The Best TV Shows of 2015 in GIFs

In my very humble and honest opinion, here's my favourite 5 TV shows of 2015 in no particular order and a few gifs ('cause, hey, who wants to read words when they can see pictures, am I right? No, I'm not, words are wonderful.). 

Have a look and watch them if you haven't. Each one is important in a very peculiar way and each one of them deserves to be seen until the very last episode.

Fargo 2

Knitting, snow and, this time, a looot of split screens from the late 70s. You won't lose the thread with season 1: this season 2 combines the early heroes of 2006 Minnesota (little Molly Solverson is cute and already badass) with the worst of the Reagan era. The characters are so flawed to be real Americans. Fargo 2 doesn't miss a shot: ballistically and visually.

Jessica Jones

The feminist Marvel Netflix series about a superhero who doesn't fit, doesn't belong and doesn't care. She could beat up Supergirl's ass if she wanted to, but she doesn't give a shit. And we love her for that. And for the fact she has some points about consent, sexual awareness and psychological abuse.

Man Seeking Woman

Josh is ready to get back on track after her girlfriend dumps him for Hitler. Man Seeking Woman is relatable in its absolute insanity: absurd everyday situations become perfectly normal in our antihero's life. The dating world is a jungle and Josh will learn this harsh truth at his own expense: he's a loser and not afraid. MSW's reality is so exaggerated and bizarre that there are no half measures: you love it or hate it. We love it and are almost ready to commit.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The nice comeback of goddess Tina Fey with the hilarious Ellie Kemper and a lot of cool, crazy people - Jane Krakowski and Titus Burgess anyone? Learn to live as if it was a miracle with Kimmy, feel the awe of eating candies for dinner just because you can and never hide your true self. A hymn to freedom in every form, UKS faces the bitterness up with colourful sarcasm and a catchy song, which is something you should always have at handy to live in this world, dammit.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Speaking of catchy opening credits, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a pro. Sassy, selfish, sometimes stupid Rebecca quits her prestigious job in NYC to move to West Covina, California, where there's nothing. Apart from her first love Josh. This show is a smarter version of New Girl: there are silly songs in it and the protagonist sings a lot, but lyrics are the most accurate description of feminist issues. Rachel Bloom is unable to shut her mouth and we'd never want her to.

Oscars Honest Acceptance Speeches

The Oscars frenzy is still on. Have you seen the ceremony? Have you heard the acceptance speeches? Ever wondered if the winners speak their mind on that stage? Well, we have.

We imagined what Academy Awards winners would say if there were no social limitations.

Enjoy our video and be nice and if you can't, just be honest, which is kind of the best - and funniest - thing to do.

Should we really be offended by Matt Taylor's shirt?

Dr. Matt Taylor got famous as the project scientist who helped land a robotic probe on a comet last week. But he also got infamous for wearing a kinky shirt while giving progress report on the Rosetta mission. The purple shirt, including images of semi-naked women, was considered tacky, offensive and sexist by many, not only among fellow scientists.

Taylor gave an apology for his "big mistake" and cried in front of the cameras two days later, this time wearing a plain, navy blue hoodie.
Stating that a shirt is anti-feminist means entering a risky territory. I'm proud to be a feminist but I have to admit I wasn't offended by Taylor's shirt. I didn't feel like those images were threatening. Don't get me wrong as I'm well aware those blond badass girls represent just one of the many femininity types. While looking at them we're obviously more focused on their appearance rather than their inner qualities. But, again, it's just a shirt (designed by a woman, Elly Prizeman) and we seriously should be more concerned about movies posters and advertising campaigns photoshopping real women than about comic-like characters on a piece of clothing.
Some may say a shirt worn by the project scientist of an important space mission can't be just a garment. I certainly agree that such a clothing can be regarded as tasteless in a way, especially if you're wearing it during an official broadcasting like Taylor did. The scientist has tattooes covering most of his body and he decided to wear something definitely not traditional and geeky, in line with what I assume to be his personality. I really don't think he was trying to use his celebrity to convey a political or sexist message or make a statement about how science world considers women. If we blame him for such a thing, then why not doing the same and ban, for example, the people (men AND women) showing pin-up girls tattooes from important positions? Because it would be extremely discriminatory, that's why.
Many said Taylor was forced to apology, and if so, it would be really sad. Just as sad as some of the comments I've read on the Internet in defense of that shirt. The scientist's fashion choice is often supported by people (and I have to admit there are also women among them, bitterly) through an alarming anti-feminist attitude. Just have a look here and here. Ridiculing feminists protest claiming the right of wearing what they want like this issue was less reasonable than defending a scientist draped in hot women gives me the creeps. The misconception of feminism like a gender war is still too deep-rooted and needs to stop. The very core idea of feminism is equal rights and opportunities for both genders and this equality should be perceived even in ordinary things, like deciding freely what to wear. And this goes both ways.
It's 2014, folks. We can land on a comet, but we can't dress the way we want to without causing an uproar. Now that's outrageous.

#SELFIE directed by

I was waiting for the tube at King's Cross the first time I said the word 'selfie' out loud. It was August of 2013 and selfie was ready to become a thing. My friend and I were trying, and possibly failing, to take a picture of us when a blond guy asked if he could help. I laughed and thanked him, but no: 'It's called selfie for a reason.'
I've never imagined back then that 'selfie' would be The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2013. Now, selfie is kind of a mania. Either we're having a great time, a bad time or simply a meh time, we feel the urge of turning our moments into shots to post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or wherever we can get a bunch of likes and some sympathy.
So one day I came up with this unusual idea of combining selfies and cinema. I was making fun of a friend totally psyched about viral videos and stuff, but he actually liked it and there you go. We chose 7 directors among the most iconic of contemporary cinematography (from Quentin Tarantino to Wes Anderson, via Woody Allen and David Lynch) and imagined what a selfie directed by them would look like.
Enjoy!

Channel4 Utopia cancelled, is the Network to blame?

It's official. Channel4 has announced Utopia won't return for a 3rd season.

The dystopian drama created by Dennis Kelly which got us glued to the couch has been cancelled due to low ratings. This is insane as it's hard to imagine a person not becoming enthusiast about Utopia after watching the first episode.
Here's my reactions, in this order.

I immediately blamed The Network for this. That would be its perfect final conspiracy, just think about it. But this is real and the only network to blame is Channel4. 

A Wilson Wilson picture posted on the Utopia official Facebook page confirmed this decision to the fans of the show.

'We are so sad to say goodbye, but we'll always have that spoon.'

Haha. We'll have that spoon, right. But we'll never learn more about Janus. We'll never find out if Pietre is going to save the day or if Wilson Wilson will be a better Mr. Rabbit than his charming predecessor Milner. But most important, we'll never know what happened to Jessica Hyde, Becky, Ian and Philip Carvel.

Well, at least not the British ones we got used to during the last two series.

Brace yourselves as a very unnecessary US remake is on its way. The American version of Utopia - directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network and the dense political drama House of Cards) - is due to arrive on HBO in 2015. 

I've always been suspicious of US remakes of European movies or TV shows. Some are quite good, but most of them are just made to exploit another country successful ideas by adding Hollywood big money and names to impress. One for all, the American remake of the 2009 Swedish film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Speaking of remakes, I still have to take a look at Gracepoint, the US version of the British crime Broadchurch I loved to watch last year.

Back to Utopia, I'm not sure whether the US remake will be able to convey the same atmosphere as the original show, which had at least 5 strong points.

1. The plot can drive you crazy. I liked the fact that Janus, the project aiming for the sterilisation of the world in order to reduce population and consequently poverty, is presented like something horrible yet justifiable. Utopia is the perfect tapestry to reunite all the threads of several national, European and international conspiracies. The dystopic final design is made up of the worldwide known events and the almost unkown ones, both of them significant to understand the bigger pattern. I'm pretty sure Americans will add a little more 9/11 and JFK to the whole thing.

2. The photography is one of the marktrade of the British conspiracy thriller (season 2 premiere in 4:3 set in the 70s is a little masterpiece). The saturated, vivid landscapes almost seem a counterpart to the gloomy reality protagonists have to face.

3. There are three iconic elements in the C4 Utopia: the opening theme by Cristobal Tapia; the catchphrase of the show 'Where is Jessica Hyde?'; the particular technicolor yellow shade used for the opening credits and to emphasize details throughout the episodes known now as Utopia Yellow.

4. Jessica and the others of the gang makes a great team of characters. I can't even imagine other faces to embody the protagonists at this point. Not to mention their different accents. I'm sad thinking about the fact I'll never hear Paul Higgins's Michael Dugdale say "fuck" with his Scottish accent anymore.

5. Another Scot I'll miss is Rose Leslie. I've already declared my love for her and her Game of Thrones character Ygritte here. However, her portrayal of young Milner won me over for good. I hope they let her come back for the American Utopia on HBO, the same network as GoT.

I can't be anything but disappointed for this unexpected cancellation. No, I'm not psyched about HBO Utopia because Channel4 Utopia already had everything a good conspiracy thriller needs.

Trust no one. The Network can be watching us, but we're definitely not going to watch their network any time soon.

This Is The End: 5 Not-So-Serious Tips for Facing The Apocalypse and Other Serious Catastrophes

Summer can be boring. Boredom levels can dramatically increase if you're in the middle of a post vacation blues and forced to live in the post apocalyptic scenario of your small hometown. But movies can help. I've watched something like 7 movies in one day and a half not feeling guilty for a second. Alright, I was supposed to study, but is studying really an option when you can watch a catastrophic yet superfunny movie? No. That's what I thought when I decided to give This Is The End a go. 

This hilarious movie directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg involves a bunch of Hollywood actors playing exaggerated versions of themselves. While attending a party at James Franco's new supercool place, they have to face the apocalypse and try to survive. I watched it with my bestie and some guy friends who, although brave for dealing with hot weather while staying in town, are nothing like Rogen's gang, especially not like James Franco. Sorry, guys.

This Is The End seemed to be the best possible way to make my night better for two reasons: my love for a certain kind of wicked humor and for Emma Watson, who's among the partygoers at Franco's. I've never recovered from my Hermione phase, actually. Speaking of celebrity infatuation, I have a massive crush on Jay Baruchel which I'm still trying to cope with and it's all thanks to this movie (and a tiny bit because of How To Train Your Dragon, okay). 

Apart from the many, many celebrities you can spot here - from Mindy Kaling to a really unexpected Michael Cera - you shouldn't forget what this is all about. Apocalypse means demons, possessions and huge chasms in the ground. Not cool at all, isn't it? Just don't worry. This Is The End provides some really good tips everyone facing a supernatural catastrophe should bear in mind.

1. Have Fun

It can be the zombie invasion or Judgement Day. Whatever it is, there's a 99% chance you can do very little about it, so why don't you try to have fun in the meantime? Ok, I know not all of us are Hollywood stars and live in the same cool, crazy house as James Franco in the movie. However, I'm pretty sure we can find our own ways to crack up once we have dealt with the "we're all gonna die" thing.

Well, I would.

2. Try Not to Spend Your Last Days on Earth with Someone You Wouldn't Invite to a Party ...

... but if you do, be sure not to kick him or her out of the house unless you want your face to be eaten at any time later. And always check the bathtub.

3. Never Mess with a Girl Carrying an Axe

Emma Watson proves to be a badass and manages to survive, no magic involved this time. She shows up at Franco's to get some rest, but a misunderstanding with the guys upsets her so much she ends up threatening them with her axe. Come on, who wouldn't act like her in the same situation? She could've asked for an explanation, maybe. I was a bit surprised myself she didn't go for a "Errr, I'm afraid I might have overheard your conversation, could you possibly tell me what's happening here, please?", but this is the freaking apocalypse, mate. There's no time to be polite.

4. Hide Away Your Milky Way

Setting up a ration system for food and water supplies is a very democratic solution, but you might want to be a litte selfish and treat yourself. Let other people have the beef jerky and don't let them know there's one Milky Way left. Everyone's got their favorite treat for rainy days (mine are cinnamon rolls, in case you were wondering) and, seriously, is there a better time to yield to a delicious temptation than during a global catastrophe? This could be your last Milky Way EVER, just think about it.

5. Be Honest with Your Friends

Remember to be honest with your besties and don't keep secrets that may ruin your friendship (hiding your Milky Way is one little exception and is totally fine). In particular, if anyone knows one of your secrets in times of trouble, you can bet he or she will spill it as soon as possible to get rid of some survivalist pressure. And it could be really awkward. Telling the truth is something you should do all the time, but it's even more important in case of apocalypse. Your sins will find you one way or another, huh? I guess the end of the world isn't really a good time to prove this saying wrong.

A Funeral Eulogy For Ygritte

Ygritte, the wildling who knew everything

No matter how many characters George R.R. Martin has already killed so far, you will never ever get used to death in Game Of Thrones. I was just recovering from Oberyn's defeat (and I'm not ashamed to admit I turned away while watching the final moments of the combat) when another amount of dead bodies was put on screen to remind you life is fleeting, especially if you live in Westeros.

Let me say that when one of those corpses belongs to your favorite character it is just heartbreaking. You only want to sit on the couch eating cookies and ice-cream forever and pretend there will be no more episodes without him or her. That's exactly what happened to me with Ygritte. The Wildling portrayed by Rose Leslie had me at the very first "You know nothing, Jon Snow", this one I guess

I found her and Jon beyond cute together. They were my OTP or whatever you young people call this romantic shit. Despite my naivety and my romantic expectations (which I usually set very high, at least when it comes to TV shows) I've always been well aware of the fact that they weren't going anywhere. Ygritte and Jon didn't share the same cause to fight for. The first proud not to belong to anybody and ready to die to stay free, the latter a Crow, bearing a heavy burden of honor and responsibilities. Yet they loved each other, against all the differences, the hostility of other Wildlings and the Night's Watch Oath.

Now we all know Martin's got a thing with separating couples in the most horrible ways, so I was ready to cry my heart out like I did at the Red Wedding. And the big guy didn't disappoint me.

I'll never forget the look on Ygritte's face when Jon went away, heading to Castle Black and to his previous life as a Crow. Being abandoned should have sounded worse than death to a woman who's not afraid of being killed on the battlefield and yet got trust issues. She was definitely looking for revenge but she couldn't help being in love with Jon, so she didn't kill him when she had the chance.

Has Jon Snow been pretending all the time? I don't think so. Ygritte reminded him all he gave up when he joined the Night's Watch. I guess such a complete freedom scared him away, just like the possibility to be called a traitor by his fellows.

Did Jon Snow deserve Ygritte's arrows? Well, maybe a couple.

Don't you think such a moving yet a bit violent farewell between the two was enough? Well, Martin surely doesn't. I knew something really bad was on the way for the two of them especially since it seems that in GoT two lovers can be more or less happily back together after a separation only if they have the same family name. My fears turned into reality wandering on Tumblr, the most dangerous source of images you may not want to have a look at if you're an unconscious fan of an adapted-from-the-book TV show.

Ygritte and Jon last met during one of the most ferocious battles ever, the greatly anticipated fight between Wildlings and Crows at Castle Black. She was ready to kill him and finally prove to herself and her people she wasn't a weak woman in love with the enemy. She was almost there. And then Jon decided to smile at her. A smile which makes you wonder how in the Seven Kingdoms is possible to have such a perfect teeth bite when you've just got punched in your mouth by a crazy cannibal bald guy. Seriously.

I bet Ygritte was putting her bow down, I know that, but it was too late. That Olly kid who did nothing but shit his pants during the whole battle decided to kill her as his first target. Well done, Olly. Jon holding Ygritte for the very last time while all around them was fire and blood broke my heart.

Losing your favorite female character can be very distressing. I had found the perfect combination of humour, love and independence, all in one woman. Ygritte wasn't all about silk dresses, mean tricks and dictatorial attention-seeking decisions (sorry I'm not sorry, Daenerys). She was just honest and I will mourn her for long focusing all my hopes on Arya Stark, the two badass girls having in common a taste for revenge against injustice. Some may say I like female characters only if they act like men, but that's not the point. I root for girls who fight for what they believe in, no matter how they do it. Ygritte shot arrows and used the spear like a real warrior, yet her fighting skills have very little to do with the reasons why she's inspiring to me. Yes, she was with Jon Snow off and on-screen (which is definitely a bonus), but most of all she was (using the past tense here is killing me) passionate, self-aware and true. She lived as a free woman and that's something you shouldn't take for granted either in Westeros or elsewhere. And she died in a proper castle, not just a tower!

Ygritte, you will be missed.

You can mourn her (and many many others to come) here.