Last Year's Man: Looking Back at 2016
/And, after very few articles this year, this is the third time I do what everyone is doing and look back on the year through lists and thoughts. Happy New Year!
Top Movies of the Year (from 2016)
- Arrival
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Tschick
- Zootopia
- The Nice Guys
- 9TH
- Captain America: Civil War
- Deadpool
- Rogue One
- Die Mitte der Welt
Top Movies I’ve Seen This Year (from any year)
- Arrival
- The Revenant
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Ex Machina
- Room
- Snowpiercer
- The Invitation
- Her
- Zootopia
- Spotlight
Top Songs
- Sia – Cheap Thrills
- Casper – Lang lebe der Tod
- Get Well Soon – It’s Love
- Kings of Leon – Waste a Moment
- Sia – Unstoppable
- Sia – The Greatest
- Rihanna – Sledgehammer
- Prinz Pi – Werte
- The Thermals – Hey You
- Banks – Fuck With Myself
- Moderat – Reminder
- DJ Shadow feat. Run the Jewels – Nobody Speak
- Der Ringer – Apparat
Top Series
- Black Mirror (Season 3)
- Bates Motel (Season 4)
- Penny Dreadful (Season 3)
- Lovesick (Season 3)
- Stranger Things (Season 1)
- Happy Valley (Season 2)
- Angie Tribeca (Season 1+2)
- Superstore (Season 1)
- Life in Pieces (Season 1+2)
Top Comics
- Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
- Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez and Mike Deodato
- Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp and Nicola Scott
- Detective Comics by James Tynion IV, Eddy Barrows and Álvaro Martínez
- Batman by Tom King, David Finch and Mikel Janín
- Darth Vader by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca
- Superman by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Jorge Jimenez and Doug Mahnke
- Suicide Squad by Rob Williams and Jim Lee
Consuming-wise, this was an odd year. It felt like I’ve been to the cinema less often, although it was in fact more than in 2015. I didn’t listen to a lot of music, if it wasn’t Sia. I got back into comics, but I’m still catching up. It also feels like I watched way more TV shows than movies but that’s also not really true, especially since I watched more movies than last year.
The blog is still alive, even if I clearly don’t find as much as time as I used to for it. I always have ideas in my head, but time is a constant issue. I’m fine with that, it’s just the way it is, and, again, it’s better to actually do change then to just write about it. Only sometimes I regret missing the point for writing about some event or movie (like the brilliance of Black Mirror or the misery of Willkommen bei den Hartmanns).
Anyway, let’s talk about 2016. Agreed, politically it was not a great year and I’m more than worried what we are about to face (with some hope sprinkled on top, as I detailed in November). Personally, I feel that the change of external factors for me (more on that in a second), helped me to make internal progress. That sounds awfully abstract but some things happened this year that I hadn’t thought would happen for me and that makes me really happy. It shows me that change is always possible. I also attended two conferences this year to talk about comics, which is something I really, really enjoy and still can’t believe, being no researcher about this but just a hobby expert. But no one seemed to really notice, so that’s all fine and I’m looking forward to do more of this.
Most of all, though, this year was all about my school change for me. The differences this still makes every day, the joy I still feel (as you can see in my occasional articles), the future I might have there (just like last year, there is a possibility of an even bigger change that I can’t be more detailed about right now) – all of this feels me with great happiness. This is why on a personal level, 2016 was really great for me.
I wish everyone reading this a happy new year! Normally I would end this with some lyrics from one of my favourite songs of the year but I have to couple it with some lyrics by Leonard Cohen, whose death really hit me this year and who gave me the title for this annual article. Farewell, Leonard. See everyone else next year!
The rain falls down on last year's man
an hour has gone by
and he has not moved his hand
But everything will happen if he only gives the word
the lovers will rise up
and the mountains touch the ground
and
I got stamina
Don’t give up, I won’t give up
I’m free to be the greatest
