My Top 10 TV Shows of 2015

It's coming to the end of the year which means it's time for top ten lists. Lets start with my favourite TV shows of the year, where this time round Game of Thrones is not number one, read on to find out what is...

10. Jessica Jones (Season 1)

The second of Netflix's Marvel TV shows to come out this year and once again proving that Marvel has some of the most interesting roster of characters at their disposal. Many people had not heard of Jessica Jones, unless they had read the brilliant Alias comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis, the show has now changed this and have made yet another unknown character a household name. The show itself stayed true to the tone and style of the comic book and did an amazing job of bringing a darker side of the Marvel universe to the big screen. The big bad played by David Tennant absolutely stole the show and had you yearning for him in every scene. There were parts of the show that I felt went over the top nearer the end but it still held its own over the Marvel films we saw this year.

9. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 2/3)

When this show first aired I never thought it would get as good as it has gotten right now. Season 2 showed a dramatic improvement over its last season and then the third went and blew the lid off with every episode we have seen so far being damn near perfect. Now that we love and know the characters it is a lot easier to get emotionally invested and the show has played on this aspect a lot this season. We have had shocking twists, turns and revelations which I hope continue into the next half. Marvel have turned this piece of coal into a diamond and I can't wait to see more!

8. Togetherness (Season 1)

I absolutely love the Duplass brothers films and was very excited to hear they were making a show with HBO. They did not disappoint. Like their films they gave us a show full of very real characters embarking on some very true to life problems. It featured some amazing performances and a bitter sweet ending that gave me the chills and has had me clambering for more ever since. Thankfully we won't have to wait too much longer as the show returns in February! If you want to read more about my love for the show and its directors take a look at the feature I wrote about them for WOWii here.
7. The Last Man on Earth (Season 1/2)

I have loved Will Forte since his hilarious film Macgruber.  I have loved directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller since their brilliant 21 Jump Street reboot. When I heard the three were making a new and original comedy TV show together that was serialised unlike many others of its kind, I had to watch it. If you haven't seen it yet then I don't want to spoil anything for you as the show literally changes from episode to episode, It's about the last man on earth and it is really funny. Go watch it now and catch up on all the goodness!
6. Halt and Catch Fire (Season 2)

Ever since one of the showrunners did a skype Q&A at my University I have been watching his brilliant show, Halt and Catch Fire. I am so glad I have been able to as well because Season 2 built newer and better things on top of its first season. The show changed its style a bit but still brought a brilliant point of view to the computing world in the 80's as well as some interesting and original characters to the small screen. The show also features some amazing actors that you will definitely be seeing a lot more of in the future if their performances in this show are anything to go by.
5. Bloodline (Season 1) 

Netflix are quickly becoming a TV show powerhouse and Bloodline is no exception in their original show line up. I came to this one later than most but was completely blown away by the incredible cinematography and superb performances, particularly from one of my new favourite actors Ben Mendelsohn. The story plays like a storm, slowly brewing and drawing ever nearer to its explosive climax. It will be interesting to see where they go next with these characters as this season felt like its own self contained thing. I for one won't mind returning to see where this troublesome family goes next.

4. House of Cards (Season 3)

This is the season of House of Cards we have been waiting for. Francis Underwood is now President, lets see what he can do. The show packs a punch with its twists and turns, it features a brilliant and scarily realistic social commentary on our relations with Russia, but the most powerful storyline here is the underlying tension of the presidents relationship with his first lady, played by the true star of the show, Robin Wright. It took me a weekend to finish and I have been dying for more ever since.
3. Game of Thrones (Season 5)

Just because Game of Thrones isn't number one this year doesn't mean that the show is failing. In fact it created a brilliant season that stands up to its name but didn't quite peak what had gone before. It was an interesting season for book readers like myself because we were finally going past certain points in the book and some storylines were being completely changed. I for one am happy with the changes and know that not everything from books is easily adaptable for TV. The next season will be the big test for the show as we finally go into the dark and book readers and non-book readers will have no idea what will be coming next...
2. Transparent (Season 2)

At the start of this year I finally got around to watching the critically acclaimed first season of the show Transparent. I was blown away by it, not only is it brilliant looking and extremely well performed, it also pushes the boundaries on topics we have rarely seen addressed on TV before. I like that it never strives to be likeable or happy or play into audiences expectations, if anything it's truly quite a sad show about people trying to discover themselves. Season 2 pushes this further and even though it has only just come out, as soon as I finished it, it went straight to number two on the list. This is the kind of material I would love to write one day, oh and it has Jay Duplass in it, did I mention I love the Duplass brothers?
1. Daredevil (Season 1)

The first of Netflix's Marvel TV shows to debut and it debuted with an absolute bang. It stayed close to its source material but also allowed itself to be its own thing. The cast were perfectly chosen and embodied the characters like none had before, It was the start of a darker side to the Marvel universe and also allowed for more realistic and grounded story telling in a world of Avengers and alien invasions. Daredevil defied all expectations and to me was the best thing Marvel Studios has made so far. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin stood out among the amazing action, cinematography and story telling. A true masterpiece of a TV show that I haven't stopped thinking about since I finished it. If you haven't seen this yet then go watch it now because if you don't you are truly missing out. Its also the only show that had me so excited I wrote a review on it, which you can read here.

Honourable mention goes towards The Flash whose final few episodes of Season 1 had me crying like a baby. I was sad to see it go unnoticed in the list so I had to give it some kind of shout out. I also want to mention that I have yet to see the second seasons of Fargo and The Leftovers both of which I loved last year and I hope I will again, I will catch up on them soon! And one last thing, a show which has just started on SyFy called The Expanse,based on the books of a same name which I have read, is shaping up to be all kinds of awesome, so go give it a watch!

Do you agree with my list? What were your favourite shows of 2015? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

An Evening With Mark Duplass

So today I have decided to sit down and watch a marathon of films that star Mark Duplass or have been directed by him and his brother. This post will be updated throughout the day as I have seen each film and written a short review.

Baghead

So I started with Baghead which was directed by Mark Duplass and his brother Jay. The story is about four struggling actors who retreat to a cabin to write a screenplay. One of the ideas is about a serial killer who wears a bag on his face. Trouble starts when the script becomes real life and the group find themselves being stalked by Baghead. The style of the Duplass brothers is the most interesting quality of the film, it feels like a found footage film with the amount of shaky camera shots and quick zooms, this adds to the scariness but we never forget who are the filmmakers of this piece. I enjoyed the film and I liked its take on the horror genre,a  genre I am not particularly a fan of. The only problem was that it was too obvious where the storyline was heading which took away some of the scares but not all of them. It was a pretty good film to start my evening but nothing really special, I am giving Baghead a rating of 3/5.



The Puffy Chair

This is more like the Duplass brothers we now know . Though it may not be that apparent at first with Mark Duplass not being as likable a person like some of the characters we have seen him play. The film is about Josh (Duplass) and his girlfriend Emily who go on a road trip to pick up a puffy chair for Josh's dad's birthday. On the way they pick up Josh's brother Rhett and the three of them end up going on a life changing journey about love and relationships. The film looks like a documentary with not a lot of shaky cam and not a lot of change in the captured image as to the one we see on screen. Thankfully the acting is good enough to pull this off and a lot of the time it feels like a home video. If it wasn't for the editing and soundtrack then you could easily   mistake it for one. Even the problems are very real and it can be very powerful, and then you get those sweet moments that really make the film. You end the film feeling like you have been through a similar journey with the characters and you feel good. Something I love about all the films Mark Duplass is associated with, that is why I am giving The Puffy Chair a rating of 4/5.


Your Sister's Sister

Now you may have already seen me rave about this film, it was actually number 4 on my top 10 films of 2012. Watching it again is just as good even though you know what is going to happen. The idea is so simple yet effective, the plot goes like this 'Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack's drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris' sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.' The themes are similar to a Duplass brothers directed movie but the director Lynn Shelton makes it her own piece at the final product is something that I fell in love with (twice now). Mark Duplass is the 'nice guy' character again and pulls it off... again and this one of the reasons I love seeing him on film. I also believe this to be one of Emily Blunt's best performances as she just feels so real in this, one of the reasons she is one of my favourite actresses. The film is very interesting and will leave a lot to talk about once the credits start rolling. It can be little slow in places but over all this is a really lovely film which I am rating a 4.5/5.


Safety Not Guaranteed

I LOVE THIS FILM. You may have already seen it at number 2 on my top 10 films of 2012, this movie is awesome. Everything about it is perfect and it is the best feel good film out of all the films I have seen today. I doubt I will ever get tired of this film. Mark Duplass's best performance and his character is the one I most want to be friends with out of his work. The imagery, the soundtrack, the incredible story, I love it all. If you don't know already Safety Not Guaranteed's plot goes like this; Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel. kIt really is such a great film and I recommend everyone should watch it, I haven't met someone who doesn't like it yet. I am giving Safety Not Guaranteed a big fat juicy rating of 5/5.

Thank you for joining me on my Mark Duplass movie marathon. Other works of his I have seen at a different time include Jeff Who Lives At Home and Hump Day, both of which are great and I recommend.

What do you think of my reviews, do you agree with them? Are you a massive fan of Mark Duplass or is he overrated? Please comment below.

Thanks for reading!