Over the last several years, the Arts & Entertainment staff have compiled an end of the year list of their favorite films, albums, concerts and other forms of visual media. In keeping with tradition, here are the 2016 Arts & Entertainment staff’s top three favorites from the past year in entertainment and media.
Nate Hunt
- “Krisha”:
“Krisha” is a confident and intentionally chaotic directorial debut by 26-year-old Trey Edward Shults. Based partially on Shults’ personal life, the film follows the title character, Krisha, an alcoholic and drug addict who visits her estranged family for Thanksgiving dinner. The film combines excellent camera work and sound design to illustrate the harmful effects of substance addition not only on the user but on the user’s loved ones.
- Kendrick Lamar’s “untitled unmastered”:
Coming in hot after the outrageous success of his third album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Kendrick Lamar surprised long time fans by releasing an unannounced album of sorts containing unreleased songs. In typical Lamar fashion, the Compton rapper proved that even in their raw and unfinished state, his songs still have the power to speak to the public about the problem of racism and other pressing social issues in America.
- “Son of Saul”:
“Son of Saul,” another directorial debut, this time by Hungarian filmmaker Laszlo Nemes, tells the story of a Jewish prisoner in Nazi Germany forced to dispose of the bodies from the gas chambers. Told entirely from the first person perspective of the protagonist, the film offers an unblinking look at one of the most atrocious acts in human history. With intimate cinematography and a message of redemption, “Son of Saul” will haunt you long after the credits have rolled.
Jordan Petersen
- Radiohead’s Treasure Hunt:
As usual, Radiohead is still making up their own rules for how to release an album with their ninth proper release. As I’m writing this, only a single titled “Burn the Witch” has been released along with a music video, but a full-length album seems imminent. Radiohead has once again proved to be on an entirely different playing field than the rest of the music industry. From their mysterious formation of new companies, to a tour announcement, to a Los Angeles mom revealing on her parenting podcast that Paul Thomas Anderson shot a music video for the band in her house despite signing a non-disclosure agreement, to the mailing of ominous fliers to fans, to the erasing of online and social media presence, to an unsettling stop motion video accompanied by an incredible single: it’s been bizarre, it’s been frustrating, it’s been fun.
- “Better Call Saul”:
The second season of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” spin-off, “Better Call Saul,” premiered this past February. Spin-off, however, is a misleading categorization, as this season proved that “Better Call Saul” has legs all on its own. The show shares similarities with “Breaking Bad” only to the extent that it tells the viewer that the two shows take place in the same universe. “Better Call Saul” is a show with lighter plot hits than “Breaking Bad,” but is an equally compelling drama with inspired cinematography as it creates meaningful characters and storylines out of its tale of two brothers.
- The Remembrance of Two of Music’s Greats:
While the deaths of David Bowie and Prince are far from my favorite moments in pop culture this year, the industry’s unanimous mourning of the two pioneers has been powerful. When the news broke that David Bowie had died just two days after the release of his final album, “Blackstar,” everyone from Kendrick Lamar to U2 paid tribute to one of the most mysterious figures in pop music. With Prince’s death just a few months later, it was almost unthinkable that the world had lost another rare artist who was able to walk the line between the esoteric and populist with ease. So, thanks, Prince and David Bowie, for the art you created and continue to inspire today.
Natalie Henderson
- Lianne La Havas’ “Blood”:
In Lianne La Havas’ latest album, “Blood,” R&B harmonies, brassy interludes and solid beats appear throughout, accompanying La Havas’ rich, warm voice. While reminiscent of earlier American music styles, the album displays its own distinctive and dynamic sound. Besides a soulful style, La Havas’ beautifully simple and honest lyrics explore her ethnic Jamaican and Greek heritage, hence the album title “Blood,” as she reflects on her childhood and her growth in self acceptance and confidence.
- “The Opposite of Loneliness:
“The Opposite of Loneliness” is a collection of essays and short stories written by a young woman throughout her college experience at Yale. Marina Keegan, the author tragically passed away in a car accident just five days after her graduation. She was an aspiring writer, and her family and professors posthumously published this collection of works.
Her writing is real and extremely relatable. Keegan goes deep into what it’s like to be a millennial in college — she uncovers those thoughts and feelings we all have but are too afraid to acknowledge.
- “Bikini Kill—the First Two Records”:
“Bikini Kill—the First Two Records” is a compilation of, as the title suggests, the first two records released by Bikini Kill back in the 1990s. The music has been re-released by the band’s new independent record label on CD. The album covers important feminist issues with abrasive brashness and punk rock spirit at its best.
