Movies (Top 10) | Albums (Top 10) | Albums (honorable mentions) | TV Shows (Top 10) | Books
Previous Lists: 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
|
10: Superbad |
The
high school experience I might have had if I had been remotely cool. |
|
Russell
Crowe is over-rated, Denzel
Washington is under-rated. |
|
|
8: Transformers |
What’s not
to like about giant robots throwing each other into buildings? |
|
7: 3:10 to Yuma |
I just
realized there are two “westerns” and two Christian Bale movies in my Top 10
list this year. Coincidence or fate? |
|
I love politics
but I tend to hate political movies.
Maybe it just took Tom Hanks (solid), Phillip Seymour Haufman (hilarious), and Julia Roberts (gorgeous) to
change my mind. |
|
|
5: Juno |
A chick
flick with a brain? Ellen Page makes my list two
years in a row. |
|
4: Rescue Dawn |
Boldly
simple and unique. A true
character-driven |
|
While
some directors are merely engineers, Wes Anderson is an artist. Again, his charm and unmistakable style
work together to create a beautiful, sad, but hopeful gem of a film. |
|
|
When my
brother and I were little, we used to love building card houses because of the
tension each subsequent card would produce.
Watching There Will Be Blood felt a lot like building those card
houses. Every moment in the film felt
like the whole thing was going to collapse upon itself until the final scene
in which Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Fairplay
proclaims “I’m finished!” |
|
|
Joel
and Ethan Coen have never made a bad film, but this
one represents a new pinnacle in their careers. Engaging, frightening, brutal, and
flawless. Javier Bardem
takes his place among the greatest villains of film. |
|
|
Blue-eyed soul laced with unforgettable hooks. Spoon deserve
every good word said about them this year. |
|
|
Two harmonic
vocals lines weave their way through cacophonic, choppy, noisy, and complex
arrangements. Not a casual listen, but perfect for those deeper moods. |
|
|
Greg,
Mr. Brett, and their crew are as intense, angry, and polished as ever. Some would say that Bad Religion sound the
same as they always have, and I would say that is a good thing. |
|
|
There are
one and a half songs I would toss from this record, but other than that,
“Time on Earth” sparkles, shines, and ushers in a new Crowded House era. |
|
|
I have
always been a fan of “The Boss,” but with a few exceptions, I haven’t been
terribly excited about his music since the 80’s. That all changed with the opening track of
“Magic.” |
|
|
5) Band
of Horses – “Cease to Begin” |
Band of
Horses took a while to grow on me but once I caught the vibe of “Cease to
Begin,” I couldn’t stop playing it.
Fresh, familiar, and gloriously catchy. |
|
Experimental
Guitarist Nels Cline has finally found his place
next to Jeff Tweedy in the Wilco lineup. The two work together in an organic,
symbiotic way and underscore the melancholy of this record with a raw,
unaffected, but unique guitar sound. |
|
|
The
darkness returns and I couldn’t be happier.
The band sounds bigger and deeper than on their previous two albums
and have the clout of a major label behind them, for what that’s worth. |
|
|
Although
I can’t understand what the “haters” don’t like about Against Me!, I do love spreading the word about how excellent this
record is. Together with “Nevermind” producer Butch Vig,
the band has put together the best hard-rock/punk/whatever record of the
year, with few others even within sight.
|
|
|
I love
when bands show up out of nowhere and blow me away. Thanks to Chris for pointing me to The National
and for convincing me to catch their show when they played on the same night
as Wilco.
Best concert of the year. Best
album of the year. Keep an eye and two ears on these guys. |
|
|
Tracey Thorn – “Out of
the Woods” |
Rilo Kiley – “Under the Black
Light” |
|
Iron and Wine – “The
Shepherd’s Dog” |
Lily
Allen – “Alright, Still” |
|
M.I.A.
– “Kala” |
Burial
– “Untrue” |
|
Rogue
Wave – “Asleep at Heaven’s Gate” |
|
|
|
|
|
1) The
Office |
2) Lost |
|
3) The
Sopranos |
4)
Heroes |
|
5) The Soup |
6) Dexter |
|
7) Entourage |
8)
Weeds |
|
9) Ninja Warrior |
10) Kid Nation |
|
1) The Road – Cormac
McCarthy |
2) No Country for Old Men – Cormac McCarthy |
|
3) 2012 – Daniel Pinchbeck |
4) Scar Tissue – Anthony Kiedis |
|
5) God is Not Great – Christopher Hitchens |
6) I’m
a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski
– Bill Green, etc. |
|
7) Into the Wild – John Krakauer |
8) Blood |
|
9) Where God Was Born – Bruce Feiler |
10) You Suck – Christopher Moore |