Thursday, December 31, 2009

Top movies of 2009

I didn’t get to watch as many movies in 2009 as I have in prior years due to other things taking up my time but here is my list for the top 10 movies of the year. Because movies didn’t affect me the same way music did this year, the explanations will be more brief (for the most part). A couple of the movies were released late in 2008 but since I didn’t see them until this year I included them on my list. Plus as I stated in my top music list, it’s my list and I can put whatever I want on it!

10. Tyson – Trying to find a movie to put in this spot was tough because nothing immediately sprang to mind. I chose this movie because when I saw it, I changed my view about Tyson completely. Whereas before I thought of him as a brute, cold-hearted boxer who made too many mistakes, the movie left me feeling sorry for him. The way it portrays Tyson as someone who’s trusted too many people and been burned too many times for it is sure to change some opinions too.

9. Zombieland – Just as in my music list, zombies have found their way onto this list too. Is there anything in the world cooler than finding awesome new ways to kill zombies? Zombies are one of the greatest things ever invented because you can kill one with zero guilt (unless the zombie happens to be someone close to you that was converted). This movie explores that and more in a comedy about the zombie apocalypse. I’d like to say that Woody Harrelson plays a great part in this movie but the star of the show goes to the celebrity cameo midway through. I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t seen the movie but check it out and you’ll know exactly who I’m talking about.

8. Inglorious Basterds – I’ve always enjoyed Quentin Tarantino movies and westerns. When I heard that he was making a WWII flick with a spaghetti-western flair, I knew I had to see it. Throw in Brad Pitt with a southern accent and I was hooked. I saw this film on opening day and it was a blast. The character development is impressive and the dialogue that Tarantino is known for in his movies is clearly present. I like everything about this movie from the soundtrack to the over-the-top violence (especially in the final scene).

7. Up – My 2nd annual list and Pixar finds itself on here once again. Pixar has captured the art of making you feel for little animated creations. Although not on the level of last year’s Wall-E, this movie still pulls at your heart strings. And even though I thought it was par for the course for Pixar, it’s still heads and shoulders above most animated movies out there. I thought the movie peaked too early and everything that came after just wasn’t as satisfying to me as they tried to make it. Still a good movie and Pixar once again scores with a hit.

6. Avatar – Without a doubt, this is the best-looking movie I’ve ever seen. You know something special is happening when the special effects and 3-D integration don’t stand out because they feel so natural. This movie does a good job of immersing you in the Avatar world and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t watch it in 3-D while you still have a chance. The story is good but it doesn’t particularly stand out in any way. It probably wouldn’t make my list if it weren’t for the gorgeous special effects, which says a lot of how beautiful this movie is.

5. The Wrestler – Another movie that was released late in 2008, I didn’t get to watch it until earlier this year. It’s a heart wrenching story that I really enjoyed. It brought back memories of the days when I watched wrestling. Even the circumstances that I watched the movie under were somewhat depressing as you can see in my full movie review here (with a bonus beer review!).

4. Watchmen – As a long time fan of the graphic novel, I was a bit skeptical when I heard that it was being translated to film. That reservation was quickly put to rest when I saw the first trailer for the movie. I still remember it clearly as it accompanied last year’s movie of the year: The Dark Knight. While not an entirely faithful adaptation of the graphic novel, this movie stands well on its own and, like many books that are brought to film, I think you might be let down if you’ve read the graphic novel first. That still doesn’t take away from the coolness of this movie. As a nerd, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include one comic book movie on my list.

3. District 9 – I was late to the District 9 party as I barely saw this movie on Christmas Eve and I immediately regretted not seeing it in theaters because this is a remarkable movie. With a premise unlike anything I’ve seen, it’s an alien movie that touches on several topics that extend beyond of sci-fi films. The growth and character development of the protagonist is top-notch and the filmmakers even managed to make you feel sympathy for the insect-looking aliens. A really solid movie.

2. The Hangover – Hands down the funniest movie I’ve seen all year. This movie hits home if you’ve ever had one of those nights where you’re sure some crazy shit went down but you can’t remember exactly what happened because of too much alcohol. This movie makes you want to go to Vegas with your friends and takeover. It’s something I’m glad will be happening in the coming months. Also, I believe Mike Tyson is the only actor to make another appearance in my list so kudos to him!

1. Slumdog Millionaire – Technically released in late 2008, this film didn’t get a widespread release until early 2009 so it makes my list because that is when I saw it. I won’t say much about the move here because I wrote a review on it when I first saw it that you can read here.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Top 10 Songs of 2009

Top 10 songs of 2009

2009 was the year that I “discovered” music. I’ve always been a fan of good music. I bought an Ipod a couple years back so that I could listen exclusively to music I liked without the filler you find on the radio. Classic rock was, and still is, my music genre of choice and when the only good radio station in town went off the air, I listened almost exclusively to my Ipod because the popular music that I heard everywhere else didn’t work for me. Because of this, my music library grew stagnant over time and I lacked the motivation to discover anything new, mainly because I didn’t know where to start. Little did I know that this year would turn out to be one of discovery for me on so many different levels. Musically, that was helped along most by Mark. He introduced me to a world of music I had never been exposed to before. I am in debt to him for this. Below is a list of my top ten songs of 2009 along with a brief explanation on why I enjoyed the song so much. Not everything on the list may have been released in 2009 but it is fairly recent and was new to me this year. Besides, it’s my list and I can put whatever I want on it. Enjoy!

10. Unparallel Rabbits – Gavin Castleton. I’ll start this list much like my year began, on a down note. This is a great song and is unique among the other songs on this list in that it is a pretty depressing song and tough for me to listen to even now. Let me give you a little bit of background: Gavin Castleton’s Home album was written after he broke up with his girlfriend of 6 years and details every step in their relationship from falling in love to falling out of love. The album starts out as a solid pop album that wouldn’t normally stand out from other god stuff out there but the second half of the album is what really makes this a stellar release because his everyday life takes a turn for the worst when his relationship problems become personified as zombies. The story then becomes a survival story as him and his girl continually run from the zombie invasion, with no place to settle down. It’s at this point that the album becomes very symbolic and the metaphors he uses are top notch. This song is the point in the story where his girlfriend leaves him for good. The reason this song makes the list is because I was stunned the first time I heard it because of how it was the exact same situation I went through. Some of the exchanges in this song actually happened between me and my ex almost word for word. I’m moved even now when I listen to it and feel incomplete if I listen to this song and don’t finish the album. Of course this song wouldn’t be as great as it is without getting to the ending of his story which is a song you’ll find later in this list.

Memorable lyric – There is no greater pain than the misaligned break./The varied healing tempos of the giver and the take./ When you can’t syncopate your process with the one who leaves./You focus less on your direction and more on your speed./ I see blood and gore/And love turned war./You wanna see for yourself./Baby, what for? What for?

9. Country – Empire of the Sun. Now we get to the fun stuff. The following songs on the list all remind me of the time of my life I had this year. It was tough choosing a song from Empire of the Sun’s album to put in this spot because all their songs are great. That’s evidence of how incredible their album is. Nearly every song on there is fantastic but I’m grooving to this one the most at the moment so it’s the one that makes my list. The only song on the list without lyrics, listening to it relaxes me and reminds me of taking a drive through the country. Hearing to this song on my solo drive back from Austin this year while I took in breathtaking view after view was a peaceful and tranquil memory.

8. 1901 – Phoenix. Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart album starts with a string of infectious songs and it was difficult to choose which one to place on my list. I decided to go with this one because it’s just a great, fun song to listen to. Phoenix has become one of my go-to bands when I’m in a good mood. I listen to this song and my love for life gets magnified.

7. Sunshine – Atmosphere. Who hasn’t woken up hungover and feeling like shit the day after an awesome party? This song takes that feeling and turns it into something wonderful. It radiates good vibes and takes that feeling and turns it into something wonderful. From the moment you hear that beat, you’ll be nodding your head as Atmosphere takes you through a perfect day. Great song to bump while you’re driving on a weekend morning/afternoon after a terrific night.

Memorable lyric –Everyday that gets to pass is a success/And every woman looks better in a sun dress./The sunshine's an excuse to shoot hoops, get juice/Show improve their moves and let loose.

6. Girlfriend – Phoenix. Another fun song from Phoenix. I can’t put my reason for liking this song so much into words but I just really enjoy it. It’s very catchy and will stay stuck in your head for awhile after you listen to it.

Memorable lyric – Well, you’re far from home,/I’m with you now/I’m lonely/I’m loneliness too./Boy the miracles still give fortune tears.

5. The Reeling – Passion Pit. When I looked at my completed list, I was surprised to see this song this far down. That can only mean that this year was an amazing year for music to me. This is another song that lifts your spirits. I hear it and it just makes me smile and I start bob my head to the beat. It is well composed with really awesome lyrics. The words to the song also tell the story of my transition this year.

Memorable lyric – Look at me, oh look at me/Is this the way I’ve always been?/Oh no, oh no.

4. Electric Feel – MGMT. This is the band triggered the change for me to expand my musical horizons. After listening to a couple of their songs, I fell in love with the carefree and rebellious attitude they promoted. My whole philosophy of living and loving life was derived from this album. This song was playing in the background the night Summer of Paul started. It was during an epic swimming party that produced too many unforgettable memories to count: intense b-ball playing between T and N, swimming in calzones, swimming without calzones, balancing a sucia in the water like a basketball on a finger, roof jumping, dark pool matter, and toilet paper mummy. It was one of the top nights of my life and is still frequently talked about. You could’ve made a music video of that night to this song.

Memorable lyric – Saw her in the Amazon/With voltage running through her skin./Standing there with nothing on/She’s gonna teach me how to swim.

3. Walking on a Dream – Empire of the Sun. While other songs on this list helped me get to the point where I opened my mind and started to enjoy life, I came across this one in the prime of the Summer of Paul. I loved this song the first time I heard it and it’s not hard to see why. The lyrics of this song pretty much sum up the idea behind the Summer of Paul, much like Passion Pit’s “The Reeling.” As Mark and Nick said several times when they first heard this song, they wish it lasted longer. And when you boil it down, there really is no better compliment to give to a song than to say you don’t want it to end. This is another song where words can’t describe how much I like it so just give it a listen and you’ll see why.

Memorable lyric – We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it./Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it./On and on and on we are calling out and out again/Never looking down I'm just in awe of what's in front of me.

2. Time to Pretend – MGMT. While “Electric Feel” by MGMT was playing the night the Summer of Paul kicked off, this is the song that set the stage for it and got me in the right frame of mind to change the way I’d been doing things my whole life. It’s not a very complicated song lyrically but the idea behind it is what had a huge effect on me. This is a song that you will be humming all day after just a couple of listens. Besides the song at number 1, I haven’t encountered a song that triggered such a big change in my view of the world.

Memorable lyric – This is our decision, to live fast and die young./We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun!

1. The Human Torch – Gavin Castleton. We’ll end the list with the same album and artist as we started it. As I stated before, I started 2009 in fairly bad shape. Still reeling from my recent breakup and failed attempts at reconciling, I was struggling to get life back into focus and I couldn’t have come across this album at a better time. While incredible on its own, this song works best when listened to with the whole album, especially the 4 songs preceding it beginning with “Unparallel Rabbits”. The reason is that you see him losing his grip on his life to that point. He regresses into a bad mental state as his life comes crashing down around him only to finally redeem himself after getting another chance to finish his story the right way. I’ve never listened to anything so personal to me in my life before this. I felt as if I was singing the songs myself. Gavin wrote this album as a way to cope and move on from the pain of his own breakup and this song details his victory over the struggles he went through. The song details how he rediscovered his passion in life and his passion for life. The same thing happened to me. This was my “gentle, perfect soundtrack” that made everything start to make sense. I realized that I needed to focus on the good aspects in my life and when I started looking, I found plenty. This album helped my feet get a grip on the floor and start to move in the right direction again. Definitely check it out. You can stream it for free on Gavin Castleton’s website here.

Memorable lyric – I was about to turn to something drastic/when I found my backroom music./With a gentle perfect soundtrack/everything starts to make sense.

Honorable mention: The Consensual Spot - Mr. Nicotron, Jazzhole–Free the Robots, Burial–Miike Snow, Sleepyhead–Passion Pit