To borrow a page from Senior Catfishvegas, I thought I'd compile my favorite shows this year. Now, this is tricky, because they are all my favorite while I'm there. Its been so rarely that I've seen a show I didnt like or that wasnt good, you kind of get used to them all being good. In any event, I will attempt to break it down and give a link to each respective artists page.
12) Yard Dogs Road Show, May 12th, The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
11) Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, December 19th, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
10)My Morning Jacket w/ Elvis Perkins, January 5th, Marquee Theatre, Tempe AZ
9) Asylum Street Spankers, July 20th, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
8) David Wilcox, May 6th, Swedish American Hall, San Francisco, CA
7) Peacemakers (x2) April 13th, Slims, November 16th, Slims, San Francisco, CA
6) Klezmatics, October 27th, Jewish American Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA
5) Elvis Perkins, March 25th, Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA
4) Josh Ritter, October 24th, Bimbos 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
3) Peter Mulvey, March 22nd, Freight & Salvage, Berkley, CA
2) Mike Doughty, November 28th, Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA
1) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, October 5-7th, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
So I will get back on this bad boy and put a couple of notes in, but for now its about the cleaning of the kitchen and the sleep.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
top 10.5 movies of year
Here is my top 10 list for 2007. You will notice that there are a few very well regarded movies that arent here (Michael Clayton, Juno, Norbit) but I dont think its a good idea to rank things I've not seen, so there you go. Also, there is a three way tie for 10th because, well, I make the rules.
10. The Host - This was "Little Miss Sunshine" meets "Godzilla." Very interesting movie, very tense and very well done. Such a different way to do a giant monster movie.
10. Reign Over Me - Probably the best thing Adam Sandler has ever done. Dealt with the personal loss of 9/11 in a different sort of way.
10. Ratatouille - So so well done. Beautiful attention to detail, good message. Flawless movie.
6. Stardust - There is no earthly reason why this movie should have been so good. Oh wait, Gaiman as the source material, nevermind. All the performances are top notch, the story is a lovely fairy tale and with a healthy bit of dark humor, this is up there with Princess Bride.
4. El Orfanato (The Orphanage) - This was, by my count, one of the best ghost stories I've seen in a long time. Kind of a Peter Pan-esque ghost story. Emotionally tough but worth it. Very artfully shot, no gore or stupid crap, just a straitforward, spoooooky story.
3. Into the Wild - There were a lot of well shot movies this year, this had to have been one of, if not the best. Sad but inspiring story and a great job from Emeile Hirch in the lead. Soundtrack is pretty darned amazing too.
10. The Host - This was "Little Miss Sunshine" meets "Godzilla." Very interesting movie, very tense and very well done. Such a different way to do a giant monster movie.
10. Reign Over Me - Probably the best thing Adam Sandler has ever done. Dealt with the personal loss of 9/11 in a different sort of way.
10. Ratatouille - So so well done. Beautiful attention to detail, good message. Flawless movie.
9. 1408 - One of the better King adaptations. Changed a few things from the story, but done so well. Cusack was a perfect choice. Really unverving and a twist ending that didnt make you sick to your stomach like The Mist (which I liked, but for lordssake)
8. Meet the Robinsons - Such a classy, throwback type of Disney movie. Doesnt do a "reference a minute" type of kids movie, actually tells a story and actually emotionally involves the audience, I really enjoyed it.
7. Zodiac - Fincher did a great job with this movie. Focused on a theme that I thought was so strong, how killing can ruin lives even without taking them. Great performances from all the leads, just really well done all across the board.
6. Stardust - There is no earthly reason why this movie should have been so good. Oh wait, Gaiman as the source material, nevermind. All the performances are top notch, the story is a lovely fairy tale and with a healthy bit of dark humor, this is up there with Princess Bride.
5. Paris Je T'aime - I loved this movie so much, just made me happy. There are a couple of screwy shorts (its a collection of 16 short films about love in Paris), but on the whole is was pretty remarkable. I cant really single out just one, Alexander Paines short is pretty wonderful and the one starring Catalina Sandino Moreno is a beauty.
4. El Orfanato (The Orphanage) - This was, by my count, one of the best ghost stories I've seen in a long time. Kind of a Peter Pan-esque ghost story. Emotionally tough but worth it. Very artfully shot, no gore or stupid crap, just a straitforward, spoooooky story.
3. Into the Wild - There were a lot of well shot movies this year, this had to have been one of, if not the best. Sad but inspiring story and a great job from Emeile Hirch in the lead. Soundtrack is pretty darned amazing too.
2. 3:10 to Yuma - The term "epic" gets used a lot, but this film was an epic. The grit and toughness reminded me of the Clint Eastwood western, Unforgiven. Great acting and a wonderfully suspenseful lead up to literally the last minute of the film. Bale and Crowe do a masterful job.
1. No Country For Old Men - I dont know that I can say much more about this movie than has already been said, but it was, to me, the best movie of the year. There is something so incredible about the way the story is structured, the rising action, the flashes of brutal violence mixed with sharp and very timely observations about life. Such an incredible movie.
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