This years edit - art 2016

It's been a good year for exhibitions in London, although my favourite was actually in Melbourne in January.  Manifesto by Julian Rosefeldt is a multi-screen video installation, showing a collage of art history manifestos, including Futurism, Dadaism and Pop Art.  Each is presented by Cate Blanchett, who transforms into characters ranging from a teacher, a scientist, a movie star and a homeless man.  It is clever, beautiful and hypnotic, and I hope it comes to London at some point.

The Radical Eye is an exhibition at Tate Modern (still on!) showcasing modernist photography from Elton John's collection.  Exquisite and fascinating images, beautifully curated.

The National Portrait Gallery's exhibition of William Eggleston photographs was small but perfectly formed.

Yayoi Kusama at Victoria Miro was an instagrammer's dream but also a beautiful show full of depth and intrigue.

I had never heard of Georgiana Houghton before seeing her exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery and I became immediately hooked on her story.  A Victorian medium, she painted 'spirit drawings' which she produced while 'possessed' by spirits.  Her work is fascinating and years ahead of its time.

This year's edit - TV 2016

With honorable mentions to Planet Earth II, Happy Valley, Grayson Perry: All Man, The Great British Bake Off, War and Peace, The Crown, the wonderful last season of Parks and Recreation and the magnificent Danny Dyer episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, my favourite TV shows of 2016 were:

The third series of Line of Duty has perfected its formula, with shocks, surprises and brilliant performances all round.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a Netflix gem - weird and wonderful musical (I know) romcom starring the utterly marvellous Rachel Bloom.

Veep has hit new heights in its fifth season, as Selina Meyer finally becomes POTUS, although it is sobering how the supremely ridiculous fictional events have been reflected in real life since transmission.

The Night Manager, obviously.

Stranger Things is pretty indescribable. Weird/twisted/overhyped/pastiche/homage, this horror series is addictive, however you want to describe it.

This year's edit - film 2016

It's that time of year again.  The wine is mulling, the pies are mincing and my jeans are tightening.  2016 has been a truly atrocious year in many many respects, both political and personal, but I have loved spending time in a darkened room watching some fantastic films.  My Top Ten Films of the Year (in no particular order) are:

Hail, Caesar! which I've now watched twice and I adored every second of it both times.  Channing Tatum tapdancing, George Clooney playing the idiot and Scarlett Johansson playing a screwball Hollywood diva.  And that's not even mentioning the utterly wonderful Ralph Fiennes.  Also, hands down my favourite trailer of the year.

Actually no, my favourite trailer might be for the brilliant High Rise.  Incredibly stylish and inventive, and a perfect interpretation of J G Ballard's 'unfilmable' novel, which is one of my favourites of all time.

Back to the magnificent Ralph Fiennes - his performance as a narcissistic music producer in A Bigger Splash was one of the best of the year.  Tilda Swinton is perfection, as always, in a mostly silent role.

Everybody Wants Some!! is so much fun but also has a deceptive depth to it.  It cements Richard Linklater is one of my very favourite directors.

Love & Friendship is a Walt Stillman adaptation of a Jane Austen, which is turns out is what we've all been waiting for.  It is a total delight, full of sharp wit and wonderfully hilarious performances.

Switching mood entirely, I have never cried as much in a cinema as I did at Room, tears of sadness, tension and joy.  I'm not sure I will ever put myself through the stress of watching it again but it is a beautiful and intensely moving film that deserves all the plaudits it has gained.


The technical aspect of Victoria (it was filmed all in one take) is impressive but it was the exuberance of the performances and the skillful ratcheting of tension that won me over.

Arrival is more than a sci-fi movie.  it's an intelligent look at ideas and language and love and loss which is intensely moving and beautiful.

Hunt of the Wilderpeople was my unexpected gem of 2016. Hilarious and poignant, everyone should see it.

American Honey is a freewheeling languorous road trip movie, beautifully directed by Andrea Arnold and beautifully performed by a cast of mostly unknowns, with a wonderful use of music.

And if you'll permit me, I'll sneak in the utterly glorious La La Land, which I saw at the London Film Festival and which has its full release in January 2017.  More about this in the New Year...