First, I will talk about movies. As with all art, movies are subjective to the viewer. I may be in a hyper mood and not enjoy a deeper movie. I may be a little grumpy and a slapstick comedy will seem sophomoric. The following list takes into account my personal attitude when seeing it. It is the 5 most enjoyable movies I saw this year.
1. Burn After Reading - I typically love me a Coen brothers movie and I was very much looking forward to this one. Usually that is a set up for a cinematic disappointment. But not so! Last year's No Country for Old Men was chilling. Anton Chigurh is one of movies all time bad guys. This movie was just fun. There was a very unexpected twist and the pace of the movie was quick. It got somewhat mixed reviews, but "they" didn't ask me. I thought it was super.2. Slumdog Millionaire - This was the best "serious" movie I saw last year. Slumdog nearly knocked the Coen brothers off the top spot. It was very well done and took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Mostly I think I took from the movie to not live in India. I guess I had already made that decision earlier in my life. Telling you the outline of plot makes it seem uninteresting, but believe me, it is really well done. I laughed. I cried. I winced. I cheered. It is about a poor kid that gets on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and makes it to the final question. This should win some awards this spring. I bet it takes home the Golden Globe for starters.
3. Role Models - Ok... this is one of those silly adult male movies that have been a bit overplayed with the huge success of Wedding Planners and 40 Year Old Virgin. Those kind of movies have to have a hip name by now, but I don't know of it... Dude Flix? Bro-vies? Man Candy? Whatev... I laughed and I laughed hard when I saw Role Models. It is really funny. Rent this so you can back up and hear the line you missed because you were laughing at the previous line. Of course, if you are all pissed off at the world when you see this, you will wonder what the heck I found so amusing. But if you are that grumpy, you'll think the Slumdog is a whiny, cheater who should just get you some tea and pipe down.
4. Tropic Thunder - This was another very funny movie. I clearly thought this was a year for
the comedy... I was a little nervous that this was going to look funnier than it was but I am happy to report that was not what I found. I like to look for situations where I can say "Pump the brakes, son."
the comedy... I was a little nervous that this was going to look funnier than it was but I am happy to report that was not what I found. I like to look for situations where I can say "Pump the brakes, son."5. Juno - If you wanted to see this, you have already seen this. It came out in time for last year's awards, but I didn't see until this year and it was very good and hung around all year for the Top Five. Not much more to say about that here, Homeslice.
The next five, in no particular order, are Get Smart, Kung Fu Panda, Spiderwick Chronicles, Indiana Jones and the Obnoxiously Long Title and Snow Angels. Well, I guess in that order.
Now onto the small screen... the boob tube... the idiot box... the babysitter... Whatever you want to call it, it is my favorite household appliance. If I were giving the choice between a roomful of beautiful, comfortable furniture and no tv and a stark, empty room with a tv in the corner, I'd say "Now I have more space to stretch out." I wish I could be one of those people whose life is so lively and together that they can honestly say that they don't watch tv. Maybe it is my 40 years of television history running through me, but I love to relax at the end of a busy day by flipping on the tube, plopping on the couch, releasing the day's stress and catch some tube. Or nod off.
Here's my Top Five things to watch on TV:
1. Sharks games2. Dolphins games
3. Football games that involve a fantasy player on one of my teams.
4. Mariners games
5. Other football games
Finishing just outside of that top section are Sportscenter, Real Sports with Bryant Gumble, Playoff games in any sport and Project Runway.
Ok... here's my non-sports division...
1. 30 Rock - This show floors me! I was late to the party on this, but through the miracle of DVDs, I've caught up quite a bit. Very funny writing.
2. Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry is wince-inducing in his humor. I'm not sure if I should feel sorry for him, abhor him or respect him. The show really makes me laugh and all ties back to a central theme throughout a season. Can't wait for the next one to start.
3. The Daily Show - Where else am I supposed to get my news? Saturday Night Live can't be trusted to be fair and unbalanced.
4. The Amazing Race - I have loved this reality game show for years. I am immune to any grief given to me about reality shows. It's competition. It's travel. It's personal drama. It's edited to take people out of context for my enjoyment. Winner! Being a contestant on this show is on my bucket list. Not to be confused with my phucket list. That list includes quiting my job to write a novel, cockpunching selected members of the Arden Little League board and eating a burrito for lunch everyday.
5. The Life and Times of Tim - This is a new animated comedy on HBO. Poor Tim's initial impulse is always correct, but he ends up making the worst decisions. He sounds a bit like Kirk Giberson to me. More for his inflection than the actions. Another hit for the stable of excellent shows from HBO.
My next five are Wipeout (fun to watch with the boys), How I Met Your Mother, Entourage, The Office and The Colbert Report.
There are my top mental escape vehicles. I'm looking forward to seeing your lists in the comments. Please join in!
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