Tag: pop-culture
Best Movies of 2007
posted: 04.13.2008 11:29 am tags: best of 2007, movies, pop culture
I’m getting to my Best Movies list a lot earlier this year. I did a much better job in 2007 actually seeing things in the theaters and on DVD as soon as they came out, so this list is coming out as early as I have ever had the chance to make it. There are still a few “great” movies from last year that I haven’t seen (American Gangster, La Vie en Rose, 12:08 East of Bucharest and others), so I reserve the right to update this later. For now, though, this is the definitive list. As always, I begin with my ten runners-up, in alphabetical order:
The Third Policeman
posted: 02.15.2008 9:54 am tags: books, lost book club, pop culture, reviews, television
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
(As seen in Episode 301: Man of Science, Man of Faith)
I'm going to try and read most of the books on Lostpedia's literary works list. I've already read a few, including Bad Twin, but this is the first formal exercise in my own little Lost Book Club. SPOILER ALERT: If you want to not be lazy and actually read the book, stop now.
Cloverfield
posted: 01.25.2008 7:02 am tags: movies, pop culture, reviews
Though he neither wrote nor directed it, producer J.J. Abrams’s stamp is all over Cloverfield, the newest entry in the monster movie annals. From the brilliant trailer and advertising campaign that began, simply, with 1-18-08, Abrams has fashioned Cloverfield as a near-perfect example of what he calls “The Mystery Box.”
Best Albums of 2007
posted: 12.31.2007 3:33 pm tags: best of 2007, lists, music, pop culture
None of the albums released this year were strong enough to make my all-time top 40, but that doesn’t mean this was a weak year for the album. Sure, digital sales and single-track downloads made huge inroads, and people bought even fewer CDs than they did the year before.
But I am not one of those people. I heard more than 100 albums this year, and am still dying to hear more. Most everything I heard was at least good and much of it was great. Here’s the giant list, starting with an in-depth look at the top 13 albums of 2007. Oh yeah, and if it’s not on here, it simply means I haven’t heard it.
Best Songs of 2007
posted: 12.21.2007 8:02 pm tags: best of 2007, lists, music, pop culture, songs
I came across some amazing songs this year, so I’ve taken the time to list a full 100 of them. This is no Pitchfork list either—I’ve got pop songs, country songs, rap songs and yes, indie rock songs too. All irony- and snobbery-free. The first of many year-end best-of lists, here then are my top songs from the year that was: 2007.
Happy Halloween
posted: 10.31.2007 10:01 am tags: design, holiday, pop culture
Here are two of my three pumpkins for 2007. Much like my 2006 pumpkins, I like to pander to commercialist pop culture and do famous characters and toys and such.
I also like to be topical, so this year I have Snoopy in honor of the recently released Schultz and Peanuts as well as the logo for the 20-year-old property that somehow became one of the biggest (and worst) movies of the summer, Transformers.
I've got one more pumpkin to show off, but it's not quite done yet. It's a good one though, one of my best yet.
Top 100 Songs of 2006
posted: 12.31.2006 12:58 pm tags: best of 2006, lists, music, pop culture, songs
This list can’t be held to just 13. With all the great songs of 2006, I can’t really pare down. There were great singles from pop stars and alternative rockers alike; fantastic album tracks from folk-rockers, countrified ladies and dance producers. When it comes to a great song, I don’t discriminate. Here are my Top 100 songs of the big ’06:
Top 13 in Television 2005
posted: 12.21.2005 7:55 pm tags: best of 2005, lists, pop culture, television
TV is an interesting medium these days. 2005 will probably go down in history as the first year that time-shifted television truly broke out. Sure, Tivo had its first cultural moment with Janet’s Super Bowl fiasco in 2004, but with Tivo, the ubiquitous “on demand” cable offerings and now iTunes, TV is starting to go beyond the old days of “appointment viewing.” All rules are being thrown out the window, and the same can be said for this list. What follows is not really a Top 13, but a series of 13 lists. Some are short, some are long. All are essential viewing. Put down the remote and enjoy.
Top 13 Movies of 2004
posted: 12.03.2005 11:08 am tags: best of 2004, lists, movies, pop culture
2005 is almost over, so I figured I could finally publish my list of the top 13 movies of last year. Why 13? Because 10 is played out, and 13 is my number of choice. Why now? Because in this day and age, with movie theaters filled with more ads than television, more annoying crowds than a football game, topped off by escalating ticket prices, can you blame a guy for waiting 3-4 months for DVDs to come out? So without further adieu, here’s my list of the Top 13 Movies of 2004. Can you guess what #1 is?