Completed readings for the semester thus far

Barabbas, Pär Lagerkvist
The New Jerusalem Bible (various books from Old and New Testaments)
Phaedo, Plato
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
Heartbreak House, George Bernard Shaw
An Inspector Calls, J.B. Priestley
The Winslow Boy, Terence Rattigan
Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas
Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett

Ten best films of the year 2009

Might as well get it out now, since I do this annually. Here we go.

1. UP IN THE AIR

dir. Jason Reitman (USA, Paramount Pictures)


2. STILL WALKING
dir. Hirokazu Koreeda (Japan, IFC Films)


3. IN THE LOOP
dir. Armando Iannucci (UK, IFC Films)


4. FANTASTIC MR. FOX
dir. Wes Anderson (USA, 20th Centry Fox)


5. AN EDUCATION
dir. Lone Scherfig (UK, Sony Picture Classics)


6. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
dir. Quentin Tarantino (USA/Germany, Universal Studios/Weinstein Company)


7. THE HURT LOCKER
dir. Kathryn Bigelow (USA, Summit Entertainment)


8. UP
dirs. Pete Docter & Bob Peterson (USA, Pixar Studios/Walt Disney Pictures)


9. SUMMER HOURS
dir. Olivier Assayas (France, IFC Films)


10. DISTRICT 9
dir. Neill Blomkamp (USA, TriStar Pictures)

IFC Films makes three appearances and Jason Reitman tops my list for the second time since 2007 (JUNO). THANK YOU FOR SMOKING retroactively makes the top ten for films released in 2005. Where were Fox Searchlight and Focus Features this year? Distributing pseudo-indie-hipster-pandering clichés like (500) DAYS OF SUMMER and AWAY WE GO? Sure.

5 Least favorite: Bruno, Watchmen, Humpday, Invictus, Antichrist -- in that order.

Soon, the 2010 releases I highly anticipate!

25 Best Albums of the Decade

25 Best Albums of the Decade
Or, the albums released between the years 2000-2009 that mean the most to me:

1. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It in People
3. Radiohead - Kid A
4. Arcade Fire - Funeral
5. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
6. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
7. Cat Power - The Greatest
8. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
9. The National - Boxer
10. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
11. The Postal Service - Give Up
12. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
13. Beck - Sea Change
14. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
15. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
16. Cat Power - You are Free
17. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
18. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
20. Björk - Vespertine
21. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
22. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
23. Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2
24. The Antlers - Hospice
25. PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea



Oh, god. I know this looks like something off pitchfork, but I guarantee you that I created this before looking through their list.

Let the Listomania Begin!

Best Albums of 2009

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
2. The Antlers - Hospice
3. The xx - xx
4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Passion Pit - Manners
6. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
7. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
8. Karen O and the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are [OST]
9. Taken By Trees - East of Eden
10. Antony & the Johnsons - The Crying Light