So Lauren and I finally broke down and decided to create a blog. I can hear everyone's collective sign of relief now. So from this moment on, you as our friend's, family and "fans" can follow our every move no matter how far we are seperated geographically. We hope to use this blog to not only let everyone know what is going on in our lives but also as a forum to recommend things we enjoy or find interesting.
So in no particular order here are the songs that I fell in love with this past year. Videos to come shortly. And I understand that not all these were released in the past year but these are the songs I discovered this past year.
1.) Tighten Up - The Black Keys 2.) Dear God - The Roots Featuring Jim James 3.) Mumford and Sons - Dust Bowl 4.) Bang Bang Bang - Mark Ronson featuring Q-Tip 5.) Cameras - Matt & Kim 6.) Don't Touch my Stuff -- Zach Gill 7.) In the hall of the Mountain King - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 8.) You are not alone - Mavis Staples 9.) Hurricane J - The Hold Steady 10.) Pala Tute - Gorgol Bordello 11.) You always hurt the one's you love - Ryan Gosling 12.) Fixin to Die - G love 13.) Drumming Song - Florence and the Machine 14.) Derezzed - Daft Punk 15.) Shake me down - Cage the Elephant 16.) Love Cravings- Bibio 17.) The opposite of kids - Chiddy Bang 18.) Make some noise - Beastie Boys 19.) Giving up the Gun- Vampire Weekend 20.) Ambling Amp - Yeasayer
#10: 40 Year Old Virgin - Often top ten lists like this forget about true comedies. There is no doubt from the title this is a comedy and only a comedy. This is one on the few comedy's that has a balance of heart and raunch and doesn't kill you comedy buzz in the third act with some lame emotional subplot (I'm looking at you knocked up). I actually saw this movie in the theater with my mom. Me and my mom both loved it which is a testament to both how good this movie is and how cool my mom is. Fun Fact: More than 15 minutes of material had to be cut from the film in order to avoid an NC-17 rating from the MPAA.
#9: Road to Perdition - Sam Mendes is a great director and there could be no better movie that Paul Newman could end his career on. This movie looks like an Edward Hooper painting and the acting is top notch with great turns from Tom Hanks, Newman, Jude Law and even a pre-James Bond Daniel Craig. This is an art house gangster movie that explores the relationship between family. Fun Fact: The movie is loosely based on actual events and a real enforcer for mobster John Looney, who was betrayed by him.
#8: Mystic River - In my eyes Clint Eastwood can do no wrong. He is a complete American badass whether in front of the camera or behind it. This movie brought together a fabulous book, a director at his peak and beyond powerful performances from the actors. It also started a string of great films from director Eastwood. The plot of this movie, in the wrong hands could have ended up as a bad made for TV murder mystery but in Eastwood's hands in turned into a layered story of friendship, childhood trauma and redemption. Eastwood even created the musical score for the movie himself.
#7: The Brothers Bloom - I have a feeling this will be one of the movies on the list that has been seen by the fewest people, which is a shame. This story of two con men brothers is quirky, intelligent and hilarious all at once. Be prepared to re-watch this movie because the dialogue is fast and very much of the cleverness may be missed upon a first viewing. This movie is full or underrated actors being directed by an underrated director, Rian Johnson, with a razor sharp dialogue and clever story. I leave you with a quote from the movie to ponder "A picture is a secret about a secret. The more it tells, the less you know."
#6: The Departed - At #7 we had a up and coming director and at #6 we have the maestro of American cinema with Mr. Martin Scorsese. Although this movie is almost a shot for shot remake of a foreign film Infernal Affairs it is still great. In this movie you have career best performances from Mark Walberg, Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson and Leo DeCaprio and a top notch director at his prime. Scorsese traded New York for Boston and with the change of scenery comes a great film. Fun Fact: Keep an eye out for the letter "X" in the film. Whenever any of the main characters is about to die there is an "X" somewhere on screen as a homage to original Scarface from 1932.
#5: In Bruges - This movie has racist midgets, Belgians, Colin Farrell and Assassins what more could you ask for. "In Bruges" will have you laughing at things you shouldn't laugh at. This movie is a truly dark comedy that has a spectacular little plot and a standout performance from Ralph Fiennes. Fun Fact: Writer Director Martin McDonagh is Two time Tony Award winner who is currently showcasing a play on Broadway starring Christopher Walken.
#4: The Proposition - This little seen and even less appreciated western is as beautiful as it is brutal. This western layers similar western themes of revenge, redemption and blood in a foreign environment, Australia Outback. In his first major movie release director John Hilcoat hits a homerun. Guy Pearce gives a particularly good performance as a torn brother in this film and the musical score by Nick Cave only adds to the ambience.
#3: City of God - The first foreign film on our list is a film about the worst ghetto in the world in Rio de Janeiro. This movie is unflinching in its depiction of this ghetto but offers some semblance of hope in the end. City of God is guerrilla filmmaking at its best and the cinematography really makes one feel like you are living in the slums and faced with the desperate decisions these young men are forced to make daily. City of God makes "Boys in the Hood" look like boys in the burbs. This movie has no Hollywood stars, it is in subtitles and is over two hours long yet it grabs the viewers attention from the start and never lets go. Fun Fact: The director was once quoted as saying that if he knew the dangers of filming the movie on location in a Rio favela, he wouldn't have done the movie.
#2: Memento - Some may see this movie's framing technique as a gimmick, I see it as genius. This is a mindbender of a film that I have probably watched over twenty times. The lead actor, Guy Pearce, has the distinguished honor of appearing on our list twice. Memento was made on a shoestring budget and introduced Hollywood to its' newest golden boy Christopher Nolan. The first scene will grab you hard and the last scene of this movie will have you pressing replay. Bottom-line this movie has the best third act in recent years. I leave you with one question. Who is John G?
#1: There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson epic about greed and the American society isn't for everyone but to me, it is a masterpiece and the best film of the last decade. Jonny Greenwood's (Radiohead) haunting musical score, Daniel Day Lewis's unreal portrayal of greed personified, PT Anderson's exquisite direction and the cinematography of Robert Elswit combine for a flawless film. To me a true measure of a good film is how long it stays with you (i.e. how long are you talking about it after you have seen it). I can say that whether or not you like this film you will be talking about it for weeks following your viewing. So with that, my list is complete and in the words of Daniel Day Lewis's character Daniel Plainview from "There Will be Blood" "I'm Finished!"
Just Missed the List: Snatch - Casting the biggest American actor on the planet, Brad Pitt in a role where not one of his words is distinguishable is genius. The Soundtrack is Awesome too.
Fight Club - Would have been #1 but it was released in 1999. Best. Ending. Ever.
The Dark Knight - With so many great directors out there I limited myself to one film per director for this list. Therefore I went with my favorite of two Christopher Nolan films (the other Memento) in the top #10. Regardless, the Dark Knight is hands down the best superhero movie ever.
Pan's Labyrinth - An adult fairytale that makes old folks realize that make believe never dies. You'll forget it is in Spanish subtitles quickly, it is that good.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Very, very long and not for everyone but it is beautifully shot, has a great narrator and an unreal musical score by Nick Cave.
Let the Right one in - "Twilight" has taken the bite out of vampire movies making us not scared but smitten with the creatures of the night. Where "Twilight" fails to humanize vampires while keeping the fear present "Let the right one in" succeeds. To compare the two movies isn't fair though as this Swedish movie far exceeds "Twilight." "Let the right one in" is stunning both visually and with its story. In the end it turns the vampire genre on its' ear and gives us a memorable story with a climax that leaves you breathless.
Man on Wire - Documentary of a crazy Frenchman who walked across a wire between the twin towers in New York. The concept sounds simple but is an amazingly complex movie and character study of real people and the lengths they will go to follow a dream.
If I had to make a list of the five things I like the most it would go something like this.
#5: Food #4: The act of making lists itself #3: Movies #2: Music #1: Lauren of course
So I figured it would be fun to combine some of my favorite things and make a top ten list for the last decade. In all the magazines in the coming weeks you will read numerous articles detailing the so-called experts best of the decade lists. While I am no music or movie critic, I am pretty educated in both media, so I thought it would be a fun little exercise to create my top ten albums from 2000-2009. Best case scenario I'll open up your ears to something new and exciting you never new existed and worst case scenario you think my music taste sucks and you get a good laugh. Either way I am cool with it so enjoy or not, it's up to you? Music is the beat of my life and like Mr. Bob Marley stated "One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain." So without further ado, the definitive best albums of the last decade.
#10: Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine So I will probably get a lot of crap from my guy friends on this one but there is no doubt that this girl is talented and this album is awesome from start to finish. She has a voice that sounds like it would fit better in the era of Billie Holiday and she is off the wall crazy on top of it all (see her live she plays like she is possessed by demons). After a six year break from music and a well publicized dispute with her record label she released this album in 2005. It was received well critically but by no means a commercial success. Regardless her talent is undeniable and this album makes for a good rainy Sunday listen. Standout tracks include "O Sailor" and "Not about Love" included below.
#9: Passafire - Submersible People may claim hometown bias on this one but I stand by my belief that I would dig this album regardless of the roots the band may have. Passafire crafts a distinct roots, rock, reggae sound all there own. I debated which of their two most recent albums to include, they are both that good, but in the end it always came back to "Submersible". The opening track definitely announces this is a band to be watched and the closing track ends the album with a thunder and signals this band is here to stay. Sprinkled in the middle are standout tracks suck as a slow burner titled "Unfamiliar" and a song that I feel should be on everyone's IPOD "Submersible" included below.
#8: (Tied) 311 - From Chaos Being that is my list you had to know I had to include some 311. I am a die hard fan of 311 but I will be the first to recognize they have had some stinker albums. Not this one. This album is the quintessential summer album. In the summer of 2002, I lived at the beach and listened to this album daily and it never got old. With heavy rocking songs like "Livin and Rockin" to slow reggae tunes like "Champagne" this album had it all. Enjoy the title track below and remember "From chaos, comes clarity."
#8: (Tied) Arctic Monkeys - Whatever people say I am, That's what I'm not So I couldn't narrow it down to just ten so we have a tie at the eight spot. This album became the UK's fastest selling debut album ever, selling over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band in the UK. It has since gone quadruple platinum in the UK, and won the 2006 Mercury Prize (an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland). The Arctic Monkeys from the beginning have done things their own way and this attitude can be heard in their music. This band plays with passion and could me the most talented bar band in the world. Below is the song that started it all for them.
#7: TV on the Radio - Dear Science The indie art rock band from Brooklyn has got to be the most eclectic on the list. The are extremely well revered in the music biz with David Bowie and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails being two of their biggest fans. This album is all over the place great and was seen by the music industry as being a huge snub in the Grammy race of 2008. Enjoy Golden Age below. The video is pretty out there just like their music.
#6: The String Quartet Tribute - Radiohead So I feel like if you don't have a Radiohead album on your list you automatically and blackballed from the music community (Every top ten list known to man has a Radiohead album in the top ten, most of the time #1). Well my favorite Radiohead album isn't even played by Radiohead it is preformed by a string quartet. Radiohead music is inherently classical and translates extremely well to a string quartet. All the songs are awesome on this album but try and not be moved by the song "exit music for a film".
#5: Warren Zevon - The Wind Warren Zevon recorded this album not knowing if he would be able to finish it. Before recording this album Zevon was diagnosed with mesothelioma (a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos). Zevon refused treatment instead opting to begin recording his final album, which would act as his final goodbye to his friends and family. The album includes guest appearances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, and others. While the duets are great it is a solo song by Zevon that really crowns this album. Enjoy the song "keep me in your heart for a while".
#4: Jay-Z / The Beatles - The Grey Album This album was made illegally sampling the rapper Jay-Z's Black album and the Beatles White album. The result is good as it is bizarre. Surprisingly the jigga man and the fab foursomes tunes go together surprisingly well. DJ dangermouse started his career with this album by blatantly disregarding copyright laws. Who says crime doesn't pay
#3: Brian Wilson - Smile This album was famously shelved and went unreleased by the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson famously went into sever depression for years and only emerged recently. Although it took 30 so years this album is worth the wait and gives us a glimpse into what the beach boys had planned next. The harmonies are vintage Beach Boys while Brain Wilson shows his musical genius with his wild experimentation. The album as a result is odd but beautiful.
#2: Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood Motion Picture Soundtrack The movie in my opinion is flawless and the soundtrack to go with it is as well. This soundtrack takes on a journey and makes us feel like we are right there drilling for oil with the movies lead character Daniel Plainview. Jonny Greenwood is better known as the lead guitarist for the band Radiohead but if this soundtrack is any indication he has quite a career in scoring movies ahead of him. Due to a silly Oscar rule this soundtrack was not eligible for an academy award nomination but it surely would have won if nominated. The movie may not be for everyone but the soundtrack is sure to please most music fans.
#1: Muse - The Resistance Last on my list is the most recent album from Muse. Never has so much sound come from three guys and never has a band been so ambitious as Muse was on the album the resistance. The album begins with a defiant stomper and ends with a three piece symphony. In between these bookends are songs that are bound to rock arenas, songs that soulful and even a song sung in French with an Oboe solo. Many have accused Muse of copying other bands' style but in the end Muse weaves different styles of music together better then most and the result is a melting pot of music that is wholly original. If you get a chance check these guys our live. They are easily one of the best live bands around.
Honorable Mention: "Queens of the Stone - Songs for the Deaf" "Jurassic Five - Power by Numbers" "Interpol - Antics" "Kings of Leon - Ah-ha Shake Heartbreak" "Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand" "Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles
Stay tuned for both mine and Lauren's list of our top ten movie of the decade.
