Here is a list of some of the things I did with my year along with the order in which I appreciated it...
***LIVE EVENTS***
[Probably forgetting/missing something here...]
THE TOP TEN...
10. 24 January - The Shit Show at Eureka Theatre
I do not think I have laughed as much at a live show as I did at this one. In addition, the appreciation I gained for Thomas Lennon (who I already adore) and Chris Hardwick (who I now love). Funny!
9. 18 July - The Swell Season, She & Him, Bird And The Bee at the Hollywood Bowl
She & Him sound so good and so confident now, this is the best I have ever heard them. In addition, The Swell Season were headliners in order as well in talent. The SS were always a great live show but this was their best as well, the way they made a giant show seem like a private set.
8. 14 April - Sia at The Regency Ballroom
My favourite voice in person as well as recorded. She is consistently my favourite live act to catch. Those amazing songs with her extra amazing voice would be enough to blow me away; but her kindness and cuteness of banter push her into unheard of realms. Exceptional!
7. 22 April - Conan O'Brien's The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour
After missing my Conan fix I was so happy to get the funny and the rock all in one live spectacle. The mix of improvisation and scripted material all in the realm of zany Conan inhabits. Hilarious!
6. 10 August - Weird Al Yankovic at The Warfield
Hearing all the songs I have loved all my life and laughing to some new ones was such a thrill. This man alone took a room packed with 20-something cynicism and turned us all into silly, wacky, *weird* fun-havers. Stupendous!
5. 30 January - The Pee-Wee Herman Show at Club Nokia
If the rule is “you nostalgia, you lose” I lost hard. This was like crawling into my childhood and having it explode off the television screen and onto the big stage. It was so cute and so fun and evenly slightly cheeky, but simply a joy throughout. Brilliant!
4. 6 April - Taylor Swift at Pepsi Centre
The girl has songs. Now she has a voice and a stage presence, this was a hell of a show and brought smiles, tears and lusty thoughts all in one night. Incredible!
3. 3 February - Fiddler On The Roof starring Harvey Fierstein
I love the show and the music but Fierstein plays it just perfectly, he mines all the pathos well enough, but the humour he infuses into it. Amazing!
2. 26-27 November – Weezer Memories Tour at Gibson Amphitheatre
Weezer [blue] and Pinkerton are two of finest albums ever made and two you would never expect to hear in their entirety, but here is was. I cite the Los Angeles show because I VIP-ed it and got to meet the band more than twice; I walked through sound checks and they walked past me. In addition, it was a celeb fest, on stage and in the crowd. Fun!
1. 18 December - The Weakerthans "All-In"
This was such an amazing and long show. The whole trip up to a very snowy Winnipeg was all amazing, but hearing all my favourite songs sung by my favourite band in their hometown was too much. Sublime!
THE LIST...
~Various Dates - Disneyland/California Adventure in Anaheim, CA
~21 January - Terry Jones: In Conversation and HOLY GRAIL screening at Castro Theatre in San Francisco, CA
~22 January - UCB: A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T. at Eureka Theatre in San Francisco, CA
~23 January - "Weird Al" Tribute/Q&A at Cobb's Comedy Club
~23 January - UHF screening with "Weird Al" in person at Clay Theatre in San Francisco, CA
~24 January - The Shit Show at Eureka Theatre in San Francisco, CA
~30 January - The Pee-Wee Herman Show at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA
~3 February - Fiddler On The Roof starring Harvey Fierstein at Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, CA
~13 February - Behind The Emerald Curtain at Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, CA
~19 February - Miranda Lambert & Brad Paisley at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, CA
~6 March - San Jose Wolves Inaugural AIFA Game at Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA
~6 April - Taylor Swift at Pepsi Centre in Denver, CO
~14 April - Sia at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, CA
~15 April - Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke) at Fox Theatre in Oakland, CA
~19 April - Vampire Weekend at Fox Theatre in Oakland, CA ***Did Not Attend***
~22 April - Conan O'Brien's The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour at Nob Hill Masonic Centre
~5 May - Conan O'Brien's The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour at SJSU Event Centre in San Jose, CA
~29 May - She & Him at Fox Theatre in Oakland, CA
~20 June - Iron Maiden at Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord, CA
~30 June - Mates Of State at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA
~18 July - The Swell Season, She & Him, Bird And The Bee at Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA
~10 August - Weird Al Yankovic at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA
~28 August - Sunset Strip Music Festival in West Hollywood, CA
~30 September - Jimmy Eat World at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA
~3 October - Belle & Sebastian at the Palladium in Hollywood, California
~24 October - Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA ***Did Not Attend***
~26 November - Weezer at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA
~27 November - Weezer at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA
~29 November - Weezer at Nob Hill Masonic Centre in San Francisco, CA
~30 November - Weezer at Nob Hill Masonic Centre in San Francisco, CA
~17 December - Manitoba Moose AHL game at MTS CENTRE in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
~18 December - The Weakerthans "All-In" (Playing all their albums in one night) at Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
***VIDEOGAMES***
THE TOP TEN...
10. Jeopardy & Wheel Of Fortune (Wii)
Two separate games. I love Jeopardy and WOF is fun to play. The way Wii Speak and player Mii are integrated is so cool. All the hosts and announcers are right there voicing everything and even though everything is given the “Mii” treatment it all works.
9. Game Dev Story (iPhone/iPad)
This game is so simple and so addictive. I should not like it, I should loathe it, but it is a lot of fun in bursts that keep getting longer and longer… like crack is.
8. Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Remastered (iPhone/iPad)
I love this series so much! So happy to have the first and second on my iPad at all, let alone remastered and lovely!
7. Trauma Team (Wii)
So many ways to play, so much fun! A crazy very anime story that actually well connects all the different medical procedures this game has to offer. It is like a bunch of full-featured games in one.
6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
Lean mean Mario. There is no fat, and very little story, but some of the most inventive level design in *any* Mario platformer. A gorgeous game that is also a lot of fun, this is one of the best single player experiences of the year.
5. Rock Band 3 (Xbox 360)
Each RB gets better and better and this may be the pinnacle, the zenith of plastic instruments party games. Keyboards adds a lot of fun and difficulty and the pro-mode of all that stuff works so well and makes the game feel new. The soundtrack is amazing and varied, awesome.
4. Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii)
Amazing graphics worked into such aesthetics as to really sell the yarn theme throughout all the game’s menus, levels, world map and etc… it was such a joy to play all the way though. This is something I feel everyone needs to experience at least once.
3. Heavy Rain (PS3)
Plot holes, awful voice acting and a constant visit in the uncanny valley… yes, but also transcendent gameplay that can uniquely affect you in a way that will make you actually feel; a flawed masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
2. Alan Wake (Xbox 360)
An incredibly paced game that is equally adroit at setting a mood of dread and discomfort. I did not know what to expect from this game, but what I got was an awesome action/adventure set in Steven King’s dream. The ending was a blow, but I want more, bring on the sequel!
1. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Xbox 360)
It kind of is a rehash of AC2 but it is so developed story-wise and it has such a huge world that this is not the DLC that the narrow-minded bandy about calling this. Rome is big, there is tons to do, Ezio’s story is completed and the main story is really pushed ahead… there is no better game I played this year end of story.
THE PURCHASE LIST...
1. Army of Two: The 40th Day (Xbox 360)
2. Heavy Rain (PS3)
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Xbox 360)
4. Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)
5. Perfect Dark (Xbox 360)
6. Dante's Inferno (Xbox 360)
7. Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii)
8. Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening (Xbox 360)
9. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (Xbox 360)
10. Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)
11. Skate 3 (Xbox 360)
12. Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360)
13. Trauma Team (Wii)
14. Alan Wake (Xbox 360)
15. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
16. iAssociate 2 (iPhone)
17. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Xbox 360)
18. Metroid Other M (Wii)
19. My Sims Sky Heroes (Xbox 360)
20. Wii Party (Wii)
21. Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii)
22. EA Sports MMA (Xbox 360)
23. Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox 360)
24. Rock Band 3 (Xbox 360)
25. NBA Jam (Xbox 360)
26. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Xbox 360)
27. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
28. Epic Mickey (Wii)
29. Tron Evolution (Xbox 360)
30. Canabalt (iPhone/iPad)
31. Catapult Madness (iPhone/iPad)
32. Rage HD (iPhone/iPad)
33. Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge (iPad)
34. Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner (iPhone/iPad)
35. Jenga HD (iPad)
36. Mirror's Edge™ for iPad (iPad)
37. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, for iPad (iPad)
38. Robot Unicorn Attack HD (iPad)
39. MythBusters HD (iPad)
40. Geared for iPad (iPad)
41. N.O.V.A. - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance HD (iPad)
42. Pinball HD (iPad)
43. SCRABBLE for iPad (iPad)
44. Skee-Ball HD (iPad)
45. Stick Golf HD (iPad)
46. Words With Friends HD (iPad)
47. Zombie Infection HD (iPad)
48. Game Dev Story (iPhone/iPad)
49. ROCK BAND Reloaded HD (iPad)
50. Broken Sword: Director's Cut HD (iPad)
51. Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Remastered (iPhone/iPad)
52. Jeopardy (Wii)
53. Wheel Of Fortune (Wii)
54. Sherlock Homes Versus Jack The Ripper (Xbox 360)
***BOOKS (technically iBooks on my iPad as that is the only way I buy/read)***
[I just started keeping track in November so this list is pretty meager. In addition, this is only for books *released* this year which reduces the list when I catch up on older things.]
THE PURCHASE LIST...
[For reviews go to my Good Reads... http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4722574]
1. "The War For Late Night" Bill Carter
2."Unbearable Lightness" Portia de Rossi
3. "Freakonomics Revised Edition" Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
4. "An Object Of Beauty" Steve Martin
5. "The Sherlockian" Graham Moore
6. "Spider Bones" Kathy Reichs
7. "Virals" Kathy Reichs
8. "Packing For Mars" Mary Roach
9. "The Bedwetter" Sarah Silverman
THE TOP TEN (erm...) FIVE (yeah! That's the ticket!)...
5. "Virals" Kathy Reichs
I love the Bones series and the installment this year was not only good but set in Oahu it set up places I wanted to go on my trip around those parts… this on the other hand is all set in North Carolina and you meant to appeal to the “Twilight” generation… and it works! This book was so interesting and so respectful to the intelligence and tolerance of youth that as an adult I love it too. It was just a well told first tale in what hopefully will be a continuing series in tandem with Bones. So refreshing, like fizzy water for the imagination.
4. "Unbearable Lightness" Portia de Rossi
A great read, it is magic and the “trick” comes subtly over the course of the entire book until the last few pages where you are hit and your way of looking at the world and yourself changes. An amazing read that I think should be mandatory for at least women, but maybe everyone.
3. "Packing For Mars" Mary Roach
All the most mundane and overlooked minutiae of making space travel a reality is explored here. Now you may be telling yourself that logistics pertaining to NASA does not sound like an endlessly captivating subject… but it is!
2. "The Sherlockian" Graham Moore
This honestly could have been my number one. It is so bloody good! The way it blends an Agatha Christie murder/mystery in one timeline with the creator of Sherlock Homes as the protagonist while having a Sherlockian one set in the present is astounding; the fact they coalesce and play so well is all the better.
1. "An Object Of Beauty" Steve Martin
A book of humour and value and worth that encompasses all those things is a rare treat and yet here it is. With authority it takes you though all facets of art collecting and appreciating never dumbing it down but deftly keeping even the cheap seats in this weaving story. A master class on writing women, in appreciation and weariness of, and just a wholly absorbing good time.
***MUSIC***
THE TOP TWELVE...
12. Jewel "Sweet and Mild [Acoustic] / Sweet and Wild"
I got the deluxe set which includes the country album and the entire album as just voice and guitar which really make it just sound like a Jewel album. I dig the country one with its lavish production, but the acoustic version really lets her voice and writing come to the forefront. A wonderfully expressive album and a good one to keep on repeat.
11. JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys "Fidelity!"
A lovely jumble of pop-rock with the smoky sexy cool voice of one Chrissie Hynde holding it all together. This is a warm album that sounds as fun to listen to as it must have been to record,
10. Court Yard Hounds “Court Yard Hounds”
An amazing and amazingly rootsy sounding country record. Forget about that pop they try to call country, this is down home country and it is good! I have no listened to it as much as I would like but I love it so much.
9. Ben Folds "Lonely Avenue"
Ace writer guy Nick Hornby brings some lovely self-contained story lyrics for Ben to play with. There is that which will make you laugh out loud, cry or sometimes both in the same song. This is a classic pop record with some genius pedigree putting it together.
8. Belle & Sebastian "Write About Love"
Twee-pop that knows how to have fun. B&S are the tops when it comes to records that make you want to shake your arse. Taking the album title as a lead to fill this album with choice wordplay inside catchy tunes.
7. She & Him "Volume Two"
That beautiful voice on its own is so lovely it could bring Paul Bunyan to his knees, but the words she writes mixed with the jangly low end guitar of M. Ward is just heaven. Another collection of catchy tunes in the vein of classic 60s lady pop. So fierce and so fun and sometimes a little heartbreaking.
6. Jimmy Eat World “Invented (Deluxe)”
A brilliant album, not my favourite of JEW still is super special. There are many songs on this one that are up there with the best they have ever made. This has a very “Futures” by way of “Clarity” vibe in the production. I like how Jim’s vocals in so many songs are counterbalanced by Courtney Marie Andrews’s vocals.
5. Best Coast "Crazy for You"
My favourite new band, this album is so catchy, so fun, and so good! Sunny sarcastic surf guitar fuzz permeates all the tunes that go from upbeat to somber. At times it is 80s Goth rock and at others Dick Dale, just a great time, a great album that I have been listening regularly to since I got it.
4. Weezer "Hurley (Deluxe)" & "Death To False Metal"
I am just going to lump this into one because as much as I like them both I could not decide between them. This may be the albums I listened to the most this year. Just amazingly catchy power-pop and so much the album for solo car ride sing-a-longs.
3. Kathryn Calder "Are You My Mother?"
This album is so tender and so emotive and so fulfilling to listen to. Her honey-sweet and silky-smooth vocals wrapped in a filigree of instruments, complementary. This is such an exciting album full of twists and turns and it just sounds like a day at the beach running in the sand and surf.
2. Sia "We Are Born"
If you are feeling down this album raises you up. An outrageously good singer/songwriter putting out the dance record you always knew she had in her. She is so amazing live and never has it been captured like it is here. Not a techno album, all the dance beats are live instrumentation so it translate well live but here feels more organic to the booty shaking.
1. Taylor Swift "Speak Now"
Oh man, can this girl not only write a song, the lady can produce it and sing it so sweetly. And the songs that come out of dear Taylor is so catchy and infectious and just really makes you feel whatever mood the song evokes. When she sings "You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter" or "next chapter" or "She's better known for the things that she does/On the mattress/Whoa" you are just taken away. In the car, at home, *anywhere*... this album comes on and my mouth must sing and my body must dance; this is the premiere pop album.
THE PURCHASE LIST...
[No rereleases, soundtracks, etc...]
1. Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"
2. B.o.B "The Adventures Of Bobby Ray (Deluxe Edition)"
3. Belle & Sebastian "Write About Love"
4. Ben Folds "Lonely Avenue"
5. Best Coast "Crazy for You"
6. Court Yard Hounds "Court Yard Hounds"
7. Eels "End Times"
8. Eels "Tomorrow Morning (Deluxe Version)"
9. Flobots "Survival Story"
10. Fran Healy "Wreck order"
11. The Get Up Kids "Simple Science EP"
12. The Hold Steady "Heaven Is Whenever"
13. Interpol "Interpol"
14. Iron Maiden "The Final Frontier"
15. Jewel "Sweet and Mild [Acoustic] / Sweet and Wild"
16. Jimmy Eat World "Invented [Deluxe Edition]"
17. JP, Chrissie And Fairground Boys "Fidelity!"
18. Kathryn Calder "Are You My Mother?"
19. Ke$Ha "Animal"
20. Kele "The Boxer"
21. Lady Antebellum "Need You Now"
22. Mates of State "Crushes (The Covers Mix tape)"
23. Miley Cyrus "Can't Be Tamed (Deluxe)"
24. The New Pornographers "Together"
25. Ra Ra Riot "The Orchard"
26. Rebecca Mayes "The Epic Win"
27. Rebecca Mayes "Songs From the Garage"
28. The Relationship "The Relationship"
29. Rooney "Eureka"
30. The Roots "How I Got Over"
31. She & Him "Volume Two"
32. Taylor Swift "Speak Now"
33. Sia "We Are Born"
34. Vampire Weekend "Contra"
35. Jim Bryson with The Weakerthans "The Falcon Lake Incident"
36. Weezer "Death To False Metal"
37. Weezer "Hurley (Deluxe)"
BONUS:
Top 15 songs of the year (with YouTube link!)...
15. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWWDm9x48ak
Early in the year I remember hearing this pop-country single and thinking two things: 1) This is an amazing song & B) Who would think to make a sad song about a booty call?
14. Jewel “No Good In Goodbye (Acoustic)”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSlQvWCHzck
I love this album and this song but the acoustic version on the deluxe is so much better to me. The sweetness of her voice over the single acoustic guitar is really spectacular.
13. Belle & Sebastian “I Didn’t See It Coming”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UeFaayyw3o
A great kickoff track for a great album. I love the opening line “Make me dance/I want to surrender…” and the way it is stuck in the backing vocals towards the end of the song.
12. Court Yard Hounds “I Miss You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QtTHA3y9b0 (all I could find was a live version)
It could have just as easily been “Skyline” or “The Coast” but this is the one that most gets to me emotionally. I like singing along and feeling my heart break, just a little.
11. Weezer “All My Friends Are Insects”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bGRpoL7vqk
This is one of those songs that is super fun to sing and bob along to while driving in your car. The solo is really rocking too, much more then you would expect in a pop song for kids.
10. She & Him "Ridin' In My Car"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpiI2ab6trU
This song is sunny 60s pop vocals blended with bittersweet honeysuckle harmonies and lyrics of appropriate love lost and longing. This song is like a catchy music time machine.
9. Mates of State "Laura"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxaki3cDdD4
When a song starts with turntables scratches, you know you are in for a good time. This song of distance and regret is more impressive production-wise when you here the grody original.
8. Arcade Fire “Ready To Start”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvokOD-EnMw
Driven forward, faster and faster by a propulsive bass line this song pulls you in quickly and never lets up. A moody tune but never does it lag or sag.
7. Best Coast "I Want To"
http://bit.ly/hY85B4
The first half is a slow burn with an even slower build. Within the music and the way she sings you hear the longing of those oh so simple but oh so precious lyrics. Suddenly you are taken into a speedy surf guitar finale. Tops!
6. The Get Up Kids “Your Petty Pretty Things”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6f0KtkUB2o
It has been six years since any new music came from the Get Up Kids, luckily, the first song on their new EP sounds just like the best you ever knew they could be blended with the new production showing their growth. This song leaves me wanting more like this.
5. Jimmy Eat World “Coffee And Cigarettes”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qmc5lOhcfo
There are so many awesome songs on this album, but this is the one that wins/stands out. A real rocker of a song with the male/female vocal counterpoint that makes up much of this album used to wonderful effect here.
4. Kathryn Calder "Castor And Pollux"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcTvUynMc7o
A really addicting pop song with a rocking lead guitar part and Calder’s amazing and beguiling voice at the forefront. Amazing and upbeat!
3. Sia “Cloud”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAMuTsLKEb4
With a voice like a gale you believe it when she sings “I am a dark cloud/swelling with rain”! I love this song so much but the way she just sings the hell out of it is what keeps me wanting to hear it again and again.
2. Taylor Swift “The Story Of Us”
http://bit.ly/hxW9aY
The way this song keeps it youthful energy while lyrically showing a maturity I have not seen Swift show before. I love her voice and the way she sings it and I love the synth-tinged power-pop production of the track. This song pulls you in from the start; all the way through the “next chapter” until “the end” you are fully entertained. A fist-pumper of an anthem!
1. Weezer “Turning Up The Radio”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmhgVFQTIUA
This song is what I would call “my jam”. There is no song I played more this year. Before it was on the album I listened to a YouTube clip of it on repeat countless times. Something about the way Rivers puts a song together just makes me glow inside and out. I almost chose “Ruling Me” [http://bit.ly/eTZxcT] because that one is just as good as this but I do like this one just a smidge more.
***FILMS***
THE TOP 15...
15. GREENBERG
An uncomfortable film about an uncomfortable and generally unlikeable middle-aged guy kind of falling for a sunny and optimistic younger girl. It sounds like HAPPY GO LUCKY from the driving instructor’s point of view. It kind of is. The laughs are dolorous and honest and you are really interested in what happens to these people. They seem flawed, but so steeped in realism that you just go along with it.
14. TANGLED
I will be honest I did not think this would be as awesome as it was. It is a really magical Disney princess story with sublime visuals and hearty laughs. I cried at the ending and I was left with my mouth agape during the lantern sequence near the climax.
13. EASY A
I really like Emma Stone, she is super hot, but manages to maintain it unassumingly to seem really accessible. I mention this because this role is so perfectly suited to Stone. You buy that she is an awkward teen just as much as you buy her in a sexy corset. The flick is super sweet and really funny. A near-perfect non-raunchy teen “sex”(?) comedy.
12. THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
A film about prestidigitation that is truly magical, the visuals alone were worth the price of admission. The way the actors all gamely sell this fantasy and give it an emotional core and grounding may be the most fabulous trick of all.
11. THE GHOST WRITER
A taut crime thriller that has nothing to do with an old PBS show I grew up loving. This film is well acted, of course, but paced with such precision it is like a master class in film making.
10. NEVER LET ME GO
Never read the book. That said, I loved this film, it blew me away. I loved the acting and the languid pacing made me feel the ennui and sorrow of the lives onscreen. A dark and lovely picture that really makes you think.
9. THE FIGHTER
An interested character piece with big actor’s acting big. This is a good flick until the last half hour when it becomes an *amazing* one. I was so wrapped in the action it was like watching a real fight. I realised I had been holding my breath when the match ended. Captivating stuff.
8. TRUE GRIT
I have a real soft spot for Westerns, I do not know what it is about this genre that gets me so and this is not the place to discuss it. What I will say is that this is an exciting and well acted yet meditative piece of pulp.
7. BLACK SWAN
Dizzying and intoxicating in its pace and tone, you are not an observer but INJECTED into a drive, on the other side of madness, to achieve perfection.
6. WINTER'S BONE
Dark and night and equally frightening, this tale of a girl on a mission sticks with you long after you leave your seat.
5. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
A hero’s tale from the mind of a Canadian slacker youth, this film uses sight and sound to include those of all ages in the anger, silliness and longing of youth. A film that is as thoughtful as it is fun.
4. INCEPTION
An analogue to filmmaking? A dream within a dream (within some more dreams)? Whatever you want to take from it, at its base this is popcorn cinema at its best. Visually arresting, emotionally histrionic and a damn good time at the cinema.
3. TOY STORY 3
The most impressive thing Pixar have achieved is not a technical one but emotional. I am a rock, but within five minutes I was already welling up with tears, things only got worse from there. Once I started crying full on half way through I did not stop until the end when I was blubbering. The film has such verve but it also just touched a nerve just so where all the emotion inside me spilled like a BP reference last summer.
2. BLUE VALENTINE
A love story in alternating time lines to show the sweet beginning and the bitter ending. Perfectly acted and edited to capture truth and humanity in a way only good fiction can. Stunning.
1. THE KING'S SPEECH
The performances are amazing in this! I bought the friendship between these two people so much I was inconsolably crying through the credits and I could not even think about the final text without starting sobbing all over again. An uplifting tale of overcoming the challenges before you and also an intimate tale of friendship and valour. A completely transcendent experience at the cinema and a film worth cheering.
THE VIEWED LIST...
[The * denotes that this was seen in the cinema]
1. Youth In Revolt*
2. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus*
3. The Book of Eli*
4. Extraordinary Measures*
5. Edge of Darkness*
6. Saint John of Las Vegas*
7. Valentine's Day*
8. Shutter Island*
9. The Ghost Writer*
10. Cop Out*
11. Un Prophète*
12. She's Out of My League*
13. The Runaways*
14. Hubble IMAX 3D*
15. How to Train Your Dragon*
16. Date Night*
17. Oceans*
18. Kick-Ass*
19. A Nightmare on Elm Street*
20. The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie
21. Iron Man 2*
22. When In Rome
23. Dear John
24. Green Zone
25. Remember Me
26. Clash Of The Titans (2010)
27. Letters To Juliet
28. MacGruber*
29. Sex And The City 2*
30. Prince Of Persia And The Sands Of Time*
31. Winter's Bone*
32. Toy Story 3*
33. Cyrus*
34. Knight And Day*
35. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse*
36. Grown Ups*
37. Salt*
38. Inception*
39. Despicable Me*
40. Predators*
41. The Kids Are All Right*
42. Dinner for Schmucks*
43. The Other Guys*
44. The Expendables*
45. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World*
46. Eat. Pray. Love.*
47. Piranha 3D*
48. The Last Exorcism*
49. Going The Distance*
50. Machete*
51. Resident Evil: Afterlife*
52. Catfish*
53. The Town*
54. Easy A*
55. The Social Network*
56. You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger*
57. It's Kind Of A Funny Story*
58. Never Let Me Go*
59. Jackass 3D*
60. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest*
61. Tinkerbell And The Great Fairy Rescue
62. Due Date*
63. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1*
64. 127 Hours*
65. The Tourist*
66. Black Swan*
67. The Fighter*
68. Tangled*
69. Tron Legacy IMAX 3D*
70. True Grit*
71. Alice In Wonderland
72. Human Centipede: First Sequence
73. The King's Speech*
74. Greenberg
75. Somewhere*
76. Country Strong*
77. Blue Valentine*
Bonus! My *worst* films of the year!
Bottom 10 (harder than finding a top because I like everything)...
10. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The best of the bunch… is not saying much.
9. Resident Evil: Afterlife
Hmm… same applies here too, this one is not bad, not good enough.
8. Dinner for Schmucks
This is just wasted talent and potential.
7. Kick-Ass
An amusing premise but Nic Cage is only great thing in this okay flick.
6. Knight And Day
I was entertained well enough, but this was so emotionally inert… ugh.
5. Dear John
I watched the beginning and then just read the story on Wikipedia, embarrassingly bad. It is too bad because I am an Amanda fan.
4. Iron Man 2
The first Iron Man was sooo good… so how did this one end up so boring? Well, for one thing they took all the charm and patter between all the game actors and just jammed in extended lifeless CGI sequences.
3. When In Rome
I love Kristen Bell and think she is super winsome and charming but that was not enough to save this laugh less comedy. Everyone in this has done and is capable of better; I have no idea why this was made.
2. Due Date
When I first saw it, I thought it was mildly boring with glaring issues of characterization and justification/motivation… and then, PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES came on television and watching how sweet, funny, and logical it was; it painted the new one in a very negative light. I was already not a fan, but being reminded of how poorly derivative it was did not help.
1. Valentine's Day
A bunch of stories, a lot of them with performers I really enjoy, all kind of just going through the motions spouting off inert lines from an awful soulless script. This is not even bad enough to be good, just a sad exercise and a waste of time.
