My Top 50 Favorite Albums of the 00's

This is going to be a long one.

A few notes: Just to remind myself of what came out this decade, I put together a list of about 150 or so albums and culled my final 50 from those. I might list them later, we'll see. To give more room on the final list, I only allowed myself one album per band.

These are most definitely in order. I knew Lee would like it that way.

Without further adieu:

50) Fugazi, The Argument

This came out to little fanfare in 2001, and then Fugazi subsequently decided to go on what looks to be an indefinite hiatus. They went out with a bang. Some might say a whimper but there is still an anger underneath that guides this album although restrained and rarely allowed to boil over where you'll find this album's greatest strength. Some of it is sadly prescient now ("Cashout"). A fitting end to Fugazi's legacy, more fitting than if they had decided to end with the ho-hum End Hits.

49) The Coup , Party Music


Party Music grabbed headlines thanks to the original cover that showed The Coup blowing up the World Trade Center just before September 11th, but as per usual with The Coup, there’s substance, wit, and compassion underneath the provocation.

48) Belle & Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress

I lost track of Belle and Sebastian somewhere in the 00's, but this album saw them stretching themselves beyond their usual borders, experimenting in some minimal electronica as well what some labeled "funk." Its nice mix with their usual earnestness make this album a great listen.

47) The Roots , Rising Down

The Roots were somewhat inconsistent in the 00's, ever since "Things Fall Apart" set the bar so high. Starting with "Game Theory" and then rebounding and moving up, "Rising Down" saw them back at the top of their game. As great as they are I feel like it might be like this in general for them. It'll be interesting to see what they do next after all the musicians they seem to be running into on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." Although that's not really anything new for ?uestlove. (Seeing The Roots on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was kind of wild...The Roots!!)

46) Mos Def , The Ecstatic

For the past decade, Mos Def has tried experimenting with a variety of different ideas and styles, from his abandoned Black Jack Johnson Project band among others. Most everything he put out has been hit or miss at best, leaving listeners to say, "Well, at least he's trying something new." But this album is the return to form that people have been waiting for, wiping the slate clean and showing the youngsters how it's done. Finally, it's nice to have him back.

45) Das Oath , Das Oath

This was a grower for me. Over the last year I went back and taken a more careful listen of it mostly due to Jef's enthusiasm for it. And he was right. To paraphrase Das Oath takes Black Sabbath-like riffage and condenses them down into minute long songs. It's really pretty amazing and talented stuff, and of course, it's awesome.

44) Mastodon , Leviathan

This is a concept album about "Moby Dick." It's not some English major's treatise on the nature of obsession. It's about a whale destroying ships. And it is stunning.

43) Ghostface Killah , Supreme Clientele

It was never obvious that Ghostface was going to be one of Wu Tang's breakout stars. He doesn't have the personality of a Method Man. Although funny, he was never the life-of-the-party like Ol' Dirty Bastard. But, out of the whole Clan, he consistently had the best albums of the 00's. Fishscale and The Pretty Toney Album were also contenders here for me. His verses sound like stoner Mad-Libs, he is this weirdo savant that stands out from all the other cookie cutter rappers out there. And, to me, he ushered in the 00's with his best album.

42) Raekwon , Only Built For Cuban Linx Part II

Like I mentioned above, most of the Wu Tang's solo albums didn't fare too well for most of the 00's. They all seemed to step up to the plate pretty well when they were all together, but their solo stuff mostly floundered. People waited for a long time for this album to come out, and unusually for stuff people anticipate for a long time, it delivered an excess of riches. Maybe not quite as good as the original, but amazing for the here and now. It was nice to not be let down. Yet another example, in 2009, of veterans showing the youngsters how things are done.

41) Wu-Tang Clan , The W

The couple of times when the Wu Tang Clan got together for proper albums in the 00's, most, if not all of the (living) members brought their A-game to the table. They seem to play off one another and bring their game to another level. Too bad they couldn't fully sustain that in their solo offerings. But this time was a comeback of sorts after the overstuffed Forever. It was a step back to a more "stripped down" time, sort of like 36 Chambers but not quite reaching that height. To put it simply: RZA brought some of his best beats in a while and put together some of their best songs in a long time.

40) MC Paul Barman, It's Very Stimulating (ep)

It's the type of musical alchemy that happens only once (or twice) a decade, where two musical weirdoes get together and make beautiful noise together. Paul Barman, Brown graduate and friend of Michel Gondry, loves lyrical gymnastics and palindromes and has one of the weirdest flows, complemented pretty perfectly by the beats of Prince Paul. I remember being introduced to this in California by a Pat O'D mixtape and being just flummoxed and intrigued. I remember introducing Jef to it on our cross country trip, and it becoming a soundtrack, not only to the trip, but a part of my biography.

39) Queens of the Stone Age , Rated R

This was another group who had a few albums competing against each other, but you'll never forget your first. This was the first one I heard, and it was an eye opener for sure. I like Josh Homme's brand of scumbaggy (it's a word-look it up) rock n'roll, and this is a pretty perfect distillation of his aesthetic.

38) The Dismemberment Plan , Change

The best band to get its name from a Bill Murray movie. While probably not as good as Emergency & I, this was a great album to end on since, sadly, they broke up at the start of the 00's. I still feel super lucky to have seen them on their last tour.

37) The Clipse , Hell Hath No Fury

Bringing the coke game to the indie rock masses. A lot of people have put Lord Willin' ahead of this one, but, to me, this is their best. Not only are Pharrell and the Neptunes at the top of their game as the beatmakers, the rhymes that the duo spits are amazing. It's like an updated Too $hort for the 00's.

36) Andrew W.K. , I Get Wet

As someone once mentioned to me, who knows how much Andrew W.K.'s private persona differs from his public one. His public one is so unapologetically positive, and curious - it's hard not to be infected by his enthusiasm. What's funny about this album is how earnest it actually is, even with all the songs about partying and puking and what not. It's all done really unironically, which I find really refreshing. Although you could take it either way and still enjoy it, I think.

35) The National, Boxer

I like Alligator but this edges it out just a bit due to Squalor Victoria. Capable of making both men and women swoony with the boozy beauty of it all.

34) The Go! Team, Thunder, Lightning, Strike

It's like the soundtrack for the craziest 70's cop show that was never actually made. Ridiculously good live, too, if you ever have the chance.

33) Spoon , Kill The Moonlight

More great hooks and witty lyrics in 35 minutes than most bands can manage in twice that time. They seem to strip everything down and leave only the most danceable music and the snappiest beats and notes. It also has one of the best album openers of the decade in "Small Stakes."

32) Sleater-Kinney , One Beat

Women from Seattle rocking out. Some absolute jams on here.

31) Bright Eyes , Lifted, Or The Story is in the Soil, So Keep Your Ear To The Ground


This was probably edged simply because of the inclusion of the epic, 10 minute long Lets Not Shit Ourselves. Conor Oberst made me a believer with this one. I have to admit that none of his other albums have reached me quite like this one, but that doesn't make it any less good.

30) Broken Social Scene , Broken Social Scene

Canada was the spot in 00's. Considering all the musicians breaking off to do solo stuff or working with other bands, it's actually a surprise how effortless this all seems. Like these songs were just plucked out of nowhere instead of actually having to be written. It was because of Windsurfing Nation and 7/4 (Shoreline) which edged it over You Forgot It In People.

29) The Raconteurs , Consolers Of The Lonely

I like how this album suceeds in capturing a harder, seventies bluesy-punk-inflected sound. I remember a friend thinking I wasn't going to enjoy it because of that big, 70's sound. An update of classic rock, if that makes any sense. Whatever the magic combination, it works here from the harder stuff to the story songs, like Carolina Drama, which is what Johnny Cash might sound like if a harder Faces were his backing band in the mid-70's. Great, foot stomping stuff.

28) Jay-Z , The Black Album

Everyone else seems to go gaga over The Blueprint, but I don't know. Here's the thing - I never really liked Jay-Z before this album, and I can't say I loved him after either. But this album is a pretty amazing distillation of Jay-Z, and it would have been the perfect end if he had decided to keep to his retirement after this album like he originally intended to. But this is, truth be told, great.

27) Kanye West , The College Dropout

Kanye West gets boatloads of shit for his ridiculous behavior-most of it probably deserved. But this obscures the fact that in both beats and rhymes department, he not only is really good at what he does, he really does take a lot of risks with his music despite the fact that he manages his image so much. Like any risk (see Mos Def), they either work or they don't. Another fact that gets obscured is how Kanye's output in the 00's became the gold standard for hip hop (open for debate). Also, when he started, he was about as humble as a superstar producer and soon-to-be superstar MC could be. He used the sped-up soul samples that he made famous with his beats with Jay-Z. And while not the wordsmith that Jay-Z is, he was inventive, poppy, likeably eccentric, and retro and futurist at the same time.

26) The Black Keys , Rubber Factory

Most often compared to The White Stripes, they're two people from the Midwest who play stripped-down bluesy rock. It's an apt enough comparison, but they are far different in subtle ways. This is one of the first albums Tina gave to me, and it is the first I heard of them, Thus, it stands out in my mind. I still think it is their best of the 00's, hence why it was here. Obviously.

25) Yeah Yeah Yeahs , Fever To Tell

Another one of the "new wave" of New York/Brooklyn bands that came up in the early 00's. While they have put out a lot of good stuff, I still gravitate towards the rawness of their first full-length.

24) Blackalicious , Blazing Arrow

Blazing Arrow is their Sgt. Pepper compared to their first album Nia , which was their Revolver.

23) The White Stripes, White Blood Cells

I remember Jef actually hepping me to this album by telling me it was like Led Zeppelin sounds coming out of just two people. And he was right. This lost a three-way match to represent The White Stripes on this list. What's interesting is how just two people can produce such eclectic songs. Just look at I Fell in Love With A GIrl , Hotel Yorba , and We Are Going To Be Friends - obviously they all come from the same place but are all very different. Just like a movie trilogy, the first one is usually the best.

22) Johnny Cash , American IV: When The Man Comes Around

The last gasp of a legend, and you can hear it in his tired voice throughout the record. Like he wanted to put down one more genius album before he shuffled off this mortal coil-and with the help of Rick Rubin, he did it. There are a few lasts on this list, but this one is probably the most poignant. And amazing.

21) El-P , Fantastic Damage


As the 00's started (and sometimes throughout) a lot of people were pegged with "This is the sound of the future..." etc. And a lot of them fell off or didn't live up to their potential. In a lot of ways, El-P was like that. He seemed to be on such a roll. He drops this gem that's like a pastiche of transmissions from the hip hop future. But often with something so ambitious, he wasn't able to quite follow-up after that. That's okay. This is a great document of what was and what might have been.

20) Of Montreal , Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

I suppose this is an odd way to put it, but this is surprisingly "danceable" goodness from these Georgia weirdoes. And if you do ever see their live show, they are definitely weirdoes. What's weird for something so oddly funky, if you listen closely, all the lyrics are pretty dark with themes such as isolation, suicide and death stemming from Kevin Barnes's screwy personal life at the time this was written and recorded.

19) Outkast , Stankonia

Talk about the future falling apart, this sounded like the future. Outkast took a huge evolutionary step forward with this album, and by their next album Big Boi and Andre 3000 were existing in different stratospheres. Amazing production from their longtime producer, Organized Noise, they embraced a really sonic and emotional canvas. Just check out the funky, emotional depths of Ms. Jackson alongside the strange lyrics and ridiculously catchy, balls-out beats of B.O.B.. The latter being one of the best songs of the decade.

18) Radioheadd , Kid A

This was another steel cage match for a position on this list, but I had to go with this one. I think almost ten years removed from when this was released it's easy to forget just how nuts and and out-of-nowhere this album seemed when it first came out. It represented a leap forward for sure, but thanks to Thom Yorke's voice, it was still grounded in some manner of warmth, which makes it more amazing. Idioteque might be the song that pushed it over the edge for me. It's like an eerie transmission from another world.

17) The Shins , Chutes Too Narrow

There's an argument to be made that this album is too twee by half, nut it's actually a step forward from Oh, Inverted World. It's guitar-pop and James Mercer's great lyrics, it has a slow boil about it that makes it better than other efforts. They seem to come into their own here with their own worldview instead of just borrowing from a pastiche of 60's British Invasion pop.

16) The Thermals , Fuckin' A

Just the right combination of intensity and heart for me. A lot of people are saying their album after this is the one to go for, but this is the one that really speaks to me. These guys are just amazing. Remember Today is a particular standout.

15) Modest Mouse , Good News For People Who Love Bad News

I love Modest Mouse. And I am sure a lot of people will call b.s. on this pick since, obviously, it is their biggest "hit" album with their biggest "hit" song. Believe me, it was a tough choice between this or The Moon and Antartica, but in the end, this wins out. I mean there wasn't just the awesomeness, there was a really awesome song, Float On, which made people in a wider audience finally notice them. But there was still Isaac Brock's voice and inventive lyrics, there was still other songs such as Ocean Breathes Salty , which is actually my favorite. There is still the weirdo touches here, the toy trumpets and babies talking, all the familiar strangeness that Modest Mouse is known for, and for whatever reason this one spoke to me more. Maybe because it's catchier in the end. It just wormed it's way more into my mind, for sure.

14) Beck , Sea Change

It's interesting that Beck's most "different" album is his best one. If this is what is made after a particularly bad breakup, it would be amazing for us if he broke up more often. But then again, if it happened more often this wouldn't be as special, would it? This album seems like a complete aberration, which makes it so special.

13) The Flaming Lips , Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

For many, this was the introduction to Wayne Coyne's brand of spacey, psychedelic rock. There is a loose narrative here of a post-apocalyptic world where there is one savior sent to battle the robots that are sent to destroy us. I guess. Coyne is pretty much out his mind in the most sincere way possible. He is one of the best type of weirdoes. I would love to seem in an "Earnest-Off" with Andrew W.K. Out of the rubble of such a strange sounding album comes one of the most lovely, heartfelt, and heart-rending songs of the decade: Do You Realize? I remember coming into this album backwards at first, as someone, I believe Jef, put this song on a mixtape (maybe CD by then), and I listened to it over and over. It hit me in the right place at the right time.

12) Animal Collective , Merriweather Post Pavilion

Sort of like Sea Change, this album is both a leap forward for Animal Collective, but also an aberration in their catalog. This vied with Feels and Strawberry Jam for this list, and even in those records, as inscrutable as they seemed at first listen, they definitely built up from the previous record before it. And that is what makes Merriweather Post Pavilion, oddly, their most accessible album without really trying - accessible in only the most inaccessible ways, strangely danceable while being miles away from being any sort of regular dance album. Animal Collective, and this album in particular, is going to be pored over, dissected, and perhaps obsessed over for a long time.

11) Interpol , Turn On The Bright Lights

Even though they put out, what, one more album than The Strokes, I feel like this album is going to define a decade for years to come. Although they are probably as relevant as that first Strokes album, it doesn't make it any less good. Of course, they arose out of that same New York scene a lot bands were spawned from in the early part of the decade. And, I think it's safe to say that they didn't sound like Joy Division as we all first thought. They clearly did their late 70's post-punk homework, sure, but their music just seems much more alive.

10) The Arcade Fire , Funeral

I am still not so sure of the comparisons to Bruce Springsteen that these guys engender. Or is it that they have fashioned themselves as lyrical disciples of Springsteen? Whatever it is, when this came out people were taken aback, me included, at the sound of the joy of a group of people putting their all into an album and just having it burst out of them in a flood of near-orgasmic joy. They have a lot to get off their chest, and rarely has their been an album that has captured people's hearts and imaginations quite like this one. Just check out the communal sing-along (or the trailer for "Where The Wild Things Are") that can get a crowd so pumped to sing awfully at the top of their lungs to the chorus (or beginning) of Wake Up. The sheer amount of joy contained in this album is hard to measure or put into words. It really is an amazing accomplishment that is going to be very hard for them ever to replicate or get to that place again.

9) Lupe Fiasco , Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

Lupe Fiasco is one of, if not THE most slept on rapper this decade. He is another one of the better things, besides amazing beats, that Kanye West found and nurtured. Unfortunately, he probably won't stay in the game too long because he knows people are sleeping on him. When I saw him in Chicago, at least his hometown embraced him. They know what's going on. Not only are his beats excellent, but he is a ridiculously talented wordsmith, and of his so-far only two albums, this is the perfect coming together of both aspects. He is smart, and hopefully he will return in the future.

8) The Blood Brothers , Young Machetes

For a Blood Brothers album, their last before breaking up, from Burn, Piano Island, Burn and Crimes, this turned out to be the apex of the Blood Brothers' evolution and was probably a bit more accessible then the other albums they released this decade. But seeing and hearing them live, that didn't make this album any less raw than its predecessors. Being "accessible" even a little bit doesn't make it any more likely for the masses to embrace The Blood Brothers. They are loud, screechy, and off-putting for a whole subset of people. But on this album they seem to distill everything down to its essence. Turns out it was a fitting and perfect swan song for them.

7) Wolf Parade , Apologies To The Queen Mary

Who knows what's going to become of Wolf Parade? Both of their albums this decade were great, this one edging out At Mount Zoomer by the slimmest of margins. And with the awesome Dragonslayer, who knows. Sunset Rubdown might replace Wolf Parade as Spencer Krug's main band. Another surprise hailing from the same scene in Canada that has produced some of the decade's best bands, this album is in some ways minimalist and in other ways more reaching with an electronic bent to it. All I know is there is nothing wrong with a band wearing its heart on its sleeves. It's not only the music here, Krug and Boeckner's voices are amazing. It sounded different enough at the time it came out, and accomplished enough, and great enough to keep it in my head.

6) The Postal Service , Give Up

A lot of Death Cab disciples will disagree with me here, but I thought then and I think now that the Postal Service is still the best stuff Ben Gibbard ever did. With the same amount of "wear your heart on your sleeve" miserabalism, there is also a lot of hope here. I think the Postal Service started a movement that never really took off-but who knew that an album essentially made through the mail (just look at the band name!) could come out sounding so good, and so nearly perfect. This sort of electronic tinged, semi-sadness is definitely hard to pull off but they manage to do a pretty brilliant job of it here. Another album that caught me off guard and stay with me ever since.

5) N*E*R*D* , In Search Of...

I remember getting this album as a present, out of nowhere, before I had ever heard of them. It knocked me for a loop. It's so odd The Neptunes make an album, scrap said album, and then find themselves a backing band and re-record their album. And what they came up with is probably the purest essence of what The Neptunes have been trying to do for years in producing and making beats for other people. Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams took their unique view on music, threw everything at the wall and took only the best of what stuck. And what stuck is basically a hip hop sensibility filtered through a Steely Dan filter. It's catchy, it's loud, it's quiet, it's oddly sexy, and it is definitely oddball and/or off the wall (Wait, politicians are like strippers. "You're my pop rocks, you're my cotton candy, when it's hot and sandy you're my water, ...you're my LSD, someone's perfect daughter). It made me a fan of Pharrell Williams, and introduced the world to his high pitched singing. It's an utterly baffling and entertaining album.

4) At The Drive In , Relationship Of Command

This reminds me of driving around with Jef and Alwyn when they visited me in Sacramento. I remember cranking up Enfilade. At the time, this caught me by surprise too. It's interesting because once they signed to a bigger label, the production sounded much better. Which, I guess, goes without saying, but in their case it was actually an asset for this album. At the time they were on the precipice of being the biggest and buzziest band around, but then they just collapsed and broke up. Some continued what they started in At The Drive In in The Mars Volta. But not only did this album rock it, the musicianship was so tight, and the vocals so amazing, and the subject matter taken from science fiction and outer space, it all blended together to make an album that was as stunning as it was out of left field.

3) TV On The Radio , Return To Cookie Mountain

TV On The Radio is probably my favorite and/or best new band that dropped in the 00's. It was a bloody cage match to choose between this, Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes and Dear Science, all of which are amazing in their own rights. But when all is said and done, and when future music scientists set up their lab and start dissecting Return To Cookie Mountain, they are going to be analyzing layer upon layer of musical ideas and motifs, all of which come together to form an amazing whole. To put it more simply, TV On The Radio makes you want to simultaneously dance, take your clothes off, and fight the power.

2) ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead , Source Tags and Codes

Behold the legend, told before, of the Trail of Dead show where Lee, Erica, Jef and I left before the headlining Queens Of The Stone Age because ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead knocked our socks off with their performance. They were touring behind this album, still their best and most accomplished album to date. They switch off playing instruments. Each song is well-crafted joyous noise, using the loud-quite dynamic to the best ends. Songs build to ridiculous crescendos, sometime starting out hard right out of the gate...There's a lot going on here, and to put it another way, it's a righteous noise these guys make and manage to keep making at the same level throughout. A thoroughly mind blowing album that has withstood the test of the intervening years of this decade.

1) Madvilllain , Madvillainy

One of the leitmotifs of this decade is how people can make crazy, off-the-wall ideas work. I guess that is always the challenge, but it seems particularly true in this decade. Because, let's be honest. While ambitious, it doesn't always work. So when two of the looniest, stoned geniuses in hip hop get together, one an inspired wordsmith and the other an inspired beatmaker, this is the result. An instant hip hop classic. It's a brilliant tour de force from MF Doom (now just Doom) and super producer/mad scientist of beats, Madlib. Hip Hop's greatest supervillain quickly became my favorite rapper of the decade, and this album is a showcase for his incredibly convoluted and dense rhymes with the surrealist of imagery, strange old-timey turns of phrase, and off-the-wall, out-of-left-field pop culture references, all the while Madlib channeling Pete Rock, Sun Ra, Frank Zappa and every comic book and science fiction movie that has ever floated into his consciousness from space. Every so often two nutcase geniuses get together and serve up an offering that so perfectly encapsulates their point of view. In this is one particular incidence, it works so much better than it has any right to.

Thanks to everyone who has every burned me a CD or suggested that I try something out which has led me to a lot of these picks. It's been a pretty awesome decade. I can't wait to hear what the future has in store.

Check out....

Tina's new cooking/food blog. Its gonna rule.

My Favorite Films of the 00's Countdown: 2002

This seems like a strange year, now that I am looking over my choices.

1) 25th Hour

After 9/11, only Spike Lee could shoot a movie like this in the middle of the real New York City. Even overlooking Ground Zero in one scene, it is as much a love letter to his city as it is. But its about the potential for people to move forward even in the worst of times. The last scene where Brian Cox, playing Edward Norton (who is stunning in this) weaves a fantasy of what Norton's life could be if he skips out on going to jail is amazing.

2) 28 Days Later

Technically, those aren't zombies, they aren't the walking dead but infected by a contagion. The opening scene where Cillian Murphy walks through the deserted streets of London, while just the beginning of an amazing, scary journey, is pretty breathtaking.

3) About A Boy

This shouldn't work but it does. Maybe losing it a bit in the end, but the story about a pampered man and troubled kid is pretty amazing. Sure the story is the same, man learns how to live life from young boy. But in this case 1) its the journey and 2) they both are benefited from this friendship in the end. Hugh Grant hasn't been this good since. He plays a perfect self-absorbed d-bag, who knew?

4) Adaptation

Some people feel this and "Eternal Sunshine..." are Charlie Kaufman being too clever by half. I can see their point, but its the type of thing that doesn't bother me. It actually took me a few viewings of this to really get into it. Nicholas Cage's best movie of the 00's and a great Chris Cooper. Who is always reliable. It falls apart some in the end when Charle's brother takes over in the writing of the screenplay. My only qualm might be the movie doesn't become ENOUGH of an action-adventure thriller, but compared to the rest its relatively minor thing.

5) The Bourne Identity

The Doug Liman-directed, first movie in the best trilogy of the 00's. Thats right, I said it. I don't think anyone, before seeing this, thought Matt Damon would make such a great action hero, as the man trying to figure out who or what he was. I always forget that Clive Owen was in this too, as an assassin. They rarely make action movies as good as this. (Oh and Chris Cooper's in this one too!)

6) Bubba Ho-Tep

Adapted from the Joe Lansdale story, my favorite movie of the year. Weird, I know, but true. Whats great about this movie is it is pretty wacky genre/horror movie, but it has an underlying commentary on aging and getting older which is actually pretty moving.

7) Narc

Gritty, violent "cop-on-the-edge" thriller, starring Ray Liotta as Bad Lieutenant-esque out-of-control cop, and Jason Patric as the guy assigned to try and get him. A lot better than my description makes it sound-Liotta's best role since "Goodfellas".

8) Panic Room

Superb David Fincher potboiler, brings the technical prowess he brought to "Fight Club" here, and ups the ante with twist upon twist. Probably shouldn't work as well as it does, but it does.

9) Secretary

You never know when you are going to find the right person for you. It just might be at your place of business. Its basically a two person show with great performances from James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal, exploring a different side of relationships and sexuality then are usually shown in movies. Shows there is someone out there for everyone. Its a nice notion, its oddly touching, and even funny.

10) Y Tu Mama Tambien

Speaking of love and/or sexuality, this is kind of a miracle or even a curveball, because it could have easily been unbearable: following two privileged, oversexed guys on a cross country trip with an older woman. All three leads are awesome, particularly Maribel Verdu as Luisa, as the melancholy older women. Alfonso Cuaron's direction, particularly with the handheld camera is spot on, if that makes sense. Whats also interesting is this movie is that is honest and explicit about sex while still being really sexy, without trying too hard to be sexy.

From My Netflix Queue: Local Hero (1983)

Up until, I would say, a couple years ago I had never seen this movie. I learned about it from him. It happens to be one of his all-time favorite movies. And it is apparently Al Gore's favorite movie. I like how Bill Forsyth writes a "quirky" seaside community without it being aggressively quirky and over the top. The whole movie has this subtlety about it, where Forsyth gives his characters and this seaside Scottish village this lived-in quality where it seems like people have lived together for a long time and don't just exist to be discovered for this movie. If that makes any sense. It feels so comfortable that you understand when Mac has had a little too much whiskey and falls in love with Stella and the idea of staying there forever. It hit me when Mac had to go home to Texas, even though everyone else gets pretty much what they want, it hit me how sad his leaving was not just for him but for me. I wanted to stay longer in that town as well, and had grown quite fond of it. (The seaside town and that area of Scotland looked so beautiful). Lastly, it was good to see Peter Riegert, who, up until I saw him on some episodes of "Law and Order", I thought the only big thing he had done was "Animal House". Also, Burt Lancaster is great as the slightly kooky oil executive who ends up making different choices when he negotiates with a man who lives (and owns) the beach. (Speaking of that scene, it totally made me want to sit around on the beach with those people and just drink brandy out of paper cups.)

On a nerdy note, throughout the whole movie, I thought I recognized Dennis Lawson from somewhere, and looking him up, I got it. He played Wedge, a Rebel pilot who is "featured" in the original Star Wars trilogy. It was good to see him too in an actual, real role.

My Favorite Holiday Movies

Inspired by the first snow of the season.


And, by holiday, I mean the yuletide holiday season. These types of things are very subjective. That goes without saying, opinions on anything are very subjective. When I wrote about Amelie, I wrote about how there is a fine line between earnestness and cloying. The line with holiday movies is even finer, I think. I am sure one of the ones on my list (maybe more than one) would make someone want to throw up candy canes, they find them so corny. But thats the thing about holiday/Christmas movies, particularly older ones. (The charge has been leveled at "It's A Wonderful Life" while I've watched it.) But holiday movies are like kids movies. No matter how bad they are, the motivations behind making them are clear. No one's out to win any awards here. And they bring lots of enjoyment to the people who love them.

And these are the ones I love (in no particular order):

1) Elf

Ah, here we go, right off the bat. I am quite sure this one rubs people the wrong way, and its all in the eye of the beholder. I can see how people can be annoyed by this, but I find the joy behind this infectious. And the cast is not only unusual but pretty awesome. Not only Will Ferrell, but Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Kyle Gass, Andy Richter, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, and James Caan. Sonny Corleone in a Christmas movie? He excels at being grumpy anyway so why not make him a grumpy Dad who needs to be taught the meaning of life and/or Christmas. Oh, and I even forgot Amy Sedaris and Peter Dinklage. All the parts that should have me rolling my eyes into the back of my head actually work for me here: like Will Ferrell dancing in the mailroom, or the people of New York making Santa's sleigh fly because they believed in him. Yeah, I've been know to tear up at the ending, what of it? I'm not a robot.

2) A Christmas Story

Right up there with, "Its A Wonderful Life", probably the king and/or prince of Christmas movies. TNT still runs it for twenty-four hours on Christmas Eve. This is like the "Office Space" of Christmas movies: ignored upon its initial release it has steadily gained momentum over the past 26 years to attain the status it now holds. I actually saw it in the theater when I was six and have loved it ever since. The movie is amazing because it not only manages to capture that sort of guilt and wonder that came along with the season when we were younger, but manages to capture it at a more simple time. I love the narration by the author. And Darren McGavin is amazing as Raphie's father.

3) Bad Santa

This came out the same year as Elf and could actually be seen as the anti-Elf. Which is interesting because as a holiday movie they eventually end up, kind-of in the same place in the end. But Bad Santa gets there in the most gleefully profane way possible. Billy Bob Thornton is good as the mall santa,scumbag, thief at the center of it all. Its definitely not for every taste.

4) The Bishop's Wife

This 1947 is a sideways take on "A Christmas Carol" in that a suave angel named Dudley, played by Cary Grant, comes to help a Bishop and his wife (David Niven and Loretta Young) so that they can heal their marriage and reconcile his professional duties. Along the way he helps out various others in enjoying their lives. Its the type of movie people talk about when they talk about old, corny movies, sure, but there is something nice and quiet about the whole affair that worms its way into your heart. You certainly can't go wrong with the cast, either. No one can resist the charms of the suavest angel in the universe with the worst name. If you can seek it out, the short movie they made that became the de facto trailer for the movie, where the stars of the movie walk around on the sets as themselves is awesome too. The wintery scenes outside, particularly the ice skating scene are amazing.

5) Die Hard

"Now I Have a Machine Gun, Ho-Ho-Ho."
Somehow this has become the go-to movie for my Dad on Christmas Eve. If you knew my Dad, you know how funny that actually is. And, I have to agree with him on this one, the greatest Christmas Eve movie as well as the greatest action movie ever made.
"If this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's!"

6) Miracle on 34th Street

1947 was quite a year for Christmas movies. This is the original, of course, with Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, and a very young Natalie Wood. You can actually get away with watching this starting around Thanksgiving since it starts at the Macy's parade. Overall, its pretty much like every other Christmas movie in that its about learning to let go, and believe, and live life. But with all these films, its really in the execution. And this is another that can go either way, but I actually find its earnestness charming, no matter how corny it might seem in actuality.
My favorite exchange:
Charles Halloran: All right, you go back and tell them that the New York State Supreme Court rules there's no Santa Claus. It's all over the papers. The kids read it and they don't hang up their stockings. Now what happens to all the toys that are supposed to be in those stockings? Nobody buys them. The toy manufacturers are going to like that; so they have to lay off a lot of their employees, union employees. Now you got the CIO and the AF of L against you and they're going to adore you for it and they're going to say it with votes. Oh, and the department stores are going to love you too and the Christmas card makers and the candy companies. Ho ho. Henry, you're going to be an awful popular fella. And what about the Salvation Army? Why, they got a Santa Claus on every corner, and they're taking a fortune. But you go ahead Henry, you do it your way. You go on back in there and tell them that you rule there is no Santy Claus. Go on. But if you do, remember this: you can count on getting just two votes, your own and that district attorney's out there.
Judge Henry X. Harper: The District Attorney's a Republican.

7) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation


Yet another one that has attained general, classic status in the 20 years since it has been released. Not only is it one of my favorite holiday movies but it is also my favorite "Vacation" movies. It still makes me laugh, and it is eminently quotable. One of the few Christmas movies that is genuinely (I think) funny and also seems to appeal to people across the board. More so than a funny movie like "Bad Santa" might. Its so funny and so good. It also has one of my other secret favorite tropes in a movie, which if done right can be really awesome: a group of people, friends or family, get back together in one house or one town for a weekend or a holiday or whatever. (Other examples: The BIg Chill and Wonder Boys)
Ellen: What are you looking at?
Clark: Oh, the silent majesty of a winter's morn... the clean, cool chill of the holiday air... an asshole in his bathrobe, emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer...

8) The Shop Around the Corner

Starring the king of small-town earnestness: Jimmy Stewart. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan are awesome in the title roles as two gift shop employees who can't stand eachother face-to-face but are falling in love with eachother. Just a quiet, nice movie with some great character moments.

9) Its A Wonderful Life

This might still be the King though. Once again featuring the great Jimmy Stewart. And, once again, actually a flop upon its release and gaining momentum through television showings over the years, to finally attain the classic status it has now achieved. I think a common comment to make about this movie is that everyone remembers the ending and the sequence where Clarence has him erased from existence. But there is a lot more going on there in the early going in the movie, much of which is showing just how much George Bailey has done and sacrificed to help out his community in his life. When it comes down to it, the movie is as much about community, as it is about friendship and "recognizing what we have". Henry Travers is a standout as Clarence the angel, among a great cast of character actors making up the citizens of Bedford Falls. Also, only a sharp tug on my nose hairs will bring me to tears faster then the ending of this movie.

10) Christmas In Connecticut

Barbara Stanwyck is amazing. Good for Christmas and good as a screwball comedy, as Barbara Stanwyck tries to convince her boss that her and her column isn't a total sham is just great stuff.

Just missed:
- A Christmas Carol (1951)
-While You Were Sleeping
-Scrooged
-Holiday Affair
-Come To The Stable

I would be remiss in not mentioning my favorite television christmas special. There are some that I watch every year, the Rankin-Bass Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas...But there is one that towers over all of them in terms of being the most amazing and the funniest:
Blackadder's Christmas Carol



Holy crap, I just realized that Richard Curtis wrote this. Wow.I remember I caught this by accident, years ago, on PBS and have been a fan ever since. Not only featuring Rowan Atkinson as the titular Ebenezer Blackadder, but a stacked cast including Miranda Richardson, Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, and Jim Broadbent. Just amazingly funny. It takes the idea of the "Christmas Carol' and turns it on its head as the nice Ebenezer Blackadder is inadvertently learns that he might be better off being awful like his various Blackadder ancestors, then the nice and genuine person he is today. Its so much better than how I am describing it.
Ebenezer Blackadder: Baldrick, I want you to go out and buy a turkey so large you'd think it's mother had been rogered by an omnibus.

My Favorite Films of the 00's Countdown: 2001

I think it was the 00's when I started making year-end of "Best-Of" lists. Since then, I have gone back and made them for earlier years, but it wasn't until this decade when I started cataloguing these sorts of things.

1) Amelie

The movie that brought Audrey Tautou to the world's attention. I actually tried to resist its' charms for a long time, but its pretty enchanting, the script has great comic timing, and the art direction is pretty wondrous. Its pretty rare when such earnest hope and optimism is actually so delightful instead of being grating. Its actually pretty hard balance to pull off, in my opinion.

2) Audition

One of the greatest gutpunch movies ever. One of those movies thats great to watch with other people who haven't seen it to see their reactions. Although definitely not for all tastes. It starts out like a breezy, lame, romantic comedy and turns on a dime into a nightmare. The bag moved!

3) Donnie Darko

Still Richard Kelly's best movie. An complicated,(some might say overly complicated or "doesn't make sense"-which, yeah, I can understand) era-specific, mind screw with great characters, great music, and great visuals.

4) Ghost World

This is a weird comparison, but I can sort of see this as a companion piece to "An Education"- a very specific, outcast type of girl with eccentric, eclectic tastes tries to navigate the waters of adulthood and growing up. But what does being an adult mean? Is it always selling out and moving on or can you stay doing the same thing forever. And whatever happened to Thora Birch? Steve Buscemi is so good as a lonely jazz-record aficionado.

5) The Man Who Wasn't There

Until recently, I thought that people might have slept on this movie. But when other people started making their lists I saw that I was wrong. Shot in beautiful black and white, this is as much the Coen's own dissection not only of film noir itself, but also the era that begat film noir. Also, probably Billy Bob Thornton's last really good performance, and before he became a huge jackass.

6) Mulholland Drive

Its hard to wrap your head around the fact that this began life as a pilot for a television series. To be perfectly honest, I am still not 100 percent sure what is going in with David Lynch's puzzle narrative. But that is, oddly, part of its appeal. Naomi Watts is a hollywood newcomer that gets plunged into a mystery that never really gets solved, but part of the fun/interest is following her and Lynch down the rabbit hole. It eventually splits into two narratives, one real, one imagined, all an amazing Lynchian fever dream.

7) Ocean's Eleven

To be perfectly honest, I probably enjoy Steven Soderbergh's more mainstream fare than his experimental stuff. And it probably doesn't get more mainstream than this. Sure it is a triumph of flash and style over any real substance, but it has an infectious air of fun thats hard to deny. He lost all this goodwill with two subpar sequels, but the he and the inventive cast he put together (Carl Reiner!?) are firing on all cylinders here.

8) The Royal Tenenbaums

My favorite movie of the year. Wes Anderson's second best movie. Its a triumph not only of Wes Anderson's production design, every visual is perfectly in place and realized down to the most minute detail. Those visuals serve the melancholy mood and the story not the other way around. Gene Hackman, in his last great performance, a schemer entering the last years of his life, is the glue that holds it all together.

9) Sexy Beast

I had never seen that poster before, its awesome. I remember seeing this and thinking how great Ben Kingsley is. I kept thinking that this malevolent, vile force of nature is being played by the same man that played "Gandhi". Talk about a change. This is an imaginative take on the old tale of the aging gangster who just wants to get out of the game. With Kingsley's lunatic Don Logan takes the front seat to the fantasy elements and the dazzling visuals (also the UNKLE score) but Ray Winstone as the man Logan has come to get for "one more job", and Ian McShane as their chilling crime boss are also standouts.

10) Wet Hot American Summer

I know some people who hate this movie. And I can say its definitely not for everyone. I think its one of the best things that The State alumni have done. Its an ultra-specific parody/love letter to not only a certain time and place in American cinemas as well as to the kids catching them on TV and/or HBO. Also, the cast here is absolutely stacked, Chris Meloni is revelatory, but there is a young, Pau Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper. I dunno, it hits me right in the right place-the ol' funny bone.

The Best (or one of the best) Standalone Episodes of the 00's

I was reading this list of the "Best Standalone Television Episodes of the Aughts" and his list of his favorite television shows of the 00's, which included his favorite standalone episode. At first, I didn't think I had any more to add to my list of television shows, but while reading the article today, it hit me: I do, indeed have a favorite standalone episode of a television show in the 00's. There are, obviously, a lot of ways to interpret what might be a great standalone episode (basically whichever, I supposes, epitomizes a show or favorite show to you) Anyway, it hit me today that I had a great one, so I thought I would add it here.

The I.T. Crowd-The Work Outing


This British show was never as funny before this or after this episode. This starts slow, with the simplest of premises: The "I.T. Crowd", which consists of Roy, Moss, and Jen, get invited out to a night at the theater (to see "Gay: The Musical"). And in the very best farcical tradition, the night slowly but surely spirals out of control, until as it nears the end it reaches a comic pitch that is just amazing. I would say that it is in the best general sitcom traditions, but, it being British, reminded me of something out of "Fawlty Towers"-where there is a set-up, then a series of escalating lies and misunderstandings that the main characters can't get out of. I probably wouldn't show people a lot of other episodes of this series-but this episode is so amazingly done that it has been watched on its own a great deal. If you haven't seen it but can seek it out, I highly recommend it. (I was going to embed a video clip that out-of-context might not seem that funny, but also gives away a few of the surprises/laughs-and it would be criminal not to go into it cold.) I realize my description doesn't really do it justice, but to describe in any more depth, the same as putting a clip in, would be doing it a disservice. Most readily, this would probably be my standalone episode of the 00's.

The One That Got Away

Just for the sake of completism, here is the one quote from "The Wire" that didn't get any love in 20 minutes in 2 videos.

This is probably the one Tina and I quote the most.

The OTHER 100 Greatest Quotes from "The Wire"

This will make little to no sense to non-fans. Is a whole lot of awesome for fans. Well, I think so. See, the show is so deep and so good that there can easily be ANOTHER 100 great quotes. And your (or my) favorite might still not make the cut.

The Wire - The Other 100 Greatest Quotes (spoilers) from hh2edits on Vimeo.

My Favorite Films of the 00's Countdown: 2000

I was/am readying my list of my top 50 albums of the 00's (Aughts, if you are trying to be clever). Originally, I was just going to give my top ten films of the 00's and be done with it at the end of December. I could have, but then I figured, why not be a little more comprehensive (read: anal) and countdown by year and give my favorite movies of each year, and end with 2009, obviously. It's that time of year (of the decade, really) What a way to kick off December!
(These are gonna be in alphabetical order):

1) Almost Famous

This is the first of two music-centered(?)/related movies that are going to be on this list for this year. Some might think it is too earnest by half-which I could sort of see. Personally I think it strikes the right balance, the last time to date Cameron Crowe could handle that (see "Elizabethtown") It hits not only where music lovers/aficionados live, but also, even though the story is out of the ordinary it captures, as Lester Bangs might say that idea of being a teenager, and trying to navigate the waters of the cool people when you clearly are on the outside.

2) American Psycho

One of those rare times when the movie is so much better than the book. With not even a fifth of the gore that is featured in the book is present in the movie Mary Harron (the writer and the director) boiled down the book to its basic core and with Christian Bale in the lead works out exquisitely.

3) Memento

Christopher Nolan's first triumph. This could have been overwhelmed just by the style it was told in.(Spoiler: it is told backwards) But not only is that a tremendous service to the story, the story in and of itself which is not only a mystery but a treatise on loneliness and memory. Its an amazing achievement, I think. I mean, Nolan gets a suspenseful scene out of the search for a pen. Amazing.

4) High Fidelity

And here's the other valentine to music nerds and (ahem) list-making obsessives, as well as romantics-its because John Cusack makes movies like this every ten years or so we keep forgiving him for "2012" and "Must Love Dogs". The next one is right around the corner. Maybe.

5) O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I'm not sure if I would say this is the Coens "at the top of their game", but it is right up there. I guess it depends on whether you care about them going more or less broad in their comedy. But this is a pretty amazing absurdist fable with a really great soundtrack.

6) Requiem For A Dream

Absolutely harrowing look into the lives of three Brooklyn addicts (and one addict-to-be). This is one of those movies that shook me to the core-but is so hard to take that I am not sure I can ever watch it again fully. Maybe a few years from now.

7) Snatch

This quite a change from the previous entry. Some might say this is way too flashy-and they might be right. But I am a sucker for a good heist story, a good macguffin, underground boxing matches, and loads of fun characters. Sure it might be a retread somewhat of "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" but it works for me.

8) The Tao of Steve

This one seems like it should have been more popular in general than it turned out being. Its a romantic comedy where a man has to grow up and change so he can get the lady. A tale told a thousand times before. But Donal Logue does such a good job with a story that might not be as clever as it thinks it is-one of those things that hits me in the sweet spot, what can I say?

9) Wonder Boys

My favorite movie of the year. There's a lot to like here from the performances on down to the story, to the generally real depiction of college life. I like good movies about authors and/or aspiring authors, about smart, funny people, some in dire need of changing or needing a boost in life. A movie I could watch at any time. One of Michael Douglas' great performances.

10) You Can Count On Me

One the best and most real depictions of brother-sister relationships I have ever seen in a movie. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo are absolutely stunning in the lead roles.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

This is a movie probably best viewed when hacking up a lung, waiting for the Tylenol Cold and Flu to kick in. Its almost like being back in the multiplex in May around here. Even going into this with little to no expectations whatsoever, I initially skipped this because of the really poor reviews it got on its initial release. So yeah, its about what you might expect from a big-budget superhero origins tale. Probably better than "Ghost Rider" but I wouldn't know for sure. It has some interesting ideas, its not wholly terrible, I guess, which I suppose says something. But then again its not that good either. For instance, there's at least three scenes where Hugh Jackman yells "NOOOOOOOOOO" into the air in slow motion. I'm probably having trouble thinking of anything to say because its pretty much forgettable-there's no resonance here whatsoever. I do know that Will.I.Am is a terrible actor. And the mid-movie semi-comedy boxing match doesn't help matters. And Danny Huston does a pretty good voice impersonation of Brian Cox, since that is who plays Stryker "later" in "X-Men 2". Hugh Jackman, though is fun to watch, and a few of the action sequences, while completely ridiculous are fun enough. Its funny, because if one thinks that "The Dark Knight" raised the bar for superhero/comic book movies, that bar seemed to fall pretty quickly.

Terminator: Salvation (2009)

I might have to grade this on a curve, due to being home with whatever kiddie funk my friends' kids gave me this weekend. That curve being, it was a pretty good movie to watch while sick. For whatever reason all these movies I didn't pay to go see in theater are cropping up on On Demand. What a better time to catch up than when I should be resting. And drinking lots of fluids. That being said, I am a sucker for a post-apocalyptic movie. There's some fun, here, some pretty good action set-pieces. What's weird for me is the stuff that grated on me was mostly the shoehorning in of stuff from previous Terminator movies-"Come with me if you want to live" and what not. Please don't remind your audience of better movies. The most egregious was Christian Bale's "I'll Be Back" followed by, our of nowhere, him hitting play on an old boombox wherein Guns N Roses' "You Could Be Mine" starts blaring. Which also made me feel dumb (we'll blame the body aches) because at first I was like, "Wait what!?" Then remembered it was his favorite song in "Terminator 2". Yeah maybe this was too much for me-stupid time-traveling. I don't know why the whole recalling lines from other movies motif was more annoying here than in "Star Trek"-must be a writing thing. I did think Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin (Hey! Chekhov from "Star Trek") were pretty good. On the other end of the spectrum, Common and, sad to say, Christian Bale were not too good. Bale's is all brooding and yelling, and growly-voiced, like he was doing a parody of himself in the Batman movies. It was nice to see Michael Ironside though.