I know, I know. It’s not like The Melon to present too many substance-less items, but hey, I figured I’d share some of my year’s favorites with my fellow Melonites.
BEST FILM OF 2009:
World’s Greatest Dad
There’s little I can say about this movie without giving it all away. Robin Williams has had his hits and misses over the years, but this dark comedy had me laughing when I thought I should be crying and crying when I thought I should be laughing. Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, World’s Greatest Dad takes you on a remarkable ride spanning every emotion, and taps into the core of sociology and what each and every one of us is capable of. Don’t miss this film.
Runner Up:
District 9
What’s remarkable about District 9 is not it’s great SFX or even its interesting commentary on discrimination. What I love about this movie is the fact that it watches like a hardcore science fiction book and plays to a mainstream audience without gratuitous action. D-9 puts an alien spaceship over Johannesburg, South Africa. What follows over the next 28 years is the establishment of a refugee camp for aliens aboard the ship. Government Agent Wikus Van De Merwe is in charge of this refugee camp and becomes the aliens’ unlikely ally, when he is exposed to an alien chemical that is slowly mutating him.
Honorable Mention:
Inglorious Bastards
I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome this movie is. I constantly feel iffy about Quintin Tarantino, but he delivers full force in this strong piece, which features great dialogue and iconic suspense.
BEST BLOG OF 2009:
Those of you who know me, know of my involvement in the Organic and Agriculture industries, which is why it should come as no surprise that my number one pick for blogs this year is Marks’ Daily Apple. Written by Mark Sisson, MDA focuses on living a primal lifestyle (primal meaning eating and approaching fitness from a caveman’s perspective). There are a lot of blogs out there that focus on this lifestyle of nutrition and fitness, but MDA seems to be the only one with the full spectrum of analysis, dispelling myths and presenting well-collected research. For anyone looking to better understand the human body and the fuel we require, I recommend this blog.
Honorable Mention:
Robb Wolf - http://robbwolf.com/ – Another fitness and nutrition blog.
BEST RADIO PROGRAM OF 2009:
Hands down, in 2009, I had way more fun drawing or doing other random work listening to RadioLab than I did listening or watching anything else. Hands down! NPR’s RadioLab presents hour-long explorations of various exciting topics from parasites (some of which that live in most cat owners and are making them more lethargic) to death and the afterlife. For anyone with a scientific curiosity or just curiosity in general, check out RadioLab. Not only will you not be disappointed, but you’ll be instantly addicted.
BEST COMIC OF 2009:
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
A close second are the comics of every CLAW member found on Feed>>Tacoma’s comic page.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2009:
Picking just one favorite album of the year proved to be a difficult task, which I why I’ll present my top three.
Discovery – LP
Mixing electronic with alternative, Discovery is the dark horse of albums this year. The only way I can describe this album is cool. So get on it.
Passion Pit – Manners
High pitched, poppy and funky, Passion Pit’s Manners is a joyride, that’ll have you attempting to sing along in falsetto. You might recognize one of their songs from a car commercial, but really, everything on this album is great. Passion Pit may be the MGMT of 2009, so we’ll have to see how they evolve, but for now being that type of band ain’t at all bad.
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix has been around for a while. Since the late 90′s actually. The french group released their first album in 2000, and while it has the same iconic, new age tunes present on their 2009 release, hadn’t seen the height of popularity in America until this new album. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has some great poppy, sing along tunes that will make you think “Hell yeah, this makes me happy,” and some other more mellow tunes along the “this really touches me, in a uplifting sort of way” songs. So if you’re interested in that sort of feeling check out this album.
Honorable Mention:
Bag Raiders
The Galvatrons – Laser Graffiti
Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
ELECTRIC ELLIOT’S NEW PROJECTS OF 2009:
Bob the Dog – I’ve been drawing this comic since 2004, but after a year hiatus, I’ve started it up again on a brand new website.
The Fuck Yeah – My “interesting stuff” blog where I post interest items found while wasting my mind on the internet.
Trailer Hater – Where the typical reviewer looks at just the movies, Trailer Hater examines the art of movie trailer exclusively.
I am the greatest chef in the world – Yeah. I got that URL. I’m no chef, but I am adamant about eating good, healthy food. Join me as I journey through some modest recipes and evolve into the greatest chef in the world.
Minutaur.com – Have you ever wanted to own your own day, or your own moment in time? Well you can on minutaur.com. Take a look, you won’t be disappointed.
Finally, in the year 2009, I filmed the first interview of a new, feature documentary I have decided to develop. I’m not going to present the concept just yet, but my first interview was with Ernest Callenbach, author of Ecotopia.
What are some of your favorites of the year? Favorite website? Favorite book? Let us at The Melon know in the comments. Oh, and happy new year.
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