Grand Plans: A Few New Lists In The Works

Just wanted to give some notice... I am working on two new lists.

1. In honor of yesterday's release of his 33rd studio album, I will be ranking all 33 of Bob Dylan's masterworks. I have almost all of them on vinyl and CD already so this one should be do-able. Hopefully I don't abandon the project when I reach his mediocre 1980s period, hah.

2. I will be ranking every MAJOR animated Disney movie. This includes the Pixar joint efforts as well. I have no idea when the movie "Up" comes out but it's possible that it will time out nicely with Up's release as well. I am torn as to how to define which movies make the list. I was thinking I would go off of the movies Disney declares as "Platinum Editions" but this designation already rules out Dumbo, Sword In The Stone, The Aristocats and Alice In Wonderland which I think most would put as must-haves with this list. Plus, I think the movie "Bolt" should make the cut but I think none of the sequels to any of the movies except Toy Story should be on it. I'm not trying to discriminate, I just think there are movies we think of as integral parts of the Disney Canon that don't include the two sequels to The Little motherfucking Mermaid. Perhaps it will be strictly theatrical releases minus a few of the less important ones here and there.

So yeah, here's the list I have in mind (chronologically), let me know which films I am forgetting:
Snow White
Pinocchio
Fantasia
Dumbo
Bambi
Cinderella
Alice In Wonderland
Peter Pan
Lady And The Tramp
Sleeping Beauty
101 Dalmatians
The Sword In The Stone
The Jungle Book
The Aristocats
Robin Hood
The Fox And The Hound
The Little Mermaid
Beauty And The Beast
Aladdin
The Lion King
Pocahontas
Toy Story
A Bug's Life
Toy Story 2
Monsters, Inc
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Cars
Ratatouille
WALL-E
Up

I left out The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, all regular animation films released after the Pixar/Disney merge, all films that are half live action and a slew of ones I'm not familiar with including the ones with Spanish names (3 caballeros, saludos amigos, etc.) So, if you think one of the omitted films should make the list or that I have some films on the list that shouldn't be on there, let me know so I can make this thing make sense. Keep in mind we're already over 30 films. Maybe I could exclude the Pixar films for a later list?

Three quick album recommendations for 2009 which might be better than anything I heard in 2008:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (indie rock, kinda trippy arrangements)
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life (look past the voice to find sense of humor, brilliance)
Manchester Orchestra - Everything To Nothing (alt rock, atlanta band i've been blabbing about for years now that is apparently getting national play and is somehow now huge - sophomore album - go buy it)

Lastly, just wanted to share more insignificant info on my Samuel Adams obsession. We are up to a ridiculous 39 beers. The latest being three from the 2008 LongShot Homebrew Contest. I wasn't as big of a fan of this year's homebrew winners as I was in recent years but I can see why they were chosen. The list:

Boston Lager
Sam Adams Light
180 (Boston Restaurant Exclusive)
1790 Root Beer Brew
Black Lager
Blackberry Witbier
Boston Ale
Brown Ale
Cherry Wheat
Chocolate Bock
Cranberry Lambic
Cream Stout
Double Bock
George Washington Porter
Hefeweizen
Holiday Porter
Honey Porter
Imperial Pilsner (Hallertau)
Imperial Series Double Bock
Imperial Series Porter
Imperial Series White
Irish Red
James Madison Dark Wheat Ale
Longshot Boysenberry Wheat
Longshot Cranberry Wit
Longshot Dortmunder Export
Longshot Double IPA
Longshot Grape Pale Ale
Longshot Old Ale
Longshot Traditional Bock
Longshot Weizenbock
Octoberfest
Old Fezziwig Ale
Pale Ale
Scotch Ale
Summer Ale
Traditional Ginger Honey Ale
White Ale
Winter Lager

Ranking Everything: The Films of Stanley Kubrick

At long last I have finished the Kubrick project. I ran through ten of the eleven movies very quickly and then got caught up trying to get a hold of the eleventh and having enough time to watch it.
Again, this project was extremely rewarding. The films of Stanley Kubrick are, of course, excellent and revisiting them is always something I enjoy. I learned a lot from this round, including a sense of the growth Kubrick had throughout his career. Just a head's up, I used the 1956 film "The Killing" as the starter of the list as I did not have access to anything older. As far as I can tell this list is one film short of what is generally acknowledged as Kubrick's mainstream body of work. Anyways, here we go.

1. Dr. Strangelove
You know, this list was very, very hard to put together. I mean on the list of Kubrick films are 3-6 films that people consider their single favorite movie of all time. How do you pick a #1, let alone rank them? Well, let me tell you, it's difficult to rank them but picking a #1 was surprisingly easy. Dr. Strangelove is one of my favorite films of all time and the runaway choice for my favorite Stanley Kubrick film. It is not the funniest film of all time but it is, without a (personal) doubt, the BEST comedy ever made. Much has been written about the depth and creativity of this film and I am inclined to agree. I don't laugh my ass off watching it but afterwards I feel like I spent the past two hours laughing. It, along with Monty Python's Life Of Brian, has one of the two most rewarding "punchlines" in film history. For lack of a better explanation, I am trying to say that it does a beautiful job setting up a wonderful/hilarious ending and then hammers it home for one of the great scenes in film history. The performances are top notch and the fact that this came out when it did (very shortly after Bay of Pigs) adds to its legacy. My only complaint - and it is a minor one - is the oddly slow pace to this film. I can see some ways in which the pace builds the humor/suspense but at times it borders on challenging the attention span. An interesting choice by our director.

2. Lolita
Entering this project I predicted that this film would finish last on my list. Perhaps I was not cynical or perverted enough the first time I watched it to truly appreciate its power. This film, much like the source material, turns us all into perverts. Kubrick forces us to accept the lead actress as a sexual object as well as any director has ever turned any actress into such a thing. It is eerie how well this subject suits the director. I think if he had never made it and we were looking back historically at who would have been able to handle such subject matter the list would have two names: Hitchcock and Kubrick and only Kubrick would have pushed this many borders. I admittedly do not know much about the history of the making of this film but I imagine Kubrick's battles with the censors being frequent and loud. Then again, that is probably the case with all of these films. Anyways, like I said, this viewing changed my perspective on the film and, to some degree, how I view sex and my attitude about the male interest in younger women.

3. The Shining
I am not a horror movie buff. For all of the movies I have seen, my horror film resume is relatively small. It mostly consists of the early German horror essentials, the Universal Studios originals and the occassional Hitchcock horror flick. These people proved that you can scare your viewers and maintain your artistic integrity and very few others have followed in their footsteps. Kubrick, however, does follow in their footsteps in this way with this movie. He, at the same time, opens up the world to even more crappy horror flicks. Here we have Jack Nicholson in one of the 3-4 roles that define his apex and, although nothing about this movie actually SCARES me, it probably comes closer than any film that is not some uber-reality horror flick. What I love about this movie is also what I hate about it: the scenes of absolutely terrifying images that have nothing to do with the plot. I am in the camp that says a river of blood flowing down a hallway has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the movie. It does, however, hammer home a MOOD that Kubrick has created. The same goes for spoiler alert?) discovering the word "redrum" is "murder" spelled backward and, ultimately, everything the twin girls do. This practice has been imitated to some degree by almost every horror director since and when the risky technique meets a film already lacking in the plot department it becomes chaos. This, then, evolved into the torture/squeamish films of today that make little effort to have a plot at all in favor of providing your horror fix in gut wrenching imagery. The Shining, for me, is the only film in which this tactic has ever actually worked and it works well.

4. Spartacus
This is probably not a popular choice to make Kubrick's top five. Truth be told, it is not really "Kubrick unleashed" but it has his name on it as much as the others and it is, in fact, my fifth favorite of those with said billing. The legend goes that Kirk Douglas was pissed that he did not get cast as Ben Hur and wanted to make his own Ben Hur-type epic. Thus he bankrolled this film and brought in the guy who directed his last war epic, Paths of Glory, to do it. The two supposedly fought over tons of decisions with this film as both had a lot riding on it and the end result is, in my opinion, significantly better than Ben Hur itself. It is sort of odd to see Kubrick's name attached to a traditional hollywood blockbuster and with each scene you can see daring directorial decisions with a tinge of censorship. Douglas gets his hokier moments in while Kubrick's stylistic decisions highlight what, I would imagine, was a very restrictive script. Probably the second most underrated Kubrick film.

5. 2001: A Space Odessey
The historical importance of a film is generally something that matters a lot to me but in this case I really do not care. Forget that it inspired, umm, everything. It is just a beautiful film. The imagery throughout is astounding. I cannot fathom something with this little plot being so interesting. This is the film equivalent to watching an amazing sunset. Although it still packs a big wallop today I dare say it is a little dated in that our understanding of outer space is so much greater that we forget Kubrick was guessing on a lot of things like "What would THIS look like in space?" and "what would happen if someone did THIS in space?" The film is beautiful from start to finish but, admittedly, there are some parts I just don't care about. The warp speed sequence is artistically interesting but after one viewing I no longer care beyond the "this was way ahead of its time" aspect.

6. Paths of Glory
It is rare that a film is both a war action movie and a courtroom-style drama but this early gem deserves placement in both categories. Although I do not consider myself strictly anti-war, I have a fond appreciation for this, perhaps the greatest anti-war film of all time. The first Kubrick/Douglas pairing is great. Oddly, it seems as though Kubrick had more freedom to push the envelope here than in their second pairing but it may actually be the script that truly pushes the envelope. It is simultaneously interesting and exciting as Kubrick shows a flair for suspense while providing us with a very un-hollywood ending. This is perhaps the first war movie to be inspired by film noir. Speaking of which...

7. The Killing
This film noir gem is easily Kubrick's #1 most underrated film. Were it not for the lack of star power and, perhaps, a few grating characters this would widely be known as one of the 10 seminal film noir movies of all time. Again we have a fascinating story throughout with a great film noir Chinatown-esque ending. The movie is not as logically sound as his later films (if you had that much money, why not just wait, sort it out and get a later flight?) but considering when he made it (this is the earliest of his films on this list - 1956) the achievement seems all the more impressive. Rarely does this movie remind you that you are watching the work of anything but a cinematic master.

8. Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket may well be the most popular of Kubrick's films among my friends. The absolutely iconic first third of this movie offers laughs, incredible characters and one memorable scene after another. Because the next two thirds are like a completely different movie - and being completely different from the first third cannot possibly be a good thing - many write it off. To me, the second section of this movie is amazing. Here we have Kubrick post-Clockwork Orange where he showed the depths of staying away from the mainstream. Now he embraces the Scorsesean idea of pop songs contributing to a movie and cleverly implements pop songs throughout. I could be wrong about this but I think the last two thirds of this movie are what Kubrick originally wanted to make while the first third was him catching lightning in a bottle with an absolutely incredible assortment of characters and lines. The popularity of the opening sequence leads me to think people would be content with watching the drill sergeant yell at his grunts for two hours. The reason this film does not rank higher in my eyes - the eyes of someone who loves both parts equally - is the fact that this so-called problem could easily have been fixed if the Private Joker character had a comparable amount of screen time to the Gomer Pyle character. I think it is such a fantastic Kubrick thing to do to cut your two main characters out of a film before it even gets rolling (thank you Hitchcock) but this one actually does suffer at the transition as Private Joker actually was portrayed as a very minor part of this film. A supporting actor, if you will.

9. A Clockwork Orange
I feel like I am entering dangerous territory here by putting this film as low as ninth on such a list. Any movie that thousands of people regard as their favorite of all time probably should not rank ninth on any one person's list of its director's works. Personally I think this speaks more to the quality of the Kubrick body of work than to any personal bias I might have toward this movie. I think there are three stages, maybe more, that people go through with this movie. The first stage is being horrified and turned off by its graphic content, revolutionary ideas and all-around upsettingness. The second is accepting these things as genius and worshipping the man behind them. The third is where I am at, which is a more existential approach in that I have been through the the first two and now consider this film strictly as "here is what Kubrick was trying to do with this." If you've been reading all along you know that is sort of how I approach all films and on this one, specifically, it hurts the ranking a bit. This film ultimately ends up feeling like Kubrick is putting himself on camera and saying "hey, look what I can get away with" and while the content still makes the film historic and fascinating I feel like it is cheapened on the whole by the context. I mean if I was a director and had earned the right to do whatever I wanted with my films I would probably do the same thing, but that does not save this one for me in that regard.

10. Eyes Wide Shut
Again, I feel like putting a movie as good as this one so low on the list is sort of criminal. This is the perfect example of "worse than the rest of Kubrick's but better than everyone else's." I know the past few years have caused many people to rethink the acting of Tom Cruise and I must confess that I might be a victim of this reimagining but he really takes away from this movie for me. Otherwise the problems I have with this movie are not the same that others have. I really LIKE the non-ending. I really LIKE the way this movie makes us feel. The subject matter is fascinating and I think movie embodies (if not defines) what suspense was in the 1990s. I really love the underlying theme which is: don't be naive to the effed up underbelly to our society. Even today there are swingers groups all over my city of Atlanta that we hear relatively little about. What a great title: you think your eyes are open but they are really closed. The execution of this film may not be great but the ideas behind it are incredibly powerful.

11. Barry Lyndon
Last but not least we have Barry freakin Lyndon. I think this film is last on most people's imaginary lists for Kubrick. With the exception of maybe 2001 it is probably the most technically sound film of his career but it just... it is not very interesting. I mean it's just a really well made version of a really, really normal movie. The pace is notoriously slow and the attention to detail is notoriously meticulous. All of these things are just well and fine but I can't see a reason to watch this one over and over. I know I have not watched it for the last time in my life but, unlike the others, I can't honestly say I look forward to the next opportunity to watch it (unless of course it is in an actual movie theatre - where I would like to rewatch all of his films).

So there we have it. Eleven Kubrick films ranked, yanked and spanked. Or something like that. This took me a really long time to put together so I would definitely appreciate some comments, feedback and whatnot. Thanks in advance for that.

Currently working on a few other lists but it will probably be at least another week before I can get a post up. Still taking suggestions for future lists.

36 Sam Adams Beers

Alright, I'm changing things up around here even more. The personal stuff has been moved to rehmus.tumblr.com. This blog will strictly be rankings, many of which are in the works now and will be up soon. For an explanation of the photo to your left, check that link and be sure to "follow" me on there.

Since I've mentioned my Sam Adams obsession a lot here I have an update. I'm up to 36 freakin types of Sam. I don't know if I mentioned the Blackberry Witbier from a month or 2 ago but that one put me up to 33 Sam Adams types. As of last night, the number leaped to 36. I just got my hands on four packs for their new Imperial Series which included Imperial White, Imperial Stout and Double Bock (reformulated version of their older, crummy Double Bock). So yeah, 36 and still going strong. I love this company.

Ranking Everything: The Albums of Radiohead

Wow. What an incredible experience this week has been for me. I have tackled the Radiohead catalogue - most of which was my first time through - and my life is significantly better for it. Because of OK Computer, which I had heard previously ad nauseum, Radiohead was already one of my favorite bands. Now, they probably make my all time top 10. This is without a doubt the biggest band in the world right now. No other band balances such popularity with such quality output. Much like most of the stuff I will be ranking on the site, you cannot consider yourself knowledgable about music without having gone through this body of work.





1.) OK Computer - Not only the band's best album, this is the runaway best album of the 1990s. Actually, this is one of the 20 best albums of all time. I'm not sure if it's perfect, but it's really, really close. This album works on every level. It works as a collection of individual songs, as a cohesive work of art, as a bold lyrical statement, a bold musical statement and as an all-around aesthetic masterpiece. This album is everything alternative rock can be and more.



2.) The Bends & Kid A (tie) - From what I can tell, there are two types of Radiohead fanatics. Some that love their alt/rock side more and some that like their electronic side more. Although OK Computer leans more to the alt/rock side, these two albums are your chief arguments for each side. The Bends came out right before OK Computer and is decidedly alt/rock. It has what may be the best Radiohead song of all on it in Fake Plastic Trees. Kid A, on the other hand, is your quintessential electronic Radiohead album. I wouldn't call this a full blown electronic album (keep reading for my thoughts on Amnesiac, which is one), but whatever it is, it's epic. It works better than The Bends as a cohesive unit of an album. It doesn't have the FPT-type song to carry it in that regard but it doesn't need it. At gunpoint, I prefer the alt/rock Radiohead but, quite frankly, if they wanted to try polka I'd be all over that album, too.

4.) In Rainbows - The band's latest is a bit of a throwback to the Kid A time period in my opinion. The most critically acclaimed album of 2007 does not have the high points of the three previous albums... or really the next two for that matter, but it works in a different way. I've read it labeled a trance album. I'm not sure of the parameters of the trance genre, but I can tell you this album sure has the capacity to put the listener in one. This is not to be confused with being bored by it, but rather it is paced in an interesting way. Around the 3/4 mark of the album it takes it up a notch to leave you with a nice taste in your mouth and a comfort in the knowledge that Radiohead is as good now as they were ten years ago.

5.) Pablo Honey & Hail To The Thief (tie) - I know, two ties in one small list, that's pretty lame. These albums don't have a whole lot in common (much like the previous tie) but it's hard for me to think of one being better than the other. Pablo Honey is the band's debut effort and it is, by a large margin, their least critically acclaimed. Hail To The Thief, meanwhile, is their second latest and is definitely on the electronic side of the band's catalogue. Despite the low ranking, I have to say I really, really like both of these albums. I feel Pablo Honey is unjustly regarded as their worst when it's just a different animal. It's a great debut album by any measure, it's just not some unified work of art. It is, for its time, quite regular. Post-grunge, pre-alt/rock, whatever. The fact is, it really has some great high points. Some of these songs hint to the brilliance the band would show on their next three albums and the others are hardly unpleasant. Hail To The Thief is actually similar in that regard. It has some really high high-points and the rest is pleasant. Its problem is that it meanders and is not really a cohesive unit like every other Radiohead album outside of, oddly, Pablo Honey.

7.) Amnesiac - Last but not least we have Amnesiac. This is an album that is about as electronic as they get. For many of the songs Thom's incredible voice is altered to create a different sound. It's not a BAD sound but I had a hard time getting into it. The long stretches of weird noise was less appealing to me as well. I really have no problem with Radiohead leaning electronic (I obviously think highly of Kid A) but this is too far in that direction for me. I can see what they're doing with it and I appreciate that but it's just not for me. I don't know any other way to explain it.

All in all, this ranking was beyond rewarding for me. I can honestly say albums 1-3 will make my all time favorites list with the next three not far behind. Please please please comment and share your thoughts on the list, the band or the project in general. Still chipping away at the Kubrick filmography as well as the Cormac McCarthy bibliography. Not sure which band/artist I'll tackle next. Still open to suggestions on all of this. Until then...

Mysterious Epic Video Tease

This week I will begin working on an epic YouTube video. I only post this for the sake of being mysterious and so that you can look back on this fateful day when I am a YouTube celebrity. That and so that I don't get too lazy and give up on it. Mostly the latter.

Most importantly, my beloved Duke Blue Devils won the ACC today. I couldn't be happier. Outside of the Red Sox, Duke Basketball is my favorite sports program. UNC was supposed to be handed the ACC title and possibly have an undefeated season so it's so extra sweet that every fucking asshole UNC fan I've ever known gets to watch Duke's success. Plus, barring any unexpected draft departures Duke will be even better next year. Sweet.

Tomorrow I'm going to start listening to another musician's body of work as to speed up the blog process because the Kubrick thing is taking a bit longer than I anticipated. I'm interested to see if a list is any different if I've heard NONE of the band's albums previously... Which is why I am thinking Joy Division would be fun to tackle, especially considering I just bought Unknown Pleasures. Absolutely cannot wait to delve into it and others.

As for personal things, I had an epic weekend with friends. Oddi, Amee, Phillip, Trevor and all of the new people I met. Really feeling great about that. I covered probably 600 someodd miles in traveling Atlanta -> Gainesville -> Athens -> Augusta -> Rincon (Savannah) -> Augusta -> Athens -> Atlanta.

Recommended listening:
The Lonely Island - Incredibad
The Welcome Wagon - Welcome To The Welcome Wagon
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics!!!
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
and... when it comes out...
Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

Changing The Focus Of The Blog...

Alright, the hiatus is over. After much deliberation over starting a new blog (a third?) I just decided I will change the focus of this one to a nifty new idea I've been toying with. So here you have it: How Hi The Fi is now the blog of rankings.

I obviously love lists and rankings. I think what makes this different is that I will strictly be doing full bodies of work. I would like to rank every film by a director or every album by a musician, etc.

What to like about this is that the blog will be more consistent. There will be at least a hint of incentive to come back every so often. It will still be my personal blog and updates on what's going on with me will still appear from time to time. I just feel like it would be pointless to continue the blog as it's been. Not every list I put up here will HAVE to fit this, but it will be clear when I post it that it's different. For instance, the 2008 movie list. By the way, there have been very few additions to that list.

Anyways, to start things off, here's every Beatles album ranked by me!

If you've been following my Twitter you know I've been listening to the 13 albums by The Beatles in chronological order. I'm not trying to make some great original Beatles statements beyond sharing my opinions. Feel free to comment to harass me about this.

1.) The White Album - Most of the songs on this album hold up as well as some of the better songs on Revolver. I think those who just absolutely love the Beatles tend to prefer this album. It's not that it, as a unit, is better than, say, the next three albums, but MORE Beatles is just undeniably a good thing. The only 2-disc release by The Beatles, The White Album is incredible in scope and there's just so much to like. The Beatles were at odds with one another during its making but in no way does it suffer from this. Instead it seems to me like they are trying to one-up one another. Genius + Competition = Wow. This album isn't perfect, but it is the best.

2.) Abbey Road - What a beautiful piece of work from start to finish. This, to me, is your prototypical album. Much like The White Album, this one has just about perfect track sequencing. I know I'm just repeating what everyone has said about this, but I just can't imagine a better note to go out on than this. The perfect end to any career, especially the so-called greatest band ever.



3.) Magical Mystery Tour - This isn't an official Beatles studio album in that some of the songs were not recorded with the purpose of ending up on it but it's better than some that are. It is, in fact, the better SOUNDING album of this mini-era (see: better than Sgt. Pepper). It maybe wasn't as culturally as important as Sgt. Pepper but it sounds like everything I want a 1967 album to sound like.



4.) Revolver/Rubber Soul (tie) - I can't decide which one of these two I like more. As an album, Rubber Soul is wildly better. But the sum of Revolver's parts is greater than those of Rubber Soul. Revolver has some absolutely astounding songs that still hold up today. In between these songs are punch bowl turds like McCartney's "Here There And Everywhere." This song wouldn't be so bad if it was on a different album, but man is it terrible on this. Plus I never really got in to Eleanor Rigby like others did. Rubber Soul meanwhile has a more cohesive, consistent sound with the epic song Norwegian Wood and some great songs that show the Beatles transitioning from poppish to original rock. It kind of reminds me of Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home as he was switching from Folk to Rock.

6.) Yellow Submarine - Just to clarify, this is the songtrack, not the soundtrack. The original soundtrack had about 6 songs from the movie and the rest was just exerpts of the score. This is kind of a stretch for this list, but the majority of these songs were clearly written with the purpose of being together (unlike, say, the Past Masters releases). Anyways, it's like a who's who of underrated Beatles songs on this one. It takes the better parts of Sgt. Pepper, throws in a few other hits and then it's just underrated great rockers with great sequencing. Not a real album, I admit, but worthy of being ranked here.

7.) Help! - Underrated much? Wow, what a fun album. Nevermind that it has "Yesterday" on it, there's so much Rubber Soul in this album it's unbelievable. Rubber Soul got the cooler cover and a more cohesive sound but the sense of humor and energy and just sound in general are very similar. Just as Rubber Soul is Dylan's "Bringing It..." this is Dylan's "Another Side."



8.) Let It Be - I think this album suffers from the same things that Revolver does. It's got some of the band's greatest songs ever but it's filled with ballad-y crap that doesn't work. I love the way Spector let the Beatles sense of humor seep through in this album. If the list was based strictly on "number of epic songs" then this would be in the top 5, but it just doesn't have an overall feel to put it higher than here.



9.) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Yeah, I know. It's not that I dislike this album, it's just... it doesn't keep my interest from "Lucy" until "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)." Lovely Rita and Good Morning are decent songs, but really the rest just BORES me. I see what they're doing, I appreciate it, I love the cover art, love some of the songs, especially A Day In The Life, but man, ugh, so bland in the middle.



10.) Beatles For Sale - From start to The White Album, with the exception of Sgt. Pepper, it seems to me like every Beatles album was better than the one before it. Beatles For Sale maybe isn't regarded as one of the better albums or even necessarily as better than its three predecessors but it really is great. I guess as I have grown to love garage rock bands like "The Sonics" I have come to appreciate this era of The Beatles more and more. They were doing less of the sappy covers and more of the rockers and originals.


11.) A Hard Day's Night - The band takes a clear step-up from its first two albums with this, a release to promote the movie of the same name. The movie is the most joyous and wonderful music film ever made and the soundtrack gets bonus points for reminding one of the movie while including a lot of the same attitude the band took on Beatles For Sale.



12.) With The Beatles - The good songs on this album are just as good as the good songs on the one that came before it and after it. What makes it better than Please Please Me is that its sappy covers are better songs. What makes it worse than A Hard Day's Night is that it has these sappy covers to begin with.





13.) Please Please Me - Let me say that if this is your worst album, your band is pretty damned good. There are some absolutely epic songs on this thing it's just that there are a lot of sappy covers that do nothing for me... or anyone else for that matter.

So that about does it, be sure and sound off in the comments if you agree or disagree. Coming soon: Ranking the films of Stanley Kubrick (yes, I've seen them all and am rewatching them now), album rankings of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and anything else I can get my hands on. Feel free also to suggest lists for the future.

I'm on a boat and, it's going fast and, I got a nautical themed pashmina afghan...

I have a new favorite YouTube/SNL video of all time. If you're my Facebook friend or Twitter follower you already know:
The Lonely Island - I'm On A Boat...



I love it with every ounce of my being. The entire range of my sense of humor is reached in some way throughout this video. It's obviously a little stupid but I love the cleverness, the parody, the semi-obscure references, the way it holds up to many popular rap songs, the movements, just about everything.

I have been quite busy. My other blog: scarcerecords.blogspot.com has been taking up a bit more of my time even though it has even fewer readers than this one and is pretty boring.

It's almost baseball season, thank God. A-Roid is guilty and I am very excited for 2009 baseball. College basketball has been a good holdover but Duke, in all of our amazing effort, simply doesn't have enough talent to be atop the NCAA, let alone the ACC. For shame, too, as we almost beat UNC last night.

Movie watching has slowed. I've seen The Uninvited, Last Chance Harvey, Waltz With Bashir, Zack & Miri, Notorious and maybe one other since my last post. Not sure where to rank them yet. Except for The Uninvited which is the 2nd worst movie of 2008 (or does it count as the worst of 2009?)

Record collecting has picked up. I have changed the focus of my collection and now I am looking strictly for high end stuff. It's been fun. I always love redoing my record collection. It is nice to get a new appreciation for something you already have and have spent such an outrageous amount of time and money on.

Been playing baseball a little bit. Thinking about joining a softball league. I figure a softball league will help me decide if I'm terrible at baseball and should thus not pursue a real league league. Plus it will likely be fun.

I have a new boss at work who is the exact opposite of the old boss, for better or worse. It's been very difficult to adjust but I'm getting there.

Was talking about this the other day, top 5 favorite and least favorite sports franchises, in order, just to go on the record. I think I already posted the favorites awhile back, I don't remember...

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Duke Blue Devils Basketball
3. Georgia Bulldogs Football
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Georgia Bulldogs Basketball

1. New York Yankees
2. University Of North Carolina Tar Heels
3. University of Florida Gators
4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
5. Tennessee Volunteers

Just for shits and giggles, I think I'll also rank every sports team by league in the next week or 2. Here's the NBA:

1. Atlanta Hawks
2. Boston Celtics
3. Houston Rockets (only b/c they have Battier)
4. Detroit Pistons (only b/c they have Iverson)
5. Orlando Magic
6. New Orleans Hornets
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. Portland Trail Blazers
10. Denver Nuggets
11. Oklahoma City Thunder
12. Chicago Bulls (current team, not Jordan team)
13. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
15. Miami Heat
16. Golden State Warriors
17. Utah Jazz
18. Memphis Grizzlies
19. Phoenix Suns
20. San Antonio Spurs
21. New Jersey Nets
22. Toronto Raptors
23. Washington Wizards
24. Milwaukee Bucks
25. Sacramento Kings
26. Charlotte Bobcats
27. Dallas Mavericks
28. Indiana Pacers
29. New York Knicks
30. Los Angeles Lakers

That's all. Time to go do stuff. Hopefully youve found something in this post of personal interest. I'm on a boat!

Seventy Freakin Movies

Seventy. That's a lot of movies. Plus we, at long last, have a brand new #1 movie of the year. Considering it's been the same #1 since I first posted the list, I'd say this is pretty sweet. I've seen a lot of the better 2008 movies since we last met, blog readers, so check out the top of the list and whatnot. Also, effing comment already.

Announcement: I have a 2nd blog that appeals to you all even less than this one: http://scarcerecords.blogspot.com/

I don't know why you'd want to read me rambling on about records (vinyl) but I do it anyway.

About a week ago I started working out of the "South Metro" office of Neighbor Newspapers. I now cover Fayette, Henry, Clayton and South Fulton counties. Alone. This amounts to me being very busy at work but it's not so bad.

I am addicted to Twitter. I am also quite fond of eBay. I've got to start using this blog to share shit I find online because I can't think of any good reason for you to be reading it.

Duke basketball is #1 in the country and I am firmly convinced they are the best team in the country at the moment. What they did to Maryland the other day was amazing. I can't wait to see what they do to Wake Forest tomorrow night and then the hurting they'll put on UNC in a few weeks. I love this team as much as any Duke team since 2002.

Soooooooo here's the 70 movies, surrounded by a few of my favorite GIF files. Enjoy.

70. Happening, The
69. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
68. Eye, The
67. Mamma Mia
66. Jumper
65. Promotion, The
64. Family That Preys, The
63. Charlie Bartlett
62. Zombie Strippers
61. Drillbit Taylor
60. Definitely, Maybe
59. Incredible Hulk, The
58. Journey To The Center Of The Earth
57. House Bunny, The
56. Baby Mama
55. Semi-Pro
54. Tale Of Despereaux, The
53. Hancock
52. Meet Dave
51. Hamlet 2
50. Hellboy 2
49. What Happens In Vegas
48. You Don't Mess With The Zohan
47. Step Brothers
46. Wanted
45. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
44. Yes Man
43. Marley & Me
42. Zack And Miri Make A Porno
41. Love Guru, The
40. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
39. Fools Gold
38. Pineapple Express
37. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The
36. Appaloosa
35. Choke
34. Valkyrie
33. In Bruges
32. Australia
31. Happy-Go-Lucky
30. Leatherheads
29. Felon
28. Kung Fu Panda
27. Horton Hears A Who
26. Tropic Thunder
25. Rocker, The
24. Boy A
23. Deception
22. Revolutionary Road
21. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
20. Vantage Point
19. Milk
18. Get Smart
17. Role Models
16. Wrestler, The
15. Bolt
14. Let The Right One In
13. Gran Torino
12. Doubt
11. Burn After Reading
10. Iron Man
9. Changeling
8. Seven Pounds
7. Frost/Nixon
6. Man On Wire
5. My Blueberry Nights
4. Dark Knight, The
3. Synecdoche New York
2. WALL-E
1. Slumdog Millionaire

My Oscar Predictions

Here are my 2008 Oscar picks. The nominees just came out. I'm not overly thrilled with some of the choices but here are my predictions. I'll link you back to this post after all of my predictions come true. I copied and pasted from IMDB so if the text seems huge or links are involved then forgive me.

81st Annual Academy Awards^®

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall

Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner

Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks

The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)

Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)

Sean Penn for Milk (2008)

Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

MY PICK: Frank Langella (But I'd wager on Penn)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)

Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)

Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)

Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

MY PICK: Angelina Jolie (But I'd wager on Winslet)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)

MY PICK: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)

Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)

Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)

MY PICK: Taraji P. Henson (The ONLY Oscar this movie deserves)

Best Achievement in Directing

Nominees:

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)

Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)

MY PICK: Danny Boyle

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Nominees:

Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh

In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh

Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black

WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

MY PICK: WALL-E

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord

Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan

The Reader (2008): David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Nominees:

Changeling (2008): Tom Stern

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda

The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister

The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire (but Changeling is equally deserving)

Best Achievement in Editing

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith

Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill

Milk (2008): Elliot Graham

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Nominees:

Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

MY PICK: Changeling (But I'd wager on Rev Road)

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Nominees:

Australia (2008): Catherine Martin

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West

The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor

Milk (2008): Danny Glicker

Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky

MY PICK: The Duchess (But I'd wager on Ben Button)

Best Achievement in Makeup

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom

The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O'Sullivan

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

MY PICK: Benjamin Button (reluctantly)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat

Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard

Milk (2008): Danny Elfman

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman

WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman

MY PICK: Thomas Newman - WALL-E

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Nominees:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")

WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")

MY PICK: Down To Earth (WALL-E)

Best Achievement in Sound

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

MY PICK: WALL-E (Wouldn't be surprised to see the Dark Knight take this one)

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Nominees:

The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King

Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers

WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood

Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman

MY PICK: WALL-E (Same as above about TDK)

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin

Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

MY PICK: Benjamin Button (unfortunately)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Nominees:

Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard

Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne

WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton

MY PICK: WALL-E

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Nominees:

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)

Entre les murs (2008)(France)

Revanche (2008)(Austria)

Okuribito (2008)(Japan)

Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)

MY PICK: Vals Im Bashir (aka Waltz With Bashir)

Best Documentary, Features

Nominees:

The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2008): Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

Encounters at the End of the World (2007): Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser

The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn

Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal

MY PICK: Man On Wire

Best Short Film, Animated

Nominees:

La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio Kato

Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya (2007): Konstantin Bronzit

Oktapodi (2007): Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand

Presto (2008): Doug Sweetland

This Way Up (2008): Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

MY PICK: Presto