Top 5 Continued

Fresh from the cold and ice of Time's Square, here is the conclusion to my top 5 lists for the year, or at least an attempt at it.

Top 5 Comedians I discovered in 2009

(Note: None of these are actually new comedians, but they're ones I either discovered in 2009 or had heard of, but started to get into in 2009. Most of them are podcast related.)

Honorable Mention: Chris Hardwick

5. Paul F. Tompkins

4. Maria Bamford

3. Jesse Thorn and Jordan Morris

-These two have to go together. The comedy they present on their podcast 'Jordan, Jesse, Go' makes you feel like they are meant to be. Yes, they can seem a little immature at times, but with segements like "Momentous Occasions', how can you not love this upbeat duo?

2. Jimmy Pardo

-This man could easily be number one, but I get a little more excited for the actually number one's podcast, so I had to make this man number two.

1. Doug Benson

-Alright, I am not a fan of pot and, therefore, I am not the most likely candidate for being a Doug Benson fan. Yet, his podcast "I Love Movies" is the best of all of the podcast I discovered this year. I find him consistantly hilarious, even when he's just being dumb. I appreciate the comedy he's brought into my life this year, and most importantly, I'm glad he has given my friends and I the Leonard Maltin game.

Top 5 Songs

(Again, please remember that these are songs that I heard for the first time this year, they may not actually be new.)

-"Ashamed" by Deer Tick

They opened up for Jenny Lewis this summer and their lead singer had a 70's porn mustache. It was love.

-"Dead Generation" by Cockney Rejects

Thanks to my new interest in punk/Oi! music, I've brought Cockney Rejects into my life in 2009 and don't plan on looking back.

-"Back Seat" by Terminus City

Again thanks to the new punk interests and wanting to find American punk/Oi! bands. Plus, this is actually a well done song all about sex, which entertains me.

-"Dirty Glass" by Dropkick Murphy's

I never thought I'd have much interest in Dropkick Murphy's, but during a visit to see my friends in Chicago, I was turned on to their music. I like exchange between the two singers in this particular song especially.

-"Map of the World" by Monsters of Folk

It's a well known fact that I think M. Ward is THE indie rock god. But it's also a well known fact that I'm VERY iffy about Conner Oberst, so I was worried about their collaboration (along with Jim James and Mike Mogis) into some sort of indie super group. Well, my fears were unfounded. This is one of the best acts of the year (at least for you indie fans) and I definitely recommend them. This song especially struck me, as it is an eerie representation of my life, right down to the map. It was depressing to hear at first, but it's still an excellent song, but an excellent group.

Top 5 Podcasts

I'm not going to go into explanations on this one, since most were covered in my comedian edition.

5. The Adam Carolla Podcast

-I know I said that I wasn't going to go into explanations, but this one is necessary. I'm not a huge Carolla fan and I probably never will be, but he does make an effort to put out a good product. I enjoy many of his guests and I like the fact that his show is daily. I have a terribly boring job, but thankfully one that allows me to listen to my iPod all day and I always need something to listen to. A daily show provides that for me.

4. Comedy Death Ray Radio (with Scott Aukerman)

3. Jordan, Jesse, Go (with Jordan Morris and Jesse Thorn)

2. Never Not Funny (with Jimmy Pardo and Matt Belknap)

1. I Love Movies (with Doug Benson)

This concludes my tops 5's. I know Luci wanted a book section, but I honestly don't remember what I read this year. Plus, I don't really read non-fiction and for me to review that for everyone would be horribly boring. I'll be back eventually with movie reviews of what I've seen so far in 2010.

Starting at the End: The Best of 2009, Movies

2010 is right around the corner and I feel I should spend some time reminiscing about the wonderful things that happened in 2009. Here are my top 5 great things and one really horrible thing of 2009.

Movies:
Here are the best five movies of the year.
5. (500) Days of Summer
-Cutesy indie story with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordan Levitt. Levitt played a boy in love and a boy heartbroken perfectly. Only downside was watching Deschanel play the same character she always does. I love the girl, but come on now. Branch out!
4. Sin Nombre
-Another great indie film of the year. The cast really made you believe they were their characters. I hurt when they hurt, loved when they loved. Even though the movie was in Spanish, it was still able to connect with English audiences.
3. Inglourious Basterds
-I am well known for detesting Quentin Tarantino, but I'm a huge fan of things relating to WWII and Nazi things. So obviously I was torn from the first time I heard this film was being made. Yet, I fell in love with this film once I saw it. Yes, it has the over dramatization of a Tarantino film. Yes, Brad Pitt isn't a great actor and over dramatizes his role and is only revered as much as he is due to his good looks. Still, the film brings a lot to the table and has some outstanding performances, particularly by Christoph Waltz.
2. Up in the Air
-This one just came out, but it is definitely one of the best films of the year. It may be the best film of the year, actually, but I'm quite biased towards a certain franchise and couldn't possibly make it my number one thanks to that. Clooney is outstanding. After seeing Pitt's performance in Inglourious Basterds, it made me think that a lot of our most popular actors just aren't that good. Clooney definitely breaks that mold. Farminga and Kendrick played their roles flawlessly. I hope to see this movie win plenty of awards this coming Oscar season.
1. Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day
I know, I know. This movie was poorly reviewed by almost everyone. Yet, I am completely biased towards Troy Duffy and his BDS team. For those of you who are true Boondock Saints fans, you cannot tell me that you were disappointed by this film. It provided the same amount of action as the first movie with twice the comedy. I was especially pleased that they brought back all of the past characters and the addition of Julie Benz and Clifton Collins only added to film. They seemed like they were meant to be there. The end was perfect for the film and it definitely left the possibility of a third open.

The Worst Film of 2009:
For every good film this year, there were two terrible ones. The obvious choices for this category would be Jonas Brothers in 3D, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Twilight's New Moon, and Tyler Perry's films. Yet, the worst film of this year, by far, was Lars von Trier's Antichrist. First things first, this film was set up poorly. The film was broken up into a prologue, four chapters, and an epilogue. While the movie did slightly pick up during the four chapters, I was fairly certain I was going to kill myself during the prologue. I even comtemplated just leaving the theater at this point (something I never do), due to the slow pace, unnecessary and shitty attempt at "artsy" direction, and the fact that I can only see so much of Willem Dafoe's dick at one time. The film had the potential from greatness, but the poorly written script and the absolute horrible direction left me and, not suprisingly, everyone else in the theater, not looking for more, but rather wanting to get the hell out.

Blogging Like Champs

I've searched long and hard to find a hobby that can satisfy my two favorite things: relaxation and myself. Thanks to a lovely suggestion from a dear friend, I've decided that blogging is the best way to go. After starting a "green" blog as a way to publicize my new journey towards natural products, I decided maybe I should start one about myself and my already well established passions: travelling, comedy, sports, movies, television, and music. Also, it's a place for me to vent about college life continuously.

So, expect great things from this blog. Expect me to constantly yell about anything and everything, even the stuff that I enjoy. Expect to hear a lot of reviews and critiques about various happenings in the sports and entertainment genres. Except to read about a lot of terrible decisions when it comes to travelling to places that I probably shouldn't be travelling to.

Expect overall greatness.