...year in review...

so a week ago, one of my friends sent out his yearly "year in review" type email, where he remembers music and movies and moments from the past year... it's kind of a fun idea. i really like reading his year in review. i've also ben thinking more about my new intentions for the new year...and implementing them...and reflecting...and that kinda stuff...which i haven't done... so i thought i'd take a stab at it (a really superficial stab at it...)
hence, my year in review... in movies, music, moments, and other things that start with "m"...like...too bad books don't start with "m"...

the best of 2006...more or less

best movies - not in order
-the departed - very very good, with a killer cast...
-talladega nights - much more fun than i expected, very silly...
-bond-casino royale - just awesome, and i can't say much about it cuz i don't want to spoil anything
-bon cop, bad cop - canadian at it's heretofore undiscovered best. hilarious. you get a little bit of toronto stereotypes and a little bit of montreal stereotypes.

best music - in no order
-tom waits - orphans
-the boss - the seger sessions
-neko case - the tigers have spoken
-silverhearts - dear stranger
-priestess - hello master

**favourite song that i found this year - stevie wonder doing "we can work it out"

(oh yeah i should have mentioned that these are the best of these things that i've discovered this year, not necessarily that were released...)

best books
-plowing the dark by richard powers
-inconvenient truth by al gore
-tipping point by malcolm gladwell
-toughest indian in the world by sherman alexie
-book of secrets by m g vasanji
-pale horsemen, lords of the north by bernard cornwell
-englishmen's boy, last crossing by guy vanderhaeghe
-all the pretty horses by cormac mccarthy

favourite moments
-adam and michelle got married
-sarah and i got married
-jeff and kendra got married
-gord and shanna got married
(...hmm...sensing a pattern...?)
(aha a non-wedding moment...)
-watching the brazil/france world cup semi-final (quarter-final?) in little italy with mark and corby and nigel
-chris bosh's fade-away, off-the-dribble 3 pointer with 3 seconds left to win the game --adam and jeff and i were at the game, and i hurt my voice

ok that's all i got right now...but i'll keep updating those moments...

looking forward to in 2007
-first anniversary
-release of "the 300" (about the spartans at thermopylae - spelled that from memory - 'you can't win, our arrows will blot out the sun' 'then we will fight in the shade'...oh yeah...)
-gavin and karlene return from china
-realization of our (delayed) honeymoon plans - cuba!!

and here's the lists that inspired my list...although they got better categories then i do...
enjoy.



Favourite films, in reverse order:

10) Talladega Nights - Ricky Bobby
9) Inside Man
8) Brick
7) Last King of Scotland
6) The Descent
5) Notes on a Scandal
4) Children of Men
3) The Devil and Daniel Johnson
2) Why we Fight?
1) The Departed

Honourable Mentions: Borat, Pan's Labyrinth, The Proposition, V for Vendetta, The Poseidon Adventure.

Did not see, but might have affected list: Volver, Half Nelson, Water, Cache, Catch a Fire.

Worst: Hard Candy, Miami Vice.

Best performance (or should I say most enjoyable performance): Mark Wahlberg The Departed and
Judi Dench Notes on a Scandal

Favourite CDs, in reverse order: (only doing a top 5 this year as I was pretty lazy about buying new music)

5) is a tie between Roots- Game Theory and Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
4) Outkast - Idlewild
3) Radiodread
2) Anything by Sufjan but the Xmas boxset is probably my fave between that and Avalanche
1) The Boss - Seeger Sessions

Another year, another list. Every year, at around the same time, I ask myself - why do I do this? And then, I remember - it's a good little exercise, really - a chance to reflect and contextualize on all the high and low points of the preceding 12 months. And in so doing, my perspective changes - movie-wise, for instance, the year seems better on paper than I remember it being, whereas music-wise it's a wee bit disappointng.


Anyway, enough blather. For those who care (and for Sdao), here are my ...


Favourite films, in reverse order:

10) The Road to Guantanamo
9) Hard Candy
8) The Prestige
7) Pan's Labyrinth
6) Borat
5) Children Of Men
4) Little Children
3) Brick
2) Caché
1) The Descent

Honourable Mentions: V for Vendetta, Block Party, The Science of Sleep, The Inside Man, The Departed,
Ineligible, due to screening restrictions: Zidane: A 20th Century Portrait.

Best Performance (Male): Tie - Forrest Whitaker in "Last King of Scotland", Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson"
Best Performance (Female): Ellen Page, Hard Candy


Did not see, but might have affected list: The Queen, Babel, Fast Food Nation
Did not see, but likely wouldn't have: The Holiday



Worst film: The Wicker Man

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Favourite CDs, in reverse order:


10) Thom Yorke - The Eraser
9) Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
8) Lullabye Arkestra - Ampgrave
7)The Roots - Game Theory
6) Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
5) Califone - Roots & Crowns
4) Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
3 ) Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
2) TV on The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
1) Beirut - Gulag Orkestar

Honourable mentions: Tom Waits - Orphans, Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Letting Go, Shearwater- Palo Santo
Discovery of the year: eMusic.

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Most keenly-felt losses, in reverse order of importance:

10) Last shred of dignity, as I dance on bar of Cobalt wearing a French flag/armband (July 9)
9) Scarf @ Allen's on the Danforth (December 27)
8) Canada's men's hockey team, to Russia, in the Winter Olympics (February 22)
7) One of my favourite shirts, to pesky moths (September 25)