tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11232541313595663222024-03-13T10:08:20.304-05:00Lists, Etc.By Russell DietrichUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-510011605639720892023-12-31T11:48:00.019-06:002024-01-02T11:36:36.848-06:00Tops of 2023<p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">I'm getting to the age, where my interest in new music has waned, as you'll see below. </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTEnk8ebMRoWXXmyrUcpcKNdZ0B5gS8jaJgjFB6OJGzTjYWNn2y8iwqYMYD1sRkmWQdB5zpdFhciJzRXeP9hY0vVOSktQdDdJdj7Tnnjbqd4K2GY_PQAx39x4ZizuetFo805KV6Qej1P-DsBt44exmgo1XwkjEY27P0-_zjQ1uzui5u9ATdstaSMVvZRI/s600/TwentyThree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTEnk8ebMRoWXXmyrUcpcKNdZ0B5gS8jaJgjFB6OJGzTjYWNn2y8iwqYMYD1sRkmWQdB5zpdFhciJzRXeP9hY0vVOSktQdDdJdj7Tnnjbqd4K2GY_PQAx39x4ZizuetFo805KV6Qej1P-DsBt44exmgo1XwkjEY27P0-_zjQ1uzui5u9ATdstaSMVvZRI/s16000/TwentyThree.jpg" /></a><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px; text-align: left;"> </span></div></div></div><p></p><h3>The <i>Maddie Barker </i>Honorary Top Ten Movies of 2023*</h3><h3><ol style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><li>Dream Scenario</li><li>Oppenheimer</li><li>Barbie</li><li>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse</li><li>Elemental</li><li>Beau is Afraid</li><li>Killers of the Flower Moon</li><li>Asteroid City</li><li>M3GAN</li><li>To Catch a Killer</li></ol></h3><h3>The <i>Logan Roy</i> Honorary Top Ten TV Shows of 2023**</h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Poker Face (S1)</li><li>How To with John Wilson (S3)</li><li>Beef (Limited Series)</li><li>Ahsoka (S1)</li><li>Succession (S5)</li><li>Gen V (S1)</li><li>Fargo (S5)</li><li>The Last of Us (S1)</li><li>Barry (S4)</li><li>Full Swing (S1)</li></ol><div><h3>The <i>Matt Skiba</i> Honorary Top Ten Most Listened to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gWrIPxvGe683ELfuM4yiE?si=a48e23474dc94868" target="_blank">Songs of 2023</a>***</h3><p></p><div><ol><li><i>Don't Lose Sight (2021)</i> by Lawrence</li><li><i>UNDERWATER BOI (2021)</i> by Turnstile</li><li><i>Dancing Days (1973)</i> by Led Zeppelin</li><li><i>Last Night (2023)</i> by Morgan Wallen</li><li><i>Into the Mystic (1970)</i> by Van Morrison</li><li><i>Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (1974)</i> by Elton John</li><li><i>ONE MORE TIME (2023)</i> by blink-182</li><li><i>O Come to the Altar (2016)</i> by Elevation Worship</li><li><i>Hey Driver feat. The War and Treaty (2023)</i> by Zach Bryan</li><li><i>Shine (1994)</i> by Collective Soul</li></ol><div>–</div><div><span>* – These are the movies I'm still hoping to see: </span><i>American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, May December, Poor Things, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.</i> </div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">** – These are the television shows I'm still hoping to see: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="font-size: 16.5px;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">The Curse, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Loki (S2).</span></i></span></span></span></div><div>*** – These are my most listened to songs in 2023, but they were not all <i>released</i> in 2023. It's hard to stay current with a small child at home.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-45897406871873083382022-12-26T14:02:00.013-06:002023-12-31T21:12:41.149-06:00Tops of 2022<p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">Here are my top ten lists for 2022. Enjoy! </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg776_T-ewG_VlgCVfEpLdmsQtUgzcNRg453Wr78Hh-anViYKszGipAjRqWvdwOtkxdZdTGZA6rQCDytHhSAKEBbjuA1t3typ_6nixXuQzhpvqlbU_tOUz8-pnqDQ13znRr6SIJjn68xVIcE6TPt7YVgoBf8_gsxljWF4VB4OBdZeM4VTMSBwxfy7hOGg/s600/TwentyTwo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg776_T-ewG_VlgCVfEpLdmsQtUgzcNRg453Wr78Hh-anViYKszGipAjRqWvdwOtkxdZdTGZA6rQCDytHhSAKEBbjuA1t3typ_6nixXuQzhpvqlbU_tOUz8-pnqDQ13znRr6SIJjn68xVIcE6TPt7YVgoBf8_gsxljWF4VB4OBdZeM4VTMSBwxfy7hOGg/s16000/TwentyTwo.jpg" /></a><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px; text-align: left;"> </span></div></div><p></p><h3>The<span> </span><i>Mike Shinoda</i> Honorary <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1xzAhwQtbsJVOqSyrMkN8q?si=384e4d175fcb4744" target="_blank">Top Ten Songs</a> of 2022</h3><h3><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><ol><li><i>Flower Shops [Acoustic] (feat. Morgan Wallen)</i> by ERNEST</li><li><i>U</i> by Belle & millennium parade </li><li><i>Waste of Paint (Companion Version)</i> by Bright Eyes</li><li><i>Silent Hill (feat. Kodak Black)</i> by Kendrick Lamar</li><li><i>Runner</i> by Alex G</li><li><i>Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)</i> by Kate Bush*</li><li><i>These Are the Ways</i> by Red Hot Chili Peppers</li><li><i>What's Up?</i> by Mom Jeans.</li><li><i>Get Back - Rooftop Performance / Take 3 (2022 Mix)</i> by The Beatles</li><li><i>I'm Good (Blue)</i> by Dave Guetta & Bebe Rexha</li></ol></div></h3><h3>The <i>NoHo Hank</i> Honorary Top Ten TV Shows of 2022</h3><p></p><ol><li>The Bear (S1)</li><li>The Rehearsal (S1)</li><li>Severance (S1)</li><li>The White Lotus (S2)</li><li>Wednesday (S1)</li><li>She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (S1)</li><li>Stranger Things (S4)</li><li>Better Call Saul (S6)</li><li>The Watcher</li><li>The Resort </li></ol><p></p><h3>The <i>Saul Tenser </i>Honorary Top Ten Movies of 2022</h3><ol><li>The Banshees of Inisherin</li><li>Everything Everywhere All at Once</li><li>Top Gun: Maverick</li><li>NOPE</li><li>Hustle</li><li>Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers</li><li>Belle</li><li>Amsterdam</li><li>Men</li><li>Glass Onion</li></ol><div><h3>The <i>Mark, Tom, & Travis</i> Honorary Most Listened To Albums of 2022**</h3><p></p><div><ol><li><i>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022)</i> by Kendrick Lamar</li><li><i>Sweet Tooth (2022)</i> by Mom Jeans.</li><li><i>God Save the Animals (2022)</i> by Alex G</li><li><i>Unlimited Love (2022)</i> by Red Hot Chili Peppers</li><li><i>LIFTED or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A Companion (2022)</i> by Bright Eyes</li><li><i>Let it Be (Super Deluxe) (2021)</i> by The Beatles</li><li><i>Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)</i> by blink-182</li><li><i>Meteora (2003)</i> by Linkin Park</li><li><i>The Cars (1978)</i> by The Cars</li><li><i>I and Love and You (2009)</i> by The Avett Brothers</li></ol><div>–</div><div><span>* – Making an exception, because this song wasn't technically released in 2022, but it made a huge impact in pop culture and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-tops-both-billboard-global-charts-1235112654/">topped</a> the Billboard charts. Closest thing we had to a <i>song of the summer.</i></span></div><div>** – Listened to in 2022, but not necessarily <i>released</i> in 2022.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-78582879014204487722021-12-31T16:56:00.032-06:002022-07-19T16:33:49.200-05:00Tops of 2021<p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">I don't have much new to say this year. Movie theaters are dying. Cinematic melodramas only exist on streaming platform which continue to be exceedingly segmented, and TV is still the best place to find great writing and acting. The cinema is dead, long live my couch! </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5_bFYGoAiXMZkuSXtJ_1IyRkGE5AeO8_P20GJf_e7crMpsLG9D2sMr3vYnbYw_BOJR4scOZ2SAMzESpsZ8UWgG1WNvafnnL4IXHP7KzJAqnaI3is0B8hfVz2r8yvl_fufiMg3bzCtELqTgsOIGENejD4SV6EQaIovQM-N8_w_JyJmaP0ZTrTA6AJwjw=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5_bFYGoAiXMZkuSXtJ_1IyRkGE5AeO8_P20GJf_e7crMpsLG9D2sMr3vYnbYw_BOJR4scOZ2SAMzESpsZ8UWgG1WNvafnnL4IXHP7KzJAqnaI3is0B8hfVz2r8yvl_fufiMg3bzCtELqTgsOIGENejD4SV6EQaIovQM-N8_w_JyJmaP0ZTrTA6AJwjw=s16000" /></a><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px; text-align: left;"> </span></div><p></p><h3>The <i>Rick & Morty Season 5</i> Honorary Top Ten TV Shows of 2021</h3><p></p><ol><li>Squid Game (S1)</li><li>Mare of Easttown</li><li>How To with John Wilson (S2)</li><li>Midnight Mass </li><li>The White Lotus</li><li>Only Murders in the Building (S1)</li><li>Curb Your Enthusiasm (S11)</li><li>Hawkeye (S1)</li><li>Monsters at Work (S1)</li><li>Dave (S2)</li></ol><p></p><h3>The <i>Zeena the Seer </i>Honorary Top Ten Movies of 2021*</h3><ol><li>Dune</li><li>The Lost Daughter</li><li>The Green Knight</li><li>Don't Look Up</li><li>Spider-man: No Way Home</li><li>Licorice Pizza</li><li>Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings</li><li>No Time to Die</li><li>Free Guy</li><li>Zack Snyder's Justice League</li></ol><div><h3>The <i>Fred Durst</i> Honorary Top Ten Songs of 2021</h3></div><div><ol><li><i>good 4 u</i> by Olivia Rodrigo</li><li><i>Dangerous</i> by Morgan Wallen</li><li><i>Drain You (Remastered 2021)</i> by Nirvana</li><li><i>Dad Vibes</i> by Limp Bizkit</li><li><i>Broken Horses</i> by Brandi Carlile</li><li><i>Today</i> by Fruit Bats</li><li><i>Back to Oz</i> by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine</li><li><i>Pulk/Pull - True Love Waits Version / Untitled v2</i> by Radiohead</li><li><i>Days Like These</i> by Low</li><li><i>U-Mass - Live from the Warfield</i> by Pixies</li></ol></div><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/3Llq11OwFT6kpHhXcn2W1t?utm_source=generator&theme=0" style="border-radius: 0px;" width="500"></iframe><div><h3><br /></h3><h3>The <i>Tom DeLonge**</i> Honorary Most Listened To Albums of 2021</h3><p></p><div><ol><li><i>In the Key of Disney</i> by Brian Wilson</li><li><i>Baron Von Bullsh*t Rides Again</i> by Modest Mouse</li><li><i>Sublime</i> by Sublime</li><li><i>Thank You</i> by Stone Temple Pilots</li><li><i>Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water</i> by Limp Bizkit</li><li><i>Take Off Your Pants and Jacket</i> by blink-182</li><li><i>Californication</i> by Red Hot Chili Peppers</li><li><i>Tenacious D</i> by Tenacious D</li><li><i>Significant Other</i> by Limp Bizkit</li><li><i>Them Crooked Vultures</i> by Them Crooked Vultures</li></ol><div>–</div><div><span>* – These are the movies I've still yet to see: <i>CODA, Drive My Car, King Richard, The Hand of God, House of Gucci, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Worst Person in the World</i></span></div></div></div><div><span>** – I met Tom DeLonge at an airport this year, which is what kind of propelled me back into my pop-punk and rap-rock days.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-33432407708407972042021-09-26T21:24:00.002-05:002022-01-29T21:28:51.116-06:00Breaking the Atmosphere of Cynicism<h3 style="text-align: left;">The Importance of Damien Chazelle Being Earnest</h3><p>On October 12, filmmaker Damien Chazelle released his third major motion picture release, the intimate space biopic First Man (starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and Clare Foy, in another Oscar worthy performance, as Janet Armstrong). With First Man, Chazelle found himself at a crossroads – continue to work with what's working (movies immersed in the culture of music) or to push himself topically and stylistically into uncharted space. He chose the latter, and this departure from the musical realm provided us as viewers with an intimate story about two infinitely vast topics – outer space and a man’s inner life.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQIO9PbK2TEdUeG6-SWAw7CgFTi6D0toVD3ZqmlQCQiSw2-lO0c_btSJjZni3QArt8rywgCLqeFr9JIHoLV7yV4afNs8iwXEBkOPqlU7xaG7SoDvto2kQ5XgZVZK2R4Ye68UmOi4JV56-3plu_QePV8ShqSz_bV1AIs9yII1CaWOqOBRblchSmXlA38Q=s1497" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1497" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQIO9PbK2TEdUeG6-SWAw7CgFTi6D0toVD3ZqmlQCQiSw2-lO0c_btSJjZni3QArt8rywgCLqeFr9JIHoLV7yV4afNs8iwXEBkOPqlU7xaG7SoDvto2kQ5XgZVZK2R4Ye68UmOi4JV56-3plu_QePV8ShqSz_bV1AIs9yII1CaWOqOBRblchSmXlA38Q=w640-h298" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: center;">Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in First Man. Courtesy Universal Pictures.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">During the 141 minute journey to the moon, Chazelle channels Kubrick, Spielberg, Howard, and Malick all in order to paint an unconventional story about a very private and somewhat reclusive American legend. The choice to render a story about space travel so intimately has been the topic of much discussion in analysis of the film. But something I think that has gone unmentioned is that by mixing together a hodge-podge of directorial references, Chazelle magically avoids a voiceless grey and creates something colorful and completely new. By doing so he solidified himself as the first great “post-postmodern director” and added pressure to film critics to start formally describing his style as Chazelleian.</p><p>Chazelle is a derivative director. Reading this, you may think I'm insulting the director, because for many, being derivative is anathema, and always a bad thing. However, if we’re being honest it's impossible to not be derivative, because no art is ever created in a vacuum, and all creators, whether unintentional or not are imitating and stealing from the other creative endeavors that whir past our senses. I believe Chazelle has not only realized this but he's embraced the notion that all film makers (past, present, and future) work in the shadows of those that created before them or alongside them. And he doesn't live in fear of it. He acknowledges it, pays homage to it, and somehow creates something totally new and original from source material. I think most people would agree, we did not need another movie about space, but by zooming in on Armstrong and his inner-life through this process we were given a totally new movie about space, because it's actually just a movie about a emotionally reticent man.</p><p>Watching First Man, I felt hope for the coming generation of young filmmakers that will soon be filling the voids that legends like Scorsese and Spielberg will be leaving behind, because I saw in the movie a 33 year old director rejecting cynicism and embracing sincerity as he told a story about a complicated mission in a complicated country during one of the most tumultuous decades we have in our history. This is why I describe Chazelle as a "post-postmodernist," because, while he gladly references and re-mixes movie-making technologies (mixing super 16mm with IMAX) and story-telling motifs (e.g. all of La La Land) he is not cynical or patronizing when he does it – he does it with full earnestness. This is nothing short of miraculous, because cynicism has become the de facto millieu from which much creative work is made and critiqued.</p><p>My hope is that more movie-makers and storytellers will move towards a post-post-modern way of thinking and embrace earnestness. Not that we can't be critical or should embrace being naïve, but rather, reject the exhaustion and hopelessness that cynicism brings with it. It’s a creative suppressant and I think this next generation of young filmmakers need to ardently fight against if we're going to continue to see innovation in the field. It’s an idea as ludicrous as landing on the moon – just the kind of idea I can see us accomplishing.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-5904811657874930182020-12-31T23:35:00.102-06:002022-01-29T21:32:43.582-06:00Tops for Twenty Twenty<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"></span></p><h3>The Best Diversions from the Worst Year</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">The year 2020 will be iconic for many reasons – the spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdown of the world being the main one. Beyond that, one could argue that, in spite of (or because of) the coronavirus, 2020 was one of the greatest and most unifying years of television that we've had in recent memory. A truly iconic year of TV. Popular culture and media consumption over the past 20 years has become more and more fractured as people are now able to stream whatever they want to watch on their own terms and the societal bonds forged by appointment television are now relegated to sports. Streaming services have contributed greatly to this fracturing as they wage bidding wars for I.P. and sitcom reruns, resulting in the average viewer feeling lost and disillusioned as to why <i>The Office</i> is no longer on Netflix (I refuse to use Peacock...but that's another story). Most water-cooler conversations (via Zoom) are now are people pleading with their co-workers to not spoil the latest show, because they (a) didn't have time to binge it in one weekend or (b) are still trying to get a password for HBO Max from their father-in-law. </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNXgrSRvZ2KLvdQ4_r4pcv5nDIoIITz_JxdzO_t4lpDkoqQDrqss6bE1gslXrjHIGZYzj76oV8EaYooX7S_oENbLN-sKOwASpe4HVla7l40UIzDf775j0aMux2XJlj7ZeQ5MtC9IE3AJf/s600/Twenty-TV.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNXgrSRvZ2KLvdQ4_r4pcv5nDIoIITz_JxdzO_t4lpDkoqQDrqss6bE1gslXrjHIGZYzj76oV8EaYooX7S_oENbLN-sKOwASpe4HVla7l40UIzDf775j0aMux2XJlj7ZeQ5MtC9IE3AJf/s16000/Twenty-TV.png" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">Despite all this something interesting happened as stay-at-home orders spread through the country (and more passwords were shared). More and more people were watching their televisions, and they were watching it communally with friends and family as a way to connect through social distancing. By way of consequence Netflix and ESPN both capitalized on this and released two of the most unifying and polarizing documentaries – <i>Tiger King</i> and <i>The Last Dance</i> – and these both became cultural landmarks and meme-fodder for this new world of social distancing we were all grappling with. At their core, what was so special about these shows is that they captured American society on a large scale over a decent amount of time that helped the world feel a little bit smaller and more under control. The shows provided ways for us the cut the tensions amongst our friends and families as we argued about who to vote for, whether of not wear masks, and if we should cancel Christmas. Joe Exotic and Michael Jordan gave us a reprieve from the devastation surrounding us outside and provided more trivial things for families to argue about. <i>Did Carole Baskins kill her husband? Will Michael Jordan take it personally? How will Joe Exotic dye his hair in prison? </i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">Did Scottie Pippen have a good summer?</span></i><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;"> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn;">As we gain more distance from the onset of the pandemic, I think <i>Tiger King</i> and <i>The Last Dance</i> will become historical media markers and provide for us and remind us of the little bit of light and reprieve TV was able to offer us during one of the most tragic years in generations.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px;">As for movies, things are a little more confusing. Movie theaters were forced to shut-down and every major media company was forced to pivot and start experimenting with in-home releases. So, while movies were being watched, they were no longer being watched in theaters, and rather major Hollywood tentpoles were being imbibed on television screens, tablets, and phone screens all from the comfort of home. If COVID-19 showed us anything it's that seeing movies in the theater isn't as important for your average consumer and annually (as ticket prices continue to increase) it'll become harder and harder for the average family to justify a $75 trip to the theaters. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xEcFsuSDD-u4NDTdg9XarZ6GUO3riHBRcrSjFuJ83FTqa-N0GNbeqaCGiyQ5u78WtxJHLEm6XfygWGh2np7sodjHubcsavEAwBYE6WqMuGHm0Z3YrIg19c_t1b6Hgyabhyphenhypheno4oY5Oi2Cx/s600/Twenty+copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xEcFsuSDD-u4NDTdg9XarZ6GUO3riHBRcrSjFuJ83FTqa-N0GNbeqaCGiyQ5u78WtxJHLEm6XfygWGh2np7sodjHubcsavEAwBYE6WqMuGHm0Z3YrIg19c_t1b6Hgyabhyphenhypheno4oY5Oi2Cx/s16000/Twenty+copy.png" /></a><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px; text-align: left;"> </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px; font-weight: normal;">That being said, I don't think the Hollywood studios will completely divest from the theater chains, and the cineplex will survive, but I wouldn't be surprised if it became less of a cultural gathering place that it has been up until now. We've all tasted the convenience of in-home premier access, and I can testify myself, that after having returned to a theater to see a movie, I did not miss it and at times felt very uncomfortable and regretful of leaving the house. The coming year is going to be a pivotal year for movies that prioritize a theatrical release and while I'm not fully doom and gloom I'm not feeling super optimistic about the fate of the cineplex. Maybe said another way, I'm buying stock in GameStop, not AMC.</span></h3><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Vollkorn; font-size: 16.5px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The <i>Carole Baskins</i> Honorary Top Ten TV Shows of 2020</h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The Queen’s Gambit (S1)</li><li>Ted Lasso (S1)</li><li>Better Call Saul (S5)</li><li>Mandalorian (S2)</li><li>Rick & Morty (S4)</li><li>Ozark (S3)</li><li>Tiger King </li><li>The Last Dance</li><li>The Flight Attendant (S1)</li><li>The Boys (S2)</li></ol><p></p><h3>Top Ten Movies of 2020 in Honor of <i>Chadwick Boseman</i></h3><ol><li>i'm thinking of ending things</li><li>An American Pickle</li><li>Da 5 Bloods</li><li>The Invisible Man</li><li>Mank</li><li>Tenet</li><li>Lovebirds</li><li>Palm Springs</li><li>Soul</li><li>Onward</li></ol><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>On to Music...</i></h3><p>This was a weird year for music for me. COVID-19 was very challenging as we all adjusted to new rhythms and learning all the technical wonders of Zoom. So there were many moments after a long day of sitting in front of a screen where I just wanted to listen to the nü metal and alternative bands of my youth. So I spent a lot of time listening to System of a Down, TOOL, and blink-182. I didn't have the energy to seek out new music like I usually do, and I just wanted the comfort of Tom DeLonge and Serj Tankian. So I listened to a lot of music from my high school days and it was glorious. In honor of this I'm adding a "most listened to" list, because much of the music I listened to wasn't from this year (let alone this decade). I hope you'll check them out. I'm also including my normal Top Ten songs from the year, so please enjoy that as well.</p>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4fBk5tnUTg6dr8JQ46z1ZQ?theme=0" width="500px"></iframe><div><span style="background-color: #b2b2b2;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">The <i>Billy Corgan</i> Honorary Top Ten Songs of 2020</h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Break My Heart</i> by Dua Lipa</li><li><i>Cool Again</i> by Kane Brown</li><li><i>Nah Nah Nah</i> by Kanye West</li><li><i>Never Really Over</i> by Katy Perry</li><li><i>Goodbye to All That</i> by Sufjan Stevens</li><li><i>Alone</i> by Zzo</li><li><i>All the Wine</i> by Bartees Strange</li><li><i>More Than My Hometown</i> by Morgan Wallen</li><li><i>He Will Hold Me Fast</i> by The Ritual Kids</li><li><i>Beautiful Boy - Ultimate Mix</i> by John Lennon</li></ol><h3 style="text-align: left;">The <i>Maynard James Keenan</i> Honorary Most Listened To Albums of 2020</h3><p></p><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Songs for the Church</i> (2020) by The Ritual Kids</li><li><i>Until the End of the World</i> (1991) by Various Artists</li><li><i>Lateralus</i> (2001) by Tool</li><li><i>Temporary Bliss EP</i> (2020) by Zzo</li><li><i>The Ascension</i> (2020) by Sufjan Stevens</li><li><i>Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy EP</i> (2020) by Bartees Strange</li><li><i>Toxicity</i> (2001) by System of a Down</li><li><i>...And Justice For All</i> (1988) by Metallica</li><li><i>Enema of the State</i> (1999) by blink-182</li><li><i>Siamese Dream</i> (1993) by The Smashing Pumpkins</li></ol></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-71066994549120446742020-01-19T17:03:00.008-06:002021-08-24T15:14:59.131-05:00Nine for NineteenThe final year of the decade was, once again, another year dominated by Disney as the company had eight of the top ten highest grossing movies of 2019. Of those eight movies, five were franchise sequels, two were remakes, and one was the origin story of a character for a larger cinematic universe (essentially a prequel). Despite Disney's dominance in the theaters, Netflix continued to invest in and digitally release a slew of prestige motion pictures. Movies like <i>The Irishman</i>, <i>Marriage Story</i>, <i>The Two Popes</i>, were eagerly watched and discussed by critics and the general public. And not just were these things watched, they were rewarded with awards and nominations.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">So what do we make of all this? People are clearly still going to the theaters to watch I.P. infused special effects theme park ride extravaganzas, and (a lot of the same) people are still watching thoughtful and original motion pictures by independent storytellers. From my estimation, it seems like a film's genre is having a direct impact on the format in which people feel like they need to see it. </span><i style="font-weight: 400;">Marriage Story</i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may be a great film, but do I really want to put on real clothes, drive in the snow, pay 12 bucks, and then sit next to a mouth-breather who keeps asking their spouse about plot details – all in order to watch a really well-acted marriage fall apart? I'm not so sure anymore... Now, do I want to do all those things to watch Thanos evaporate? Absolutely. <span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">As we head into 2020, I think movie theaters are going to be fine, but I think we are officially saying farewell to the time when your average melodrama could played in a multiplex <i>and</i> be profitable. I'm not 100% convinced that this a bad thing, because going to the theater can really be a drag. But I worry that my ambivalence might be padded by Netflix's willingness to invest in original storytelling. If/when that ends, I might have to light my hair on fire. But until then I think I'm becoming more comfortable with being comfortable and realizing that prestige drama might really just be better viewed in your pajamas at home. <span></span></span><br />
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The <i>Lance Corporal Blake </i>Honorary Top Nine Movies of 2019*</span></h3>
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<li>Parasite</li>
<li>The Last Black Man in San Francisco</li>
<li>Marriage Story</li>
<li>Uncut Gems</li>
<li>Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood</li>
<li>The Irishman</li>
<li>Us</li>
<li>Richard Jewell</li>
<li>Midsommar</li></ol></div></div>
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The <i>Dougie Jones**</i> Honorary Top Nine TV Shows of 2019</h3>
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<li>Watchmen (S1)</li>
<li>The Mandalorian (S1)</li>
<li>Chernobyl</li>
<li>Barry (S2)</li>
<li>The Boys (S1)</li>
<li>Russian Doll</li>
<li>Fleabag (S2)</li>
<li>Undone</li>
<li>Santa Clarita Diet (S3)</li>
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<i>And now some music...</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For my music selections I am continuing my tradition of just picking individual songs. We are firmly entrenched in an album-less world where Imagine Dragons is consider a <a href="https://www.altpress.com/news/imagine-dragons-rock-charts-response/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rock band</a>, and I've lost my fight in my thirties – so I'm just embracing the madness. Instead of doing a ranking, I went ahead and arranged my songs as a mixtape (a relic from the 90s). So the order is based on what I felt was a "good flow." I hope you enjoy them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The </span><i>Steve Lacy</i> Honorary Top Nine Songs of 2019</span></h3>
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<li><i>iMi</i> by Bon Iver</li>
<li><i>Sleepwalkin'</i> by Better Oblivion Community Center</li>
<li><i>Crowded Table</i> by the Highwomen</li>
<li><i>Noboby</i> by Mac DeMarco</li>
<li><i>Slip</i> by AMA</li>
<li><i>WIN</i> by Jay Rock</li>
<li><i>Follow God</i> by Kanye West</li>
<li><i>thank u, next</i> by Ariana Grande</li>
<li><i>Sunflower (feat. Steve Lacy)</i> by Vampire Weekend</li>
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0PENBdUcYqBJ6pOtvtWqDc" style="border: 5px white solid;" width="500"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">* – </span><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><b>Still Haven't Seen: </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 11.3333px;"><i>Doctor Sleep, Honey Boy, Toy Story 4, Waves, and Yesterday </i></span><br />
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** – <span style="font-size: 11.3333px;">The best thing I saw this year was David Lynch's <b>Twin Peaks: The Return</b>. Unfortunately I couldn't list it, because (1) it came out in 2017 and (2) it completely broke any distinction between film and television – so I wouldn't know which list to put it on. It was essentially an 18 hour movie that would be nearly impossible to view in a theater, but in no way conformed to the medium limitations or organizational principles of a television show. <i>The Return</i> was one of the most engrossing experiences I've ever views and it's final two episodes still linger with me as I try to decipher what I watched. The best part about it was how deftly Lynch handled the tightrope of fan service and telling an amazing story in the TPCU. It will definitely make my list for top ten of the decade and I highly recommend it.</span><span style="font-size: 11.3333px;"></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-47415464527496525542019-01-05T09:00:00.001-06:002021-08-24T13:19:59.420-05:00Excellents of EighteenThis past year may go down as the hardest year for me to craft my top ten list. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the main one is that there wasn't a clear <i>number one movie</i> for me. In year's past there has always been a single cinematic experience movie that jumped out, grabbed me and held on strong as I continued to watch other films. But in 2018, this never happened, and I never had that "singular moment." Despite this, I did force myself to rank my movies, but if I'm being completely honest, depending on my mood or the type of genre I'm looking for, any one of these ten movies could be my number one. There is horror, animation, super-hero, fictional biopic, semi-historical biopic, action, and a new genre I'm calling <i>post-modernist mish-mash</i> where director Steven Spielberg reflects on and actively processes the decades-long oeuvre of Steven Spielberg.<br />
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Ranking my favorite TV shows was a much simpler endeavor, mainly due to the fact that I had very clear emotional responses to certain TV shows. These feelings were conveniently elicited in such a way that they were was easily rankable. The year in television (and this has been the case for a while now) was once again the more exciting and interesting venue for compelling visual storytelling. Whether it was Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) brilliantly bumbling along as she chased a sociopathic assassin or Barry Block (Bill Hader) brilliantly bumbling along as he hid the fact that he was a sociopathic assassin (big year for assassins). Over on FX, Donald Glover continued to push the envelope for the 30-minute format as his <i>Atlanta</i> got weirder and more insightful while Glover continued to explore his voice as one of the most exciting and creative story-tellers working today (Teddy Perkins anyone?). And (unfortunately) it was on the small screen where we found the finest cinematography of any movie or TV show within Sam Esmail's <i>Homecoming</i> (yes even better than the master Alfonso Cuarón's <i>ROMA</i>*). <span><a name='more'></a></span>Television continues to take risks with its cameras and its characters that many Hollywood studios are still too scared to take, and it continues to provide to the most rewarding and imaginative viewing experiences on any screen anywhere.</div>
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If I step back and quit gushing about television I am able to admit that risk taking and imagination <i>is</i> a theme you will find amongst my top ten movies as well. You had some risky business like Tom Cruise jumping out of an airplane over 100 times to achieve one of the most magical movie moments of the year, and Sony entrusting the creative mad-men, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Rodney Rothman, with one of the most revered (and mishandled) comic book franchises we have – allowing them to imaginatively revitalize a genre that desperately needs direction in this post-MCU world. My top ten list is also the scariest it's ever been, with 3 horror movies making the list. I swear I don't really like horror movies, and they take a lot of "courage mustering" for me to watch, but for whatever reason, some of the most innovative moviemaking is happening in this genre.<br />
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The <i><a href="https://movies.disney.com/mary-poppins-returns" target="_blank">Georgie Banks</a> </i>Honorary Top Ten Movies of 2018</h3>
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<li>Hereditary</li>
<li>A Star is Born</li>
<li>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</li>
<li>First Man</li>
<li>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</li>
<li>Bohemian Rhapsody</li>
<li>Ready Player One</li>
<li>Suspiria**</li>
<li>Avengers: Infinity War</li>
<li>A Quiet Place</li>
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The <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3254274/" target="_blank">Jason Mendoza</a></i> Honorary Top Ten TV Shows of 2018</h3>
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<li>Killing Eve (S1)</li>
<li>Sharp Objects</li>
<li>Barry (S1)</li>
<li>Better Call Saul (S4)</li>
<li>Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cleveland Browns</li>
<li>Atlanta (S2)</li>
<li>Santa Clarita Diet (S2)</li>
<li>Succession (S1)</li>
<li>Homecoming (S1)</li>
<li>Black Mirror: Bandersnatch</li>
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Shifting to music, 2018 may go down as the year that contemporary music broke me. By principle, I'm an advocate of the album. I believe in it conceptually. And I always try to invest the time to not just listen to the singles, but to engage with the songs within the full context of the album. As well, I'm a subscriber to Spotify, so I have access to all the new album releases that come out in a given week. Despite these principles and privileges I found myself lacking any complete albums that I really latched onto. There were a couple, but not enough to create a decent ranking. So instead of sharing a truncated list, I thought I'd turn my back on my <i>reverence for the album </i>and share a 10 song playlist which ranks the tracks that really stood out to me this year. I hope as you read and listen that you'll view this list as an endorsement of the musicians themselves, and take some time to look into their albums as a whole. But between Kanye's label releasing five 7 song albums and Drake releasing one album with 450 songs, it seems that popular music is confused about what an album should be, and that confusion has been hard for <i>me</i> to escape as a listener. I still believe in the "album" as a concept, and I hope popular musicians recover the art of it. But until that day comes, I'm acquiescing to what the culture has given me and giving it right back.<br />
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The <i><a href="https://youtu.be/mk5Dwg5zm2U" target="_blank">Rivers Cuomo is a Sell Out</a></i> Honorary Top Ten Songs of 2018</h3>
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<li><a href="https://youtu.be/XTPZWG5eLf8" target="_blank">Gold Rush</a> by Death Cab for Cutie</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/bo_efYhYU2A" target="_blank">Shallow</a> by Lady Gaga & Jackson Maine</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/VYOjWnS4cMY" target="_blank">This is America</a> by Childish Gambino</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/48hddDm8SQ4" target="_blank">Shred Cruz - Audiotree Live Version</a> by mom jeans.</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/VwAnsAUYnw4" target="_blank">King's Dead</a> by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, & James Blake</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/qAsHVwl-MU4" target="_blank">Ghost Town</a> by Kanye West (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/4tAS5mJgD2w" target="_blank">How Simple</a> by Hop Along</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/pJdINOBLet8" target="_blank">Under the Rainbow</a> by Cursive</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/XZB4xHSXwoA" target="_blank">Tornado</a> by Tomberlin</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/az6m9IE8h4o" target="_blank">In My Feelings</a> by Drake</li>
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Don't use Spotify? Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnfytXb5oj9ldA39HaT9vJjS__qy9sGgf" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a> to listen on YouTube.<br />
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* – <span style="font-size: 8.5pt;">I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I didn't acknowledge the fact that <i>ROMA</i> did not make my list. The only person at fault for this is me. <i>ROMA</i> is an objective masterpiece, and another contribution from Cuarón which pushes film culture forward both technologically and in terms of storytelling. But subjectively I wasn't enraptured by the film. It was a story I had a hard time connecting to, and I think Cuarón's <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/roma-emmanuel-lubezki-alfonso-cuaron-cinematography-1202028167/" target="_blank">intentional objectivity</a> made the film feel too detached at times. I found Cleo to be a riveting character, but the camera work impeded my ability to ever get too close to her and her plight. I also took issue with Netflix's release strategy and I thought it was a disservice to the movie to not give it an exclusive theatrical run before releasing it online. I wish they would've adopted the strategy that Amazon takes of doing a theatrical run and then after several months, releasing it to their online platform. Please don't view my omission as me not being willing to endorse objectively great cinema, but rather it was just a movie that didn't subjectively connect with me, which is a high criteria for my lists. As you can see from my rankings, prestige isn't a major factor in my list.</span><br />
** – <span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><b>Viewer discretion is advised.</b> <i>Suspiria</i> is a very disturbing movie, and I was reluctant to include it, but out of every movie I saw this year, this was the one I had the hardest time forgetting and the one I still regularly think about. Tilda Swinton's bravado in tackling three divergent roles, the haunting dance choreography, and the uncertain allegories that are uncovered throughout the film all contribute to <i>Suspiria</i> being one of the most compelling movies of the year. All that said, it is <b><u>NOT</u></b> easy to watch, and not for the faint of heart. Please tread cautiously if you choose to endeavor towards this film. It is challenging, but I think the questions it leaves you with are worth pondering.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">*** – </span><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><b>Still Haven't Seen: </b></span></span><i><span style="font-size: 11.3333px;">Burning,</span><span style="font-size: 11.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;">If Beale Street Could Talk, Won't You Be My Neighbor</span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-90369585023017802632018-09-04T20:42:00.001-05:002022-08-18T19:50:39.085-05:00NFL Bandwagon Cheat Sheet 2018Every fan needs a backup plan. Maybe it's mid-May and the ace starting pitcher of your favorite team falls prey to Tommy John surgery. Maybe it's Pre-season week 3, and your favorite wide-out (who also happens to be on your fantasy team) ruptures his achilles on a non-contact play. Or maybe your favorite point guard tears his ACL, right meniscus, and every other knee ligament over the course of 3 seasons. And that's just injuries – we haven't even mentioned incompetent owners, stressed out coaches, and Twitter.<br />
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That's why every sports fan <i>needs a backup plan – </i>an order of operations you can follow as your favorite team circles the drain. As fans we place large quantities of hope on very tiny ligaments, so it's only logical to have a Plan B (and C and D and E) just in case the worst happens. Injuries aside, <i>the backup plan</i> comes in extra handy during the playoffs, because you can easily deduce who you're going to cheer for in any playoff matchup.<br />
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With all that in mind, as a new season kicks off on September 6th, I wanted to share <i>my backup plan</i> for the National Football League – it's my Bandwagon Cheat Sheet. I rank all 32 teams in order of preference, and no matter what injuries, firings, or locker room implosions I'll have a team to root for. I hope my list can inspire your own list, and I'd love to read them in the comments. Two quick notes: (1) All rankings are subject to change depending on my mood, and (2) all rankings are deeply <i>subject</i>ive.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>NFL Bandwagon Cheat Sheet 2018</b></span><br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Group A: My Two Favorite Teams</span></u></b><br />
<b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bears</b><br />
<b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Broncos</b><br />
<i>It's always good to have a favorite team from each conference (AFC/NFC). And ideally two teams with disparate "playoff windows." With the exception of possible Super Bowls, you'll only play this team once every 4 years, which means you'll only feel torn with the same frequency that you feel glee about the Olympics, World Cup, or Presidential Elections so it'll get cancelled out. My top two teams are the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. Da Bears because I was born and raised in the streets of Chicago and was raised to root for the Monsters of the Midway. I cheer for the Broncos, because I jumped on their bandwagon when I was 10 (the year Elway and co. won the franchise's first Super Bowl), and I've felt obligated to stay a fan ever since (even though I'm still salty about Tebow). The best part about liking these two teams – they have similar color schemes. Easy for decorating my man-cave one day!</i><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Group B: Teams I Enjoy Rooting For When the Bears/Broncos Are Bad</span></u></b><br />
<b>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bills</b><br />
<i>As a Cubs fan I can relate to the heartbreak that this franchise has gone through. I also love their uniforms. But most of all I just think Buffalo is a great city that invented the greatest food known to man (buffalo wings (specifically from <a href="http://www.duffswings.com/" target="_blank">Duff's</a>)). I'm always happy to root for these underdogs.</i><br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"><b>4. Jaguars
</b></span><i><a href="http://thegoodplace.wikia.com/wiki/Jason_Mendoza" target="_blank">Jason Mendoza</a>. Enough said right? I can elaborate. Team owner Shahid Khan is an alumni from the university I attended, the University of Illinois and he's been a great supporter of this campus. While he doesn't always have the best taste in uniforms, it does seem like he's righted the ship by hiring Tom Coughlin. He's also been a big contributor to my community, and I'm happy to support him and the Jags.</i><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. Rams<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm very recently on the Sean McVay bandwagon. I'm also very happy to root for any team that help contribute to the irrelevance of the Chargers and encourage that franchise back to San Diego (The Chargers have no fans! They're going to become the next Clippers!)</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. Seahawks</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This one will annoy many of you, but I don't care. They have a beautiful city, a great ownership group, an amazing stadium, and annoying coach. To top it all of, the starting QB has an amazing first name. AND HUSTLES!</span></i></div>
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<b>7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dolphins</b></div>
<i>Any team that is confident enough to wear teal and bright orange has my support.</i><br />
<b>8.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Raiders</b><br />
<i>I know they're a division rival, but man this franchise has got the coolest uniforms with a wild history and a legacy of odd-ball owners. I'm very excited for them to move to Vegas and I can't wait to see what it does for their team and the city. (More recently, I'm very thankful for Kahlil Mack.)</i><br />
<b>9.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Saints</b><br />
<i>It's hard to root against good people like Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Plus Payton has a rich Illinois history – playing for Naperville Central and Eastern Illinois.</i><br />
<b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">10. </span>Vikings</b><br />
<i>Another division rival (sacrilegious I know) but they still haven't won a Super Bowl, and I'm always down for a team to win their first. </i><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Group C: The "I Generally Don't Like Them, But I'll Root for Them if They're Playing Against 22-32" Teams</span></u></b><br />
<b>11. Bengals</b><br />
<i>Their uniforms cover a multitude of sins.</i><br />
<b>12.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cardinals</b><br />
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<i>Former Chicago franchise, and Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best to play the game.</i><br />
<b>13.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Browns</b></div>
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<i>Official diagnosis: "<a href="https://www.hbo.com/hard-knocks" target="_blank">Hard Knocks</a> recency bias."</i></div>
<b>14.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Texans</b><br />
<i>Deshaun is such a fun young player, great defense led by Watt, and an amazing response from the whole organization after Hurricane Harvey.</i><br />
<b>15.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Falcons</b><br />
<i>Any chance I get to watch Matty-Ice and Julio score touchdowns I will take.</i><br />
<b>16.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Titans</b><br />
<div>
<i>Mariota runs fast!</i></div>
<b>17.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bucs</b><br />
<i>Jameis runs slow!</i><br />
<b>18.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Panthers</b><br />
<i>I love watching Cam Newton get rocked when he acts like a running back. Stay in the pocket!!!</i><br />
<b>19.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>49ers</b><br />
<i>I love the Bay Area, and with the addition of Jimmy G, they are a franchise on the rise. Amazing history and storied franchise. Easy to root for.</i><br />
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<b>20.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Steelers</b></div>
<div>
<i>Pittsburgh has some excellent bridges and interesting sandwiches.</i><br />
<b>21.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Patriots ^</b></div>
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<i>Even if I hate the diamond, I can still acknowledge it's brilliance. One of the best coached, managed, quaterbacked, and owned teams in NFL history. Especially for my era.</i></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Group D: Teams I DO NOT Like</span></u></b><br />
<b>22.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lions*</b><br />
<i>Division rival with no redeeming qualities. Also home of the Red Wings. And the Detroit Tigers (who beat the Cubs in the World Series in '45).</i><br />
<b>23.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ravens</b><br />
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<i>Just kind of a boring team to me. I have no connection to Baltimore. Not a fan of Ray Lewis.</i></div>
<b>24.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Redskins</b><br />
<b>25.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Eagles</b><br />
<b>26.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Giants</b><br />
<b>27.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cowboys</b><br />
<i>The NFC East. I just hate it. Do I need to say more? </i><br />
<b>28.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jets</b><br />
<i>Horrible uniforms, annoying fan-base, and the former home of Rex Ryan and Butt-Fumble.</i><br />
<b>29.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Colts</b><br />
<div>
<i>Beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Never forget.</i></div>
<b>30.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Chargers</b><br />
<i>This one is tough, because I have a lot of beloved family in San Diego. Unfortunately they did my second city so dirty I had to drop them down to almost the lowest. A purely emotional decision. (Fun fact: I got to witness the last game played in Qualcomm with my father-in-law. Pretty cool.)</i><br />
<b>31.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Chiefs</b><br />
<i>Division rival. Thought I'm grateful for Andy Reid mentoring and raising up my guy Matt Nagy. Can't wait for him to lead the Bears to a Super Bowl!</i><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Group E: The Packers</span></u></b><br />
<b>32.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Packers</b><br />
<i>My least favorite team in the whole NFL. Their uniforms hurt my eyeballs, their fanbase annoys the daylights out of me, and the games they play agains the Bears stress me out! Growing up so close to Wisconsin I had plenty of cheesehead friends, and man they get on my nerves. I'm very happy to say the Broncos beat them in Super Bowl XXXII, but sad to say that many times these days they end up beating up on the Bears. I hope the Bears days of dominance will return soon, but until then I'll always have the Seahawks to get my back! </i><br />
<i>One redeeming quality: Aaron Rodgers' commercials and dating life.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">^ – Bill Belichek is the greatest coach of all time</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i></i></span>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* – I’d root for them in the Super Bowl, just because I love seeing droughts end, and that means the Bears were already out. Even against the Broncos, because the Broncos have won so many.</span></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-9323813934235006692018-02-11T17:53:00.002-06:002021-08-24T13:22:15.418-05:00Supremes of SeventeenThis may go down as one of the hardest years for me to rank my top movies of the year. The challenge wasn't that there weren't enough good movies – there were a lot of <i>good</i> movies this year. But there were few that I found to be great, and there wasn't a movie that I felt captured the country's imagination (like La La Land did last year <sup>1 </sup>). All that to say there wasn't a real stand out to me, until I saw the Safdie Brother's <i>Good Time</i>. I wasn't able to see this until recently, and I'm so glad I did before I made my list, because the movie literally took my breath away (I think I breathed a total of 3 times during the whole film).<br />
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<i>Good Time</i> wastes very little of your time, as it economically paints a heartbreaking picture of mental illness, criminal recidivism, and the sickeningly clever (and stupid) manipulation tactics that desperate men succumb to as they drag those around them down with them.<span><a name='more'></a></span> It's a movie about familial mayhem, the power of influence (both good and bad), and the desperation that lurks in the hallways of mental illness. It won't be a movie for everyone <sup>2 </sup>, but it is a movie worthy of a top spot.<br />
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<b>The <i>Doug Jones <sup>3</sup> </i>Honorary Top Ten Movies <sup>4</sup> </b><br />
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846232/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Good Time</a> directed by The Safdie Brothers</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/" target="_blank">Get Out</a> directed by Jordan Peele</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5013056/" target="_blank">Dunkirk</a> directed by Christopher Nolan</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212428/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Lost City of Z</a> <sup>5 </sup>directed by James Gray</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3315342/" target="_blank">Logan</a> directed by James Mangold</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3890160/" target="_blank">Baby Driver</a> directed by Edgar Wright</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4555426/" target="_blank">Darkest Hour</a> directed by Joe Wright</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389072/" target="_blank">Downsizing</a> directed by Alexander Payne</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5109784/" target="_blank">mother!</a> directed by Darren Aronofsky</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/" target="_blank">Star Wars: The Last Jedi</a> directed by Rian Johnson</li>
</ol>
<b>The <i>Offred <sup>6 </sup></i>Honorary Top Ten TV Shows</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Patriot (S1) <sup>7</sup></li>
<li>The Young Pope </li>
<li>American Vandal</li>
<li>Black Mirror (S4)</li>
<li>Big Little Lies (S1)</li>
<li>Legion (S1)</li>
<li>The Leftovers (S3)</li>
<li>Stranger Things 2</li>
<li>Top of the Lake - China Girl</li>
<li>Glow (S1)</li>
</ol>
<b>The <i>Anthony Kiedis </i>Honorary Top Five Albums</b><br />
<ol>
<li><i>DAMN.</i> by <a href="http://www.kendricklamar.com/" target="_blank">Kendrick Lamar</a></li>
<li><i>This Old Dog</i> by <a href="https://macdemarco.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Mac Demarco</a></li>
<li><i>Everything Now</i> by <a href="https://twitter.com/arcadefire" target="_blank">Arcade Fire</a></li>
<li><i>Planetarium</i> by <a href="http://planetariumalbum.com/" target="_blank">Sufjan Stevens, Etc.</a></li>
<li><i>Best Buds</i> by <a href="https://momjeansband.com/" target="_blank">Mom Jeans.</a> <sup>8</sup></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>1</b> – The best way for me to assess whether or not the country is being held captive by a movie's moment, is if both me and my 65 year old mother keep managing to find ways to talk about it. And I think that's what held back <i>Get Out</i>. It captured the imagination of many of us under the age of 40, but it didn't break into the older market, and that may make sense with an idea as bold and different as <i>Get Out</i>. <i>La La Land</i> tapped into a nostalgia that the older movie-goer could connect to, while telling a story that many millennials could latch onto.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2</b> – I don't think my mom would like this very much.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>3</b> – My apologies to the fish man for not including <i>The Shape of Water</i>. Probably coming in at 11 or 12.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>4</b> – I give my greatest apologies to Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman for not including <i>The Killing of a Sacred Deer</i>. I think Kidman is at the top of her game, and her performance in TKOASD was one of my favorites of the year, but I'm not sure how excited I'd be to re-watch that movie, because it's so tragic (in the Greek sense). It was edged out and would probably be close to 12-13.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>5</b> – People may try to tell you this movie is boring, and it may be a little slow at times, but I think it's important to honor ambition and honor story tellers that are resisting CGI and taking people into the jungle to film actual movies in actual places. And I didn't find it boring at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>6</b> – I haven't seen <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, <i>Mindhunter</i>, or <i>Dark</i>. I imagine these may break in to my list, and push out others</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>7</b> – Please see this show. It's been so massively underrated. There's nothing like it on TV or in the cinema. Delightfully strange.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>8</b> – Came out in 2016, but I don't care. I'm getting old and it's hard for me to keep up with new music. So sue me.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-76941426099693601312017-01-25T14:14:00.004-06:002021-08-24T13:29:47.090-05:00Standouts of SixteenAs I finalized my lists for 2016, I began to sense a backlash to loving <i>La La Land</i>. I'm beginning to notice more and more that within <i>pop culture,</i> once something surpasses a level of general acceptance (no matter it's merit), there is a certain type of person that feels an obligation to irrationally dislike something – simply for the sake of "balancing" the conversation. I don't feel like we should do this with <i>La La Land.</i> It was a sincerely audacious movie made by a 32-year-old millennial who actively rejected the cynicism of his peers and made something truly hopeful and beautiful. <i>La La Land</i> is the best movie of the year, because in the cynical, franchise-drenched cinematic landscape of 2016, it was a revolution, and it's worthy of its accolades.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>Other things to note: this is the first time that my #1 movie and #1 album are from the same source. Damien Chazelle and his team have really created something special, and I'm proud to heartily endorse it. Had it not been for <i>La La Land</i>, Martin Scorsese's <i>Silence</i> would've been my #1. It was a beautiful portrayal of the struggle to hear God's voice, the challenge of doubt, and a very fair examination of the imperialist undertones of missionary work. <span><a name='more'></a></span>As a Christian and missionary, I wish more people would see this movie, and skip out on the other garbage that "Christian" studios are putting out.<br />
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In all, this was good year for movies, a great year for television (as seems to be the trend), and a mediocre year for music. But that might just be me ascending into my thirties and not connecting with the new music of a younger generation. Judge for yourself.<br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>Professor Xavier</i> Honorary Top Ten Movies</span></b><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">La La Land</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Silence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Witch</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manchester By The Sea</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Arrival</span></li>
<li>Sing Street</li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Deadpool</span></li>
<li>Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk</li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moonlight</span></li>
<li>Hell or High Water</li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The <i>Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of Windsor</i></b></span><b>*</b><b style="font-family: inherit;"> Honorary Top Five TV Shows</b><br />
<div style="margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Westworld <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Season 1)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Anthology)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Silicon Valley <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Season 3)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Son of Zorn <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Season 1)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Night Of <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Anthology)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vice Principals <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Season 1)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jon Glaser Loves Gear <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Season 1)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Better Call Saul<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Season 2)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stranger Things<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Season 1)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Robot<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Season 2)</span></span></li>
</ol>
<div style="color: black; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>Jonny Greenwood</i> Honorary Top Five Albums</span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)</i> by Justin Hurwitz & Damien Chazelle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hamilton** </i>by Lin-Manuel Miranda & the Original Broadway Cast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Coloring Book</i> by Chance the Rapper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Life of Pablo</i> by Kanye West</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: inherit;">22, A Million</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Bon Iver</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Honorable Mention^</b></span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">ESPN's 30 for 30: Fantastic Lies</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">* – Haven't finished watching <i>The Crown</i> as of this publishing date. It would probably make the list.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">** – Technically released in 2015, but it really got hot in 2016; so I'm counting it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">^ – I didn't watch enough documentaries to constitute a whole list, but I needed to have this documentary on my lists. I think in our era of expedient and lazy journalism that's more concerned with getting the story "first" without getting it "right", I found this movie to be very timely. We unfortunately live in a time where </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">social-media enabled lynch mobs act as judge, jury, and executioner, and make indictments on people without having all the facts or due process. This documentary is a cautionary tale</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, and should be viewed by anyone who creates or consumes journalism (which is ultimately everyone). Also, I never finished "OJ: Made in America." It would have also made this short list.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
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</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-62557993227441831392015-12-29T15:14:00.000-06:002021-08-23T09:45:10.343-05:00Favs of FifteenIt seems that my blog has devolved from a semi-irregular accounting of spiritual thoughts and concepts to a yearly archive of my favorite media from a given year. Which maybe isn't DEvolution, but REvolution? This year brings along with it a change – I'll be including my favorite TV shows from the year as well, and I removed the singles list this year. <i>(Btw, did you hear? The Beatles are streaming everywhere! That deserves a list unto itself.)</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SxfH67U-hjw95Gw8l9yGtfiBL6NHBuXtKeL3hztlJOQpHsuRCeuBxg8AdAWyEI9JQ2kI4q2qKgC1DxEW3u-s7yUKF2WyOyh3BdkCjVutz4XoabKagmDswjGXVPvPV1Avd3IMztLLySOf/s1600/fav-15.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SxfH67U-hjw95Gw8l9yGtfiBL6NHBuXtKeL3hztlJOQpHsuRCeuBxg8AdAWyEI9JQ2kI4q2qKgC1DxEW3u-s7yUKF2WyOyh3BdkCjVutz4XoabKagmDswjGXVPvPV1Avd3IMztLLySOf/s1600/fav-15.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>The <i>John Hammond Honorary</i> Top Eleven Movies</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens</li>
<li>Room</li>
<li>Ex Machina</li>
<li>Mad Max: Fury Road</li>
<li>It Follows</li>
<li>The Hateful Eight</li>
<li>Steve Jobs</li>
<li>The Big Short</li>
<li>Ant-Man</li>
<li>Spotlight</li>
<li>A Most Violent Year</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>The <i>Grinder's Honorary</i> Top Six TV Shows</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Leftovers (Season 2)</li>
<li>Mr. Robot (Season 1)</li>
<li>Fargo (Season 2)</li>
<li>Silicon Valley (Season 2)</li>
<li>Better Call Saul (Season 1)</li>
<li>Show Me a Hero (Mini-Series)</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<b>The <i>Hotline Bling Honorary</i> Five Albums</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i> by Kendrick Lamar</li>
<li><i>Return to the Moon</i> by EL VY</li>
<li><i>Hop Along</i> by Painted Shut</li>
<li><i>Sound & Color</i> by Alabama Shakes</li>
<li><i>Join the Triumph</i> by Citizens & Saints</li>
</ol>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-259148178365945272015-01-10T11:38:00.000-06:002021-08-23T09:43:41.655-05:00Best of 2014This year's list is a little different than year's past. Instead of doing a list for <i>albums acquired</i>, I'm going to share a list of favorite <i>singles</i> from the year. My love for bad pop music has never been represented (until now). Unfortunately, there weren't many "complete" albums this year that I enjoyed front to back – so I'm not super proud of my bottom three in my list of albums, but what are you going to do. Here are my lists.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRdWD-so-np4k1DAR5p53pVpcnakz1TWIgLfLEn3FjT4VmRMdKQIT5Aud4jwrq4DDqonm5SZx_Stm5nZJe5Ge1NpyrdzAfziPxM-Sj20mx_kh1j2jp4WchQgkfpmrOBtdP4d3klwPg3Sl/s1600/best-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRdWD-so-np4k1DAR5p53pVpcnakz1TWIgLfLEn3FjT4VmRMdKQIT5Aud4jwrq4DDqonm5SZx_Stm5nZJe5Ge1NpyrdzAfziPxM-Sj20mx_kh1j2jp4WchQgkfpmrOBtdP4d3klwPg3Sl/s1600/best-2014.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>The <i>Star-Lord Honorary</i> Top Five Movies of 2014</b><br />
<ol>
<li>The Lego Movie</li>
<li>Birdman</li>
<li>Nightcrawler</li>
<li>Whiplash</li>
<li>Gone Girl</li>
</ol>
<b>The <i>James Vincent McMorrow Honorary</i> Top Five Albums of 2014</b><br />
<ol>
<li><i>The Bones of What You Believe</i> by CHVRCHES*</li>
<li><i>Becoming What You Are</i> by Kings Kaleidoscope</li>
<li><i>Everything Will Be Alright in the End</i> by Weezer </li>
<li><i>LP1</i> by FKA Twigs</li>
<li><i>Disgraceland</i> by The Orwells</li>
</ol>
<b>The <i>Meghan Trainor Honorary</i> Top Five Singles of 2014</b><br />
<ol>
<li><i>Summer</i> by Calvin Harris</li>
<li><i>Felix Culpa</i> by Kings Kaleidescope</li>
<li><i>Sleepless</i> by CAZZETTE</li>
<li><i>Don’t Tell ‘Em</i> by Jeremiah</li>
<li><i>Bang Bang</i> by Jessie J (feat. Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj)</li>
</ol>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* - This album technically came out in 2013, but I had no idea, and didn't start listening to it until February of 2014. As well, it's definitely the only album of the year I liked from beginning to end. Thus it's making my list. Blame it on the fact that I'm 27, and it takes me a while to find out about cool music.</span></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-60752202791283793902014-01-05T16:38:00.000-06:002021-08-23T09:42:33.025-05:00Tops of 2013Welcome to the third annual edition of my tops list of the year. I'll be listing 3 lists for 2013: Favorite albums <u>released</u> in 2013, favorite albums <u>acquired</u> in 2013, and favorite movies released in 2013.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvBzT-ZrhfomTuJLVK4-Gr3Qd5rLBgAF94xMUV8V3OCk6dzh4nrXAPg_o1V0xLbmpSN-M-ttYSccVT5qzPe9WSMMFcW_Raxdogy4jH2wB_HmitQbNS0KhYOipunobjqD74FuXH4hEs_RY/s1600/best-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvBzT-ZrhfomTuJLVK4-Gr3Qd5rLBgAF94xMUV8V3OCk6dzh4nrXAPg_o1V0xLbmpSN-M-ttYSccVT5qzPe9WSMMFcW_Raxdogy4jH2wB_HmitQbNS0KhYOipunobjqD74FuXH4hEs_RY/s1600/best-2013.jpg" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_736140931"></span><span id="goog_736140932"></span><br />
The <i>Terrence Thornton Honorary</i> Top Five Albums Released in 2013<br />
<ol>
<li><i>Bad Blood</i> by BASTILLE</li>
<li><i>Modern Vampires of the City</i> by Vampire Weekend </li>
<li><i>Acid Rap</i> by Chance the Rapper</li>
<li><i>Pure Heroine</i> by Lorde</li>
<li><i>Trouble Will Find Me</i> by The National </li>
</ol>
The <i>North West Honorary</i> Top Four Albums Acquired in 2013<br />
<ol>
<li><i>good kid, m.A.A.d city</i> by Kendrick Lamar </li>
<li><i>The Lumineers</i> by The Lumineers</li>
<li><i>The Heist</i> by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis</li>
<li><i>Pitch Perfect Soundtrack</i> by Various Artists</li>
</ol>
The <i>Mike and Sulley Honorary</i> Top Five Movies Viewed in 2013<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Gravity</a></i> directed by Alfonso Cuarón</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347569/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank"><i>Frances Ha</i></a> directed by Noah Baumbach</li>
<li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank"><i>12 Years a Slave</i></a> directed by Steve McQueen</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Saving Mr. Banks</a></i> directed by John Lee Hancock</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005069/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Her</a></i> directed by Spike Jonze</li>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-73230820216686198892013-04-26T12:36:00.000-05:002021-08-23T09:42:15.709-05:00Favorite Songs from a Favorite BandYesterday, while I was investing some time into my Facebook News Feed, I saw a post from the page of one of my favorite bands <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/brighteyes/" target="_blank">Bright Eyes</a>. They were sharing that the music blog <a href="http://stereogum.com/" target="_blank">Stereogum</a> had posted a list of <a href="http://stereogum.com/1327912/the-10-best-bright-eyes-songs/list/" target="_blank">The 10 Best Bright Eyes Songs</a>. Now, I <a href="http://russdie.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-2nd-annual-tops-of-twenty-twelve.html" target="_blank">love</a> Top Ten lists, I do one every year for movies and music, so I couldn't resist making my <i>own</i> Top 10 Best Bright Eyes Songs.<br />
<br />
My list is <u>very</u> different than Stereogum's list and that's probably because I'm a fan, and they're more music critics (and we all know critics are "different" than the rest of us). So keep that in mind. <i>One quick note: On iTunes you can see "play count" for a given song. This played heavily into my listing, as did "nostalgia" – what sort of connection did this song have to my past (esp. High School ha!)</i><br />
<ol>
<li>"We Are Free Men" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/26" target="_blank">There is No Beginning to the Story EP</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:1U7uWXu5h9VbRX3xRLnwkm" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will." on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/22" target="_blank">LIFTED -or- The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:2dTItVx5xmi4o9cIgLgbVi" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"Land Locked Blues" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/20" target="_blank">I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:558BHSecDFS85E2L2aKzP8" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"Kathy with a K's Song" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/79" target="_blank">Oh Holy Fools!</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:0T0BTMnayYJnccoICR4G07" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"A Perfect Sonnet" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/17" target="_blank">Every Day and Every Night</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:2QuqBHd1y3N268XVe2D115" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"Middleman" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/15" target="_blank">Cassadaga</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:6tPL1qfRGTmqnLNgVeXfmK" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"A Scale, A Mirror, and Those Indifferent Clocks on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/18" target="_blank">Fevers and Mirrors</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:08PWn9DttiRcPWH2yZtqI8" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"False Advertising" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/22" target="_blank">LIFTED -or- The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:4LIpaxeTfxh17LZQcBt7V1" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"Jejune Stars" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/457" target="_blank">The People's Key</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:1YusvISvGXpEDHYjOZfyoX" width="475"></iframe>
<li>"June On the West Coast" on <a href="http://saddle-creek.com/store/21" target="_blank">Letting Off the Happiness</a></li>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="95" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:70A02fbeDvj3HbhLU8w1Az" width="475"></iframe>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-87459515226693478762012-12-31T00:48:00.000-06:002021-08-23T09:41:52.863-05:00The 2nd Annual Tops of Twenty Twelve<i>This is the second annual edition of this listing where I share my favorite albums from 2012. And for the first time ever I'm also including my top five movies as well. For last year's lists click <a href="http://russdie.blogspot.com/2011/12/top-five-top-five-top-ten-of-twenty.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
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<br />
Here are my main criteria for the music rankings:<br />
<b>Repeatability:</b> Can I listen to it multiple times and not get sick of it?<br />
<b>Listenability:</b> Is it pleasant and intriguing to listen to?<br />
<b>Emotionability:</b> Does it speak to my heart and soul?<br />
<b>Originalibity:</b> It has to be somewhat original; subjectively.<br />
<br />
The "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0" target="_blank">Gangam-Style</a>-Honorary" Top Five Albums <u style="font-style: italic;">Released</u> in 2012<br />
<ol>
<li><i>My Head is an Animal</i> by <a href="http://www.ofmonstersandmen.com/" target="_blank">Of Monsters and Men</a></li>
<li><i>Other People's Heartache/Flaws EP</i> by <a href="http://www.bastillebastille.com/" target="_blank">Bastille</a></li>
<li><i><i>Silver & Gold</i><b> </b><span style="font-style: normal;">by <a href="http://music.sufjan.com/" target="_blank">Sufjan Stevens</a> </span></i></li>
<li><i>Making Mirrors</i> by <a href="http://gotye.com/" target="_blank">Gotye</a></li>
<li><i>An Awesome Wave</i> by <a href="http://altjband.com/" target="_blank">alt-J</a></li>
</ol>
The "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUb450Alpps" target="_blank">Temple-of-the-Dog</a>-Honorary" Top Five Albums <u><i>Acquired</i></u> in 2012<br />
<ol>
<li><i>If Not Now, When?</i> by <a href="http://incubushq.com/" target="_blank">Incubus</a></li>
<li><i>Nickel Creek</i> by <a href="http://nickelcreek.com/" target="_blank">Nickel Creek</a></li>
<li><i>Vows</i> by <a href="http://www.kimbramusic.com/" target="_blank">Kimbra</a></li>
<li><i>Strange Mercy</i> by <a href="http://ilovestvincent.com/" target="_blank">St. Vincent</a></li>
<li><i>Never Trust a Happy Song</i> by <a href="http://www.grouplovemusic.com/" target="_blank">Grouplove</a></li>
</ol>
Here are my main criteria for the movie rankings:<br />
<b>Emotionability:</b> Does it speak to my heart and soul?<br />
<b>Attentability:</b> Does it keep my attention?<br />
<b>Repeatability:</b> Would I watch it again?<br />
<br />
The "Star Wars: Episode VIII - <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/george-lucas-disney-sale_n_2072189.html" target="_blank">Lucas Strikes Back</a>" Honorary Top Six Movies <u><i>Viewed</i></u> in 2012<br />
<ol>
<li><i>Wreck-It Ralph</i></li>
<li><i>The Dark Knight Rises</i></li>
<li><i>Silver Linings Playbook</i></li>
<li><i>Django Unchained</i></li>
<li><i>End of Watch</i></li>
<li><i>Zero Dark Thirty</i></li>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123254131359566322.post-19433554519287225472011-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:002011-12-12T17:41:05.248-06:00Top Five + Top Five = Top Ten of Twenty ElevenWell, it looks like I'll break my blog silence with a post that ranks the music I've listened to this past year (I got big plans to write a real post in the near future, and I hope to write more regularly). Until then though, this will have to do.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvS_XceO7r9Lvg-girCsgUXkglY3npCCTinViGog5jc2Z5KIPWanBQVsFX8bM1Yh8xR-roeIFSBWTePmdHZrSMxNgeBiPkx9AquF_G5EpFfkt5884rj0_Pp49bMe_zrfil734UaZmQbput/s1600/top10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvS_XceO7r9Lvg-girCsgUXkglY3npCCTinViGog5jc2Z5KIPWanBQVsFX8bM1Yh8xR-roeIFSBWTePmdHZrSMxNgeBiPkx9AquF_G5EpFfkt5884rj0_Pp49bMe_zrfil734UaZmQbput/s400/top10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here are my main criteria for the rankings:<br />
<b>Repeatability:</b> Can I listen to it over and over again and not get sick of it?<br />
<b>Listenability:</b> Is it pleasant and intriguing to listen to?<br />
<b>Emotionability:</b> Does it speak to my heart and soul?<br />
<b>Originalibity:</b> It has to be somewhat original; subjectively.<br />
<br />
<b>The "Lady Gaga <i>I Was Born This Way Baby</i>" Honorary Top Five Albums of 2011</b><br />
<div>
<ol>
<li><i>Nine Types of Light</i> by <a href="http://www.tvontheradio.com/" target="_blank">TV on the Radio</a> </li>
<li><i>The People's Key</i> by <a href="http://www.conoroberst.com/" target="_blank">Bright Eyes</a></li>
<li><i>The Sounds of Daniel Bashta</i> by <a href="http://danielbashta.com/" target="_blank">Daniel Bashta</a></li>
<li><i>Bon Iver</i> by <a href="http://boniver.org/" target="_blank">Bon Iver</a></li>
<li><i>The Soundtrack to Drive</i> by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B0057VDGNK" target="_blank">Various Artists</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<b>The "Katy Perry, <i>Yeah She Has Good Pop Music/One of the Boys/Teenage Dream</i>" Honorary Top Five Albums <i>Acquired</i> in 2011</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><i>Sigh No More</i> by <a href="http://www.mumfordandsons.com/" target="_blank">Mumford & Sons</a></li>
<li><i>Only By The Night</i> by <a href="https://www.kingsofleon.com/home" target="_blank">Kings of Leon</a></li>
<li><i>Dusk and Summer</i> by <a href="http://www.dashboardconfessional.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">Dashboard Confessional</a></li>
<li><i>Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers</i> by <a href="http://www.americanmary.com/" target="_blank">The National</a></li>
<li><i>Odd Blood</i> by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer" target="_blank">Yeasayer</a> </li>
</ol>
<div>
Note: If I had no shame I would've included Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, because I spent a decent amount of time listening to them (more than I'd care to admit). But I do have shame, so they only get an honorable mention. Florence + the Machine might've made the list, but I just got their <i>Lungs</i> album, so I couldn't in good conscience.</div>
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