Best Movies of the Year: The Definitive List

My only criterion for being considered a 2008 movie is if it got its first US theatrical release in 2008.

In order:

1. The Wrestler
2. Reprise
3. Man on Wire
4. Gomorra– A drama about the mafia's influence in modern day Italy
5. Encounters at the End of the World
6. Rachel Getting Married
7. Synecdoche, NY – overly ambitious but great nonetheless.
8. Role Models
9. Milk
10. The Visitor-The dude who played Scott Templeton on The Wire's follow-up to The Station Agent.
11. The Dark Knight- Lot of plot holes. Enough said.
12. Slumdog Millionaire- Cheezy and contrived third act dropped it a couple spots.
13. The Foot Fist Way- Made 3 years ago but just hit video this year.
14. Milk
15. Che - Forgot about this gem.
-Forgot about this gem.
Didn't see: Frost/Nixon, Appaloosa, Doubt, Let the Right One In, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road, Tell No One

Welcome to the South, out of Roanoke.

I didn't meet a trucker, but I found this on my way in and it made me chuckle.



Also, it's not so bad here. It was snowing when I pulled in, but they sell booze til midnight so I got a bottle of wine because I couldn't find whisky or beer or gin or vodka or wine coolers or rubbing alcohol. Also, I have H.BO which is great because Sookie Stackhouse is hot and they play both Georgia Rule and Die Hard II, which, let's face it, is never on. FYI, whatsherface is pretty f'd up in Georgia Rule (type cast?) and I no longer wonder why they never play Die Hard II.

I also have a bitchin pad.



Also, I have a pretty sweet recliner.

BTdubs, did you know that they made American Psycho II: All American Girl starring Mila Kunis and William Shatner, directed by Morgan Freeman!? I know, right! Alright, so it's Morgan J. Freeman... not the guy from the Toppers phone call. Yeah, I thought it was a joke too, but it's not. I'm planning on giving it 3 WTFs!?, 1 Are Ya Kiddin' Me?, and a 5 out of 5 on Netflix.

Cloverfield (2008)

This is a turd of a movie. With no exceptions every character is a horrible d-bag with controlled stubble and until it happened I was praying for the monster to come and kill them all. Then the monster comes and it's all awkward and dumb and hardly ever on screen.

I generally appreciate a horror movie if it just has something cool or badass going on, but there's nothing from either category in Cloverfield. There's one cool moment where a head explodes but it's not enough. That was the only real shade of cause-and-effect in the movie, too. The mythology never gets a chance to develop.

Another thing that sucks: the shaky-camcorder format is painful. The only reason to watch the whole thing is the expectation that it will suddenly stop sucking and live up to the hype. I gave this one star on Netflix because that's the lowest possible. Did you guys see this?

Also I'm coming to town this coming weekend so hopefully we can all go to Wendy's.

High School Musical 2 (2007)

School's out. Troy (Zac Efron) is offered a job at the country club due to the recently dethroned East High drama queen and daughter of club board members Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale)'s desire to seize control with Efron as her king. Troy must choose between his girlfriend from the last movie Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) and a life of fancy shoes, money and insider college admission. It's a summer journey that teaches the East High Wildcats about responsibility, friendship, commitment and solidarity.

Obviously it's a musical and the music is as good as you'd expect from Disney. At times the lyrics are a little silly, but that only adds to the overall giggly joy of the experience. It's also worth noting that the songs, choreography and overall production values have taken leaps and bounds from from the first movie, which of course we've all seen.

That leap in production value definitely comes through in the visuals. This is a very pretty movie. The dancing is great and the screen is always bright and colorful. The cast has also aged well since the first movie, with Tisdale's apparent nose job bumping her up about 2 points. Her and Hudgens are nice to look at even in their Disney-sanctioned midriff concealing bathing suits. And Efron has the most amazingly bright, soul-piercing eyes. It's like they're CG. They may be the reason the movie seems so colorful. I'd probably do anything he wanted if there was eye contact first. He also does all these great dramatic flourishes with his hands. I dare you to watch this without squealing:



I can't imagine anyone needing more convincing than that clip of Efron prancing around. This is an awesome movie. The plot is about what you'd expect, but it's really secondary to the sensory experience. Watching HSM2 is how I imagine a baby feels watching the Teletubbies. I just giggle and clap my hands and then start the movie over again. It's playing right now. HSM3 comes out October 24th and this time it's in theatres. Get excited.

You better believe I gave this a 5/5 on netflix (bet on it).

Her Name Was Sally, But They All Called Her Sal Mineo

In an attempt to view every Steve McQueen film ever made, I watched "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956). McQueen is in the movie for all of two minutes, usually seen with a knife... badass. However, the movie still kicked some unexpected ass. I think it was Paul Newman's second movie and I've decided I like him too. This is primarily because of his performance, but secondarily out of vanity. Apparently my life partner's grandmother thinks I look like Paul Newman. I don't believe it, but I wouldn't mind if it were true.

Newman stars as Rocky Graziano, a middleweight world champ who came from a badass past, but turned his life around through boxing. IMDB tells me, and the Buskus may be able to confirm, that Graziano won the title from Tony Zale, but later, lost it to Zale in another match. He also fought Sugar Robinson, knocked him down, but eventually lost. The movie, however, concludes with Graziano on top.

The Trailer:


For Buskus, Zale vs. Graziano (1948):


The film also features Sal Mineo, perhaps you know him as Plato from Rebel Without A Cause. His role was relatively minor, but it finally explains a Lifter Puller (Finn's band before Hold Steady) reference. Until now, I was pretty sure they were talking about Al Mineo, the once leader of the Gambino family. I must have added an "S" by mistake. Coincidentally, both Al and Sal were murdered.

As Town might describe it, it was a good flick. I gave it 5/5 on Netflix. It also convinced me that the Buskus should pursue his boxing interests in the ring.

The Treasure of The Sierra Madre (1948)

Ok, I know this movie is supposed to be really good. I mean, it has Bogart and won a bunch of awards, but I wasn't feelin' it.

The story follows a couple prospectors who are looking for gold in Mexico. Bogart's character is pretty much like all other Bogart characters, except maybe a little bit more of a bad guy. He does a good job, but I think I might just be a little too used to seeing the badass-with-a-heart-of-gold type character (again, like Kenneth) to enjoy this Bogart performance.

Also, while I enjoyed the old prospector, Howard (Walter Huston), in a comic way, I can't understand how he got an Oscar for best supporting actor. Maybe it was for this:


Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this movie. I just don't understand the hype. You know how everyone says that Casablanca is one of the greatest movies? Well it is; it's fantastic. People say the same thing about this one too and I just don't see it.

Maybe it's all because of this scene:


I don't know. I gave it a 3/5 on Netflix. It's worth watching, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

Bachelor Pad Music: Moog Music

Alright, this will be the last installment (for now) of a multiple part guide to BPM. Again, if you missed the earlier posts, you can check them out here: An Introduction, Exotica, Sounds of the Space Age, and Excellent Ensembles.

To be frank, I hate Moog music. However, it's important for the bachelor-around-town to know a variety of BPM. Think of it as trivia that you can pull out while trying to impress that chick at your bar.

Well, Moog music is a form of early electronic music. It often includes theremins and other early synthesizers. The music takes its name from Robert Moog, who invented and marketed the Moog synthesizer. By the way, the pronunciation of "Moog" rhymes with "vogue."

Here's why I hate Moog music. Nearly all the songs sound like somebody is stringing together cartoon sound effects together in an attempt to see how many unrelated sounds they can squeeze into one song. Also, artists tend to just use famous songs, but remake them using obnoxious noises.

Regardless of my opinion, you may like it, and if not, you never know when you'll be in the trenches and wish you knew what it sounded like. Check out these tracks on SomaFM:

Harry Breuer - In A Happy Moog
Perry & Kingsley - Swan's Splashdown
Jean Jacques Perry - The Percolator
Andre Popp - Java

Also, here's an example for those of you who I know won't check out SomaFM:

You stay classy TBR readers.

Sweet New Hulk Juice

Hey dudes. For all of you that don't know, hulksie is a huge Dew connoisseur. I've been on board since I first tasted my first drop of the original, but my love of the Dew has only grown through the ages. I'd like to take you on a little trip down memory lane ultimately to discuss the newest addition to the Dew lineup.

The Original Mountain Dew (1948-Present)
This sexy, sweet, citrusy beverage was first marketed in 1948. If you haven't tried this, you're probably living in a hole somewhere. This is the drink of the gods. Perfect for juicing up before a sweet night of hardcore drinking. Goes great with vodka.

Diet Mountain Dew (1984-Present)
Not really Mountain Dew. Tastes vaguely of watered-down piss. Avoid at ALL costs. Recent studies in medical journals attest to the fact that DMD causes cancer, reduces sperm count, and can cause children to be born with the heads of golden retrievers.

Caffeine Free Mountain Dew (Uncertain-Present)
WTFuck is the point? Like all books published by Nicholas Sparks, the recipe for this monstrosity should be tossed into a bonfire.

Code Red (2001-Present)
Taste a sensation as real as the streets, bitches. I had this cherry-flavored Dew strapped through an IV during high school. Probably my favorite pick. Great for late night gaming and hangover cure.

AMP (2001-Present)
An excellent alternative to Red Bull. Tastes just like MD but flatter and with more caffeine and shit.

LiveWire (2003-Present)
An orange flavored version of MD. Not this author's favorite, but I'd recommend it over Caf-Free or Diet.

Baja Blast (2004-Present)
This light blue, tropical fruity concoction was a personal fav as a pick-me-up before shredding up the slopes. It's only available at T-Bell... like I needed another reason to go there!

Pitch Black (2004, retired)
This sweet grapy soda made my transition to college much easier. I had my mini-fridge stocked with this shit freshman year. I cried when they retired it, but...

Pitch Black 2 (2006, retired)
They re-released it with a new, sour grape formula. Not nearly as good as the original, but still great because it was like the original, except it tasted like they added some grape warheads to it.

So you may ask yourself why I'm all worked up. Well dear reader, it's because, much to this author's excitement, MD has released three (!) new flavors. I recently made a trip to OP only to discover the new versions of a classic:

Revolution – A blue, wild berry flavor
Supernova – A pink, strawberry, melon, and lime flavor
Voltage – A blue raspberry-citrus flavor

Best part? They all contain ginseng! IDK WTFuck ginseng is, but it's in there!

Also, Chuck Norris drink Mountain Dew. Fuckin Sweet.

Bachelor Pad Music: Excellent Ensembles

If you missed it, check out the Bachelor Pad Music: An Introduction.

BPM often consists of large ensembles or orchestras. It's sort of like a new incarnation of big band music of the previous decades. Although this is really more of a theme than a sub-genre, it's an important consideration when devising your BPM playlist for your next swingin' cocktail party.

This is real lounge music, the kind you would have taken your spouse to see after consuming too many martinis to be fit to drive. It's often repetetive, catchy, and poppy. There's something very kitschy, but perfect for entertaining hipsters and people that shop at vintage stores. So pull out your iPhone and invite your skinny jean wearing friends to peddle their fixed gears on over to a swingin' soiree.

Here's what to play:
Jack Nitzsche - The Magnificent Seven
Wolfgang Kaltenbach - Party Shaker
Hugo Montenegro - Sandals Only
Hugo Montenegro - The Wiggely Pig Walk
Brian Fahey - Open House
Francis Lai - Marseillaise Generique
Joe "Fingers" Carr - Portuguese Washerwomen
Dave Pell - Like Young

Check out the rest on SomaFM or Pandora. Enjoy those cocktails and stay tuned!

Bachelor Pad Music: Sounds of the Space Age

If you missed the first two articles, you might want to check out Bachelor Pad Music: An Introduction or Bachelor Pad Music: Exotica.

Space age/atomic age music isn't necessarily my favorite type of lounge music, but it's fun to mix into your playlists. Also, I think a lot of the tunes and melodies are fairly well known and most people recognize it when they hear it. For example, I'm pretty sure that some of the songs I've listened are the same ones that I heard years ago in The Sims.

Since everyone seems to define this subgenre differently, I will specify what I'm referring to for the purposes of this post. Space age music is yesterday's music of tomorrow. But, unlike some people, I do not necessarily confine it to the early electronic music, which emphasized synthesizers and theremins. In fact, I tend to lump that in with "moog music" which I think is probably the most ridiculous of the BPM genres.

Here are some excellent examples of space age music. You can find a lot of it on The Ill Street Lounge radio station from SomaFM or in the albums Music for T.V. Dinners or Ultra-Lounge, Vol 3. - Space Capades. If there is a link below, you can listen to a sample.

Jack Beaver - Workaday World

Les Baxter - Shooting Star

David Lindup - In The Limelight

Orchestra Dei Concerti Di Roma Paul Baron - Star Fire (Jet Plane)
The Voices Of Walter Schumann - Holiday For Strings
Laurie Johnson - Happy Go Lively

Enjoy and look forward to the next edition!

Teh Real McKenzies

For all you Irish music lovers, I'd hardcore recommend The Real McKenzies. It's more punk and upbeat than The Pogues, but it's excellent. I'd check out their 10,000 Shots album.

If it was on netflix, I'd give that shit a 4/5.

Bachelor Pad Music: Exotica

Alright, I'm done with finals, graduated, and unemployed... time to continue the tour of Bachelor Pad Music! If you want to get caught up, check out the introduction here.

Exotica is one of my favorite types of bachelor pad music because it reminds me of those old travel books on the South Pacific and Africa. You know, the ones that were typically pretty stereotypical, but made the place look like an awesome place to travel. It also reminds me of a time before globalization made travel pretty much the fucking same everywhere you go; back when McDonald's, blue jeans, and shitty pop music were relegated to the US.

Anyway, exotica was heavily influenced by the sounds of the islands and Africa. They often have bassy drum parts, unique vocal chants or animal-type noises, and a lot of marimba/vibes.

Here's a decent list of representative songs:

Arthur Lyman - Voodoo Dreams

Don Tiki - Primitiva

Henry Mancini - Rain Drops in Rio

Les Baxter - Simba

Arthur Lyman - Tropical

Stanley Black - Jungle Drums

If you want to check them out, along with other Bachelor Pad Music, try somafm.com. They've got a pretty good selection of all types of BPM. Otherwise, I enjoy Ultra-Lounge: Vol 1. - Mondo Exotica.

Seven Reasons Why The Magnificent Seven Kicks Ass

For a full appreciation, I recommend watching/playing the youtube clip as you read.

1) Steve McQueen (aka, Vin)
I would be proud if my children could be 1/24 as cool as Steve McQueen. Dude is so cool that the directors/producers name their movies after his character (see Bullitt, Tom Horn, Junior Bonner, Thomas Crown, Nevada Smith, and The Cincinnati Kid). Not to mention, he was in The Great Escape and The Blob. He also paved the way for future blond badasses, like Daniel Craig (see right).

2) Yul Brynner (aka, Chris)
While not as awesome as McQueen, Brynner (lower left) is another badass with a heart of gold... like Kenneth. He was apparently in the circus as a trapeze artist, which is both weird, cool, and gay, all at the same time. He also claimed to be half-Swiss and half-Japanese, but this was apparently only a ruse to fool gulible reporters. His Swiss-Russian accent is an interesting take on the cowboys of the old west.

3) Bitchin' Sound Track/Title Theme
The theme song is probably one of the most inspiring ever. I'd put it up there with Star Wars. It also has several lounged-out renditions, which as you may know from my previous posts is a huge for me. If you aren't familiar, you should check out sample tracks: Surf Version (Jack Nitzsche), Cha-Cha Version (The Lounge-O-Leers), and the check the original in the youtube clip.


4) Britt (played by James Coburn)
Britt is a great character; Coburn has been in too many movies to list. Notably, however, he was also a Great Escape veteran. Britt is quiet and awesome with a knife. He proves that you don't have to be big to be bad ass.

5) Charles Bronson (aka, Bernardo O'Reilly)
Bronson is like the father of all bad asses, although I've never been a huge fan. His character's name comes from being half Irish, half Mexican. Also, he dies protecting some little kids that subsequently put flowers on his grave.

6) Lazy Mexicans
Although the characters are surprisingly liberal (we meet McQueen and Brynner while they protect the burial of an Indian in a segregated burial plot), the film still has some funny Mexican stereotypes. Surprisingly enough, none of them seem to have accents. It's not nearly as bad as the Japanese guy in Breakfast at Tiffany's and it could just be a result of old shots, but it's noteworthy.

7) Plot and Feel-Good-Bad-Asses
Most of the characters are hired to help protect a village of poor Mexican farmers and their stories are revealed in pieces over time. Towards the end, you begin to love them because, although they kill a shit-ton of people, they do it out of love. How warm and fuzzy. But on top of that, it's that sort of epic movie that makes you get all wound up. Sort of like me and The Departed, except minus all the obscenities.

I gave this movie a 5/5 on netflix, but it should be noted that Steve McQueen gets a 9/5. Yeah, I'd say I love him. So what, big whup, wanna fight about it?

Bachelor Pad Music: An Introduction

Lounge music is wonderful. It takes you back to the atomic age when cocktails were cool and only the french and fags drank wine. Whether it's lounge or latin, space age or exotica, mambo or moog, there's something in "bachelor pad" music for everyone. Since I've studied the subject for a while (and by that, I mean I have listened to a shit-ton of lounge music), I'd like to take you on a magical tour, through the land of bachelor pad music... Won't you join me?

Let's begin. I won't be considering the "lounge" music of the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. First of all, the Buskus hates that sort of music, due to prolonged exposure in a torture-style environment (aka, an Italian restaurant that he worked at). Additionally, anyone that's ever been to a wedding or an Olive Garden has heard Sinatra-style lounge music.

I'll be looking at a different type, a type that was born in the 50s and 60s from such revolutionaries as Les Baxter, Ferrante & Teicher, Hugo Montengegro, and Astrud Gilberto. This is the music that our grandparents listened to at cocktail parties, back when bartenders knew how to make a Manhattan and before "martini" became synonymous with "fruit juice or chocolate with a dash of vodka."

Over the next couple of units of time, I'll be looking at several sub-categories of lounge music, including ensemble lounge, exotica, space age, moog, and latin.

Stay tuned for next time, where I'll ease you into lounge music through some of the classic enembles and arrangements. Until then, I'll be me, and you'll be not-me... unless it's me reading this. In which case, looking sharp today j.patrick.

America's Sweethearts (2001)

So I'm not a huge fan of this movie, but I thought it should be mentioned on account of the fact that it's got some awesome actors. Also, I enjoyed the movie.

Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Crystal, John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Alan Arkin, Seth Green, and... get this, Christopher Walken (!) and Rainn Wilson (!).

I mean, you sorta want to kill CZ-J during the entire movie, but the all-star cast makes me dig it a bit. Azaria plays some latino dude with a small penis and Walken plays a whacked out director. Plus, Cusack does his usual awesomeness.

Bah.

The Devil Came on Horseback (2007)

"It is as though history gave us another chance to redeem ourselves for our failure in Rwanda, and we're failing yet again."

If Hotel Rwanda upset you, I think you should definitely see this movie. The Devil Came on Horseback follows the story of Capt. Brian Steidle, a retired marine that took a job by the African Union to monitor a cease-fire between the Arab Sudanese government and African rebels. As his mission progressed, he became an eye witness to the developing genocide.

The movie was excellent. It does more than document the acts of genocide in Darfur. It follows Capt. Steidle's journey from all-American, gun loving marine, to reluctant a witness, to an activist.

This definitely ranks up with the best documentaries I've seen and I would recommend it with Town-like aggressiveness to anyone. I gave it a 5/5 on Netflix.

Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion (2003)

Cry of the Snow Lion is a historical documentary that was created as a result of a trip to Tibet for mountaineering. It encompasses the history, the culture, and the political and economic tensions between Tibetans and the Chinese Government.

I was particularly interested in this documentary after seeing the rally last weekend on the square. For those of you that weren't there, proponents of a free Tibet were protesting the Beijing Olympics and there was a smaller counter-rally advocating for the Olympics. After returning home from the Farmer's Market, I realized that I don't know much about the Free Tibet movement. This documentary changed that very much.

The film was able to hold my interest, despite being a longer documentary (100 min). It seemed to have a logical organization that presented material in a way that was easy to pick, especially the history and the culture of the Tibetans. It was also very moving, like most genocide based films, but it wasn't preachy or biased in an annoying way (think of Outfoxed or Fahrenheit 9/11). Of course the documentary has an agenda, but you don't get the feeling that there is a selection bias (they don't purposefully leave out information to further their argument).

Overall, I enjoyed the documentary and learned a lot. I gave it a 4/5 on Netflix and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Tibet-China relations.

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1989)

So this is the first documentary that I'm reviewing that I didn't watch instantly online. It's been in my queue for a while, and I finally got it this weekend.

I'm a huge fan of Thelonious Monk. He's one of those guys that I look up to for their individualism, like an Ayn Rand character, or Hugh Laurie. I'm not a jazz-guru, although I listen to a fair amount, but I've been in love with Thelonious Monk since middle school when I used to listen to Monk's Dream when I went to bed.

The documentary was great because it helped me put a face to the sound. The best part, in my opinion, was that it included a ton of old footage of Monk in concert, in recording, and traveling. If you're looking for a ton of information about him, this probably isn't the best documentary. I was surprised by the lack of narration and the unorganized nature of the film. Frankly, I enjoyed this because in place of narration, there was a lot of footage of Monk being Monk and a lot of great songs in the background.

I gave it a 4/5 on Netflix, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone that isn't interested in Monk.

The Future of Food (2004)

This documentary explores genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their impact of food, agriculture, and law.

Although I was aware of GMOs and the arguments against having them in food, I was unaware of the legal aspects of GMOs. Apparently, living things were not able to be patented; however, with the advent of GMOs, companies have been able to patent plants/seeds that have been genetically modified. While this is interesting in itself, I think some of the legal consequences that have resulted are even more shocking. One of the examples used in the film is of a farmer who, through no fault of his own, ended up with a GMO crop in his field (they think seeds may have blown off a truck into his field). The GMO cross-breeded with his own seed and when the company that owned the patent found out, they sued. The government found that, regardless of how the GMO seed arrived in his field, the farmer had violated the patent rights of the corporation (Monsanto, I think). Also, any plant that was crossed with the GMO seed was also the property of the corporation.

The documentary also followed the corporate-government relations in respect to regulation of GMOs and labeling in the supermarkets. Apparently, in the EU, all GMOs must be labeled, but GMOs are in a ton of food in the U.S. without anyone knowing.

While the documentary was a typical social documentary, it took a different approach to GMOs (mainly, legal/political) that I found interesting. However, the documentary was slow moving at times and a little one sided. I gave it a 3/5 on Netflix.

Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2006)

This documentary follows a Holocaust survivor's healing process. I didn't really understand that healing would be the focus of the movie when I set out to watch it, but it was interesting nonetheless. Dr. Mengele was a Nazi doctor at Auschwitz that preformed experiments on twins at the death camp.

The history of Dr. Mengele was what initially drew me to the documentary. The historical aspect probably takes up 1/4 or 1/3 of the movie. The rest of the movie examines how Eva Kor has lived, following the experiments that were preformed on her at Auschwitz. Kor is not your typical Holocaust survivor and it was interesting to see the tension between her and the other "Mengele Twins."

The documentary was interesting, but I don't think it was particularly moving for a Holocaust survivor story. It was also somewhat slow moving and boring at times. However it approaches the Holocaust in a unique way (forgiveness, healing, etc.). I gave it a 2/5 on Netflix, but I'm sure others would have rated it higher.