Wednesday, January 21, 2009 : 12:01am
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Top Ten Movies 2008

This year was decent year for movies. Some really solid films. But hardly any great ones. Not that many that transcended the times to be art. I thought I'd list my top ten before Thursday morning's Oscar announcementa.

As always, I've compiled my top ten list to reflect my favorites, not necessarily to reflect "the best". There's some fun movies on the list and at least one dumb one. But its my list, so here we go, from ten to one....

10. The Visitor.
Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy
Perenial supporting actor Richard Jenkins shines as a lonely college professor who befriends illegal immigrants he finds squating in his NYC apartment. Director McCarthy builds upon his debut effort The Station Agent. Definitely the quietest movie on this list and the least showy.

9. Frost/Nixon.
Directed by Ron Howard. Adapted by Peter Morgan from his play.
I was a bit too young to remember the actia;l broadcasts, but as he did on Apollo 13, Howard brings history to life. even though you know exactly what's going to happen, it's still spellbinding.

8. Step Brothers
Directed by Adam McKay. Written by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell.
I don't care, I don't care, I don't care. More than Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Pineapple Express, this movie made me laugh out loud; critics be damned.

7. The Wrestler.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Written by Robert D. Siegel.
Roarke has been deserved lavished with praise for work in the Wrestler and for good reason. He was born to play Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Every scar and odd reconstructive surgery on Roarke's face is backstory for his comeback and the Ram's. And Marisa Tomei reminds us that her Oscar was not just a fluke. Her selection of material recently has been perfect.

6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Directed by David Fincher. Adapted by Eric Roth.
Many have accused Roth of recycling his Forrest Gump script, but this is much more serious beast. Like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Button is really about the power of love to withstand adversity. Some of the scenes are heartbreaking. And the visual effects are state of the art.

5. Iron Man.
Directed by Jon Favreau. Written by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby.
Robert Downey Jr. and Favreau proved to be the MVPs of this one. And Marvel Studios proves that when you let them make their own movies, they can deliver. Solid laughs and action with just a little bit of social commentary.

4. Slumdog Millionaire.
Directed by Danny Boyle.
Written by Simon Beaufoy from the novel by Vikas Swarup.
Beautful, lyrical and uplifting. And I cannot type the words "Frieda Pinto" without sighing. Sigh.

3. Gran Torino.
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by Nick Schenk.
Like in the Unforgiven, Eastwood plays on the architype of himself to make this character work. His best film since Million Dollar Baby.

2. Wall•E.
Directed by Andrew Stanton. Written by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter.
Can anyone boast Pixar's track record? Has Hello Dolly! ever been used to greater effect. The first 30 minutes is perfect cinema. And the rest is social commentary only equalled by Mike Judge's Idiocracy.

1. The Dark Knight.
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Written by Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan.
I was skeptical going in, but Heath Ledger owns this movie. Every decision he made for the Joker is stellar, from the bizarre mannerisms and tics to the insanity that can even be seen in his every physical movement. Nolan has said he's heavily influenced by Michael Mann's Heat and it shows from the first frame. This is more than a superhero movie, it is a crime saga.

Honorable mentions:
Revolutionary Road
Milk
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
Kung Fu Panda
Cloverfield
The Bank Job
Speed Racer

Didn't see, but wanted to:
Doubt
The Reader
Rachel Getting Married
Man on Wire

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 : 12:01am
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Hope, renewed

Some people don't get the significance of today. By some people, I mean republicans. Yes, they get that he's Black. But they get that he's Black.

When you watch the news, you see the African-Americans that have made the trip to D.C. to witness history. They're getting interviewed on televison and they can't contain their tears. They're being interviewed on the street, in the freezing cold and they begin weeping. Then I start getting choked up.

Democrats are ecstatic; that's obvious. More than Carter or Clinton, Obama represents real hope of change. As much as I don't like how hard he's reaching across the aisle, he is doing so to try to bring Americans together. It's working.

When have you seen so many inaugural parties? So many events planned on the local level? I got texted to find out if the TV in the big conference room is hooked to a signal. It's not, but I'll go in a bit early to see if we can get a stream going before everything starts.

People are excited to be Americans again. People have hope.

Sunday, January 18, 2009 : 10:00pm
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It All Started Here.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 : 10:05pm
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Daft Punk vs Adam Freeland - Aer OBAMA

Sunday, January 11, 2009 : 11:55pm
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Top Ten Albums 2008

Towards the end of the year, I listened to the year's releases again to compile my top ten of 2008. It was not easy. I thought most of the stuff this year was lackluster.

I happened to post to my Facebook status that it was a difficult task. I got bombarded with comments about all the great music this year. I had to disagree.

Bon Iver... boring. Fleet Foxes? A second rate My Morning Jacket. A lot of this is personal taste. I lean towards the melodic. I like hooks. With that in mind, it's pretty easy to see how I arrived at my list. Onto the list...

10. Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I Have Feelings Too
While not as strong as her debut, a solid disc nonetheless.

9. Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan has said the film was influenced by Heat, and so is the soundtrack. Very evocative.

8. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (reissue)
The kind of album the Beach Boys might have made if Brian Wilson hadn't left and Dennis survived. Why couldn't it have been Mike Love?

7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

6. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Ironically, I call Fleet Foxes a second rate MMJ and then MMJ comes out with a disc that sounds nothing like MMJ.

5. Ron Sexsmith - Exit Strategy of the Heart
Sexsmith channels Van Morrison.

4. Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning
While not quite at the level of his dad, Liam proves he can write a stellar hook with his solo debut.

3. Adele - 19
Okay. Another white soulstress. so what? Lush arrangements, amazing vocals. Solid album.

2. She & Him - Volume One
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward craft a brilliant debut disc. Didn't think her voice would lend itself to a pop record, but it's perfect.

1. Keane - Perfect Symmetry
No one on the planet will agree with me on this one. I loved the un-ironic 80's synths and shameless retro attitude.

Honorable mentions:
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
Sam Phillips - Don't Do Anything
Paul Kelly - Stolen Apples
Jordan Zevon - Insides Out
Jason Fawkner - I'm Okay... You're Okay
Jon Brion - Synecdoche, NY soundtrack
The La's - The La's (reissue)

OLDER >

Keywords: Ron Lim, creative director, associate creative director, art director, ATTIK, Spider-man, original art