The Year That Was 2009 pt. 2

...And now, the best of the rest. It looks like 2010 is shaping up to be the year of Avatar, last year it was all about blood sucking vampires pouting 90210 style. They are the latest fad and I've got to say one of the most bizarre ones I've seen, and I've lived through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles twice. Either old age is setting in or mainstream filmmaking is becoming increasingly empty - with a few exceptions of course. Those exceptions are my Top 5 movies of 2009 (not including The Hangover because I have the DVD but haven't watched it yet).

5. The Watchmen

It looked like this film wouldn't see the light of day for the longest time. Now it has, in a new version every four months. There's the original cut, the directors cut, the ultimate cut and who knows what else and the movie has only been out for a year. Naturally The Watchmen couldn't live up to its hype or the graphic novel that spawned it, taken on it's own terms though it's good. Well cast, ably directed with a sleek appearance and effective in evoking the basic themes of the comic made The Watchmen watchable. Nicely done pulp fiction.

4. Taken

Liam Neeson dramatically threatens a kidnapper a continent away and then proceeds to kick more ass than he did in Star Wars, Darkman and Rob Roy combined. Carrying on like a post retirement Jason Bourne, Neeson outwits and outguns the trash who took his daughter with cruel efficiency. Even when the film completely goes off the rails in the last half hour, I was rooting for Neeson to win. Bonus for the down and dirty approach the director took to give Taken a more realistic feel. And also an extra award for having the best movie advertisements of the year. Those images of the daughter witnessing the kidnapping of her friend and awaiting her own while Neeson is on the phone with her is pulse pounding stuff. An extended commercial was used on tv that was so long you thought you accidentally changed the channel to a different show that you didn't want to change off of. Best marketing of the year!

3. Food Inc.

A disturbing documentary about the near omnipotence of the food industry over its own production, distribution and even media coverage. Food Inc reveals a world where the standards and operating conditions of the industry has sunk to Upton Sinclair The Jungle levels while we eat a billion variations of corn and beef from shit covered cows. The film offers no easy answers, just presents the dire situation. Tough stuff to watch but important viewing nonetheless.

2. Star Trek

So I'm guessing...no Star Trek Voyager movie? Just kidding, JJ Abrams effectively reboots the classic Star Trek crew with gusto in an update that jettisons everything high brow about it. Exploration? Looking for the common ground to communicate with others? Not here, what we do have is the Star Trek that Paramount execs have dreamed about for decades: lasers, explosions, gun fights, fist fights and a lot of running. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, the original Star Trek and its multiple variations had run its course. Star Trek was THE popcorn movie of the year and a ton of fun. More like a sequel to Starship Troopers than Star Trek.

1. Up

This was one of the hardest movies to grasp based on the advertisements, once I saw the film I could tell why. Developing the motifs hinted at in Wall-E, Up takes CGI animation to a new emotional level. The opening minutes featuring a dialogueless montage of a couples' life from childhood meeting to the death of a spouse was one of the great moments not just of 2009 but all of cinema. Not a dry eye in the place after that, except for the kids that were too young to understand what was going on. After that opening, likable characters help carry an adventure filled with playfulness and touched by sadness. Awesome movie.

Now that I've gone over the movies, my favorites of tv in '09 were:

5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Into its second season, the animated series has improved by varying its plot lines more while developing its characters (the Anakin Skywalker from this series would have been much more believable in turning to the dark side if he was shown as the win at all costs shortsighted slasher he is here instead of the whiny crybaby in the actual films. Wah, I miss my Mommy let me take over the galaxy instead.). The action has zip that occasionally reaches the crescendo heights of the original Star Wars.

4. Flight Of The Conchords

The New Zealand duo stumbled a little in the second season, the songs weren't quite as consistently sharp as the first season. Then they go and pull out an incredible episode where Jermaine and Bret fight over a girl who has lost her epileptic dog culminating in a charity concert for epileptic dogs where the duo unleash a light show that seizures all the dogs in the house. Overall the Conchords retained their sense of naive fun and were able to serve up plenty of memorable moments (like the Art Garfunkel fetish, the coffee cup that leads to prostitution, etc) to make it a fun season.

3. Family Guy

Even stretched as thin as he is, Seth MacFarlane has been able to keep Fam Guy going. It's not quite as funny as it had been in the past but there is still good stuff to be found. Long John Peter was classic ("A-Ha!") as was the Patrick Swayze tribute ("Roadhouse!"). And the first episode of 2010 where Peter loses his memory and Meg tells a doozy of a joke was the best episode in a while. Still my favorite animated series on tv, though American Dad and The Cleveland Show are time passers at best.

2. The Big Bang Theory

Knock knock knock...Penny? Knock knock knock...Penny? The second best geek show on tv (or if you go by ratings, the best), Big Bang Theory was consistently funny every week as super nerd anal retentive Sheldon found new ways to misconstrue his surroundings. Having watched seasons 1 & 2 on DVD after Christmas, I'm eager for a new season of geeky fun.

1. Chuck

Speaking of geeky fun, the second season of Chuck showed signs of slowing down until it hit a story arc about finding Chuck's dad and the mystery programmer Orion (both played by the always likable Scott Bakula). Like the fine souffle', Chuck mixed James Bond, workplace comedy and geek attitude to a frothy mix (and obviously I know nothing of souffle's). A great ensemble screw ball comedy with a veneer of spy stuff, Chuck is a great show that can't seem to find an audience. And it returns this Sunday in a two hour special!

And that was that in 2009. In tv the show Community came in at a very close 6th place, almost a tie except I abused the"tie" thing in the previous post. I've gotten some Christmas gifts worth reviewing, so reviews and more things to come. And below is the behind the scenes preview of Chuck. Looks awesome as ever.

Midnight Madness - The Rain

We've had a drought the past few months which has been a bummer (although it's made driving this time of year easier). This weekend the rain finally came, much needed rain, to California. It's supposed to rain into next week, hopefully it will help us get back on track. Our state is already out of money, it would be nice if we didn't have to sit through water rationing too (which some parts of the state already started on). We have some minor leaks on the back porch which sucks, but other than that we need water. So let it rain!

Disturbia - The more info that comes out about the Rihanna and Chris Brown episode, the worse it gets. I would say Brown is done professionally in the court of public opinion if it wasn't for posts I've seen on the net blaming Rihanna for pissing him off. Huh? Really?

You've got to have Faith, Faith, Faith - Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood have announced a US tour. May I suggest the Can't Find My Way Home tour as their tour name?

Sand Castles - Following their Grammy victory, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced plans for a second CD. Grammy hogs!

When Love Comes to Town - U2 will be kicking off the release of their new album No Line on the Horizon by appearing throughout the week of March 2nd on The Late Show with David Letterman.

What's My Age Again? - Blink 182 are getting back together. I'm now so old that bands who peaked in the late 90's are breaking up and then reforming. Oh Elizabeth, I'm coming to see you Elizabeth, this is the big one!

Human Rights Now! - Peter Gabriel has refused to play at the Academy Awards because he does not want to play his song "Down to Earth" as part of a medley. He would only get about a minute, it's understandable why Gabriel would not want to waste his time playing 60 seconds it just seems funny compared to the stuff he usually protests.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation merge - great, now we'll probably incur a service fee for their service fees.

Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore engage - it really pays to be a sad guy Alt rocker these days when it comes to marrying actresses.

Watch Me Shine - This season's American Idol contestant Joanna Pacitti kept crying every chance she got to the point she was like "The Crying Girl" part 2. Now she really has a reason to cry as she was DQ'd from the show due to having personal and professional links with the show's execs. I'd defend her but I didn't think her performances were particuarly strong anyway, particularly with the amount of professional experience she's had.

TV Roundup - catching up with the TV Shows I've been following:

• Flight of the Conchords - The second season so far has continued with their silly antics, they still amuse but are not as sharp as the first season. There's been more focus on the supporting characters which is nice, the songs are pretty good just not up to the level of last year.


• Chuck - My favorite show right now returned with an OK episode in 3D. The end of the episode where Chuck gets over the mid season break cliff hanger in less than 30 seconds of seeing his beloved agent Sarah kill an unarmed man was jarring and unconvincing.


• American Idol - The giant shows signs of life as their old school approach begins to pay dividends. Their focus on the contestants personalities and building characters is working and they seemed to look for actual talent this year (which I'll credit to new judge Kara whose presence helps wake the others up). When you start to cringe every time that insanely self centered giggly girl shows up you know something is clicking.


• Terminator - Coming off the first half of a sluggish season 2, the Terminator gang kicks it into high gear for the second half with a strong episode. Can they keep it up?

Perfect - A recent comment from lostinube caused me to look up some old wrestling and I stumbled across this match between the late grapplers Kerry Von Erich and Curt Hennig for the Intercontinental Belt in 1990. The timing in this match is dead on, when modern wrestlers

went back to this mat based style a few years ago it shows how sloppy they were in comparison.

The Texas Tornado vs Mr Perfect

Midnight Madness - Space: 1999 Edition

I sooo wanted to fly a Space: 1999 spaceship and wear kick ass polyester zipper suits with colored sleeves and a big plastic belt. I would have been the man!

Not a lot of entertainment news out there this week, so I'm gonna discuss an adventure as lame, er, big as space! I''m talking one of my favorite TV shows of childhood that I just got on DVD, Space: 1999.

I came across the full series on DVD shortly after Christmas and could not resist picking it up. I used to spend Sundays mid afternoon happily catching the exploits of Commander Koenig and crew of Moonbase Alpha. I had toys (including a giant Eagle spaceship with dolls and a flying Eagle that could pick up nuclear cannisters), models and a treasured Comlink replica my late Grandpa made out of a block of wood.

Watching the TV show now, it's amazing how much of the cheese factor I missed seeing it through the eyes of a kid. The stories defy logic or common sense, the aliens are usually incorporeal spirits who speak in stuck up British echo chambers and as my wife has noted, Commander Koenig makes the worst command decisions possible. Despite this, I'm having a blast revisiting this classic show and enjoy the campiness (my poor parents, they probably watched me devote hours of time to this program and thought it sucked). Because let's face it, the future is meant to be experienced backed by a Eurodisco soundtrack.

For the millions who missed this show when it was on, Space: 1999 is set in the future where a manned base on the Moon has a nuclear accident resulting in the Moon being ripped out of orbit. It then hurtles through space on its momentum encountering a plethora of hostile alien life. It's antiquated vision of the future is fascinating and while I can't recommend this for everyone, if you love 70's Sci Fi chesse this show is a must.

Are the Terrible Towels still there? - Styx will be performing at a NFL Championship game soon, it seems the Pittsburgh Steelers have taken to "Renegade". The last time I followed football Terry Bradshaw was QB, still it's great to see them get more exposure with a great jam.

Whoa Ooh Whoa Oh - American Idol starts up on January 13th, let the mediocre talent search begin! I love me some American Idol.

Kelly Clarkson! - Cover art for her new disc is all over the web, can she dominate again?

When The Levee Breaks - Sounds like the Led Zep minus Robert Plant reunion has been called off. I'm pretty tolerant of lead singer switcheroos, though in this case I'm glad to see it fail without Plant. At this point in their career, it's not worth doing without him.

Ron Asheton - Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton passed away at age 60. I liked the Stooges, a sad passing.

If You're Into It - Flight of the Conchords returns on January 18th! Yes!

More Space: 1999 - To close here's two clips from You Tube that summarize the series while playing that wicked awesome Eurodisco.

Space: 1999

Midnight Madness - Flight of the Conchords Edition

They act a little naive but very talented, The Flight of the Conchords make with the funny in their "Kiwi" act.

One of my favorite TV shows right now is Flight of the Conchords, while I was off work I watched the first season on DVD and got a kick out of their "Kiwi" humor. Gave me a lot of laughs. And now..

Perfect Crime - Blogger Kevin Cogill was arrested this week for leaking Guns N Roses songs from the long awaited Chinese Democracy album. Is he the new Shaun Fanning? My guess is no.

Promise of a New Day - A fourth judge, Kara Dioguardi, is being added to American Idol this season. If she's coherent and able to form complete sentences, Paula Abdul might be in trouble.

Whole Lotta Bleeding Love - Jimmy Page teamed up with "Bleeding Love" songbird Leona Lewis for an OK version of the Led Zep classic "Whole Lotta Love" at the Olympics finale. What I couldn't figure out is why they stuck Lewis on this hydraulic perch with a long dress. She looked like a bird hanging above Page's head.

Houses of the Holy? - In other possible Led Zep news, Jason Bonham is leaving Foreigner to work with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on some new music. No news on Robert Plant being involved yet. If Plant opts out, is it too late for Coverdale / Page part 2?

The Truth is out there - in someone's pants apparently, David Duchovney is being treated for sex addiction. You know, playing a sex fiend on tv (he stars in the cable series Californication) probably doesn't help with that.

Rock & Roll Train finally pulls in - The new AC/DC song is brings back the thunder.

Return to Starbase - The Star Trek Experience in Vegas is closing down on September 1st. I never got around to going, bummer.

Who's Bad? - Michael Jackson turns 50 years old. Another milestone to reflect on how far the Gloved one has fallen.

My Apocalypse- Metallica's second new song is old school thrash, really good stuff.

The Cosmos Rocks? - Queen with Paul Rodgers has set 10/28 as their release date for the new album The Cosmos Rocks. Really? Is that really the album title? Because...it kinda sucks. I mean, the album could have been called Whopper Jr. and it still would have been better. Oh well, I guess everyone's a critic.

Out of Touch - Just for fun, I thought I would look at Billboard's Top 5 singles to see what they look and sound like.

5. Jesse McCartney - Leavin': This experiment may be rougher than I thought. Okay, first song down and it looks like this McCartney kid is about 13 years old and spends the whole video having sex on a bare mattress or back seat of a car. When he's not having sex, we get shot after shot of him over emoting his vocal runs. I have no idea what he's singing most of the time and no one leaves for anywhere in the video. So the point of this is a pretty boy that likes to have sex almost as much as he likes to look at himself. But I'm sure there's lots of tween girls enjoying this to put it in the Top 5.

4. Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl: I commented on this song a little while ago so I have nothing new to add here.

3. Kardinall Offishal feat. Akon - Dangerous: Sounds like a club jam, the beat is catchy and I think it's Akon singing the chorus (I have a hard time recognizing him when he's not dropping people on their head). Akon's voice has some of that electronic distortion on it to modernize the track. The rapper, I assume Offishal, has a bit of a Jamaician sound to his speech which makes it catchy. The video sells an upbeat urban image of hot girls and flashy images. As far as rap goes, I find this song tolerable (I'm not a big rap fan).

2. Chris Brown - Forever: Has elements of the McCartney song and the "Dangerous" song. The main point here is to show off Brown's dancing skills and position him as a guy ladies can count on. The song itself is inoffensive and has more of that electronic distortion on the vocal. For the most part, the song itself is forgettable.

1. Rihanna - Disturbia: Straight up Pop from someone on a major career roll, Rihanna's song is actually pretty good. She's found strong material and has a distinct tone to her voice. The video cleverly employs that stop and start insect speed motion that is usually reserved for horror movies. I don't like it as much as "Umbrella", but this is as pleasant as Pop music gets for old folks.

Thank you Bunny! - The Bunny has taken good care of me while I recuperate.

To close this bad boy out here's a Flight of the Conchords bustin a funny rap "The Hiphopopotamus vs the Rhymenoceros".

Flight of the Conchords "The Hiphopopotamus vs The Rhymenoceros"