15 Great Movies and Shows from 2015

2015 was undoubtedly a great year for both the big screen and silver screen. We saw a lot of great movies and TV shows, including the 15 you're going to see on this list. They may not all be award winners, but they were all brilliant and supremely entertaining. If you missed any of these, be sure to go back and check them out. Let's get started.

15. Jurassic World- The newest movie in the Jurassic series was released to much fanfare over the summer of 2015. After all, Chris Pratt was starring and everyone loves dinosaurs. Thankfully, the movie turned out to be a massive success and was very entertaining. On top of that, it's the fourth-highest grossing film in American history.

14. South Park- For many years now, South Park has proven itself to be one of the most entertaining and brilliant shows on television. That trend continued with the show's 19th season. A lot of the show was centered around being "PC", or "politically correct". These episodes turned out to be brilliant and provided great commentary on today's society.

13. Saturday Night Live- Some fans considered Season 40 (which started in 2014) to be a disappointment, but Season 41 has so far turned out to be a hit. There have been a number of good hosts this season, including Chris Hemsworth, Amy Schumer, and Matthew McConaughey. SNL has proven that it still is hilarious and vital to pop-culture, meaning that this show will go on for a long time. And who can be unhappy about that?

12. Brooklyn Nine-Nine- The show ended in a big way for Season 2 and it got fans extremely excited for the next season. The premiere did not disappoint, as Bill Hader guest-starred and delivered a wonderful performance. The show has continued to be charming, witty, and engaging, in good part thanks to its wonderful cast, which includes Andy Samberg, Chelsea Peretti, and Terry Crews.

11. Episodes- It's very possible that this show slipped under your radar, but it's one you should definitely watch. Season 4 aired early in 2015 and it was a good one. Matt LeBlanc continues to prove himself as one of the best comedic actors on television (he was nominated for an Emmy this year) and the show continues to develop into hilarious storylines.

10. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon- Jimmy Fallon has proven himself one of the most versatile and entertaining late night hosts over the last few years. Many felt he would not be able to fill the giant void left by Jay Leno, but the SNL alum has been more than impressive. Watch any segment from the last year and you'll agree.

9. Parks and Recreation- This all-time comedy classic ended its eight-season run early in 2015. It didn't have a lot of episodes in 2015, but the whole season was arguably the show's best ever. The incredibly talented cast, including Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, and Adam Scott, may go down as an all-time great one.

8. The Daily Show- When Jon Stewart announced he was stepping down as the host of The Daily Show, fans were understandably shocked. It was later announced that Stewart was being replaced by comedian Trevor Noah. This was a bit underwhelming, but Noah has so far done an admirable job hosting and carrying on his predecessor's legacy.

7. Veep- Over the last few years, this HBO show has carved a legacy out as a highly entertaining and witty show. It's even gotten star Julia Louis-Dreyfuss four straight Emmy awards. This season changed things up drastically and even brought in Hugh Laurie to make things more interesting. Fans can hardly wait for Season 5.

6. Spotlight- This movie is the favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and deservedly so. It has a fantastic cast (including Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, and Liev Schrieber), a fascinating premise (a Boston newspaper exposing pedophilia in the Catholic Church), and is executed beautifully by director Tom McCarthy.

5. BoJack Horseman- This show has virtually no mainstream media, and it's a little baffling why. It sports a talented cast (including Will Arnett, Alison Brie, and Aaron Paul), is available on Netflix, and is absolutely brilliant. The first season was good, but the second season was an absolute masterpiece. It even picked up a 90% rating on Metacritic.com.

4. The Big Short- Anchorman director Adam McKay truly outdid himself with this one. This movie about the housing bubble and economic crisis was informative, jarring, and an absolute delight to watch. Steve Carell and Christian Bale both give tremendous performances. It would be a pleasant surprise if this movie walked away with the Oscar for Best Picture.

3. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver- In this show's first season, it was clear that this was one of the best shows on television. In the show's second season, LWT went above and beyond. The show has tackled all sorts of issues, from corruption within FIFA and infrastructure to transgender rights and prison reform.

2. Master of None- There was quite possibly no TV show more highly hyped up than this Netflix show. Aziz Ansari's brainchild was unarguably one of the best shows of 2015 and earned the actor a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Fans are now eagerly awaiting Season 2, which will no doubt prove to be at least as good as Season 1.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens- Quite simply, there was no bigger TV show or movie bigger this year than the seventh Star Wars movie. This was the first Star Wars movie being made in years, and the whole world was pumped up. Not only did it create new franchise stars in Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver, but it is one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time.

What was your favorite movie and TV show of 2015? Comment and let us know. 

We Are Your Friends Review

We Are Your Friends premiered in the U.S. on August 28th to a decent amount of fanfare. However, it's been pretty downhill since there. The movie grossed less than $2 million on its opening weekend, placing it at #14 at the box office. It also received a 42% score from Rotten Tomatoes and 46% from Metacritic. Other critics have been more favorable, but it is quite easy to label this movie as a flop. So what went wrong? Quite honestly, a lot went wrong.

For starters, the plot of the movie did not help anyone. The basic story revolves around Zac Efron's character, Cole Carter, an aspiring DJ. He and his friends dream of living the big life and when Carter begins working under the tutelage of famous DJ James Reed (played by Wes Bentley), it looks like those dreams will come true. There is nothing original about this plot, except for the DJ part. EDM music is pretty popular now, and a good EDM movie could have been really big. Unfortunately, the EDM part of this movie makes it seem more like a documentary more than anything. The rest of the plot is unoriginal and downright boring at times. All of the usual cliches about music and mentoring can be found here.

Two of the biggest problems with the movie are its characters and acting. Efron has never been a great actor, but he's definitely had better performances. Emily Ratajkowski, who plays Efron's love interest, gives the worst performance of the movie. The chemistry between the two is okay (nothing great) but Ratajkowski's performance is incredibly plain and bland. She seemingly has two facial expressions and is unable to deliver in big moments. Bentley gives the best performance of the movie, but it is nothing special. As for the characters, the only really interesting one is Reed, who has issues with alcohol. The movie tries to get the viewers to develop bonds with a number of characters, especially with Ratajkowski's character Sophie and Squirrel, one of Efron's friends who is played by Alex Shaffer. Had the movie successfully been able to get the audience to sympathize with those two characters, this movie could have been a lot better (see Step Up). But by failing to do so, the audience is simply apathetic towards them. A lot of fault can be found with Cole Carter as well. It seems like Zac Efron used this movie to completely shake off his clean-cut Disney image. As a result, his character smokes weed way too much and completely absorbs the party lifestyle. In fact, a lot of the stuff that gave the movie an R-Rating (like the nudity and profanity) seems forced and unnecessary.

Directing the movie is Max Joseph, most famous for Catfish. How being the cameraman and co-host of that show enabled him to direct this one is beyond me. As mentioned before, a lot of stuff in this movie seems totally out-of-context and irrelevant to what is happening. It totally confuses the audience and in some cases, bores them.

As bad as the movie was, it did have its positives. It has some genuinely funny moments, the chemistry between Bentley and Efron is good, and the last song is really good. However, the movie as a whole is nothing but a flop. The run time of 96 minutes is far too long and the movie is genuinely unwatchable at times. In the end, the true test of a movie is whether it entertains the audience, and this one, does not.

Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation Review

The fifth and latest installment in the Mission Impossible series Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation came out on July 31st. The movie has done very well so far, leading the North American box office for two weeks (before being displaced by Straight Outta Compton), has the third best IMAX July numbers in history (behind The Dark Knight Rises and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2), and had a score of 93% on the website Rotten Tomatoes. Needless to say, the film has met and exceeded the expectations set by its wildly successful prequel, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. But just how good was this movie? Let's take a closer look in this review.

The plot revolved around Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), acting without the IMF's help, trying to bring down The Syndicate, an organization that others don't really believe exist. Tying into this plot is Syndicate agent Ilsa Faust, who appears to be more mysterious than one might initially think. We also have the side story of Alec Baldwin's character, the director of the CIA, trying to take down the IMF. On top of that, he is trying to catch Hunt, the lone IMF agent unaccounted for. This storyline provides some great moments in the movie and pays off in the end. The plot is nothing too special, something that you would expect from a Mission Impossible movie. The Ilsa Faust storyline can be a little much at times, but it proves to be an interesting part of the movie.

Cruise became the ideal action movie star a number of years ago, and he shows off exactly why in this movie. Even his biggest detractors cannot take away from the fact that he is a great action star. The best acting performance in this movie however, goes to Simon Pegg for his role as Benji. He gets a bigger role than he does in the last movie, and he does a great job as the comedic sidekick. Everything is completely on point, from his dialogue delivery to his facial expressions. Even when he is not the main character in the shot, he always stays in character. Every other actor gives a good performance, including Baldwin and Jeremy Renner. The return of Ving Rhames as a supporting characters was a good move, as he and Renner not only worked well together, but helped accentuate the other's character. The only character that really fell flat was the main antagonist, Solomon Lane. It looks like director Christopher McQuarrie was going for the quiet, evil genius type of villain, but it just didn't work. Actor Sean Harris can't be blamed for the character falling flat, any actor would have had a difficult time making that character work.

The biggest attractions of the M:I series are the crazy stunts and incredible action sequences. This movie was no different, and while there was nothing as good as Cruise running down the Burj Al Arab, its still pretty good. On another note, Cruise looks spectacular for his age and looks like he could churn out action movies for at least another decade.

Not long after this movie came out, a sequel was announced. A hardly surprising announcement, seeing as how successful this movie was. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch it. Is it a must-see film? No, but it's still extremely entertaining and worthy of your time.

Thanks for reading everyone.

5 Reasons a Friends Movie Must be Made

Friends is one of the most successful and beloved sitcoms of all-time. Not only was it a huge success during its run on television, it is still extremely popular now, ten years after the final episode aired. This is remarkable, as most shows tend to fade into obscurity once they end. Another thing that is so remarkable about the show: it kept viewers entertained throughout its entire run. Many long-running shows (such as The Simpsons or Family Guy) tend to get stale after a number of seasons, Friends always managed to stay interesting and fresh.

Since its end in 2004, fans all over the world have missed the iconic show. This is one of the few shows that spans generations. Reruns still air, but it's not the same. Fans want new material. That is why they were so excited when rumors of a Friends movie started popping up. The rumors have since been slashed, but it got fans excited. Is there really a possibility of a movie happening? It seems unlikely at this point. The cast members have other projects going on and the original set no longer exists. Nonetheless, there is still a chance, however slim. If there is a will, there is a way. It's just a matter of getting everyone on board. Here are five reasons why fans should push for the movie to be made and why everyone involved (including the head honchos) should push for it as well.

5. It Would Do Extremely Well at the Box Office- Let's be honest, everyone would watch a Friends movie. There are millions of people who love the show and would go see the movie. It would take the box office by storm, as people would flock to the theaters to see it.  Not only would it dominate the box office for a couple weeks (at least) it would threaten opening day records. Even if the movie was panned by critics, people would still see it, because hey, it's Friends. There is absolutely no doubt that this flick would turn a tidy profit. This alone should convince a movie studio to back this project. Sure, production costs would be high (the salaries alone for the six main cast members would be huge), but the movie would make it up in theaters.

4. It Could Lead to an 11th Season- If the movie is a success, then people will be clamoring for more Friends. It might even convince the studio and cast members that having another season would be a good idea. The show would draw huge numbers. Millions of viewers would tune in every week to watch their new adventures. How hard would it be to convince NBC to put Friends back on their schedule? It would be awesome to see these new shows

3. The Movie Itself Could be Great- One reason fans love Friends so much? It was an absolutely amazing show that managed to entertain the readers to no end. If it was a mediocre show, fans wouldn't be so passionate about it. Each season of the show was excellent, so there's reason to believe that the movie will be great. There are so many possibilities for the movie. The Friends could just hang around at Central Perk or go somewhere. Either way, it should be interesting. One thing's for sure: it won't be a terrible movie. It will no doubt be funny and entertaining.

2. Interest in the Show is High- Friends has always been a popular show. During its run on television, it was one of the most popular and watched shows. Even now, new fans of the show pop up all the time as members of the new generation are exposed to Chandler's witty one-liners, Joey's catchphrases, and of course, Ross and Rachel. However, now that the entire show is on Netflix, interest in the show is extremely high. New fans are tuning in and old fans are rewatching their favorite shows. Now that the show is back in the spotlight, there is even more interest in seeing a movie.

1. The World Needs It- Think about it. There are very few things that would light the world on fire more than the announcement of a Friends movie. The show is watched by people all over the world. So, this movie would have international attention. The release of the movie would be an international affair. And with a lot of tough things going on in the world, don't we need a good laugh? 

So there you go, five solid reasons we need a Friends movie. Now if only this would actually happen.

The 5 Best Animated Sitcoms on TV

Typically, animated shows are supposed to be for kids. After all, most animated shows, like Spongebob Squarepants, Uncle Grandpa, Steven Universe, Fish Hooks, and Gravity Falls are children's shows. Because of this, a lot of people often think all animated shows are supposed to be for children only. That is farther from the truth however, for animated sitcoms. They are specifically designed for mature audiences, and feature a lot of mature storylines, recurring themes, and characters. For those who are unfamiliar with the wonderful world of animated sitcoms, this will serve as a nice introduction. This post can help you decide whether you want to start watching animated sitcoms, and if so, which to watch, and if you are already a fan of animated sitcoms, you can be persuaded to watch a new show. Though there have been a lot of great animated sitcoms in the past, like Futurama and King of the Hill, this article focuses on the five best animated sitcoms that still air.

5. Bob's Burgers- The newest sitcom on this list, Bob's Burgers has had four seasons so far (Season 5 starts tomorrow). The show won an Emmy last year and was nominated in the previous two. The show is about Bob Belcher, who runs a not-so-successful burger place. The only workers in his restaurants are his wife Linda, and his children Tina, Gene, and Louise. What makes this show so entertaining is the Belcher family. It's not so much what happens, it's how the family reacts to it (spoiler: it's usually an overreaction). Another great point with the show: interesting recurring characters. While the main characters are very entertaining, the recurring characters are a lot of fun, especially Daryl (voiced by Aziz Ansari) and Andy and Ollie (voiced by Laura and Sarah Silverman, respectively). While this show may not be as popular as the others on this list, it still deserves a watch. You may have to force yourself to get through the first season (I had to), but the wait is worth it.

4. American Dad!- The second-most successful Seth MacFarlane sitcom, American Dad! started its tenth season this fall. Like Bob's Burgers, this show may not be as well-known as the other entries, but it is still a quality show. Also like Bob's Burgers, this show has gotten better since its first season, which wasn't that great. The show's main character is Stan Smith, a very patriotic CIA employee. In contrast to Bob's Burgers, Stan's family is usually not as important to the story. Often, they are just used for comedy bits or side stories. The family consists of Francine, Stan's wife, Steve, the nerdy son, Hayley, Stan's liberal daughter, Klaus, a talking fish, and Roger, an alien who lives in Stan's attic. Roger is by far the most important character out of these five. His various aliases and adventures are extremely entertaining and provide for some hilarious moments. In fact, Roger is one of the greatest animated characters currently on television, sitcom or not. Watch any episode featuring him and you'll know why.

3. Family Guy- It's totally understandable if you've never heard of the previous two entries, but you have to have heard of the following three entries. They are all popular shows that have found their place in mainstream culture. The show, which is set in Quahog, Rhode Island, has won 5 Emmys and been nominated for 13 more. Peter Griffin, who can best be described as a lovable oaf, is the star of the show. Almost every episode features him in a prominent role. Like American Dad!, the family doesn't always take a starring role, especially Chris and Meg, the two oldest children. Lois (Peter's wife), Stewie (the youngest kid), and Brian (the dog) often have good roles. The main popularity for this show is a result from its edginess, which has often drawn a lot of criticism in the past. Another thing that makes the show so interesting: the cutaways. This is unique to the show and often are pretty funny. However, the show has suffered in recent seasons. Fans and critics have noted that the show has lost its original formula and the quality of recent episodes has wavered as a result. Nonetheless, it's still worth your while to check this show out.

2. The Simpsons- Okay, I know you've heard of this show before. Not only is it the longest-running show of all time, it's one of the most famous and most entertaining. Even after more than 560 episodes, fans still tune in to see the adventures of Homer Simpson and his family in the quirky little town of Springfield. Like with Peter Griffin, Homer Simpson plays a central role in most of the episodes, which makes perfect sense, as he is the most entertaining character on the show. His trademark "D'oh!" has become a popular, mainstream phrase. Homer's wife Marge and three kids (Bart, Lisa, and Maggie) are usually more featured than the family members of the previous two entries. However, like Family Guy, this show has gotten a lot of criticism recently. People have said that the show's quality has gone down in recent years, and the show itself is starting to feel a little stale. That last point is totally understandable, seeing as The Simpsons has been on air since the 1980's.

1. South Park- Without question, South Park is the best animated sitcom on television right now, as well as one of the top 100 TV shows of all-time. The brainchild of Trey Parker and Matt Stone has won 5 Emmys and got eight more nominations. The show takes place in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado and revolves around a group of fourth-graders: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. Each one of those characters brings their own personality and distinct gimmick to the group, resulting in awesome chemistry.  It is this chemistry that separates this quartet from a lot of other leading groups of characters. The recurring characters, such as those of Chef, Butters, and Ike, only add to this chemistry. I said before that Family Guy was edgy, but South Park takes it to a whole new level. Not only that, but the show has taken on controversial and mainstream topics such as Lance Armstrong's steroid use, Black Friday shopping, global warming, the Washington Redskins, and the NSA spying on Americans. Even while providing this social and political commentary, the show still manages to be ridiculously entertaining. While Family Guy and The Simpsons are declining in quality, South Park is trending upwards.

If you have never watched any of these shows before, try one of the shows listed in this article. One of these should grab your attention. After all, they are the five best animated sitcoms on TV right now. 

Saturday Night Live Season 40 Premiere Review

One of the biggest and most well-known shows on TV returned on Saturday. Saturday Night Live is one of NBC's flagship shows and its premiere was highly promoted. The host was Chris Pratt, whose main claim to fame is starring in the summer's biggest blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy. The musical guest was Ariana Grande, one of the hottest pop stars in the business right now. Expectations were high for this show, as it's the premiere of the fortieth season and Chris Pratt is a top star right now. Were the high expectations met? They were not. Sorry for putting it so frankly, but the show underwhelmed. Let's take a closer looker why.

There were only five great segments from the show: "Cialis Turnt", "Cold Open: Candy Crowley on the NFL", "NFL Intros", "He-Man and Lion-O", and "Marvel Trailer", and only two of those were of decent length. Cold Open featured Jay Pharaoh, Kenan Thompson, and Aidy Bryant. Bryant did mess uverp a few times, but Pharaoh and Thompson were great. In the He-Man sketch, Kyle Mooney played a young kid without any friends. His birthday wish comes true and his action figures (played by Chris Pratt and Taran Killam) come to life. The antics that ensure are hilarious, though Ariana Grande's cameo was kind of boring and the whole sketch's timing was off.

None of the other sketches were really entertaining. The "Booty Rap" sketch starring Bryant and Pratt fell a little flat, as did the last sketch "Video Game". "Booty Rap" was about two shy people communicating via rap. "Video Game" was about three people testing out a new video game. Both sketches could have been better, especially the rap one. The concept was interesting, the execution was off though. The worst one was "Vet Technician II", a sequel to last season's "Vet Technician" with Josh Hutcherson. The original was a lot better, this one was just plain boring.

The "Weekend Update" segment featured the first-ever pairing between Colin Jost (who made his debut last season after replacing Seth Myers" and rookie Michael Che. Both did well (though Che did mess up a few times) though there wasn't a lot of chemistry between the two. The highlight of "Weekend Update" (and possibly the whole episode) was Pete Davidson's appearance. The youngest cast member has a bright future on the show ahead of him.

All in all, it was a disappointing premiere. The next episode will be hosted by Sarah Silverman, so there's definitely hope for the rest of the season. Some people have already said this will be the worst season in SNL. It's certainly too early to tell if that will be true. Here's hoping it's not.

10 Great Games on the App Store

Yes, I know what serious gamers are going to say: there are no real games on the App Store. Well, I'm here to contradict them. There are indeed some quality games on the App Store. So in this article, I'll prove that there are some great games available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod users. I know there are popular games like Angry Birds and Draw Something, so I'm going to stay away from those. Instead, in typical Now That's Pop Culture fashion, I'll be identifying games that may not be as well known. Also, most of these games are free.

1. High School Story- I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I play this game, but it's a fun game. There are plenty of high school games out there, but this is by far the best. It's a fresh take on high school and a lot more fun than the other ones. If my high school experience was anything like this game, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

2. The Silent Age- This is one of the more recent games on this list. Only Episode 1 has been released, but the developers are currently working on Episode 2. The game stars a janitor named Joe, who works at a big corporation. He happens upon a time traveler, who then gives him a time machine. This provides for a great story. One more note: when playing the game, wear headphones. It really enhances the experience of the game.

3. Secret Passages: Hidden Objects- There are a lot of hidden object games on the App Store, and this is undoubtedly my favorite one. What's different about this game is the gameplay beyond just finding the objects. There are also a few minigames that are quite fun.

4. Dark Nebula- There are two episodes for this game, the first one is free. While there isn't any real storyline to the game, the gameplay is excellent. It can be very challenging at times, though it is definitely beatable.

5. Real Soccer 10- There are a lot of soccer games on the market, including newer ones such as FIFA 14 by EA Sports and Real Soccer 2013", but I believe this is the best one.  While the other games can be a little complicated (especially for casual soccer fans), Real Soccer 10 is very user-friendly. On top of that, there are so many modes and tournaments to play, it's hard to get tired of the game.

6. Real Racing 3- Like with soccer games, there are a lot of racing games on the market, such as Asphalt 8: Airborne and CSR Racing. My favorite racing game: Real Racing 3. Not only is there a wide variety of cars to unlock and race with, there are dozens of races and tournaments to compete in.

7. Can You Escape Games- This is an entire series of games, including Can You Escape- Adventure, Can You Escape- Tower, and Can You Escape 2. The whole series is very fun and can be very challenging at times.

8. QuizUp- Out of all the trivia games on the market, this is by far the most popular one on the market. Because of that, there is almost always an opponent to play against. Another good point: the developers are continuously updating the game and adding new topics, which means that there is everything from Famous Duos to Nelson Mandela.

9. Donut Games- Once again, I'm going to bend the rules a little bit and have multiple games in an entry. All of the Donut Games are simple, but are a lot of fun. I personally recommend Traffic Rush, Spikey's Bounce Around, and Rat on the Run. One note: most of the Donut Games are not free, but the ones I recommended are.

10. Two Fingers, but only one brain- This is one of the newest best-selling games on the market, and it sure is a good one. The main idea behind this game: two different games being played simultaneously. It makes for a challenging game, but it is a lot of fun.

Hopefully, you like these games. If you know any other great games, comment and let me know.