Top 3 Favorite Albums
3. Jack White - Blunderbuss
Leave it to Jack White to put the clarinet back into rock 'n' roll. Standout track: Love Interruption
2. Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror
Hip hop meets speed metal meets bubble gum pop in a rockin' explosion of post-modern awesomeness. Standout track: Born to Lose
1. Beach House - Bloom
Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally create what's easily the coolest, most haunting and most stylish album of the year. Standout track: The Hours
Top 3 Favorite Movies
3. Silver Linings Playbook
Can you make a great date movie about two bipolar wash-ups who love football? This dramedy proves it. Standout performance: J.Lawr striking the perfect balance of crazy, sexy and cool.
2. Prometheus
This movie ruined The Dark Knight Rises for me by filling my head with crazy questions, answers and more questions in typical Lindelof fashion. Standout performance: Michael Fassbender as the menacing android David.
1. Moonrise Kingdom
If anyone can turn a #campvibes Instagram into a full-length feature, it's Wes Anderson. Standout performance: Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward deliver flawed yet fabulous freshman performances.
Top 3 Favorite TV Shows
3. Sherlock
Can't get enough of the detective of Baker Street? Well, these X-files like versions of the Holmes stories are simply the best. Standout episode: A Scandal in Belgravia
2. New Girl
This is the show that invented a drinking game about American history factoids. Standout episode: Menzies
1. Downton Abbey
If you never thought that a BBC drama about turn of the century servants could be crazy compelling, think again. Standout episode: Christmas at Downton Abbey
Top 3 Favorite Cars
3. BMW i3 Coupe
Electric awesomeness in classic Bimmer orange? I'll take it. Standout feature: BMW's "stream flow" design language.
2. MINI Paceman
This is the sexiest crossover coupe around. Standout feature: That sloping roofline.
1. Cadillac CTS-V Wagon
If Lord Vader had to raise Luke and Leia, he'd drive this 556 HP beast. Standout feature: It's a station wagon!
Top 3 Favorite Designs
3. Moonrise Kingdom Font
In a dramatic turn of events—by graphic designer standards—Wes Anderson abandons Futura for a beautiful and nuanced custom font by designer Jessica Hische. Standout feature: An understated, yet striking closing credits animation.
2. Flipboard for iPhone
Easily my number one killer app and the future of editorial and periodical media consumption—not to mention it serves up Twitter faster than their own app. Standout feature: One-handed social surfing at the flip of a thumb.
1. Autodromo
From product design to social media content creation—this line of auto-inspired watches has inspired me all year long. Standout feature: Amazing product photography.
10. Edward Scissorhands
Where does snow come from? A Frankensteined man-boy making ice sculptures with scissors for hands.
9. Die Hard
It just so happens that one of the best action flicks of all time is also one of the best almost holiday movies of all time too.
8. Dumb and Dumber
This is the movie that gave us the line: Yeah, we're in the Rockies.
7. Clue
Random, I know, but we watched this movie every New Year's Eve growing up. Amazing, hysterical cast. Trust me.
6. About a Boy
Nick Hornby on the big screen brings us this line, "Do carol singers have to pay you 10 percent?" "They should, but you can't always catch the little bastards."
5. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Lots of epic movies seem to fit the holiday vibes soundly. And what's more epic than LOTR? Nada.
4. Catch Me If You Can
We saw this for the first time in the theater on Christmas Day 2002, just a few days before the first of the Kyality Kids was born. It's a surprisingly perfect almost holiday flick.
3. When Harry Met Sally
Nowadays, Mrs. Kyality and I watch THIS movie every New Year's Eve. Best dialog ever. Thank you Nora Ephron.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
Uh hello, it has an abominable snow beast… instant holiday classic.
1. The Royal Tenenbaums
Mrs. Kyality and I saw this opening weekend in NYC over the holiday break in 2001… instant memories with every viewing. Plus it has the beautiful and simple song Christmas Time is Here in it.
Just over a year ago, I finessed a way for Gavin Strange—filmmaker, designer and all-around Renaissance Man extraordinaire—to come all the way from Bristol, England to SLC to screen BÖIKZMÖIND. The day before he left his beloved fixie Liberance was pinched from his flat.
Despite his this sad loss, an insane transatlantic flight, a creepy stay at the Peery Hotel and near crash in my Clubby inspiring Gav to yell at the top of his lungs—"You're a jet fighter pilot, you're a jet fighter pilot!"—he put on a great show. And now the circle is complete. Congrats on the find Gav—can believe you got 'er back in one piece.
