This Month In Media: January 2011

This is the first installment of This Month In Media, where I list the movies, games, books, and music that have kept me entertained over the last month. I like the idea of keeping a record of what I've watched/read/played/etc, even if it's just for posterity's sake.

Movies (favorites in bold)

• Black Swan (2010)
• The King's Speech (2010)
• Youth in Revolt (2010)
• Deep in the Valley (2009)
• The Proposal (2009)
• Rage (2009)
• The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
• Second Skin (2008)
• The Other Man (2008)
• Mongol (2007)
• Tin Man (2007)
• 5ive Girls (2006)
• Conventioneers (2005)
• Havoc (2005)
• Syriana (2005)
• Ned Kelly (2003)
• Ghost Ship (2002)
• All the Queen's Men (2001)
• Heist (2001)
• The Mists of Avalon (2001)
• Striking Distance (1993)
• Innocent Blood (1992)
• Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
• My Blue Heaven (1990)
• RoboCop (1987)
• The Money Pit (1986)
• Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
• Bachelor Party (1984)
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
• Top Secret! (1984)
• Outland (1981)
• The Road Warrior (1981)
• The Seagull (1975)
• Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
• The Great Race (1965)
• Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
• Horror of Dracula (1958)

Video Games

• Fallout 3 (XBox 360)
• Mirror's Edge (XBox 360)
• Plants vs. Zombies (XBox Live Arcade)
• Red Dead Redemption (XBox 360) -- in progress
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (XBox 360)

Books

• "Death and Suffrage" by Dale Bailey (short story)
• Dresden Files: White Night by Jim Butcher
• Dresden Files: Small Favor by Jim Butcher -- in progress
• "Plus or Minus" by James Patrick Kelly (novelette)
• The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin

Music

• Every Avenue - "Tell Me I'm a Wreck"
• Jonas Sees in Color - "Luck and Love"
• Neon Trees - Habits
• Neon Trees - "Sins of My Youth"
• The Spill Canvas - "Our Song"

Royal Rumble Wrap-Up: 2011

Yesterday was the last Sunday of January, which means one thing: my favorite wrestling pay-per-view, the Royal Rumble! With Wrestlemania in Atlanta coming up in a few months (and tickets in our pockets), I got together with the guys last night to watch it.

Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler
Solid match between these two. Despite his rather unfortunate name (being only the second famous Dolph and the first famous Ziggler), Ziggler can definitely wrestle. Some good back-and-forth, and the ban on Edge's spear made it interesting (and of course elicited a smile when both the ref and Vickie Guerrero got knocked down.) I don't know if I missed something (only seen about half of Smackdown in the last few weeks,) but I have no clue why Kelly Kelly came down to attack Vickie; seemed kinda random. Being a Peep, my favorite part was Edge using Christian's Killswitch to get the win (hopefully that's a sign he'll be returning soon.) No surprise to see Edge keep the title; Ziggler's getting better each week, but he still needs that extra something before he's at world title level.

The Miz vs. Randy Orton
I know he's got his detractors, but I'm a big fan of The Miz. He's one of the best talkers in wrestling today, and he can back it up in the ring. Plus I've always been a fan of a champ who isn't a huge guy, because it's never a bygone conclusion that he's going to win; I like champions who seem like they have a chance of losing every time they step in that ring. Hell, the only thing about The Miz that I don't like is the fact that Michael Cole's always cheerleading him. I was glad to see Miz retain, even if it did take an interference by the Nexus.

Natalya vs. Michelle McCool vs. Layla vs. Eve
This was originally a handicap match, and changing it to a Fatal 4-way was a good idea. Natalya hitting a double Sharpshooter on Eve & Layla was pretty damn cool, and there was one point in the match where it looked like Eve almost had her cheekbone smashed in. Great ending for the match, with the double pin. No doubt we're going to be hearing about that on Raw tonight.

40-Man Royal Rumble Match
Ah, the main event! This year's Rumble match had 40 men in it, rather than the usual 30, which was a welcome addition. My favorite parts:

• CM Punk's a great guy to have at #1, and I liked the chaos that ensued between the Nexus and the Corre. But once that settled and Daniel Bryan came in at #2, it was pretty great. The first several minutes where it was largely those two were great, and made even better once William Regal got added into the mix. When you've got three of the best wrestlers today in the ring beating (and kicking) the crap out of each other, you can't go wrong.


• John Morrison wins the award for best Royal Rumble moment, hands-down. He got knocked off the ring apron and into the barricade. But instead of hitting the floor, he clung to the barricade, pulled himself up, walked across it like a balance beam, jumped to the ring steps, and got back into the ring. Morrison was my favorite to win the match, but even though he got tossed once the Nexus took over the ring, I'm glad he was at least able to have a great moment.


• I wasn't too excited when Chavo Guerrero entered, but that changed quickly once he started chaining Three Amigos on everyone and pointed to the heavens for Eddie.


• I liked the idea of the Nexus coming together and taking over the ring, but it went on too long. After clearing everyone out, they should have only taken out maybe the next three guys before business as usual could resume.


• Holy crap on the returns of Booker T & Diesel! I'm hoping they're actually back on a regular basis instead of just one-off appearances. I was more excited to see Booker; he looked to be in great shape, and even though he got off all his signatures, it was a shame to see him fall to the Nexus machine. Diesel's appearance was cool, and I was relieved that he didn't pull a hamstring stepping into the ring. I don't think I'd want to see him as a full time wrestler again, but he'd be great as the new Raw GM.


• Although it worked for John Cena to break up the Nexus stalemate, I didn't really want him to eliminate all of them.  Punk should have at least stayed in until Wade Barrett showed up.


• I hated it at first when Hornswoggle showed up, but it grew on me and was actually pretty funny. The Irishman in me was glad that Sheamus was the one to eliminate him.


• Purely on a wrestling psychology level, Kofi Kingston entering and squaring off with Cena was perfect.


• Santino getting knocked out and rolling under the ring was pretty funny, although I wish the announcers had acknowledged it. I know they weren't supposed to have noticed, but come on guys, it was pretty clear that he rolled under the bottom rope. But when he came back at the very end and hit the Cobra, it was pretty hilarious.


• Towards the end, it looked like they were going to have it come down to John Cena and Randy Orton. Nothing against those guys, but it's too obvious. I'd rather have someone who isn't one of the top established guys in the company win the Rumble. Someone like....


• Alberto del Rio! Alberto del Rio wins the Rumble! After John Morrison was eliminated, Del Rio became my new pick to win it. I've liked Del Rio since he first showed up in WWE, partially because I've always been a big fan of luchadores and the Mexican style of wrestling. It's sad that despite the long, rich tradition of Mexican wrestling, there've only ever been two main event Mexican wrestlers in the WWE: Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio (who are coincidentally two of the most beloved stars in the company's history.) I'm hoping that with Del Rio winning the Rumble and getting a main event push, they're looking to change that.


• Now that Mexican wrestling is a little further entrenched in the WWE, its time they push wrestling's other rich heritage: Japanese Wrestling. I'm looking at you, Yoshi Tatsu!

Take that, Girl Scouts!

"Oooh, lookit us. We're the Girl Scouts. We come around once a year to sell delicious cookies. And if you miss out, then you can't have any for twelve whole months. Neener neener neener!"

Well guess what, Girl Scouts? I don't need yer stinkin' cookies & crappy business model!

Ya see that? That's right, you just got overthrown by elves! Keebler's Coconut Dreams are pretty much identical to the Girl Scouts' Samoas. A Google search tells me they've been around for a few years, but I've never seen or heard of them before now.

It's the little things in life.

2011 Oscar Checklist

Now that this year's Oscar nominees have been announced, I need to get my butt to the theater to catch the rest of the movies I haven't seen yet (at present, I'm only about 1/4 there.) To that end, I typed up a handy checklist of the movies that were nominated in the categories I watch: Best Picture, the Acting categories, Cinematography, Directing, Editing, and Writing (no surprise that the categories I watch doubles as a list of the things that I do & want to get better at.) No commentary in this post, just more of a "to do" list.

• Animal Kingdom -- Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
• Another Year -- Original Screenplay
• Biutiful -- Actor (Javier Barden)
• Black Swan -- Picture, Actress (Natalie Portman), Cinematography, Directing, Editing
• Blue Valentine -- Actress (Michelle Williams)
• The Fighter -- Picture, Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, Melissa Leo), Directing, Editing, Original Screenplay
• Inception -- Picture, Cinematography, Original Screenplay
• The Kids Are All Right -- Picture, Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Actress (Annette Bening), Original Screenplay
• The King's Speech -- Picture, Actor (Colin Firth), Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Original Screenplay
• 127 Hours -- Picture, Actor (James Franco), Editing, Adapted Screenplay
• Rabbit Hole -- Actress (Nicole Kidman)
• The Social Network -- Picture, Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Adapted Screenplay
• The Town -- Supporting Actor (Jeremy Renner)
• Toy Story 3 -- Picture, Adapted Screenplay
• True Grit -- Picture, Actor (Jeff Bridges), Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), Cinematography, Directing, Adapted Screenplay
• Winter's Bone -- Picture, Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Adapted Screenplay

Full list of nominations can be found here.

The Dark Knight Rises a little higher

Off course a few days after I make a post about how the best news about the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises is that it will be shot in 2D, they go and make an announcement about the cast. So I have no choice but to fanboy out and talk about that too.

The rumors had been floating around for a while that Catwoman would be in the movie, so there's been plenty of speculation about who would be donning the skintight latex. And I've gotta say, I love the choice of Anne Hathaway. As far as beauty & talent go amongst young actresses, she's tough to top (see Rachel Getting Married.)

Outside of the costume, I think she'll make a great Selina Kyle. Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman was great in its own right, but it didn't quite sync up with the Catwoman I know from the comics. My guess is that Nolan's Catwoman is going to be closer to that found in Batman Year One. By actually being Selina Kyle, it's already guaranteed to be leaps and bounds above the Halle Berry atrocity.

The other casting news is that Tom Hardy will be playing Bane, and this is the one that's got me really excited. I loved him in Inception, and Knightfall is one of my favorite Batman story arcs. The biggest challenge that Bane poses is that, unfortunately, most moviegoers identify him with the brainless thug from Batman & Robin (a movie that, like Catwoman, is best forgotten.)

In truth, Bane is a brilliant tactician, and one of Batman's more worthy adversaries, both in strength and intellect. I mean come on, Bane broke Batman's back and took him out of action for a nice long time. You don't do that by being a mindless thug. With Nolan's Batman world being somewhat more realistic than the comics or the older Batman movies, I'm curious to see how they treat the Venom drug that Bane uses to amp up his strength.

My friend NeoKefka brought up a good point on his blog, that Bane is a great choice because he poses a significant physical threat to Batman, whereas Scarecrow & the Joker were both mental guys. It also takes the movie in a different direction, which was necessary after Heath Ledger's iconic take on the Joker.

July 20, 2012. Get here faster.

The Game Begins...

Oh my god. I have chills...

In three months, I will be ordering HBO.

Batman 3 (without the D)

I just heard the best piece of news ever concerning the final movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. It's not that a certain villain will be in it. It's not that a particular actor has been cast. No, it's something far better than that: The Dark Knight Rises will not be shot in 3D.

I, for one, am sick to death of 3D. I don't mind it so much in movies like Avatar or Up, where it just adds a little depth to the scenes. But that's about all it does. It doesn't further immerse you in the world of the movie. If anything, it takes me out of it with the constant reminder that I'm wearing a stupid pair of plastic glasses. I don't hate it when it's done in this way, but it's hardly worth paying an extra $4 for a little unnecessary depth and bad fashion.

More than movies that are converted to 3D in post, what I really don't like are movies that are shot specifically for the gimmick of 3D. I saw Resident Evil: Afterlife in 3D and it was terrible! I at least enjoyed the other Resident Evil movies, but with Afterlife you could pick out exactly which scenes were conceived and shot with 3D in mind. It was just distracting. I don't need axes and bullets coming straight at me to enjoy a movie (although if I'm going to be honest, I certainly didn't mind Ali Larter's breasts coming at me in 3D.) Sure, you get to throw 3D after the title of the movie, but the problem is that once its theatrical run is over, it goes to DVD & cable. And all those shots that looked so cool in 3D on the big screen just look bad when you're watching them in 2D on your TV. Seeing as that's where the majority of people are going to watch any given movie, it just makes for bad cinematography.

3D as a gimmick is nothing new. There were a number of 3D movies that came out in the 80s with those red & blue paper glasses, but it was just a gimmick; it went away. I'm not saying today's 3D isn't an improvement over the old, because it is. But I still only see it being truly effective when the movie uses 3D for what it is: A gimmick. At least with something like Piranha 3D or Jackass 3D, you know what you're in for.

Maybe I'm just old school (or stubborn & crotchedy), but I like my movies in two dimensions. I don't want 3D encroaching on movies that can get by just fine without it. And with ticket prices higher than ever, if I'm going to pay a few extra bucks for a ticket it'll be to see it in IMAX, not 3D.

The Into the Black Top 50 of 2010!

When I was younger, I listened to the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 religiously. When I say religiously, I don't mean I just tuned in. I mean I sat there every week with pencil & paper and wrote down the positions of every song on the chart, as well as how it changed from the previous week & how long it stayed on the chart.

In honor of this, I decided to put together my own countdown of my favorite songs from 2010. Because narrowing it down to 40 (from over 200 candidates) was so hard, I decided to make a Top 50 instead. I'm also including a quick note or lyric next to each, just because. And now (for both people who are actually going to read this), The Into the Black Top 50 of 2010!

50. Breathe Caroline - "Hello Fascination": You build me up just to break me down. You're being loud without a sound. You paste me in just to cut me out. Hello fascination.
49. Every Avenue - "For Always, Forever": We were young and we lived it up, but those nights never lasted long enough. Looking back we were so naive. What happened to the days when we shared our dreams?
48. Mika - "Kick Ass": Heard this during the closing credits of the movie Kick Ass and immediately picked up the soundtrack.
47. The Friday Night Boys - "Stuttering": What can I say, I like good powerpop, and this song sounds like it belongs in the trailer for one of the screenplays I'm writing.
46. Michael Bublé - "Haven't Met You Yet": For the romantic optimist in all of us.
45. Sick Puppies - "Maybe": So why does it feel so wrong to reach for something more, to wanna live a better life? What am I waiting for?
44. Boys Like Girls - "Love Drunk": I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hungover.
43. Meat Loaf - "Los Angeloser": The first album I ever bought was Bat Out of Hell II. All these years later, he's still got it.
42. OneRepublic - "Good Life": It may not be hardcore to sing about how good things are, but damned if it's not healthier.
41. Placebo - "For What It's Worth": Battle for the Sun was a great album, and this song's catchy as hell.
40. Mike Posner - "Cooler Than Me": Saw him perform on Carson Daly & was an instant fan.
39. Needtobreathe - "Something Beautiful": Hey now, this is my desire: Consume me like a fire, 'Cause I just want something beautiful to touch me
38. Flobots - "White Flag Warrior" (feat. Tim McIlrath of Rise Against): I'm always down for a good protest song, and this is one of the better ones to come out in the last several years.
37. Taking Back Sunday - "Where My Mouth Is": I've got a strong will, just weak hands, and I don't know what to do with either one of them
36. Shout Out Louds - "Fall Hard": And If you fall hard, I fall harder (falling backward) / If you're gonna break, just let it break / I'll pick up the pieces and mistakes
35. Motion City Soundtrack - "Her Words Destroyed My Planet": The things that used to mean so much to me have gone the way of dinosaurs, hopes and dreams, and everything.
34. The Classic Crime - "Salt in the Snow": I have heard that winter's cold will give way to summer's warmth. Oh no! Like salt in the snow, I'm melted and left all alone on the side of the road.
33. The Crüxshadows - "Quicksilver": I always try to catch them when they play at Dragon*Con, and "Quicksilver" is my favorite song of theirs, period. -- I'm taking back my love, taking back my pride, taking back my dreams and my life / This is the ground I will defend / A rage of angels bears the end
32. Locksley - "Darling, It's True": Saw these guys open for Butch Walker, and they were pretty awesome. Great sound, & great live performers.
31. Bowling for Soup - "If Only": Leave it to Bowling for Soup to write a funny song about longing. This song is just a chorus and a bridge, with all the "verses" being voicemail messages. And yet, it really works. There's nobody else quite like BFS, and that's why they're one of my favorite bands.
30. A Rocket to the Moon - "Like We Used To": Because who hasn't felt this way after a breakup? A little emo, but I'm not above that. -- Does he watch your favorite movies? Does he hold you when you cry? Does he let you tell him all your favorite parts when you've seen it a million times. Does he do all these things like I used to?
29. The Rocket Summer - "Roses": If you want a great album, check out The Rocket Summer's Of Men and Angels. Every track on it is quality. I'm a sucker for good piano rock.
28. Parachute - "The Mess I Made": Parachute's Losing Sleep is another album that's practically a straight line of five stars in my iTunes. Highly recommend.
27. Rise Against - "Savior": Rise Against kicks ass. This is undisputed fact.
26. The Script - "I'm Yours": There are so many great tracks on The Script's self-titled album, but I'm including this one because it's just such a beautiful song. -- I may not have the softest touch; I may not say the words as such, and though I may not look like much, I'm yours.
25. Scouting for Girls - "This Ain't a Love Song": I'm going down, I'll be coming back fighting. I may be scared and a little bit frightened, but I'll be back, I'll be coming back to life
24. American Bang - "Wild and Young": Great track, but whoever made it the theme song for WWE NXT probably just saw the title & didn't have a clue what the song was actually about. -- I fell in love with a Southern girl / I gave her wings / but she don't wanna fly no more.
23. Danko Jones - "Full of Regret": This, my friends, is how you rock in 2010. -- Regrets, I've had mine / Lonely nights and a whole lot of wasted time / If you see her won't you tell her for me / It's better this way to avoid our misery
22. Anberlin - "Impossible": Anberlin can do no wrong in my book.
21. Butch Walker - "Trash Day": Butch always has some fun songs on his albums, and this is no exception. For another fun song off of I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart, check out "Days/Months/Years."
20. Cody Copeland - "Banjo & A Harp": Cody's a friend from Seaside, & an extremely talented musician currently residing in Chicago. This is my favorite track off his album, Luster. It's so evocative, and makes me want to want to write a movie just so I can shoot a scene featuring this song. -- If only I could give you more / although I'm not fully sure / what exactly I was lacking from the start.
19. Mat Kearney - "Fire & Rain": City of Black & White is a great album that got a lot of plays from me last year. This was my favorite track off the album.
18. Ace Enders and a Million Different People - "Over This": Just don't give up, cause we're not done / see the world has taken hold and it's trying to pull you from me.
17. Aranda - "Whyyawannabringmedown": Fun song that just begs to be blared from your speakers. Kelly Clarkson covered it to prove that she's got some rock in her.
16. Daughtry - "No Surprise": One of the best songs about moving on to come out in the last few years. -- It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow. I can't believe that I stayed till today. Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow, but I know in time we'll find this was no surprise.
15. After Midnight Project - "Take Me Home": My most played song of 2010. -- Slow down my heart / I wanna go / I'm breaking apart / And I'm sorry I can't love you / I'm sorry I can't make you see who I am.
14. Christian Kane - "Making Circles": Very raw, very real song about struggling to make a relationship work when there's just no way. -- And you would think that we'd get enough / You know we're goin' to fuck it up / We're holdin' on and sinking down / Here we go round and round / Making circles
13. Weezer - "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To)": When I heard that Butch Walker was producing an album for Weezer, I got excited. When I heard this song, I knew Raditude was going to be my favorite Weezer album yet. I was right.
12. American Hi-Fi - "Where Love Is A Lie": I love American Hi-Fi, and this song contains one of my favorite similes in recent memory. -- But way down deep, you never sleep / you'll always remember / her high wire grace, her smiling face / and a kiss like December.
11. Cee-Lo Green - "Fuck You": The most fun anyone's had saying "fuck you" in years.
10. Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now": Between Lady Antebellum & Christian Kane, 2010 was the year I realized that deep down, maybe I am a little bit country after all.
9. Neon Trees - "Animal": It's impossible to listen to this song and not dance along. It's just so damned catchy!
8. The Script - "Breakeven": The Script's self-titled album was on regular rotation for me in 2010, & the new album, Science & Faith (coming out January 18), is just as good. -- I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing / Just prayed to a god that I don't believe in / Cause I got time while she got freedom / Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even
7. Ace Enders and a Million Different People - "When I Hit the Ground": Ace Enders is one of my favorite artists I discovered this year. Great sound, great lyrics, great vibe. -- Cut me deep so you can see everything's not what it seems / On my knees, I'm breaking down / Just know I loved you when I hit the ground.
6. Butch Walker - "Pretty Melody": Butch's latest album has got some amazing ballads between this & "Don't You Think Someone Should Take You Home." I love Butch's ballads because instead of being all syrup, they feel real, fleshed out with sex and life. -- Do you remember when we met? / Liquor drinks and cigarettes / All the boys were taking bets, credit cards so in debt / Bought drinks from you at the bar / Poured them out behind my car so I could come back to where you are / And order from you again and again.
5. All Time Low - "Weightless": This was my anthem for 2010. -- Maybe it's not my weekend / but it's gonna be my year.
4. The Spill Canvas - "Our Song": A great song about how every romance doesn't need to be straight out of a movie & the difficulties in reaching those expectations. -- We'll never be strangers kissing in the pouring rain, chasing after your leaving train / but we know that's not how our song goes.
3. Jonas Sees In Color - "Luck and Love": Awesome song about optimism, hope, and love. -- I wasn't looking for love; she wasn't looking for trouble. But we found what we found, so now I keep my fingers crossed and my eyes wide open. I don't know about love, but at least I believe in luck again.
2. Christian Kane - "Let Me Go": You may not know Christian Kane's music, but you may recognize him as Lindsay from Angel & Eliot from Leverage. I'm not usually a fan of country music, but his album, The House Rules, is easily one of my favorites of the year. -- So let me go, you don't need me baby / Stop holding on the way you are / Don't you know I'm no good for you and it'll only break your heart / If you don't let me go.
1. The Rocket Summer - "Hills and Valleys": My favorite song of 2010. It's beautiful, it's uplifting, and it makes me smile every time I hear it. -- I wouldn't know just how sweet this tastes now / No, if at first I did not go through bitter times, through bitter places / I'll stay alert for new battles / But for now, we're here.

So there you have it, my favorite songs of 2010. Hopefully there's some new music in there you haven't heard before, because it all comes with my seal of approval (seriously, I bought a seal. But I have to keep feeding it fish, so I suspect that I bought the wrong kind.)

Leave a comment with your favorite songs of 2010, and let me know if you want me to hook you up with a CD of these to expose you to some great music (you know, if I know you & you didn't just stumble here through Google).