My Best of 2009

Best Movies:

Tyson - a great documentary. Even if you don’t like boxing or Mike Tyson this documentary provides a great first person account of one of the most

controversial, complicated and often misunderstood cultural icons of the last twenty years.

Fantastic Mr. Fox - In a time where everyone is looking for the next evolutionary step in computer animation and graphics Wes Anderson spent years bringing the stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox to life. The movie is def not for little kids, but it is for those of us who love Wes Anderson and love to be amazed at the intricacies of filming stop-motion animation.

Up - Disney and Pixar have done it again. I was crying 15 minutes into this freaking thing! Just a great fun story that centers around a grumpy old man. How could I not love it!

500 Days of Summer - Its a realistic love story that makes musical references to artists as diverse as Hall and Oates, The Smiths and the Clash. The ending was a little cheesy but the split screen of what a guy imagines will happen with what actually does happen completely resonated with me. Plus I love the musical:

Gran Torino (came out Dec 12 but didn’t see it until March) - Some people say Clint Eastwood makes the same movie over and over again. If they mean absolute classics, they are right! It’s funny, thought provoking and times cringe worthy. Loved this movie!

Movies that I recommend without seeing:

A Serious Man - How can I recommend it without seeing it? First off its the Coen brothers. Second its them dealing with the type of subject matter they do best. A man whose life is falling apart and the world around him that, at best doesnt seem to care, or at worse, adds to his problems.

Website you Better Enjoy Now:

Hulu.com - Over a year after singing the site's praises rumors are that fox and nbc will soon be turning this site into a subscription based site. So much for watching TV for free on my computer.

Albums: Not a great year for music but if you want my opinion:

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix

Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Also the Beyonce album sounded good (what I heard of it anyway).

If you are into Pop music I would suggest listening to the Glee album

And you might want to also skim iTunes for Norah Jone's latest album or Regina Spektor's 2009 release which includes one my favorite singles of 2009. Laughing With:

Overrated Album

Kings of Leon - Only by the Night