Favorite Movies 2009
10. Grey Gardens (1975)
Little Edie: This is the best thing to wear for today, you understand. Because I don't like women in skirts and the best thing is to wear pantyhose or some pants under a short skirt, I think. Then you have the pants under the skirt and then you can pull the stockings up over the pants underneath the skirt. And you can always take off the skirt and use it as a cape. So I think this is the best costume for today.
I checked the original documentary out in preparation for watching the HBO movie with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. While that was a very good adaptation and I enjoyed it, nothing can quite compare to the real thing. Like a truly grisly train wreck, you just cannot look away from these two women, the house, the cats, the corn cooked on a hot plate while still in bed, the raccoon in the attic, the walls falling down around them.
9. In Bruges (2008)
Ray: Ken, I grew up in Dublin. I love Dublin. If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me but I didn't, so it doesn't.
Hilarious. Dark, filthy, and surprisingly affecting, but still hilarious. This movie was robbed last year as far as big, shiny awards go.
8. Death at a Funeral (2007)
Robert: What are you doing in my dad's coffin?!
Seriously, when Alan Tudyk's character starts feeling the drugs in his system, I laughed so hard I had to lie down, and then I missed most of the next few minutes, and my throat hurt, and I had to blow my nose, and I'm not sure, but I may have peed myself a little.
7. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Father Moore: Do not ask it any questions or pay any attention to what it says.
Jason: It?
Father Moore: We won't be dealing with Emily tonight.
I watched this movie for Jennifer Carpenter. I was really worried, because I've still never finished The Exorcist and demonic possession gives me the jeebly-weeblies, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. There's certainly some scary bits, but this was more a compelling court drama than anything else, and it was really nice to see a movie that centered on two women and both were intelligent, interesting characters whose stories had nothing to do with boys. Really outstanding performances all around, but especially from Laura Linney, who elevated the movie to another level.
6. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Just watch the trailer.
This movie made me sob like a little girl. Which, some people might say, how does that end up being one of your favorite movies? What can I say, anything that can affect me like that is a job well done, and I'm a sucker for catharsis.
5. Let The Right One In (2008)
Oskar: Are you really twelve?
Eli: Yes. It's just I've been twelve for a very long time.
Beautiful movie. Beautiful. I'd read so much hype about this before I finally saw it - "Best vampire movie ever! Will change the horror genre!" - that I was sure I would be let down, but I wasn't. Hypnotic and compelling from start to finish.
4. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Irene Adler: Why are you always so suspicious?
Sherlock Holmes: Should I answer chronologically or alphabetically?
When I was a little girl, I watched Jeremy Brett play Sherlock Holmes on PBS. He was dashing, witty, smart. I fell in love. When I heard that Guy Ritchie was making this movie, I thought, "That's absurd." When I heard that Robert Downey Jr. was going to play Holmes, I thought, "I love RDJ but that's absurd!" When I saw the trailer I thought, "That looks like fun but IT'S STILL ABSURD." I don't claim to be any SH expert - I still haven't read any of the books or stories other than "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" - I still had definite Ideas about what a Sherlock Holmes movie should be.
It's a good thing I'm adaptable.
3. Star Trek (2009)
Spock Prime: Space - the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Yay Star Trek yay!
2. Doubt (2008)
Father Brendan Flynn: You have no right to act on your own! You have taken vows, obedience being one! You answer to us! You have no right to step outside the church!
Sister Aloysius Beauvier: I will step outside the church if that's what needs to be done, till the door should shut behind me! I will do what needs to be done, though I'm damned to Hell! You should understand that, or you will mistake me.
If this were a Best Movies I Saw in 2009 list, this would be number one. If this were a Best Movies I saw in My Life list, this would probably be on it. Just a flawless piece of filmmaking; there aren't any car crashes or explosions or chase scenes or anything else to artificially build the tension, and yet at the end it's hard to breathe. Stellar performances across the board, a great score by Howard Shore, and gorgeous cinematography by Roger Deakins.
1. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz: Say goodbye to your Nazi balls.
God, how Laura and I love this movie.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Favorite Books of 2009
5. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Stephen King
"The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted."
A nine-year-old girl out for a hike with her mother and older brother falls behind, then decides to veer off the trail to catch up with them more quickly; she ends up lost and alone in the wilderness, and must rely on her own wits to survive. It's bad enough that she's running out of food and water, but now there seems to be something following her... Both a great character study (although her internal monologue is a teensy bit precocious) and some gripping psychological horror, one of my favorite King reads from recent years.
4. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
"It has been my privilege to see the best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls."
I read this book only after I had watched movie, which I also heartily recommend; both stand on their own, however. Stevens is a butler. This is not just his profession, but instead the word that encompasses all that he is and, more importantly, all that he wishes to be for most of his 30 year career. Stevens finds himself ruminating on that career and whether it was as rewarding as he had thought, especially considering the awkward and indefinable relationship with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton. Of all the books I read this year, without a doubt the most lovely language of them all.
3. Hotel Transylvania, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
"Saint-Germain was there...a quite mysterious gentleman who arrived in Paris only last May...Rameau congratulated him on his work and commented that he had once met a musical man like quite like him in appearance, but that had been a long time ago, in 1701 or 1702, and the man he had seen was then about fifty, whereas this man is no more than forty-five."
The first in a series of books about the vampire Saint-Germain. It seems that vampire/mortal women romances are the hot thing recently, but there's a lot else to recommend about these books. First of all, Yarbro does some serious research, and it shows. Her female characters are smart, assertive and independent. And Saint-Germain himself is a fascinating character, a vampire who doesn't kill to survive and is noble in his own way, but doesn't whine and emo all the time. Plus, you can't go wrong with a book about a vampire battling an evil satanic cult.
2. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
"Perfect obedience produces perfect faith."
This book does three things. It provides a history of the foundation of the Mormon church, how the outlawing of polygamy led to the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and the story of two FLDS brothers who murdered their sister-in-law and her infant child because they believed God had commanded them to. I picked this book up because I was interested in learning more about polygamy because of Big Love, and boy, did I ever. This was an enthralling book from start to finish.
1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke
"Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians."
But these magicians were theoretical magicians, who merely studied the old spells; no one had performed practical magic in centuries. Not, that is, until Mr Norrell made his presence known: stuffy, insecure, pedantic, nonetheless he was able to conjure real magic. He takes Jonathan Strange as his student, and the two restore England to a world of fairy roads and realms, use magic in the war against Napoleon's France, and find themselves on the trail of the last great magician, John Uskglass, the legendary Raven King. This is a wonderful book - engrossing, detailed, humorous, lyrical. Laura and I own three copies between us, and we both lament the fact that there isn't more book out there for us to read.
5. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Stephen King
"The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted."
A nine-year-old girl out for a hike with her mother and older brother falls behind, then decides to veer off the trail to catch up with them more quickly; she ends up lost and alone in the wilderness, and must rely on her own wits to survive. It's bad enough that she's running out of food and water, but now there seems to be something following her... Both a great character study (although her internal monologue is a teensy bit precocious) and some gripping psychological horror, one of my favorite King reads from recent years.
4. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
"It has been my privilege to see the best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls."
I read this book only after I had watched movie, which I also heartily recommend; both stand on their own, however. Stevens is a butler. This is not just his profession, but instead the word that encompasses all that he is and, more importantly, all that he wishes to be for most of his 30 year career. Stevens finds himself ruminating on that career and whether it was as rewarding as he had thought, especially considering the awkward and indefinable relationship with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton. Of all the books I read this year, without a doubt the most lovely language of them all.
3. Hotel Transylvania, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
"Saint-Germain was there...a quite mysterious gentleman who arrived in Paris only last May...Rameau congratulated him on his work and commented that he had once met a musical man like quite like him in appearance, but that had been a long time ago, in 1701 or 1702, and the man he had seen was then about fifty, whereas this man is no more than forty-five."
The first in a series of books about the vampire Saint-Germain. It seems that vampire/mortal women romances are the hot thing recently, but there's a lot else to recommend about these books. First of all, Yarbro does some serious research, and it shows. Her female characters are smart, assertive and independent. And Saint-Germain himself is a fascinating character, a vampire who doesn't kill to survive and is noble in his own way, but doesn't whine and emo all the time. Plus, you can't go wrong with a book about a vampire battling an evil satanic cult.
2. Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
"Perfect obedience produces perfect faith."
This book does three things. It provides a history of the foundation of the Mormon church, how the outlawing of polygamy led to the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and the story of two FLDS brothers who murdered their sister-in-law and her infant child because they believed God had commanded them to. I picked this book up because I was interested in learning more about polygamy because of Big Love, and boy, did I ever. This was an enthralling book from start to finish.
1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke
"Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians."
But these magicians were theoretical magicians, who merely studied the old spells; no one had performed practical magic in centuries. Not, that is, until Mr Norrell made his presence known: stuffy, insecure, pedantic, nonetheless he was able to conjure real magic. He takes Jonathan Strange as his student, and the two restore England to a world of fairy roads and realms, use magic in the war against Napoleon's France, and find themselves on the trail of the last great magician, John Uskglass, the legendary Raven King. This is a wonderful book - engrossing, detailed, humorous, lyrical. Laura and I own three copies between us, and we both lament the fact that there isn't more book out there for us to read.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Meta Data 2009 Part II.
Number of TV episodes...
...that were one-hour: 331/508 (65%)
...that were half-hour: 177/508 (35%)
...that were SF/fantasy/horror: 254/508 (50%) (EXACTLY)
...that I watched live +7: 152/508 (30%)
...that I watched on DVD/Hulu one week or more after original airdate: 356/508 (70%)
...that originally aired on network TV: 278/508 (55%)
...that originally aired on basic cable: 12/508 (2%)
...that originally aired on pay cable: 77/508 (15%)
...that originally aired on British TV: 66/508 (13%)
...that originally aired in syndication (this is basically how many TNG episodes): 104/508 (20%)
(These numbers don't add up; I have a total of 537 episodes, so I doubled up a few episodes here and there; I doubt it would change the percentages that much, and I am not going through again.)
And, finally, number of TV shows of which I watched at least one episode: 34.
Number of TV episodes...
...that were one-hour: 331/508 (65%)
...that were half-hour: 177/508 (35%)
...that were SF/fantasy/horror: 254/508 (50%) (EXACTLY)
...that I watched live +7: 152/508 (30%)
...that I watched on DVD/Hulu one week or more after original airdate: 356/508 (70%)
...that originally aired on network TV: 278/508 (55%)
...that originally aired on basic cable: 12/508 (2%)
...that originally aired on pay cable: 77/508 (15%)
...that originally aired on British TV: 66/508 (13%)
...that originally aired in syndication (this is basically how many TNG episodes): 104/508 (20%)
(These numbers don't add up; I have a total of 537 episodes, so I doubled up a few episodes here and there; I doubt it would change the percentages that much, and I am not going through again.)
And, finally, number of TV shows of which I watched at least one episode: 34.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Meta Data 2009.
Number of Books...
...that were fiction: 38/51 (75%)
...that were non-fiction: 13/51 (25%)
...that were graphic novels: 8/51 (16%)
...that were part of a series: 17/51 (33%)
...that were about Ancient Rome: 9/51 (18%)
...that took place during the Napoleonic Wars: 3/51 (6%)
...that were SF: 9/51 (18%)
...that were fantasy: 5/51 (10%)
...that were horror: 12/51 (24%)
...that were horror and about vampires: 9/51 (18%)
...that were either SF, set in Ancient Rome, or were about vampires: 27/51 (53%)
Number of Movies...
...that I saw in the theater: 10/70 (14%)
...that I saw on DVD or VHS: 60/70 (86%)
...that were narrative: 62/70 (89%)
...that were documentaries: 8/70 (11%)
...that came out this year: 15/70 (21%)
...that came out in 2008: 16/70 (23%)
...that came out between 2000-2007: 11/70 (16%)
...that came out this past decade: 42/70 (60%)
...that came out in the 90s: 4/70 (6%)
...that came out in the 80s: 3/70 (4%)
...that came out in the 70s: 7/70 (10%)
...that came out in the 60s: 3/70 (4%)
...that came out in the 50s: 5/70 (7%)
...that came out in the 40s: 4/70 (6%)
...that came out in the 20s or 30s: 2/70 (3%)
...that were comedies: 10/70 (14%)
...that were dramas: 27/70 (39%)
...that were SF/fantasy/horror: 20/70 (29%)
This was more for my own purposes than anything else. I was curious how my entertainment choices broke down. I was surprised by the fact that I watched more straight-forward dramas than I did genre films, that more than half the books I read were in one of three categories, and that I only went to see ten movies in the theater, which is less than one a month.
Number of Books...
...that were fiction: 38/51 (75%)
...that were non-fiction: 13/51 (25%)
...that were graphic novels: 8/51 (16%)
...that were part of a series: 17/51 (33%)
...that were about Ancient Rome: 9/51 (18%)
...that took place during the Napoleonic Wars: 3/51 (6%)
...that were SF: 9/51 (18%)
...that were fantasy: 5/51 (10%)
...that were horror: 12/51 (24%)
...that were horror and about vampires: 9/51 (18%)
...that were either SF, set in Ancient Rome, or were about vampires: 27/51 (53%)
Number of Movies...
...that I saw in the theater: 10/70 (14%)
...that I saw on DVD or VHS: 60/70 (86%)
...that were narrative: 62/70 (89%)
...that were documentaries: 8/70 (11%)
...that came out this year: 15/70 (21%)
...that came out in 2008: 16/70 (23%)
...that came out between 2000-2007: 11/70 (16%)
...that came out this past decade: 42/70 (60%)
...that came out in the 90s: 4/70 (6%)
...that came out in the 80s: 3/70 (4%)
...that came out in the 70s: 7/70 (10%)
...that came out in the 60s: 3/70 (4%)
...that came out in the 50s: 5/70 (7%)
...that came out in the 40s: 4/70 (6%)
...that came out in the 20s or 30s: 2/70 (3%)
...that were comedies: 10/70 (14%)
...that were dramas: 27/70 (39%)
...that were SF/fantasy/horror: 20/70 (29%)
This was more for my own purposes than anything else. I was curious how my entertainment choices broke down. I was surprised by the fact that I watched more straight-forward dramas than I did genre films, that more than half the books I read were in one of three categories, and that I only went to see ten movies in the theater, which is less than one a month.
Friday, January 1, 2010
New December Media.
Books
48. The Road to Mars, Eric Idle. 12-4.
49. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris. 12-7.
50. Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris. 12-11.
51. Escape, Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer. 12-25.
Movies
63. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). 12-5.
64. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009). 12-11.
65. The Maltese Falcon (1941). 12-16.
66. Scrooge (1951). 12-20.
67. Little Women (1949). 12-25.
68. The Proposal (2009). 12-26.
69. Sherlock Holmes (2009). 12-30.
70. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008). 12-31.
Television Episodes
480. Glee - 1x12 - “Mattress.” 12-2.
481. Fringe - 1x08 - “The Equation.” 12-2.
482. The Office - 6x11 - “Scott’s Tots.” 12-3.
483. 30 Rock - 4x07 - “Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001.” 12-3.
484. The Tudors - 1x01 - “In Cold Blood.” 12-5.
485. Fringe - 1x09 - “The Dreamscape.” 12-7.
486. The Tudors - 1x02 - “Simply Henry.” 12-8.
487. Fringe - 1x10 - “Safe.” 12-8.
488. Glee - 1x13 - “Sectionals.” 12-9.
489. Modern Family - 1x10 - “Undeck the Halls.” 12-9.
490. 30 Rock - 4x08 - “Secret Santa.” 12-11.
491. The Office - 6x12 - “Secret Santa.” 12-12.
492. Fringe - 1x11 - “Bound.” 12-13.
493. Father Ted - 3x05 - “Escape From Victory.” 12-13.
494. Fringe - 1x12 - “The No-Brainer.” 12-14.
495. Father Ted - 3x06 - “Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse.” 12-14.
496. Father Ted - 3x07 - “Night of the Nearly Dead.” 12-14.
497. Fringe - 1x13 - “Transformation.” 12-17.
498. The Tudors - 1x03 - “Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!” 12-18.
499. Fringe - 1x14 - “Ability.” 12-19.
500. The Tudors - 1x04 - “His Majesty, the King.” 12-19.
501. Father Ted - 3x08 - “Going to America.” 12-21.
502. Fringe - 1x15 - “Inner Child.” 12-23.
503. Fringe - 1x16 - “Unleashed.” 12-23.
504. Fringe - 1x17 - “Bad Dreams.” 12-25.
505. Fringe - 1x18 - “Midnight.” 12-29.
506. Fringe - 1x19 - “The Road Not Taken.” 12-30.
507. Fringe - 1x20 - “There’s More Than One of Everything.” 12-31.
508. Star Trek - 1x26 - “Errand of Mercy.” 12-31.
I ended up squeaking by on books and TV; it was a lot closer than I thought it would be, especially considering how much TV I'd had logged by mid-year. Honestly, though, I find that I'm less interested in trying to reach some arbitrary goal as much as I like keeping track of these things. I don't know why, really; some odd kind of organizational bent, perhaps, or my general love for meta.
I think next year my goal will be to read one classic book I've never read before, and to have watched every movie on the AFI Top 100 of All Time list; I've seen a lot of those already, obviously, but there's still quite a few that I haven't. (OMG, I still have never actually watched Casablanca all the way through from start to finish, although I've watched chunks of it, have read the script, and have written two separate college papers on it.) I don't have any TV goals, heh; clearly I'm on top of TV.
Books
48. The Road to Mars, Eric Idle. 12-4.
49. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris. 12-7.
50. Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris. 12-11.
51. Escape, Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer. 12-25.
Movies
63. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). 12-5.
64. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009). 12-11.
65. The Maltese Falcon (1941). 12-16.
66. Scrooge (1951). 12-20.
67. Little Women (1949). 12-25.
68. The Proposal (2009). 12-26.
69. Sherlock Holmes (2009). 12-30.
70. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008). 12-31.
Television Episodes
480. Glee - 1x12 - “Mattress.” 12-2.
481. Fringe - 1x08 - “The Equation.” 12-2.
482. The Office - 6x11 - “Scott’s Tots.” 12-3.
483. 30 Rock - 4x07 - “Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001.” 12-3.
484. The Tudors - 1x01 - “In Cold Blood.” 12-5.
485. Fringe - 1x09 - “The Dreamscape.” 12-7.
486. The Tudors - 1x02 - “Simply Henry.” 12-8.
487. Fringe - 1x10 - “Safe.” 12-8.
488. Glee - 1x13 - “Sectionals.” 12-9.
489. Modern Family - 1x10 - “Undeck the Halls.” 12-9.
490. 30 Rock - 4x08 - “Secret Santa.” 12-11.
491. The Office - 6x12 - “Secret Santa.” 12-12.
492. Fringe - 1x11 - “Bound.” 12-13.
493. Father Ted - 3x05 - “Escape From Victory.” 12-13.
494. Fringe - 1x12 - “The No-Brainer.” 12-14.
495. Father Ted - 3x06 - “Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse.” 12-14.
496. Father Ted - 3x07 - “Night of the Nearly Dead.” 12-14.
497. Fringe - 1x13 - “Transformation.” 12-17.
498. The Tudors - 1x03 - “Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!” 12-18.
499. Fringe - 1x14 - “Ability.” 12-19.
500. The Tudors - 1x04 - “His Majesty, the King.” 12-19.
501. Father Ted - 3x08 - “Going to America.” 12-21.
502. Fringe - 1x15 - “Inner Child.” 12-23.
503. Fringe - 1x16 - “Unleashed.” 12-23.
504. Fringe - 1x17 - “Bad Dreams.” 12-25.
505. Fringe - 1x18 - “Midnight.” 12-29.
506. Fringe - 1x19 - “The Road Not Taken.” 12-30.
507. Fringe - 1x20 - “There’s More Than One of Everything.” 12-31.
508. Star Trek - 1x26 - “Errand of Mercy.” 12-31.
I ended up squeaking by on books and TV; it was a lot closer than I thought it would be, especially considering how much TV I'd had logged by mid-year. Honestly, though, I find that I'm less interested in trying to reach some arbitrary goal as much as I like keeping track of these things. I don't know why, really; some odd kind of organizational bent, perhaps, or my general love for meta.
I think next year my goal will be to read one classic book I've never read before, and to have watched every movie on the AFI Top 100 of All Time list; I've seen a lot of those already, obviously, but there's still quite a few that I haven't. (OMG, I still have never actually watched Casablanca all the way through from start to finish, although I've watched chunks of it, have read the script, and have written two separate college papers on it.) I don't have any TV goals, heh; clearly I'm on top of TV.