Top 10 Albums of 2024!!!

By The Spinning Platters Team

Yes. I know everyone else had their lists finalized and posted in, what, May? Sheesh. Spinning Platters is meticulous and democratic about our process; sometimes, that takes longer. (We’ve also been hard at work on a nice new logo, and I hope you like it!) But you will see some names that are not on anyone else’s lists. And some names that are on everyone else’s because you know what? There have been some solid, instant releases this year that hold up on repeated listenings. So, without further adieu, here it is- the Spinning Platters Top 10 of 2024!

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Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2024

It’s been an odd year for movies, partly due to the lasting effects of labor strikes. There are very few masterpieces, and just as few disasters. Instead, 2024 featured a lot of solid 3-3.5 out of 5 star films, a healthy selection of entertaining fare that enabled the theater industry to finish the year far ahead of what many analysts had feared (box office-wise). Well, without further ado, here’s my ranked Top 20 best films of 2024 (and don’t forget to check out Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2024 as well):  Continue reading “Film Feature: Chad’s Top 20 Films of 2024”

Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2024

The end of the year of course means Top 10 lists! Here are my ten favorite films of 2024 (and four honorable mentions). Oscar nominations follow in just a few weeks, on Friday,  January 17th. Stay tuned to see if Oscar voters share my thinking. And be sure to also check out fellow SP Film Critic Chad’s Top 20 list here.  In the meantime–see you back in the cinema in 2025!

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Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2023

By The SPINNING PLATTERS STAFF

Hello! It’s your favorite procrastinating music blog here to present you with… THE LAST TOP ALBUMS OF 2023 LIST! I know everyone else is trying to be first. But the one you remember best is the last one you read, and this is probably the best list anyway. It’s also only 10 records, so you can really sink your teeth into it. 

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Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2023

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for: my 2023 cinematic favorites! You can also check out fellow film critic Chad Liffmann’s list here to compare and contrast and see who you agree with more. Will Oscar voters agree with us? We’ll find out when the nominations are announced on January 23rd!

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Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2022

By The Spinning Platters Editorial Team

Good news, everyone! Just like every other year, Spinning Platters is publishing the LAST top albums of the year list you’ll be reading. Our entire team has been listening to each other’s favorite records, no matter how painful it can get, and we’ve voted on our 10 favorite albums of 2022! Without further adieu, here we go: Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Top 10 Albums of 2022”

Film Feature: Chad’s Top 10 (Double Feature) Films of 2021

2021 was a good year for movies, and not much else. The box office, and inevitably the upcoming Oscars ceremony, won’t be evident of such, but the quality of filmmaking and storytelling this year was noteworthy. As I began constructing my Top 10 Films of the Year, I realized that not only was it challenging to narrow it down, but there were a handful of appropriate film pairings — equal in stature, themes, and style. While I admit this list is somewhat a cop out, here’s my Top 10 Double Features of 2021 (all released after the 2021 Oscar ceremony on April 26th). I do believe they represent the best films that I’ve seen released this year:

  1. In the Heights / West Side Story

This ‘New York song and dance’ double feature is an obvious duet. On the positive side, both films surprised audiences (and critics) with an abundance of colorful energy, and on the flip side, both films feature male leads with some troubling choices in their personal lives. In any other year, or perhaps ten years ago, these two films would be atop the box office and Oscar predictions, especially the one where Steven Spielberg directs his first musical that is an adaptation of another movie that won Best Picture.  This year they’ll both have to settle for being two overflowing-with-life musicals that will become more and more appreciated over time.

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Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2021

After having to watch the bulk of our films from our living rooms in 2020, the slow but sure return to cinemas in 2021 was more than welcome. And the year rewarded us with many Top 10 list worthy contenders. I’ve narrowed mine down to the list below. You can also check out fellow film writer Chris Piper’s list here, as well as my 2020 list hereNow stop reading lists, and go seek these out! 

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Film Feature: Chris Piper’s Top 10 Films of 2021

Chris Piper's Top 10 films of 2021
Chris Piper’s Top 10 films of 2021

Films make a big comeback in 2021

2021 in American cinema was remarkable in how it seemed so… normal. Whatever the numbers say, my feeling was that the year started a little slowly, then found its footing around March, then kicked into something like a normal gear over the summer. As fall approached, and it seemed to me more theaters reopened, a slate of films pretty much like those in 2019 awaited. Winter seemed to bring somewhat larger than normal crop of smaller-budget films, and here we are, at the end of the year with a number of solid films released, awards season in full swing, and waiting for Oscar noms in just over a month.

So here are my top 10 films of 2021. See these 10 films in any order you want, preferably in the theater, but on your couch if you must. Here’s hoping for more of more of the same in 2022. Continue reading “Film Feature: Chris Piper’s Top 10 Films of 2021”

Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2020

 

Thinking back on the year in movies, “unusual” and “complicated” might be 2020’s most fitting descriptors. Yes, we’ve had plenty of content to watch, thanks to streaming services, and plenty of time at home to view it all, but COVID-19 cancelled the multiplex experience. Watching movies at home, without the excitement of the big screen and a crowd of fellow film-lovers nearby, just wasn’t as satisfying, which is why the number of films I reviewed this year dwindled sharply. That said, I did watch enough to pull together my annual Top 10 Best Films of the Year. And a unique year requires a unique Top 10 list: hence my first ever Haiku Top 10! I hope each of these 17 syllable snippets (and their trailers!) will steer you toward checking out these films, each of which moved, inspired, and stuck with me this year. Here’s to a return to in-person cinema in 2021! (And if you’re curious about what was on my list last year, you can check that out here.)

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