Top Ten Video Games of 2010

Here is a list of the Top Ten Video Games I played in 2010

1.  Red Dead Redemption (XBOX 360)
2.  God of War III (PS3)
3.  Super Mario Galaxy 2 (WII)
4.  Donkey Kong Country Returns (WII)
5.  Call of Duty: Black Ops (XBOX 360)
6.  Alan Wake (XBOX 360)
7.  Madden 11 (XBOX 360)
8.  Scott Pilgrim vs The World (XBOX 360)
9.  Halo: Reach (XBOX 360)
10.  Metroid: Other M (WII)

Now there are some games I haven't played that would probably make this list.  They are:

Epic Mickey (WII)
Mass Effect 2 (XBOX 360)
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
Kirby's Epic Yarn (WII)
GoldenEye (WII)

Top Ten Movies of 2010

Here is a list of the Top Ten Movies I saw in 2010.

1.  Inception
2.  Toy Story 3
3.  127 Hours
4.  Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
5.  The Social Network
6.  How to Train Your Dragon
7.  The Kids Are Alright
8.  Never Let Me Go
9.  Winter's Bone
10.  Kick-Ass

Now there are some big movies I haven't seen yet that may make it into my top ten once I see them.  Here are those films:

The Town
Black Swan
The Fighter
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
King's Speech

My Take on Paste Magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2010

Paste Magazine just released their picks for the Top 50 Albums of 2010/  The list can be found here: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/12/the-50-best-albums-of-2010.html

Out of the 50 albums they have listed, I have so far listened to 28 of them.  Because I have listened to more than half the albums, I've decided that I would start with the lowest ranked album on their list that, that I've listened to, and work my way up to number one. I will rank each album as I listen to them and see if I feel they should be higher or lower on the list.  Here is my list so far (I have placed the Paste ranking in parenthesis):

29. Phosphorescent: Here's to Taking it Easy (8)
28. Titus Andronicus: The Monitor (5)
27. Anais Mitchell: Hadestown (41)
26. Freelance Whales: Weathervanes (29)
25. Vampire Weekend: Contra (27)
24. Josh Ritter:  So Runs The World Away (38)
23. Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer of the Void (33)
22. Big Boi: Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty (37)
21. Beach House: Teen Dream (24)
20. She & Him: Volume 2 (30)
19. Girl Talk: All Day (34)
18. The Roots: How I Got Over (31)
17. Band of Horses: Infinite Arms (14)
16. Spoon: Transference (36)
15. Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer (18)
14. LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening (1)
13. Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues (15)
12. Frightened Rabbit: The Winter of Mixed Drinks (10)
11. Sleigh Bells: Treats (6)
10. Suckers: Wild Smile (20)
9. Lissie: Catching a Tiger (26)
8. Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More (3)
7. The Tallest Man on Earth: The Wild Hunt (22)
6. Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz (9)
5. Janelle Monae:  The ArchAndroid (2)
4. The National: High Violet (11)
3. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (4)
2. Local Natives: Gorilla Manor (48)
1. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs (7)

Top Ten Albums of 2010

1.  Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
2.  Local Natives: Gorilla Manor
3.  Kanye West:  My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4.  Avi Buffalo: Avi Buffalo
5.  The National:  High Violet
6.  Janelle Monae:  The ArchAndroid
7.  Sufjan Stevens:  The Age of Adz
8.  The Tallest Man on Earth: The Wild Hunt
9.  Mumford and Sons: Sign No More
10.  Lissie:  Catching a Tiger

2010 NFL Preview

Are you ready for some football???  I sure am.  Tonight is the first game of the 2010 National Football League schedule.  First up is the Minnesota Vikings playing at the New Orleans Saints.  This game is a rematch of last years NFC Championship game that New Orleans won and then ended up winning the Super Bowl.  Both Minnesota and New Orleans had high powered offenses last year that scored a ton of points and you can expect more of the same this season with both returning a majority of their offensive firepower.  But this is just the start of what should be a great season of football.

Most people know that my team is the Green Bay Packers and this season I am feeling a bit antsy.  Last season the Packers lost in a shootout with the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.  This year the expectations are extremely high, many are saying Super Bowl or bust.  I've spent the last couple days reading expert opinions and many have the Packers reaching the Super Bowl and some even have them winning it.  Most fans would probably love hearing that their team is good enough to make the Super Bowl, but to me that's a lot of pressure and can lead to major disappointments.  I did have the chance to see the Packers play in Seattle this preseason and they did look great, but you never know what will happen once the games start to count.  When you look at the Packers schedule you will see many tough, but winnable games.  Their first opponent is the Philadelphia Eagles, who are starting a new quarterback, Kevin Kolb.  The Packers on paper should easily win the game, but playing in Philly is never easy.  The Packers also play in a division that includes the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre and everyone knows that storyline.  Hopefully this season the Packers can go out and beat Favre.  The Packers will also play Dallas, the NY Jets, the Niners and New England, all Super Bowl contenders.

The expectations for the Packers are high and I would love for them to win the Super Bowl, but I'm not sure if I can handle another Super Bowl loss.  This is my favorite time of year and I will enjoy watching how the season plays out.  Hopefully all will work out and the Vince Lombardi Trophy will be coming back to the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  GO PACKERS!!!!!

Arcade Fire Live on YouTube

Tonight Arcade Fire is holding a live webcast of their concert at Madison Square Garden on YouTube.  Not gonna lie, I am excited for this show.  I've read on many occasions that Arcade Fire is incredible live, but being in the Inland Northwest I highly doubt they will play anywhere near here (well maybe Seattle).  This live webcast will give me the chance to finally see what an Arcade Fire show is all about.

Another thing I am looking forward to with the concert is that Terry Gilliam is set to direct the concert.  You may be asking who is Terry Gilliam?  Well he is the on of the guys behind Monty Python and the director of movies like 12 Monkeys, Brazil and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Heath Ledger's last film).  If you have every experienced anything Terry has done you know that his projects tend to be visually stunning.  Because of that I am interested to see what he has planned for a concert.

The combination of Arcade Fire and Terry Gilliam makes the concert a must see.  I highly recommend everyone tune in and check it out.  Here is the link for the webcast.

http://www.youtube.com/ArcadeFireVEVO

The concert starts at 7 pm PST.  Be sure to check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Arcade Fire's New Album "The Suburbs" Initial Thoughts

Today is the official release date for the new Arcade Fire called "The Suburbs".  I've spent the last few days listening to it and I love it.  I don't think it is quite as good as their debut album "Funeral", but I do enjoy it more than their last album "Neon Bible".

 

I would like to spend a little more time with the album before I give it a full detailed review.  I mean I have only been listening to it while working at my desk so it hasn't gotten 100% of my attention.  I am able to give a few insights about it though.  I would have to say my favorite song so far on the album is Modern Man.  I don't know what it is about it, but it's fun and when I first heard it I immediately enjoyed it.  The song right after Modern Man, Rococo is a great song to sing in the car.  Just repeating Rococo over and over again.


I feel like the first album packs more of a bunch and is more upbeat and enjoyable to listen to, while the later half just kind of strolls along with songs that tend to blend together.  My favorite song in the second half of the album is probably Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).  I think part of the reason for me enjoying this song is because Regina is the main singer so it's a nice change of pace from Win, the bands lead singer and Regina's husband.  I also really enjoy this line from the song: "Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains and theres no end in sight".  


I haven't really looked too much into the lyrics but the overall theme of the album is about suburbian life and the highs and lows of it.


Right now I would have to say that this album is my favorite of the year so far.  Arcade Fire has come out with another outstanding album and don't appear to be losing their touch.  I highly recommend the album and feel that people should start appreciating the good music that's out there and support a band like Arcade Fire.

Top Ten Albums of 2010 (so far)

1.  Local Natives: Gorilla Manor
2.  Suckers: Wild Smile
3.  The National:  High Violet
4.  Shearwater:  The Golden Archipelago
5.  Frightened Rabbit:  The Winter of Mixed Drinks
6.  The Tallest Man on Earth: The Wild Hunt
7.  Spoon:  Transference
8.  Broken Bells:  Broken Bells
9.  Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer of the Void
10.  Band of Horses:  Infinite Arms

Honorable Mention:  The Morning Benders, Titus Andronicus, Janelle Monae, Big Boi, The Roots, Avi Buffalo, Sleigh Bells, Josh Ritter

Inception Review

Masterpiece.  Incredible.  Amazing.  Easily the best film of 2010.  These are just a few of the words I would use to describe Inception.  For those of you that don't know Inception is the new film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the same director that made Memento and The Dark Knight.  Christopher Nolan apparently started writing this film when he was 16 and then spent the better part of the past 10 years perfecting it and perfecting it he did.

I should probably start with a little rundown of what the film is about, which may be hard to do without giving away to many details.  Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb, a man who is an expert at accessing peoples dreams and extracting information for them.  Cobb is hired by Saito, played by Ken Watanabe, to go beyond extracting information by trying to implant information instead.  This is known as Inception and it is something that has never really been tried before.  Cobb must construct a team that will help him complete this task.  Cobb recruits his usual partner, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), along with Eames (Tom Hardy), Ariadne (Ellen Page), and Yusuf (Dileep Rao).  The man whose mind they are to enter is Robert Fischer Jr (Cillian Murphy), he is the son and heir of a company that rivals Saito's.  This is where I should stop with the plot synopsis.

Once Cobb and his team enters Fischer's mind, that is where the fun begins.  This is when the mind boggling special effects start coming at you one after another.  One of the best scenes in the movie is one you may recall from the trailers.  This is where Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, Arthur, is in a hotel hallway and he encounters some security guards and the hallway begins to rotate.  Arthur and the security guards are chasing each other while climbing on the walls, ceiling and floor.  It's pretty hard to describe but when you see it, you can't help but be blown away.  This is just one of many scenes throughout Inception where you just shake your head and wonder how they did that.  I look forward to the DVD so I can watch the making of featurettes for these scenes.

I remember seeing The Dark Knight opening night and being blown away and feeling that it was absolutely incredible.  Once again that is how I walked out after seeing Inception.  When trying to decide which one I enjoyed more I have to say Inception.  With Inception there was not one single dull moment, I was never bored.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and kept being blown away with the special effects.  And after the movie you can't help but want to sit down and discuss it.  If you are like me you will immediately want to see it again.

Inception is by far the best movie of 2010.  It's got the action of a big summer blockbuster and a great original story that you don't see anymore in this age of remakes and sequels.  Go see Inception and be blown away.  You will want to see it multiple times and will have many highly entertaining discussions about it.  Stop reading this and go see it NOW!!!

Inception Preview

Today is the release day for the new Christopher Nolan film called Inception.  This is Nolan's first film since The Dark Knight which set box office records all over the place.  Inception has an incredible cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Caine.

Inception is a film that has been on my radar for quite sometime now, initially because I have enjoyed all of Christopher Nolan's films and lately because of how incredible the cast is and how original the story is.  One of my very first encounters with this film was a teaser website that was created that contained only a spinning top.  When I came across this website, I loved it.  It appeared that this movie would have the same viral marketing campaign that The Dark Knight had.  Thats also when I decided I wasn't going to engulf myself in the viral marketing like I did with The Dark Knight.  I decided that I was going to try and stay in the dark when it came to Inception.  I wasn't going to read any articles about it, watch any featurettes about it and learn to much about it's plot.  Inception just seems like the type of film where going in knowing nothing will make it more of an experience.

As the release date has gotten closer and closer it's been a lot harder to not find out too much about Inception.  One thing I have decided to let myself know is the reviews the film has been getting.  I haven't been reading the reviews word for word to prevent any major plot details and scene breakdowns but I have been reading the summaries to see if the reviews are positive or not.  Not surprisingly a majority of the reviews have been extremely positive.  Many of the reviews are calling Inception the best film of the year and Nolan's masterpiece.  They say that this could be the film that gives Christopher Nolan the Best Director Oscar nomination he so rightly deserves and a great chance to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars.  Not all the reviews have been positive.  A few of the negative reviews say that the film lacks emotion and can be quite confusing.  But given the strong nature of the positive reviews, I have extremely high expectations for this film.

Tonight I will be seeing Inception at the IMAX so stay tuned for a review.  I look forward to being blown away from this film like I was with The Dark Knight.