This blog post was originally going to be just a review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but then I realized the Internet is chock full of people ranting and/or raving about it - so nobody needs another thousand words from me. (The short version: it has problems with pacing, tone and structure, but the central story of Rey, Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker is solid.) So I’ll train my critical gaze at music, TV and games too, and tell you what I thought was noteworthy this year.

The Most Interesting Movie Idea That Wasn’t Followed Through: The Military-Industrial Complex of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

At the end of an ultimately pointless escapade on a casino planet, it’s revealed to Finn that the company that makes fighters for the evil First Order also makes them for the noble Resistance. Imagine, if you will, a Star Wars movie where the evil Sith lord pulling the strings isn’t an arrogant, cloaked and disfigured old man in a throne room, but a perfectly bland CEO keeping the galaxy at war to make a buck. I’d totally watch that.

Best Canadian Funk Album You Haven’t Heard: Sweat by Five Alarm Funk

Five Alarm Funk has been around for a few years. Their early career was a series of fun but inconsistent jam session albums, before taking a detour into prog for Abandon Earth. This year’s Sweat is a return to pure funk rock, but they’ve refined their songwriting. “Ill Wind,” for example, is a six-minute groove with a lonesome, jazzy sax solo that doesn’t waste a second of your time. 

Best Video Game That Was Released In 2015 But I Only Discovered This Year - SteamWorld Heist

This is a 2D tactical space-western in which your plucky robot crew can collect ever fancier hats. And that’s officially the best sentence I’ve ever written.

The Board Game That Will Make You Never Trust Your Friends Or Family Again: Skull

skull

 

Boardgamegeek.com photo

Skull is simple but diabolical bluffing game with the coolest artwork I’ve come across in a while. All you have to do is guess how many flowers you can turn up around the table without hitting a skull - after flipping all your own cards first. That’s it. Until you realize you can trick people by bidding when you have in fact played a skull, and your life is changed forever.

Least Satisfying Revelation: The Identity of the Black Hood - Riverdale

The Black Hood - a serial murderer who only actually killed one person, by my count - worked as a catalyst to examine the tension between the and north and south sides of Riverdale. But it turns out his grudge against the town was rooted in its history rather than any of the actions of the main characters, and when you finally find out who he is last week’s season finale … let’s just say it’s less interesting than any of the fan theories out there. I don’t think it was even explained why he shot poor Fred Andrews in the first place. That makes sense, given the showrunners apparently didn’t even figure out who he would be until there were only a few episodes left. If they’re going to try for a third season-long mystery when the show returns in January, they should watch some Sherlock or Poirot episodes first to make sure it’s worth the audience’s time.