Here are the things that got me all hot and bothered in 2010:
Best Book–Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: Atwood tends to shy away from genre labels, but this novel is some fine science fiction. Set before and after a cataclysmic plague that sweeps an already troubled planet, the book focuses on the complicated friendship between two young men who each bear some responsibility for the coming apocalypse. Atwood understands that the end of the world isn’t very interesting if the characters bearing witness to the events are empty vessels and she takes care to imbue her protagonists with deeply human flaws. Perhaps science fiction wouldn’t have persistent credibility issues if it had more writers like Atwood who can meld the best elements of character and plot.
Best TV–Mad Men: This was a tough category for me. I really enjoyed The Walking Dead (yet another thematic variation on the ending of the world), but six episodes isn’t enough to judge a series on its merits. Community is a brilliant sitcom rife with pop culture references (see the recent Christmas episode for its spot-on riffing on decades of holiday specials). But Mad Men was simply stellar this year. We finally saw the unflappable Don Draper begin to lose his shit as his world unraveled around him. Both the writers and actors are on intimate terms with their characters, which made each episode a pleasure to watch. Even the season’s final episode, which could have been an eye-rolling cliché, somehow managed to be fresh and surprising.
Best Album–The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe: This supremely talented woman can do it all. Her album effortlessly transitions between playful hip-hop, earnest soul, and cinematic orchestrations without seeming showy. She also has the heart of a geek. Just look at the album cover, which is a straight-up tribute to silent film classic Metropolis. Her songs about lonely and lovelorn robots are rich with human emotion, elevating them above gimmickry to high art.
Best Film–The Social Network: Hollywood, for all its dependence on computer wizardry, has difficulty portraying technology in a realistic light in its movies. Technology is either magic or devilry, depending on the movie’s point of view. The Social Network may be the first major studio film that trusts its audience’s intelligence enough to tell a story about the messy process of writing software. Of course, Aaron Sorkin’s sharp ear for dialog helps keep us interested. The fact that events portrayed in the film may not have actually happened is beside the point. It doesn’t really matter whether the founder of Facebook got a blow job in the bathroom from a hot college co-ed. What matters is whether the movie is true to the spirit of a time and place when everything changed. The Social Network does that with with the help of a great cast and a compelling script.
