Movies (Top 10) | Movies (11-30) | Albums (Top 10) | Albums (11-30) | Singles (Top 15) | Live Performance (Top 5)
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10: Collateral |
Magnolia
convinced me that Tom Cruise was a legitimate actor and I have been a pretty
big fan ever since. Jamie Foxx on the
other hand, had yet to really impress me.
I've always found him to be mildly amusing in small doses, but this
film sold me on his chops as an actor. Collateral has a fun pace, convincing
dialogue, kinetic action, and a nice amount of tension leading up to a cool
ending. Cruise as the bad guy and Foxx
as the "straight guy" really made for some believable
chemistry. |
|
9: I Heart Huckabees |
I've been through an existential crisis of my own
this year, so in a way, I could relate to the bizarre journey the two main
characters embark upon in this movie. Alot of people found Huckabees to be too confusing,
but I felt like I kept up pretty well!
Mark Wahlburg and Jason Schwartzman bounce
around the scenes with energy and passion while staying close to the heart of
the picture. Like several of the films
on my list this year, the characters ARE the film. The story is negligible but it doesn't matter
all that much. The characters and the dialogue
keep things moving and keep you engaged in the world and the vibe. |
|
8: The Motorcycle Diaries |
As one of two bio-pics
on my list this year, The Motorcycle
Diaries was the more personal of the two.
Watching this film felt like I was participating in the journey rather
than merely observing it. The film is
inspiring, sad, melancholy and beautiful.
It is epic without being boisterous, in fact
the quietness of the film adds another layer to a very rich composition. The key to a good bio-pic
is to make the audience relate to the main character, without feeling
overwhelmed by the author's particular point-of-view. The director could have chosen a
heavy-handed rendering of Che Guevara, but instead,
he presents him in simplistic, subdued tones that allow the viewer room to
appreciate the journey and the man. |
|
7: Hero |
It's really hard not to be overwhelmed by this
film and it took me two viewings to really absorb the full story without
being completely mezmerized to the point of
distraction by the endless swirls of color, action, and beauty of the scenes
individually. When I was able to step
back and view it as a whole, it became a truly moving experience. Hero
combines intelligent, bombastic production, genius art direction, stunning choreography with enough swords, arrows, spears,
and kung-fu to satisfy even the most jaded martial-arts film enthusiast. This
is a legitimate masterpiece. |
|
6: Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind |
It's easy to write off Jim Carrey as a slapstick
icon but this film showcases the true depth and heart behind the man who, without
the aid of his comedic masks, is a talented and charming actor. The subject matter of Eternal really got to me... would I erase the past if I
could? What about certain days?
Weeks? Years? I tend to like my comedies dark and this
one actually has plenty more "dark" than "comedy" in fact
it's really not that funny at all.
Maybe "Dark Romance" is a better description. Either way, I related to
many of the characters and I bought into their dilemmas. I'm looking forward to seeing this film
many times over in years to come. |
|
5: Ray |
Up until I saw this movie, I had maintained a
casual appreciation of Ray Charles as a musical icon and a talented musician.
If asked though, I could not really
explain his significance in terms of the ways in which he changed music and
the music industry. Ray starts from the beginning and
paints a vibrant portrait of the man, his life and his accomplishments,
particularly in how he combined a variety of musical genres to make something
unique and revolutionary. Jamie Foxx
plays Charles as a troubled genius, but not to the point of clichι. His forthcoming oscar
will be well-earned. |
|
4: Primer |
Watching Primer is the mental equivalent of a grueling two-hour aerobic workout at the gym. After seeing it twice, I still have numerous unanswered questions and lines of thought that haven't quite worked themselves out in a nice, neat fashion. Now fortunately, director/writer Shane Caruth has stated in numerous interviews that there really are no "loose ends" in the film, and that if you pay close attention, it all makes sense in the end. This is high-concept/low-budget masterful film-making. In a cinematic world in which every film is a carbon-copy of another film or worse yet, a TV show, it is amazingly refreshing to find a film that makes its own rules and truly challenges the viewer to figure them out, rather than merely walking them through familiar steps to a boring and obvious conclusion. |
|
3: |
This
was the year of character-driven films and |
|
2: Kill Bill Volume 2 |
Last year, Kill Bill Volume 1 made my number 3 spot, this year, the second half of the Kill Bill tale takes the number two position. Why the jump in positions? Well to put it simply, KB2 is just a better film. While not as action-driven as the first one, it ratchets up the drama and tension a few notches with some truly creative storytelling on the part of Quentin Tarrantino and some truly dynamic acting on the part of Uma Thurman. David Carradine steps in to provide a face for the mysterious Bill and nearly manages to steal the whole thing out from under Tarrantino and Thurman. As in KB1, the fights are fast, hard-hitting and beautiful, but the heart of this film lies in the quiet moments of dialogue in which the characters parry and dodge with words instead of swords. The ending is jarring yet strangely satisfying with Thurman's Beatrix Kiddo finding peace and "bloody satisfaction" after a long, harrowing, journey of self-discovery via sweet revenge. |
|
1: Napoleon Dynamite |
Instead
of writing a review of Napoleon
Dynamite, I'd almost rather just post a video clip showing the first
scene from the film. That would sum up
the whole thing for me better than ten paragraphs of review. If you have ever felt like a geek, dork, spaz, dweebie or "flippin IDIOT" then you will have no problem
"getting" this film. The
people I've met who haven't liked it, seem to be the
ones who were the "cool kids" in school... Napoleon's nemeses in
the movie. This movie charmed and
entertained me from the first frame of the opening credits to the last scene
after the closing credits, with every scene in-between providing something to
laugh out loud at or at least grin about knowingly. Like another of my favorite films, The Big Lebowski,
this one just gets funnier upon repeat viewings and those who love it like I
do will be quoting lines from it for years to come. The film-makers Jared and Jerusha Hess have struck gold with this simple film about
not fitting in but not really caring that you don't. The key is accessibility. We've been there. We know what it feels like. We are the proud geeks and Napoleon is our
hero. Bravo. |
|
11) The Incredibles |
12) The
Passion Of The Christ |
|
13) Spider-man
2 |
14) What
the %^&* do We Know? |
|
15) Coffee
And Cigarettes |
16) Super
Size Me |
|
17) Blade:
Trinity |
18) The
Cooler |
|
19) Maria
Full Of Grace |
22) The Ladykillers |
|
23) The
Butterfly Effect |
24) Saw |
|
25) The
Village |
26) Dawn
Of The Dead |
|
27) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story |
28) Starsky And Hutch |
|
29) I,
Robot |
30) |
|
10) Kanye
West "College Dropout" |
I
haven't had a hip-hop album on any of my top-10 lists over the last few years,
but this one is special. I picked up
this record after hearing a year's worth of praise for producer-turned-rapper
Kanye West and his platinum debut. Now West IS a good rapper no doubt, but
what makes this record click with me are the fantastic hooks in almost every
single song. From smooth Spanish
guitars, to soulful chanting, to "minnie
mouse" female vocals, each song has something to love. Classic records need songs that force you
to remember them with fondness. Songs
like "Jesus Walks" and "Spaceship" dare you walk away
without humming them as you go. |
|
9)
Brian Wilson "Smile" |
About
five years ago I saw Brian Wilson on Letterman or some talk show and he was
looking ROUGH! I mean he couldn't even
remember the words to "California Girls" and it looked like he was
having a hard time standing up to finish the song. I wasn't too enthusiastic when I heard he
was coming out with a new album until I heard the actual story behind it. Thirty years in the making,
"Smile" is |
|
8)
Interpol "Antics" |
There
is a kind of darkness to Interpol's music that some people have a really hard
time with... not so much in the lyrics or subject matter, but more in the
overall "moody-ness" of the music itself. I think darkness can be terribly beautiful
and actually quite inspiring, as is the case with "Antics." The guitars have a sad, rhythmic feel and
the rest of the band follows suit. On
this record, Interpol works its way through dreamy, textured tunes that feel
like |
|
7) Elliot Smith
"From a Basement on a Hill" |
It's
always bittersweet for me to discover a great artist after they have
died. Elliot Smith's final record
appears on many "Best of 2004" lists not because it is his last
record, but because it is a touching and intimate swan-song from a very
troubled and talented musician. When
listening to this record, I would advise skipping track 1 as it really feels
out of place on the album. The rest of
the record, however, showcases Smith's guitar prowess, lyrical creativity and
vocal melancholia. I don't listen to
Smith to be inspired or enlightened, just to find a "beautiful place to
get lost" on a rainy day. |
|
6) Secret Machines
"Now Here is Nowhere" |
Jeez,
how many times do I have to say this? |
|
5) The Streets
"A Grand Don't Come for Free" |
Mike Skinner
is an enigma to me. How does a guy so
neurotic dig up the wherewithal to come up with such a fantastic
"concept album" like this?
It's based on an average week in his life but we ALL have average
weeks right? Where are OUR concept
albums? Why do I find his story so interesting? (I ask myself the same question about my
boy Stone's blog... why do I find it so
intriguing?) I mean the events
described on the record are by no means "high drama" but they are
conveyed with such skill and understated passion that I find myself getting
lost in the "content and deliverance." The "relationship" songs
"Could Well be In," and "Dry Your Eyes" and genuinely moving.
Skinner has more soul on one album than on all of 50 Cent and Eminem's records combined... and with none of the bling. |
|
4) Morrissey
"You are the Quarry" |
Ahhh yes... another enigma:
Morrissey, the King of "mope-rock" puts out an album 20+
years into his career that goes on the sell more than all of his previous
ones put-together! I salute you |
|
3) Wilco
"A Ghost is Born" |
I have
a hard time explaining how much this band means to me. There is something in all of Jeff Tweedy's songs that bypass my brain, turn left at my
heart, and go right to my soul. He's
not all that great of a singer but neither is Bob Dylan, and neither was Kurt
Cobain. Tweedy, like so many greats
before him, writes songs that connect with people. Wilco connects
with me. This record is certainly not
for everyone. In fact most people who
define their musical tastes by saying they like "everything!" will
probably not make it past the first cut. Those however who like their music deep and
dark around the edges will find in Wilco, and in
this album, a beauty found in few corners of the wasteland that is 21st
century music. Stick me on an island
with a Wilco box-set and I'll live out the rest of
my days a happy musical camper. |
|
2) Franz Ferdinand
(Self-Titled) |
Ok,
glancing back over my Top 10 list I notice a glaring omission of something
that is desperately needed in music today... joy! Remember joy? Remember when music was fun? You may have to go back as far as say 1985
to find it but there was a time when rockers knew how to have a good time and
bring the listener straight the party.
Enter 2004 and Franz Ferdinand... a bunch of thin-tie-wearing Scots
with a record that revives the downstroke riff and
the pogo. It's been a pretty gloomy
year for me and my list reflects that, but this album really makes me
happy. I can't listen to or sing a
song like "The Dark of the Matinee," "This Fire," or
"Take Me Out" without smiling.
I want to smile more in 2005... maybe another
Franz record will help. |
|
1) U2 "How to
Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" |
Sucks
to be any band on my list in a year that U2 release a new album. With me you can pretty much just give them the
top spot by default. Ok look... saying
that you don't like U2 because they are mainstream
is like saying you don't like NFL football because it's too mainstream or
chocolate chip cookies because they're too mainstream. It's a retarded argument. U2 are far beyond mainstream, they are an
institution. I don't think the
"rules" of indie purists or
too-cool-for-you musical snobs should apply to them. I mean I'm as guilty as anyone of shunning
music that appeals to the masses, but please... this is U-friggin-2! They are the best band ever. This album lives up to the title. Every song captures, moves, and inspires
me. As I mentioned, this was a really
dark year for me... a year full of self-doubt and introspection... the band's
newest offering came along at the perfect time for me (As did their last
record). It has helped heal me. The
Edge's riffs harken back to the days when
guitarists used more than the top two strings...while Bono's
lyrics and vocals break my heart and gently piece it back together. I humbly bow to the greatness that is
U2. |
|
11) Scissor Sisters
(Self-Titled) |
12)
Beta Band "Heroes to Zeroes" |
|
13) Muse
"Absolution" |
14)
Snow Patrol "Final Straw" |
|
15) Zero 7 "When
it Falls" |
16)
Keane "Hopes and Fears" |
|
17) TV
on the Radio "Bloodthirsty Babes, Desperate Youth" |
18)
Beastie Boys "To The Five Burroughs" |
|
19) Dizzee
Rascal "Showtime" |
20) The
Chemistry Set (Self-Titled) |
|
21) The
Killers "Hot Fuss" |
22) |
|
23) Midlake
"Bamnan and Slivercork" |
24)
Modest Mouse "Good News for People Who Like Bad News" |
|
25)
Loretta Lynn "Van Lear Rose" |
26) Flickerstick "Tarantula" |
|
27) The Futureheads (Self-Titled) |
28) The
|
|
29) Sarah MacLachlan "Afterglow: Live" |
30)
Delays "Faded |
|
1) "Sometimes
You Can't Make it on Your Own" - U2 |
2) "Take Me Out" Franz Ferdinand |
|
3) "Such
|
4) "Irish
Blood / English Heart" Morissey |
|
5)
"Mass Destruction" - Faithless |
6) "Take
Your Mama Out" Scissor Sisters |
|
7) "Twilight"
Elliot Smith |
8) "99
Problems" - Jay Z |
|
9) " |
10) "Check
it Out" Beastie Boys |
|
11)
"Handshake Drugs" - Wilco |
12)
"Jesus Walks" Kanye West |
|
13)
"Run" Snow Patrol |
14)
"Nowhere Again" Secret Machines |
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15)
" |
|
|
1)
Beastie Boys |
2) Wilco |
|
3) Dick
Dale |
4)
Franz Ferdinand/ Delays/Futureheads |
|
5) Prince |
|