The Post with my 10 favorite movies of the year
I had to actually whittle 15 films I really liked to a list of 10 so here goes:

10. Rocky Balboa- Just saw it so I'll leave it high on the list for now. Good and good like the first one, not cheesy good like 3 or 4. It's sad at times, and it's really got some heart running through it. Stallone is great here again and the supporting cameos and cast are great.

9. Pirates of the Carribean:Dead Man's Chest- Big budget summer flick or not this is really fun. Johnny Depp is really good in these films and the story is a long winding road that is fun and the 2 hour 30 minute time flys by.

8. Inside Man- This is the Spike Lee I like. Delivering a point without being preachy and turning an eye onto the underside of people that we choose to either not focus on or look at. Great cast, and a very tightly smart written mystery.

7. Clerks 2- Kevin Smith sends off (possibly) his Jersey characters with a riotous movie about people at the crossroads of their life. It much like any Kevin Smith film has a clever and witty script, and the directing is greatly improved over many of his previous efforts. I still laugh thinking about the "Porch Monkey" discussion.

6. Borat- Sacha Baren Cohen's foreign reporter gets the full film treatment and it is almost non-stop hilarity. I agree with matthias that the set-up gags didn't work nearly as well as the improv stuff, but I laughed harder at this film than most anything I saw this year.

5. The Descent- This is the way horror movies should be. Strong characters, a well-written story, and downright scary at times. I jumped a few times when the villians, so to speak, started showing up and the boundaries of trust between teh female characters started breaking down.

4. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby- I think Will Ferrell takes some getting used to but I think he finds a way to make these big schlub characters who have enough heart that you care about them. Outside of that though this movie is hilarious, and they are probably more laughs per minute than in Anchorman although i think when Anchorman is on it's funnier overall.

3. United 93- A really touching masterpiece. This movie blew Oliver Stone's other 9/11 movie out of the water. The movie takes place in real time of that moment. We aren't introduced to characters, people aren't humanized. We know as much about these characters as the same people did on the plane that day. Even knowing the ending doesn't make it any less sad. A very respectful tribute.

2. The Illusionist- Everyone knows The Prestiege--this is the better movie. Paul Giamatti and Ed Norton go toe to toe acting in this one and the script takes them on a twist and turn filled journey that will leave wanting to see the movie again to see how they pulled the wool over your eyes. The director stays out of the way as well allowing the actors to tell the story.

1. The Departed- Arguably Marty's finest hour. The cast is top notch in this one and they all step up. The story is extremely strong and as layers start being pulled away and you get closer to the cliimax you can feel yourself following along to see how it ends. It's a subtle difference compared to films that drag you along, but it's a very noticable difference. Leo deserves a lot of credit here and probably an Oscar nod.

That's my list for today..Feel free to argue with it.
- posted by Brian @ 12/27/2006 02:32:00 PM

 
The Post with my 10 Favorite TV shows of 2006
We start off the week long list-a-mania with a countdown of my 10 favorite shows of this past TV season (Roughly 10-you'll see why). This really is a golden era of TV despite how people try to paint it and there was some really good stuff out there this year.

10. Big Love, HBO- It's a show that probably shouldn't be as touching as it is. A man who is married to three different women with a bunch of kids living a polygamist lifestyle in a suburban neighborhood. With the acting though, this rises above being just an interesting premise and comes off as real drama as they struggle to keep their secret lives secret. All the women who play Bill Paxton's wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ginnfer Goodwin, and Chloe Sevigny)play their roles perfectly and despite the sniping care for each other.

9. Jericho, CBS- Some have called it Lost for Republicans, others have said it contains bad acting, yet week in and week out it is intriguing. Skeet Ulrich plays the mayor's son with a mysterious past who comes into town just before an apparent nuclear attack in the surrounding cities cuts Jericho, KS off from the outside world. From there it became a small town drama with heartbreak, loss, and people's psyches falling apart in the wake of what seems to be Armageddon. The action also really moves along at a fast pace.

8. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX- Probably the most real feeling "buddy comedy" on TV. It's the story of 4 friends who own an Irish bar. It's kind of like Seinfeld on speed becasue the ideas these people come up with along with the situations they run into are completely hair-brained, but what makes it funny is the whole feeling that you and your friends have been there done that at one point or another. Danny Devito joined the cast this year and only added to the over-the-top nature of it all.

7. Monk, USA- Tony Shaloub's protrayal of the OCD riddled (among other things) detective still remains one of the strongest acting jobs on TV. After some initial rough steps introducing the character of Natalie they found a groove this past season and it led to some really good episodes. It's a mystery show but it's never really about who did it or how they did but how Monk will eventually unravel the case. Very cleverly written.

6. Lost, ABC- Lost has been in a slump as of late, but it is still a great show. Placing it 6th isn't so much an indicator of how I feel about the show but rather more about the strength of the shows above it. I think the mini-season really affected the show and it was hard to get fully involved with it knowing it was going to only be on for 6 weeks. Still well-written, and I still think when this season is over we will know a lot about the story and where it is headed. The end of season 2 though was extremely strong in the first part of the year.

5. Deadwood, HBO- HBO canceled this show way too soon and it will not get the proper send-off that it deserves. Shame too because this season was easily their best one yet. Hearst blew into town and was moving pieces into place so he could take over the tiny little gold rush town. He was eventually muscled out of town by Al Swearengen and Seth Bullock among others pooling their resources together. The last shot of Hearst looking at Deadwood with disdain would've meant that next season Deadwood was in trouble. Sadly we won't get to see that big blowoff. The episode where Hearst and Swearengen's commanders battle in the street was one of the best scenes in all of tv this year.

4. 24, FOX- Quite possibly 24's strongest season yet. I was a little turned off by some of the plot developments and twists but once the season got into gear it was non-stop action. The presidential manuvering by helping assinate a former president was great. I also think the last few epsiodes were really great television. The ending with Jack being held prisoner was a great way to help kick off the new season.

3. My Name is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, NBC- It might not be labeled Must See TV anymore but these four comedies are the best comedies on TV right now and make for a hysterical 2 hour block of programming. Earl has continued to get better, The Office is really clicking now as they are focusing on some other background characters and have deftly blended the two offices together. Scrubs may have gone a little heavy on the live action cartoon stuff but is still constantly funny and thought-provoking, and 30 Rock is a very cleverly written, smartly acted show. Alec Baldwin is hilarious in his role and Tina Fey is really holding up well in a real acting gig. Also Tracy Morgan may take the record for most funny lines in a season.

2. The Shield, FX- This gritty FX drama was almost the best show on TV this year. Michael Chiklis portrayal of the morally bankrupt cop almost cost him his career and cost one of his Strike Team crew members their life, as he was killed by another fellow Strike Teamer trying to avoid being investigated. Forrest Whitaker was added as the Internal Affairs investigator and his battle of one-upmanship with Vic Mackey was amazing TV. Vic got under Kavanaugh's skin by sleeping with his ex-wife which led to Kavanaugh almost raping Vic's ex-wife. They finally fought in the season finale before being pulled apart and the ending implied there will be a conclusion to the battle upcoming sooner rather than later.

1. Friday Night Lights, NBC- The best family drama on TV. Sounds odd to say that about a show that involved people getting paralyzed. People cheating on each other, and the star running back shooting up steroids in the church parking lot. However, all the bad acts have definite consequences. There are not nearly enough people watching this show and it deserves better than that. It is heart-warming, and at the end of the day it expertly balances football drama with real-world drama putting both into their proper perspectives. Kyle Chandler is doing phenomenal work as the coach who is dealing with the pressure imposed upon him by his players acting up and the townpeople hungering for another state championship.


That's my list. All these shows are worth looking for as we move on and into 2007.
- posted by Brian @ 12/26/2006 02:46:00 PM

 
The Post with an overview of the coming week
List-A-Mania will be running wild this next week as I countdown my 10 favorite movies of the year. My 10 favorite TV shows of the year, and my 10 favorite country songs of the year. Also I will debut my list of my Top 100 80's songs of all time...Then of course I'll give a little send-off to 2006 as I welcome 2007.

All that and...well not more.


Merry Christmas!!...I refuse to be PC and say Happy Holidays
- posted by Brian @ 12/24/2006 10:39:00 AM

 
The Post with the end of my week
So I had this whole week off and it is now coming to an end. Went way to fast like it always does. I got a lot of time in at the gym-which doesn't seem to help but at least I can keep up the illusion that it helps.

I think I've watched more of the Rachel Ray show this week than any one person should have to watch. I gues she's cute in a "big girl" sort of way. Plus the whole being a great cook thing is cool, but damn is the woman spastic. She talked about 3 different topics today in the span of 20 seconds. Then she had a whole gaggle of women there who are having problems finding a man so she is having them go on a "dating diet" They are going to stop looking and just live with themselves for like 3 months becasue it will make them happier. What-the-fuck-ever, that must be strictly a woman thing. As hard as it is to watch Ray it sucks when those harpies from the View come on the TV. I never thought I'd want to hear Rosie O'Donnell talk so much in my life becasue the more she talks means the less the others can. Elizabeth Hasselbeck is single-handedly making it so no person from a reality show will ever be able to find a legitimate job in entertainment.

Tonight is the movie's and right now I'm listening to Adam Schein and Jim Miller on NFL Radio make their football picks for the week to help me decide where to put my money this week. (Hey I'm 5 for 5 over the past two weeks hitting the underdogs)

Speaking of money--I met with my financial person yesterday to help me diversify my portfolio. I'm not sure where gambling falls in but it's got to be there somewhere. BTW--I'm a lot more diverse than i thought I was...

Have a good weekend
- posted by Brian @ 12/15/2006 03:17:00 PM

 
The Post with MLB's stupidity
Anybody that knows me is familiar with the fact that I'm a baseball nut. Love it. Watching it, playing it, talking about it--little if nothing in life makes me happier.

Bud Selig the commissioner of Major league Baseball I'm convinced is a blithering idiot however. He has made poor management decisions and generally has no concept about what the fans of MLB want.

This off-season they are looking to build soem goodwill. The United States is opening up the National Civil Rights game, and in honor of that event MLB has decided to play the first annual Civil Rights Game. Really good idea. Baseball was the first sport to really embrace African Amercian athletes and countries from all over the world are currently represented in the majors. Also baseball is America's pasttime so it's a good idea to have this game coincide with a huge museum opening.

That game will be the St. Louis Cardinals vs the Cleveland Indians.

THE CLEVELAND FUCKING INDIANS?!?!

This is no knock on the Indians--they are a realy great young team and will probably compete for the American League Central crown this year. However, having a team called the Indians, with their Chief Wahoo logo playing in this game is probably not the best idea. I would think you wouldn't want people picketing the National Civil Rights Game.

Sometimes I wonder---and 2009 can't come soon enough for me in regards to Selig
- posted by Brian @ 12/09/2006 04:36:00 PM