Oh, wasn’t it just two posts ago that I was writing Listomania for 2009? How quickly the year progresses. “Twenty-ten” sadly lost out to the clunky “two-thousand-and-ten,” but hope springs eternal for “twenty-eleven.”
As always, these are favorites, not big mountain-top pronouncements of THE BEST THING EVER. I have to actually pay for all my music and movie tickets, you know. I don’t get any advance CDs or screeners sent to my house – not that I wouldn’t greedily devour any that were sent my way, if one were so inclined, hint hint. Of course, then I’d have to post more than twice a year.
Top Books of 2010
Ahem, er. Moving on.
Top Album of 2010
So remember back a month ago, when everyone proclaimed Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album of the year? And then there was all this backlash where everyone else griped that it only got praised because of Kanye’s backstory/personality and not for the music? Is it time yet for the backlash of the backlash? Because I really liked that album. Even more than Spoon, which is really saying something. (I loved 808s and Heartbreak, too, for that matter.)
Top 10 Movies of 2010
I watched 47 films released this year, a huge chunk (20!) of which were crammed into the last two weeks of the year. (Of that batch, only Black Swan and A Prophet made the list.) I’m planning to go see True Grit tomorrow. My new year’s resolution for 2011? Try to stay current with my movie watching.
01) Carlos
I was lucky to catch this in the special roadshow edition that screened the original 5.5 hour cut in one go. I doubt the progression (1. youthful idealism; 2. terrorism; 3. profit!) would have had the same demented rollercoaster impact as a TV miniseries. Édgar Ramírez is equally convincing as charismatic young turk and bloated sell-out.
02) The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector
A trip into Spector’s ego, as the producer expounds on how important he is (Scorsese wouldn’t have a career without him!), how he couldn’t possibly have killed Lana Clarkson (except, maybe, you know, he really did), and how his Jewfro’d trial appearance was just a big misunderstanding aggravated by the media. Oh, and don’t mention Tony Bennett.
03) Toy Story 3
04) Black Swan
05) A Prophet
06) The Social Network
07) Inception
08) The Killer Inside Me
This got a bad rap, mainly (as far as I can tell) for the disturbing amount of violence. I say it’s better to have a movie that doesn’t glamorize murder and that shows the depravity of killing someone. Casey Affleck gives my third-favorite performance of the year (behind James Franco and Édgar Ramírez) as a more sinister but equally creepy version of Robert Ford.
09) Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno
One part documentary on how a major film production can fail; one part attempt to reconstruct the lost film from scraps of test footage; and one part meditation on how the quest for perfection can be crippling.
10) The Kids Are All Right
Top 20 Tracks of 2010
I usually do 25 tracks, but I’m feeling lazy so I’ve copied and pasted my year-end ballot for Poptimists. I ended up excluding a few tracks that were iffy on the year: “Got Nuffin” (Spoon) and “Every Little Bit Hurts” (Title Tracks) were both originally released on EPs in 2009. FM Belfast’s album just came out in the US but has been kicking around internationally since 2008, so no “Par Avion” or “Synthia.” I wasn’t going to do a mix, but I’m spending the evening watching Boardwalk Empire so I have plenty of time of my hands.
01) Kanye West – “Power”
02) The Walkmen – “Angela Surf City”
03) Janelle Monae ft Big Boi – “Tightrope”
04) Yeasayer – “Madder Red”
05) Lady Gaga ft Beyonce – “Telephone”
06) Rihanna – “Only Girl (In the World)”
07) Caribou – “Odessa”
08) LCD Soundsystem – “I Can Change”
09) Kanye West – “All of the Lights”
10) Marion Cotillard + Franz Ferdinand – “The Eyes of Mars”
11) The Dead Weather – “The Difference Between Us”
12) Spoon – “I Saw the Light”
13) David Byrne & Fatboy Slim ft Santigold – “Please Don’t”
14) Aloe Blacc – “I Need a Dollar”
15) Belle & Sebastian – “I Want the World to Stop”
16) Joanna Newsom – “’81”
17) Broken Bells – “The Ghost Inside”
18) Let’s Wrestle – “I Won’t Lie to You”
19) Ra Ra Riot – “Boy”
20) The New Pornographers – “Crash Years”
Nearly had Arcade Fire (“Modern Man”) and Gorillaz (“Stylo”), but realized I was adding them half-heartedly. On the other hand, I’ve never had three minutes for Ra Ra Riot before but somehow fell for “Boy” – it sounds like early Cure crossed with Vampire Weekend but GOOD. I still have fond feelings for Belle & Sebastian, even though the only good tracks on the new album are the two singles and the three sung by Sarah and Stevie. Everyone loves “Good Intentions Paving Company,” but I was attached to the more intimate (i.e., sounds more like The Milk-Eyed Mender or Ys) “’81.” Apparently Here Lies Love wasn’t a very good album – I never listened to it – but I don’t think another 2010 song entrenched itself as firmly in my internal Muzak loop as “Please Don’t,” except maybe “Power.” I was going to describe Let’s Wrestle as “Art Brut, but more sincere,” but I don’t think anyone is more sincere than Eddie Argos. In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s is still the album title of the year – and, neat as a bow, it ties back into “Power” via King Crimson. The Walkmen once again convinced me to buy one of their albums based on a stellar single, even though I still haven’t warmed to Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone. “Crash Years” was this year’s unexpected last-minute addition, especially since I usually just download the Dan Bejar tracks off each New Pornographers album (still haven’t grabbed the ones from Together yet, though). “The Difference Between Us” is evidently Jack White’s attempt at a Lady Gaga song and makes me yearn for an actual collaboration – then again, I really liked “Another Way to Die,” but no one else seemed to. Speaking of collaborations: when will “The Eyes of Mars” get a proper release? Or is it destined to remain only a Lady Dior commercial? I would buy a whole album of Marion Cotillard singing with Franz Ferdinand. And when did “I Can Change” become the This is Happening track of note? When everyone else was talking about “Drunk Girls” or “Dance Yrself Clean” or “Pow Pow” or “All I Want” or “You Wanted a Hit,” “I Can Change” was the one I loved – then suddenly it’s the one that makes everyone’s end-of-year lists.
I don’t usually do a television section, but I’d just like to note that Parenthood is the only new 2010 show I like that’s going to continue into 2011*. RIP Terriers, The Good Guys and Undercovers. On the plus side – Parks and Recreation will be back! Just one more of the great and wondrous things to look forward to in the coming year. See you again to wrap up 2011 in two posts or one year from now, whichever comes later (hopefully one year from now).
*I’m only halfway into Boardwalk Empire. I like it, but every time I write the title it comes out as Boredwalk Empire. EDIT: I also totally forgot about Justified and Louie! This is why I don’t make TV lists.
Look, Sally, Look 