2010 in Review: Yay Pop Culture! Edition
Friday, December 31st, 2010 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retsukoAs usual this year, I was terribly late to the party in some things, and very punctual on others.
In Books:
What I've been reading this year is a mix of book group books, nonfiction/memoir, and random fiction that I chose myself based on recommendations of others or general 'what the hell' sentiment. (I will also admit that the covers of the random books played a role in my choosing of them.) The books for book group, as always, were a fairly mixed bag, ranging from excellent to awful; the best of them was Time After Time, by Karl Alexander, which was made even better by an appearance from the author himself. Other books that stood out were:
* Jes Battis' urban fantasy/mystery series, starting with Night Child. These are set in Vancouver and feature a strong cast of characters, plenty of action, and a good sense of pacing. Although the pitch for these must have been something like "The Dresden Files meets CSI!", the novels quickly rise above this simplistic idea and make for excellent and exciting reads.
* Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde. Attention, Mr. Fforde: More like this, please! I enjoyed your dystopian future and its uniquely color-filled world.
* Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane. Riveting, old-school mystery/suspense, with memorable characters and a big twist ending.
* Mercury, by Hope Larson. Larson's visual style is both stark and cluttered, and this wonderful little book is the best of both worlds, simple but complicated.
Most Interrupted Book of the Year: The Unnamed, by Joshua Ferris. I've been reading this since Little Squeak was born, and it's a testament to Ferris' writing skills that I still remember who each of the characters are and what the central conflict is every time I read a few pages. It's like opening up a photo album while being distracted at a family get-together; every few pages, I stop to hear other things, but when I look down again, there are the same faces and stories that I remember.
Books Most Talked Back To: The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. If the success of a work is how often I start advising the characters on what they *should* be doing while I'm reading about it, then Collins succeeds 110%. By the final book, I was muttering back at the characters about once every page or so, much to Yebisu's annoyance. Of course, my advice made no difference, but I was sure invested in it.
In Comics/Manga:
Best Ongoing Series, Trade Paperback: Locke & Key, by Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez. I love my horror when it's tinged with strong storytelling, artwork, and meaningful character development. The hardcover trades are well worth the money.
Best Ongoing Series, Serialized: The Unwritten, by Mike Carey/Peter Gross (Special mention for the gorgeous covers by Yuko Shimizu). Where this is going, I'm uncertain, but wherever it is, I want to be there. I want to be there so much that I think it's well worth it to buy in serialized format.
Special Mention, Late to the Party Edition: Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. Cloonan's accomplished and stylish black and white artwork was what got me in, but the short stories were so good that I stuck around for the rest, and I was glad I did.
Best Manga, Serious: Kingyo Used Books, by Seimu Yoshizaki
Best Manga, Silly/Guilty Pleasure: Rinne, by Rumiko Takahashi
At the Movies:
In no particular order, the best:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: Well, yes, I was already a fan, but I still enjoyed this as a film. It's by far the most ambitious and accomplished of all the movies so far.
The King's Speech: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, and nowhere is this more sensitively and well portrayed than in this wonderful movie. Virtuoso acting jobs from everyone involved and excellent set dressing. The idea that this film is rated R is patently ridiculous, and shows how little the MPAA is in touch with America.
Easy A/Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Yay, fun teen comedies! It helped that these were well-made and smart movies.
Inception: No, it wasn't as complicated and intellectual as everyone raved about and it could have used some more judicious editing, but it was an action movie that didn't assume its audience was a group of idiots. If more action movies were like this, I wouldn't feel like I was wasting my time with them.
Toy Story 3: Dammit, movie! If I'm going to cry at the theater, don't make me do it in front of a bunch of little kids! Great visuals, and what a story.
In general, the worst movies I've seen this year have not been in theaters, but on video (the only notable exception to this was Sex and the City 2, which was at least a funny mess of crazy). What they had in common was a propensity for excessive and pointless violence (Gamer is emblematic of this; I want 90% of that time back, except for the sequence where Michael C. Hall broke into a song and dance routine) or poor/problematic storytelling (Avatar, Avatar, Avatar).
On TV:
This has been the year of BBC programming. Yebisu and I have rediscovered classics like Blackadder and A Bit of Fry and Laurie, as well as modern series like the new Doctor Who (loving Matt Smith, who I wish had appeared down our non-existent chimney on Xmas), and the riveting Survivors. Can't wait to check out more in the New Year.
Top 25 Most Listened To Songs:
1) Into The Fire/Thirteen Senses & Will South
2) Take Me To The Riot/Stars
3) Three Days to Live/46bliss
4) Mediational Field/Paprika (From the Motion Picture)
5) The Night Starts Here/Stars
6) Dernière Danse/Kyo
7) Love In Vision/46bliss
8) The Girl In Byakkoya/Paprika (From the Motion Picture)
9) Your Ex-Lover Is Dead/Stars
10) Bull In A China Shop/Barenaked Ladies
11) Clear The Area /Imogen Heap
12) A Place In Time (Intro)/Amanda Abizaid, The 4400 Soundtrack
13) Pavlov's Bell/Aimee Mann
14) Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)/Cobra Starship
15) Hallelujah/Patty Larkin
16) This Is Your Life/Switchfoot
17) The Way You Are/46bliss
18) Everythings Just Wonderful/Lily Allen
19) 19sai/Suga Shikao
20) A Drop Filled With Memories/Paprika (From the Motion Picture)
21) One Girl Revolution (Battle Mix)/Superchick
22) In a Long Time/46bliss
23) Unsafe Safe/The Hush Sound
24) Easy/Barenaked Ladies
25) Just For Now/Imogen Heap
As usual, inclusion on certain playlists messed with some of the statistics, as well as the overlap in songs that Yebisu enjoys and plays as often as I do. Compared to last year, Stars is definitely up where they should be, along with Patty Larkin and the lovely but too-short 4400 introduction by Amanda Abizaid.
Wow... looking back, 2010 was a great year for entertainment. I hope 2011 continues the trend! :)
In Books:
What I've been reading this year is a mix of book group books, nonfiction/memoir, and random fiction that I chose myself based on recommendations of others or general 'what the hell' sentiment. (I will also admit that the covers of the random books played a role in my choosing of them.) The books for book group, as always, were a fairly mixed bag, ranging from excellent to awful; the best of them was Time After Time, by Karl Alexander, which was made even better by an appearance from the author himself. Other books that stood out were:
* Jes Battis' urban fantasy/mystery series, starting with Night Child. These are set in Vancouver and feature a strong cast of characters, plenty of action, and a good sense of pacing. Although the pitch for these must have been something like "The Dresden Files meets CSI!", the novels quickly rise above this simplistic idea and make for excellent and exciting reads.
* Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde. Attention, Mr. Fforde: More like this, please! I enjoyed your dystopian future and its uniquely color-filled world.
* Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane. Riveting, old-school mystery/suspense, with memorable characters and a big twist ending.
* Mercury, by Hope Larson. Larson's visual style is both stark and cluttered, and this wonderful little book is the best of both worlds, simple but complicated.
Most Interrupted Book of the Year: The Unnamed, by Joshua Ferris. I've been reading this since Little Squeak was born, and it's a testament to Ferris' writing skills that I still remember who each of the characters are and what the central conflict is every time I read a few pages. It's like opening up a photo album while being distracted at a family get-together; every few pages, I stop to hear other things, but when I look down again, there are the same faces and stories that I remember.
Books Most Talked Back To: The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. If the success of a work is how often I start advising the characters on what they *should* be doing while I'm reading about it, then Collins succeeds 110%. By the final book, I was muttering back at the characters about once every page or so, much to Yebisu's annoyance. Of course, my advice made no difference, but I was sure invested in it.
In Comics/Manga:
Best Ongoing Series, Trade Paperback: Locke & Key, by Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez. I love my horror when it's tinged with strong storytelling, artwork, and meaningful character development. The hardcover trades are well worth the money.
Best Ongoing Series, Serialized: The Unwritten, by Mike Carey/Peter Gross (Special mention for the gorgeous covers by Yuko Shimizu). Where this is going, I'm uncertain, but wherever it is, I want to be there. I want to be there so much that I think it's well worth it to buy in serialized format.
Special Mention, Late to the Party Edition: Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. Cloonan's accomplished and stylish black and white artwork was what got me in, but the short stories were so good that I stuck around for the rest, and I was glad I did.
Best Manga, Serious: Kingyo Used Books, by Seimu Yoshizaki
Best Manga, Silly/Guilty Pleasure: Rinne, by Rumiko Takahashi
At the Movies:
In no particular order, the best:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: Well, yes, I was already a fan, but I still enjoyed this as a film. It's by far the most ambitious and accomplished of all the movies so far.
The King's Speech: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, and nowhere is this more sensitively and well portrayed than in this wonderful movie. Virtuoso acting jobs from everyone involved and excellent set dressing. The idea that this film is rated R is patently ridiculous, and shows how little the MPAA is in touch with America.
Easy A/Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Yay, fun teen comedies! It helped that these were well-made and smart movies.
Inception: No, it wasn't as complicated and intellectual as everyone raved about and it could have used some more judicious editing, but it was an action movie that didn't assume its audience was a group of idiots. If more action movies were like this, I wouldn't feel like I was wasting my time with them.
Toy Story 3: Dammit, movie! If I'm going to cry at the theater, don't make me do it in front of a bunch of little kids! Great visuals, and what a story.
In general, the worst movies I've seen this year have not been in theaters, but on video (the only notable exception to this was Sex and the City 2, which was at least a funny mess of crazy). What they had in common was a propensity for excessive and pointless violence (Gamer is emblematic of this; I want 90% of that time back, except for the sequence where Michael C. Hall broke into a song and dance routine) or poor/problematic storytelling (Avatar, Avatar, Avatar).
On TV:
This has been the year of BBC programming. Yebisu and I have rediscovered classics like Blackadder and A Bit of Fry and Laurie, as well as modern series like the new Doctor Who (loving Matt Smith, who I wish had appeared down our non-existent chimney on Xmas), and the riveting Survivors. Can't wait to check out more in the New Year.
Top 25 Most Listened To Songs:
1) Into The Fire/Thirteen Senses & Will South
2) Take Me To The Riot/Stars
3) Three Days to Live/46bliss
4) Mediational Field/Paprika (From the Motion Picture)
5) The Night Starts Here/Stars
6) Dernière Danse/Kyo
7) Love In Vision/46bliss
8) The Girl In Byakkoya/Paprika (From the Motion Picture)
9) Your Ex-Lover Is Dead/Stars
10) Bull In A China Shop/Barenaked Ladies
11) Clear The Area /Imogen Heap
12) A Place In Time (Intro)/Amanda Abizaid, The 4400 Soundtrack
13) Pavlov's Bell/Aimee Mann
14) Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)/Cobra Starship
15) Hallelujah/Patty Larkin
16) This Is Your Life/Switchfoot
17) The Way You Are/46bliss
18) Everythings Just Wonderful/Lily Allen
19) 19sai/Suga Shikao
20) A Drop Filled With Memories/Paprika (From the Motion Picture)
21) One Girl Revolution (Battle Mix)/Superchick
22) In a Long Time/46bliss
23) Unsafe Safe/The Hush Sound
24) Easy/Barenaked Ladies
25) Just For Now/Imogen Heap
As usual, inclusion on certain playlists messed with some of the statistics, as well as the overlap in songs that Yebisu enjoys and plays as often as I do. Compared to last year, Stars is definitely up where they should be, along with Patty Larkin and the lovely but too-short 4400 introduction by Amanda Abizaid.
Wow... looking back, 2010 was a great year for entertainment. I hope 2011 continues the trend! :)
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 01:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 01:25 am (UTC)In all seriousness, I think it's a very ambitious book and the central plot twist works quite well. I don't mind that the hero doesn't quite know his place; I'm going to enjoy finding it out with him. And Lizzie is made of awesome.