Music
So much to still hear, so little time
Really tough choice here. I was between this and Norah Jones' with Little Broken Hearts. Both fantastic and very original. But I didn't get to see Norah in concert. Electric Guest released their first album in April, which was Co-written and produced by Brian Burton. Likely categorized as psychedelic-pop, I hear a lot of influence from Micheal Jackson, with a Danger Mouse twist. Asa Taccone provides an amazing voice with skillful dance moves. They just released a second EP in November which is worth picking up. For sake of saving space (because we're worried about that) they're also best new artist.
Favourite Album That Has Nothing To Do With Brian Burton:
Night Visions- Imagine Dragons
Great first Album, fantastic EP. When discussing it, I found many weren't too keen on it though. It might take a couple of listens to "get it", but allow me to assure you that it's a great example of the versatility of what AWOLNATION can do. Three new tracks "I've Been Dreaming", "Shoestrings", and "Swinging From the Castle" plus a handful of live performances, not to mention that you can't beat the price. It's free! Get it from their website.
Movies
I rarely get to the cinema nowadays, but I got a few favourites
Comedy: Ted
Don't act you didn't see this coming. I saw it, you saw it, it was funny. I really like Mark Wahlberg in comedies. Granted, the only other title I can think of is The Other Guys, but come on, that movie was hysterical. I knew I was going to like Ted, and it didn't disappoint. Riddled with jokes along with a number of Family Guy cast-members and other famous people in the background. I can't begin to name them. It was executed really well, and the idea was rather original. I know I'm a sucker for Seth Macfarlane; for that matter, the same goes for Patrick Warburton, and Norah Jones. That's another thing that need to be mentioned, Norah Jones is the movie. How awesome is that? I will say this though, I'll take an alien with Seth Rogen's voice over a Seth Macfarlane teddy bear any day of the week.
It'll never cease to amaze me how many people forgot, or have never heard of this movie. First of all, I'll see anything with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it, he always does a wonderful job. Sadly I still haven't seen Looper yet. (don't spoil it!) This was a great movie, and leaving the theater, I wanted nothing more than to jump on a bike and floor it. I know some will scoff, claiming that Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises was much better. To be honest, I'm not a fan of marvel comics, and where I thought it was cool, it didn't capture my attention as much as Premium Rush. Aren't we a tad sick of all these superhero flicks? As for The Dark Knight Rises, it wasn't better than The Dark Knight, and that whole Tom Hardy as Bane was off. Bane is a Mexican wrestler gone wrong. (there are other problems, later solved, which I won't spoil) Then there's Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. When I first heard of this fact I felt like throwing up. All I can say is that it was AS bad as I thought. (I've gotten off track) Watch Premium Rush, it was great.
This isn't a new movie, it was hanging out in my Netflix queue for a while, I just hadn't seen it until this year. Ink blew my brains all over the goddamn wall. It's an indie film, and perhaps a little hard to follow, but everything comes together so perfectly in the end. (like Memento or Pulp Fiction) This was one of the most authentic stories I've hear in the longest time, with was shot wonderfully, and it was done with a quarter of a million dollars without appearing so. I cannot stress the need to see this movie enough.
Plot:
A mysterious creature, know as Ink, steals a child's soul in hopes of using it as a bargaining chip to join the Incubi - the group of supernatural beings responsible for creating nightmares.
-IMDB
Books
Is it too hard to believe I don't read all that much?
(honestly, I think I broke a personal record of reading....11 books this year. 1.5 were fiction)
Fiction(ish): America Again- Stephen Colbert
Essentially a continuation of "I Am America, and So Can You", America Again is likely just as funny, if not funnier. I tried reading it in class and at work, and I couldn't stop laughing aloud. (which is apparently frowned upon) Why is this book better? Some might claim its the added amount of pictures, others might enjoy the new "3-D"-ness, myself, I simply love Stephen Colbert and found the material at hand much more relatable. He offers advice of making a resume as well as applying for health insurance, and other things he assumes lower middle-class America could use his advice on. The man is a comical genius.
Video Games
A tad embarrassing, it was only when I began writing this that I realized
1. What I thought was from 2012 (Arkham City) was 2011
2. I didn't buy any new games this year
and 3. The Wii U got released?!
1. What I thought was from 2012 (Arkham City) was 2011
2. I didn't buy any new games this year
and 3. The Wii U got released?!
Needless to say, I'm a little out of touch with the gaming world for once. Bioshock was made six years ago (you look up when it came out) and dammit I'm not done with it. Speaking of which, Bioshock Infinite is out next year.
TV Shows
Apparently unlike normal people, I don't watch live TV. I cannot, nay, I refuse to watch commercials as I've likely stated before. But there are a few shows I started via Netflix that'll be continued next year.
Sherlock
This show is nothing short of brilliant. Series one and two are currently on Netflix, series three starts up in February (?), and each episode is better than the next. Six episodes in total, each roughly an hour and a half long of gripping, seat-clinching suspense making it one of my favourite shows of all time. Its witty, smart, and as always, quite hysterical. The chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is amazing. Not to mention Andrew Scott as Moriarty is nothing sort of horrifying, insane, and fascinating.
Raising Hope
Sooner or later Fox will realize how funny this show is and cancel it, just like Arrested Development, or The Tick, but until then, enjoy this show. I didn't expect this show to be nearly as funny as it is, but it's laugh out loud funny. The plot is a tad off: Jimmy, living with his parents who had him at 15, knocks up a serial killer. After her execution about a year later, Jimmy is left with this kid, Princess Beyonce (Hope), and has no idea what he's doing, nor do his parents for that matter. On top of all of that they live in Hope's great great grandmother's house, Cloris Leachman, who is batshit crazy from dementia. All of it together works wonderfully.
.....And now it's time for everyone to tell me how I did a horrible job summing up the year and that my list sucks ass.
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