Stanley Kubrick seems to be the consensus best director ever. Some may have qualms with one or two of his movies, but overall I have never met a single person who despised or in any way disliked Stanley Kubrick as a whole.
Tory's Top 5:
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey - I don't see this being number one on any other list, but being a fan of out-there science fiction like this - which puts it as one of my favorite movies of all time, earns it's spot atop this list. Sheerly brilliant with... about 40 minutes of non-dialogue sc
2. A Clockwork Orange - With each of his films it seems he created some sort of controversy. This one the most though, as it was the incredible movie that let him receive the numerous death threats - the trademark of every great director.
3. Full Metal Jacket - The best war movie ever made. It's another movie (like 2001) that showcases his ability to transition perfectly. Like the bone to the spaceship, this goes from a suicide to wartime in an insanely effective manner.
4. Dr. Strangelove - I have only seen this movie one time, which is why it didn't get higher. The best political commentary ever, probably.
5. The Killing - Though the heist seemed a little premature and not really thought out at all, this seems to be the first movie that can be called a signature Stanley Kubrick movie, though I have never seen Killer's Kiss.
Honorable Mentions: Paths to Glory - It was very difficult to decide between this and the Killing.
Dan's Top 5:
(Wow, this is really hard, as everything I've ever seen him make is absolutely brilliant. So brilliant, in fact, that I'm quoting each movie.)
1. A Clockwork Orange - One of my all-time favorites, I really should attempt to read the book. A good exercise in the philosophy of morality and justice, and a peek into the criminal mind. McDowell's finest performance and Kubrick's finest movie.
"Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. As I slooshied, I knew such lovely pictures!"
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - Laughing in the face of our own nuclear apocalypse. I can't really recall any other time it was done, and if it has, then it can't be anywhere near as good as this.
"I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Wow, Tory... I thought I was the only one who actually liked this movie. An insane impact on popular culture, it seemed that this was Kubrick going all in with art rather than going for your standard commercial film. The result is a real treat.
"I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do."
4. The Shining - Still one of the most chilling movies I've ever seen. Pure insanity on show from a remarkable Nicholson. Some points off for not keeping a good pace at times, but otherwise fantastic.
"I like you, Lloyd. I always liked you. You were always the best of them. Best goddamned bartender from Timbuktu to Portland, Maine. Or Portland, Oregon, for that matter."
5. Full Metal Jacket - The jarring contrast between first and second half just makes me pass over it every time as a potential viewing opportunity. I do remember liking this movie, but it never springs to mind when I think "Kubrick." Still good, though.
"I admire your honesty. Hell, I like you, you can come over to my house and fuck my sister!"
Tim's Top 5:
While I disagree with Tory's premise, Kubrick is not the best director, he's in the top 5 (hence a future topic is forthcoming from me), but not the best.
1) A Clockwork Orange - It's my favorite novel, so it's definitely not a movie that can live up to it, right? Wrong. Kubrick is mostly faithful to the novel (except the last chapter), and made an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. It has the best ending of any Kubrick film, and one of the best of all time. "I was cured, all right." There is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie and it features the second most astonishingly great lead actor in a film. The most astonishing? Also on this list...
2) Dr. Strangelove - For brevity's sake, I won't include the entire subtitle. It's one of the funniest films of all time, it features four outstanding performances -- one from George C. Scott, the other three from Peter Sellers (Sellers, in fact, gives what I think might be the greatest performance ever recorded on film, and I'm not even sure that George C. Scott doesn't beat him out in this film). Hilarious from start to finish, loaded with great roles and lines that are pure Kubrick. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!", "Mein Fuehrer, I can walk!" Slim Pickens, Keenan Wynn, Peter Bull, they're all great here. Most directors would never come close to achieving this kind of greatness, let alone matching it.
3) Barry Lyndon - A 3-hour epic about an Irish rogue played by perpetual pretty boy Ryan O'Neal. Let me just repeat that: a 3-hour epic about an Irish rogue played by perpetual pretty boy Ryan O'Neal. And it's amazing. The visuals are unmatched for a conventional period piece, the acting is surprisingly restrained, and once again, the conclusion makes it well worth the wait. It took me years to see it, given that it is largely forgotten and unseen by most Kubrick fans, but it was well worth seeing. Witty, dramatic, and beautiful.
4) 2001: A Space Odyssey - As a non-drug user, the journey into infinity and beyond certainly goes on beyond my patience, but the truth is, it's worth it. This is what The Sopranos was going for with its bullshit ambiguous ending. If you trimmed the journey into infinity and beyond by about 10 minutes, I'd have a hard time slotting this lower than second, it's such an astoundingly different film, but I get to nitpick the master here. Hal 9000 is one of the best characters ever put on film and the casting of Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood plays perfectly against him, because there are times that Hal appears more human than his cohorts.
5) Spartacus - The Shining is my second favorite novel and what Kubrick did to it is an utter disaster to me. It's a movie that has its fair share of moments, but diverges too drastically from the novel by making Jack Nicholson pure evil from the outset of the film for me to even recommend it to someone who has read the novel. Spartacus is a conventional film, to be sure, and it could very well have been made by Anthony Mann, but it's got too many sterling moments to be written off just because it isn't pure Kubrick. Full Metal Jacket really finishes poorly (let's be honest, Matthew Modine was not meant to be a lead actor) after a tour de force on the front end courtesy of R. Lee Ermey. Kubrick deserves credit just for spotting him as an actor.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Dr. Strangelove - What Tim said. "We must not allow a mineshaft gap!"
2. Full Metal Jacket - The first half is brilliant, the second half has its moments. "I believe it suggests something about the duality of man, sir!" is one of my favorite movie lines.
3. A Clockwork Orange - Visually stunning. I really need to finish this novel someday.
4. Paths to Glory - We watched this in my History of War class; the professor just turned it on with no introduction, we weren't sure if we were to expect five minutes or something else. We ended up watching the whole thing and getting out of class late, so the fact that I really enjoyed it despite getting out of class late says something. Right?
5. The Shining - Greatest Simpsons Halloween short ever (do I smell a future seasonal Top 5?). Or possibly the one right after it, the toaster time machine. Wait, I lost what list we're on.
Good night everybody.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Top 5 John Cusack Movies
His character in what will inevitably be the #1 on everybody's list is the inspiration for Top 5 list. Also, he's one of the best actors of our generation. A John Cusack's character tribute list.
Tory's Top 5:
1. High Fidelity - As the introduction states, it's the reason for the lists, and it is his funniest performance that I have see
2. Grosse Pointe Blank - The premise alone is funny, but with the traditional depressed John Cusack personality thrown in it is pure gold.
3. The Ice Harvest - I haven't seen all of the high school Cusack movie's (besides Say Anything...) so, though it is a rather new movie, it mixes the classic Cusack with a darker kind of humor and a rather good plot for an excellent product.
4. Say Anything... - The most memorable scene in any John Cusack film, and perhaps any film (laughs to himself nonchalantly.) It is seriously a good movie, and one of Cameron Crowe's crowning achievements.
5. Being John Malcovich - Like the Ice Harvest it mixes a much darker sense of humor with Cusack's usual acting style. The only thing that put it at number five was the saddest ending a John Cusack character has ever seen.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Better Off Dead... - This movie could not exist without John Cusack in the lead role. One of the funniest, blatantly over-the-top, cliche movies ever, it makes me proud to have been born in the 80's.
2. High Fidelity - I considered putting this at #1, but a fair share of the quality of this movie comes from Hornby's original writing as well as the supporting cast. That and I wanted to go for a bold move.
3. Being John Malkovich - A quality Cusack performance, making the gradual shift from protagonist to antagonist. Also a much better movie to weird out and philosophize to than The Matrix.
4. Say Anything... - I know nothing about this movie other than it's famous for the scene where Cusack is trying to win back a girl by blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." Hell, he could win me over with that song, and I'm a straight man.
5. 1408 - I have not seen this movie, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt, as it is a Stephen King story which also features Samuel L. Jackson and Tony Shalhoub. Gets bonus points for being a "chilling" movie rather than a "slasher" film, the latter being way to popular these days.
(I should note that of all John Cusack's movies, I have only seen numbers one through three.)
Ryan's Top 5:
This sounded like a good idea but, like Dan, I realized I haven't seen a whole lot of Cusack. Here goes...
1. High Fidelity - Tory, I concur. "WHAT FUCKING IAN GUY?!"
2. Say Anything... - A nice 80's teen romance. What year did it become impossible to make good teen romances? I'm guessing She's All That ruined it, along with my faith in humanity (I saw it in the fucking theater).
3. Better Off Dead - They had me at dancing cheeseburgers. This movie would be #2 if it didn't become uneven toward the end...it devolves from quirky comedy to standard teen you-can-do-it movie like that (::snaps fingers::).
4. One Crazy Summer - I loved this movie when I was little. A nice interspersing of live action and cartoon. I probably couldn't tell you anything else about it, other than at one point, one of the characters gets buried up to his head in sand on a beach.
5. Serendipity - It was this, The Thin Red Line, or Identity. I had problems with the latter, and not quite as many problems with the former. Man, I really need to see more Cusack...can I put his appearance on David Letterman in this spot?
Notable movies I haven't, but probably should've, seen: Grosse Point Blank, Pushing Tin, Being John Malkovich. I'm guessing two of these three would at least supplant #'s 4-5.
Tim's Top 5:
DISCLAIMER My favorite movie that has John Cusack in it is Bob Roberts, but it's not a John Cusack movie in any sense. END DISCLAIMER
1) The Grifters - Wow. I apparently have seen a ton of John Cusack movies that I don't think of as John Cusack movies simply because they're not lighthearted. I'd initially left this off the list entirely, but I can't honestly rank it any lower than #1. Aside from Chinatown and LA Confidential, this is the best neo-noir I've seen, directed ably by Stephen Frears (High Fidelity). Cusack plays a small-time con man who gets in over his head with his girlfriend and mother both sparring in their own grifting over him. It definitely ranks among his best work.
2) Being John Malkovich - I won't watch it nearly as much as I'll watch High Fidelity in my lifetime, but this movie is fantastic simply because it's so unprecedented and unparalleled. The downside -- this began reality TV dreck like The Osbournes, The Simple Life, and the Surreal Life, because people realized that celebrities could play themselves without being themselves. The scene where everyone is John Malkovich is so utterly bizarre that I can't help but love it, it's an absurdist exercise that actually works well. And, let's admit it, it means a lot to see ... um... retards ...portrayed on the screen with compassion. And we loved him in that jewel thief movie.
3) High Fidelity - The first time I saw this movie on a date with a girlfriend, I hated it. This speaks volumes about the ability of a bad relationship to ruin perfectly good things. Your food tastes worse, your days less sunny, and your John Cusack movies far more inadequate versions of beloved novels. Then I saw it not dating her and loved it. Now I'm somewhere in between -- the talking to the camera is overdone and is a total cop-out, but the movie is hilarious, Jack Black and Todd Louiso are perfect, and Tim Robbins deserves not one, but seven or eight Academy Awards. The ending is the best execution Hornby could have asked for, and the movie's barely even out of place in Chicago.
4) Bullets Over Broadway - I'll wager heavily no one else contemplated this for their list. Cusack does a better job playing the Woody Allen character in this movie than any of the lengthy list of actors hired by Woody Allen to play himself. It's not without its flaws, but it's a funny film with a funnier premise that is well acted throughout.
5) The Sure Thing - A remake of sorts of It Happened One Night that works more often than it doesn't. Cusack plays, of course, the teenager traveling across the country to find an easy lay, only to, of course, fall in love with, of course, Daphne Zuniga -- because who doesn't want to find someone who would later be in Spaceballs? It's a surprisingly funny teen comedy, particularly given the absolute death knell to culture (in other words, the year 1985) that birthed it.
This was actually my easiest list thus far once I finished consulting the IMDb. Eight Men Out is a good baseball film, Gross Pointe Blank is pretty good, and Bob Roberts is by far my favorite movie that John Cusack graces the presence of, but I'm trying to exercise some intellectual honesty by restricting this to movies he starred in, not cameoed in. Tapeheads, on the other hand, is awful.
Tory's Top 5:
1. High Fidelity - As the introduction states, it's the reason for the lists, and it is his funniest performance that I have see
2. Grosse Pointe Blank - The premise alone is funny, but with the traditional depressed John Cusack personality thrown in it is pure gold.
3. The Ice Harvest - I haven't seen all of the high school Cusack movie's (besides Say Anything...) so, though it is a rather new movie, it mixes the classic Cusack with a darker kind of humor and a rather good plot for an excellent product.
4. Say Anything... - The most memorable scene in any John Cusack film, and perhaps any film (laughs to himself nonchalantly.) It is seriously a good movie, and one of Cameron Crowe's crowning achievements.
5. Being John Malcovich - Like the Ice Harvest it mixes a much darker sense of humor with Cusack's usual acting style. The only thing that put it at number five was the saddest ending a John Cusack character has ever seen.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Better Off Dead... - This movie could not exist without John Cusack in the lead role. One of the funniest, blatantly over-the-top, cliche movies ever, it makes me proud to have been born in the 80's.
2. High Fidelity - I considered putting this at #1, but a fair share of the quality of this movie comes from Hornby's original writing as well as the supporting cast. That and I wanted to go for a bold move.
3. Being John Malkovich - A quality Cusack performance, making the gradual shift from protagonist to antagonist. Also a much better movie to weird out and philosophize to than The Matrix.
4. Say Anything... - I know nothing about this movie other than it's famous for the scene where Cusack is trying to win back a girl by blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." Hell, he could win me over with that song, and I'm a straight man.
5. 1408 - I have not seen this movie, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt, as it is a Stephen King story which also features Samuel L. Jackson and Tony Shalhoub. Gets bonus points for being a "chilling" movie rather than a "slasher" film, the latter being way to popular these days.
(I should note that of all John Cusack's movies, I have only seen numbers one through three.)
Ryan's Top 5:
This sounded like a good idea but, like Dan, I realized I haven't seen a whole lot of Cusack. Here goes...
1. High Fidelity - Tory, I concur. "WHAT FUCKING IAN GUY?!"
2. Say Anything... - A nice 80's teen romance. What year did it become impossible to make good teen romances? I'm guessing She's All That ruined it, along with my faith in humanity (I saw it in the fucking theater).
3. Better Off Dead - They had me at dancing cheeseburgers. This movie would be #2 if it didn't become uneven toward the end...it devolves from quirky comedy to standard teen you-can-do-it movie like that (::snaps fingers::).
4. One Crazy Summer - I loved this movie when I was little. A nice interspersing of live action and cartoon. I probably couldn't tell you anything else about it, other than at one point, one of the characters gets buried up to his head in sand on a beach.
5. Serendipity - It was this, The Thin Red Line, or Identity. I had problems with the latter, and not quite as many problems with the former. Man, I really need to see more Cusack...can I put his appearance on David Letterman in this spot?
Notable movies I haven't, but probably should've, seen: Grosse Point Blank, Pushing Tin, Being John Malkovich. I'm guessing two of these three would at least supplant #'s 4-5.
Tim's Top 5:
DISCLAIMER My favorite movie that has John Cusack in it is Bob Roberts, but it's not a John Cusack movie in any sense. END DISCLAIMER
1) The Grifters - Wow. I apparently have seen a ton of John Cusack movies that I don't think of as John Cusack movies simply because they're not lighthearted. I'd initially left this off the list entirely, but I can't honestly rank it any lower than #1. Aside from Chinatown and LA Confidential, this is the best neo-noir I've seen, directed ably by Stephen Frears (High Fidelity). Cusack plays a small-time con man who gets in over his head with his girlfriend and mother both sparring in their own grifting over him. It definitely ranks among his best work.
2) Being John Malkovich - I won't watch it nearly as much as I'll watch High Fidelity in my lifetime, but this movie is fantastic simply because it's so unprecedented and unparalleled. The downside -- this began reality TV dreck like The Osbournes, The Simple Life, and the Surreal Life, because people realized that celebrities could play themselves without being themselves. The scene where everyone is John Malkovich is so utterly bizarre that I can't help but love it, it's an absurdist exercise that actually works well. And, let's admit it, it means a lot to see ... um... retards ...portrayed on the screen with compassion. And we loved him in that jewel thief movie.
3) High Fidelity - The first time I saw this movie on a date with a girlfriend, I hated it. This speaks volumes about the ability of a bad relationship to ruin perfectly good things. Your food tastes worse, your days less sunny, and your John Cusack movies far more inadequate versions of beloved novels. Then I saw it not dating her and loved it. Now I'm somewhere in between -- the talking to the camera is overdone and is a total cop-out, but the movie is hilarious, Jack Black and Todd Louiso are perfect, and Tim Robbins deserves not one, but seven or eight Academy Awards. The ending is the best execution Hornby could have asked for, and the movie's barely even out of place in Chicago.
4) Bullets Over Broadway - I'll wager heavily no one else contemplated this for their list. Cusack does a better job playing the Woody Allen character in this movie than any of the lengthy list of actors hired by Woody Allen to play himself. It's not without its flaws, but it's a funny film with a funnier premise that is well acted throughout.
5) The Sure Thing - A remake of sorts of It Happened One Night that works more often than it doesn't. Cusack plays, of course, the teenager traveling across the country to find an easy lay, only to, of course, fall in love with, of course, Daphne Zuniga -- because who doesn't want to find someone who would later be in Spaceballs? It's a surprisingly funny teen comedy, particularly given the absolute death knell to culture (in other words, the year 1985) that birthed it.
This was actually my easiest list thus far once I finished consulting the IMDb. Eight Men Out is a good baseball film, Gross Pointe Blank is pretty good, and Bob Roberts is by far my favorite movie that John Cusack graces the presence of, but I'm trying to exercise some intellectual honesty by restricting this to movies he starred in, not cameoed in. Tapeheads, on the other hand, is awful.
Top 5 Albums 1990-1999
Dan's Top 5:
1. Radiohead - OK Computer - The #2 best album ever, and easily the best of the 90's. Probably reestablished rock as an art form with it's rich textures, and still accessible as it was before Radiohead's ultra-weird phase (Kid A and Amnesiac).
2. Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - When you rip off the Beatles' style for writing songs, you're going to still be awesome. Best collection of singable songs from the decade.
3. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) - For me, the quintessential alternative album. Pop songs full of nothing but loud guitar. Also contains the epic "Only in Dreams," which always finds its way into my personal top ten.
4. Beck - Odelay - The first album, I think to mix elements of hip hop and alternative, which would eventually lead to great music from the likes of Gorillaz. speaking of which...
5. Blur - Parklife - Included mostly for the title track and "Girls & Boys," but also for shock value, as it's an oft-overlooked album.
Honorable mentions - Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Nirvana - Nevermind, Green Day - Dookie
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Whatever and Ever Amen - Ben Folds Five – It’s not for nothing that they’re one of my favorite bands of all-time. Other than the Beatles’ big ones, this is the only album where I could very easily rattle off each individual track in order. I wouldn’t think of skipping any track. Includes a lot of my BFF favorites: One Angry Dwarf; Brick; Selfless, Cold, and Composed; Kate; Battle of Who Could Care Less; Evaporated.
2. Weezer (blue album) - Weezer - I'll agree with Dan here, it's about as close to perfect that an alternative album can get.
3. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis - I was so content with my favorite singles from this album for so long (Wonder Wall, Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova, Roll With It, Morning Glory) that it took probably years for me to realize the rest of the album is great too.
4. Urban Hymns - The Verve - Not sure where everyone else rates this album but for me, it's one of the best of the decade. Includes the excellent Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work, and Sonnet, among many others. Note: I kicked Mellon Collie out to put this in, which marks probably the first time I've not included Mellon Collie in a top 5 list. I just feel this one functions better as a total album, whereas Mellon Collie is not immune from missing occasionally.
5.Odelay - Beck - This just in, Beck is talented. I love doing the robot to Where It's At.
Honorable mentions:Urban Hymns - The Verve (really wanted to work this in), Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins, Fashion Nugget - Cake.
Tim's Top 5:
1) Pearl Jam – Yield – Pearl Jam’s best, and therefore, one of the all-time greats. Few of the tracks are worth individual note, and yet it’s a coherent and fantastic album experience. It has its weaknesses, but from Brain of J. to All Those Yesterdays, it’s a masterpiece. And it’s what ultimately rendered Pearl Jam a band for fans only, breaking from the commercial success of its predecessors.
2) Black Crowes – Shake Your Moneymaker – One of the best debuts of all time, it’s the only album I own that has every song on ITunes rated five stars. Certainly “She Talks to Angels” is overplayed, even now, but it is still a great track, they make Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” their own, Sister Luck, Jealous Again, Twice As Hard…it’s really hard to place this second.
3) R.E.M. – Automatic for the People – Everybody Hurts was overplayed, true, but Nightswimming is great, and Find the River makes Nightswimming sound terrible by comparison. If you believe they put a man on the moon…it’ll pale in comparison to the creative genius that led to R.E.M. recording Automatic for the People.
4) Guided by Voices – Mag Earwhig! – Bee Thousand has gotten more press, but Guided by Voices’ temporary Cobra Verde lineup put together an astounding album headlined by the rockingest song of my lifetime “I Am A Tree” but still has cuts like Choking Tara, Jane of the Waking Universe, Little Lines, Can’t Hear the Revolution, and Bulldog Skin. One word – awesome. Too bad it was phased out of the GBV lineup once the Cobra Verde guys (except for Doug Gillard) left.
5) Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience – If clinical depression has a soundtrack, this is it. Every song is booze-laden misery that makes you wonder how long it will be until none of them can bear to face the day anymore. Even its success took years, with the album being released in 1992 but it was still charting tracks in the top 40 four years later. More than any other album on the list, absolutely every track is essential, and some of the best were among the few that didn’t chart.
All great albums: Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York, Elliott Smith – Either/Or, Old 97’s – Too Far to Care
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors - My favorite musician, though I didn't hear this album during it's release decade. The album is an experience, and through all of the sad to throaty performances, it is certainly one of the most depressing albums for most of the tacks, however it does end on a song that evokes a certain passivity that is just an edge away from happiness. It is perfect in other words. (Directly after I did this list I found out this was released in 2000, however it was recorded in 1999 so I will keep it on here.)
2. Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - This is the first CD that I ever owned. The second disk is not quite the experience that the first one is, but it is a nice calming rendition to follow up the harder Dusk album.
3. Bright Eyes - Letting off the Happiness - I struggled here, not wanting to put Bright Eyes again so high, but my bias has won out. The reason this didn't get 2nd is because the last two songs are not up to snuff, and the reason it didn't get lower is because I can't justify it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Clumsy - OLP is one of my three favorite bands. Superman's Dead as well as the title track are two of the best songs ever written. There are other memorable tracks on here.
5. Bone thugs-n-harmony - East 1999 Eternal - This is the best rap album ever. Every song on it has an original beat, original hook and the most important of all an original flow. You wouldn't know there were so many different ways to rap until you hear this album.
Honorable mentions - Weezer blue album and Oasis - Morning Glory
1. Radiohead - OK Computer - The #2 best album ever, and easily the best of the 90's. Probably reestablished rock as an art form with it's rich textures, and still accessible as it was before Radiohead's ultra-weird phase (Kid A and Amnesiac).
2. Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - When you rip off the Beatles' style for writing songs, you're going to still be awesome. Best collection of singable songs from the decade.
3. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) - For me, the quintessential alternative album. Pop songs full of nothing but loud guitar. Also contains the epic "Only in Dreams," which always finds its way into my personal top ten.
4. Beck - Odelay - The first album, I think to mix elements of hip hop and alternative, which would eventually lead to great music from the likes of Gorillaz. speaking of which...
5. Blur - Parklife - Included mostly for the title track and "Girls & Boys," but also for shock value, as it's an oft-overlooked album.
Honorable mentions - Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Nirvana - Nevermind, Green Day - Dookie
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Whatever and Ever Amen - Ben Folds Five – It’s not for nothing that they’re one of my favorite bands of all-time. Other than the Beatles’ big ones, this is the only album where I could very easily rattle off each individual track in order. I wouldn’t think of skipping any track. Includes a lot of my BFF favorites: One Angry Dwarf; Brick; Selfless, Cold, and Composed; Kate; Battle of Who Could Care Less; Evaporated.
2. Weezer (blue album) - Weezer - I'll agree with Dan here, it's about as close to perfect that an alternative album can get.
3. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis - I was so content with my favorite singles from this album for so long (Wonder Wall, Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova, Roll With It, Morning Glory) that it took probably years for me to realize the rest of the album is great too.
4. Urban Hymns - The Verve - Not sure where everyone else rates this album but for me, it's one of the best of the decade. Includes the excellent Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don't Work, and Sonnet, among many others. Note: I kicked Mellon Collie out to put this in, which marks probably the first time I've not included Mellon Collie in a top 5 list. I just feel this one functions better as a total album, whereas Mellon Collie is not immune from missing occasionally.
5.Odelay - Beck - This just in, Beck is talented. I love doing the robot to Where It's At.
Honorable mentions:
Tim's Top 5:
1) Pearl Jam – Yield – Pearl Jam’s best, and therefore, one of the all-time greats. Few of the tracks are worth individual note, and yet it’s a coherent and fantastic album experience. It has its weaknesses, but from Brain of J. to All Those Yesterdays, it’s a masterpiece. And it’s what ultimately rendered Pearl Jam a band for fans only, breaking from the commercial success of its predecessors.
2) Black Crowes – Shake Your Moneymaker – One of the best debuts of all time, it’s the only album I own that has every song on ITunes rated five stars. Certainly “She Talks to Angels” is overplayed, even now, but it is still a great track, they make Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” their own, Sister Luck, Jealous Again, Twice As Hard…it’s really hard to place this second.
3) R.E.M. – Automatic for the People – Everybody Hurts was overplayed, true, but Nightswimming is great, and Find the River makes Nightswimming sound terrible by comparison. If you believe they put a man on the moon…it’ll pale in comparison to the creative genius that led to R.E.M. recording Automatic for the People.
4) Guided by Voices – Mag Earwhig! – Bee Thousand has gotten more press, but Guided by Voices’ temporary Cobra Verde lineup put together an astounding album headlined by the rockingest song of my lifetime “I Am A Tree” but still has cuts like Choking Tara, Jane of the Waking Universe, Little Lines, Can’t Hear the Revolution, and Bulldog Skin. One word – awesome. Too bad it was phased out of the GBV lineup once the Cobra Verde guys (except for Doug Gillard) left.
5) Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience – If clinical depression has a soundtrack, this is it. Every song is booze-laden misery that makes you wonder how long it will be until none of them can bear to face the day anymore. Even its success took years, with the album being released in 1992 but it was still charting tracks in the top 40 four years later. More than any other album on the list, absolutely every track is essential, and some of the best were among the few that didn’t chart.
All great albums: Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York, Elliott Smith – Either/Or, Old 97’s – Too Far to Care
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors - My favorite musician, though I didn't hear this album during it's release decade. The album is an experience, and through all of the sad to throaty performances, it is certainly one of the most depressing albums for most of the tacks, however it does end on a song that evokes a certain passivity that is just an edge away from happiness. It is perfect in other words. (Directly after I did this list I found out this was released in 2000, however it was recorded in 1999 so I will keep it on here.)
2. Smashing Pumpkins - Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - This is the first CD that I ever owned. The second disk is not quite the experience that the first one is, but it is a nice calming rendition to follow up the harder Dusk album.
3. Bright Eyes - Letting off the Happiness - I struggled here, not wanting to put Bright Eyes again so high, but my bias has won out. The reason this didn't get 2nd is because the last two songs are not up to snuff, and the reason it didn't get lower is because I can't justify it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Clumsy - OLP is one of my three favorite bands. Superman's Dead as well as the title track are two of the best songs ever written. There are other memorable tracks on here.
5. Bone thugs-n-harmony - East 1999 Eternal - This is the best rap album ever. Every song on it has an original beat, original hook and the most important of all an original flow. You wouldn't know there were so many different ways to rap until you hear this album.
Honorable mentions - Weezer blue album and Oasis - Morning Glory
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Top 5 Comedies Since 2000
I almost went with "Top 5 Movies Since 2000," but after checking my list and seeing that they were all comedies, I figured I'd give myself a chance of being in line with normal movie-going folk.
I only ever watch comedies--given, some darker than others--now, it seems.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Hot Fuzz - OK, this one may be a bit premature...but it just feels more complete than Shaun of the Dead, what can I say. This is a tie, really.
2. Shaun of the Dead - See above. These guys are immensely talented comedians. The scripts are so intricately woven...I really don't know how 1 or 2 could be better.
3. High Fidelity - Great book, great movie. Nick Hornby writes books that just beg to be made into movies that don't involve baseball.
4. Snatch - I forgot to include what used to be my favorite movie. Really funny, and the soundtrack kicks ass.
5. Wonder Boys - Great book, great movie. Katie Holmes doesn't ruin it, and Robert Downey, Jr., actually creates a better character in the movie than the novel's counterpart, in my mind. I know this isn't a book-movie comparison, but the movie is certainly more light-hearted--and more directly concerned with comedy, albeit the dark variety.
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*6. Sideways - My impulse is not to include this, but then I think about Thomas Haden Church...every line he says is funny.
Honorable mentions/I wasn't sure how much "comedy" they actually were, in no order:
About Schmidt
Love Actually
The Royal Tenenbaums (comedy?)
About a Boy
Life Aquatic (comedy? I still stand by my assertion that I've had since it came out: this movie is like Wes Anderson made a feature-length Max Fischer play)
Wallace and Gromit
Dan's Top 5:
1. Snatch - Probably the best use of plot ever, full of hilarious situations.
2. High Fidelity - The film that supplements my music addiction.
3. Hot Fuzz - I loved this film even better than Shaun of the Dead, and that's saying something.
4. Sideways - A good film that reminds me I'm never as depressed as I could be.
5. For Your Consideration - Christopher Guest and crew are hilarious in this unscripted parody of modern moviemaking.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Sideways - The best movie ever made.
2. Amelie - Beautiful in every way. It is hilarious and brilliantly made. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a genius.
3. High Fidelity - I don't need to explain as it's on every other list here.
4. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny - Let's face it. Despite it not being number one on my list (that is because it didn't have Alexander Payne, Jean-Pierre or Stephen Frears at the helm in favor of Liam Lynch) it is still the funniest movie ever made (for Ryan's sake I'll say tied with Office Space.)
5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - You all put it in honorable mentions, but I think that it is hilarious, and of course extremely well done since Wes Anderson directed it.
I only ever watch comedies--given, some darker than others--now, it seems.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Hot Fuzz - OK, this one may be a bit premature...but it just feels more complete than Shaun of the Dead, what can I say. This is a tie, really.
2. Shaun of the Dead - See above. These guys are immensely talented comedians. The scripts are so intricately woven...I really don't know how 1 or 2 could be better.
3. High Fidelity - Great book, great movie. Nick Hornby writes books that just beg to be made into movies that don't involve baseball.
4. Snatch - I forgot to include what used to be my favorite movie. Really funny, and the soundtrack kicks ass.
5. Wonder Boys - Great book, great movie. Katie Holmes doesn't ruin it, and Robert Downey, Jr., actually creates a better character in the movie than the novel's counterpart, in my mind. I know this isn't a book-movie comparison, but the movie is certainly more light-hearted--and more directly concerned with comedy, albeit the dark variety.
=================================================
*6. Sideways - My impulse is not to include this, but then I think about Thomas Haden Church...every line he says is funny.
Honorable mentions/I wasn't sure how much "comedy" they actually were, in no order:
About Schmidt
Love Actually
The Royal Tenenbaums (comedy?)
About a Boy
Life Aquatic (comedy? I still stand by my assertion that I've had since it came out: this movie is like Wes Anderson made a feature-length Max Fischer play)
Wallace and Gromit
Tim's Top 5
My list is relatively unpredictable precisely because three of the five on the list aren’t really comedic in the ha ha sense.
1) Catch Me If You Can – There’s not a joke in the film, but it’s lighthearted enough that it’s really hard to call it anything but a comedy. I think it’s undoubtedly Spielberg’s best effort at filmmaking. He’s made more significant films, but he actually made this one what it was.
2) About a Boy – It’d have to be #1, if it weren’t for the weak ending. That said, the book upon which it was based suffered from the same deficiency…and the ending of the book, like all of Hornby’s novels, is just flat out mediocre.
3) Wonder Boys – A movie I really didn’t care much for the first time I saw it, but it’s grown on me and become one of my favorite movies, and one of the few that I watch with any regularity.
4) Team America: World Police – I took ages to see it, but it was well worth the wait. It has its shortcomings – it’s overly crude and targets too many people, but Kim Jong Il’s panthers, “Matt Damon!”, The End of An Act and freedom costing a buck o’five work magic for me.
5) Stranger Than Fiction – Again, it’s not a pure comedy, but it’s one of the most literary films in ages and just seems pitch perfect from start to finish. Will Ferrell’s performance really warranted a film that more than a dozen people would see, but it was rightly 2006’s Best Picture. And yet it's only fifth on this list...which tells you a lot about 2006.
Here’s four more that could have made the list, only the first three are really comedies in their pure form.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Meet the Parents
Thank You For Smoking
Big Fish
Love Actually
For the record, I've seen neither Hot Fuzz nor Shaun of the Dead.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Snatch - Probably the best use of plot ever, full of hilarious situations.
2. High Fidelity - The film that supplements my music addiction.
3. Hot Fuzz - I loved this film even better than Shaun of the Dead, and that's saying something.
4. Sideways - A good film that reminds me I'm never as depressed as I could be.
5. For Your Consideration - Christopher Guest and crew are hilarious in this unscripted parody of modern moviemaking.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Sideways - The best movie ever made.
2. Amelie - Beautiful in every way. It is hilarious and brilliantly made. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a genius.
3. High Fidelity - I don't need to explain as it's on every other list here.
4. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny - Let's face it. Despite it not being number one on my list (that is because it didn't have Alexander Payne, Jean-Pierre or Stephen Frears at the helm in favor of Liam Lynch) it is still the funniest movie ever made (for Ryan's sake I'll say tied with Office Space.)
5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - You all put it in honorable mentions, but I think that it is hilarious, and of course extremely well done since Wes Anderson directed it.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Top 5 Albums Since 2000
This is pretty basic, but most of my standard go-to "best albums" (Dark Side of the Moon, Weezer, OK Computer, most Peter Gabriel albums) are excluded from consideration. And hey, who says music sucks nowadays?
Dan's Top 5:
1. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Probably one of the most artistic albums I've heard, as it's a complete transformation from the beginning of the album to its end. It's also the album that solidified my respect for Danger Mouse.
2. Sigur Rós - Takk... - I can't really describe this album other than that all the music just soars. It's Icelandic experimental post-rock, so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth at least one listen, since it's damn beautiful music.
3. Daft Punk - Discovery - I've never heard electronic/house music that's so accessible. The album really flows, as illustrated by the accompanying anime film "Interstella 5555."
4. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Despite the fact that baroque pop music has been around since the 60's (Beatles, Beach Boys), this album still sounds pretty fresh. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The best example I can think of to prove that creativity in music isn't dead. No other bands sound like these guys, and they sound good. "A mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with a hint of '70s funk." (Yes, I had to go to Wikipedia to try to describe it.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Interesting--we don't have any of the same five. This was a tough list; I have a lot of "honorable mentions."
1. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - I honestly think this is one of the most complete albums of all-time.
2. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - I don't even think this is premature. There are few albums I've listened to more consistently. Finished the album? Start it over. Repeat.
3. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - What can I say, I love Ben Folds. I think after you've heard 'Zac and Sara' and 'Annie Waits' more than five times it's easy to forget how good they are as pop songs.
4. The Postal Service - Give Up - I like Death Cab, but not as much as The Postal Service. I wouldn't skip any track on here, and to me, it's a very original sound that resonates well with my tastes (i.e., good music).
5. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One is One - He excels at making complete albums. "Born in the UK" was good, but not near this. Ditto "About a Boy" soundtrack (of which he did the entirety).
Honorable mentions (that I REALLY wanted to include), in no real order:
- Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise
- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
- Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Kanye West - College Dropout
Tim's Top 5:
1) Ok Go – Oh No - I have now listened to the entire album six times on ITunes, which puts it at least three listens up on all albums that aren't London Calling, and therefore means this has to be a masterpiece. The fact that every month I find a new song that I'm enamored with lends support to this theory.
2) Jay-Z – The Black Album - In my opinion, this is the finest rap/hip hop album ever made. Too bad he followed it up with Kingdom Come. It's all over the map, but every track is worth owning -- ok, except Justify My Thug.
3) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand - This is the last new band I got behind from the beginning, and I stand by my decision. Its reference to Terry Wogen in The Dark of the Matinee may be one of the most absurdly enjoyable moments in all of music for some reason, just because I knew who Terry Wogen was. This is how things work with me...make me feel important and worldly, I'd give you a Grammy.
4) Old 97’s – Satellite Rides - This is my favorite Old 97's album of the moment, though Fight Songs and Too Far to Care have both had their turns and the latter almost cracked the list here. "King of All of the World" and "Designs On You" are some of the best songs they ever made and "Question" is probably the reason I decided I really needed to get that engagement ring now after waiting all too long.
5) Elliott Smith – From a Basement on a Hill - It's a tossup between this and Figure 8. Figure 8 is a better album all around, but this one has more meaning to me and is just poignant from start to finish. Let's Get Lost, Pretty (Ugly Before), and Coast to Coast are among his finest work, but the haunted sound of the whole album makes it an album of unparalleled importance to me, even if it's not finely crafted.
I really wanted to find a spot for Kanye West - The College Dropout after it made Ryan's almost list, but the fact is that the Black Album is vastly better than Kanye's debut which is too uneven and features too many second-tier rappers. The Killers get slighted here, either album could have made it, and Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills rightly ought to, if only to make my list look slightly less commercial.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The story is in the soil, Keep your ear to the ground - Perhaps I like Bright Eyes too much, but either way this slightly country influenced album is quite possibly his best album.
2. Damien Rice - O - I didn't think I liked folk inspired music until I heard Damien Rice. I got this CD when one of my first girlfriends broke up with me, and it quite possibly being the most depressing ten songs ever recorded definitely helped me through it. I have probably listened to this whole album through in a single sitting 30 plus times.
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Tied with O for the best folk album ever recorded. This album has an incredible guest appearance by Emmylou Harris, and takes a different turn for Conor Oberst with an actually upbeat and happy tone to it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines - Every song is good. Not too mention, concept albums don't seem to made anymore, and it's a shame when one listens to this and realizes just how good (and at times insanely creepy) they can be. I love this album.
5. Tenacious D - Tenacious D - It's a good thing it took them seven years to make their first album, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list. Tenacious D is undoubtedly the funniest band ever, and the soundtrack to their movie is a definite honorable mention. The reason this album didn't go higher is because I have actually listened to this album so many times that I have overplayed every song and comedy segment on it. But I'll still listen to it again. And no joking, I have probably listened to this in its entirety one hundred or more times.
Dan's Top 5:
1. Gorillaz - Demon Days - Probably one of the most artistic albums I've heard, as it's a complete transformation from the beginning of the album to its end. It's also the album that solidified my respect for Danger Mouse.
2. Sigur Rós - Takk... - I can't really describe this album other than that all the music just soars. It's Icelandic experimental post-rock, so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth at least one listen, since it's damn beautiful music.
3. Daft Punk - Discovery - I've never heard electronic/house music that's so accessible. The album really flows, as illustrated by the accompanying anime film "Interstella 5555."
4. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Despite the fact that baroque pop music has been around since the 60's (Beatles, Beach Boys), this album still sounds pretty fresh. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
5. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike - The best example I can think of to prove that creativity in music isn't dead. No other bands sound like these guys, and they sound good. "A mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, guitars and early hip hop, with a hint of '70s funk." (Yes, I had to go to Wikipedia to try to describe it.)
Ryan's Top 5:
Interesting--we don't have any of the same five. This was a tough list; I have a lot of "honorable mentions."
1. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - I honestly think this is one of the most complete albums of all-time.
2. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations - I don't even think this is premature. There are few albums I've listened to more consistently. Finished the album? Start it over. Repeat.
3. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs - What can I say, I love Ben Folds. I think after you've heard 'Zac and Sara' and 'Annie Waits' more than five times it's easy to forget how good they are as pop songs.
4. The Postal Service - Give Up - I like Death Cab, but not as much as The Postal Service. I wouldn't skip any track on here, and to me, it's a very original sound that resonates well with my tastes (i.e., good music).
5. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One is One - He excels at making complete albums. "Born in the UK" was good, but not near this. Ditto "About a Boy" soundtrack (of which he did the entirety).
Honorable mentions (that I REALLY wanted to include), in no real order:
- Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise
- Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
- Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Kanye West - College Dropout
Tim's Top 5:
1) Ok Go – Oh No - I have now listened to the entire album six times on ITunes, which puts it at least three listens up on all albums that aren't London Calling, and therefore means this has to be a masterpiece. The fact that every month I find a new song that I'm enamored with lends support to this theory.
2) Jay-Z – The Black Album - In my opinion, this is the finest rap/hip hop album ever made. Too bad he followed it up with Kingdom Come. It's all over the map, but every track is worth owning -- ok, except Justify My Thug.
3) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand - This is the last new band I got behind from the beginning, and I stand by my decision. Its reference to Terry Wogen in The Dark of the Matinee may be one of the most absurdly enjoyable moments in all of music for some reason, just because I knew who Terry Wogen was. This is how things work with me...make me feel important and worldly, I'd give you a Grammy.
4) Old 97’s – Satellite Rides - This is my favorite Old 97's album of the moment, though Fight Songs and Too Far to Care have both had their turns and the latter almost cracked the list here. "King of All of the World" and "Designs On You" are some of the best songs they ever made and "Question" is probably the reason I decided I really needed to get that engagement ring now after waiting all too long.
5) Elliott Smith – From a Basement on a Hill - It's a tossup between this and Figure 8. Figure 8 is a better album all around, but this one has more meaning to me and is just poignant from start to finish. Let's Get Lost, Pretty (Ugly Before), and Coast to Coast are among his finest work, but the haunted sound of the whole album makes it an album of unparalleled importance to me, even if it's not finely crafted.
I really wanted to find a spot for Kanye West - The College Dropout after it made Ryan's almost list, but the fact is that the Black Album is vastly better than Kanye's debut which is too uneven and features too many second-tier rappers. The Killers get slighted here, either album could have made it, and Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills rightly ought to, if only to make my list look slightly less commercial.
Tory's Top 5:
1. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The story is in the soil, Keep your ear to the ground - Perhaps I like Bright Eyes too much, but either way this slightly country influenced album is quite possibly his best album.
2. Damien Rice - O - I didn't think I liked folk inspired music until I heard Damien Rice. I got this CD when one of my first girlfriends broke up with me, and it quite possibly being the most depressing ten songs ever recorded definitely helped me through it. I have probably listened to this whole album through in a single sitting 30 plus times.
3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Tied with O for the best folk album ever recorded. This album has an incredible guest appearance by Emmylou Harris, and takes a different turn for Conor Oberst with an actually upbeat and happy tone to it.
4. Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines - Every song is good. Not too mention, concept albums don't seem to made anymore, and it's a shame when one listens to this and realizes just how good (and at times insanely creepy) they can be. I love this album.
5. Tenacious D - Tenacious D - It's a good thing it took them seven years to make their first album, otherwise it wouldn't be on this list. Tenacious D is undoubtedly the funniest band ever, and the soundtrack to their movie is a definite honorable mention. The reason this album didn't go higher is because I have actually listened to this album so many times that I have overplayed every song and comedy segment on it. But I'll still listen to it again. And no joking, I have probably listened to this in its entirety one hundred or more times.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Top 5 Pixar Movies
With no due respect to perspective and time, I'll rank Ratatouillie, which I saw yesterday for the first time.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Toy Story - Good stuff, I remember seeing it in the theater and loving it.
2. The Incredibles - I've only seen this one once, too, but I remember liking it a lot.
3. Ratatouille - I really have no reason to rank this above Finding Nemo. I'd put them at a tie but for some reason I feel like that violates the rules that we haven't made up about the site. This one has Patton Oswalt, which is a definite tie-breaker, in any case.
4. Finding Nemo - I enjoyed it.
5. Boundin' - Wow, this list made me realize how much Pixar I haven't seen (Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life). In any event, I liked this short more than Cars.
Dan's Top 5:
1.Ratatouille - a very talented cast (feat. Patton Oswalt, Janeane Garofalo, Brian Dennehy, Will Arnett, and even Peter O'Toole) and a solid story from Brad Bird that's not too over-the-top make this my favorite Pixar film yet.
2. The Incredibles - Again, I have to give credit to Brad Bird for this one. The characters are really strong (no pun intended) and there's a lot of quality humor in it. If I hadn't seen it on Starz so many times, I'd probably have the DVD by now.
3. Finding Nemo - The film that convinced me that quality at Pixar isn't about to fade away any time soon. Really no complaints at all with this one.
4. Toy Story - As it was the first Pixar movie I saw, I hadn't warmed up to the idea of seeing computer-animated kids movies yet. Nonetheless, it's really a good piece of work.
5. Monsters, Inc. - It's the unique concept for this story that puts it on the list over Cars, which was also pretty good.
Pixar movies not seen: A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2.
Tim's Top 5:
1) Toy Story 2 - I saw Toy Story 1 and 2 back-to-back, so it's hard to separate them, but Toy Story 2 is less of a Tim Allen fest, and therefore is, by definition, superior.
2) Toy Story - A film that really wowed me, I thought it was going to be another lame Disney movie, and it turned out to be a really-interesting movie, regardless of its novelty as the first computer-animated film.
3) The Incredibles - Perhaps the most political film ever aimed at kids who can't yet read, it lends itself readily to debating exactly what Brad Bird was saying about the modern democratic state. It also had Samuel L. Jackson, who would go on to make Snakes on a Plane.
4) Monsters, Inc. - Billy Crystal is really not very good, but the movie as a whole was considerably more appealing than I'd ever have guessed.
5) Finding Nemo - Not a bad film, all told. Ellen DeGeneres is much more funny than I'd have guessed, Albert Brooks is less annoying than he could have been (or ever is in his own movies), but it wasn't his Hank Scorpio moment either.
For the record, I've not seen Cars, Meet the Robinsons (has anyone?), or Ratatouille Edit: now I've seen Ratatouille, it's probably #4.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Toy Story - Good stuff, I remember seeing it in the theater and loving it.
2. The Incredibles - I've only seen this one once, too, but I remember liking it a lot.
3. Ratatouille - I really have no reason to rank this above Finding Nemo. I'd put them at a tie but for some reason I feel like that violates the rules that we haven't made up about the site. This one has Patton Oswalt, which is a definite tie-breaker, in any case.
4. Finding Nemo - I enjoyed it.
5. Boundin' - Wow, this list made me realize how much Pixar I haven't seen (Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life). In any event, I liked this short more than Cars.
Dan's Top 5:
1.Ratatouille - a very talented cast (feat. Patton Oswalt, Janeane Garofalo, Brian Dennehy, Will Arnett, and even Peter O'Toole) and a solid story from Brad Bird that's not too over-the-top make this my favorite Pixar film yet.
2. The Incredibles - Again, I have to give credit to Brad Bird for this one. The characters are really strong (no pun intended) and there's a lot of quality humor in it. If I hadn't seen it on Starz so many times, I'd probably have the DVD by now.
3. Finding Nemo - The film that convinced me that quality at Pixar isn't about to fade away any time soon. Really no complaints at all with this one.
4. Toy Story - As it was the first Pixar movie I saw, I hadn't warmed up to the idea of seeing computer-animated kids movies yet. Nonetheless, it's really a good piece of work.
5. Monsters, Inc. - It's the unique concept for this story that puts it on the list over Cars, which was also pretty good.
Pixar movies not seen: A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2.
Tim's Top 5:
1) Toy Story 2 - I saw Toy Story 1 and 2 back-to-back, so it's hard to separate them, but Toy Story 2 is less of a Tim Allen fest, and therefore is, by definition, superior.
2) Toy Story - A film that really wowed me, I thought it was going to be another lame Disney movie, and it turned out to be a really-interesting movie, regardless of its novelty as the first computer-animated film.
3) The Incredibles - Perhaps the most political film ever aimed at kids who can't yet read, it lends itself readily to debating exactly what Brad Bird was saying about the modern democratic state. It also had Samuel L. Jackson, who would go on to make Snakes on a Plane.
4) Monsters, Inc. - Billy Crystal is really not very good, but the movie as a whole was considerably more appealing than I'd ever have guessed.
5) Finding Nemo - Not a bad film, all told. Ellen DeGeneres is much more funny than I'd have guessed, Albert Brooks is less annoying than he could have been (or ever is in his own movies), but it wasn't his Hank Scorpio moment either.
For the record, I've not seen Cars, Meet the Robinsons (has anyone?), or Ratatouille Edit: now I've seen Ratatouille, it's probably #4.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Top 5 Songs on Muse's "Black Holes and Revelations"
A quick one that I thought of while on iTunes.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Invincible - I never thought a song would supplant Knights of Cydonia, but who knew. More than the sound, the spirit of this song reminds me of Queen.
2. Knights of Cydonia - Well, this song still kicks fucking ass, too.
3. Take a Bow - I used to play this all the time in the Bakermobile, traveling too fast, at a volume that surely is damaging to the human ear--thinking about my boss, burning in hell.
4. Starlight - This sounds like it could be a really good 80's song.
5. Supermassive Black Hole - There are few lyrics I enjoy singing more than "I thought I was a fool for no one / Ooh baby I'm a fool for you"
Dan's Top 5:
1. "Knights of Cydonia" - Everyone should know by now that I'm a big fan of prog rock - especially Rush and anything that sounds like them. So seeing Muse open with this in Maryland, with Matt Bellamy clad in all white, was a real treat. What's not to love about a seven-minute-long epic song that totally rocks? The only thing I don't like is that too often the video (which is still awesome) gets more attention than just the music, which I believe is just as strong on its own, and full of different imagery than what is presented in the video.
2. "Invincible" - OK, honestly, this is probably my true #1 the more I think about it, but I can't take away from the awesomeness of Knights, and more importantly, I can't copy Ryan. To see this played live is to be blessed by divinity. For the moment at least, I would have a hard time believing that this is not the greatest guitar solo of all time.
3. "Supermassive Black Hole" - This song is how you do falsetto. Really a sexy-sounding song. Also, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.
4. "Take a Bow" - How could I go so long before including this? It's an arpeggiated synthesizer intro to the album, which just screams prog. A constantly escalating overture. Well, not really an overture, since you don't hear snippets of it later on in the album. But you get the point.
5. "City of Delusion" - Alright, really "Starlight" belongs on the top 5, and higher than the lowest position, but this song is another one of my favorites off the album and I may not get another opportunity to give it a shout-out. It's majestic prog with a Spanish flavor to it, and it's unlike anything else I've heard. Not to mention a killer bass line.
Tim's Top 5:
Let this speak volumes about the power of the list, I now own this album and am glad I do.
1. "Knights of Cydonia" - I couldn't agree less with Dan's assessment of bands like Rush (presumably Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer as well), but I will agree that this song is awesome. The video doesn't hurt either, because it really does place it right where it feels appropriate -- in the middle of a Sergio Leone movie.
2. "Supermassive Black Hole" - I'm totally pathetic, hearing things on the XM Radio makes me feel vindicated and like them more, simply because there's now a chance I can hear this song instead of some total garbage. And I really dig the vocals on the track.
3. "Invincible" - I like the transition song, and this is a relatively good example, though it doesn't really ever go full-on, which I think is why it ranks third on the list instead of first. Still, it's a great track.
4. "Exo-Politics" - This may only speak about the fact that I've listened to this album once now, but this song stuck out to me as a particularly good one. The transitions really work for me and the doubled-up vocals make it potent.
5. "Take a Bow" - It's the leadoff song to the album and it does the job a leadoff song should always do, which is make you not only want to listen to more of the album but also make you never want to reach track 2, since you're perfectly happy with Track 1.
Ryan's Top 5:
1. Invincible - I never thought a song would supplant Knights of Cydonia, but who knew. More than the sound, the spirit of this song reminds me of Queen.
2. Knights of Cydonia - Well, this song still kicks fucking ass, too.
3. Take a Bow - I used to play this all the time in the Bakermobile, traveling too fast, at a volume that surely is damaging to the human ear--thinking about my boss, burning in hell.
4. Starlight - This sounds like it could be a really good 80's song.
5. Supermassive Black Hole - There are few lyrics I enjoy singing more than "I thought I was a fool for no one / Ooh baby I'm a fool for you"
Dan's Top 5:
1. "Knights of Cydonia" - Everyone should know by now that I'm a big fan of prog rock - especially Rush and anything that sounds like them. So seeing Muse open with this in Maryland, with Matt Bellamy clad in all white, was a real treat. What's not to love about a seven-minute-long epic song that totally rocks? The only thing I don't like is that too often the video (which is still awesome) gets more attention than just the music, which I believe is just as strong on its own, and full of different imagery than what is presented in the video.
2. "Invincible" - OK, honestly, this is probably my true #1 the more I think about it, but I can't take away from the awesomeness of Knights, and more importantly, I can't copy Ryan. To see this played live is to be blessed by divinity. For the moment at least, I would have a hard time believing that this is not the greatest guitar solo of all time.
3. "Supermassive Black Hole" - This song is how you do falsetto. Really a sexy-sounding song. Also, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.
4. "Take a Bow" - How could I go so long before including this? It's an arpeggiated synthesizer intro to the album, which just screams prog. A constantly escalating overture. Well, not really an overture, since you don't hear snippets of it later on in the album. But you get the point.
5. "City of Delusion" - Alright, really "Starlight" belongs on the top 5, and higher than the lowest position, but this song is another one of my favorites off the album and I may not get another opportunity to give it a shout-out. It's majestic prog with a Spanish flavor to it, and it's unlike anything else I've heard. Not to mention a killer bass line.
Tim's Top 5:
Let this speak volumes about the power of the list, I now own this album and am glad I do.
1. "Knights of Cydonia" - I couldn't agree less with Dan's assessment of bands like Rush (presumably Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer as well), but I will agree that this song is awesome. The video doesn't hurt either, because it really does place it right where it feels appropriate -- in the middle of a Sergio Leone movie.
2. "Supermassive Black Hole" - I'm totally pathetic, hearing things on the XM Radio makes me feel vindicated and like them more, simply because there's now a chance I can hear this song instead of some total garbage. And I really dig the vocals on the track.
3. "Invincible" - I like the transition song, and this is a relatively good example, though it doesn't really ever go full-on, which I think is why it ranks third on the list instead of first. Still, it's a great track.
4. "Exo-Politics" - This may only speak about the fact that I've listened to this album once now, but this song stuck out to me as a particularly good one. The transitions really work for me and the doubled-up vocals make it potent.
5. "Take a Bow" - It's the leadoff song to the album and it does the job a leadoff song should always do, which is make you not only want to listen to more of the album but also make you never want to reach track 2, since you're perfectly happy with Track 1.
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