My Favorite Films of 2016

It was a pretty great year for film:

1. La La Land
2. The Handmaiden
3. Moonlight
4. Manchester by the Sea
5. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
6. Sing Street
7. Arrival
8. My Life as a Zucchini
9. Hacksaw Ridge
10. Nocturnal Animals

Even more films from that were almost/just as good:

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
The Nice Guys
The Lobster
Finding Dory
10 Cloverfield Lane
Before the Flood
The Little Prince
Loving
Queen of Katwe
Doctor Strange
Captain America: Civil War
The Jungle Book
Train to Busan
Captain Fantastic
Paterson
Lion
Hidden Figures

My Favorite Films of 2015

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Inside Out
3. The Look of Silence
4. The Hateful Eight
5. The Martian
6. Room
7. Dope
8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
9. Ex Machina
10. The Walk

Other films I really enjoyed:

Sicario
Love & Mercy
Cinderella
Creed
The Big Short
Brooklyn
The Good Dinosaur
Crimson Peak
The Revenant
It Follows

My Ten Favorite Films of 2014

1. Interstellar
2. The Wind Rises
3. The Raid 2
4. Song of the Sea
5. Gone Girl
6. Boyhood
7. Whiplash
8. Guardians of the Galaxy / Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. Birdman
10. Edge of Tomorrow

Nine Inch Nails Waves Goodbye (Again)

August 29 from the Sleep Country Amphitheater in Ridgefield, WA.

The 2nd to last night of Nine Inch Nails 2014 summer tour, and the 2nd to last show for some time. Trent has said this will be it for a while, and the last time he said that NIN went away for about 4 years. Because of that I knew I had to see at least one of these final shows. Sadly, their choice of venues for the summer tour (outdoor amphitheaters) meant no Vancouver show, so I would have to make the sojourn down to Portland, Oregon once again. Co-headlining with Soundgarden and also another opening band meant a shorter set, but any NIN is better than no NIN.

You can debate the setlist, the length, the venue, and all the other intangibles, but you really can't judge a show unless you've been there. I was there and it was awesome. The new four-piece configuration halves the number of live musicians in half from the eight-piece that represented NIN last fall. The result is a leaner and meaner NIN. This was quite possibly the best sounding Nine Inch Nails show I have ever been to. Of the 17 shows I have seen, this is definitely near the top of my favorites. It's hard to rank, almost like ranking your children, but this is up there with night 1 of the Osaka show I saw in 2007 among my favorite NIN shows that I've seen live. The visuals were not as complex as Tension 2013, but they were no slouch either. With the different band and different production, it was a completely new experience than what I experienced less than a year ago and that's one of the things that makes NIN such a great band to see live.

Cold Cave was the opener followed by co-headliners Soundgarden before Nine Inch Nails took the stage to close out the night.

Setlist:

1. Copy of A - their standard opener, in a different arrangement. Trent starts out alone on stage with the house lights still on and the rest of the band joins in one by one until finally the song climaxes and the house lights go out and the band is shown as large shadows on the stage's backdrop
2. Sanctified - as I've said before, the new arrangement of this song since last year is simply outstanding. Might be my favorite song of the night
3. Came Back Haunted - the driving bass line and tempo of this song really kicks ass
4. 1,000,000
5. March of the Pigs
6. Reptile - not often played, and because of that, always a pleasant surprise
7. Terrible Lie
8. Closer
9. Gave Up
10. Disappointed - as with Tension 2013, Trent decided this song should have the coolest visuals of the night. The youtube videos do NOT do this song justice. It must be seen live and in person for maximum impact
11. Find My Way
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Eraser - my favorite song from The Downward Spiral makes it's live return. Fantastic as always
14. Wish
15. The Hand That Feeds
16. Head Like A Hole
17. Hurt

My Ten Favorite Films of 2013

1. Rush
2. The Spectacular Now
3. Her
4. 12 Years a Slave
5. Short Term 12
6. Blue is the Warmest Color
7. The Way, Way Back
8. Prisoners
9. Gravity
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

Until next year...

Nine Inch Nails: Tension 2013 with Special Guests: Explosions in the Sky aka My Flight with Nine Inch Nails

With NIN seemingly being retired in 2009, I was happy that I was able to enjoy those last shows but sad that my favorite band would stop touring. Not too long ago, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor announced that he had been working on a couple of songs for a greatest hits record, and it grew from there. Seemingly out of nowhere, those songs led to an all new album "Hesitation Marks", which then led to a full-on tour to support said album. And here we are, after a short festival tour with dates in Asia, Europe and the United States, we have NIN's first full-on tour of North America in 4 years.

An unexpected surprise was Trent's announcement that Godspeed! Your Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky would be supporting him for this tour. Explosions in the Sky would probably rank in my top 5 bands of all-time ever since I was first introduced to their music thanks to their contribution to the soundtrack for the film, Friday Night Lights (which was also later developed into an excellent television show). Seeing Nine Inch Nails live is usually enough for me to get excited, but having another one of my favorite bands open for my favorite band of all-time? Sploosh.

Overall, the experience was amazing, with NIN bringing out their most elaborate production yet. The band was expanded to an eight-piece with the noteworthy additions of legendary bassist Pino Palladino and backup singers Lisa Fischer and Sharlotte Gibson. The backup singers in particular at first seemed like they may be out of place, but after seeing them live, it's a wonder how NIN ever existed without them. They belong up there and added significantly to the live NIN experience. The cool thing about NIN live is that Trent always changes it up and adds new members almost every tour. While there have been fan favorite members that may have left the band before, the new members always add a new twist that makes something old sound new again.

Nov. 15 - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Out of all the venues I've seen live music in, I have to say this place ranks with the Zepp in Osaka among the best. 4,000 capacity with two balconies, no low ceiling and staggered floor make this a great venue for sightlines and sound. The downside to the smaller venue is that the entire tour production for NIN's Tension 2013 show could not fit in the venue and we missed out on some of the cooler visuals.

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Catastrophe and the Cure
2. The Birth and Death of the Day
3. Yasmin the Light - one of my all-time favorite songs (not just by this band, either)
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Only Moment We Were Alone

Nine Inch Nails:

1. Copy of A - fantastic opener, when the song really gets going, all the noise, the flashing lights, it's amazing!
2. 1,000,000
3. Terrible Lie - drummer Ilan Rubin's fills during this and many of the other songs are an absolute joy. The longer he drums for NIN, the better he gets
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. All Time Low
7. Disappointed - about the only time you'll hear someone use the word "Disappointed" with Nine Inch Nails is when they play this song
8. Came Back Haunted - so much more powerful with live drums
9. Find My Way - fantastic song, this is Hesitation Marks' equivalent of Hurt
10. Various Methods of Escape
11. The Frail
12. The Wretched - nice to have this 1-2 punch back regularly. I think from 07-09, we would sometimes get The Frail without The Wretched, and it was just wrong
13. Sanctified - absolutely amazing new live arrangement that sounds completely different from the original album version. Also heard a little bit of Sunspots in the end that I've never heard before
14. The Big Come Down - hands down one of my absolute favorite songs live, it never disappoints
15. Survivalism
16. Wish
17. I'm Afraid of Americans - loved hearing this David Bowie cover
18. Burn
19. The Hand That Feeds
20. Head Like a Hole
21. All the Love in the World - a pleasant surprise as they had only started playing this song from 2005's With Teeth recently on this tour
22. Even Deeper - Lisa Fischer really shines here
23. While I'm Still Here - a great melancholy song to help close out the night
24. Black Noise - this outro to While I'm Still Here really showcases Ilan and the backup singers, and there's saxophone! Can't go wrong with that
25. Hurt - beautiful, as always

Nov. 16 - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
As you can see from the ticket, it has been autographed by NIN members Robin Finck, Josh Eustis and Alessandro Cortini. I happened to be on the same flight from Vegas to Portland as them and several other NIN members and associates. It was really quite surreal to sitting so close to them and I was quite starstruck. I didn't bother them at all until after the flight to ask for their autographs and I didn't take any pictures as I didn't want to be a creeper. Sadly, Trent wasn't there, if he was I would've squealed like a fangirl!

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Only Moment We Were Alone
2. Catastrophe and the Cure
3. Greet Death
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Birth and Death of the Day

Nine Inch Nails:

1. All Time Low
2. Sanctified
3. Disappointed
4. Came Back Haunted
5. Copy of A - I was a little disappointed that they wouldn't play this because it's usually opener or bust, but so glad it was included!
6. Reptile - another oldie, but goodie
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched - the backup singers wailing at the end of this song is just incredible!
9. Echoplex - very awesome live, haven't heard it since 08
10. Satellite - one of my favorite tracks from Hesitation Marks, it always makes me wanna dance. I can honestly say I don't feel that way about any other songs about the loss of privacy and the government spying on you
11. Running - one of my least favorite tracks from Hesitation Marks, but it's growing on me
12. I Would For You - another favorite from HM
13. The Big Come Down
14. Survivalism
15. In Two - probably my favorite song off HM and it doesn't disappoint
16. A Warm Place - I remember listening to this live during their wave goodbye tour and loving it so much I wished they played it every night, well now I finally get my wish!
17. Somewhat Damaged - so glad this is part of the regular set every night. This use to be the opening song or bust, but now it's in the middle of the set and it always makes me wanna me bang my head
18. Wish 
19. The Hand That Feeds
20. Head Like a Hole
21. Even Deeper
22. In This Twilight - My favorite version of my favorite song off Year Zero. The backup singers take this song to a whole new level. Before the song, Trent took some time out to facetime a fan, Andrew Youssef, suffering from terminal cancer who was suppose to be in the audience but was too ill to attend. You can read about his story here. It is sad, but also very inspirational. This is one of the many reasons why Trent Reznor is one of the greatest people ever.
23. While I'm Still Here
24. Black Noise
25. Hurt

Nov. 18 - Moda Center, Portland, OR

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Only Moment We Were Alone
2. Catastrophe and the Cure
3. Greet Death
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Birth and Death of the Day

Nine Inch Nails:

1. Copy of A
2. 1,000,000
3. Terrible Lie
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. All Time Low
7. Disappointed - the visuals for this are particularly amazing, with the band appearing as if they are inside of a 3-dimensional cube
8. Came Back Haunted
9. Find My Way
10. Various Methods of Escape
11. The Frail
12. The Wretched
13. Survivalism
14. Running
15. A Warm Place
16. Somewhat Damaged
17. Wish
18. The Hand That Feeds
19. Head Like a Hole
20. The Day the World Went Away - another classic from The Fragile, probably the best version I've heard live
21. Even Deeper
22. While I'm Still Here
23. Black Noise
24. Hurt

Nov. 21 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
I absolutely love these custom printed tickets, they make a great memento, and they help fight those pesky ticket scalpers. I wasn't able to get one for the Vegas shows because the presale sold out almost immediately, and the presale for Portland was over by the time I decided to attend it. Also thanks to this presale (which are 100% free to anybody) I managed to score fantastic seats, row 5, directly to the left of the stage, the closest I've ever been to the stage and the band. I usually prefer being in the hot, sweaty and rowdy pit, but it's nice not having to compete with other people for your spot. It was also probably a good idea seeing as how rowdy the crowd was, definitely the rowdiest of the 4 shows I attended. Kudos to the floor personnel for safely catching the crowdsurfers and even squirting water at the people in the front who probably needed the hydration, they've most likely been there in the exact same spots since 6:15pm when the doors were first opened to presale ticker holders (NIN came on a little before 9pm, and played until about 11pm)

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Catastrophe and the Cure
2. The Birth and Death of the Day
3. Yasmin the Light
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Only Moment We Were Alone

Nine Inch Nails:

1. Copy of A
2. 1,000,000
3. Terrible Lie
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. All Time Low
7. Disappointed
8. Came Back Haunted
9. Find My Way
10. Various Methods of Escape
11. Sanctified
12. The Frail
13. The Wretched
14. The Big Come Down
15. Survivalism
16. Running
17. A Warm Place
18. Somewhat Damaged
19. Wish
20. The Hand That Feeds
21. Head Like a Hole
22. All the Love in the World
23. Even Deeper
24. While I'm Still Here
25. Black Noise
26. Hurt 

Some pictures from the Vancouver, BC show in Rogers Arena to close this out:

Before the show

Terrible Lie

Disappointed

The Big Come Down

The Big Come Down

Survivalism

Somewhat Damaged

Head Like a Hole

Head Like a Hole

Head Like a Hole

Head Like a Hole

The Iconic Logo

Hurt

My Ten Favorite Films of 2012

1. Silver Linings Playbook
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. Django Unchained
5. The Avengers
6. Looper
7. Life of Pi
8. The Cabin in the Woods
9. Zero Dark Thirty
10. ParaNorman

100 of My Favorite Films from the Last Decade

2011:
1. The Descendants
2. Drive
3. A Separation
4. Hugo
5. 50/50
6. Shame
7. Midnight in Paris
8. The Tree of Life
9. From Up on Poppy Hill
10. A Simple Life 

2010:
1. Toy Story 3
2. Inception
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
4. The Social Network
5. Somewhere
6. How to Train Your Dragon
7. Never Let Me Go
8. True Grit
9. The Secret World of Arrietty
10. The Illusionist

2009:
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Up
3. 500 Days of Summer
4. The Hurt Locker
5. District 9
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. Up in the Air
8. The Princess and the Frog
9. Drag Me to Hell
10. 3 Idiots

2008:
1. Wall-E
2. Dear Zachary
3. The Dark Knight
4. Revolutionary Road
5. The Wrestler
6. Ponyo
7. Iron Man
8. The Fall
9. In Bruges
10. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2007:
1. The Lookout
2. Ratatouille
3. 3:10 to Yuma
4. Zodiac
5. Across the Universe
6. There Will Be Blood
7. No Country for Old Men
8. Into the Wild
9. Atonement
10. Gone Baby Gone

2006:
1. Children of Men
2. Away from Her
3. United 93
4. The Host
5. Pan's Labyrinth
6. The Lives of Others
7. Once
8. Happy Feet
9. Apocalypto
10. Casino Royale

2005:
1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
2. Hustle & Flow
3. The Constant Gardener
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. Batman Begins
6. Sin City
7. Serenity
8. Junebug
9. Walk the Line
10. Hard Candy

2004:
1. Spider-Man 2
2. The Incredibles
3. Million Dollar Baby
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2
5. Baadasss!
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
7. A Very Long Engagement
8. Howl's Moving Castle
9. The Motorcycle Diaries
10. The Machinist

2003:
1. Oldboy
2. Finding Nemo
3. Lost in Translation
4. In America
5. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring
6. Open Range
7. The Station Agent
8. American Splendor
9. X2: X-Men United
10. House of Sand and Fog

2002:
1. The Way Home
2. City of God
3. Minority Report
4. Adaptation
5. Y Tu Mama Tambien
6. Spirited Away
7. The Pianist
8. 25th Hour
9. Rabbit-Proof Fence
10. Oasis


The End, for now....

The Greatest Television Show of All-Time: The Wire

"The Greatest Television Show of All-Time" -- that is one hell of a statement. One that gets tossed around quite arbitrarily. Whenever we hear that statement we always take it with a grain of salt. As the show aired, it quickly gained a small but very loyal fanbase that heaped mountains of praise on it. I'm not even sure if this show was aired properly in Canada so I never got a chance to verify it for myself. I was still skeptical, but hearing and reading many people and many critic's opinions got me curious. These weren't just generic one sentence statements that studios like to put in advertisements, these were passionate, detailed love letters to the show. People that liked the same shows I did loved The Wire. So with the show over and released in its entirety on DVD, it allowed me a chance to look and confirm for myself whether or not this was the greatest television show of all-time.

The main premise of the show follows several detectives in the city of Baltimore as they investigate murders and the drug trade. What makes this show unique is that it gives equal billing to both sides of the law. The supposed good guys aren't always good and the supposed bad guys aren't always bad. It's not as a simple as looking at it and calling it black and white.

Show creator David Simon, was a former reporter in Baltimore, and another major contributor to the show was former Baltimore detective and school teacher Ed Burns. No doubt the realism of the show comes from their first-hand experiences in their respective fields. Simon himself was frustrated by what he saw in the police, school systems and the failure of the bureaucracy to deal with it in a timely and efficient manner. In one of the special features in this DVD set, Simon specifically talks about the city of New York and the Law & Order television shows. He mentions how there are more murders on all those shows combined than there are in Manhattan in a year.

The scope of the show expands greatly as the series progresses. We are introduced to the police and the drug dealers in the first season. The second season introduces to the Port, where these dealers get their drugs. The third season introduces us to the political side. The similarities between politicians and drug dealers are uncanny. Drug dealers deal in drugs and destroy lives with guns and coke. Politicians deal in bullshit and destroy lives with their words. The fourth season delves into the school system and how many kids are pushed into the underworld as a result of the failure of the school system. Finally, the final season introduces us to newspaper reporting. I think we've all experienced sensationalistic reporting, and this season gives us a pretty good overview of it.

Besides its eye on detail and ultra realism, what really makes this show special, is its large and diverse cast. I don't believe I've seen another television show that not only had so many important characters, but so many fully developed characters. I could go on and on about this show, but there is so much it covers and so much that I want to talk about: my favorite characters, my favorite moments, my favorite season; I could go on and on.

So is The Wire is the greatest television show of all-time? Having seen the entire series in a very short span, I can confirm that yes, The Wire is indeed, The Greatest Television Show of All-Time. It's not a cheery show by any means, it'll make you angry and it might even make you cry, but it is very well worth checking out. It's available on DVD for a reasonable price, and most likely free at your local library.

My Favorite Video Games of 2009

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Playstation 3) - this is one of those games that other developers look at and say to themselves that they gotta up the ante on their own games. While the game starts off slow, once the pedal hits the metal, the game becomes fantastically paced, offering moments of stealth, platforming and action. It delivers exactly what the developers promise, basically a summer blockbuster but instead of watching it in a theatre, you play it. There are numerous impossible moments, but who cares, they make this game unique and fun! I finished this in 2 days, but that doesn't mean it's short, I didn't want to put the controller down. In the making of for this game (included with the game), the developers said they wanted to make a game where the player didn't want to put the controller down, and they succeeded. I would have finished it in 1 day if my eyes weren't getting so dry from staying up so late! All in all, it took about 10 hours, but they were 10 great hours. I'd rather play a great 10 hour game than a so-so 40-hour game. Those ultra long games that offer 50 or 100 hours of gameplay are so boring and chock full of repetitive filler material just so they can say they offer "more" gameplay. Sorry but I'm sick of random battles and library levels.

Add to that a fairly robust multiplayer component here brings some extended replay value, I say fairly because while there are about a dozen different modes, there are only a handful of maps (only 3 for cooperative mode). Of course there will be additional content released later for download. The gameplay is top-notch, the graphics are fantastic, offering some of the most beautiful environments I've ever seen in a game, the audio matches that of the best slam-bang action movies you've seen (in 7.1 no less, if you've got the equipment), the story is compelling and the voice acting is terrific. It's as close as you can get to a perfect single-player experience in games today.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo DS) - ah Nintendo, for a while there it wasn't looking so hot, but all of a sudden you make a system where people wave their arms around and look like jackasses and you become the king of the mountain again! While the Wii and DS sell like hotcakes I barely touch them today. Why? There just aren't many good games to play for them. That's just my opinion of course. Another opinion I have is that nearly all of the Nintendo produced titles for their big names like Mario, Zelda and Metroid always deliver and make it worth owning their systems. Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is no exception. This game continues the great Mario RPG tradition where you take Mario and company fight in turn-based battles in a story-based RPG. Being used to the side-scrolling platforming of the Super Mario Bros. series, this seemed like an odd departure at first, but after playing it, I now prefer the RPG games to the platformers!

The story is pretty wacky, Mario is an Italian plumber after all, but would you want it any other way really? For reasons I won't go into, Bowser manages to inhale all the inhabitants of Mushroom Kingdom and a microsized Mario and Luigi must fight inside his body while a normal-sized Bowser fights in the real world. The game design takes this story and weaves it into the gameplay masterfully. The game makes novel use of the hardware, using both screens, stylus touch controls and even the microphone. It's fun, lengthy and there's plenty of stuff to do.

The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360/Playstation 3/Wii) - like Pixar with animated movies, the developers of this game, Harmonix just get it when it comes to music games. After you see the opening cinematic for this, easily the year's best for any game, you know that what you are experiencing is awesome. After the dissapointing Guitar Hero band-centric games for Aerosmith and Metallica, this is how you do the ultimate band-centric game. The game follows The Beatles as they progressed throughout their careers, following them through a small club, to a television show performance, to their giant shows in Shea Stadium and the Budokan in Japan all the way to their final days at Abbey Road studios. For those later years when The Beatles abandoned touring, instead of normal performances on stage like in your typical music game we are given these fantastic dreamscapes.

In addition to all the on-disc songs, we also have downloadable content for 3 of their greatest albums (Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rubber Soul). It just leaves you wanting the entire catalog available (If that's not possible, can we at least get some of their greater hits like Yesterday, Hey Jude, Strawberry Fields Forever, etc.). The gameplay is the familiar Rock Band gameplay, tried and true, it works and it works well. The new innovation here is the addition of Harmonies, so vital to the Beatles work, which allows up to 3 people to sing at the same time. But the real star of this whole package are the songs and the accompanying dreamscapes. When you play this game you know that the people who made this, made it with love because like you, they love The Beatles.

Shadow Complex (Xbox 360) - this Xbox Live Arcade game costs only $15 but has better production values than some full-priced disc-based games. It's got a well-written, compelling story (think giant underground complex and government conspiracy) with great voice-acting to play it all out. The gameplay itself is classic 2D side scroller action/exploration, in the vein of classic Metroid and Castlevania. While you move on a 2D plane, the graphics and environment are in 3D and look especially great for a cheap downloadable game. The gameplay is varied and you get many different weapons and items that challenge you to mix it up to find the best way to defeat enemies. The story should take around 6-8 hours, but will probably last a little longer if you're like me and you want to explore every nook and cranny and find all the secret hidden areas and items. In addition are a bunch of short challenges that will test out all the skills you learned in the game. Most of them are a moderate challenge, but there are at least a few that will test your mettle. This is the best downloadable game released all year and well worth the money.

My Favorite Television Shows of 2009

Friday Night Lights - this show has been so strong this season, but one episode in particular makes this show the best on television right now. The 5th episode of the 4th season entitled "The Son" which deals with one of the main characters as he reacts to the death of his father overseas in Iraq. Episodes about death on television are usually bogged down by scenes of melodrama and actors just screaming for an award, yet here Friday Night Lights tones that down to a realistic portrayal that doesn't hit you over the head but still absolutely breaks your heart. So well done and shot in a handheld style that gives it a documentary feel that it doesn't even seem like you're watching a TV show, you're watching life unfold. And the shameful thing is that you aren't watching it! Buy the DVDs, they're cheap!

Dexter - The serial killer who murders serial killers came back in what was my favorite season of Dexter yet. This year saw Dexter as he hunted down "The Trinity Killer." Perfectly played by John Lithgow who delivered an absolutely frightening portrait of a serial killer who is also a family man. I say this because there was one moment where the Trinity Killer confronts Dexter that startled me and made me want to take a step back (even though I was sitting down). The scenes between his family offered some of the most awkward but compelling moments in the show. It all builds up to a great and shocking final episode that makes me dread the next 9 months or so until the next season begins.

Community and Parks & Recreation - if there's one thing NBC did right this year, it was the introduction of these 2 new shows. Both ensemble single-camera comedies that are consistently funny with some really quirky but likable characters. Both feature lead roles that are absolutely perfect, Joel McHale in Community and Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation. Add in some great supporting characters, and general insanity and wackiness, make these 2 shows a great addition to the already hilarious 30 Rock and The Office.

Dollhouse - yeah the first half of the first season was crap, and honestly, after watching the first episode, the only reason I stuck it out was because it was a Joss Whedon show. As people who know me know that I love his work, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, and you might not know him but you've probably seen some of his work, for instance, he wrote Toy Story. Well Fox just wouldn't get their grubby hands off of Dollhouse and kept tampering with it and the result is that the first half of the first season is just so watered down and so un-Joss-like. After they finally let Joss do his thing, wow what a show this became.

What's great about Dollhouse is that it packs everything that Joss is good at into 2 short but oh so sweet seasons of television. There's action, comedy, drama, sometimes all in the same scene! There are tons of twists and surprises. People you think are good are bad, people you think are bad are good. And it wouldn't be a Joss Whedon show if there weren't a lot of deaths. People you love will die, and you will hate Joss for doing it. But it's how Joss makes you love the character in the first place is what's important. They knew that Season Two would be it and it's like they packed all the ideas they would have done if the show ran for 5 years into 1 year. As a result, those final episodes were entertaining as hell.

My Favorite Films of 2009

Inglourious Basterds - there are 2 scenes in this film that just may be 2 of the greatest scenes ever put to celluloid. The opening scene and the Tavern scene. Any of these 2 scenes alone would have made this my favorite movie of the year. These 2 scenes featuring just a handful of characters but have such intricately written dialogue, spoken perfectly by the cast. It's just so compelling and edge of your seat, you don't know what's going to happen, and you can't wait for it to happen. So well-written and the actors so perfect, this is truly Tarantino's masterpiece. And can I also say, a movie where Germans speak German and not English with poor German accents, how crazy is that?

(500) Days of Summer - it just gets better every time I see it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, easily the best actor his age in Hollywood, the only other actor that comes close to his pure acting ability is Ryan Gosling. A romantic comedy from the point of view of the guy this time, Levitt portrays Tom, the everyguy, with Zooey Deschanel playing Summer, the everyguy's dreamgirl. Both are perfect in their roles and have to be for this movie to work. The narrator warns you at the beginning that "this is not a love story" and Tom believes in the whole "one true love" bit while Summer doesn't want anything serious. Remember what the narrator said? Well things don't end well.....or do they?

I was hooked from the beginning with simple text explaining:
The following is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Especially you Jenny Beckman.
Bitch.
And how can you say no to that musical sequence?

Up - Another year, another of the year's best movies. If the opening wordless married life segment didn't tug at your heart then you have no heart. What else can I say about Pixar? They just deliver every time, they aren't just on another level in terms of animated film, but filmmaking in general. Their focus on story ensures a great time every time you watch their films. They don't rely on cheap jokes or catchy pop songs. The very definition of a perfect family film, there's something in it for everyone.

The Hurt Locker - this movie about a Bomb squad technician works both as an action-thriller with tense bomb defusing segments and also as a condemnation of war. The opening quote that says that "war is a drug" is something that haunts modern times. It's a sad thing when a man feels the need to abandon his newborn baby boy to defuse bombs halfway across the world, not because he doesn't love his son, not because he needs to help others, but because it's an addiction. War is a drug in the worst way.