Farewell, 2010

While the best part of 2010 was the birth of my beautiful niece, Avery Jane, the best individual moment was easily Landon Donovan's goal in extra time to send the US to the knockout stage of the World Cup.  With the game played in the morning, I worked late the night before and woke up early to get some more work done before the game.  The Lucas boys came over to watch in my awesome US Flag foldup chairs.  The three of us half-jumped out of those chairs many times throughout the game, only to quietly sit back down in frustration after another missed chance or terrible refereeing decision.  But then Tim Howard made a save in extra time and flung the ball halfway downfield to set up the goal.  Our reaction was similar to what you see here in my favorite internet video of the year: 

If you haven't seen that video before, I highly recommend taking five minutes to do so.  I could watch it a million times, and the smile on my face would never go away.  Here's a video of the goal itself: 

And highlights from the game:

I'll be wearing one of my jerseys tonight in honor of my favorite non-Jayhawk team.  I hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year's Eve.  I will be back tomorrow with my top albums of 2010.

The Coen Brothers

There aren't many directors working today who get me rushing to the theater to see their movies.  Now that I think of it, the Coen Brothers are the only directors who qualify.  True Grit was this year's traditional Christmas Day movie for the Roberts clan, and it was quite an improvement over last year's debacle, Sherlock Holmes.  Immediately after seeing it, I had to rank my Coen Brothers movies.  Here's how I see it:

1) The Big Lebowski

There is little question about what movie takes the top spot.  I first saw Lebowski at a theater in Oxford, Ohio in the spring of 1998. I wasn't a huge Coen fan at that point, but I loved Fargo, and Raising Arizona and The Hudsucker Proxy amused me.  Little did I know I would be starting an obsession.  I saw it again a few weeks later when it finally made it to Grinnell, Iowa. It was one of my first DVDs, and I'm pretty sure former roommate Mark and I watched it 5 times the summer after we graduated. The wonderful Screenland Theater here in Kansas City plays it the last Friday of every month, and I've seen it there 5 or 6 times, Caucasian in hand. No matter how many times I see it, Lebowski has me howling from start to finish.  My favorite character?  Probably John Turturro as Jesus Quintana, but that changes with each viewing.

2) O Brother, Where Art Thou

Second on the list is another easy one. Only Lebowski makes me laugh harder among the Coen movies.  While the soundtrack is one of the all-time greats, the dialogue and the cast really make this movie.  Supporting actors tend to get noticed by the Oscars, but only one lead actress/actor has ever received a nomination in a Coen Brothers film: Frances McDormand in Fargo.  I'll never understand how George Clooney couldn't even get a nomination for O Brother. Maybe he was too close to his days playing Doug Ross in ER.  Regardless, this is my favorite Clooney performance in a long line of great roles. "Damn! We're in a tight spot!"

3) The Man Who Wasn't There

This movie never got the recognition it deserved.  Thanks to cinematographer Roger Deakins, Coen Brothers movies always look great, but this may be my favorite visually to go along with another flawless score from Carter Burwell.  In a twist from his normal work, Billy Bob Thornton is at his most restrained here.  If it were up to me, this would have made two years in a row that a Coen leading man would have won the Best Actor Oscar.  Denzel's lifetime achievement award was a makeup from him getting ripped off in 1992.

4) Fargo

Helloooooooo, woodchipper!  If that's a spoiler, get Fargo on Netflix immediately.  Frances McDormand rightly won Best Actress in what should have been an impossible role.  Fargo maintains such a dark tone, yet somehow manages big laughs that never distract.  It's one of my favorite performances in any movie.  Repeated viewings only make Fargo funnier.

5) No Country for Old Men

The first 20-25 pages of this Cormac McCarthy novel had me afraid Anton Chigurh was going to hunt me down, and the rest of the novel kept up the tension.  It's my favorite McCarthy book.  Somehow, the movie equaled the book.  Being There is the only other movie I can think of that pulled off the double so well.

6) Blood Simple

I really liked this movie when I saw it as a freshman in high school.  I loved it when I saw it again in college.  Now it's one of my favorites.

7) True Grit

Having rewatched the original recently, there is little comparison between the two movies.  Hailee Steinfeld steals this movie from a phenomenal cast.  Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors, and he is hilarious here, but he takes a backseat to Ms. Steinfeld, Matt Damon, and the tremendous Barry Pepper.  I saw an interview where Damon said he modeled his performance after Tommy Lee Jones.  He nailed it, though it doesn't feel derivative in any way.  Pepper fills the Robert Duvall role from the original and somehow left a lasting impression in less than five minutes of screen time.  A nearly flawless movie.  If Toy Story 3 hadn't come out this year, it would be my Best Picture choice right now.

8) Miller's Crossing

While it may be the only Irish gangster movie I've seen, the next one has a lot to live up to.  

9) Intolerable Cruelty

Another one that doesn't get as much credit as it deserves.  The dialogue and Clooney's performance had me cracking up from start to finish.

10) Raising Arizona

The last time I saw this movie was 18 years ago when I was 14, so another viewing would probably elevate its ranking.  14-year old me found it funny, but I'm sure a lot of it went over my head.

11) Burn After Reading

Not my favorite, but the two J.K. Simmons scenes are among the funniest in any Coen Brothers movie.  I love the cast, but Brad Pitt's performance didn't match the tone.  Then again, Clooney, McDormand, and especially Richard Jenkins nailed it.

12) The Hudsucker Proxy

Another one i haven't seen since i was a kid, but I laughed quite a bit.  Probably time for another viewing.

13) Barton Fink

The first one I didn't really like.  It has its moments, as well as a great cast.

14) The Ladykillers

A big misfire.  The Coens normally do screwball better than anyone, but there wasn't much I liked about The Ladykillers.  I didn't even like J.K. Simmons much.

15) A Serious Man

Oh boy.  Maybe I didn't understand A Serious Man because I don't understand Jewish culture, but nothing about this movie made sense.  The less said, the better.

Let me know what you think.

Myintrotoletuknow

No, this blog is not about mashed potatoes, though I do love them.


I've tried this before, but maybe I'll keep it going this time. Movies, music, books, and TV are constants in my life, and hopefully I can bring some good stuff to your attention, dear reader, while steering you away from the bad.  The Jayhawks, Royals, and Chiefs will certainly make their appearances, and my favorite local restaurants and bars will have their day, but That Kind of Party will mostly revolve around my love of popular culture.  I hope you like it, even if "you" only consists of my immediate family.