
Movies: 2005 was a pathetic year at the box office, and overall the decline in quality movies has continued in 2006. I'm not proud to admit I saw Artie Lange's Beer League in the theatre. But I did. And it was below average.
Best Comedy: "Borat" - I described it on the blog as a movie like none other I've ever seen. It pushed so many boundaries and has to be seen to be believed. I can honestly say I have never laughed as hard and for as long in the theatre as I did during this movie. The scene where he sings the Kazakhstan national anthem at the rodeo was unreal. You must rent it when it comes out if you haven't seen it.
Best Drama: "The Departed" - Leonardo DiCaprio proves yet again that he may be the best actor of my generation. He is not just a pretty face. This guy is a serious talent. His performance of an undercover cop in the mob world run by the villain, played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson, should earn him an Oscar. Matt Damon was great as well as the co-lead with DiCaprio. Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg were all sensational. Hands-down the best movie I have seen in the past 3-4 years.
Worst Movie: "Firewall" - Harrison Ford is a bank executive who's family gets kidnapped in order for these people to rob the bank of millions. Seriously, Ford has to be in his 60's, seeing him get beaten up and doing stunts at his age, yet having zero scratches on him is a joke and completely not believable. Not only that, the story was so far-fetched and ridiculously unrealistic. I almost walked out. In a word - garbage.
Most Overrated: "Talladega Nights" - Memo to Will Ferrell, you should have stopped after Anchorman. This movie got more hype and I literally didn't laugh once. The script couldn't have been less funny if it tried. Can we stop with the commercials for the DVD already? Anyone who buys it needs their head examined. Honorable Mention: "The Devil Wears Prada." Another overhyped movie that was a snoozer.
Most Underrated: "The Holiday" - I wrote about this earlier this week but as far as romantic comedies go, this movie very entertaining. Cameron Diaz normally doesn't do it for me (I have seen all of the online photos of her without makeup), but she looked good in this movie. Kate Winslet's character was very likable and for the first time since The School of Rock, I really enjoyed Jack Black.
Movies I Wish I Had Seen and Will have to Rent: "Little Miss Sunshine," "United 93," "An Inconvenient Truth."
I Want My Money Back: "The Break-Up" - slow, boring, and Jennifer Aniston is just so uninteresting to me. Is Vince Vaughn the same character in every movie or what?
Television: The landscape of TV has been taken over by bad sitcoms, bad reality TV, and now the re-emergence of game shows. Thanks goodness for Tivo as I never watch anything live. The shows that are appointment TV are becoming few and far between.
Best TV Show, Comedy: "Entourage" - This is more by default than anything. Not too many good comedies anymore. For the second year in a row, the boys from Queens rule this category. Predictably, the third season was not as crisp as the first two - we could have done without the Dom story line - but it all came together in the end. Highlight of the season was when Johnny Drama goes to Las Vegas and showers his male masseuse with attention.
Best TV Show, Drama: "Friday Night Lights" - In a mild upset over Grey's Anatomy, Lights is the best show that nobody is watching. It is very well done and not just about football. In fact, the football is secondary. Kyle Chandler is great as the football coach surrounded by sky-high expectations of the locals (Buddy Garrity), egotistical players (Smash), a daughter who now dates "QB-1," and a hot wife who is the guidance counsellor. The head cheerleader, the great Lila Garrity may be the hottest girl on TV right now.
Best TV Show, Reality: "Big Brother All Stars" - Going the all-star route usually means you have lost your steam. the is probably the case, but all of our favorite (Dr. Will, Janelle, Kaysar) and least favorite (Danielle, Jase) BB cast mates were holed this past summer and made for some quality television watching. Nothing better than watching eventual winner Mike Boogie hooking up with Erika one minute and calling her a slut to the cameras the next. Its on three nights a week and thanks to Tivo, I never missed an episode.
Worst TV Show, Comedy: "Lucky Louie" - You are probably saying to yourself, what is this show? Exactly. HBO made its first foray into the sitcom world and failed miserably. It was so crass that it made the show unappealing even to the Howard Stern-loving crowd like me. Simply put - not funny in the least bit. It was cancelled before the season even ended.
Worst TV Show, Drama: "The O.C." - I watched one episode of this show this season and I was done. The first two seasons were great. Last season almost lost me, and not surprisingly it is on the verge of getting cancelled. How bad has it gotten? Case in point - in the first season, the best looking girl in school, Summer, was classically bitchy, all the guys were in love with her, wasn't a good student, and would freak if she broke a nail. Fast forward to season four, she is at Brown University, became a hippy, and is the nicest person around. So cliche.
Worst TV Show, Reality: "The Hills" - This Laguna Beach spin-off followed the great "L.C" as she went to fashion school and worked at Teen Vogue in LA. (p.s. Am I a real man or what?) The worst part of the show was her on-again, off-again relationship with her boyfriend Jason, who happens to be the biggest poser out there (he was arrested in the middle of Time Square earlier this year with coke in his pocket). After every episode, I'd turn to Leah and say "I am never watching this crap again." Honorable Mention: Laguna Beach, season 3.
Most Underrated TV Show: "Big Love" - Other than Rafal, I know nobody watching this show about a likable polygamist and his problems. Bill Paxton is brilliant in his role as the sole provider for his three wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin) and numerous children, all while battling the outside pressures of the illegality of polygamy, his business (Hendrickson Home Place), and his silent partner and father in law Roman, played by Harry Dean Stanton. Nothing is easy for Hendrickson's. It sounds confusing, but you should all climb aboard for season two. Honorable Mention: "What About Brian."
Most Overrated Show: "Studio 60" - I gave this show a chance. The pilot episode was brilliant and I thought it was destined for greatness. Week after Week the hype was still there, but the content was lacking. The show is centered around the inner-workings of a Saturday Night Live type show. Writer Aaron Sorkin essentially does nothing but push his liberal agenda on all of his viewers and it doesn't come off well at all. Amanda Peet is playing a supposedly likable character, yet as usual it doesn't work for her. Honorable Mention: "The Office." - I just don't get it.
Sports: Again, I watch too many sports, but with the baby coming, 2006 will probably be the last year for a long while that I watch the amount of games I normally do. And the envelopes please....
Game of the Year: Texas 41 USC 38 - On January 4, 2006, the legend of Vince Young was cemented. The Texas QB put on maybe the greatest single game performance on college football history, single-handedly willing his Longhorns to the National Championship against a USC team seeking a three-peat. USC had more talent than the Longhorns, two Heisman Trophy winners in Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, a horse power back in Lendale White, and first round picks all over the Defense. Yet, Young picked them apart with his arm and his legs. It was truly a pleasure to witness.
Team of the Year: Ohio State Buckeyes - I know the season has yet to be complete, but in a year where the World Series champs (St. Louis) may be the worst title holder in baseball history, The Super Bowl champs (Pittsburgh) needed a miracle tackle (vs Indy) and a ton of help from the refs (vs. Seattle) to win it all, The NBA Finals champs essentially didn't turn it on until the playoffs (Miami), and the college hoops champs (Florida) were underwhelming, only the Buckeyes were dominant from start to finish. They were #1 in August and still are #1 and blew everyone away in the process.
Performance of the Year: Vince Young 267 yards passing, 200 yards rushing, 3 TD's in the National Championship game - See above. I have seen a lot of football, but I have never been wowed the way I was that night. It was Jordan-esque.
Goat of the year: Terrell Owens - What a jackass. I despise this attention whore. He is nothing but a problem for every team he plays for. He faked a hamstring injury so he didn't have to practice during training camp. He talks incessantly just to make sure he stays in the press. When nobody was talking about him, he allegedly tried to kill himself by overdosing on pills, then had a news conference the next day to say it wasn't true. The latest is T.O. spitting in the face of Atlanta's DeAngelo Hall, admitting it, then denying it the next day. I wish he would just go away.
Tribe Moment of the Year: Kevin Kouzmanoff's Grand Slam on his first career at-bat - There wasn't a lot to cheer about at the Jake this past season, but this deserves mention. Pretty amazing for the Tribe prospect to step up to the plate for the first time and belt a grand slam on the first pitch he sees in Texas. His reward? Kouzmanoff was traded this offseason for 2B Josh Barfield.
Kansas Basketball Moment of the Year: KU knocks off Texas 80-68 to win the Big 12 tournament in Dallas: in front of a pro-Texas crowd, the young Jayhawks, with three Freshman and Two Sophomores starting, dominated the highly ranked Longhorns. they were flying high and finished the regular season winning 15 of 16 games. Unfortunately, that momentum didn't carry over to the NCAA Tournament.
Cavaliers Moment of the Year: Lebron James Leads the Cavaliers to a 3-2 lead in the conference Semifinals against Detroit - Watching the comeback in game 5 on the road brought me back to the days of Nance, Price, Daughrety, and Harper. Only a missed rebound kept the Cavs from winning this series. Honorable Mention: Damon Jones's last second three knocks the Washington Wizards out of the playoffs in game 6. Nothing like a guy who hasn't played all game, coming off the bench cold, down two, and knocking down a three to win the game and end the series.
Browns Moment of the Year: Derek Anderson comes off the bench to lead a 14 point comeback win against Kansas City 31-28 - There really isn't a moment other than this. The Browns are a joke. But this game was like old times down at the lakefront. For more
read this.
1 comment:
Coming from a huge tv watcher and Friday Night Lights and Big Brother fan (one of the only ones out there)...have you given Ugly Betty a chance? It's way up there for new comedy shows...Would I ever steer you wrong?
Post a Comment