Monday, January 23, 2006
Best of 2005
Best movie
Crash- This movie really affected me, you can probably find a little of yourself in one of these characters. But this movie might make you thing about how you treat people of different races or how society treats them. Mostly it’s my pick because of that one scene where my heart stopped and a scream stuck in my throat, if you’ve seen it you know what I am talking about, if not go watch it and find out.
Honorable Mention
Cinderella Man – It was hard to not pick this movie, which was equally inspiring, and had the better acting to.
Best Television Show
Lost- This is probably the ultimate what is going to happen next show. As the season wore on it just kept getting stranger and more amazing. But it was the characters that kept you coming back for more, they were deep and real.
Honorable Mentions
House- Hugh Laurie is the best actor on television today and is the only reason why you should watch
Desperate Housewives- There is probably so many reason why I, as a guy, should hate this show, but great writing, great performances, and the funniest show on tv this year.
Best Album
The White Stripes “Get Behind Me Satan” – Jack White is the greatest musician of our time. He somehow manages to re-invent himself on every record and it works. Everything is top quality on this album and every track rocks.
Honorable Mention
My Chemical Romance “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” – Read my review in previous post.
Best Video Game
God of War – This might be the greatest game ever, it doesn’t do anything revolutionary it just perfects everything it does. Great script with great voice acting and you cherish every battle. It was never so much fun to be so brutal.
Honorable Mention
Resident Evil 4 – More of a co-winner really, in any other year that didn’t have God of War this would have been my game of the year. It is the best Resident Evil yet, by miles and that is no small feat either. Not scary really, but amazingly fun.
Best Book
Note: most of the books I read in 2005 weren’t published in 2005, my winner was, but my honorable mention was just read in the year
J.K. Rowling “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” – what can you say about these books that hasn’t been said before. Simply amazing, impossible to put down. And the ending, Holy Shit. But it was bittersweet seeing as how this next to the last book.
Honorable Mention
Dan Brown, “Angels and Demons” – I didn’t like it as much as “The DiVinci Code”, but it was still an amazing ride. I don’t know how Dan Brown does it. His books are so complex, but he makes you understand them so well.
Crash- This movie really affected me, you can probably find a little of yourself in one of these characters. But this movie might make you thing about how you treat people of different races or how society treats them. Mostly it’s my pick because of that one scene where my heart stopped and a scream stuck in my throat, if you’ve seen it you know what I am talking about, if not go watch it and find out.
Honorable Mention
Cinderella Man – It was hard to not pick this movie, which was equally inspiring, and had the better acting to.
Best Television Show
Lost- This is probably the ultimate what is going to happen next show. As the season wore on it just kept getting stranger and more amazing. But it was the characters that kept you coming back for more, they were deep and real.
Honorable Mentions
House- Hugh Laurie is the best actor on television today and is the only reason why you should watch
Desperate Housewives- There is probably so many reason why I, as a guy, should hate this show, but great writing, great performances, and the funniest show on tv this year.
Best Album
The White Stripes “Get Behind Me Satan” – Jack White is the greatest musician of our time. He somehow manages to re-invent himself on every record and it works. Everything is top quality on this album and every track rocks.
Honorable Mention
My Chemical Romance “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” – Read my review in previous post.
Best Video Game
God of War – This might be the greatest game ever, it doesn’t do anything revolutionary it just perfects everything it does. Great script with great voice acting and you cherish every battle. It was never so much fun to be so brutal.
Honorable Mention
Resident Evil 4 – More of a co-winner really, in any other year that didn’t have God of War this would have been my game of the year. It is the best Resident Evil yet, by miles and that is no small feat either. Not scary really, but amazingly fun.
Best Book
Note: most of the books I read in 2005 weren’t published in 2005, my winner was, but my honorable mention was just read in the year
J.K. Rowling “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” – what can you say about these books that hasn’t been said before. Simply amazing, impossible to put down. And the ending, Holy Shit. But it was bittersweet seeing as how this next to the last book.
Honorable Mention
Dan Brown, “Angels and Demons” – I didn’t like it as much as “The DiVinci Code”, but it was still an amazing ride. I don’t know how Dan Brown does it. His books are so complex, but he makes you understand them so well.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
The Most Pleasantly Surprising Album of 2005
Pick of the Week
My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" - With a small amount of my Christmas money that my family gives me in loo of any presents I decided to take a chance on this CD by this new band. At the time their song "The Ghost of You" is going around mildly on the radio and more majorly on the video channels. Now before I go any further with praising this album let me say that this was not the best album of 2005, that honor would have to go to The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan", but My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" doesn't miss the mark set by The White Stripes by much. And My Chemical Romance has something that might even be better than the best album, they have the most pleasantly surprisingly good album. I don't expect alot from new artists, if they can put two good songs on one album they live beyond my expectations. In this day and time I believe we have witnessed the death of the great albums. There is no motivation for record companies to put out great albums, nobody is out there buying CD's anymore. Nowadays songs are downloaded, so it is not about selling the album any more it is about selling the song. Do you realize that Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" was the most downloaded song of last year, but the Cd that the song came from never made it to number one on Billboard (peak position No. 5).
So I don't expect entire Cd's to be good anymore, but I was most pleasantly surprised by My Chemical Romance. I had heard three songs from the Cd and that is why I bought it. I said to myself, "Well at least I like those songs." Now not every song on here is an instant classic, but that is not the point. Every song on here is good, and more importantly the Cd seems to have some thought put into the arrangement of songs. There is a natural flow to this album that is all the more uncommon today. On your second trip through the Cd you start to realize that every song is put exactly where it should go. That the album was meant to be enjoyed as a whole because though each song is a jewel on its own, it is together that they really shine. Now there is no real way to give you an idea of what to expect in way of their sound. The accomplish what few other artist accomplish. Each song is unique with its own sound and feel, the songs in the purest sense are meant to convey emotions and they do that wonderfully and as different as happy is from sad, so is "Give'em Hell Kid" from "The Ghost of You", they are meant to convey a different feeling and they fully suceed in that respect. They also do something else that sets them apart from the average run of the mill band these days, they play guitar solos, I know many of you might be saying "So what.", but to me that is a big deal. I love and miss a good guitar solo. Now no one is going to mistake Ray Toro for Jimi Hendrix but he isn't bad and the solos also sadly short and simple fit the songs well. There isn't much more I can say, but do yourself a favor and check out this Cd, listen to it with an open mind, it is different, it isn't like everything else you hear on the radio, it is inspired and great. My Chemical Romance is slowly making a name for themselves and if they continue to put out music like this the world will have to take notice.
My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" - With a small amount of my Christmas money that my family gives me in loo of any presents I decided to take a chance on this CD by this new band. At the time their song "The Ghost of You" is going around mildly on the radio and more majorly on the video channels. Now before I go any further with praising this album let me say that this was not the best album of 2005, that honor would have to go to The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan", but My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" doesn't miss the mark set by The White Stripes by much. And My Chemical Romance has something that might even be better than the best album, they have the most pleasantly surprisingly good album. I don't expect alot from new artists, if they can put two good songs on one album they live beyond my expectations. In this day and time I believe we have witnessed the death of the great albums. There is no motivation for record companies to put out great albums, nobody is out there buying CD's anymore. Nowadays songs are downloaded, so it is not about selling the album any more it is about selling the song. Do you realize that Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" was the most downloaded song of last year, but the Cd that the song came from never made it to number one on Billboard (peak position No. 5).
So I don't expect entire Cd's to be good anymore, but I was most pleasantly surprised by My Chemical Romance. I had heard three songs from the Cd and that is why I bought it. I said to myself, "Well at least I like those songs." Now not every song on here is an instant classic, but that is not the point. Every song on here is good, and more importantly the Cd seems to have some thought put into the arrangement of songs. There is a natural flow to this album that is all the more uncommon today. On your second trip through the Cd you start to realize that every song is put exactly where it should go. That the album was meant to be enjoyed as a whole because though each song is a jewel on its own, it is together that they really shine. Now there is no real way to give you an idea of what to expect in way of their sound. The accomplish what few other artist accomplish. Each song is unique with its own sound and feel, the songs in the purest sense are meant to convey emotions and they do that wonderfully and as different as happy is from sad, so is "Give'em Hell Kid" from "The Ghost of You", they are meant to convey a different feeling and they fully suceed in that respect. They also do something else that sets them apart from the average run of the mill band these days, they play guitar solos, I know many of you might be saying "So what.", but to me that is a big deal. I love and miss a good guitar solo. Now no one is going to mistake Ray Toro for Jimi Hendrix but he isn't bad and the solos also sadly short and simple fit the songs well. There isn't much more I can say, but do yourself a favor and check out this Cd, listen to it with an open mind, it is different, it isn't like everything else you hear on the radio, it is inspired and great. My Chemical Romance is slowly making a name for themselves and if they continue to put out music like this the world will have to take notice.
