Year-End Round-Up

This will be shorter than my typical "best of" posts from the past. With work, family, hobbies, obligations, there really just wasn't a whole lot of time for media consumption... There are a number of movies I didn't see that I would have loved to have seen, but it's already the end of January, so I'm going to go ahead and throw out what I've got, and if there's something exceptional I see on disc, I'll address it then...

MUSIC

The Satanist (Behemoth) - This CD is a couple years old at this point, but I've listened to it a lot this year, and there wasn't anything else that topped it. A masterful piece of metal, it grabs you by the throat and pummels you through the aether. Ridiculously fast, hard-hitting - the very definition of brutal - but there are moments of grace and beauty in the depths as well. One of the best metal albums I've ever heard.






BOOKS

The Familiar: Vol. 3 - Into the Forest (Mark Z Danielewski) - At times, it's understandable and even agreeable why Danielewski's latest could be called a big pretentious slog. But there's such beauty here, such power, such insight... if you give it a chance, the book will confuse you, entrance you, and even inspire you.






MOVIES

Swiss Army Man (dir. Dans) - Literally the most artsy-fartsy movie you could ever see, I loved almost every minute of it. Weird, unpredictable, touching, poignant... Swiss Army Man is at its best when it's free-wheeling between humanist angst and scatological absurdity; it drags a bit at the end when it tries to anchor itself in reality, but just about everything else about is a joyous celebration of life, love, lust, loss... Can't recommend it enough. My favorite this year.





Everybody Wants Some!! (dir. Richard Linklater) - This "spiritual sequel" to Dazed and Confused is at times more like an 80s-inspired remake... but it still never fails to deliver. A smile on my face from the opening song, Everybody Wants Some!! doesn't have the same ingenuity as Dazed and Confused, but it is more mature and polished. This comes a more confident filmmaker.