The a v club

Podcasts simply couldn’t contain themselves in 2018. Beyond setting multiple records (the third season of Serial was its biggest to date, and with a historically large advertising deal), this ever-growing audio medium also saw some of its most acclaimed series leap to television, with Dirty John on Bravo and Homecoming on Amazon Prime. Steal The Stars became a novel, and podcasters hit the stage in droves for live events and multi-day festivals. This proliferation was perhaps inevitable in a year that also saw the rise of scripted audio fiction podcasts (Bubble; The Horror Of Dolores Roach), set new watermarks for investigative reporting (Last Seen; Dr. Death; The Dream), and found shiny new packaging for the stories we thought we already knew (Slow Burn; Trump, Inc.). If the parentheticals didn’t make it clear, there are so many shows we wish we could highlight in our 2018 Podmass Superlatives and simply didn’t have room for. Below is our list of the most noteworthy … [Read more...] about The A.V. Club’s 2018 podcast superlatives

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas (and other winter solstice-adjacent holidays), both in stores and on our screens. This December, prepare to have your stockings stuffed and bedazzled with seasonally appropriate specials from Nailed It!, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. Of course, not all of these entries are tied to the Yuletide—we’re also looking forward to new seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Marvel’s Runaways, as well as the follow-up to this summer’s Steven Universe cliffhanger. So, have a seat next to the digital fireplace and check out the most-anticipated TV offerings for the month. December 5 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season two The second season of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s rat-a-tat period piece doesn’t quite hit the ground running like its Emmy-winning predecessor; a transatlantic season premiere looks as potentially divisive as Rory Gilmore’s adventures in grand theft nautical. But … [Read more...] about “Halleloo”-it’s The A.V. Club’s most anticipated TV of December

Death, art, cults, zombies—the year in literature was as eclectic as it was excellent. There were crimes in need of solving, an infamous witch telling her tale, and a woman who just wants to sleep for a year. Characters have sex, they fall in love, and a bunch of folks get their heads chopped off (the undead meet just as sad of fates). Fiction, novels in particular, reigns on our list this year—with one under-the-radar book of essays sneaking into the top 10 and two master short story writers offering up instant-classic collections. As is so often the case, it was an embarrassment of riches in the book department. Here are our reviewers’ personal favorites from 2018. The Largesse Of The Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson (Random House) At a memorial service, the narrator of The Largesse Of The Sea Maiden’s title story is told he was the deceased’s best friend, information that comes as news to the narrator, who barely knew him. “Rather than … [Read more...] about The A.V. Club’s 10 favorite books of 2018

Gameological hasn’t traditionally structured its year-end round-up with some authoritative ranking, choosing instead to look back at the myriad experiences we had in games over the year and sorting for the ones we really, truly liked. The result is a list that’s as true to our writers and their own predilections as it is to the year that was. There isn’t a clean-cut narrative to the games that stuck with us in 2018—which span massive superhero extravaganzas, elliptical horror experiments, and psychedelic VR rhythm games—which is, truly, proof of how rich and exciting games can be. As always, you’re invited to write your own retrospectives in the comments, following the rubric laid out here. Feel free to overlap with our own picks; we’re interested to hear why you liked these games, too! We’ll collect some of our favorite responses for our annual Games You Liked round-up on Wednesday. Beat Saber I liked Beat Saber because it actually … [Read more...] about The A.V. Club’s favorite games of 2018

What Artists Do + other books by Leonard Koren For the past three decades, Leonard Koren has been quietly publishing elegant, thoughtful books wherein he writes simply and directly about the often complex subjects of art and aesthetics. He designs his own books, including the typeface, and they’re special objects in and of themselves. What Artists Do, Koren’s latest project, examines why and how artists create their art, using the work of six seminal conceptual artists—including Donald Judd, John Cage, and Christo and Jeanne Claude—to illustrate his ideas. It’s a slim, focused volume, perfect for those looking to think more intentionally about an artist’s vision and the execution thereof. Like Koren’s other volumes, there’s something calming in the book’s clean design, gentle prose, and warm wit. For a fuller package, pair What Artists Do with some of Koren’s other publications like Making WET: The Magazine Of Gourmet … [Read more...] about Unconventional pop-culture presents: The A.V. Club’s 2018 gift guide