Elizabeth Weitz
Emeritus FOG! Managing Editor
@ebethisawesome
Best Movies: Straight Outta Compton, Best of Enemies, Ex Machina
Best TV Shows: Making A Murderer, Master of None, Fargo
Best Books (fiction): The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
Best Books (non-fiction): Hold Still by Sally Mann, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan
Best Video Game: The Stanley Parable (PC), Super Meat Boy (PS4)
Best Songs: “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas” by Beach Slang, “Shaping the Southern Sky” by Kylesa,
Best Albums: Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes, Mutilator Defeated At Last by Thee Oh Sees
Best Music Video: The Coathangers “Watch Your Back”
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Bitch Planet Vol. 1 Extraordinary Machine, The Story of My Tits by Jennifer Hayden, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Most overrated thing about 2015? The Blue/Black/White/Gold dress thing
Most underrated thing about 2015? The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend TV Show
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? For it to End
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? The Entire Year
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? The Shamrock Shake
Benn Robbins
FOG! Contributor
@bukket1138 | robbins-studios.com | Facebook.com/RobbinsStudios
Best Movies: Mad Max Fury Road, Ex Machina, Star Wars The Force Awakens, Hateful Eight, The Peanuts Movie
Best TV Shows: Fresh off the Boat, Agent Carter, Agents of Shield, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Bob’s Burgers
Best Songs: “A New Wave”, Sleater-Kinney
Best Albums: No Cities To Love by Sleater-Kinney
Best Music Video: “A New Wave”, Sleater-Kinney
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Barbarella And the Wrath of the Minute Eater HC by Jean-Claude Forest adapted by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Batgirl by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, Babs Tarr, The Inbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, Howard The Duck by Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones
Most overrated thing about 2015? Jurassic World
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Star Wars The Force Awakens
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? Jurassic World, Terminator Genisys
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? It not being 2015.
Javier Grillo-Marxuach
writer/producer: The 100, Helix, The Middleman, Lost, upcoming Xena reboot
@OKBJGM | OKBJGM.com
Best Movies: The Look of Silence, White God, Chuck Norris vs. Communism (a documentary I saw in Sundance about how bootleg VHS tapes helped bring down communism in Eastern Europe), The Stanford Prison Experiment
Best TV Shows: Mad Men, Childhood’s End, The Man in the High Castle
Best Books (fiction): The Cartel by Don Winslow
Best Books (non-fiction): Taschen’s art book The Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Video Game: Classic Sonic the Hedgehog on my Amazon Fire
Best Songs: “High By The Beach” – Lana Del Rey
Best Albums: Max Richter, The Leftovers: Season One OST
Best Music Video: “You Might Think” – The Cars
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Unflattening – Nick Sousaris
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Robot Jox – Shout! Factory remaster
Most overrated thing about 2015? Ex Machina
Most underrated thing about 2015? Predestination (Directed by the Spierig Bros., starring Sarah Snook and Ethan Hawke)
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Getting the chance work on the third season of The 100 – a show I didn’t know before, and now believe to be a real successor to Battlestar Galactica.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015?: That the supporters of Donald Trump seem to regard The Man in the High Castle as an aspirational self-help book.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016?: Charlie Jane Anders’s first novel, All the Birds in the Sky and Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex.
Charles Knauf
FOG! Columnist
@cknauf | graphicadaption.com
Best Movies: Mad Max Fury Road – really, the only thing that held my attention for more than 5 minutes…
Best TV Shows: Man in the High Castle, Jessica Jones
Best Books (fiction): The First Bad Man by Miranda July, Memory Man by David Baldacci
Best Music Video: Black Star by David Bowie
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: The Humans by Keenan M Keller and Tom Neely, Wytches by Scott Snyder and Jock
Most overrated thing about 2015? Anything Star Wars.
Most underrated thing about 2015? My passion for Polka
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Mad Max Fury Road. Couldn’t wait to see that flick…
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? The candidates for the 2016 presidential election.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? The Deadpool movie.
Erin Maxwell
FOG! Columnist
@erinemaxwell
Best Movies: Mad Max: Fury Road, What We Do In The Shadows, Spotlight, Creed, Straight Outta Compton
Best TV Shows: Fargo
Best Books (fiction): Meh….
Best Books (non-fiction): How Music Got Free by Stephen Witt
Best Video Game: Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 & 4
Best Songs: “The Hills” by The Weeknd
Best Albums: The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
Best Music Video: Missy Elliot, “WTF”
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Two Brothers, by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Goonies 30th Anniversary Box Set
Most overrated thing about 2015?: Jurassic World has so many issues I almost got a subscription.
Hey, if you are going to create a stereotype of a woman who gave up her love life for her job, the least you can do is make her competent at her fucking job. Also, Dystopian franchises where kids have to battle each other for one reason or another.
Most underrated thing about 2015?: Grantland.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Really? This is a site for geeks and you ask this in a year when Star Wars has a new movie?
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? Nothing really. I keep my expectations low so I’m always pleasantly surprised.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? The 30 year anniversary hoopla of Top Gun. Wooo.
Todd Sokolove
FOG! Columnist
@tsokolove | FlameCon.org | TheShannaraChronicles.tumblr.com
Best Movies: Mad Max: Fury Road, It Follows, White God, The Hateful Eight, Mistress America, Kung Fury
Best TV Shows: Hannibal, Bloodline, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Tosh.0, Wet Hot American Summer
Best Books (fiction): Go Set A Watchman – Harper Lee
Best Books (non-fiction): Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Best Video Game: The Room, Three – (iOS)
Best Songs: “Let It Happen” – Tame Impala, “Dreams” -Beck, “Butterfly Girl” – Duran Duran, “Drive” – Dornik, “Cheyenne” – Jason Derulo, “Radio” – Santigold
Best Albums: Dornik – Dornik, Music Complete – New Order, Escape From Evil – Lower Dens, Sleep – Max Richter, 7 – Seal
Best Music Video: “One Last Time” – Ariana Grande (Directed by Max Landis)
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Airboy by James Robinson/Greg Hinkle
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: X-Files Complete Series, Dressed to Kill (Criterion), Ghoulies/Ghoulies II (Scream Factory)
Most overrated thing about 2015? The Martian
Most underrated thing about 2015? Mad Max: Fury Road
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? marriage equality
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? gun violence
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? VR games/movies taking off
Ray Harrington
Comedian/Filmmaker
@RayHarrington | RayHarringtonComedy.com | BeAManTheFilm.com
Best Movies: Mad Max because it’s fantastic, The Revenant because it’s beautifully shot and I love Tom Hardy, Hateful Eight, Ex Machina, ’71 because it’s a great one-night story, A Most Violent Year because Oscar Isaac is amazing, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation and Furious 7 because they’re the best action franchises still making movies fun right now. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. because I thought I would hate it until I found out Guy Ritchie directed it and it was so fun to watch.
Best TV Shows: Fargo Season 2 was the best season of television this year and for the last few years. Mr. Robot was an amazing surprise from USA. Catastrophe is a wonderfully funny show from the BBC. Orphan Black is my favorite sci-fi soap opera. Broad City is fantastic comedy. Togetherness and the first season of Transparent for a Duplass Brothers Fix. The Jinx for the best docu-reality-drama. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for the highest jokes per minute. Difficult People is the best streaming network show. Happyish was my favorite show that I knew would be canceled and no one else saw. Billy On The Street and Nathan For You were the funniest shows on television which worries me for screenwriters.
Best Books (non-fiction): Jon Ronson’s So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Bruce McCulloch’s Let’s Start A Riot.
Best Video Game: Fallout 4. Also, The Witcher 3. Batman Arkham Knight.
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Saga, We Stand United, Batman, Hawkeye, Multiversity, and Paper Girls is the best comic short run of the year by far. First, it’s Brian K. Vaughan and he’s my favorite writer by a mile, secondly the art is fantastic, and the setting is so nostalgic and fun. As soon as I saw the Monster Squad poster on the main character’s bedroom wall I knew it was perfect. The first issue also has my favorite last panel in a long long time.
Most overrated thing about 2015? Most of Marvel’s movies.
Most underrated thing about 2015? Fargo Season 2. It’s frustrating that more people haven’t seen this amazing season of television. Oh, and comicbooks in general because the quality of storytelling that exists in comics is being missed by a lot of people. Also, Happyish.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Fallout 4.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? True Detective Season 2
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? Fallout 4 DLC (Whatever that may be.) The Nice Guys, a movie starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and from the writer of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, one of my favorite movies. So many great comics, shows, etc. that are on the way. Oh, and finally releasing Be A Man!
Little Sofi
FOG! Columnist
@little_sofi | TsarinaSoma.madefreshly.com
Best Movies: Star Wars: Force Awakens, Birdman, Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best TV Shows: Making a Murderer, Mr Robot (although it loses points for originality), Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Narcos
Best Video Game: Alien Isolation
Best Songs: “Far From Any Road” by the Hanson Family (although this was the theme tune for 2014’s True Detective, I listened to it a lot at the start of 2015!) Virtually all the singles released from Bjork’s Vulnicura this year have been incredible.
Best Albums: Vulnicura Bjork!
Best Music Video: Again – Bjork wins best video for me this year, particularly with Stonemilker and Mouth Mantra.
Most overrated thing about 2015? Adele’s Hello.
Most underrated thing about 2015? I don’t think that Ex Machina went down as well as it could have, I thought it was a great film with a really interesting score, but it didn’t seem to get as much praise as I personally gave it at the time.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Star Wars: Force Awakens
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? The second series of True Detective. And although I did really enjoy it, Mr Robot was also kind of disappointing in the end.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? The next movie in the Star Wars series.
Brian Saur
Film Blogger / Filmmaker
@bobfreelander | RupertPupkinSpeaks.com | instagram.com/rupertpupkinspeaks
Best Movies: Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, Mad Max Fury Road
Best TV Shows: Jessica JonesBest Books (fiction): Armada by Ernie Cline
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Breaking Away on Blu-ray (Twilight Time), River’s Edge on Blu-ray (Kino Lorber Studio Classics), The Brood on Blu-ray (Criterion), Murder My Sweet on Blu-ray (Warner Archive). Five Came Back on DVD (Warner Archive), Twice Upon a Time on DVD (Warner Archive)
Marla Singer
FOG! Contributor
Best TV Shows: Mr. Robot, Code Black, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Flesh & Bone
Best Books (fiction): All the books I read this year came out in years past but the best were Eleanor & Park, Yes Please and The Martian.
Best Books (non-fiction): I read Going Clear this year which was INSANELY compelling.
Best Songs: Anything by Ed Sheeran, “Cold Have Been Me” by The Struts, “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town, “Uptown Funk” by Marc Ronson and Bruno Mars, Everything written by Justin Tranter
Best Albums: Adele’s “25,” Sam Hunt’s “Montevallo” (technically came out end of 2014), Distant Cousins, “Something More Than Free” from Jason Isbell
Best Music Video: Carly Raw Jepsen’s “I Really Really Like You,” Pharrell Williams’ “Freedom,” Missy Elliot’s “WTF.”
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: X-Men Days of Future Past Rogue Cut (purely because it was fun for me as an X-Men fangirl to see the footage which, ultimately, was best left out of the movie IMO), the Aladdin “Diamond Edition” was a bitter sweet reminder of what a huge gap in the talent pool Robin Williams left us with.
Most overrated thing about 2015? Spectre, Will Smith, Chris Hemsworth (I love him but I say that because he’s yet to deliver box office on a film where he’s not playing Thor)
Most underrated thing about 2015? A lot of amazing, smaller documentaries came out that did not get the attention they deserved. CBS has an array of amazing one-hour dramas – “Limitless,” “Code Black,” “Supergirl” and even “Madame Secretary” are not getting the attention the are due.
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Star Wars The Force Awakens
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? Jurassic World, The Good Dinosaur, the trailer for Star Trek Beyond
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? Gambit, Deadpool, X-Men Apocalypse, Captain America Civil War, David Bowie’s new album
