2011 was a fantastic year for music. There were some great records by established artists, some fantastic newcomers, and some records that took a while to make but were worth the wait. Here are some of my favourites, in no particular order (click the album cover for iTunes links!):
My Favourite Films of 2010
Films I have yet to see, which could end up on this list:
- 127h
- True Grit
- Winter’s Bone
- Biutiful
- Rabbit Hole
- Blue Valentine
Restaurant Mistakes
Not Good
A few weekends ago, we went to a restaurant that my family frequents at least weekly. We’ve never had any major issues… indeed, we are almost always treated to fantastic food with great service in a lovely environment. This time around, it was much the same… until Amber took another bite of her sandwich and discovered two things: one, it was missing one of the main ingredients, and two, there was an entire bread tag embedded inside.
My Favourite Films of 2009
2009 was a great year in film. There were enourmously huge blockbusters, quiet indie films, a Tarantino flick, some great comedies, and some amazing animation. Unfortunately, I’m once again catching up before the Oscars air. There were a lot of films that had limited releases that I just didn’t get to see yet, and several of those films are nominated.
This year’s Oscars are also quite interesting. There are ten best picture nominees, though it’s sort of easy to tell which five are the “gimmes” and which would’ve been the top five. That said, it’s going to be one of the most difficult set of predictions that I’ve done yet… Enough Oscar talk, though. Here are some movies I enjoyed in 2009:
My favourite films, in alphatbetical order, are:
(500) Days of Summer
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Avatar
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air
Miramax Films 1979-2010
I was sad to learn that Miramax films is no more. Thought it hasn’t been anything near the powerhouse it was when the Weinstein’s owned it, it is still sad to see such a great company close its doors.
Miramax has been responsible for some incredible and important films over the past twenty years. I have fond memories of that big, block-letter M logo fading in at the beginning of some of my favourite films.
Here’s a list of a few films that stand out to me:
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currently listening to…
Hey Rosetta - “Who Is At My Window Weeping?” | itunes
From their new Red Songs EP. Great dark celtic feel. New album should be amazing.
Matt Morris - “Bloodline” | itunes | youtube
First person on Justin Timberlake’s label. He and JT did a great version of this song on Ellen.
Nikhil Korula Band - “Stay for a While” | itunes
Great acoustic track. Heard it on Greek, of all places. Haha.
OK Go - “This Too Shall Pass (Live Video Version)” | youtube | mp3
The album version is good, but this one is just plain better. They make great, original videos.
Mgmt - Oracular Spectacular | itunes | youtube 1 2 3
Somehow I am only now listening to this record… “Electric Feel,” “Time to Pretend,” “Kids,” and “The Youth” are fantastic. How did I miss this?
John K. Sampson - City Route 85 EP | itunes | mp3
Trio of songs by the Weakerthans front man, about his hometown Winnipeg.
Laura Veirs – “July Flame” | mp3
Great track. A bit of Feist and Amy Millan in there. Some great production as well.
Wintersleep - “Early in the Morning” | itunes
Recorded for Welcome to the Night Sky, but it didn’t make the final cut. It appears on the UK version of the CD, however. Live version is available on iTunes. New album in a few months!
Postdata - Postdata | website
New album from Paul Murphy from Wintersleep, with his brother Michael. A bit Tom Waits, a bit Thom Yorke, a bit Wintersleep…