Best of 2010
Best of 2010
Best Movies - I have a Jared’s 100 Favorite Movies of All Time list. Only 2 movies that came out this year have made my top 100 list which means it was either a bad year for movies or else I didn’t see the good ones. Granted, I don’t watch as many movies now as I did when I was in college, but I watched 3 bad movies for every decent one this year. Probably due to the fact that my wife picked most of the movies this year. She says I need to lower my expectations.
2. Inception. If you have ever heard my rant about the 13 movie scripts in the Hollywood Movie Script Library, this movie is not in that library. Inception is an original movie which does not fit the mold. Instead of simply being a system bucker, Inception bucks the system and blows the mind - a rare combination.
1. Toy Story 3. Nothing short of movie making perfection. So my kids were a bit scared by the Orwellian vibe but this movie was not aimed at my kids (ages 7 and 4), it was aimed at Andy’s age group (18 and headed off to college). However, it still managed to capture my kids’ attention. And the 3D sequence to begin the movie was surreal.
Best Books - I don’t think any of these books were written this year but all of them I read this year.
5. A Million Miles In a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. Even though I feel good about the story I am telling it inspired me more toward others-centeredness.
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Even though I knew what was coming at the end the story was told with such vivid imagery and grammatical precision that I was still floored by the time I finished
3. Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A reread this year but will probably be on my top 5 list every year I read it.
2. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. McCourt died this year and I had been meaning to read his Pulitzer Prize winning memoirs for some time so I dove in, and am glad I did.
1. Ghost Wars by Steve Coll. Recommended by a good friend of mine who works for the State Department about the history of the CIA’s work in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion to Sept. 10, 2001. A 700 page detailed history which reads more like a novel. Published in 2004 but never more timely.
Best New Places I Visited
3. Fatburger. The best burger in Beijing. My wife actually wanted to switch churches because a different church is closer to Fatburger for Sunday lunch. I disallowed it on account of there is only one thing in the world more important than my wife’s appetite.
2. Walt Disney World. I have been to Disneyland many times but not in the last 20 years. I enjoyed it so much more as a father of a 7 year old than I did as a 7 year old. Keegan was old enough to ride Space Mountain and still young enough to believe he actually went into space. Thank you Walt for reminding me that my imagination did not pass with puberty.
1. Phi Phi Islands, Thailand. Would actually make my top 3 “Best New Places Visited Ever” list.
Best Albums Added to My iTunes Library - Also not all 2010 releases but 2010 discoveries by yours truly. I do not add as much to my musical library now that I am old and set in my ways but these albums have helped to keep my iPod shuffle bike ride to work each morning fresh and new.
5. Ray Lamontagne Trouble - I love the singer/songwriter genre, and Ray does it as well as anyone.
4. Stephen Kellogg The Bear - Americana, honesty, and darn good songwriting make Stephen Kellogg one of my favorites.
3. The Strokes Room on Fire - I know, I know, where have you been Jared? This is old news. Not new, but new to me. Doesn’t make it any less rockin’
2. Otis Redding The Platinum Collection - I don’t usually like to tell other people what to listen to, but if you are not regularly listening to Otis Redding then your life is not as enjoyable as it could be.
1. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More - I have never heard a banjo played with as much fist-pumping rock and roll gravity as on this album.
Best Movies - I have a Jared’s 100 Favorite Movies of All Time list. Only 2 movies that came out this year have made my top 100 list which means it was either a bad year for movies or else I didn’t see the good ones. Granted, I don’t watch as many movies now as I did when I was in college, but I watched 3 bad movies for every decent one this year. Probably due to the fact that my wife picked most of the movies this year. She says I need to lower my expectations.
2. Inception. If you have ever heard my rant about the 13 movie scripts in the Hollywood Movie Script Library, this movie is not in that library. Inception is an original movie which does not fit the mold. Instead of simply being a system bucker, Inception bucks the system and blows the mind - a rare combination.
1. Toy Story 3. Nothing short of movie making perfection. So my kids were a bit scared by the Orwellian vibe but this movie was not aimed at my kids (ages 7 and 4), it was aimed at Andy’s age group (18 and headed off to college). However, it still managed to capture my kids’ attention. And the 3D sequence to begin the movie was surreal.
Best Books - I don’t think any of these books were written this year but all of them I read this year.
5. A Million Miles In a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. Even though I feel good about the story I am telling it inspired me more toward others-centeredness.
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Even though I knew what was coming at the end the story was told with such vivid imagery and grammatical precision that I was still floored by the time I finished
3. Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A reread this year but will probably be on my top 5 list every year I read it.
2. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. McCourt died this year and I had been meaning to read his Pulitzer Prize winning memoirs for some time so I dove in, and am glad I did.
1. Ghost Wars by Steve Coll. Recommended by a good friend of mine who works for the State Department about the history of the CIA’s work in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion to Sept. 10, 2001. A 700 page detailed history which reads more like a novel. Published in 2004 but never more timely.
Best New Places I Visited
3. Fatburger. The best burger in Beijing. My wife actually wanted to switch churches because a different church is closer to Fatburger for Sunday lunch. I disallowed it on account of there is only one thing in the world more important than my wife’s appetite.
2. Walt Disney World. I have been to Disneyland many times but not in the last 20 years. I enjoyed it so much more as a father of a 7 year old than I did as a 7 year old. Keegan was old enough to ride Space Mountain and still young enough to believe he actually went into space. Thank you Walt for reminding me that my imagination did not pass with puberty.
1. Phi Phi Islands, Thailand. Would actually make my top 3 “Best New Places Visited Ever” list.
Best Albums Added to My iTunes Library - Also not all 2010 releases but 2010 discoveries by yours truly. I do not add as much to my musical library now that I am old and set in my ways but these albums have helped to keep my iPod shuffle bike ride to work each morning fresh and new.
5. Ray Lamontagne Trouble - I love the singer/songwriter genre, and Ray does it as well as anyone.
4. Stephen Kellogg The Bear - Americana, honesty, and darn good songwriting make Stephen Kellogg one of my favorites.
3. The Strokes Room on Fire - I know, I know, where have you been Jared? This is old news. Not new, but new to me. Doesn’t make it any less rockin’
2. Otis Redding The Platinum Collection - I don’t usually like to tell other people what to listen to, but if you are not regularly listening to Otis Redding then your life is not as enjoyable as it could be.
1. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More - I have never heard a banjo played with as much fist-pumping rock and roll gravity as on this album.
All the hip kids at PHC (what passes for cool at PHC) are on the Mumford & Sons bandwagon now.
ReplyDeleteHave you listened to Ryan Bingham?
Some real excellent picks here. Steinbeck has been on reading list for a while. I did like Miller's A Million ... though
ReplyDeleteI loved Mumford too. And Lamontagne's Trouble is a classic.
Haven't seen Toy Story 3 yet, but everyone raves about it.
..have you seen Christian Vander's ode to Otis Redding on YouTube? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjzY5HohDN4
ReplyDeleteRyan actually showed us this one. Small world =)