Back when I worked at a different magazine (no longer in business) we always did that thing that magazines do to fill space to inform the reader: the year-end review. I miss those halcyon days of arguing whether the year’s “Worst Plot Twist” was a child a woman didn’t remember giving birth to, or a the latest perfect doppelganger in town. So I’m going to indulge a little a make up a Best/Worst List of Stuff I’m Interested In – which, if you’ve been reading along at home, could be just about anything.
Worst Stalled Negotiations: Forget the so-called “fiscal cliff” – we still haven’t had any NHL hockey! I hope the league owners will realize what greedy idiots they have been in the coming days and back the hell off their unreasonable demands. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is the devil.
FILM
Favorite Movie: The Avengers
Most Disappointing Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
Most Unfairly Pilloried Movie: Prometheus
Most Unfairly Overlooked by the Geek Community: Dredd
Most Surprising Movie (in a Good Way): The Amazing Spider-Man
Moonrise Kingdom
Most Surprising Movie (in a Bad Way): The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Zzzzzzz
Most Thought-Provoking Superhero Movie: Chronicle
Movie That Was Not What I Expected at All: Looper
Movie That Best Rewards Its Viewers: The Cabin in the Woods
Movie You Should See But Probably Missed: Moonrise Kingdom
Best Director: Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Favorite Director: Joss Whedon, The Avengers
TELEVISION
Favorite Series: Doctor Who
Best Series: The Walking Dead
Favorite Storyline: “The Fall of the Ponds,” Doctor Who
Best Single Episode: “The Angels Take Manhattan,” Doctor Who
“The Angels Take Manhattan”
Best New Series: Revolutionand Elementary, by default. Those two are the only newcomers that held my interest even vaguely for more than one episode.
Worst New Series: Everything; nothing made me feel like I had to set the DVR – so I didn’t.
Best Couple: Amy and Rory, Doctor Who
Worst Couple: Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson, Elementary. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu have absolutely zero chemistry.
SPORTS
Biggest Travesty: Replacement officials in the NFL
Worst Twist of Fate: Detroit Lions lose a game based on a technicality about head coaches appealing scoring plays, which are automatically appealed by rule now. The resulting abortion travesty absolutely cost the Lions the game – and possibly their entire season. The idea that tossing the appeal flag results in not only a 15-yard penalty but the play is NOT reviewed at all is beyond ludicrous.
Down but… not really
Runner-up Travesty: Seattle Seahawks awarded a touchdown despite Green Bay interception. This was the straw that broke the back of replacement officials. Deservedly so.
And, finally…
Worst Doomsday: The Mayan Apocalypse. Because it was neither the end of the world nor Mayan…
