10. The End of Twilight
Free at last! Free at last! The actual movies weren’t that bad, but I’m so tired of Twi-mania. I am proud of all the teens and tweens who managed to put down their phones and actually read a book (or four), but it’s time to move on. May I suggest Harry Potter? Hermione Granger is a much better role model for young women than Bella Swan could ever hope to be.
9. The Colbert Report
Usually, I prefer Jon to Stephen, but Colbert’s satirical SuperPAC was seriously one of the greatest pieces of performance art ever. Particularly the rally in South Carolina: “If this is a joke, then [...] our whole campaign finance system is a joke.” Burn. Plus he gets major bonus points for giving all the money his SuperPAC raised to charity.
8. Les Misérables
Okay, so I haven’t seen it just yet, but you just know it has to be amazing. Anne Hathaway deserves an Oscar for the trailer alone. What do you mean they don’t give Oscars for trailers?! They should start. I dreamed a dream in time gone by....
7. Elementary
While I very impatiently wait for the third season of Sherlock, I can at least comfort myself with Elementary. While it’s far from being as brilliant as its British cousin, Elementary is a cute, fun crime procedural à la Psych or Monk. It’s not one of my ‘I will die if I don’t watch this’ shows, but it is thoroughly enjoyable every week.
6. Bear the Dog
When sitcoms add dogs to their cast, you know the show is in its dying gasps. When dark and complex crime procedurals do it, oh, wait, they don’t do that. Congrats to Person of Interest for breaking barriers and pushing the envelope in the least edgy and most adorable way possible.
5. Community
While it’s return may have been delayed for several months, the latter part of Season Three contained some of my favorite episodes of the series. From the show’s tribute to Law and Order to their Ken Burns-inspired pillow fight documentary, it was all gold. Plus, they made the perfect season finale that might have been a series finale. That’s a hard episode to do for any show.
4. Girl Meets World
If you’re not excited about the Boy Meets World reboot, you didn’t grow up in the nineties.
3. Sherlock
While watching the Emmys this year, I found myself wondering what this oft-nominated Sherlock was. I found it on Netflix, watched it, and fell in love with it. Season (series?) three cannot come fast enough. Seriously. Get to work, people! I need to know how Sherlock did it! It has literally kept me up at night.
2. Once Upon a Time
Who doesn’t love OUAT? It’s a candy coated Lost. And who doesn’t love Lost? And candy? I adore the show and will loudly scream at anyone who deigns to speak to me Sunday nights from 8:00-9:00. It’s far and away my favorite show on television right now and I only hope it will remain so. Dear Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis: you can stop adding storylines, characters, and worlds for now. We have enough to be going on with, thank you very much.
1. The Year of the Whedon
Forget the awesome-ness that was The Avengers. Let’s just concentrate on the fabulous feeling of superiority knowing our favorite writer/director/genius has finally, FINALLY gained commercial recognition. He’s come a long way since the unaired pilot of Buffy. Now all Joss needs is some critical recognition. The fact that he doesn’t have a professionally lit display room in his home full of Emmys, Oscars, Pulitzers, Nobel Prizes, and MacArthur Genius Grants is a travesty. Think I’m overstating the genius of Joss Whedon? I probably am. Still, it’s pretty neat the man we all love for Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse is now responsible for the number three grossing film of all time. And on his first big-budget movie. In your face, James Cameron!
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sunbunny
Fantastic as always, my friend. I've heard so much about Bear, but I have yet to meet him. For some reason, CBS doesn't stream Person of Interest, so I'll have to wait until this summer and the DVDs.
ReplyDeleteHermione Granger is a much better role model for young women than Bella Swan could ever hope to be.
ReplyDeleteTruer words have never been spoken. Or, in this case, typed.
Public announcement :
ReplyDeleteAnd here's one of MY best of 2012 : the awesomeness of this site, its writers and faithful commentators.
Now, I'm going to finish my white wine and rise you a toast !
Smile on my face about the Hermione Granger reference.
ReplyDeleteA wide, no a huge smile on my face about your Mister Whedon paragraph.
Still being in the FIRST season of P of I, my curiosity about that darn dog is now raised at new levels.
And still badly waiting/hoping/sighing for the final return of Community....
crap
ReplyDeleteraise a toast (sounds better than rise) (well, yes, the glass actually)
A toast to all the excellent writers/reviewers of this site.
ReplyDeleteHear! Hear!
"Congrats to Person of Interest for breaking barriers and pushing the envelope in the least edgy and most adorable way possible."
ReplyDeleteAmen!
Sunbunny, I got to see Les Miserables last night and it was definitely amazing. If any readers are fans of the stage show, I highly recommend this movie. A very intimate rendering. I cried on and off for the full run. Anne Hathaway was fantastic! Her "I Dreamed a Dream" was absolutely searing. Hugh Jackman was also quite wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLove your list, Sunbunny. Or sunbunny. Does one capitalize your handle, or leave it lower case? I've never asked. That grammar post on Alias has me wondering. :)
ReplyDeleteI am particularly in agreement with your last paragraph. Joss Whedon hitting big time is even more delicious than J.J. Abrams hitting big time. It gives legitimacy to years of obsession with a brilliant little show that most people didn't take seriously when it aired. And it makes me happy that more people are going to try Buffy now.
Jess - I'm seeing it tonight! So excited. It's going to be amazing. If it's not, I'm going to pretend like it was anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteBillie - Either way. Deeply ambivalent? I am and I'm not. The best thing about Joss's newfound commercial success is that those of us who've fangirled him for years can now hold our heads up in smug superiority. Plus, I can out-hipster all my hipster friends. Joss Whedon? Yeah, I'm a big fan of his early stuff. I was into him way before he was famous.
Sadly Les Miserables isn't out here yet so I haven't had the chance to see it, but I've been listening to the original cast soundtrack lately, perhaps a little way too much. I'm petty sure I can recite 'The Confrontation' word for word now.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Bear the Dog, he is by far the best addition any show has made this year.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Cabin in the Woods, he may not have directed it. But his fingerprints were all over that project and it's genre bending redefinition of horror. Gore, laughs, scares, good characters, involving stories, witty dialogue... and we have a NEW show from him coming next year (2013).
Great Article Sunbunny, I hope you have a great year too.
I meant Joss Whedon if that wasn't clear. =-D
ReplyDeleteJD - When I only have pronouns to go off, I always assume people are talking about Joss Whedon. :) Was Cabin in the Woods just this year? It seems like forever ago.
ReplyDelete