Movies 2008 (finally)

2008 had some great cinema, but what it lacked was that one film that I connected with so completely that I can’t wait to put it at number 1 on my list so I can say to everyone – this was my favorite film this year, go see it (previous years toppers, like “Half Nelson” and “The Incredibles” still resonate). I liked a lot of movies this past year. I just didn’t really love any. As such, I’m not going to rank my list this year, I’m just going to give an alphabetical 10.

 

I’m also fairly ambivalent to the big epic movies that are getting critics hot and bothered. Slumdog Millionaire was okay, expertly crafted of course, but in the end a little too slight for me. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I found phenomenal in points, and tedious in others.

Best in Music 2008

My favorites in music for last year.

Top 10 Television

Here it is, my top 10 Television shows, moments, scenes, etc. for the year. It doesn’t include Dexter (sorry, AC) but mostly because I just started watching it. I still have a little residual association to Six Feet Under, which I think is the worst show of all time. Yes, even worse than According to Jim (sorry, Dad). But here it is.

Remember Me?

Okay, so I kind of got sidetracked with, you know, America and stuff. It was my intention to put up some of the pictures I took in Omaha up here (Thanksgiving was HUGE) but I feel like the shelflife is up on that. It was my intention to do my yearly recaps of TV, Music and Movies, which will be coming tomorrow. I thought first I would give everyone the opportunity to bail out now if you were only focused on the pretty pictures. Hey, I don’t blame ya. I took a good shot. But I understand you have a lot of choices in your blogging and my struggle to work and live in this country may not be as entertaining as your usual links.

But yeah, tomorrow I’ll cover the best in TV ’08. I know most people do this in december, but i had to play catch up this year.

London Calling (aka the final chapter)

Finishing writing about the trip is taking about as long as the trip did. Criminey. When last we left me, I was in London. The plan was for a week in London a week in Ireland, then home. Well, when I called to check on my tickets for Ireland they didn’t exactly exist. Plus, the airline I had booked no longer flew to LA at all. That put me in a pickle which I resolved by skipping Ireland altogether. I had been there already the year before and I got to relieve myself of the guilt of seeing Ireland twice before my parents get there the first time.

I’m UK, You’re UK

Sorry to leave you hanging. It’s a lot like when you have a show that you keep forgetting to watch but you forget to tune in and then they cancel it (alas “Pushing Daisies” I hardly knew ye). So, while the trip is indeed complete, the story of it is not (spoiler alert: I make it back alive). Now, where did we leave off? Ahh yes, my wonderful escape from Paris and near fight with a Frenchman. Wait, let me back up.

Two Nights in Paris

Ahhh, Paris. I’d heard so much about you that I could never quite get past a stirring ambivalence. On the one hand, it’s got a great reputation for being awesome. On the other, I’d hit my travel wall. Plus, Paris definitely appears to be a city I would’ve enjoyed more with a ladyfriend, if the sheer volume of people making out on every street corner was any indication. Through a snafu with my bank (read: user error in forgetting to transfer money into my account), I only had twenty euro with which to immerse myself into the city of lights. It was muggy and wet, so I set about on my usual walk-while-taking-pictures-of-old-buildings MO.

Brussels and Luxembourg don’t make for decent puns

When I booked my room in Brussels, I knew I was going to be there on election night. As such, I sought a place that had decent internet. Because I book quickly, I don’t always pay attention to the specifics of a place. For example, I didn’t realize I was going to be staying in a guest room in a house in Brussels. This was good and bad. Good in that my room had a flatscreen satellite TV so I could flip back and forth between BBC, CNN, and MSNBC. Good that I had a furry little houseguest by the name of Sylvester (above). Bad in that there was no chance I was going to meet people to celebrate with. Bad in that the owner only spoke French and I hadn’t practiced since I left France. It all worked out though.

Holland Days

Amsterdam has a bad reputation. It’s all weed and whores. It’s understandable. Legalized prostitution and marijuana makes for good copy. But it is much more than that. It’s a water city, with canals flowing like parallel trapezoids off of the main river Amstel, which connects the city to the North Sea. It’s a busy burg with decent food, great beer and wonderful people. And there’s weed and whores, although the prostitutes don’t enjoy that term I’m told. Still, if it quacks like a duck…

Ich Ben Ein Berliner

It was Halloween when I was walking through the streets of Berlin. Not that I could tell. I guess Berliners don’t do Halloween. I didn’t see any witches or demons or, even scarier, Sarah Palin’s (which I’m sure was a popular costume back home). I suppose it was good because it’s always hard to mix your merriment with genocide. Berlin was a relatively somber place for me. At least until I sprung for Rocky Horror tickets. Hey, I had to get something out of Halloween.