2018 NFL Year-End Awards+2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Predictions

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, quarterback (Chiefs)
No individual in the NFL commanded more attention or made more highlight-reel worthy plays than Mahomes in 2018. His infinite confidence, poise in big situations and knack for making throws that look like they're straight out of a video game added more dynamism to an already explosive Chiefs offense while also helping him become the 3rd player in NFL history to throw for 50 TD's in a season (some guys named Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are the other 2 individuals that have pulled off this superhuman feat). The most unbelievable part of all this success? 2018 was his first year as a starter. Pretty damn impressive for a kid who was largely considered to be a huge gamble when he was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft.
Honorable Mentions: Aaron Donald, defensive tackle (Rams), Drew Brees, quarterback (Saints), Andrew Luck, quarterback (Colts)

Offensive Player of the Year: DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver (Texans)
In a passing-dominated league with no shortage of elite talent at the receiver position, Hopkins further solidified his case for being the best of the absurdly stacked bunch this season. The 26-year old managed 115 receptions, 1,572 YDS, 11 TD's and 0 drops on 163 targets in a year where the Texans offense was once again held back by injuries and horrid line play.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Thomas, wide receiver (Saints), Tyreek Hill, wide receiver (Chiefs), Christian McCaffery, running back (Panthers)

Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald, defensive tackle (Rams)
BREAKING NEWS: Donald is still the most unstoppable defensive player in the league  He spent yet another 16 game slate routinely blowing through double teams and wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage (25 TFL's, 4 forced fumbles, 41 QB hits, a career-high 20.5 sacks) while his cohorts struggled to consistently make plays around him. What a force.
Honorable Mentions: Bobby Wagner, inside linebacker (Seahawks), Khalil Mack, outside linebacker (Bears), Fletcher Cox, defensive tackle (Eagles)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Saquon Barkley, running back (Giants)
Pat Shurmer's arrival in East Rutherford didn't bring an end to the locker room turmoil and ugly on-field product that resulted in Ben McAdoo's firing prior to the end of the 2017 season. Just about the only positive thing to emerge from the Giants latest frustrating campaign was the play of Barkley. The Penn State product showed off the burst, strength and polished dual-threat skill set that helped make him the #2 overall pick during an impressive rookie year (2,028 scrimmage YDS, 15 TD's, 0 fumbles, 6.5 YDS per touch) where he had a larger-than-expected role thanks to the poor play of a rapidly aging Eli Manning.
Honorable Mentions: Baker Mayfield, quarterback (Browns), Quenton Nelson, guard (Colts), Calvin Ridley, wide receiver (Falcons)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Derwin James, safety (Chargers)
Tackling machines Darius Leonard and Leighton Vander Esch may have the more eye-popping  numbers, but James' versatility made him the most impressive rookie defender in this class. James showed off the type of well-rounded game that's becoming increasingly rare for a defensive back to possess by taking snaps at every non-defensive line position and filling the stat sheet on a weekly basis (105 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 INT, 13 passes defensed in 16 games).
Honorable Mentions: Darius Leonard, outside linebacker (Colts), Leighton Vander Esch, outside linebacker (Cowboys), Denzel Ward, cornerback (Browns)

Comeback Player of the Year: Andrew Luck, quarterback (Colts)
To say Luck's future was murky before 2018 would be putting it very lightly. There was doubts about whether or not he could still throw the ball downfield, let alone return to the high level of play he displayed prior to suffering the shoulder injury that kept him on the shelf for all of 2017. Well Luck proved that shoulder that required multiple surgeries over the course of a year to fix wasn't going to lead to his gridiron demise. He was as sharp as ever in 2018-hurling 39 TD's, completing a career-high 67.5% of his passes and helping lead a resilient Colts team to their first playoff berth since 2014.
Honorable Mentions: J.J Watt, defensive end (Texans), Odell Beckham Jr., wide receiver (Giants), Chris Carson, running back (Seahawks)

Coach of the Year: Matt Nagy (Bears)
I had a hard time not giving this to Frank Reich after he led the Colts to the playoffs following an ugly 1-5 start. However, Nagy's role in leading a Bears squad that had finished last in the NFC North and lost 10+ games in each of the 4 years prior to his arrival to a division title in his inaugural season as a head coach was just too much to overcome. Despite having their season end on a tragic note, Nagy's innovative offensive playcalling paired with the immense respect he immediately earned from his players restored a sense of pride to an organization that had been a disheartening, lifeless mess since Lovie Smith got axed.
Honorable Mentions: Frank Reich (Colts), Andy Reid (Chiefs), Anthony Lynn (Chargers)

All-Pro Teams:
Quarterback:
1st team: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
2nd team: Drew Brees (Saints)

Running Back:
1st team: Christian McCaffery (Panthers), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)
2nd team: Todd Gurley (Rams), Saquon Barkley (Giants)

Wide Receiver:
1st team: DeAndre Hopkins (Texans), Michael Thomas (Saints)
2nd team: Tyreek Hill (Chiefs), Julio Jones (Falcons)

Tight End:
1st team: George Kittle (49ers)
2nd team: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

Tackle:
1st team: David Bakithari (Packers), Mitchell Schwartz (Chiefs)
2nd team: Andrew Whitworth (Rams), Ryan Ramcyzk (Saints)

Guard:
1st team: Quenton Nelson (Colts), Shaq Mason (Patriots)
2nd team: Zach Martin (Cowboys), Joel Bitonio (Browns)

Center:
1st team: Jason Kelce (Eagles)
2nd team: Rodney Hudson (Raiders)

Defensive End:
1st team: J.J. Watt (Texans), Cameron Jordan (Saints)
2nd team: Myles Garrett (Browns), Trey Flowers (Patriots)

Defensive Tackle:
1st team: Aaron Donald (Rams), Fletcher Cox (Eagles)
2nd team: Chris Jones (Chiefs), Akiem Hicks (Bears)

Outside Linebacker:
1st team: Khalil Mack (Bears), Von Miller (Broncos)
2nd team: Darius Leonard (Colts), Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys)

Inside Linebacker:
1st team: Bobby Wagner (Seahawks), Luke Kuechly (Panthers)
2nd team: Zach Brown (Redskins), C.J. Mosley (Ravens)

Cornerback:
1st team: Stephon Gilmore (Patriots), Kyle Fuller (Bears)
2nd team: Desmond King (Chargers), Byron Jones (Cowboys)

Safety:
1st team: Eddie Jackson (Bears), Jamal Adams (Jets)
2nd team: Derwin James (Chargers), Kevin Byard (Titans)

Kicker:
1st team: Aldrick Rosas (Giants)
2nd team: Will Lutz (Saints)

Punter:
1st team: Michael Dickson (Seahawks)
2nd team: Johnny Hekker (Rams)

Return Specialist:
1st team: Andre Roberts (Jets), Tarik Cohen (Bears)
2nd team: Cordarelle Patterson (Patriots), Desmond King (Chargers)

Special Teamer:
1st team: Adrian Phillips (Chargers)
2nd team: Corey Littleton (Rams)
/
Pro Football Hall Fame Class of 2019 predictions:
Steve Atwater, safety (Teams: Denver Broncos/New York Jets)
Tony Boselli, tackle (Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars/Houston Texans)
Pat Bowlen, Denver Broncos owner
Alan Faneca, guard (Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers/New York Jets/Arizona Cardinals)
Tony Gonzalez, tight end (Teams: Kansas City Chiefs/Atlanta Falcons))
Ed Reed, safety (Teams: Baltimore Ravens/Houston Texans/New York Jets)
Johnny Robinson, safety (Teams: Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs) 

Who I'd Vote for If I Had a Ballot:
Alan Faneca
Steve Hutchinson, guard (Teams: Minnesota Vikings/Seattle Seahawks)
Tony Gonzalez
Kevin Mawae, center (Teams: Seattle Seahawks/New Yok Jets/Tennessee Titans)
Ed Reed
Richard Seymour, defensive end/tackle (Teams: New England Patriots/Oakland Raiders)

The Best and Worst of Anthony Mackie (2019)

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Miss Bala” star Anthony Mackie.

Films starring Anthony Mackie that I've seen:
8 Mile
Million Dollar Baby
The Man
Freedomland
Half Nelson
Eagle Eye

Notorious
The Hurt Locker
Night Catches Us
The Adjustment Bureau 
What's Your Number?
Real Steel
Man on a Ledge
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Gangster Squad
Pain & Gain
Runner Runner
Captain America: The Winter Solider 
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
Our Brand is Crisis 
The Night Before
Triple 9
Captain America: Civil War
Detroit 
Avengers: Infinity War

Best Performance: Pain & Gain (2013) 
While Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg had more time to drive this morbidly hilarious bus, Mackie's turn as the third wheel in this bumbling band of meathead criminals was just an integral to Pain & Gain's unexpected brilliance. Thanks to his completely believable arrogance, naivety and bursts of steroid-fueled rage, Mackie makes Adrian Doorbal the king of incompetence in this American Dream-chasing band of con men.        

Worst Performance: Notorious (2009)
Mackie is about as reliable as an actor can possibly be. Even if the material is suspect (Our Brand is Crisis, Eagle Eye, Runner Runner), his natural charisma and refusal to slum it prevents him from stumbling. The closest he's come to making a true misstep came with his bit part as Tupac Shakur in the Biggie biopic Notorious. After Demterius Shipp Jr. turned in an electric performance that propped up the otherwise mediocre All Eyez on Me, it became even more evident that he didn't do a great job of capturing the blend of monk-like calmness and seemingly infinite wisdom that made Shakur such an icon.

Best Film: The Hurt Locker (2009)
Modern war flicks, particularly ones set in Afghanistan/Iraq, have a disturbing tendency to favor overwhelming flag-waving macho garbage over showing the true unspeakable horrors that occur and helping people who have never served in the military understand the experiences of the people that are putting their lives on the line. The Hurt Locker was a refreshingly grounded departure from these repulsive propaganda pieces. Kathryn Bigelow realistically portrays the environment in nightmarish detail as well as the variety of ways soldiers react to life on the frontlines without ever glamorizing combat or failing to treat its characters as anything less than fully-formed human beings.  

Worst Film: What's Your Number? (2011)
At this point, I should just ban What's Your Number? from this series. It features a gigantic ensemble cast (Anna Farris, Chris Evans, Mackie, Chris Pratt, Andy Samberg, roughly a dozen more prominent actors) that are among Hollywood's most steadily employed on-camera personnel, which has resulted in me writing about this several times a year since this weekly column began back in May 2015. That being said, this tedium doesn't change the fact this borderline historic lowpoint for the romantic comedy genre squanders an abundance of top-end talent on a monumental dud that is completely devoid of charm, laughs or anything that even resembles fun.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” star Allison Brie. 

Movie Review: Serenity

Fishing boat captain Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) is a reclusive man residing on a small, remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean whose heavy boozing and obsession with catching a giant tuna that has alluded him for months has put him in a rough financial situation. Dill's simple world of self-inflicted suffering is suddenly disrupted when his ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) shows up and offers him $10 million to kill her abusive husband (Jason Clarke) that has been terrorizing her and Baker's estranged son (Rafael Sayegh) since he went off-the-grid several years earlier. With this tempting proposal looming over him, Dill is now forced to decide between receiving a life-altering payday or allowing the family he left behind to continue enduring a hellish existence in order protect  his own freedom. Sounds like a pretty typical erotic/psychological thriller right? Well it is..... until it deviates from its seemingly predictable course with a BONKERS plot twist so unexpected that it almost doesn't feel real.  

Is Serenity a great movie? Nah, not really. However, the sheer conviction it shows in seeing this loopy late game narrative wrinkle through makes me respect the hell out of it. Having the audacity to not only make such a drastic turn, but rapidly ratchet up the insanity until the final frame is the type of gloriously reckless power move that I wish more filmmakers would have the gall to do. Even when it's executed as sloppily this, being genuinely surprised by a direction a movie heads in is such a rare feeling that I have to appreciate it whenever it occurs. How writer/director Steven Knight was able to secure approximately $25 million in funding, an ensemble cast full of talented actors (in addition to the aforementioned trio of well-established adult actors, Diane Lane, Djimon Honsou and Jeremy Strong all have notable supporting roles) and a wide theatrical release for a project like this is some mind-boggling sorcery that defies whatever passes as logic in the always whacky entertainment industry.

While it'll more than likely go down as a universally-panned misstep for everyone involved, I'd be stunned if anything else released in 2019 can match Serenity's singular strangeness and unhinged creative fearlessness. Injecting some beautiful chaos into an otherwise sleepy January cinematic landscape is a feat that I'll look back fondly on for years to come, so shout out to Knight for concocting such an ill-advised yet uniquely compelling feature.        

Grade: B-

As We Proceed Episode #31

On this episode, Feliciano and I recap 2018 in hip-hop with our biggest year-end award show to-date. This accolade fest can be heard or seen at any of the links below:

Soundcloud:

YouTube:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-we-proceed/id1122163104?mt=2

Quick Movie Reviews (Awards Edition): Green Book, The Favourite, If Beale Street Could Talk, Vice

Green Book: I have to disagree with the relatively large amount of scrutiny Green Book has received in recent weeks. The film simply tells a fact-based story about how two men from different races and socioeconomic backgrounds were able to put their past prejudices aside, and eventually form a friendship as a result of spending time together without attempting to provide much in the way of broad commentary on race relations or any other big picture Civil Rights issues. It may be a pretty lightweight narrative with a heavy dose of Hollywood sentimentality thrown in for crowdpleasing purposes, but it's still a funny, touching and highly enjoyable buddy dramedy that features excellent performances from a pair of underrated talents (Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali) that are often relegated to much smaller roles. It was nice to come away from an awards-contending movie without being overwhelmed by gloom, rage or general unpleasantness for once and I'm glad that both actors earned Oscar noms for their tremendous work.  
Grade: B+

The Favourite: Foul language! Lesbian relationships! Duck races! This ain't your father's period piece! The Favourite is a bizarre, darkly comic antidote to the agonizing stuffiness you tend to find in these elaborate royal costume dramas. With its manic tone that allows for these supposedly sophisticated folks to engage in all sorts of heathen-like behavior and venomous quip-filled dialogue, it almost feels like a 1700's British monarchy reimagining of Mean Girls. It runs out of steam in the final act when director Yorgos Lanthimos goes hog wild with his arthouse auteur shtick and the cousins (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, both amazing) who turn into fierce, manipulative rivals while trying to win the favour of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman-not quite as strong as her co-stars, but still very good) spend minimal time on screen together, but the rest of the movie was such an unexpected take on a genre that I usually don't enjoy that I'm willing to overlook its bumpy finish.   
Grade: B+

If Beale Street Could Talk: Barry Jenkins' follow-up to Moonlight is a much more well-rounded, assured and powerful effort. He navigates the several timelines that run through this early 70's-set love story centered around two black young adults (KiKi Layne, Stephan James) who are expecting their first child whose lives are upended by a false criminal charge pretty seamlessly, and the way it depicts the extraordinary lengths each character goes to try to prove the expecting father's innocence and racially-charged injustices of the legal system that still ring true today makes the ending that much more heartbreaking. With his ability to tell emotionally-charged stories and get the most out of his actors (James, Regina King and Brian Tyree Henry are all particularly sensational here), Jenkins looks like he's going to be a filmmaking force for decades to come.
Grade: B+

Vice: The understandably polarizing Dick Chaney biopic won't provide a lot of surprises or new information for anyone who closely follows American politics. That being said, Vice does an outstanding job of painting a damning portrait of a power-hungry man (portrayed with subtly maniacal brilliance by Christian Bale) who quietly made a massive impact on the US political landscape over the course of his multiple stints as a high-ranking White House official as well as providing an important reminder that you don't need to be a loudmouth, blatant hate-spewing clown like our current president to be an absolutely vile monster. Writer/director Adam McKay deserves a ton of credit for his willingness to pop the thick revisionist history bubble many Americans have gotten stuck in recently. A lot of the agenda-driven sensationalist news reporting and fearmongering policies our federal government so gleefully embraces weren't original ideas from the stable genius mind of Trump, and it was nice to see a film acknowledge that those seeds were planted well before the MAGA movement took off. As much as I miss the beautiful absurdity of his Will Ferrell-led comedies, McKay has cemented himself as a fantastic serious director who does sharp political commentary as well as anyone working today.  
Grade: A- 

The Best and Worst of Anne Hathaway

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Serenity” star Anne Hathaway.

Films starring Anne Hathaway that I've seen:
Havoc
The Devil Wears Prada
Get Smart
Rachel Getting Married
Love & Other Drugs
Rio
One Day
The Dark Knight Rises
Don Jon
Interstellar
The Intern
Colossal 
Ocean's 8

Best Performance: Rachel Getting Married (2008)
The Devil Wears Prada established Hathaway as a bubbly, vibrant screen presence who could anchor the hell out of a romantic comedy. Rachel Getting Married proved that off-the-charts charm wasn't the only tool in her acting arsenal. Her nuanced turn as a self-absorbed recovering addict that alternates between being completely insufferable and genuinely sympathetic gives this uneven family drama a consistently compelling element that prevents it from completely falling apart.
  
Worst Performance: Havoc (2005)
A lot of high-profile actors have a little-seen dud as part of their early resume. Hathaway's is a direct-to-video crime drama called Havoc that was filmed shortly after The Princess Diaries was released. Her questionable performance as a rich, rap-loving LA teen that becomes enamored with joining a real street gang isn't raw or daring enough to help this misguided project obtain the sense of grittiness it desperately wants/needs.      

Best Film: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Since it suffered the unfortunate fate of following one of the most universally beloved movies of the last 25 years, The Dark Knight Rises is largely viewed as a monumental letdown. Personally, I think the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight saga is absurdly underrated. An abundance of huge action set pieces are badass, a legendary over-the top comic book villain (Tom Hardy's Bane) and the tense, cathartic final act made this the perfect swan song for an epic trilogy that changed the way superheroes movies are perceived forever.

Worst Film: One Day (2011)
It's been so long since I've seen or thought about One Day that it's hard for me to recall much about it. What I do remember is being bored as hell and thoroughly unconvinced that the two main characters (Hathaway, Jim Sturgess) were soulmates brought together by chance as this time-hopping flat romantic melodrama limped along for a little under two hours.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Miss Bala” star Anthony Mackie.

Top 25 Hip-Hop Beats of 2018

Every year I like to wrap up my year-end retrospective lists with a celebration of the finest production in hip-hop. Here are the 25 beats I enjoyed the most in yet another amazing 12 months for the geniuses behind the boards.

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
A$AP Rocky-OG Beeper (Producers: Nez & Rio and Boys Noize)
Cardi B-I Like It (Producers: Craig Kallman, J. White Did It, Tainy and Invincible)
Lil Baby and Gunna-Never Recover (Producer: Tay Keith)
Rae Sremmurd-Rock n Roll Hall of Fame (Producers: TM88 and MP808)
Young Thug-Anybody (Producers: Rex Kudo and Charlie Handsome)


25.Denzel Curry-Black Metal Terrorist (Producers: FnZ, Taz Taylor, Ronny J and M-Sol):


24.Future-Wifi Lit (Producer: Zaytoven):



23.Travis Scott-STARGAZING (Producers: Sonny Digital, B Wheezy, B Korn and 30 Roc):


22.Playboi Carti-Right Now (Producer: Pi'erre Bourne):



21.Cardi B-Money Bag (Producer: J. White Did It and Laquan Green):


20.Metro Boomin-Dreamcatcher (Producers: Metro Boomin and Allen Ritter):


19.Young Thug-Now (Producer: DJ Spinz):


18.BROCKHAMPTON-NEW ORLEANS (Producers: Romail Homnani, Joba, Jabari Manawa and Bearface):


17.Pusha T-If You Know You Know (Producer: Kanye West):


16.Travis Scott-NO BYSTANDERS (Producers: WondaGurl and Mike Dean):


15.Playboi Carti-R.I.P Fredo (Notice Me) (Producer: Pi'erre Bourne):


14.City Morgue-33rd Blakk Glass (Producer: Thraxx):


13.A$AP Rocky-Praise the Lord (Da Shine) (Producer: Skepta):


12.Flatbush Zombies-Big Shrimp (Producer: Kirk Knight):


11.Travis Scott-ASTROTHUNDER (Producers: Travis Scott, Frank Dukes, Thundercat and John Mayer):


10.Metro Boomin-Space Cadet (Producers: Metro Boomin, Wheezy and Allen Ritter):


9.Metro Boomin-Don't Come Out the House (Producers: Metro Boomin and Tay Keith):


8.Denzel Curry-Black Balloons (Producers: FnZ and Mickey de Grand IV):


7.Playboi Carti-Shoota (Producer: Maaly Raw):


6.Drake-Nice for What (Producers: Murda Beatz and Blaqnmild):


5.Post Malone-92 Explorer (Producers: London on Da Track, Aubrey Robinson and Kendall Roark Bailey):


4.Travis Scott-YOSEMITE (Producers: June James, Turbo and Ramy):


3.Kyle-Games (Producers: BOSSMAN and Naz):


2. Metro Boomin-10 Freaky Girls (Producer: Metro Boomin):


1.Playboi Carti-R.I.P. (Producer: Pi'erre Bourne):

91st Annual Academy Award Nomination Predictions

All eyes in the world of cinema will be on a luxurious Los Angeles hotel conference room tomorrow morning around 8:20 EST when the nominees for arguably the most wide open Academy Awards in recent memory are announced by Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross. Here are the names and movies I expect to be up for the most coveted awards in the film industry.

Best Picture:
BlacKkKlansman
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
If Beale Street Could Talk
Roma
A Star is Born
Vice

Locks: BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite, Green Book, Roma, A Star is Born
Toss-ups: Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, If Beale Street Could Talk, Vice
Dark horse contenders: Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Crazy Rich Asians, First Man, First Reformed, Mary Poppins Returns

Best Actor:
Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman)
Locks: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Rami Malek, Viggo Mortensen
Toss-up: John David Washington
Dark horse contenders: Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate), Ryan Gosling (First Man), Ethan Hawke (First Reformed), Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased), Robert Redford (The Old Man & the Gun)   

Best Actress:
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Lady Gaga (A Star is Born)
Mellissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Locks: Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, Lady Gaga
Toss-ups: Yalitza Aparicio, Mellissa McCarthy
Dark horse contenders: Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns), Viola Davis (Widows), Regina Hall (Support the Girls), Nicole Kidman (Destroyer), Saiorse Ronan (Mary, Queen of Scots)

Best Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Sam Elliott (A Star is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Locks: Mahershala Ali, Sam Elliott, Richard E. Grant
Toss-ups: Timothee Chalamet, Adam Driver
Dark horse contenders: Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased), Cedric the Entertainer (First Reformed), Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk), Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams (Vice)
Claire Foy (First Man)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Locks: Amy Adams, Claire Foy, Regina King, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
Toss-ups: N/A
Dark horse contenders: Elizabeth Debicki (Widows), Laura Harrier (BlacKkKlansman), Nicole Kidman (Boy Erased), Margot Robbie (Mary, Queen of Scots), Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians)

Best Director:
Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Peter Farrelly (Green Book)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Locks: Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuaron, Spike Lee, Yorgos Lanthimos
Toss-up: Peter Farrelly
Dark horse contenders: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk), Adam McKay (Vice), Paul Schrader (First Reformed)

Best Original Screenplay:
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice

Best Adapted Screenplay:
BlacKkKlansman
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star is Born

Best Cinematography:
The Favourite
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Roma
A Star is Born

Best Score:
Black Panther
First Man 
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Marry Poppins Returns

Best Animated Film:
The Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Documentary Feature:
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
RBG
Three Identical Strangers
Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Best Foreign Language Film:
Burning
Capernaum 
Cold War
Roma
Shoplifters

Best Editing:
The Favourite
First Man
Roma
A Star is Born
Vice

Best Costume Design:
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary, Queen of Scots

Best Production Design:
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Destroyer
Mary, Queen of Scots
Vice

Best Original Song:
"All the Stars" (Black Panther)
"Girl in the Movies" (Dumplin')
"I'll Fight" (RBG)
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" (Mary Poppins Returns)
"Shallow" (A Star is Born)

Best Visual Effects:
Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Ready Player One

Best Sound Editing:
Black Panther
First Man
Mission-Impossible: Fallout
A Quiet Place
A Star is Born

Best Sound Mixing:
Black Panther
First Man
Mission-Impossible: Fallout
A Quiet Place
A Star is Born

Best Animated Short:
Animal Behaviour 
Bao
Bilby
Lost and Found
Weekends

Best Documentary Short:
Black Sheep
End Game
Period: End of the Sentence
Women of the Gulag
Zion

Best Live Action Short:
Caroline
Detainment
Icare
Marguerite 
Skin

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Last week's record: 3-1 (Correct: Rams, Patriots, Saints Incorrect: Colts)
Overall record: 4-4

New Orleans Saints over Los Angeles Rams: Both of these offenses have lost a bit of explosiveness since their Week 9 shootout that ended with the Rams being handed their first loss of the season. With splash plays likely to be less prominent this time around, this game should come down to the quarterbacks, defenses and coaching staffs-all of which lean in favor of the Saints. Drew Brees tends to be an efficient, clock-draining machine at the Superdome, Sean Payton has a gift for coming up with varied gameplans that confuse vulnerable defenses and even with the loss of defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to a torn Achilles, they have the personnel upfront to slow down the prolific rushing attack that the Rams need to establish in order to make Jared Goff comfortable as a passer.    

New England Patriots over Kansas City Chiefs: The 2018 Chiefs defied their tragic recent history with a strong, gusty performance in a 31-13 victory over the Colts last weekend. However, this game is a whole different beast as they have to square off against the NFL's boogeyman that just won't die- no matter "grim" things look prior to the start of the playoffs. Despite being tasked with entering a notoriously loud stadium that's hosting the most important game in its 47-year history during a season where they've played uncharacteristically ugly football away from Foxboro (their 3-5 road record is their worst since 2009), the Patriots still have the edge in this matchup. Patrick Mahomes and co. have the dynamism and creativity to score every time they have the ball, but the shakiness of their defense and Andy Reid's perpetual clock management misfortune is going to make it very difficult for them to take out a battle-tested veteran team that has delivered on this stage far more times than they've faltered. The Patriots won a shootout at Gillette Stadium when these two teams met in the regular season and unless Tom Brady puts up the type of inefficient, multi-INT dud you seldom see from him (especially during this time of year), I expect them to do the exact same thing at Arrowhead on Sunday night.

2018 in Movies: A Year in Review

At no point over the past 12 months did I feel like I was in the middle of a great year for movies. The number of titles that really impressed me wasn't notable and there were several months (January, May, August, September) where I was barely going to see anything in theaters because I had no issue with waiting until home video to see the titles that were playing. Then while I was starting to finalize this list earlier this week, I realized that 2018 was a very impressive year after all. Just about every genre that I love (action, drama, comedy, thriller, sc-fi, superhero, every imaginable B-movie variation) had multiple standout entries, the awards slate was more consistently strong than usual and there was only about 10-12 films that I found to be completely worthless. Below you'll find a smorgasbord of content looking back on this sneaky high quality year including a comprehensive ranking of every 2018 movie I saw from worst to best (w/grades), awards that range from your traditional best acting, directing, etc. to some dumb shit including the introduction of a new annual honor and much, much more. Hope you enjoy!

Haven't seen yet, but plan on watching in the future:
All About Nina
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn
Arizona
Bad Samaritan
Beast
Beautiful Boy
Ben is Back
Bodied
Boy Erased
Cam
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Chappaquiddick
China Salesman
Cold War
Disobedience
Escape Plan 2: Hades
Final Score
First Reformed
Free Solo
The Front Runner
Galveston
The Guilty 
The Hate U Give
Hearts Beat Loud
Hell Fest
Holmes & Watson
Hot Summer Nights
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Hunter Killer
Instant Family
Let the Corpses Tan
The Long Dumb Road
Mary, Queen of Scots
McQueen
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Monsters and Men
Night School
The Oath
The Old Man & the Gun
On the Basis of Sex
Outlaw King
A Private War
Revenge
Robin Hood
Roma
Roxanne Roxanne
Shoplifters
The Sisters Brothers
Small Town Crime
Support the Girls
Terminal
Tyrel
Vox Lux
What They Had
White Boy Rick
Wildlife
Woman Walks Ahead

Worst to Best Rankings:
124.Gotti (D-)
123.Love After Love (D-)
122.Sorry to Bother You (D)
121.Hereditary (D)
120.Breaking In (D+)
119.Acts of Violence (D+)
118.Beirut (D+)
117.Suspiria (D+)
116.Slice (D+)
115.Unsane (D+)
114.The Kindergarten Teacher (C-)
113.Apostle (C-)
112.Braven (C-)
111.The 15:17 to Paris (C-)
110.Kin (C-)
109.Eighth Grade (C-)
108.Borg vs. McEnroe (C)
107.The Hurricane Heist (C)
106.Leave No Trace (C)
105.The Equalizer 2 (C)
104.You Were Never Really Here (C)
103.Skyscraper (C)
102.Tully (C)
101.Maze Runner: The Death Cure (C+)
100.Dude (C+)
99.The Cloverfield Paradox (C+)
98.Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (C+)
97.Pacific Rim Uprising (C+)
96.Unfriended: Dark Web (C+)
95.Peppermint (C+)
94.Crazy Rich Asians (C+)
93.Action Point (C+)
92.Isle of Dogs (C+)
91.Flower (C+)
90.The Meg (B-)
89.I Feel Pretty (B-)
88.First Man (B-)
87.Adrift (B-)
86.Gemini (B-)
85.Proud Mary (B-)
84.Death Wish (B-)
83.Ibiza (B-)
82.Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (B-)
81.SuperFly (B-)
80.Extinction (B-)
79.The Nun (B-)
78.Calibre (B-)
77.The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (B-)
76.Ready Player One (B-)
75.The Week Of (B-)
74.Bohemian Rhapsody (B-)
73.Assassination Nation (B-)
72.Gringo (B-)
71.Tomb Raider (B)
70.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (B)
69.A Futile and Stupid Gesture (B)
68.The Commuter (B)
67.Ocean's 8 (B)
66.Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (B)
65.The Happytime Murders (B)
64.Rampage (B)
63.A Simple Favor (B)
62.Kodachrome (B)
61.Set It Up (B)
60.Venom (B)
59.Solo: A Star Wars Story (B)
58.Mile 22 (B)
57.Private Life (B)
56.The Mule (B)
55.Never Goin' Back (B)
54.6 Balloons (B)
53.Ant-Man and the Wasp (B)
52.The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (B)
51.Bird Box (B)
50.The Girl in the Spider's Web (B)
49.Love, Simon (B)
48.Aquaman (B)
47.American Animals (B)
46.Mom and Dad (B)
45.The Package (B)
44.Blindspotting (B)
43.Destroyer (B)
42.Searching (B)
41.Like Father (B)
40.Hotel Artemis (B)
39.Game Over, Man! (B)
38.Uncle Drew (B)
37.The Spy Who Dumped Me (B)
36.Thoroughbreds (B)
35.Super Troopers 2 (B+)
34.Widows (B+)
33.Hold the Dark (B+)
32.The Predator (B+)
31.Sicario: Day of the Soldado (B+)
30.If Beale Street Could Talk (B+)
29.Three Identical Strangers (B+)
28.The Favourite (B+)
27.BlacKkKlansman (B+)
26.Red Sparrow (B+)
25.Halloween (B+)
24.Destination Wedding (B+)
23.Green Book (B+)
22.Bad Times at the El Royale (B+)
21.Won't You Be My Neighbor? (B+)
20.BumbleBee (B+)
19.A Quiet Place (B+)
18.Annihilation (B+)
17.Den of Thieves (B+)
16.Deadpool 2 (B+)
15.Mission-Impossible: Fallout (B+)
14.The First Purge (A-)
13.Tag (A-)
12.Blockers (A-)
11.Vice (A-)
10.Upgrade (A-)
9.The Night Comes for Us (A)
8.Mandy (A)
7.Overlord (A)
6.Mid90s (A)
5.Avengers: Infinity War (A)
4.Creed II (A)
3.Game Night (A)
2.Black Panther (A)
1.A Star is Born (A)


Awards:
Best Picture: A Star is Born
Best Actor: Christian Bale, Vice
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Best Supporting Actor: Na-kel Smith, Mid90s
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone, The Favourite
Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Best Original Screenplay: Mark Perez, Game Night
Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters, A Star is Born
Best Cinematography: Benjamin Loeb, Mandy
Best Score: Johann Johannsson, Mandy
Best Visual Effects: Aquaman
Best Animated Movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary: Won't You Be My Neighbor?  
Best Villain: Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Black Panther 
Best Performance in a Bad Movie: Charlize Theron, Tully
Worst Performance in a Good Movie: Robert Duvall, Widows
Best Performance by a Suspect Actor: Keanu Reeves, Destination Wedding
Worst Performance by a Talented Actor: Tessa Thompson, Sorry to Bother You
Best Overacting: Nicolas Cage, Mandy
Worst Overacting: Alex Wolff, Hereditary 
The 1st Annual "Carry a Movie on Your Back" Award (presented by Greg Jennings): Shaliene Woodley, Adrift 
Best Theater Experience: Overlord
Worst Theater Experience: Suspiria
Best Action Sequence: Kitchen Fight, Upgrade  
Worst Action Sequence: Everything in Acts of Violence
Best Blockbuster: Black Panther
Worst Blockbuster: Skyscraper
Finest Hidden Indie Gem: Destination Wedding
Most Insufferable Indie Trash: Love After Love

Biggest Surprises:
1.A Star is Born
2.Overlord
3.Den of Thieves 
4.BumbleBee
5.Uncle Drew

Biggest Letdowns:
1.First Man
2.Apostle 
3.Suspiria 
4.Sorry to Bother You
5.Death Wish

Most Underrated Movies:
1.Mid90s
2.Overlord
3.Red Sparrow
4.Destination Wedding
5.The Spy Who Dumped Me

Most Overrated Movies:
1.Sorry to Bother You
2.Hereditary 
3.Eighth Grade
4.Leave No Trace
5.Crazy Rich Asians

Top Performances:
1.Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
2.Christian Bale, Vice
3.Na-kel Smith, Mid90s
4.Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place
5.Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
6.Emma Stone, The Favourite
7.Rachel Weisz, The Favourite 
8.Shailene Woodley, Adrift
9.Nicole Kidman, Destroyer
10.Daniel Kaluuya, Widows

Breakthrough Performances:
1.Na-kel Smith, Mid90s
2.Sunny Suljic, Mid90s
3.Millicent Simmonds, A Quiet Place
4.Cynthia Erivo, Bad Times at the El Royale
5.Letitia Wright, Black Panther
6.Jasper Paakkonen, BlacKkKlansman
7.Olan Prenatt, Mid90s
8.Y'lan Noel, The First Purge
9.Lex Scott Davis, The First Purge
10.Geraldine Viswanathan, Blockers/The Package

Best Acting Ensembles:
1.A Star is Born
2.Mid90s
3.Game Night
4.Black Panther
5.Creed II
6.The Favourite
7.Tag 
8.Blockers
9.Vice
10.Deadpool 2

10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019
1.Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
2.Hobbs & Shaw
3.Us
4.John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum
5.Avengers: Endgame
6.The Irishman
7.Zombieland 2
8.Toff Guys
9.Untitled Seth Rogen/Charlize Theron Project (aka Flarsky)
10.Toy Story 4

Top 10 Movies of 2018

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Blockers
The First Purge
Mission-Impossible: Fallout
Tag
Vice

10.Upgrade:
No disrespect to the excellent blockbuster Mission-Impossible: Fallout, but this low budget cyberpunk passion project from veteran horror scribe Leigh Whannell was my favorite action movie of the year. With its inventive fight scenes, liberal amount of gore and justified paranoia about the seemingly limitless capabilities of AI, Upgrade successfully brings the grimy yet socially conscious  mentality of the grindhouse era into the modern day.    

9.The Night Comes for Us: 
The Raid series established Indonesia as a brutal powerhouse in the world of martial arts. Using a cast that features many of that franchise's key players (Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Zack Lee), The Night Comes for Us further bolsters their esteemed reputation. Over the course of two unrelenting hours, writer/director Timo Tjahjanto is able to showcase the inhuman athleticism, intricate fight chorography and use of improvised weapons alongside traditional hand-to-hand combat that makes Silat so exhilarating to watch.                  

8.Mandy:
Does Mandy serve as an excellent excuse to have overacting legend Nicolas Cage repeatedly lose his shit? Absolutely. However, Cage's trademark freakouts aren't even close to the best thing about this wild revenge flick. Between its stunning psychedelic cinematography, doom metal score and truly insane collection of characters, Mandy brings an impressive level of nutso creativity to something that could've easily just been a straightforward vigilante story. Major props to Panos Cosmatos and whatever hallucinogenic substances helped bring this deranged B-movie masterpiece to life.  

7.Overlord:
Genre mashups are always a risky proposition, but when they're made by someone who understands the conventions of each individual part of the equation and how they can cohesively mesh together, they're immensely satisfying. War/horror hybrid Overlord is one of the biggest triumphs to come out of this ambitious movie blender in recent memory. Combining the real life horrors of World War II with the supernatural ones of zombies made this a distinctly harrowing experience that never lets up on tension or entertainment value.

6.Mid90s:
Coming-of-age movies often resonate with people because they see themselves or someone they know in the characters. Despite seeing more of these type of movies than I can count, this isn't a phenomenon that I've ever felt. That changed with Mid90s. Watching this group of LA kids talk good-natured shit to one another, make inexplicably reckless decisions and have serious heart-to-hearts made me feel like I was reliving my own teenage years. That personal connection I had with the characters combined with the accurate way it portrays the sophomoric vulgarity, camaraderie and acceptance of people from different backgrounds that makes skateboard culture such a cool niche movement made this a really effective, heartfelt slice of nostalgia.

5.Avengers: Infinity War:
Those assholes at Marvel really pulled it off. Infinity War was an engrossing, high stakes saga that somehow lived up to the epic billing Kevin Feige had placed upon it years before its release without ever coming across as overstuffed or incoherent. As optimistic as I am about Endgame, the slow-building sense of impending doom that served as the backbone of this film is going to make it very hard to top.  

4.Creed II:
Ryan Coogler's absence didn't end up harming Creed II in the slightest. New director Steven Caple Jr.'s confidence behind the camera, terrific performances from its returning leads (Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Sylvester Stallone), and the palpable, deep-rooted emotion that drives every component of the story made this just as much of a knockout as its predecessor.

3.Game Night:
Several consecutive years of underwhelming box office receipts is causing less and less comedies to go into production. Thankfully, something as inspired as Game Night was among the lucky handful of major studio-backed productions to make into theaters in 2018. A perfectly-assembled ensemble cast (Rachel McAdams, Jesse Plemons and Billy Magnussen are the MVP's among this murder's row of comedic talents), clever script that's full of surprises and an abundance of laugh-out-loud moments made this the best pure comedy I've seen since Popstar.

2.Black Panther:
Marvel's decision to task a young director (Ryan Coogler) and relatively unheralded ensemble cast (Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Ny'ongo, Danai Guerra, Daniel Kaluuya, Letita Wright, Winston Duke) with bringing Black Panther to the big screen proved to be a stroke of genius. Crafting an elaborate espionage saga with political undertones while also delivering the likable heroes, compelling villains and pure popcorn spectacle you want out of a superhero movie is the type of ambitious feat that only an immensely talented group of creative people like this could pull off so effortlessly.  

1.A Star is Born:
If you were to write out the events of A Star is Born, I'd likely assume that it was just a run-of-the-mill Hollywood melodrama. 1.Popular artist meets a talented unknown singer by chance. 2.They fall in love. 3.Popular artist use their platform to jumpstart their partner's career. 4. Unknown artist quickly turns into a sensation. 5.Personal demons and jealously of their partner's newfound success leads popular artist into a downward spiral. 6. Inevitable weepy ending. The tremendous execution of Bradley Cooper's take on this iconic entertainment biz rise-and-fall love story is an important reminder of why a rough overview ultimately doesn't mean shit. Through nuanced direction, powerful performances and an electric chemistry between Cooper and Lady Gaga, this familiar narrative turns into an engaging, grounded and truly devastating drama that has haunted me since I left the theater.

(Side Note: The original songs are also fantastic.)     

The Best and Worst of Sarah Paulson

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Glass” star Sarah Paulson.

Films starring Sarah Paulson that I've seen:
Held Up
Serenity
The Spirit
Martha Marcy May Marlene
New Year's Eve
Mud
12 Years a Slave
Carol
Ocean's 8
Bird Box

Best Performance: Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Elizabeth Olsen's commanding lead performance may be the anchor, but it was far from the only great piece of acting in this haunting psychological drama about a young woman trying to reintegrate into society after escaping from the clutches of a cult in the Catskills. As the sister of Olsen's character who takes her in immediately afterwards, Paulson flawlessly pulls off the balance of compassion, confusion and aggravation that is to be expected from someone who is tasked with helping a loved one overcome a traumatic experience that's impossible to prepare for or comprehend.

Worst Performance: Ocean's 8 (2018)
This is more of a personal vendetta against the filmmakers then an indictment on Paulson. Handing someone with her vibrancy as an actor such an anonymous character was a baffling miscalculation that was partially responsible for this disappointing albeit respectable film's failure to live up to the strong pedigree of its ensemble cast and the Ocean's brand.

Best Film: Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
If you're not opposed to super bleak movies, I can't recommended Martha Marcy May Marlene enough. Sean Durkin's grounded character study centered around a woman (Elizabeth Olsen) in her early 20's trying to readjust to everyday civilian life after escaping from a cult where she experienced unspeakable horrors on a daily basis is a harrowing, brilliantly-acted piece of work that delivers the type of devastating emotional gut punch that the medium rarely achieves.

Worst Film: New Year's Eve (2011)
The late Gary Marshall spent the final part of his storied career pumping out holiday-themed romantic comedies starring boatloads of talented, instantly recognizable actors. While I have no takes on Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, New Year's Eve was not a particularly enjoyable watch. Despite its noble intention of showing the various ways the new year can bring people from various walks of life together, these loosely connected stories offer up little in the way of laughs, heartfelt sentiment or overall memorability.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Serenity” star Anne Hathaway. 

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

Wild Card Record: 1-3 (Correct: Colts Incorrect: Seahawks, Ravens, Bears)
Overall Record: 1-3

Indianapolis Colts over Kansas City Chiefs: Using history as the basis for my picks last week pretty much completely backfired. Were those incorrect predictions enough for me to stop this silly superstitious practice this week? Absolutely not. That being said, the Chiefs extensive struggles in the playoffs (1-10 record including 0 wins at home since 1994) isn't the primary reason I'm picking the Colts. Andy Reid's team simply hasn't been the same since Kareem Hunt was released and with their offense looking less explosive over the past month, a Colts squad that boasts a very solid defense and an offense with the firepower to exploit their terrible defense seem like they're more than capable of continuing this organization's extensive run of postseason suffering.

Los Angeles Rams over Dallas Cowboys: As it usually does this time of year, this seemingly even matchup between a high-powered offense and a top-notch defense should end up coming down to whose deficiency (Rams defense vs. any part of the Cowboys offense that doesn't involve Ezekiel Elliott) ends up getting exposed at a pivotal time. Ultimately, I'm going to give the narrow edge to the Rams because I have more faith in their shaky defense making stops than I do the Cowboys being able to get the passing game going on the road against a tough opponent if Zeke isn't lights out.

New England Patriots over Los Angeles Chargers: It's pretty easy to make a compelling argument for the Chargers as the AFC's dark horse Super Bowl representative. They have a sound defense with no glaring weaknesses, enough explosive offensive playmakers (Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, Tyrell Williams) to attack opponents in a variety of ways and a great veteran quarterback in Phillip Rivers that has proven he isn't intimidated by the big moment. The huge problem with this potential Cinderella run to Atlanta is that were talking about a franchise that has a gift for pissing away every golden opportunity they earn (Example #24,617: the 4th quarter of their Wild Card contest with the Ravens). With the daunting task of enduring yet another cross-country flight, weather conditions they're not accustomed to and trying to take down a certain immortal QB/coach combo on their home turf, I don't think this will be the year where the Chargers finally capitalize on their contender potential.

New Orleans Saints over Philadelphia Eagles: I've picked against the Eagles in every single playoff game in each of the last 2 seasons and they've won every damn time. As I demonstrated earlier, I have a really hard time learning from my mistakes and as a result, am going to go against them yet again. Their performance against the Bears wasn't overly impressive and they don't have the luxury of facing another young, mistake-prone team that will hand them a W again in the Divisional Round. The Superdome is going to be a madhouse on Sunday and this well-rounded Saints squad should be hungry to prove itself after being a miracle play away from advancing to the NFC Championship Game last year. Plus the Saints were my preseason Super Bowl pick, so I'm kind of obligated to ride with them as long as they're in the dance.

2018 in Music: A Year in Review

Looking back on the music that was released on 2018 conjures up a lot of mixed emotions. While there wasn't a particularly high number of records or songs that I'll be cherishing for years to come, the amount of disappointments and blood-boiling piles of garbage I was exposed to were very minimal compared to the past couple of years-which is a trade-off I'm more than willing to live with. Below you'll find a collection of retrospective lists from this respectable auditory year including my picks for the biggest surprises/letdowns, top 50 songs and a ranking of every LP and EP I heard from worst to best. Here's to hoping that 2019 does the improbable by delivering more phenomenal material while also retaining the low dud rate.

EP's:
9.2 Chainz-The Play Don't Care Who Makes It (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ok Bitch")
8.Fall Out Boy-Lake Effect Kid (B) (Favorite Track: "Lake Effect Kid")
7.Drake-Scary Hours (B) (Favorite Track: "God's Plan")
6.The Weeknd-My Dear Melancholy, (B) (Favorite Track: "Call Out My Name")
5.2 Chainz-Hot Wings are a Girl's Best Friend (B+) (Favorite Track: "Hot Wings")
4.Young Thug-On the Rvn (B+) (Favorite Track: "Climax")
3.Counterparts-Private Room (B+) (Favorite Track: "Selfishly I Sink")
2.Converge-Beautiful Ruin (B+) (Favorite Track: "Permanent Blue")
1.Young Thug-Hear No Evil (A-) (Favorite Track: "Anybody")

LP's:
107.Eminem-Kamikaze (D) (Favorite Track: N/A)
106.Kanye West-ye (D+) (Favorite Track: "Yikes")
105.Lil Yachty-Lil Boat 2 (D+) (Favorite Track: "Self-Made")
104.Tropical Fuck Storm-A Laughing Death in Meat Space (C-) (Favorite Track: "Chameleon Paint")
103.Machine Head-Catharsis (C-) (Favorite Track: "Volatile")
102.Jack White-Boarding House Reach (C-) (Favorite Track: "Over and Over and Over")
101.Alkaline Trio-Is Thing Cursed? (C-) (Favorite Track: "Blackbird")
100.Kodak Black-Heartbreak Kodak (C) (Favorite Track: ""Codeine Dreaming")
99.Sting and Shaggy-44/776 (C) (Favorite Track: "Waiting for the Break of Day")
98.Parkway Drive-Reverence (C) (Favorite Track: "Wishing Wells")
97.Vince Staples-FM! (C) (Favorite Track: "Feels Like Summer")
96.Lil Wayne-Tha Carter V (C) (Favorite Track: "Can't Be Broken")
95.Lykke Li-so sad so sexy (C) (Favorite Track: "so sad so sexy")
94.Kids See Ghosts-Kids See Ghosts (C) (Favorite Track: "Cudi Montage")
93.Logic-Bobby Tarantino II (C+) (Favorite Track: "Warm It Up")
92.State Champs-Living Proof (C+) (Favorite Track: "Frozen")
91.Famous Dex-Dex Meets Dexter (C+) (Favorite Track: ""Deadpool")
90.Young Thug-Slime Language (C+) (Favorite Track: "Tsunami")
89.XXXTENTACION-? (C+) (Favorite Track: "SAD!")
88.Nekrogoblikon-Welcome to Bonkers (C+) (Favorite Track: "The Skin Thief")
87.Good Tiger-We Will All Be Gone (C+) (Favorite Track: "Blueshift")
86.Juice WRLD-Goodbye & Good Riddance (C+) (Favorite Track: "Lean Wit Me')
85.Architects-Holy Hell (C+) (Favorite Track: "Dying to Heal")
84.Fall Out Boy-MANIA (C+) (Favorite Track: "Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea")
83.Earl Sweatshirt-Some Rap Songs (C+) (Favorite Track: "Azucar")
82.Various Artists-Black Panther: The Album-Music from and Inspired by (B-) (Favorite Track: "Big Shot")
81.The Carters-EVERYTHING IS LOVE (B-) (Favorite Track: "APESHIT")
80.Swae Lee-Swaecation (B-) (Favorite Track: "Offshore")
79.Nicki Minaj-Queen (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ganja Burn")
78.Teyana Taylor-K.T.S.E. (B-) (Favorite Track: "Rose in Harlem")
77.The Story So Far-Proper Dose (B-) (Favorite Track: "Keep This Up")
76.Crossfaith-EX_MACHINA (B-) (Favorite Track: "The Perfect Nightmare")
75.Ski Mask the Slump God-Stokely (B-) (Favorite Track: "Nuketown") 
74.Bury Tomorrow-Black Flame (B-) (Favorite Track: "Knife of Gold")
73.Clutch-Book of Bad Decisions (B-) (Favorite Track: "In Walks Barbarella")
72.JPEGMAFIA-Veteran (B-) (Favorite Track: "Real Nega")
71.Slim Jxmmi-Jxmtro (B-) (Favorite Track: "Juggling Biddies")
70.The Wonder Years-Sister Cities (B-) (Favorite Track: "Sister Cities")
69.$uicideboy$-I Want to Die in New Orleans (B-) (Favorite Track: "King Tulip")
68.Takeoff-The Last Rocket (B-) (Favorite Track: "Last Memory")
67.Maxo Kream-Punken (B-) (Favorite Track: "Roaches")
66.ERRA-Neon (B-) (Favorite Track: "Valhalla")
65.Quavo-Quavo Huncho (B-) (Favorite Track: "Pass Out")
64.Mac Miller-Swimming (B-) (Favorite Track: "Ladders")
63.Ski Mask the Slump God-BEWARE THE BOOK OF ELI (B-) (Favorite Track: "Run")
62.Trippie Redd-A Love Letter to You 3 (B-) (Favorite Track: "Topanga")
61.Lil Baby and Gunna-Drip Harder (B-) (Favorite Track: "Never Recover")
60.Kacey Musgraves-Golden Hour (B-) (Favorite Track: "Golden Hour")
59.Turnstile-Time & Space (B-) (Favorite Track: "Come Back for More/H.O.Y")
58.Migos-Culture II (B-) (Favorite Track: "Stir Fry")
57.Trippie Redd-Life's a Trip (B) (Favorite Track: "Dark Knight Dummo")
56.Pusha T-Daytona (B) (Favorite Track: "If You Know You Know")
55.Greta Van Fleet-Anthem of the Peaceful Army (B) (Favorite Track: "Mountain of the Sun")
54.Augury-Illusive Golden Age (B) (Favorite Track: "Maritime")
53.Obscura-Diluvium (B) (Favorite Track: "Mortification of the Vulgar Sun")
52.Kyle-Light of Mine (B) (Favorite Track: "Games")
51.Drake-Scorpion (B) (Favorite Track: "Nice for What")
50.The Agony Scene-Tormentor (B) (Favorite Track: "Serpent's Tongue")
49.Anderson.Paak-Oxnard (B) (Favorite Track: "Brother's Keeper")
48.Extinction A.D.-Decimation Treaty (B) (Favorite Track: "Decimation Treaty")
47.Camila Cabello-Camila (B) (Favorite Track: "In the Dark")
46.Noname-Room 25 (B) (Favorite Track: "Don't Forget About Me")
45.Action Bronson-White Bronco (B) (Favorite Track: "Ring Ring")
44.Rae Sremmurd-SR3MM (B) (Favorite Track: "Powerglide")
43.Horrendous-Idol (B) (Favorite Track: "Divine Anhedonia")
42.Janelle Monae-Dirty Computer (B) (Favorite Track: "Crazy, Classic, Life")
41.The Ocean-Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (B) (Favorite Track: "Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence")
40.Kodak Black-Dying to Live (B) (Favorite Track: "MoshPit")
39.J.I.D.-DiCaprio 2 (B) (Favorite Track: "Slick Talk")
38.Florence+the Machine-High as Hope (B) (Favorite Track: "Big God")
37.Jorja Smith-Lost and Found (B) (Favorite Track: "Blue Lights")
36.TesseracT-Sonder (B) (Favorite Track: "Smile")
35.BROCKHAMPTON-iridescence (B) (Favorite Track: "NEW ORLEANS")
34.A$AP Rocky-Testing (B) (Favorite Track: "Fukk Sleep")
33.Kimbra-Primal Heart (B) (Favorite Track: "Black Sky")
32.Post Malone-beerbongs & Bentleys (B) (Favorite Track: "92 Explorer")
31.High on Fire-Electric Messiah (B) (Favorite Track: "Freebooter")
30.Ariana Grande-Sweetener (B) (Favorite Track: "no tears left to cry")
29.Mitski-Be the Cowboy (B) (Favorite Track: "Geyser")
28.Alterbeast-Feast (B) (Favorite Track: "The Maggot's Ascension")
27.Cardi B-Invasion of Privacy (B) (Favorite Track: "Money Bag")
26.Death Grips-Year of the Snitch (B) (Favorite Track: "Black Paint")
25.Future-BEASTMODE2 (B) (Favorite Track: "31 Days")
24.Flatbush Zombies-Vacation in Hell (B) (Favorite Track: "Big Shrimp")
23.Unearth-Extinction(s) (B+) (Favorite Track: "Cultivation of Infection")
22.Monuments-Phronesis (B+) (Favorite Track: "A.W.O.L.")
21.Skeletonwitch-Devouring Radiant Light (B+) (Favorite Track: "Fen of Shadows")
20.Night Verses-From the Gallery of Sleep (B+) (Favorite Track: "Vantablonde")
19.Coheed and Cambria-Unheavenly Creatures (B+) (Favorite Track: "The Dark Sentencer")
18.City Morgue-Vol.1: Hell or High Water (B+) (Favorite Track: "33rd Blakk Glass")
17.Behemoth-I Loved You at Your Darkest (B+) (Favorite Track: "Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica")
16.21 Savage-I Am>I Was (B+) (Favorite Track: "all my friends")
15.Vein-Errorzone (B+) (Favorite Track: "End Eternal")
14.Inferi-Revenant (B+) (Favorite Track: "Thy Menacing Gaze")
13.Rolo Tomassi-Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (B+) (Favorite Track: "Alma Mater")
12.Metro Boomin-NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES (B+) (Favorite Track: "10 Freaky Girls") 
11.Slugdge-Esoteric Malacology (B+) (Favorite Track: "Transylvanian Fungus")
10.Playboi Carti-Die Lit (A-) (Favorite Track: "R.I.P.")
9.Between the Buried and Me-Automata I (A-) (Favorite Track: "Blot")
8.Greyhaven-Empty Black (A-) (Favorite Track: "Blemish")
7.Denzel Curry-Tab13oo (A-) (Favorite Track: "Black Balloons")
6.Kali Uchis-Isolation (A-) (Favorite Track: "Tyrant")
5.Dance Gavin Dance-Artificial Selection (A-) (Favorite Track: "Count Bassy")
4.Between the Buried and Me-Automata II (A) (Favorite Track: "Voice of Trespass")
3.Revocation-The Outer Ones (A) (Favorite Track: "Blood Atonement")
2.Travis Scott-ASTROWORLD (A) (Favorite Track: "YOSEMITE")
1.Rivers of Nihil-Where Owls Know My Name (A) (Favorite Track: "A Home")

Biggest Surprises:
1.Between the Buried and Me-Automata I/II
2.Skeletonwitch-Devouring Radiant Light
3.Cardi B-Invasion of Privacy
4.Post Malone-beerbongs & bentleys
5.Camila Cabello-Camila 

Biggest Letdowns:
1.Machine Head-Catharsis 
2.Vince Staples-FM!
3.Obscura-Diluvium 
4.The Story So Far-Proper Dose
5.Migos-Culture II

Most Underrated:
1.Metro Boomin-NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES
2.Future-BEASTMODE2
3.Post Malone-beerbongs & Bentleys
4.A$AP Rocky-Testing
5.Jorja Smith-Lost & Found

Most Overrated:
1.Pusha T-Daytona
2.Obscura-Diluvium 
3.JPEGMAFIA-Veteran
4.Various Artists-Black Panther-The Album: Music from and Inspired by
5.Architects-Holy Hell

Top Discoveries:
1.Kali Uchis
2.Greyhaven
3.Slugdge
4.Rolo Tomassi
5.Vein

Top 50 Songs (in alphabetical order by artist):
Ariana Grande-no tears left to cry
A$AP Rocky-Fukk Sleep (feat. FKA Twigs)
Behemoth-Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica
Between the Buried and Me-Blot
Between the Buried and Me-The Proverbial Bellow
Between the Buried and Me-Voice of Trespass
BROCKHAMPTON-NEW ORLEANS
City Morgue-33rd Blakk Glass
Coheed and Cambria-The Dark Sentencer
Dance Gavin Dance-Count Bassy
Dance Gavin-Suspended in this Disaster
Death Grips-Black Paint
Denzel Curry-Black Balloons (feat. Twelve'Len and GoldLink)
Denzel Curry-Vengeance (feat. JPEGMAFIA and ZillaKami)
Drake-Nice for What
Flatbush Zombies-Big Shrimp
Greyhaven-Blemish
Greyhaven-Mortality Rate
Inferi-Thy Menacing Gaze
Jorja Smith-Blue Lights
Kali Uchis-Dead to Me
Kali Uchis-Your Teeth in My Neck
Kimbra-Black Sky
Kyle-Games
Lana Del Rey-Mariners Apartment Complex
Metro Boomin-10 Freaky Girls (feat. 21 Savage)
Metro Boomin-Space Cadet (feat. Gunna)
Migos-Narcos
Mitski-Geyser
Monuments-A.W.O.L.
Night Verses-Vantablonde
Playboi Carti-R.I.P.
Playboi Carti-Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
Post Malone-92 Explorer
Revocation-Blood Atonement
Revocation-Fathomless Catacombs
Rivers of Nihil-A Home
Rivers of Nihil-Hollow
Rivers of Nihil-Subtle Change (Including the Forest of Transition and Dissatisfaction Dance)
Rolo Tomassi-Alma Mater
Skeletonwitch-Fen of Shadows
Slugdge-Transylvanian Fungus
TesseracT-Smile
Travis Scott-ASTOTHUNDER
Travis Scott-STOP TRYING TO BE GOD (feat. James Blake)
Travis Scott-YOSEMITE (feat. Gunna and Nav)
Unearth-Cultivation of Infection
Vein-End Eternal
The Weeknd-Call Out My Name
Young Thug-Anybody (feat. Nicki Minaj)

Top 20 Albums of 2018

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Flatbush Zombies-Vacation in Hell
Future-BEASTMODE2
Monuments-Phronesis 
Skeletonwitch-Devouring Radiant Light
Unearth-Extinction(s)

20.Night Verses-From the Gallery of Sleep:
Not only did the departure of vocalist Douglas Robinson lead Night Verses back to their instrumental roots on their third LP From the Gallery of Sleep, it also led to a sound change that turned their previously impressive musical attack into a god damn lethal force of nature. Swapping out the more melodic post-hardcore style they favored in the past for a flashier progressive metal/math rock-driven sound allowed them to tighten up their songwriting while also providing a long overdue showcase for the impressive technical chops of guitarist Nick DePirro, bassist Reilly Herrera and drummer Aric Importa that weren't always prevalent when Robinson's powerful voice was at the forefront of their music.
Standout Tracks: 1.Vantablonde 2.No Moon 3.Phoenix IV: Levitation 

19.Coheed and Cambria-Unheavenly Creatures:
After a noble but ultimately misguided experiment with a stripped-down pop rock sound and introspective lyrics on 2015's The Color Before the Sun, Coheed and Cambria returned to their gleefully cheesy prog sound with quite a bit of success here. That time away from the world of complex sci-fi sagas allowed them to regain the irresistible catchiness and over the top theatrical scope that had inexplicably alluded them on their past couple of releases.  
Standout Tracks: 1.The Dark Sentencer 2.The Gutter 3.Queen of the Dark

18.City Morgue-Vol 1: Hell or High Water 
If this record had come out when I was 15, it probably would've changed my life. Hell or High Water bristles with the type of palpable rage, youthful energy and general griminess that was abundant in the prime era of nu-metal back in the late 90's/early 2000's. Combining this vintage metal aesthetic with more traditional modern trap rap sensibilities made this a unique, visceral rush that deeply resonated with my inner angst-ridden teenager.
Standout Tracks: 1.33rd Blakk Glass 2.Arson 3.Sk8 Head

17.Behemoth-I Loved You at Your Darkest:
Behemoth's return to the dark, atmospheric sound they established on their superb 2014 LP The Satanist may not be as immense as its predecessor, but it's still an engrossing ride that makes excellent use of the Polish extreme metal icons gift for crafting songs that combine striking sinister melodies with unfathomable ferocity.    
Standout Tracks: 1.Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica 2.Sabbath Mater  3.Bartzabel

16.21 Savage-I Am>I Was: 
21 Savage spent most of 2018 delivering quotable, spotlight-stealing verses on other people's records, so it's only fitting that he closed out his phenomenal year with a standout project of his own. This late December gem sees Savage branching out a bit with well-executed forays into the worlds of old-school gangster rap ("good day"), pop rap ("all my friends", "out for the night") and conscious hip hop ("a lot", "letter 2 my momma", "ball w/o you") that show off his maturation as a performer alongside a healthy dose of the deadpan melodic trap anthems he's been proficiently churning out since the days of The Slaughter Tape. With the impressive growth he's displayed since dropping Without Warning in late 2017, the Saint Laurent Don is now on the cusp of entering my trap Mount Rushmore.    
Standout Tracks: 1.all my friends (feat. Post Malone) 2.1.5 (feat. Offset) 3.asmr

15.Vein-Errorzone:
The disbanding of The Dillinger Escape Plan has opened up a vacancy for the title of most chaotic band on the planet. On their crushing debut LP Errorzone, Boston's Vein makes a very compelling case for the crown. Their blend of mathcore spasticness, metalcore grooves and raw nu-metal aggression makes their brand of auditory fury a distinctly destructive delight that only gets more devastating on repeat listens.     
Standout Tracks: 1.End Eternal 2.Broken Glass Complexion 3.Old Data in a Dead Machine

14.Inferi-Revenant:
It's finally time to honor the shameless tech death release that brought the most smiles to my dumb, guitar wank-obsessed face this past year. Thanks to a healthy dose of neo-classical strings, potent high screams and wailing solos that take up about 30% of the gaudy 57-minute runtime, Inferi's Revenant is a glorious assault on the senses that checked all of the necessary excess boxes and then some.
Standout Tracks: 1.Thy Menacing Gaze 2.Smolder in the Ash 3.Condemned Assailant 

13.Rolo Tomassi-Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It:
Mathcore is defined by its sudden, often drastic tempo changes. That long-established definition doesn't seem like its apt enough to describe the kind of genre-shifting sorcery Rolo Tomassi engages in on nearly every song of this record. They go from wildly technical fits of seething rage to serene shoegaze and back again in as little as 15-20 seconds. Even as a longtime fan of this genre where unpredictability is the norm, I was very impressed by their ability to make such a drastic juxtaposition work so seamlessly over the course of an entire record. Really haunting and excellent stuff.
Standout Tracks: 1.Alma Mater 2.Whispers Among Us 3.Rituals

12.Metro Boomin-NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES:
Roughly 6 months after announcing his "retirement" from the music industry via a vague Instagram post, star hip-hop producer Metro Boomin reemerged in early November with an outstanding solo LP that further solidified his place as one of the genre's most exciting figures. Making a diverse yet cohesive body of work with a revolving door of artists (11 in all) in front of the mic is a testament to Metro's strong vision and tremendous understanding of what his collaborator's strengths are as artists.
Standout Tracks: 1.10 Freaky Girls (feat. 21 Savage) 2.Space Cadet (feat. Gunna) 3.Dreamcatcher (feat. Swae Lee and Travis Scott)

11.Slugdge-Esoteric Malacology:
I'm glad we live in a world where a slug-themed band not only exists, but releases absolutely killer death metal. Esoteric Malacology served as my introduction to this British quartet and oh boy, what an introduction it was. This record comes together like a bountiful feast with enough dank riffs, off-kilter drum patterns and varied vocal choices to make fans of progressive-tinged technical death metal salivate, and leave worshipping the gastropod mollsuc gods that cooked it up.  
Standout Tracks: 1.Transylvanian Fungus 2.The Spectral Burrows 3.War Squids

10.Playboi Carti-Die Lit:
Few projects could provide more extensive rant material for detractors of trap rap than Die Lit. Playboi Carti revels in mindless, hollow lyrics, has next-to-nothing in the way of technical ability and deploys ad-libs at a comically high rate. While he might lack the skill set of a traditional rapper, he is a fucking virtuoso in his polarizing little corner of the genre. Aided by his strong understanding of atmosphere and consistently brilliant psychedelic production primarily handled by longtime collaborator Pi'erre Bourne, Carti is able to create a hypnotic, deceptively catchy powerhouse that was as addictive as anything I heard in 2018.      
Standout Tracks: 1.R.I.P. 2.Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) 3.Old Money

9.Between the Buried and Me-Automata I:
Since I'm a cynical jackass who is still trying to cope with the unfortunate fact that my other all time favorite band (Mastodon) has morphed into a mediocre ZZ TOP/Thin Lizzy clone over the past five years, I was very concerned that Between the Buried and Me was going to suffer a similar fate after they released the horrific diet Dream Theater record Coma Ecliptic back in 2015. Automata I provided a much-needed sigh of relief that these progressive metalcore vets hadn't lost their impeccable creative touch. It may not reach the dazzling heights of their finest works (Colors, The Great Misdirect, Parallax II: Future Sequence), but it brings back the sweeping tempo changes and bursts of earth-shattering heaviness that makes them such a standout act while also making much better utilization of the more traditional prog elements they started to embrace on Coma Ecliptic .  
Standout Tracks: 1.Blot 2.Condemned to the Gallows 3.Yellow Eyes 

8.Greyhaven-Empty Black:
Not since While She Sleeps have I come across an up-and-coming metalcore act that's as polished as Kentucky product Greyhaven. The fact they put out a debut record that's as full of vibrant energy, soaring earworm choruses and unwavering confidence in their craft as Empty Black is a huge testament to the rare talent they possess. I'm expecting big things from these guys moving forward and I hope I'll get the opportunity to see if their eyebrow-raising prowess translates to a stage at some point this year.
Standout Tracks: 1.Blemish 2.Mortality Rate 3.Ten Dogs/Red Heaven 

7.Denzel Curry-TA13OO:
It may have taken a bit longer than expected, but Denzel Curry has finally parlayed his flashes of tremendous potential into consistent greatness on TA1300. In an era where hip-hop fans are constantly squabbling about "real" hip-hop vs. "mumble rap", TA1300 simultaneously serves as a perfect bridge between these two manufactured subsects of fandom and a pointed reminder that they aren't nearly as different as they're made out to be. Curry tackles a variety of different subjects (politics, fame, hip-hop's promotion of prescription drug use, being molested as a child, several other topics of lesser weight) over a diverse pallet of beats that range from soulful ("Black Balloons", "Cash Maniac") to overwhelmingly abrasive ("Vengeance", "Black Metal Terrorist") with the necessary tenacity, emotional transparency and delicate technical touch to ensure that this lofty balancing act never turns into a jarring mess.
Standout Tracks: 1.Black Balloons (feat. Twelve'len and GoldLink) 2.Vengeance (feat. JPEGMAFIA and ZilaKami) 3.Cash Maniac (feat. Nyyjerya)

6.Kali Uchis-Isolation:
There wasn't a ton of pop/R&B records that really impressed me this year. Sweetener, Be the Cowboy, Primal Heart, Lost & Found and High as Hope were all very enjoyable listens that achieved respectable landing spots on my full year-end countdown, but they were an additional highlight or two away from being truly special. The notable exception in this merely solid year was the long-delayed debut from Kali Uchis-who wastes absolutely no time establishing herself as one of the genre's brightest talents. Armed with a lush yet powerful voice and a vast array of influences (pop, R&B, reggaetón, hip-hop, soul, funk) that cohesively mesh together, Uchis is able to create a stirring collection of songs that is remarkably well-realized for an artist that only had a pair of self-released projects on her resume prior to this.  
Standout Tracks: 1.Tyrant (feat. Jorja Smith) 2.Dead to Me 3.Your Teeth in My Neck

5.Dance Gavin Dance-Artificial Selection:
Older, wiser, cliché-disposing people have told me (and every other whippersnapper they come in contact with) on countless occasions that one of the keys to achieving happiness is being able to find enjoyment in the simple pleasures life offers up. One of mine is veteran post-hardcore act Dance Gavin Dance. They've been utilizing the same falsetto clean singing+sloppy yet charming screams+odd time signature guitarwork/drumming formula for 12 years now, but I'll be damned if their material isn't almost always absurdly catchy and incredibly well-written. Artificial Selection continues this long-running trend. In fact, it just might be their most varied, endearing and flat-out best effort to-date! Cheers to simple pleasures and stunningly consistent musical acts.
Standout Tracks: 1.Count Bassy 2.Suspended in this Disaster 3.Slouch

4.Between the Buried and Me-Automata II: 
While Automata I served as a very encouraging sign, Automata II was the ultimate confirmation that these brilliant mad scientists trip to Pooptown USA was merely a short stay. The latter half of their separately-released double album is chock full of the stellar musicianship and invigorating  unpredictability that made me such a huge fan of theirs in the first place. Fingers crossed that they don't head back down the fecal highway on their next record!!!  
Standout Tracks: 1.Voice of Trespass 2.The Proverbial Bellow 3.The Grid

3.Revocation-The Outer Ones:
Considering the thrashier style extreme metal act Revocation deployed on their last record, 2016's Great is Our Sin, it only made sense for them to continue their tour of the subgenres that shaped who they are by following it up with a pure death metal release. Embracing a crushing, colossal sound that is reminiscent of the genre's forefathers beautifully plays to their strengths as a riff-driven band while also proving that they are capable of exceling at just about any heavy subgenre they feel like conquering at this point of their career. As far as I'm concerned, this is right alongside Deathless and Chaos of Forms in the conversation for their best record to-date.
Standout Tracks: 1.Blood Atonement 2.Fathomless Catacombs 3.Of Unworldly Origin 

2.Travis Scott-ASTROWORLD:
As tired of a metaphor as it is, ASTROWORLD-which is a reference to a defunct Six Flags that was located just outside of Scott's hometown of Houston from 1968-2005- is best described as a musical amusement park. There's plenty of high-flying thrills ("STARGAZING", "NO BYSTANDERS"), trippy freak show detours ("SKELETONS", "STOP TRYING TO BE GOD") and even some adventures you didn't expect to embark on when you walked through the gates (minimalist psychedelic ballad "ASTROTHUNDER", infectious acoustic guitar-driven banger "YOSEMITE"). The rich detail of this vivid world Scott created is simply stunning to take in and it results in not only the most ambitious, exhilarating effort of his career thus far, but one of the finest hip-hop records of the decade.   
Standout Tracks: 1.YOSEMITE (feat. Gunna and Nav) 2.ASTROTHUNDER 3.STOP TRYING TO BE GOD (feat. James Blake)

1.Rivers of Nihil-Where Owls Know My Name:
Rivers of Nihil's sophomore LP Monarchy was a borderline masterpiece that solidified their place as one of the most exciting young bands in metal. Where Owls Know My Name isn't just a natural progression from the immense promise they displayed on Monarchy, it's a monumental leap forward. The introduction of clean vocals and jazz fusion elements including the addition of a full-time saxophone player has injected their already sprawling progressive death metal sound with a grander sense of scale, emotional resonance and more complex melodies that perfectly complement the crushing simplicity of their heavier elements. This is a grand, awe-inspiring piece of work that quite frankly wasn't even close to being topped by anything else I heard in 2018.  
Standout Tracks: 1.A Home 2.Hollow 3.Subtle Change (Including the Forest of Transition and Dissatisfaction Dance)    

10 Most Anticipated Albums of Winter/Spring 2019

10.Soilwork-Verkligheten  (Release Date: January 11th)
9.Amon Amarth-TBD (Release Date: TBD)
8.Future-The Wizrd (Release Date: January 18th)
7.After the Burial-TBD (Release Date: TBD)
6.While She Sleeps-So What? (Release Date: March 1st)
5.Migos-Culture III (Release Date: TBD)
4.The Weeknd-TBD (Release Date: TBD)
3.Periphery-TBD (Release Date: TBD)
2.Killswitch Engage-TBD (Release Date: TBD)
1.Lana Del Rey-Norman Fucking Rockwell (Release Date: March 29th)

Also excited for:
Born of Osiris-The Simulation (Release Date: January 11th)
Overkill-The Wings of War (Release Date: February 22nd)
Demon Hunter-Peace (Release Date: March 1st)
Demon Hunter-War (Release Date: March 1st)
Mark Morton-Anesthetic (Release Date: March 1st)
Weezer-Weezer (Black Album) (Release Date: March 1st)
Children of Bodom-Hexed (Release Date: March 8th)
Misery Index-Rituals of Power (Release Date: March 8th)
Whitechapel-The Valley (Release Date: March 29th)
Rammstein-TBD (Release Date: TBD April)
Fleshgod Apocalypse-TBD (Release Date: TBD)
Tool-TBD (Release Date: TBD)