11)The Wire-only in the second season, but I'm sure by the time I'm done it will be higher on the list. The episodes slowly build on one another, with amazing results by the time the end of the season comes around. Great acting, and great representation of the difficulties of hierarchy in work place settings.
10)Friends-Wasn't around for the second part of the decade, but it was really good while it lasted. Pretty solid comedy, that's really east to re-watch the second and third time around. TV just isn't the same without Chandler.
9)The Apprentice-Oh the 2000's and the invention of reality TV. This is a pretty good example of that. Who doesn't enjoy watching Donald Trump telling people they're fired. Not such a big fan of the Celebrity version, but what can you do.
8)The Simpsons-Was only good for around 3 years of this decade, but when it was good, it was damn good. Definite consideration for best TV show ever.
7)The Amazing Race-Really great reality TV show. You get to see really cool places all around the world, and secretly everyone really wishes they could be doing some sort of scavenger hunt at any moment.
6)The Daily Show-The place where a lot of people get their news from. Don't really agree with the political slant of it, but still find it extremely funny.
5)Friday Night Lights-The best show on TV dealing with the emotional upheaval teenagers feel. Football is ancillary to the plot, but is still an added bonus. Great acting, and just all around a great show.
4)Dexter-Who knew that one could sympathize, and even cheer for a killer (oh wait, the Sopranos...). This show creeps you out, and has constant plot twists, that are usually awesome. A definite must watch.
3)Survivor-Basically created the reality TV show genre, which for better or worse defined this decade in some way. A somewhat crazy idea turned into a spectacle that millions turned into. Although I'm the only person I know who still watches it, apparently a lot of people still do.
2)Curb Your Enthusiasm-If you like Seinfeld, you'll love this show. A great reflection on the somewhat absurd ways people live their daily lives. Larry sometimes doesn't agree with these minor societal rules, and hilarity often ensues. Really funny music also.
1)The Sopranos-Tony Soprano was objectively a despicable human being, but the show takes you so far into his daily life you start to sympathize with him. He did seem to care about his family, showed a great love for animals, and was a good friend if you were loyal to him. Influenced the many shows that would follow, where the main character was very dark. Great fodder for quotes.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Avatar movie review
So I went to see Avatar on Tuesday Night, and came away with many opinions.
The good:
1)The graphics-It was pretty awesome to watch a movie in 3-d, and it was very sophisticated 3-d, not something you would see at an amusement park. That being said, only certain types of movies should be shown in 3-d, Avatar being one of them.
2)The originality-Props to James Cameron for making up a whole new world with tons of different species and life forms. He apparently made up a whole language for the Na'vi.
3)The plot-Sort of good, but very predictable.
The bad:
1)The blatant political message-I get it. Europeans colonized much of the world, and sometimes treated native populations very poorly. Did I need to be reminded of this during a movie? Not really. Also had direct references to the war in Iraq (mentioned 'shock and awe' campaigns), counter-insurgency terminology (win the hearts and minds of the people), and showed human soldiers burning villages with flamethrowers (like Vietnam). Not only was this annoying, it made no sense within the context of the movie. Why are the characters using 150 year old terms, and why do people still use flamethrowers 150 years in the future? Nobody cares about your political message, we just want to watch an exciting movie.
2)Originality-In some areas it was very poor. For example, why did the humans have such awful technology. The windows on their ships weren't even bulletproof for gosh sakes. They also tried blowing up the Na'vi sacred lands by pushing a sack of explosives out of a moving plane. What is this, World War 2? Where were the ballistic missiles. Freaking birds were flying into ships and destroying them. Super lame.
The animals were also basically animals on earth with a slight twist. Examples include: A slightly more ferocious dog, a rhino mixed with a hammer head shark, slight more vicious birds....
3)Parts that didn't make sense-When Jake goes back to his human body his avatar shuts down. How did nobody notice this was suspicious. It never happened that the Na'vi tried waking him up and nothing happened. Didn't they wonder why he would just collapse all of the time.
Jake turns into an avatar for good, because they pray for him. That's not how science works, I'm pretty sure....
Also why did the Na'vi take him in, in the first place. "Hey, you know I work for this evil company, can I learn all of your ways. My motives are pure, I swear." Seems pretty stupid.
4)The ending-Yay, nature won somehow. Animals suddenly became smart and could differentiate between the good and bad guys. It's not like the humans can't just come back with actual good weapons and repeat the exploitation process.
5)The hair thing-We connect to animals because we all have hair that intertwines with one another. That was pretty lame.
Not to say I thought the movie was bad, but it definitely was not great. Star Wars, this year's Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings are all superior.
If you have any more suggestions of what was good or bad, I would like to hear it.
The good:
1)The graphics-It was pretty awesome to watch a movie in 3-d, and it was very sophisticated 3-d, not something you would see at an amusement park. That being said, only certain types of movies should be shown in 3-d, Avatar being one of them.
2)The originality-Props to James Cameron for making up a whole new world with tons of different species and life forms. He apparently made up a whole language for the Na'vi.
3)The plot-Sort of good, but very predictable.
The bad:
1)The blatant political message-I get it. Europeans colonized much of the world, and sometimes treated native populations very poorly. Did I need to be reminded of this during a movie? Not really. Also had direct references to the war in Iraq (mentioned 'shock and awe' campaigns), counter-insurgency terminology (win the hearts and minds of the people), and showed human soldiers burning villages with flamethrowers (like Vietnam). Not only was this annoying, it made no sense within the context of the movie. Why are the characters using 150 year old terms, and why do people still use flamethrowers 150 years in the future? Nobody cares about your political message, we just want to watch an exciting movie.
2)Originality-In some areas it was very poor. For example, why did the humans have such awful technology. The windows on their ships weren't even bulletproof for gosh sakes. They also tried blowing up the Na'vi sacred lands by pushing a sack of explosives out of a moving plane. What is this, World War 2? Where were the ballistic missiles. Freaking birds were flying into ships and destroying them. Super lame.
The animals were also basically animals on earth with a slight twist. Examples include: A slightly more ferocious dog, a rhino mixed with a hammer head shark, slight more vicious birds....
3)Parts that didn't make sense-When Jake goes back to his human body his avatar shuts down. How did nobody notice this was suspicious. It never happened that the Na'vi tried waking him up and nothing happened. Didn't they wonder why he would just collapse all of the time.
Jake turns into an avatar for good, because they pray for him. That's not how science works, I'm pretty sure....
Also why did the Na'vi take him in, in the first place. "Hey, you know I work for this evil company, can I learn all of your ways. My motives are pure, I swear." Seems pretty stupid.
4)The ending-Yay, nature won somehow. Animals suddenly became smart and could differentiate between the good and bad guys. It's not like the humans can't just come back with actual good weapons and repeat the exploitation process.
5)The hair thing-We connect to animals because we all have hair that intertwines with one another. That was pretty lame.
Not to say I thought the movie was bad, but it definitely was not great. Star Wars, this year's Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings are all superior.
If you have any more suggestions of what was good or bad, I would like to hear it.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Best Movies of the Decade
Oh boy this is going to be tough, as there were a lot of solid movies this decade, but I think these are all pretty excellent.
10)Spiderman- The movie that made it cool to do comic book movies again. Without the massive success of this film, it is probable that we would have missed some of these great movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight (not as good as Batman Begins btw, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk (the one with Edward Norton), The Punisher, etc... Although there were a lot of stinkers such as: The Hulk (Ang Lee version), The Hellboy movies (I don't know why people like them), Elektra, X Men 2/3, and even Spiderman 3.
9)Crash- Won the Academy Award best picture in 2005. Was a really great movie that managed to weave several interesting stories together. And that part where you think that little girl gets shot always get me. Unfortunately the most noteworthy thing the (Canadian) director, Paul Haggis, has done since then is to guest star on an episode of Entourage.
8)Traffic- A really gritty movie about the effect drugs has on the USA and Mexico. Really great cast and excellent acting. Interesting to note that Topher Grace was in this movie, while simultaneously being on That 70's Show.
7)Frost/Nixon- A great political movie about the famous David Frost interview of Richard Nixon. Frank Langella, the guy who played Nixon, should have won the best acting Oscar over Sean Penn that year. He was able to perfectly mimic Nixon's mannerisms and speech. A great portrait of a tortured political mind.
6)Waltz with Bashir- Even though I don't agree with the political slant of the movie, it was still beautifully done. Amazing animation which really managed to capture my imagination in a powerful way. If you like foreign films this is a must see.
5)Pan's Labyrinth- The best foreign film I've ever seen. A fantasy story told through the eyes of a young girl during the Spanish Civil War, this movie will really capture your imagination. The monsters are insanely weird, and one is constantly unsure of what is real and what is imagined. The character of Captain Vidal is one of cinema's greatest villains.
4)The Hurt Locker- The best movie this year, and the one of the best war movies ever. Tells the story of a bomb detonation squad in Iraq. The film depicts how hard it is to fight in an urban setting, and makes one think about the rules of war. The soldiers themselves are seen to be decent men, who sometimes have to make disastrous decisions. A definite must see.
3)The Wrestler-I suspect most guys (sorry girls) watched wrestling at some point of their childhood. This movie shows the life of a washed up wrestler, who works at a supermarket in between his infrequent fights. A really sad look at an icon who turns into a nobody. Mickey Rourke gives a stunning performance, one which reignited his career. Randy the Ram is awesome.
2)Gran Torino- Oh Clint Eastwood, you know how to make a good movie. A really under appreciated movie which shows the benefits of hard work, friendship, and generational differences. Clint Eastwood plays an old man, living in a neighborhood which is slowly being filled by minorities. He starts off the movie xenophobic, but eventually befriends a teenager who also shares his values of hard work and sacrifice. Stunning ending too.
1)Gladiator-"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?" -Maximus. This movie is so epically awesome. I'm sure you have all seen it. If not you definitely need to go and see it, Avatar can wait. I still quote this movie to this day.
Honorable mention: WALL-E,Requiem for a Dream, The Departed, Up, Superbad, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Kill Bill.
Anything I missed?
10)Spiderman- The movie that made it cool to do comic book movies again. Without the massive success of this film, it is probable that we would have missed some of these great movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight (not as good as Batman Begins btw, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk (the one with Edward Norton), The Punisher, etc... Although there were a lot of stinkers such as: The Hulk (Ang Lee version), The Hellboy movies (I don't know why people like them), Elektra, X Men 2/3, and even Spiderman 3.
9)Crash- Won the Academy Award best picture in 2005. Was a really great movie that managed to weave several interesting stories together. And that part where you think that little girl gets shot always get me. Unfortunately the most noteworthy thing the (Canadian) director, Paul Haggis, has done since then is to guest star on an episode of Entourage.
8)Traffic- A really gritty movie about the effect drugs has on the USA and Mexico. Really great cast and excellent acting. Interesting to note that Topher Grace was in this movie, while simultaneously being on That 70's Show.
7)Frost/Nixon- A great political movie about the famous David Frost interview of Richard Nixon. Frank Langella, the guy who played Nixon, should have won the best acting Oscar over Sean Penn that year. He was able to perfectly mimic Nixon's mannerisms and speech. A great portrait of a tortured political mind.
6)Waltz with Bashir- Even though I don't agree with the political slant of the movie, it was still beautifully done. Amazing animation which really managed to capture my imagination in a powerful way. If you like foreign films this is a must see.
5)Pan's Labyrinth- The best foreign film I've ever seen. A fantasy story told through the eyes of a young girl during the Spanish Civil War, this movie will really capture your imagination. The monsters are insanely weird, and one is constantly unsure of what is real and what is imagined. The character of Captain Vidal is one of cinema's greatest villains.
4)The Hurt Locker- The best movie this year, and the one of the best war movies ever. Tells the story of a bomb detonation squad in Iraq. The film depicts how hard it is to fight in an urban setting, and makes one think about the rules of war. The soldiers themselves are seen to be decent men, who sometimes have to make disastrous decisions. A definite must see.
3)The Wrestler-I suspect most guys (sorry girls) watched wrestling at some point of their childhood. This movie shows the life of a washed up wrestler, who works at a supermarket in between his infrequent fights. A really sad look at an icon who turns into a nobody. Mickey Rourke gives a stunning performance, one which reignited his career. Randy the Ram is awesome.
2)Gran Torino- Oh Clint Eastwood, you know how to make a good movie. A really under appreciated movie which shows the benefits of hard work, friendship, and generational differences. Clint Eastwood plays an old man, living in a neighborhood which is slowly being filled by minorities. He starts off the movie xenophobic, but eventually befriends a teenager who also shares his values of hard work and sacrifice. Stunning ending too.
1)Gladiator-"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?" -Maximus. This movie is so epically awesome. I'm sure you have all seen it. If not you definitely need to go and see it, Avatar can wait. I still quote this movie to this day.
Honorable mention: WALL-E,Requiem for a Dream, The Departed, Up, Superbad, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Kill Bill.
Anything I missed?
Starting up my blog.... again.
I figured since I like writing about stuff, I should start writing my blog again.
I hope you enjoy best of the decade lists for the next week or so....
I hope you enjoy best of the decade lists for the next week or so....
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