2008 - Some Favorite Things
* Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass: A 2007 album that grabs ahold and never lets go. The opening moments of "Keep Off The Lawn," swell portentously, making huge promises. By the time you reach the hidden track at the end, it feels like the wafer-thin mint from "The Meaning of Life" - an irresistible treat that will make you explode after what was already an amazing meal.
* Synecdoche, New York: Maybe it's the fact that I saw this in a new part of a new town, but I wandered out of the theatre dumbstruck, and not entirely certain that my life wasn't merely a construct. That is what I call an accomplishment. The movie could be a downer if you left it be, but it's something much more subtle and rich. I might go see it again.
* The World of Warcraft: No videogame has ever elicited such strong reactions from people, in my experience. People talk about fear of getting lost, or relationships destroyed, or educations foregone. It's an amazingly rich and deep world, and it is definitely easy to devote a bunch of time to. When you're removed from your social context though, it's the best thing in the world. I played the equivalent of several rounds of golf with friends hundreds of miles away, and for that I'm extremely grateful.
* Rockband and Rockband 2: The ultimate party game - better than Mario Kart for the N64, which previously held the position in my humble esteem. A lot of its awesomeness is readily apparent, but as someone with education training, I have to say that the thing that impressed me most is how subtly and deftly it prepares you to play the subsequent songs in the game. Patterns are introduced early that will be the backbone of subsequent pieces. No mean feat.
* The Dirty Projectors - Rise Above: The band covers Black Flag's Rise Above, using only the lyrics. The result is breathtaking. Who would have thought that Rise Above could be a perfect morning album?
* House, M.D.: Jessica and I tried out a few episodes in the wake of The Wasteland Comedy Hour, and I was initially skeptical. I was skeptical that a patient-of-the-week formula could work. I was skeptical that such a bastard could sustain the center of an ensemble. While there are plenty of missteps in the show's 4 season run, I have to say that the show's creators have created a completely whole universe around a cranky but brilliant doctor. It is, I believe, a much more human and humane show than anything else on TV. No wonder USA runs marathons these days.
* The Image Factory by Donald Ritchie: Confused about the Japanese culture tat makes it to our shores? Ritchie does an impeccable job of unpacking Japanese culture with respect and care. It's clear that he loves Japan, but knows that it essentially impossible to fully understand the culture from the outside.
* Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra: If you read comics, this is probably on your year end list. While the end was unsatisfying to me, I can't say that it wasn't of a whole with the rest of the piece. Like a lot of great art released episodically, the tale isn't neat and streamlined, but is rather woolly and imperfect. I was teary for a few hours after I finished, only slightly less so than after Six Feet Under. It is an achievement on that level, and deserves all the respect it gets and more.
* Slings and Arrows: In eighteen episodes, this Canadian show (featuring Mark McKinney from "The Kids in the Hall") manages to tell rich and true stories about people and theatre AND mount three full Shakespeare productions of uncommon quality. If you've ever been in a play, this is a must-see, but it's not only for the theatrically-inclined. The production of King Lear in the final episode of season three is just flattening. Plus, you'll get to hear a bunch of Canadians say "sorry," which I found really wonderful.
* The Wire and Generation Kill: David Simon and Ed Burns are social realists non-pareil. A telling anecdote is that when Simon first met Burns to talk about Burns' policework, back when Simon was a reporter for the steadily-declining Baltimore Sun, Burns had Simon meet him at the library, where he was checking out tomes by Hannah Arendt. Yeah. While The Wire's final season wasn't everything I wanted it to be, it did reveal hidden depths when I went through the whole series again for Jessica's benefit. And soon after, their Generation Kill provided a really compelling lens on the soldiers in Iraq and the early days in that war. I am unqualifiedly excited for Treme, their look at New Orleans.
Not a bad year, overall. I liked a lot of other things, but I wish I liked more movies. Maybe Iron Man should be on the list, but maybe not. Burn After Reading was a nice Coen brothers outing, but a pretty minor one in my esteem, somewhere between O, Brother... and Intolerable Cruelty in the "interesting lark" section of their catalog. Oh, wait, now that I think on it, I did really love Pineapple Express, Wall*E as well as The Prestige and Ratatouille on DVD, but I can't be bothered at this point. On with the new year...