Favorite Films of 2015

Humanity Restorative

Call Me Lucky

Dumbfounding

It Follows
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight

Great

Trainwreck
The Clouds of Sils Maria

Anomalisa

Very Good

Mistress America
Carol
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
Room

Sicario
Ex Machina

Good

The Big Short
Crimson Peak

The Hateful Eight

Tangerine
Joy 
Ant-Man

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Blackhat
The Martian

Jupiter Ascending

Spy

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Inside Out
Spectre

Results

The Night Before
Sisters

Going Clear

Ok

Brooklyn
Welcome to Me
Phoenix 
Sleeping with Other People
The Assassin
Far from the Madding Crowd

The Princess of France

Adult Beginners

Digging for Fire
Pitch Perfect 2
Man Up

Not great, Bob!
Bridge of Spies

People Places Things
The Final Girls

Jurassic World

Scott, drawing from a much deeper well

Favorite Stand-up of 2015

1. Patton Oswalt (live)

2. Amy Schumer+Bridget Everett (live in St. Louis)

3. John Mulaney (The Comeback Kid)
4. Amy Schumer+Bridget Everett (live in Kansas City)

5. Mike Birbiglia (live)

6. Kyle Dunnigan (live)

7. Kyle Kinane (I Like His Older Stuff Better)

8. Amy Schumer (Live at the Apollo)
9. Eugene Mirman (Vegan On His Way To The Complain Store)

10. Aziz Ansari (Live at Madison Square Garden)

11. Jen Kirkman (I'm Gonna Die Alone (and I Feel Fine))

Favorite Podcasts of 2015

1. The Adventure Zone (Maximum Fun)
start from the beginning

2. Shallow Rewards (Podbean)
try "Hair Metal with @maura"

3. Spontaneanation (Earwolf)
try #3 "A Secret Society," #4 "Savannah, Georgia" or #10 "The Student Lounge at a Performing Arts High School"

4.  Harmontown (Feral Audio)
try #135 "Wide"

5. Womp It Up! (Earwolf)
try #5 "Spotlight on: Mr. Joe Bongo" with Andy Daly

6. Comedy Bang Bang (Earwolf)
try #342 "A Silicon Valley P-cast" with Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, and Paul F. Tompkins or #348 "Is Y'all My Daddy?" with Cameron Esposito, Paul F. Tompkins and Matt Gourley or #355 "Kid Detectives" with Lauren Lapkus and Thomas Middleditch

7.  Superego: Forgotten Classics (Earwolf)
try "The Red Badge of Courage"

8. Harris Football (independent)
anything with Cousin Josh

9. With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus (Earwolf)
try #58 "The North Pod 2" with Paul F. Tompkins

10. Mike and Tom Eat Snacks (Nerdist)
try #99 "Leibniz-Keks Butter Cookies"

Favorite Albums of 2015

Scott has a lovely saying I'll mangle: it's always a great year for film.  I'd like to think that's true for music too, but I think there is more year to year variation.  The old saw is that music is the universal language, and it is a universal language, but I'd argue images have greater potency.  As upright apes, we came to rely on vision above all else, and I think more gets lost in translation sonically than visually.  I do like variation and a healthy dose of Brazilian, African, French music etc. but without being able to understand the lyrics, it has limited staying power with me.  So if the English-speaking world doesn't get gifted with a Kanye, Gaga, etc. ALBUM then it can occasionally be an unremarkable year for long-form.  Whereas, if American film has a "down" year, we have dozens of very talented filmmakers across the world doing work that can translate intensely and clearly to us here. /rantangent

Top is best, on down:

Best
Carly Rae Jepsen- E-MO-TION

Great
Steven Hauschildt- Where All is Fled
Mark McGuire- Beyond Belief
The Road Chief- All My Love
Sufjan Stevens- Carrie & Lowell
Jamie xx- In Colour
Grimes- Art Angels
Baroness- Purple

Very Good
Mark Ronson- Uptown Funk
San Fermin- Jackrabbit
Sannhet- Revisionist
Tame Impala- Currents
Pusha T- King Push- Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude
(winner of dumbest album title of the year, hands amputated)
Friendzone- While U Wait (EP)
Miguel- Wildheart

Good
Beirut- No, No, No
Panopticon- Autumn Eternal
The Mountain Goats- Beat the Champ
Aquacure- Demo
The Decemberists- What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
Belle & Sebastian- Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
Craig Finn- Faith in the Future
Yo La Tengo- Stuff Like That There
Modest Mouse- Strangers to Ourselves
Death Cab For Cutie- Kintsugi (best album title this year)

Disappointments
My Morning Jacket- The Waterfall
The Go! Team- The Scene Between
Built to Spill- Untethered Moon