I try to avoid putting supporting actors on this list, but I will include these two performances because they blew me away:
Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables," and
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Django Unchained."
Unlike most of my "best of" acting selections, Anne is a lock for an Academy Award.
I don't even remember DiCaprio playing a villain in any other movie. I think that he was pretty dark in "The Beach," but he takes it to a different level here. Terrifying dude.
Best Film
It's the most intriguing and inspiring documentary that I've ever seen-- and I've seen many. It chronicles a humble and deserving American musician's decades-long fame in South Africa and South Africans' amazement about his obscurity in other countries.
I'm very happy that I have a ticket for a concert that he will perform in L.A. in a couple of weeks.
Honorary mention: "Beasts of the Southern Wild."
Most Disappointing Film
Jesus christ, there were so many: "Lincoln," "Prometheus," and even "The Avengers" to a certain extent.
As I commented in a previous post, "The Master" definitely takes the cake.
Paul Thomas Anderson took a very long time to film AND edit this steaming pile of crap, all the while telling us that it was probably his best work. Now, in terms of its budget versus its earnings, it's tens of millions of dollars away from breaking even.
Best Song
I couldn't decide on a single song, so I made an album of my 15 faves, which you can download
here.
The music industry is very sophisticated about searching for and shutting down this type of content, so I'm not going to list every song that is on it. But I will include a brief description for each song.
1) 2012's most retarded-yet-addictive song
2) One of two songs that I've included that features Tupac's music
3) Irreverent, brilliant funk/rap from Seattle
4) The best song from the best album of '12
5) Another great song from the best album of '12- it's actually a cover of an ancient song
6) From a band that is originally from Athens, Georgia- a psychotic breakdown set to music
7) From the best band that you've never heard of
8) Another outstanding unknown band-- it's basically The Byrds with George Harrison on guitar
9) One of the best Bond theme songs from one of the best Bond movies
10) From Fiona's great new album
11) Fiona and her sister sang the background chorus on this one-- and, believe it or not, it's not looped
12) This single marked the return of a legendary '90s band
13) probably self-referential
14) The best song from an outstanding charity concert
15) One of the best mash-up songs I've ever heard, and it's from Tarantino's best movie since the '90s
Best Album
I've listened to Jack White's "Blunderbuss" on a loop four times in a row while I've exercised. It's also a fan favorite.
No comments:
Post a Comment