Pop Culture Favorites of 2016

Welp, glad that's over. No need to dawdle, let's get right to it.

The Pretty Damn Goods of 2016

The Lobster

As the years progress, it seems there’s nothing new or exciting under the sun of a dystopian setting, but Greek writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos assured us last year that such a notion is nonsense with the startlingly original near-masterpiece The Lobster. The Lobster and its cast are so profoundly committed to bizarreness for every single frame. Colin Farrell, a personal top-ten favorite working actor, yet again shows why he perseveres in the film industry by making such a bold choice to play in such an unto-itself movie. The supporting cast, which includes John C. Reilly, Rachel Weisz and Ben Whishaw, add to its unique flavor. While it is most certainly a love-it-or-hate-it movie, regardless of where you fall, once you’ve seen The Lobster, you won’t soon forget it.

"The New KKK" - Episode One of
 United Shades of America

The premise of W. Kamau Bell’s CNN series United Shades of America is noble and concise. As he says, “I’ve made a living finding humor in parts of America I don’t understand. I’m challenging myself to dig deeper. I’m on a mission to reach out and experience all the cultures and beliefs that add color to this crazy country.” It’s certainly not a new idea, but the show sets itself apart from the rest of the doc series multitude by having Kamau speak with members of the Ku Klux Klan. For those unaware, Kamau Bell is black.

His conversations range from shockingly cordial to uncomfortably confrontational. Bell meets every person’s conversation, from a man referring to different races as “beasts of the field” to cracking jokes about lighting a cross, with respect that they surely don’t deserve. He realizes that any argument would be totally unnecessary, as their words are damning enough. He also speaks with other citizens of these towns who decry the actions and beliefs of the Klan.

Culminating in Bell attending the burning of a cross, this first episode of United Shades is an outstanding feat of modern journalism, and it’s carried out by a comedian. The subsequent episodes are all fascinating commentaries on the different “shades” of our country, but this episode is a symbolic achievement unlike any other. His closing line is a quite something to reckon with: “Unlike most of the black people in the history of this country who have been present for a cross burning, I get to leave.”

Season One of Preacher

How many television series, both old and new, do we try each year? With streaming and on-demand services, as well as existing channels, the number of attempts can add up quickly. But when Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg decide to bring a cult classic graphic novel to life, that's a can't-miss scenario. As it turns out, that product, Preacher, was not only a complete blast but one of the standouts of the new TV crop of 2016.

Exceptional experiences like the "Sundowner" episode and the final two episodes of the season are unlike anything else going on in television, let alone like anything that preceded it. Fueled by a eclectic cast of memorable characters and the creative eyes of Rogen, Goldberg and Breaking Bad alum Sam Catlin, Preacher is not only another hit in AMC's excellent slate of drama, it seems poised to continue on its track of exciting and vibrant originality for seasons to come.

O.J.: Made in America

The hype was real. Though it would seem that the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and OJ’s subsequent Trial of the Century is territory that has been tread to oblivion, especially after FX’s The People v. OJ Simpson, Ezra Edelman’s enthralling eight-hour documentary reminds us how much everything that went down still means, and what it shows America about itself. It is endlessly fascinating to see OJ and everything surrounding his post-USC life and trial through the lens of the pre-1994 racial history of Los Angeles. Even knowing the outcome, as we all do, the doc is still thrilling and astounding. Supplied with unforgettable interviewing soundbites and insights, OJ: Made in America stands tall as arguably the best true crime documentary ever made.

 

 

Ryan Gosling

I’m sure most folks would agree there aren’t many (or any) actors the likes of Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant working today. Whatever the reasons may be, more actors in those days commanded audiences’ attentions by just existing on screen. It didn’t really matter what Paul Newman was up to in a particular movie, but taking your eyes off him was hard to do. I believe there is no other actor working today who can carry the mantle of everything we know as a Hollywood legend than Ryan Gosling.

In 2016, Ryan Gosling had perhaps his most unique cinematic year. In The Nice Guys, he plays a haphazard and intoxicated private detective and father to hilarious effect, while also stealing every single scene from the mighty Russell Crowe. It’s really the first role he’s had where he’s allowed to cut loose, and the performance teeters many times on the edge of slapstick. Before 2011, no one would’ve expected Gosling to thrive in a role like this, and he succeeds seamlessly. In the critical darling La La Land, both he and Emma Stone breathe life into two characters who, in the hands of numerous other actors, would have been oppressively vanilla. His singing leaves a little something to be desired, but he lays on the charm with effortless ease and to overwhelming effect

Gosling has the capacities of many legends of the past, like the charm and wit of Paul Newman, the broodiness of James Dean, and the mystery and intimidation of Clint Eastwood. He also has the capacity that a few other Golden Age elites had: to be just a little bit goofy. Even if he doesn’t necessarily receive such praise now, in time, Ryan Gosling will one day be recognized as an icon of American culture.

Favorites of 2016

10. Dave Chappelle/A Tribe Called Quest 
Saturday Night Live — Dec. 12, 2016

Though the cold open was a bit problematic, Dave Chappelle’s first time hosting Saturday Night Live will go down as one of the best episodes in the series’ run, not only as a reaction to the results of the election, but as a belatedly fulfilling performance by one of the most cherished performers in the history of American comedy.

Chappelle was unhinged and reserved, hopeful and cynical, brash and timid. His monologue was hilarious and uncensored, culminating in the most powerful and eloquent moment I’ve ever seen on Saturday Night Live. The way he had the attention of every person in Studio 8H during the closing minutes of his monologue applied to everyone who watched around the country. It made us think for a few minutes that Dave Chappelle has the power to change the world. In his words, it made us hopeful. After that, he made us laugh. I can’t remember a time in my life before this episode that I ever shed tears of joy, but I literally cried during the Walking Dead digital short. On November 12^th, Dave Chappelle, a figure who is simultaneously mysterious and beloved, reminded us that he’s still got it.

 

9. Swiss Army Man

There has never been anything like Swiss Army Man in the history of ever.

Nearing the point of suicide on a deserted island, Paul Dano's character, Hank, notices a body that has washed ashore and is flatulating, played by Daniel Radcliffe. From there the two beings escape their island prison and develop a bromance the likes which have never been seen. Though Swiss Army Man wholly bizarre, there is something reassuring in that fact. There are endless consumers of pop culture who want to see more products like this. That two excellent actors like Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe so willingly threw themselves into a project like this is even more reassuring. The “farting corpse movie,” as it was dubbed early on, has just as much if not more heart than anything out there, and it has some really fascinating and tender ruminations on friendship and love.

Whether or not the viewer like it, Swiss Army Man is a fantastic piece of art, and it deserves a pillar in creative Valhalla for the masterpiece that it is.

8. Season One of Quarry

One of the main reasons, if not the primary reason, I insist on doing these lists every year is because maybe someone reading will check out something thy hadn't heard of or wasn't quite sure about diving into. More often these days, I rely on harbingers of pop culture, like The Ringer's pop culture podcast The Watch with Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald. Last fall, they raved about a new Cinemax show called Quarry, based on a popular book series by Max Allan Collins, and rightly so.

Returning home to Memphis from a second tour in 'Nam in 1972, Mac Conway aka Quarry (Logan Marshall-Green) struggles to adapt to a home in which he is unaccepted by the public for murky reasons by which he himself is endlessly tormented. Long story short, he quickly ends up in a criminal underworld whose vastness is unknowable, carrying out hits and running for his life and the life of his wife, played by Jodi Balfour. Marshall-Green certainly has a Tom Hardy thing going on, but his performance is nuanced and intense. What's more, the secondary and tertiary characters can be just as compelling as the main action of the show. Quarry’s coworker, so to speak, played expertly by Damon Harriman, is first introduced half-naked and alone in a motel room singing a Spanish version of Nillsson’s “Without You.” The mysterious and Southern Broker, the unnamed dealer of Quarry's hits, is played by veteran Scottish actor Peter Mullan.

Quarry, unlike many new shows, is not a slow build. The stakes are set very quickly, and to captivating effect. Once you start it, it would be truly shocking if you don't finish.

7. Season Three of Halt and Catch Fire

Heading into its fourth and final season in 2017, Halt and Catch Fire quietly remains one of the most compelling shows on television. In three seasons, all of which are quite different from one another, both in style and tone, Halt's characters play out a fascinating story without an overly dramatic flair while still being full of emotion and elegant complexity.

The four leads are tremendous. Mackenzie Davis, the goddess Mackenzie Davis, has been steadily giving the most underrated performance on television for the last three years. A big to-do was made about the general shift in tone from the first to the second season, but the overall evolution of the show in terms of which characters were the main focus points at the start compared to where we are now is astounding. Some who were riding shotgun to begin with are now chilling in the backseat, so to speak,  and vice versa, but the characters have never been compromised. That's the special thing about Halt: these characters are so rich, and it's through the abilities of Davis, Kerry Bishe, Scoot McNairy and Lee Pace that bring the richness of these characters to bear.

Eventually, as is unfortunately often the case, when the entirety of Halt is readily available on one common platform of consumption or the other, it will be recognized by the amount of people it deserves as the masterful tale that it is. In terms of both quality and prestige, Halt and Catch Fire is a tech-age Mad Men.

6. The Night Of

The commercials for The Night Of could not have been more vague or mysterious, but when it comes to any sort of upcoming series on HBO, be it a mini or a drama, like most people who have the service readily available and recognize, I'll give it a shot. Along that same line, more and more, HBO shows become a shared social and cultural experience as they unfold every week. As it turned out, The Night Of was one of the more gratifying experiences HBO has produced.

The first episode plays like a waking nightmare of a person who doesn’t belong where they are at any moment, and it’s certainly one of the most riveting episodes of any series ever. Some folks disagree on whether or not the show maintained that level of viewer engagement after the first episode, but an indisputable fact is that Naz, played brilliantly by Riz Ahmed, was the most interesting new protagonist on a show in 2016. His journey and evolution over just eight episodes is more enthralling than many character evolutions over seasons of development. The rest of the cast and the characters they inhabit, from John Stone to Naz’s parents to the cat, are as good as or better than any others out there.

A bad ending can ruin a good or great thing. The inverse of that applies as well; a good or great ending can elevate something that would not have otherwise been memorable. The ending of The Night Of is so spot-on that… Well, let's leave it at that, because not only is it worth your time, you'll remember it long after it's over.

5. Season One of Atlanta

Donald Glover used to seem like someone who is acutely aware of how good he is at everything. From the back-in-the-day Derrick Comedy videos, to writing on 30 Rock, to his standup routine, he was clearly talented and hilarious, but there was something about the way he presented himself that seemed off-putting. In the fall of 2013, though, everything changed. When he published a series of Instagram posts of handwritten notes on Marriott stationary, it became very clear that he felt no different than the rest of us who have our own insecurities, doubts and fears. I myself was naïve enough to think that the way someone behaves on the outside is a reflection of who they truly are, when many times, it’s just the opposite. That apparent shift, perhaps maturity, is no more evident than in the first two episodes of his brilliant original show on FX, Atlanta.

There was no moment I witnessed on television last year as 180-degree jarring than what occurs in the holding cell in the second episode. It let viewers know at the outset the realms of the capabilities of Atlanta: gut-clutching hilarity and heart-wrenching depiction of the human experience. Those two things aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, and they often occur separately throughout Atlanta’s first season, but a scene like that has rarely shifted from one to the next so abruptly.

Watching Atlanta was such a rich experience, because at numerous points, it's obvious what an original revelation it is, though it never sacrifices some of the laughs we’re used to from a conventional American comedy. Having said that, whether it’s black Justin Bieber or the pseudo-Tavis Smiley talk show episode, it is obvious to anyone that “conventional” is not a word that would ever be associated with Atlanta.

4. Hell or High Water

In any other year, a movie like Hell or High Water would likely pass by as just the quality independent movie that it is. But in 2016, movies that are simply and expertly executed stand out from much of the studio drivel that packs our cinematic multiplexes. Hell or High Water is such a shining exception.


Hell or High Water plays like a timeless American tale of two brothers trying to save what's theirs by any means necessary. It has more re-watchability than any movie I saw in 2016. In my opinion, Jeff Bridges gave the finest cinematic performance of 2016 in Hell or High Water. For the majority of the movie, I found myself thinking that he was just sort of rehashing his Rooster Cogburn character from True Grit, but the banter that he had with his partner, played by Gil Birmingham, was so colorful that it's not very bothersome. It seemed that anyone of a similar age could play the character. Only in the last twenty minutes of the movie did the brilliance of Bridges’ performance become obvious. He is the only actor who could bring all the nuances of that character from the pages of Taylor Sheridan’s magnificent script to fruition.


The wide shots of the landscape are gorgeous. Cinematographer Giles Nuttgens and director David Mackenzie combine to make the desolation of West Texas look like something you'd want to hang on your wall. Coincidentally, Hell or High Water is also a movie that deserves a place on the wall among your permanent collection.

3. Season One of Last Chance U

“They say we just fat-ass, dumb-ass country folk. That’s fucked up, ain’t it?” 

As a Mississippian, maybe I’m biased in my admiration for the feat that was Last Chance U, but I doubt anyone who watched it would feel differently. The technical aspect of the way the documentary is put together is staggering. The cinematography of the game action is peerless in athletic photography. It’s even better quality than the slow-motion NFL footage. If that weren’t enough, the reality of the humans and situations is as enthralling and effortless to invest in as anything out there. The way the story is told and unfolds is completely riveting. Folks from the area surrounding Scooba and EMCC knew full well the infamous incident that transpired at the end of the 2015. It’s all the more astounding that knowing how everything would end didn’t remotely affect the experience of the show.

Like most students or young people under the tutelage of teachers or coaches, you are subservient to the people who are supposed to show you what’s right. They should be the example of the standard human you should aspire to be. Last Chance U has the yin and yang of such humans. Buddy Stephens is one of the worst examples of how to be a human being. Profanity is effective when well-timed and used for emphasis, but Buddy Stephens swears with the frequency of the intake of breath. On the other hand, Brittany Wagner is a phenomenal example of how to be a human being. These real life entities are more riveting in their respective real life jobs than many written and comprised fictional characters. 

Last Chance U is a fantastic documentary series, but more than anything it’s a tragedy. It reminds us that no human is infallible, especially those in charge of others. These young boys are in a place that, by and large, is their last chance to break through their situations. Some of them fail themselves, but it sure seems like more of them are failed.

 

2. Manchester by the Sea

The cinematic hype machine so frequently pumps you only to let you down. Be it early festival buzz or critical ravings, too often we walk into something expecting it to be one thing and leaving feeling like you aren’t on the same page as everyone else (lookin’ at you La La Land). Sometimes, though, that buzz is met. Rarely, that buzz is surpassed. I had that feeling one time this year, and it was seeing Manchester by the Sea. 

It’s understandable that an average person might not want to subject himself or herself to a movie about a janitor taking care of his dead brother’s son for 135 minutes, but it is a rare and fulfilling experience to witness an elegant portrayal of how humans process grief. There is more than that to the story, but to spill it here would be an injustice to the brilliant way Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay unfolds. The performances are off-the-charts phenomenal, though not in the typical showoff-y way that Oscar performances are prone to be. Casey Affleck’s performance as Lee Chandler is one of the most uniquely reserved I’ve ever seen. For a performance that is as acclaimed as it is, it might be confounding to see how withdrawn it is. His is proof that you don’t have to fall to yell and boo-hoo to be dramatically effective. The wearing of certain emotions can be more powerful than the enacting of them. Michelle Williams does not have much screen time, but what she has is put to some serious use. The scene of the year involves the two of them, and it is utterly unforgettable.

It's not for everyone, but Manchester by the Sea is a testament to the power of cinema and performance, grief and the human experience. It's not the easiest watch, but within it are ample rewards waiting to be found.

1. Season Six of Game of Thrones

(SPOILERS)

 

It just couldn't have been anything else.


Like any other season of Thrones, it had its share of slogs, but unlike the rest, the peaks in season six are too many to count. From the resurrection, to "Hold the door," to "The Winds of Winter," this was unquestionably the series' best season. At season's end, we are poised to perhaps witness the greatest homestretch in modern drama. Has there ever been anything more exhilarating in the history of the medium than the Battle of the Bastards? How amazing is it that Tyrion is going to essentially be the consigliere to the Khaleesi? And how terrible a place to live is King's (Queen's?) Landing going to be under Cersei?

The sixth season of Thrones is the answer to the question many may find themselves asking before diving into any long piece of pop culture: is it worth it? Millions of show-watchers, not to mention all the book-readers, have struggled with that question throughout the consumption of this soul-obliterating show. Fully aware that there are two seasons of stories left to wrap up yet, the answer to the question of “Is Game of Thrones worth it?” to this point is a resounding “You bet your ass.” All of the suffering, while by no means letting up, at least for a little while, has paid off. Finally, after six seasons of talking a big game and teasing its imminent arrival, Winter is here.