Now I haven't read any of the others so I can't comment on their quality but I fully enjoyed this opening salvo and would not be averse to another helping.
The Tortures
Okay so once again I have put myself through many, many torturous moments in the hope of finding some hidden gems. In some cases I should bow down to the words of wisdom of critics/inquisitors far more qualified than I and avoided some of this drivel, but I am a sucker for punishment. So here is my list of self-flagellation, you may or may not agree with some of my selections.
Films
Unsurprisingly there was a dearth of good quality comedy. Zoolander 2 and Grimsby are just two of the atrocities I had the displeasure of viewing. I found Grimsby to be insulting and I was ashamed for everyone involved in the project. The Girl on the Train was a disappointment. In the book I quickly worked out what was going on, even still it did not impact my overall enjoyment. The film gives it away just as quickly but doesn't have the same impetus to maintain your interest once you have it worked out. Another film to get on my nerves was, well, Nerve. I think it didn't strike a chord with me because I am not a big fan of social media. Here though are the ones that stood out as particularly irksome fodder.
Ever wondered what a really crappy version of Romeo & Juliet would look like if it was set in the future and had no soul or emotional content whatsoever? If your answer is yes then this is the film for you. In this dystopian future no one is allowed to fall in love or feel any emotional connection to another person at all; society has become the equivalent of a bunch of human automatons. After watching this drab, bland, boring mess you will feel like one too.
Making a move about Nina Simone must be a daunting prospect with all that musical history as well as her civil rights activities and not forgetting her failed marriages, addictions and struggles with mental illness. Nina fails to make any one of these aspects of her life interesting or entertaining in any way shape or form. There is no need to go into the controversy in the casting of Zoe Saldana; I think she does an admirable job all things considered. When your script and idea for telling this biopic is as bad as this then the blame should belong to the filmmakers. Little wonder that it took three years to see the light of day. Nina Simone covered the song "I Shall Be Released", I only wish that this film had remained not so.
I will begin by saying that this is not a terrible film; it certainly has its creepy moments. The reason for its inclusion is because the minute Greta is asked to look after a porcelain doll instead of a human being she should have turned around and said "Fuck. That. Shit." packed her bags and walked away. End of story. The premise is just too ridiculous to contemplate. Nobody being offered the job of becoming a nanny to a doll would take it seriously no matter what mental anguish they had been through. I just couldn't enjoy the film because the plot is that stupid.
Television
I was going to include Penny Dreadful in this list, simply due to depression I sunk into once I knew the show was coming to an end. But I thought that would be to spiteful for a show I have a lot of love for. I know some of these choices might be controversial but for me each show seems to have either run out of steam or developed some inconsistencies not in keeping with the other seasons. My issues all seem to be of a common thread for the most part.
Okay so we have only seen one half of season seven so far because AMC feel the need to have a mid-season break for no discernible reason and I might be pleasantly surprised by what's in store for part two. So far what I have seen has not inspired me and whereas in previous seasons I would look forward to each episode; I found that season seven was more a case of watch it when I can. I think the main problem is that the shows scope has become much larger now. The format they have often used of focussing an episode on one character or location hasn't worked as well this season because there are so many characters and settlements that need including. If they change the format to be more encompassing then it should help resolve some of my issues. It won't help how boring some of the people have become but at least it will be a start in the right direction.
For five seasons we have waited to see the outcome of the bitter feud between Cullen Bohannon and The Swede. Instead of the culmination of this epic rivalry occurring in the last couple of episodes we get the resolution in the very first episode of the second half of season five; because again AMC love their mid-season breaks. For the remaining episodes Cullen has a far less interesting, far less intense tussle with the Chinese Yakuza boss Chang. That is a side story to the main focus which is the slow, meandering conclusion to the final tracks being laid on the railroad. Such a mediocre way to close a series that helped fill the time between waiting for the better shows to start up again
Speaking of shows that helped fill in the time while waiting for the better ones to come back on the air. Banshee also falls into that category and much like Hell on Wheels the final season was a major letdown. The tonal shift from the first three seasons was so stark it felt like a completely different show altogether. Starting off the season with the death of a major character also had a negative impact in the same way as Hell on Wheels. The finale was just bland. In fact I should have just written for this entry: "see Hell on Wheels above".
Music
I hate to be disrespectful towards musicians. Where as an actor is beholden to the filmmakers around them, a musician stands more or less on their own. A producer can only work with the material the artist gives them and the artist already has decided more or less how each of their songs will sound. So with that in mind please feel free to tell me I am wrong to pick on these particular groups for these records.
I will start by saying that I adore Santigold's first two records; Master of My Make-Believe is an album I can throw on anytime and it still feels fresh. 99₵ is a bit of a comedown and I think this is due to the concept behind the album. It appears Santigold has got caught up in trying to make a social statement instead of focussing on the music. Let's hope on the next album she returns to making the music the centrepiece rather than fixating on the message.
Is the fact that 'Edward Sharpe and' crossed out on the cover of this album an indication that they are shedding a part of their persona to go along with the departure of Jade Castrinos from the band? If so then it is a mistake. Part of the character that has so far defined this band, seems to be missing off the record. It just doesn't strike the same emotional chords within me as their previous output. I hope it is only a small blip as I dearly love this group.
Not every return from the musical wilderness was as successful in my eyes as The Avalanches; The Last Shadow Puppets being a prime example. It was eight years ago that they released their debut and sometimes a side project is best left at one great album. This return fails to capture that same feeling of nostalgia that The Age of the Understatement had in spades. I was hoping for more of the same and felt letdown. The problem is more with my own expectations than the actual end product from Messrs Turner & Kane.
Like musicians I also don't like to pick on authors as they are trying to tell a story and without stories our life would become very boring indeed. However these two authors really got my goat up and I feel both deserve a kicking.
I like paranormal books and stories of people communing with spirits. What I don't like is being misled into reading a romance novel with a paranormal subplot which is what this turned out to be. Besides the ghost only being a minor part of the story the characters are not fleshed out in the slightest. The vast majority of the book is made up of conversations; rather than developing the plot or rounding out the characters. By skipping the text of 'he said, she said' I think I cut the reading time down by a couple of hours. It felt like I had read the script to a really bad school play about a girl who fancies a boy with ghosts in it.
Occasionally I think what the hell and give a book a try that I normally wouldn't bother with. This was one such case and how I wish I hadn't! This "author" is such a stuck up, preaching, know-it-all snob who delights in belittling and degrading her patients. Worse than taking an instant dislike to miss Willard Burbank was the fact that she is completely unfunny. Not one (and I am not exaggerating) of her stories is amusing in any way shape or form. All I could do was thank my lucky stars that she is not my personal physician. If you are interested in a medical practitioner with a god complex who thinks she belongs on a pedestal then by all means this is the remedy for you. If however you are a normal person then you will find much better printed medicine to ease those visionary needs elsewhere.
