2016 Top 5 Lists

2016?!?  What can I say that hasn't already been said?  At best it was surreal, at worst terrifying.  On the plus side, the Love family remains healthy and we live in Sonoma, California.  My roles in We Players' Romeo and Juliet in Petaluma and Saratoga along with my Power Pop radio show ALL KINDSA GIRLS were also bright spots.  Thank God for the music... and films... and TV shows... and books that made this year better.  Back in January 1999 I started sharing my favorites in each category and the tradition continues as I humbly submit my 2016 Top 5's:

TOP 5 MOVIES
Hell Or High Water (who are the real bad guys?)
Sing Street /La La Land (Musicals are back!)
Green Room (RIP Anton Yelchin)
Manchester By The Sea (Lonergan's lament)
Moonlight ("a machine that generates empathy")

TOP 5 DVD'S/STREAMS
Everybody Wants Some! (grand slam)
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (Kiwi classic)
Force Majeure (man test)
The End of the Tour (Infinite Jest)
Experimenter/Stanford Prison Experiment (how Abu Ghraib happens)

TOP 5 ALBUMS
Weezer- s/t (White Album) (California Kids!)
Nick Piunti- Trust Your Instincts (pronounced "pewn-tee")
Michael Carpenter- The Big Radio (Wizzard of Oz)
Cotton Mather- Death of the Cool (I Ching-errific!)
TUNS- TUNS (Oh Canada!) 

TOP 5 BOOKS
The Goldfinch- Donna Tartt (wish I had a Boris)
Everything I Never Told You- Celeste Ng (sins of the father... and mother)
The Whites- Richard Price (the master returns)
The Girls- Emma Cline (save our Evies!)
We Are Not Ourselves- Matthew Thomas (family first)

TOP 5 TV SHOWS
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1 (musical comedy gold)
The Leftovers Seasons 1-2 (sudden departure)  
Shameless (US) Seasons 1-6) (oh those Gallaghers!) 
Fargo Season 2 (mid-western massacre)
Rectify Seasons 2-3 (Free Daniel Holden) 

Fudged it on the "Top 5" a bit but I'm going to let it stand- plus they'd each make for an awesome double feature!  While not all of the above came out in 2016, that's when I came across them.  I'm always on the lookout for quality viewing/listening/reading material so please share your 2016 favorites- perhaps your selection will show up on next year's list.  Let's all try to be there for each other in 2017!