My Favorites from 2005
This has been an interesitng year for entertainment. I have gone through some interesing changes throughout much of it-while also sticking by some old favorites. I have seen a number of movies, listened to a good deal of CD's and watched a decent amount of TV. Sadly, I did not read as much as I would have liked to, but what are you going to do? It is with great pleasure that I announce my favorite things from this year.
Movies
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
I have been looking forward to this movie since the idea of a prequel trilogy first surfaced. I had been looking forward to seeing the events play out ever since it first occured to me to wonder just what the hell happened to Darth Vader. It was a movie that carries the most anticipation ever for a movie. And in my opinion, it lives up that anticipation. Sure, there are some weak moments, but the strengths far outweigh those. Seeing the making of Darth Vader right there on the screen was a joy for me finally see. The first hour of the movie has its problems, but once Anakin finds out just who Palpatine really is, there is not a single flaw in the movie. It is dark and as uncompromising as a Star Wars movie is going to get. I loved this movie and will continue to do so until the day I die.
Batman Begins
I love this movie. It is quite possibly my favorite movie from this year. I say that because this movie has had to grow on me. My first time through it, it didn't do much for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't leave it with the gitty excitement that I thought I would have. I waited until it came out on DVD to see it again, and upon the second viewing, I was transformed. This is a brilliant movie with superb performances all around. I hate Katie Holmes but she does what she is supposed to quite well. Liam Neeson was great. Michael Caine was great. And Christian Bale is Batman. He has the Bruce Wayne attitude, and he has the Batman attitude. He is the perfect choice. This is a great movie and I cannot wait for the next one.
Good Night and Good Luck
This year belongs to George Clooney, and anyone who says anything otherwise is an idiot. Clooney is a guy who hasn't made a bad movie in about 7 years had easily his best year to date. And this movie is just one of the reasons why. He directs this movie so confidently, and with such passion for the subject that you feel like you are watching these actual events unfold before you. You forget that this movie has a stellar cast, you just think you are watching real people. And everything feels authentic, from sets, to the constant smoking-this movie is alive. Now had Clooney only had this movie under his belt this year, it would still have been an excellent year for him. But throw Syriana into the mix and you have a superb year for one of the best Hollywood has to offer.
Sin City
There was no way I wasn't going to like this movie. I love the Frank Miller books and I love the cast they assembled for this movie. Throw in the fact that this movie looks simply stunning and you have a great great movie. Robert Rodriguez did an excellent job of putting this movie together and sticking so close to the original source material. And having Frank Miller as a co-director ensures that whatever side steps you take away from the source material all have to be approved by Miller, so it just makes the movie that much more seamless. The violence is over the top, the dialogue is solid, and you can tell that every actor on screen is having a blast. This is really the only Robert Rodriguez movie I have liked-his Antonio Banderas movies do nothing for me. I do like From Dusk Till Dawn, but I enjoy it more from a Quentin Tarantino perspective. Sin City was a great action movie and I cannot wait for more of them to come down the line.
MUSIC!!!
The Decemberists-Picaresque
Boy do I love this band. This was the CD that got me into them and I am sure glad that I picked it up. I read a review and the music sounded interesting so I got it. I listened to and I immediately fell in love with. Colin Meloy has such a great voice that was made to sing about pirates and engine drivers and male prostitutes. Every song tells such an interesting story, and complex that it takes a few listens to figure out everything that is going on around it. An excellent CD from an excellent band, and now that they have signed on to Capital Records, it'll be interesting to see what they do next. I for one can't wait.
Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary
I just picked this CD up a week ago and I am already so in love with it. I was hooked almost immediately but it has taken listening to it nonstop all week to burn this beautiful music into my mind. I'm not great at writing about music, so all I will say is that I love this CD and I am already looking forward to more music from this great band.
The White Stripes-Get Behind Me Satan
This is almost my least favorite White Stripes album(there 1st album has that honor)but that doesn't mean shit. I love every album of theirs and this one is no different. I love it, I just love their other albums more. The White Stripes are such a great band and I love that they evolve from album to album. They are not content to keep doing the same thing that works-they experiment with styles, they take risks, and in doing so, risk alienating some of their fan base. But they also have the confidence in their risk taking to know that the true fans will follow them anywhere, and I count myself among those ranks. They blew me away this year live and I cannot wait for more albums, more tours and more everything from them. I just love The White Stripes so much.
Gorillaz-Demon Days
I didn't like this album very much upon my initial listens. But it took putting it down for a while and then very recently going back to it. Now I confidently say that I like this one more than their previous effort, which was also fantastic. The music in this album is much better than on the last album, which says a lot. Danger Mouse does a great job producing this album, and I was very hesitant to like his production due to my love of Dan the Automator and what he did on the first album. The beats, the samples, everything comes together perfectly and fits the mood of every song. While I was disappointed at the lack of Del the Funkee Homosapien, the volume of guest stars on this album more than make up for his absence. The standout for me was MF Doom, whom I had never heard previously. His track is brilliant and his rhymes are great. De La Soul does a great job on Feel Good Inc. as well. I really like this album and will always look forward to anything that spills out of the brain of Damon Albarn, be it a Blur album, Gorillaz, or anything else he decides to do.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I am really glad that I got in on the ground floor with these guys. I love having their indepenently released CD. I love that I have their t-shirt shipped directly from them. Iwll constantly toot the horn of this band and try to get everyone to listen to them. They are definetely not for everyone, but any adventurous music lovers out there are sure to be taken in by this unique band.
Architecture in Helsinki-In Case We Die
This CD is a pure joy from start to finish. This is a band in love with making music and it shows in every song. There is so much fun to be had in this music, and at a time where more and more music seems to be more somber in feeling, it is refreshing to hear fun again. I would have loved to have seen these guys when they came to San Francisco, just to get a sense of the magnitude that an 8 piece band has live. I missed them this last time, but you can bet I won't make that mistake again.
TV
This has been a crummy year for TV. Arrested Development was the only bright spot for me and now that might be no longer, there is no hope left. I have missed most of My Name is Earl, but I look forward to that coming out on DVD so I can give it a watch then. I even have fallen out of love with this season of the OC. But oh well, TV rots your brain anyway.
That's it for now. I have enjoyed this years entertainment and next year promises to be excellent as well. So until then, be well my friends.
Movies
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
I have been looking forward to this movie since the idea of a prequel trilogy first surfaced. I had been looking forward to seeing the events play out ever since it first occured to me to wonder just what the hell happened to Darth Vader. It was a movie that carries the most anticipation ever for a movie. And in my opinion, it lives up that anticipation. Sure, there are some weak moments, but the strengths far outweigh those. Seeing the making of Darth Vader right there on the screen was a joy for me finally see. The first hour of the movie has its problems, but once Anakin finds out just who Palpatine really is, there is not a single flaw in the movie. It is dark and as uncompromising as a Star Wars movie is going to get. I loved this movie and will continue to do so until the day I die.
Batman Begins
I love this movie. It is quite possibly my favorite movie from this year. I say that because this movie has had to grow on me. My first time through it, it didn't do much for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't leave it with the gitty excitement that I thought I would have. I waited until it came out on DVD to see it again, and upon the second viewing, I was transformed. This is a brilliant movie with superb performances all around. I hate Katie Holmes but she does what she is supposed to quite well. Liam Neeson was great. Michael Caine was great. And Christian Bale is Batman. He has the Bruce Wayne attitude, and he has the Batman attitude. He is the perfect choice. This is a great movie and I cannot wait for the next one.
Good Night and Good Luck
This year belongs to George Clooney, and anyone who says anything otherwise is an idiot. Clooney is a guy who hasn't made a bad movie in about 7 years had easily his best year to date. And this movie is just one of the reasons why. He directs this movie so confidently, and with such passion for the subject that you feel like you are watching these actual events unfold before you. You forget that this movie has a stellar cast, you just think you are watching real people. And everything feels authentic, from sets, to the constant smoking-this movie is alive. Now had Clooney only had this movie under his belt this year, it would still have been an excellent year for him. But throw Syriana into the mix and you have a superb year for one of the best Hollywood has to offer.
Sin City
There was no way I wasn't going to like this movie. I love the Frank Miller books and I love the cast they assembled for this movie. Throw in the fact that this movie looks simply stunning and you have a great great movie. Robert Rodriguez did an excellent job of putting this movie together and sticking so close to the original source material. And having Frank Miller as a co-director ensures that whatever side steps you take away from the source material all have to be approved by Miller, so it just makes the movie that much more seamless. The violence is over the top, the dialogue is solid, and you can tell that every actor on screen is having a blast. This is really the only Robert Rodriguez movie I have liked-his Antonio Banderas movies do nothing for me. I do like From Dusk Till Dawn, but I enjoy it more from a Quentin Tarantino perspective. Sin City was a great action movie and I cannot wait for more of them to come down the line.
MUSIC!!!
The Decemberists-Picaresque
Boy do I love this band. This was the CD that got me into them and I am sure glad that I picked it up. I read a review and the music sounded interesting so I got it. I listened to and I immediately fell in love with. Colin Meloy has such a great voice that was made to sing about pirates and engine drivers and male prostitutes. Every song tells such an interesting story, and complex that it takes a few listens to figure out everything that is going on around it. An excellent CD from an excellent band, and now that they have signed on to Capital Records, it'll be interesting to see what they do next. I for one can't wait.
Wolf Parade-Apologies to the Queen Mary
I just picked this CD up a week ago and I am already so in love with it. I was hooked almost immediately but it has taken listening to it nonstop all week to burn this beautiful music into my mind. I'm not great at writing about music, so all I will say is that I love this CD and I am already looking forward to more music from this great band.
The White Stripes-Get Behind Me Satan
This is almost my least favorite White Stripes album(there 1st album has that honor)but that doesn't mean shit. I love every album of theirs and this one is no different. I love it, I just love their other albums more. The White Stripes are such a great band and I love that they evolve from album to album. They are not content to keep doing the same thing that works-they experiment with styles, they take risks, and in doing so, risk alienating some of their fan base. But they also have the confidence in their risk taking to know that the true fans will follow them anywhere, and I count myself among those ranks. They blew me away this year live and I cannot wait for more albums, more tours and more everything from them. I just love The White Stripes so much.
Gorillaz-Demon Days
I didn't like this album very much upon my initial listens. But it took putting it down for a while and then very recently going back to it. Now I confidently say that I like this one more than their previous effort, which was also fantastic. The music in this album is much better than on the last album, which says a lot. Danger Mouse does a great job producing this album, and I was very hesitant to like his production due to my love of Dan the Automator and what he did on the first album. The beats, the samples, everything comes together perfectly and fits the mood of every song. While I was disappointed at the lack of Del the Funkee Homosapien, the volume of guest stars on this album more than make up for his absence. The standout for me was MF Doom, whom I had never heard previously. His track is brilliant and his rhymes are great. De La Soul does a great job on Feel Good Inc. as well. I really like this album and will always look forward to anything that spills out of the brain of Damon Albarn, be it a Blur album, Gorillaz, or anything else he decides to do.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I am really glad that I got in on the ground floor with these guys. I love having their indepenently released CD. I love that I have their t-shirt shipped directly from them. Iwll constantly toot the horn of this band and try to get everyone to listen to them. They are definetely not for everyone, but any adventurous music lovers out there are sure to be taken in by this unique band.
Architecture in Helsinki-In Case We Die
This CD is a pure joy from start to finish. This is a band in love with making music and it shows in every song. There is so much fun to be had in this music, and at a time where more and more music seems to be more somber in feeling, it is refreshing to hear fun again. I would have loved to have seen these guys when they came to San Francisco, just to get a sense of the magnitude that an 8 piece band has live. I missed them this last time, but you can bet I won't make that mistake again.
TV
This has been a crummy year for TV. Arrested Development was the only bright spot for me and now that might be no longer, there is no hope left. I have missed most of My Name is Earl, but I look forward to that coming out on DVD so I can give it a watch then. I even have fallen out of love with this season of the OC. But oh well, TV rots your brain anyway.
That's it for now. I have enjoyed this years entertainment and next year promises to be excellent as well. So until then, be well my friends.
posted by Matt Lemos @ 9:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home