Best of the DECADE

Best Quotation:



"My vote against this misbegotten [Iraq] war is the best vote I have cast in the United States Senate since I was elected in 1962."

-the late, great Ted Kennedy in 2006.

Top 5 Movies of the Decade:

1.) The Departed (2006). Was it Scorsese's best movie? Of course not. But when the directing and the quality of a movie is legendary it makes even Mark Wahlberg seem as if he is a good actor.
2.) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Orginal, brilliant, well-acted. I hope that it wasn't Wes Anderson's last great movie, but 8 years later it appears as if this is the case. It's also the second movie on my list in which Alec Baldwin had a small part (narrator). If he is truly going to retire from entertainment let it at least be known that he played a role in great movies.
3.) There Will Be Blood (2007). It's quickly becoming a cult classic. I feel as if I was blessed to see this movie several weeks before it hit theaters nationwide. Have we ever seen anyone capture a period of time better than Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis? Have we ever seen a film that was made entirely of detestable characters earn such rave reviews?
4.) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003). The first movie in this trilogy was fairly good. The second was good. The third was epic and finally captured the feeling that one had when he read the books.
5.) The Dark Knight (2008). When the actor for the role of Joker was announced I decided that I was probably going to miss this one. Seriously. The first film in this set-- with Katie Holmes, no less-- bored me. Also, at the time I had no idea of the darkness that was in Heath Ledger's life, which he poured into his character. I thought that he was a dull character from "Brokeback Mountain." I had no idea that he was going to make Jack Nicholson's Joker seem quaint.

Best cinematic performance:

Although Heath Ledger was outstanding as the Joker I must go with Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview. His mannerisms, voice, and attitude all reeked of 19th-going-on-20th century America. It was surreal.

Most disappointing movie: A.I. (2001) We will always wonder if this film could have been great if Kubrick had lived long enough to overturn Spielburg's Disney-ized version of it.

Most overrated movie: Lost in Translation (2003). Unquestionably. I see that this film is listed on some magazine's "best of the decade" list, which is disappointing. Almost every film fan to whom I've spoken says that it is the most overated movie of their lifetimes. I would rate it "average" at best...

Best Album:



"Elephant" by the White Stripes. Everything about this album sizzles. At the time (2003) I thought that it was reviving rock itself. Its production value, original guitar playing and retro themes put it above everything else.

Most disappointing album: "Get Behind Me Satan" (2005) by the White Stripes. They couldn't pull off a great (or even good) followup album, which reminded me of Oasis' followup to "What's the Story (Morning Glory)?"

Most Overrated Album: "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" (2003) by Fifty Cent. Everything about this guy is a fraud, and his music is as bad as his acting. I remember when he claimed that he never exercised and his build is "natural." A few years later a steroids dealer revealed that he was on his list of clients. He probably also lied about being shot multiple times. Is there a shittier "artist" on the planet?

Best song: I agree with Rolling Stone Magazine: it was "Crazy" (2006) by Gnarls Barkley. I'll let them explain:
"In this frazzled and fragmented decade, when the Top 40 broke down into squabbling niches, the idea of a universal pop hit, a song anybody could love, seemed like a sweet old-fashioned notion. Then these guys showed up. Atlanta rapper Cee-Lo and indie producer Danger Mouse decided it would be a gas to pretend to be the world's greatest pop group, and so they gave the world "Crazy." Everybody loved this song, from your mom to your ex-girlfriend's art professor. It blasted in punk clubs and Burger King bathrooms. Every sucky band on earth tried a lame cover. For the summer of 2006, 'Crazy' united us all into one nation under a groove. Gnarls Barkley packed a career's worth of genius ideas into three minutes — and then they basically disappeared. Does that make them crazy? Probably. But was this the most glorious pop thrill of our time? Totally."

Best sports performance: I'm going to give it to Peyton Manning for his overall play during the entire decade. He has established himself as the best regular season quarterback of all time.