The State of the Art: Movies 2019

If there's a main criticism I have of myself when it comes to movies, it's that in the past few years, the majority of ones I see in the year they're released are superhero flicks. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with those, but I want to have a broader spectrum of the year's offerings come December. Happily, I did pretty well with that in 2019, though a lot of the credit has to go to streaming services, which allowed me to see new or original content without having to get out of my pajamas or deal with the dreaded public. When you mix in the non-2019 movies I watched, there's a healthy mix of genres, and a wide spectrum from critical darlings to popular-with-the-masses to utter garbage. (Listen, I have friends who love nothing more than loading up on snacks and riffing through the worst things Amazon/Netflix/Hulu have to offer, and I am here for it.) Goodbye, 2019! It's time to kick off a new decade of cinema. Let's hope it's a good one.

Knives Out (A)
Jojo Rabbit (A-)
The Farewell (A-)
Booksmart (B+)
Lego Movie 2 (B+)
Avengers: Endgame (B)
Happy Death Day 2U (B)
Always Be My Maybe (B)
Captain Marvel (B)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (B)
The Perfect Date (B-)
Isn't It Romantic (C+)
Wine Country (C+)

And the ranking of all the pre-2019 movies I caught up on:

The Favourite (2018) (A-)
Paddington 2 (2018) (B+)
Roma (2018) (B+)
A Simple Favor (2018) (B+)
The Little Prince (2015) (B+)
Blockers (2018) (B+)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) (B)
Incredibles 2 (2018) (B)
Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (B-)
Tea with the Dames (2018) (B-)
50 First Dates (2004) (B-)
Aquaman (2018) (C+)
Never Been Kissed (1999) (C+)
Mini Witch (2010) (C+)
Like Father (2018) (C+)
April and the Extraordinary World (2015) (C)
Avengers Grimm: Time Wars (2018) (F)
Oh My Ghost 2 (2011) (F)

I've said this for essentially every area of pop culture, but picking a favorite movie of the decade was extremely difficult. Not only are there too many great movies to choose from, but I'll have had a favorite comedy, a favorite drama, a favorite documentary, a favorite musical, and on and on and on. So, I went for one that made my jaw drop with happiness in the theater, and still delights me to this day. I post GIFs of it. I quote it. I'm always in the mood for it. From Knives Out to Knives Chau, it's...

Scott Pilgrim vs.the World (2010)

This movie is almost tailor-made to my tastes. I know there are more highbrow movies out there, drowning in Oscars. I know there are more crowd-pleasing movies out there, earning huge box office numbers. But when it comes to the movie that filled me with the most joy this decade, it had to be this.

The State of the Art: Books 2019

It's strange. I certainly didn't have any additional free time this year, but somehow, I managed to pull myself out of the depths of my terrible track record from last year, and finished a decent amount of books. It was probably affected by finally finishing that 1100-page behemoth, but whatever the reason, I'm glad I got to immerse myself in more literature in 2019. A theme tends to emerge in every year, and looking over the titles I read this year, it's fairly clear that 2019's theme is "Anywhere But Here". The books I read tended to embrace the fantastical, the magical, and the faraway. It's pretty obvious I was in no mood to be reading things about our current society.

As ever, it'd be too restrictive to limit the list to only books published this year, so I've included everything I read. Let's get to the ranking!

Only the Strong - Jabari Asim (2015) (A)
Sourdough - Robin Sloan (A)
How Long 'til Black Future Month? - N.K. Jemisin (2018) (A-)
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee (2017) (A-)

Horrorstör - Grady Hendrix (2014) (B+)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie (2007) (B+)
How to Stop Time - Matt Haig (2017) (B+)
The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett (2015) (B+)

So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know - Retta (2018) (B)
The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin (2018) (B)
Tales of H.P. Lovecraft - H.P. Lovecraft (collection published in 2000) (B)
The Queen of the Night - Alexander Chee (2016) (B)
The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley (2019) (B)
The Unexpected Heiress - Frank W. Butterfield (2016) (B)
Hour of the Huntress - Dave Gross (2017) (B)
Final Girls - Riley Sager (2017) (B)
Rosalie Lightning - Tom Hart (2016) (B)
Die Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker - Kieron Gillen (2019) (B)

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami (2009) (B-)
Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli (2018) (B-)
Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service - Devin Leonard (2016) (B-)
The People We Hate at the Wedding - Grant Ginder (2017) (B-)

Press Start to Play - Edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams (2015) (C)
Get in Trouble - Kelly link (2015) (C)

And the books I abandoned partway through:

Shaker - Scott Frank (2016)
Made to Kill - Adam Christopher (2015)

As to my favorite book of the decade, it's an almost impossible choice; I've read so many amazing titles over the past ten years! Once I sat down to consider which one I've reread the most often, or the one I catch myself thinking about the most, or the one that still captures a magical atmosphere better than any other book I've ever read, one definitely stood out.

The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern, 2011) casts a spell that's impossible to break free from, and makes you feel as if you're actually wandering the winding paths alongside its mysterious characters. If you haven't read it, make sure you do, but with the proviso that you should read it during chilly weather.

The State of the Art: Television 2019

Articles, reviews, and conversations with friends have begun to take on a common theme when it comes to the subject of television: How should this show we're talking about be curated? Is it a "You have to see this NOW NOW NOW" show? Is it a "Yeah, it's on my list, and I'll catch up on it at some point" show? There is so much content right now that if a show doesn't fall into one of those categories (and frankly, even some of them that do), it will completely fall through the cracks. As of this post, I've seen 13 movies (you know, those things that are few hours maximum) that were released in 2019, and...23 full seasons of 2019 television. Insane.

With all that television to choose from, though, chances are always good that some of those shows will triumph as the best pop culture of the year across the entire spectrum, and some of those 23 shows blew me away. Others, not so much. Let's focus on the positive for now, though. One of the inherent dangers of year-end lists is that I'll overvalue things I loved that I just saw recently over things I loved that I saw several months ago. It can be tough to take a step back and really do a fair comparison. There was no such problem this year, because my top show essentially kicked off 2019.

Russian Doll is fantastic. It's weird and smart and mysterious and sad and funny and cool and addictive. I certainly wasn't the only one to think so, because while I can't imagine what a Season 2 will even look like, the show was so popular that it's getting picked up. Even if it turns out to be terrible, we'll always have this season, which follows Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), trying to figure out what's happening to her as she keeps inescapably dying and waking up at her birthday party. I'm already looking forward to rewatching it. In the meantime, though, let's go to the full 2019 ranking! All of the shows in this first chunk would earn a full A or A- on the grading scale:

Russian Doll (Season 1)
Undone (Season 1)
Fleabag (Season 2)
Derry Girls (Season 2)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 3)

Of the other shows (some of which straddle from 2018), there were plenty that were pretty damned entertaining, or at least decent, ranking from a B+ to a B on the scale:

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Seasons 2 & 3)
Brooklyn Nine Nine (Season 6)
Black Mirror (Season 5)
Carmen Sandiego (Seasons 1 & 2)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 4)
Bob's Burgers (Season 9)
GLOW (Season 3)
The Great British Baking Show (Season 7)
Superstore (Season 4)
The Dragon Prince (Season 2)
Tuca & Bertie (Season 1)
Good Omens (miniseries)
Nailed It! (Season 3)
Astronomy Club (Season 1)

And the ones that couldn't stick the landing:

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season 4)
Agatha Christie's "The ABC Murders" (miniseries)

Lest we forget, there are also the shows from previous years that I managed to catch up on:

Fleabag (Season 1) (2016)
Derry Girls (Season 1) (2018)
Maniac (Season 1) (2018)
Castlevania (Season 2) (2018)
Salt Fat Acid Heat (Season 1) (2018)
Search Party (Season 1) (2016)

Picking a favorite show of the decade is a nearly impossible task. The Great British Baking Show has brought me immeasurable happiness, but can I really call a competitive reality show my favorite of the past ten years, no matter how gentle it is? Probably not. If this was a "Best Of" list, something critically-acclaimed like Mad Men might be in the discussion, but this is about favorite, not best. Shows that live as a gem of the past, like Community, Futurama, or Parks & Recreation are definitely worthy of consideration. When it all comes down to it, though, I have to pick a show that not only topped my list in the past, but is still going strong, and that doesn't only work as a TV show, but as a musical soundtrack, a t-shirt that I love, and a cookbook I'm anxious to explore:

The Simpsons definitely dominated in past eras, and if there's any show that can be said it's passed the torch to, it's got to be Bob's Burgers. Delightful visual gags, terrific writing, incomparable voiceover work, and fun new songs on a weekly basis have kept me laughing, quoting, and singing to myself for years now.

The State of the Art: Games 2019

I love gaming, but unlike pop culture arenas like TV or books, I generally don't seek out the newest and buzziest titles. I stick with the classics (or spend the entire year trying to catch up with recommended games from the year before). In looking over my list for 2019, I only played four new games (three video games, one tabletop). At least nobody can accuse me of sticking to one genre, as my 2019 video games were an RPG (The Outer Worlds), a choose-your-own-adventure-style mystery (Erica), and... Well, an explicit gay farming simulator (Morningdew Farms). If I had to pick a favorite from among those, Erica would easily take the top spot. It was well-acted and well-written, and as a lifelong fan of both mysteries and FMV games, how could I not enjoy it? Especially given that I controlled the action from my phone, which was novel.

In fact, if there was an overarching theme of the year, you don't need to be a detective to realize that it's Mystery:

Erica (2019)
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors - The Nonary Games #1 (2017 re-release)
Virtue's Last Reward - The Nonary Games #2 (2017 re-release)
A Case of Distrust (2018)
The Shapeshifting Detective (2018)
Ace Attorney #1 (2001)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (2014)
Murdered: Soul Suspect (2013)
Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)
Everyone's Gone to the Rapture (2015)
Contradiction: Spot the Liar (2015)
The Council (2018)

The next time someone complains that gaming is just a bunch of mindless shoot 'em ups, point them to the list above and explain that every single one of them are won using logic, exploration, and conversation.

Cooperative video games are rarer for me, but Tiddy and I did manage to make our way through Trine (2009) and part of Trine 2 (2011), as well as teaming up in Dungeons & Dragons Online (2006). Cooperative tabletop is much more my speed, and this year brought a lot of fun experiences via Mansions of Madness - 2nd edition (2016), the Path to Carcosa expansion of the Arkham Horror card game (2017), Gloomhaven: Forgotten Circles (2019), Apocrypha (2017), and two campaigns of the Pathfinder card game: Rise of the Runelords (2013), and the one we're playing now, Skull and Shackles (2014). If I'm not allowed to pick my wonderful D&D gaming groups as my favorite tabletops of the year, the honor would have to go to Path to Carcosa. Lola and Sefina almost made it to the end before succumbing to madness!

If picking a game of the year was difficult, picking a favorite game of the decade was simplicity itself. There were some strong contenders from all over the map, from BioShock Infinite to Dragon Age: Inquisition to The Stanley Parable. When all is said and done, though, how could it be anything but Portal 2 (2011)? It can't. Graphics that still hold up today. Challenging but not impossible puzzle design. Writing and voice-over performances beyond compare. A co-op version that is actively wonderful. The cake may have been a lie, but this isn't: This game is perfect.

The choice of my favorite tabletop of the decade was similarly simple, as long as I'm allowed to pick a game family. The Fantasy Flight Arkham Horror series has absorbed countless hours of my life, and I don't regret a single one of them. A couple of the games may be duds, sure, but Eldritch Horror (2013) and the Arkham Horror card game (2016) are such endless fun that they've spun me off into other areas, like reading a short story collection about the investigators and designing a tabletop RPG around them. Turns out trying to prevent the apocalypse is actually pretty damned enjoyable.

The State of the Art: Music 2019

I usually don't write a State of the Art post for music, but am tossing one up this year, because it's not only the end of a year, it's the end of a decade. I've been looking over those retrospective lists about the best songs and albums of 2010-2019, and while music is, as ever, my cultural weak spot, there are definitely some standouts.

If there has been one defining feature of my taste in music, it's that the songs I enjoy the most are the ones that successfully straddle the line between the thoughtfulness of indie music and the catchiness of pop. That said, with the world being in a constant state of bad news recently, I've lately shifted towards the more joyous aspects of pop. When everything sucks, a funky backbeat cures many ills. Let's get to it!

Favorite Song of 2019: "Juice" (Lizzo)

Talk about having a year. Lizzo is on fire, sometimes literally. Her ability to blend modern sensibilities with the funk style of yesteryear is infectious, and I don't want the cure.



Favorite Song of 2010-2019: "Thunder" (Gold Fields)

How do you possibly pick a favorite song over a ten year span? Well, you could pick the song you've listened to the most in that time. You could pick the song special enough to merit a rare individual mention. You could pick a song that exemplifies that bridge between indie and pop perfectly. So I did all three.



Favorite Performer of 2010-2019: Carly Rae Jepsen

I always love when I dismiss someone as a flash-in-the-pan, only for them to stealthily turn into someone with a phenomenal track record. I liked "Call Me Maybe" (2011/2012) a lot as a fluffy pop trifle, but never imagined that the girl singing this flirty little ditty would have such range. Never have I been happier to be wrong. The '80s-inspired Emotion (2015) and Emotion Side B (2016) albums turned me into a true convert, and Jepsen has shown she has a healthy sense of humor, recording one of the tracks in Simlish. Even at the tail end of this ten-year span, she continues to impress, with Dedicated (2019). Here's to another decade of CRJ. Long may she reign.