Books/Movies 2008:

Jan 01, 2009 11:44

Yes kids, it is that time of the year again to look back at the literary and cinematic works that somehow managed to grace my eyes and ears. If the length of my book list is anything to go by though, significant intellectual regression appears to have taken place, along with a burgeoning love for fascist film. In my defense, War and Peace got its ass kicked- I think I deserve a small prize for that. Still, a look at last year's list shows a 19-book drop. I blame my major. And drinking.

BOOKS 2008

1. The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac
2. The Skull Mantra, Eliot Pattison
3. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
4. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
5. All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy
6. Persepolis, Persepolis 2, Marjane Satrapi
7. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
8. The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs
9. Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin
10. The Artificial White Man: Essays on Authenticity, Stanley Crouch
11. White Like Me, Tim Wise
12. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, J. D. Salinger
13. Nothing Nice To Say, Mitch Clem
14. When Things Fell Apart: State Failure in Late-Century Africa, Robert H. Bates

For the record, I found Eat, Pray, Love to be a complete waste of time. I really, really don't like chick lit, and I don't know why I keep giving it a chance. "Ooh look at me, crying my eyes out on the bathroom floor and going on a trip to Italy, India and Indonesia post-divorce. Ooh alliteration. Ooh essentializing exotic cultures and finding myself through Eastern meditation." Blah-blah-fricking-blah. How is this a best-seller? The only other stinker on that list was The Artificial White Man. I had to review this book for a report. No other circumstance should compel you to pick this up.

I don't think I ever go wrong with Kerouac, Cormac McCarthy or Salinger (except for Catcher in the Rye, which I really didn't like too much), but the rest were great too, Persepolis, The Death and Life of Great American Cities and Black Like Me in particular. I evidently enjoyed ending my year on a high note with a book on African state failure, but hey. Good stuff- non-fiction FTW.

MOVIES 2008

1. Across the Universe
2. The Darjeeling Limited
3. There Will Be Blood
4. No Country for Old Men
5. 10 Things I Hate About You
6. Hitlerjunge Quex (Hitler Youth Quex), 1933
7. Das blaue Licht (The Blue Light), 1932
8. Olympia, 1938
9. Münchhausen, 1943
10. Gia
11. Der grosse König (The Great King), 1942
12. Jud Süss (Jew Suess), 1940
13. La Habanera, 1937
14. Control
15. Titanic, 1943
16. The Elephant Man, 1980
17. Kolberg, 1945
18. Women’s Kingdom
19. Jellyfish (Meduzot), 2007
20. Tsotsi
21. 1860, 1933
22. The Pursuit of Happyness
23. Scipione l’africano (The Defeat of Hannibal), 1937
24. Children of Heaven
25. I bambini ci guardano (The Children are Watching Us), 1944
26. Born Into Brothels
27. Raza (Race), 1942
28. The Price of Sugar
29. Chasing Amy
30. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
31. The Corporation
32. The Kite Runner
33. D.E.B.S., 2004
34. Iron Man
35. Amazing Grace, 2006
36. La Vie en Rose, 2007
37. The Other Boleyn Girl
38. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
39. Juno
40. Thin, 2006
41. An Inconvenient Truth
42. Sideways
43. Rushmore
44. Jesus Camp
45. August Rush
46. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
47. Chocolat, 1988
48. Trade
49. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
50. The Dark Knight
51. The Motorcycle Diaries
52. Atonement
53. Citizen Kane
54. Corpse Bride
55. Bottle Rocket
56. Burn After Reading
57. Religulous
58. Blow-Up
59. Un Flic, 1972
60. Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
61. Young People Fucking
62. The Conversation
63. The Green Mile
64. Party Monster
65. Enemy of the State
66. The End of Suburbia
67. The Bicycle Thief (1948)
68. Quantum of Solace
69. Bottle Shock
70. Waitress
71. Blue Velvet
72. City of Men
73. Pledge This!

Ending the year with a movie starring Paris Hilton was a horrible, horrible decision. I watched Pledge This! with Anna, and we both agree that it is the worst on-screen abortion we have yet to witness in our still young and very impressionable lives. Other stinkers include D.E.B.S. (more male-catered brainless showcasing of the female form which like Pledge This!, possesses zero redemptive value of any kind), The Other Boleyn Girl (historical romance of both the literary and cinematic persuasion annoy the shit out of me with stereotypes that just perpetuate female reliance on male dominance and attention)and August Rush (feel-food family movie that bored the crap out of me). I found Citizen Kane to be thoroughly disappointing.

No Country For Old Men is my winner for 2008 and epitomizes my take on life- my creed, if you will. Understand that movie and you understand me. I shit you not. Movies in bold are ones I found particularly impressionable and/or especially enjoyed.

And there you have it. Never started the music list, because I really fell off the music bandwagon even after buying my bass guitar. I smell a new year's resolution there.
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