2005, The Year in Review
2005 was a big year for me. Most signifficantly, my family suffered the loss of my grandmother to melenoma, which was very sad and took a lot of adjustment. On a more positive note, I did make some great accomplishments. I stood in the room where Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick. I've been to every New England state, as I went to Rhode Island. Also, I went on my first real job interviews and started my first paying teaching job. I also got two new tattooes. 2005 will also go down as a big year for my geekdoms, most noteably being the completion of the Star Wars saga. I dressed as a Jedi Knight and made my own Jedi robe and lightsaber. Also, took part in the fifth semi-annual Harry Potter Naked Fan Day.
So, inspired by Stephen King's Entertainment Weeky column and D. Trull's website, I have compiled the completely biased and subjective...
Kelsey's Best of 2005 List: Film, Books, Music, and Hot Men.
The rules of qualification: (1) This is a list of films, books, and music that I "met" this year. That is, they didn't have to come out this year, but I just had to have watched/read/listened to them for the first time this year. (2) No disqualifications for being an OCD/fandom. But no guarentees for placement for being a fandom.
Music
1.
Give Up by The Postal Service, particularly From Great Heights
Thank you, Brendan. While I'm not particularly into indie electronicy techno rock, something about this eretheral and arcade-inspired and beautifully passionate and poeticly lyrical music is beauty itself. "I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly alligned."
2. King Arthur Motion Picture Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
The best soundtrack this year, as well as the best from Hans Zimmer, which is certainly saying something. Crazy strong beats and a haunting voice? Could I ask for anything more?
3. Devotchka (Venus, How it Ends, Dark Eyes)
Punk gypsy music: wailing vocals, awesome strings and accordians, great beats. Hell, yes!
4. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Motion Picture Soundtrack by John Williams
While I'm not exactly in love with John Williams or the Star Wars soundtracks, ROTS' music takes the cake. Beautiful stings and great use of chorus exactly capture the tragic and mythological ending of the Prequel Trilogy.
5. The Best of Delerium by Delerium
While the remixes of my favorite songs are not great, the choices for inclusion are spot on. Also, Paris is a welcome addition to my favorite Delerium songs.
6. Frontline Assembly and Conjure One
7. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Motion Picture Soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams
Magical, haunting voices, etc., etc. Reminds me of those great fantasy TV specials from my high school days (i.e. Tenth Kingdom and Merlin). Amazing music that matches the work of love that is the movie. Beautifully captures the magic and wonder and drama of the books.
8. The Bourne Identity Motion Picture Soundtrack by John Powell
9. Designing a Nervous Breakdown by The Anniversary
10. The Kingdom of Heaven Motion Picture Soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams
Television Shows
1.
Lost ABC
Lost, how I needed you and yet never knew it! Lost is quickly becoming my favorite TV show of all time, rivaling out my beloveds Xena: The Warrior Princess and Quantum Leap. The first season (and the half of the second season) alone make it more riveting than most films. Loveable and realistical and fascinating characters played by brilliant actors, a fantastic script full of human drama and complicated storylines, and a brilliant dash of fantasy make this show highly adictive. When I can stop myself from simply having a great time (and drooling over Sayid and Charlie), my literature degree-trained brain has a field day analyzing and reviewing this Dante-like adventure show. Just look at the play on the word "lost"! Love, love, love this show.
2. Arrested Development Fox
The funniest show on television, and it just got cancelled. Maybe that's because this is a comedic sitcom that makes the audience use their brain through all the Shakespeare-like puns and word plays, as well as work their way through all the obscure jokes and self-references. There's always the DVDs, I suppose.
3. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Cartoon Network
Also, the funniest show on television. Bizarre is an understatement. Bizarre with a touch of idiocy and a load of cleverness. At least 2006 will see the ATHF movie. "If you need anything else, there's some ants."
4. The Colbert Report Comedy Central
"Put your pants on, America! Truth is knocking at the door."
5. Judging Amy TNT
I fastforward through all that drama and family crap. I just enjoy watching the courtroom and social services drama councerning juvenilles. It's an occupational hazard.
6. Grounded for Life ABC Family
Much better than average sitcom.
7. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends Cartoon Network
I love Bloo.
8. Nanny 911 Fox
Maybe it's just the feeling of smugness that I--completely childless and only 23 years of age--know more about parenting than these suburban rich yuppies.
9. Young Blades Pax
It's Xena for kids!
10. Battlestar Gallactica SciFi Channel
Brilliant, clever, dramatic. Just wish I could remember to watch it.
Books
1.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Oh yes, there's bias at play here, but how can the third best book of my favorite series not top the list? While it doesn't beat the angsty dramatic OOP, HBP is better written (who couldn't see all that clever love and death stuff?). With twists and turns a plenty, HBP makes Harry a man, a true adult and hero in his world. With a climatic (and throughly frustrating) ending, tons of Snape and a dash of Lupin, and some fangirl-pleasing love stories, HBP was a everything we fans could have wanted. Except for book seven.
2. Maiden Voyage by Cynthia Bass
I would have simply loved a nice historical fiction aboard the Titanic, which fascinates me beyond reason. But I also got a book extremely pleasing to my literary sensibilities. This is a brilliant and wonderfully written coming-of-age story for both a young man and his Victorian-elite world. A clever play with the "maiden" and "women and children first" themes.
3. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
One of the five best contemporary American novels I have ever read. Humorous, dramatic, clever journey tale examining the meaning of family, history, relationships, identity, and memory. Brilliant stream-of-consciousness story-telling style and non-English-speaking-native voice that creates a poetry of its own.
4. Reflections in the Golden Eye by Carson McCullers
As The Ballad of the Sad Cafe is one of my favorite books of all time, this year, I read McCullers' complete works. All were brilliant and beautiful; grotesque as much as they are humanly beautiful. Reflections in the Golden Eye, though, stuck out as my newest favorite. Another tragically comedic and super-real and super-beautiful love triangle.
5. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America the Book
6. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Everything I love about fairy tales, presented here for everyone who might doubt their power. A grandmother, victim of the Holocaust, tells her granddaughter the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale with her own spin. As the granddaughter begins to piece together her grandmother's tragic past, the fairy tale becomes horrifically real.
7. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark
If Jane Austen wrote a fairy-abduction tale.
8. The High King by Lloyd Alexander
I read the complete Chronicles of Prydain, but High King stuck out as the best, the climatic ending to the fantasy saga. There's also a nice twist to the usual "hero-tale" formula.
9. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
10. (tie) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor and The Journey of Luke Skywalker: An Analysis of Modern Myth and Symbol by Steven A. Galipeau
Films
1.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by George Lucas
It's not bias of geekness. This is the best movie of the year. It is the best movie of the best movie saga. And therefore, it is (in my humble opinion) the best movie of all time. Ok, yes, this movie would probably be the top of the list considering I've been wanting to see it since I became a Star Wars geek in 1997. But it fullfilled every expectation and fangirl need. That epic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin was more than what I could have wanted. It contains the best lines of the saga ("You were the Chosen One! ...You were my brother, Anakin, I loved you."). It contains the best scenes of the saga (the duel, the birth of Anakin and the twins, Obi-Wan walking into the sun set). It was chock-full of symbolism and analysis-inducing goodies (light, dark, shadows, colors, tormented love). Yeah, I suppose giving the title of Best Movie Ever to a silly little space fairy tale with lazer swords and bird-lizard mounts is a touch pathetic. But, hey! I'm a literary chick. Lucas' brilliant and highly mythological saga (and particularly the tragic three-part drama of the prequels) is as allegorically real and true as Greek drama.
2. Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki
Kelsey, meet Mr. Miyazaki. Brilliant, beautiful animated folk tales. You're gonna love everything about everything he made. Princess Mononoke and Naussica of the Valley of the Winds also should be noted.
3. War of the Worlds by Steven Spielberg
I feel a bit silly giving the award for the best movie of this year (non-geek) to a crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster. But I loved this movie. It's a feast of symbolic analysis (the number three, the red plant, the ash and earth images), refreshing and real characters, and frightening images. The modern version of the fairy tale (aliens) told from the very-confused, human down-earth point of view. Just wonderful.
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Not only didn't it ruin one of my most beloved books, it treated it with such love and care that it captured the drama, fear, depth, and wonder of a child's reading of the book.
5. The 40 Year-Old-Virgin
If I thought this was going to be a typical teenage-directed fart-and-boobies comedy, I was beyond pleasantly surprised. A very clever and actually touching comedy about love and relationships.
6. Everything is Illuminated by Liev Schreiber
A filmmaker's rendering of the brilliant book keeps the spirit and themes of family and friendship in an unfullfilled quest. Great acting, amazing scenery, and clever cinematography and directing.
7. Wings of Desire
8. La Belle et La Bete by Jean Cocteau
9. House of Flying Daggers by Yimou Zhang
10. Way Down East by D.W. Griffith
Hot Guys of 2005
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi For the new Jedi stance alone! Plus, he's having a bad year, so he might as well win a beauty contest.
Severus Snape (a.k.a the Half-Blood Prince) You can't make us hate him, JKR!
Remus Lupin (and his sexy lapels)
Charlie Pace
Sayid Jarrah
G.O.B. Bluth
Jack Driscoll (hell, it's really Adrien Brody)
Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell)
Sean Finnerty (DILTF)
Elijah Wood and Eugene Hutz of Everything is Illuminated
