TV #28 of 2016: Fargo, season 2 Fargo’s second season was even better than the first, another taut examination of how quickly events can spiral out of control once people step outside the protection of the law, all wrapped up in midwestern niceness. It had a great cast in service of some seriously great writing …
Author Archives: Joe Kessler
TV Review: Bob’s Burgers, season 6
TV #27 of 2016: Bob’s Burgers, season 6 I feel like Bob’s Burgers is comfortably past its prime at this point. This season was still reliably funny, but I can’t really point to any all-time classic episodes from it. It does seem like the character of Louise got fleshed out a little bit more this …
Book Review: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Book #39 of 2016: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward A heartbreakingly visceral story about a poor black family in rural Mississippi in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. This whole novel feels like one long in-drawn breath, as things keep getting worse for the main character and her family while you, the reader, …
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TV Review: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 3
TV #26 of 2016: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 3 This was another solid season on S.H.I.E.L.D., but in hindsight it also seems like something of a palate-cleanser. Original cast member Brett Dalton appears to be leaving the show, as are fan-favorites-in-search-of-a-spinoff Bobbi and Hunter. Plus it seems like the HYDRA plot that had been …
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TV Review: Deadwood, season 2
TV #25 of 2016: Deadwood, season 2 This season is a big improvement over the first, which was already a solid prestige western. More supporting characters get fleshed out this year, and there’s an interesting overarching serialized plot over most of the season. This is probably never gonna be my favorite show — although I …
Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Book #38 of 2016: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1) I like the setup for this novel, which takes place in what used to be America, several generations after a zombie apocalypse has wiped out most of humanity and our civilizations. The main character lives …
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Book Review: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Book #37 of 2016: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff I like that this book spans decades while focusing closely on only two characters, so that you get a strong sense of how their lives change over time. And the central gimmick is neat: the first half of the novel shows the marriage of these …
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Movie Review: Ghostbusters (1984)
Movie #10 of 2016: Ghostbusters (1984) My wife had never seen Ghostbusters before, so her family insisted on fixing that. (She seemed to like it a lot, especially when Rick Moranis ended up having a bigger part than she initially thought he was going to.) As for me, I saw this movie all the time …
Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Movie #9 of 2016: Captain America: Civil War (2016) Simply outstanding. The last two MCU movies (Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man) left me somewhat cold, so it was great to see that Marvel hasn’t lost the magic altogether. The writers of this one did a great job at balancing such a large cast of …
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TV Review: Elementary, season 4
TV #24 of 2016: Elementary, season 4 This show definitely peaked with its first season, but it’s been a reliable procedural ever since and there are no signs in this latest season that things are running out of steam. As always I have minor quibbles with plotting decisions – not enough focus on Joan, not …
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