Best of the Decade: Etc. Issue

{Originally published in Loomings as a four part series, examining the decade in pop culture (since the counting of years started with 1 and not zero, the decade didn't truly end until 2011). Excluding articles I had no part in at all (and therefor it would be wrong to repost without permission), I'm posting here the complete issues, including introductions}

Introduction

    It been a hell of a decade for…stuff. Look, we covered movies in one issue, TV the next, music after that, and now we’re at the last of our decade retrospective series, the everything else. In this issues we’re gonna look at theatre, literature, videogames, basically the stuff that’s not popular enough to carry an issue on it’s own, I’m sad to say.

    Theatre has continued struggling, with high ticket prices and a bad economy, plus overall lack of interest in theatre, delivering a crippling blow. A year that saw the loss of fabulous playwrights Harold Pinter, George Furth, Ira Levin, and Arthur Miller also saw the near death of plays themselves, as box office for non-musical theatre almost became non-existent. Unless a play had a celebrity of a tap dance this decade, they were usually limited engagements, and not always by choice. Spalding Grey, Natasha Richardson and Jerry Orbach also took their final bows this year.

    Let’s move on, though, from the subject of the death of the spoken word to the death of the written one. There were some stellar novels that came out this decade. Unfortunately, most people were two busy reading The Secret, The Da Vinci Code and Twilight to bother with them. Literature’s largest blow was not any author’s death so much as the minimal caring the general public had for it. When Brando or Michael Jackson died, the public mourned (Hell, they’re still mourning Jackson. A year later). But when you look at the losses the literary world suffered, be it those who never got their full appreciation in their lifetime (Jim Carroll, Roberto Bolaño, Steig Larsson), those who etched their names into literary history forever (Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Norman Mailer, John Updike, J.D. Salinger, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Ken Kesey, Douglas Adams, Saul Bellow, Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard, Betty Friedan, Susan Sontag, Frank McCourt) or those who left us far too soon, with unfinished wok in their wake (Robert Jordan, Michael Crichton and two of my literary heroes, Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace); when you look at these many names I’ve listed, ask yourself, did the news ever even mention these names? What does it say for society when literary giants can pass into the mystic without a whimper, but Charlie Sheen assaults a porn star, and the media coverage is massive.

    However, from the ashes of these two fading art forms, a new storytelling art took shape. Videogames became a new way to explore worlds of fantasy and new looks at reality, creating a fully immersive, totally interactive story in which players became the protagonist, faced their ups and downs, struggled with their struggles and so on.

    We do have a great issue for you this week, with lists of the top 20 video games, theatre, and literature of the decade, our conclusion of our Subversive Pop Songs series, and a new Bobby the Pink comic.

The 20 Best Video Games of the Decade

1) Rockstar Games (1998- )2) Call of Duty series (2003- )3) Madden series (1988- )4) Mass Effect series (2007- )5) World of Warcraft (2004- )6) Halo series (2001- )7) The Orange Box (2007)8) Bioshock (2008)9) Fallout 3 (2008)10) God of War series (2005-)11. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)12. Guitar Hero/Rock Band (2005- )13. Gears of War Series (2006- )14. Kingdom Hearts Series (2002- )15. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots (2008)16. Uncharted 2 (2009)17. Resident Evil 4 (2005)18. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)19. Left 4 Dead Series (2008)20. Dead Space (2008)

Honorable Mentions:
-SOCOM: US Navy Seals
-Dead Rising
-Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
-Gran Turismo
-Super Smash Bros 

The 20 Best Books of the Decade

1) The Corrections by Jonathon Franzen (2001)

When Franzen, after years of absence, released his newest novel Freedom, it sparked a sense of nostalgia in the minds of the literary community, taking us back to 2001, fresh off of Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius, waiting for the next literary wunderkind. Well, when Franzen’s tome of the trials and tribulations of the Lambert family hit shelves, we knew we‘d found him. “The Correction, when it finally came, was not an overnight bursting of a bubble but a much more gentle let-down, a year-long leakage of value from key financial markets…”states Franzen, in reference to the economic decline facing the country after the economic boom of the 90’s, a fact that looms over the Lamberts like a dark cloud over the town of St. Jude. Franzen’s novel encapsulates a decade before that decade was even truly underway, and proves to be one of the best literary works in recent memory.
2) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)

This post-apocalyptic Pulitzer Prize winner about a father and son journey has been lauded as one of the greatest novels of our age, and the critical tongue bath is entirely deserved. McCarthy masterpiece is endlessly engrossing, and does what great literature should: it sparks different interpretations, from my own deeming of it as a statement on the collapse of a patriarchy within a man’s head to George Monbiot saying it “…could be the most important environmental book ever”.
3) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (2005)

Originally at #9 on my list, after careful consideration, the first (and by a landslide best) of the late Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy lands at #3 for several reasons. The primary being it’s introduction of the best female figure in recent literature, Lisbeth Salander, but also it’s fascinating stand alone mystery story, and being the best written of the “must read” books this decade, a title typically bestowed on the likes of Dan Brown or Stephanie Meyers.
4) Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)

To describe Atonement as a novel about people during wartime is to miss the whole point. In fact, to describe Atonement at all is a crime. A rich novel as much on the nature of writing as on the fickle nature of humanity and guilt, it needs to be read to be appreciated. McEwan is at the top of his game, from his word choice to his creation of the heartbreakingly relatable Briony Tallis.
5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (2007)

The conclusion to the game changing Harry Potter series is also the best. Rowling’s books chart the growth of a young boy from the onset of puberty (oh, and his entrance into Hogwarts. That too) to the inevitable entrance into and acceptance of manhood, and it is that maturity that shines the most in the final novel, with drama so strong and engrossing, Rowling herself outgrows the title of “great children’s author” to simply “great author”.
6) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)

The wunderkind who brought us The Virgin Suicides (which would become a huge success cinematically for director Sophia Coppola) returned in 2002 with a triumphant novel of identity and Greek-American culture, penning a protagonist, Cal Stephanides, so engaging that some critics have called for dubbing Middlesex the Great American Novel. As you can tell by our list, we didn’t go that far, but we will admit it’s an absolute modern classic, and well worth the read.
7) The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich (2009)

The basis for The Social Network. 'Nuff said.
8) The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy by Bill Simons (2009)

Where to start with Bill Simmons gargantuan basketball book? Well, certainly a lot of books about sports came out this decade. But Simmons doesn’t just spit out facts. He corrects mistakes he perceives, he laces the book with humor and insight, and at 736 pages, gives you all the info all but the most devout hoops fanatics would ever need. What shines through most in Simmons books, unlike so many sports books, is his sheer passion for the sport.
9) Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nifisi (2003)

Azar Nafisi’s stirring memoir strikes at the heart. Here in America, one is a social pariah for owning Nabokov’s infamous novel of pedophilic fantasy. Imagine for a moment being part of a far more oppressive society an trying to read it. Though the memoir doesn’t just discuss Nabokov, no, far from it. Instead, we enter the lives of a women’s reading group in Tehran, and discover it’s just like Oprah’s book club, except with the ever impending fear of oppression.
10) Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin (2005)

In a decade where autism finally got the attention and nation-wide concern it deserved, Temple Grandin and her 2005 book Animals in Translation stood tall as a testament to overcoming adversity, as a way to help people connect to loved ones with autism, and indeed as a reminder of how much we knew and how much more we had to learn.

And the rest...

11.) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001)
12.) Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (2001)
13.) 2666 by Roberto Bolano (2004)
14.) Just Kids by Patti Smith (2010)
15.) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon (2003)
16.) The Lovely Bones by Alice Seibold (2002)
17.) The Kindly Ones by Jonahton Littell (2009)
18.) Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (2005)
19.) The Universe in a Nutshell by Prof. Stephen Hawking (2002)
20.) I Hope The Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max (2006)

Honorable Mention:
-The Dark Tower’s Completion
-Augusten Burroughs, Chuck Klosterman, and Chuck Palahnuik’s careers.
-Stephanie Meyer’s skill at watering down Buffy and making young girls’ virginity anxieties into something bankable.
- Dan Brown’s ability to write predictable, bland books that sell like hotcakes. Bland, bland hotcakes.

The 20 Best Plays/Musicals of the Decade

Editor's Note: In retrospect, I completely underestimated the brilliance of The Producers, having been soured by the dreadful film adaptation. If I could go back, I would perhaps have that top the list. Eh well.

1) Spring Awakening- Duncan Sheik/Steven Slater (2006)

Duncan Sheik’s brain-baby was deemed “the next Rent” by theatre critics, and indeed developed the biggest Broadway geek following I’d seen since Elphaba defied gravity. Spring Awakening is a rock opera re-imagining of an 1800’s German play about sexual repression in teenagers leading to pregnancy, abortion, gay teen suicide, and lots and lots of masturbation. I mean lots. There’s a whole song about it. But it’s the shows construct, and not just the sex (though it did allow me to see Glee’s Lea Michelle topless), that really changes the game. In an effort to conquer the problem of characters just randomly bursting into song, Sheik uses tracks like “Left Behind”, “Whispering” and the show-stopping unprintable title “Totally F****d” to act as the interior monologues for the tormented characters. Just look at “And Then There Were None” has Hamlet’s soliloquy set to a six-string. Oh, and fun fact: If you haven’t seen the show, it’s coming to Tilles this Spring (Ed. Note: Obviously, it came and went). Just saying.

2) The History Boys- Alan Bennett (2006)

Without a doubt, the best pro-male-on-male-student-teacher-sex play ever brought to the Broadway stage. Alan Bennett’s Tony award winning play is an emotionally engaging meditation on education, sexuality, and the grey area in between. With a cast including Richard Griffiths and Dominic Cooper, who both appeared in the brilliant film adaptation, The History Boys is a once in a lifetime play, and one I’m certainly proud came in my lifetime.

3) The Last Five Years- Jason Robert Brown (2003)

Stephen Sondheim, undoubtedly the most innovative musical composer of the 20th century, unveiled his last great show, Passions, in 1994. Grabbing the baton of innovation from him was Jason Robert Brown, who’s 1995 Songs From A New World showed signs of potential, potential that fully paid off in 2002, with The Last Five Years. Telling the story in both chronological and reverse chronological order, JRB crafts his answer to Sondhem’s Company, and revitalized creative stage storytelling.

4) Doubt: A Parable- John Patrick Shanley (2005)

While the only play higher up than Doubt is about child molestation in schools, this play tackles very different subject matter: possible child molestation in church. A striking example of tackling a contemporary issue and revealing the underlying eternal themes: jealousy, the struggle of tradition against progress, the venomous nature of rumor, and of course, the power of doubt. See it as our generation’s Crucible, if you like, but I prefer to see Sister Aloysius as our new Nurse Ratchett.

5) Wicked- Stephen Schwartz/Winnie Holzman (2003)

How…many…times…did some girl in high school audition with “Defying Gravity”? How many times did you hear the cutesy “Popular” screeched out by barely pubescent voices? The first musical to cash in on the incredible disposable income of tween girls and their parents, Wicked proved to be a fantastic stage spectacle from the mind that brought us Godspell and Pippin, and a touching story of friendship one would be soulless to describe as “girly”.

6) Next to Normal- Brian Yorkey/Tom Kitt (2009)

A musical following the life of a mother with bi-polar disorder as her condition gradually worsens and takes it’s toll on her family. A feel good night at the theatre this ain’t, but powerful? You aren’t gonna find anything more moving on the stage today. No superheroes fly around on strings, but from the opening notes of “Superboy and the Invisible Girl”, as Natalie sings about how her mother ignores her and continues to do things for Natalie’s brother, who has been dead 16 years, you realize this is a once in a lifetime show.

7)The Producers- Mel Brooks/Thomas Meehan (2001)

The record holder for most Tony awards for a single show, Mel Brooks’ first Broadway foray turned out to be a bigger success than the show within a show, Springtime for Hitler. Based off of Brooks’ supremely funny film of the same title, with an original cast including Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, every  muttered joke and over-the-top production number sells this show as the staple of Broadway we all  hope it becomes.

8) Red- John Logan

John Logan takes what could probably be a simple story (famous painter Marc Rothko paints a red canvas for a hotel commission), and turns it into a gripping drama of old v. young, as Rothko’s assistant Ken dissects him throughout the play, tearing at everything any fan of Rothko’s work (myself included) ever believed in. On top of that, the play contains what is undoubtedly the greatest single line in theatre this decade. “There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend... One day the black will swallow the red.”

9) Avenue Q- Robert Lopez/Jeff Marx/Jeff Whitty (2003)

Foul mouthed puppets. Come on. Need I say more?

10) I Am My Own Wife- Doug Wright (2003)

Can I admit something? One man shows typically suck. They’re usually bawdy, self-indulgent, overly long crap pieces. So when I purchased my ticket to see Doug Wright’s one man show based on the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite who survived Nazi Germany, I had low expectations. Yet even if I had expected an instant classic, I would not have been prepared for the beauty, humor, and humanity I experienced.

And the rest...

11.) August: Osage County- Tracy Letts (2007)
12.) Urinetown- Mark Hollman/Greg Kotis (2001)
13.) The Pillowman- Martin McDonough (2003)
14.) God of Carnage- Yasmina Reza (2006)
15.) The Drowsy Chaperone- Bob Martin/Don McKellar (2006)
16.) In the Heights- Lin-Manuel Miranda/Quiara Alegría Hudes (2008)
17.) Take Me Out- Richard Greenberg (2003)
18.) The Goat: or, Who Is Sylvia?- Edward Albee (2002)
19.) The Coast of Utopia- Tom Stoppard (2002)
20.) Hairspray- Marc Shaiman/ Scott Wittman (2002)

Honorable Mention:
- Tony Kushner for following up his masterful modern classic, 1991’s Angels in America, with the dreadfully slow drudgery of Caroline, or Change (2004).
- Stephen Sondheim for despite releasing three blah shows this decade (one of which was just a re-titling of another), reclaiming his crown as the king of musical theatre by…releasing a book of old lyrics, as a big krup you to the world.

Best of the Decade: Music Issue

{Originally published in Loomings as a four part series, examining the decade in pop culture (since the counting of years started with 1 and not zero, the decade didn't truly end until 2011). Excluding articles I had no part in at all (and therefor it would be wrong to repost without permission), I'm posting here the complete issues, including introductions}

Introduction

So, rather than write an intro to this week’s issue of Loomings, our retrospective of this decade in music (which would mean not acknowledging the digital music revolution, nor the loss of legends like Johnny Cash, Luciano Pavarotti, George Harrison, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Michael Jackson), I figured I’d be better off providing a who’s who for our cover, which is a recreation of the album cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Personal note: if you didn’t know that already, I don’t think I’ll care for you much as a person).

1. ) Tre Cool (Green Day)2.) Beck3.) Alison Kraus4.) Anthony Keidis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)5.) "Tunde" Adebimpe (TV On The Radio)6.) Taylor Swift7.) Dr. Dre8.) Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon)9.) Chris Martin (Coldplay)10.) Serj Tankian (System of a Down)11.) Alicia Keys12.) Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)13.) Fiona Apple14.) Bob Dylan15.) The Edge (U2)16.) Avey Tare (Animal Collective)17.) Mike Dirnt (Green Day)18.) Andrew VanWyngarden (MGMT)19.) Win Butler (Arcade Fire)20.) Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley)21.) Cee-Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley)22.) Thom Yorke (Radiohead)23.) Missy Elliott24.) Beyonce25.) Damien Rice26.) Robert Plant27.) Panda Bear (Animal Collective)28.) James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem)29.) Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)30.) Matt Berninger (The National)31.) Karen O (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs)32.) Marketa Irglova (The Swell Season, Once Soundtrack)33.) Brandon Flowers (The Killers)34.) One of the Followills, either Jared or Matthew, we can’t tell them apart, really (Kings of Leon)35.) The other Followill, the on that’s not Ivan, Caleb, or #34 (Kings of Leon)36.) Glen Hansard (The Frames, The Swell Season, Once Soundtrack)37.) Benjamin Goldwasser (MGMT)38.) Andre 3000 (Outkast)39.) Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)40.) Dave Matthews41.) Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips)42.) Bono (U2)43.) Bruce Springsteen44.) Régine Chassagne45.) Justin Timberlake46.) Lil Wayne47.) Antoine Dodson48.) Britney Spears49.) Norah Jones50.) Ivan Followill (Kings of Leon)51.) Robert LaRosa (Bob Vanderlay and the Mystery Box)52.) Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)53.) 50 Cent54.) Daft Punk55.) Lady Gaga56.) Jack White (The White Stripes)57.) Johnny Cash58.) 2-D (Gorillaz)59.) Murdock (Gorillaz)60.) Kanye’s “Drop Out” Bear (Same as bear on opposite)61.) Kanye West62.) Jay-Z63.) Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather)64.) Eminem
We have a great issue this week. We’ll give you our picks for the top 50 albums of the decade, a look back at the bottom of the barrel, another installment of the Subversive Pop Songs series, and the long awaited return of Bobby the Pink. As I always say, any comments, questions, or requests for an evening of dinner and a movie (We’d go Dutch, though. I’m sorta outta work now), drop a line to loomingscwp@gmail.com.

The Biggest Disappointment of the Decade (Music)

(article by Tom Lorenzo, with an editor's note by myself)

What can someone say about the state of modern music?  It is in turmoil, for sure.  The internet has destroyed music.  Like they said in The Social Network, the record companies may have won in courts but they lost in the big picture.  Music has just become a tiresome act of everyone trying to be pop-y and same old same old.  No big risks or nothing different.  Rap has taken over rock as the dominant new genre, but even then it isn’t what everyone thought it would be after Eminem showed up, and the bottom fell out of the rock and roll barrel. With a few exceptions, rock is dead. There were barely any rock songs on the top 100 this year. It’s a shame, but while one can say that it’s sad to see the younger generation fail hard, it’s a little harder to see the older more established acts fail.  

            In rock’s corner, the biggest fail is Metallica’s St. Anger*. After 5 years, Metallica was making a new record and they promised it would be a return to the hard rock they mastered in the 80’s and early 90’s.  They had taken a detour in the mid to late 90s with some blues hard rock, but St Anger was assured be the return of the kings of heavy metal. 2003 came and the album dropped…and it dropped like a sack of coins. It was an unmitigated disaster. I don’t know how this album didn’t break them up, but it would have killed any other band’s career. From {front man James} Hetfield’s horrible sounding screaming; to Lars’ drums sounding like pots and pans; to Kirk not being given a guitar solo; the sound is insulting. I wanna flip out when I hear this album.  They somehow managed to push past it and return with the pretty much redeeming Death Magnetic, but even so, it’s awful. A documentary crew followed Metallica during the making of the album, proving the album is the product of their lives. Suffice it to say, they weren’t breezing by.

     Like St Anger, the next two albums are a product of personal crisis’.  These are both by Eminem.  Encore and Relapse were the two biggest disappointments in rap. He lit the world on fire for three straight albums and then lost it on Encore.  But at least Encore had two great songs (“Mockingbird” and “Like Toy Soldiers”).  Relapse was a mess.  Em didn’t know what he was doing and just gave in to the Slim Shady persona for a whole album. These albums are what they are because of Em’s severe decline into drug addiction and then his recovery.  Put the two albums together and you can see the decline and rise, even though its too late on Relapse to make a difference.  Luckily he returned to form with Recovery, but he disappointed for a few years.  I think it’s a sign of the times when the best in their fields started to fail this decade.

*Editor's Note

    It is very rare I actually voice disagreement with our staff writers. At least not in print. In person I do it all the time. Seriously, don’t get Tom and I started on James Bond. But I felt I should take this opportunity to voice my own opinion on the biggest musical let down of the decade.

    Sure, the 6 year gap between Reload and St. Anger built up some anticipation. Same for the 5 years between Encore and Relapse. But imagine the band with the greatest debut album of all time, one of the greatest guitarists to ever finger a fret, a truly badass front man, and the last great hope for rock and roll in a pre-grunge era, imagine that band waiting 15 years to release what is expected to be their magnum opus.  Try and think of that. Well, ever since the stellar Appetite For Destruction, Guns N’ Roses were the greatest band in rock and roll. Before Kurt Cobain ever howled out “Lithium”, GNR had put out G N’ R Lies, and both Use Your Illusions. Then they broke down, The Spaghetti Incident being an indication. Still, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We were promised a masterpiece, in the form of Chinese Democracy. Some doubted the album would ever come, but we faithful clung to the drum, and at 11:55pm, November 22nd, 2008, we the few, the faithful lined up outside Best Buy humming “Mr. Brownstone”, and waiting to buy not just the CD, but the LP of what was sure to be the epic album of the decade.

    What we got was an example of how everything could go wrong. The lyrics were dreadful, the music itself atrocious, the line-up containing only front man Axl from the original (I.e. good) line up, and lord knows you appreciate Slash more on this record than any he ever played on. “Shackler’s Revenge”, the lead single from the album, pained all who had to play through it on Rock Band, and Axl’s empty howl made us all wish it was ‘97 again, sitting with our uncles as they talked about how soon GNR would put out a new album, and rock would be back. Damn you, Axl Rose, for killing a dream most of my lifetime in the making.

The 50 Best Albums of the Decade

1) Is This It- The Strokes (2001)

2) The Blueprint- Jay-Z (2001)

3) Elephant- The White Stripes (2003)

4) Garden State- Soundtrack (2004)

I know to some it may seem odd to put a compilation on this list, but I make no hyperbole when I declare this the Soundtrack of the Decade. Not only did it set a new standard for film soundtracks (earning a Grammy), it also serves as a sampler for those not in the “indie” scene. It’s like Sam says in the film “You gotta hear this….it’ll change your life”. I promise you, it will.

5) Late Registration- Kanye West (2005)

6) American Idiot- Green Day (2004)

Sure, it’s cool to diss this album now, but 75% of the people that deride it now knew the words by heart back in 2004. I urge you to give it a re-listen. Opening on a guitar riff so powerful and recognizable it may well be our generation’s “Satisfaction”, Green Day’s punk opera spoke to a generation too angst-ridden to be calm but too lazy to protest. Want a perfect time capsule of Bush-era suburbia? Look no further.
7) The Eminem Show- Eminem (2002)

8) Yankee Hotel Foxtrot- Wilco (2002)

9) Sea Change- Beck (2002)

Am I gonna be the 100th critic to compare this to Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks? Yes, I am, because it’s right in so many ways. Both are deeply personal albums charting a voice of a generation’s path toward recovery from the collapse of a major relationship. Songs like “Guess I’m Doing Fine” and “Already Dead” speak to the heart of a post-break-up soul, seething and sobbing, floating in the tortured soundscape Beck spun.
10) Funeral- Arcade Fire (2004)

11) Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots- The Flaming Lips (2002)

Dark Side of the Moon, Born to Run, Ziggy Stardust, these are all albums that take the listener on a journey, each song moving into the next, and providing some magical climactic catharsis at the end, and in 2002, Wayne Coyne and co.’s opus joined those ranks. From the childishly catchy tile track to the gorgeously mind-blowing “Do You Realize??”, The Flaming Lips finally took their Pink Floyd style and brought it to the radio. We’ve all been grateful since.
12) In Rainbows- Radiohead (2007)

We all know (if you were even the least bit aware this decade) that In Rainbows turned the music industry on it’s head by being made available for “pay what you want”. Avid Radiohead fans and conspiracy theorists know The Binary Theory (google it), suggesting this to be an intricate companion piece to 1997’s OK Computer. What we here at Loomings know is it’s Radiohead’s most polished and sophisticated album to date.
13) The College Dropout- Kanye West (2004)

14) Hot Fuss- The Killers (2004)

15) Discovery- Daft Punk (2001)

16) The Black Album- Jay-Z (2003)

17) Fever To Tell- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)

The earth shattering debut of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the music world by storm, even if the rest of the world wasn’t listening. Karen O’s sharp vocals, Brian Chase’s pulse-pounding drum beats, and Nick Zinner’s…well, every other thing on the album, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s crafted not just a classic “alternative” album, but just a classic in general, with tracks like “Maps” still as strong as the day they burned up the airwaves.
18) Lifted; Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ears To The Ground- Bright Eyes (2002)

This decade’s greatest lyricist is in full force on this record, laying down should-be hits like “Lover I Don’t Have to Love”, “You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will.” and “The Big Picture”. “We need a record of our failures. Yes, we must document our love.” bemoans Conor Oberst in a bittersweet grumble, making all those who listen wonder why the world isn’t listening a little closer to the young singer from Saddle Creek.

19) Toxicity- System of a Down (2001)

20) A Rush of Blood to the Head- Coldplay (2002)

Though these days shunned by the indie scene, Coldplay is simply the best at what they do: making Radiohead accessible pop. Ok, perhaps that’s simplifying. They do produce consistently great albums (X&Y? Never heard of it), have incredibly catchy and sometimes moving singles, and speak with a sincerity and grandeur that fills the un-jaded listener with hope. Everything came together on this record, with “Clocks”, “The Scientist”, and “God Put  A Smile Upon Your Face” becoming instant classics.

And the rest...

21.) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb- U2 (2004)
22.) American IV: The Man Comes Around- Johnny Cash (2002)
23.) White Blood Cells- The White Stripes (2001)
24.) Futuresex/lovesounds- Justin Timberlake (2006)
25.) Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not- The Arctic Monkeys (2006)
26.) Under Construction- Missy Elliott (2002)
27.) Come Away With Me- Norah Jones (2002)
28.) Time (The Revelator)- Gillian Welsh (2001)
29.) The Rising- Bruce Springsteen (2002)
30.) I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning- Bright Eyes (2005)
31.) Alligator- The National (2005)
32.) Once- Soundtrack (2006)
33.) Oracular Spectacular- MGMT (2007)
34.) Sound of Silver- LCD Soundsystem (2007)
35.) Aha Shake Heartbreak- Kings of Leon (2004)
36.) Merriweather Post Pavilion- Animal Collective (2009)
37.) Good News For People Who Love Bad News- Modest Mouse (2004)
38.) Spring Awakening- Original Cast Recording (2006)
39.) The Diary of Alicia Keys- Alicia Keys (2003)
40.) Rock Steady- No Doubt (2002)
41.) Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2004)
42.) Get Rich Or Die Tryin’- 50 Cent (2003)
43.) Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King- Dave Matthews Band (2009)
44.) O- Damien Rice (2002)
45.) ( )- Sigur Ros (2002)
46.) Fearless- Taylor Swift (2008)
47.) The Fame Monster- Lady Gaga (2009)
48.) Dear Science- TV On The Radio (2008)
49.) Raising Sand- Robert Plant & Allison Krauss (2007)
50.) Extraordinary Machine- Fiona Apple (2005)

Best of the Decade: TV Issue

{Originally published in Loomings as a four part series, examining the decade in pop culture (since the counting of years started with 1 and not zero, the decade didn't truly end until 2011). Excluding articles I had no part in at all (and therefor it would be wrong to repost without permission), I'm posting here the complete issues, including introductions}

Introduction

Well, we’re back, and this week we’ll be discussing television. It’s been a hell of a decade for television, that’s for sure. This decade, cable became not a luxury but a necessity; with network TV just not living up to it’s past glory. Let’s be real, are you watching NBC’s Outsourced or AMC’s Mad Men? Sure, in 2004, NBC had a small victory, pulling in 52.5 million viewers for the finale of Friends, but have they had any real successes since? (I love NBC, personally. But as much as I love it, and await Lorne Michaels’ call, they didn’t do too well this decade, and I won’t spare them the lash.)

In the 90’s, director David Lynch created a little show called Twin Peaks. His groundbreaking idea? To have one unsolved mystery stretch throughout the entire series, and continuously adding more and more dashes of the surreal in. The network’s response? Tell him “no” and cancel his show after one season. It was too confusing, people said. There was too much mythology, and there was no way to keep up if you missed an episode. Ah, if only the internet had been as powerful a force then as it was this decade. With the internet quickly becoming a source not just to catch up on missed episodes, but to debate your theories with people equally as devoted to the show. It was time for Twin Peaks to rise again, except this time it was called Lost, and it was on an island. Sure, better dramas may have been on TV this decade (*cough cough* The Wire), but Lost showed what could be done on a major broadcast network, and not a soul has been able to repeat it (on behalf of those of us who hated hearing everyone’s theories on what the island is, I’m glad no one has).

Of course, not all TV was necessarily scripted, nor necessarily good. In 2000, the big island show had nothing to do with a plane crash. Instead, we got the first finale of Survivor. The sheer draw of that finale was what kick-started 2001 with an overhaul of television. Goodbye scripts, hello people willing to get on TV for looking like idiots. In other words, American Idol. Yes, the American dream is to come from nothing and achieve greatness, and the American mindset is to achieve the American Dream with as little effort as possible. After ten years on air, people still lined up outside the Izod Center in droves one cold August 3 a.m., banging guitars and howling out Van Morrison tunes while others tried to sleep, hoping that they were standing in line with (or perhaps that they themselves were) the next American Idol, so that they may have huge exposure, a hit single, and then fade into obscurity. Look, nobody said the American Dream was perfect.

But American Idol was. It was the perfect cash-cow for Fox, when even their best scripted shows (24, House) pulled in less than half of the ratings riled up by the uptight Brit in the tight black shirt. Love it or hate it, American Idol launched the “reality competition” show, bringing the good (Project Runway, Top Chef) with the bad (Bridalplasty, More to Love).

Of course, what American Idol did for launching careers, The Osbournes did for reviving them. Yes, once upon a time, Ozzy was a British rocker who bit the head of a dove. Now he’s a brittle codger who can’t get the lid off a pill bottle, and MTV was there to capture it all. The Osbournes launched a new idea: Need a career boost? Just act out the contrived, scripted moments the producers set up for you, let people believe they’re better than you, let them laugh and look down their noses at you and your outlandish behavior, and bam, you’re a star again. Since then, people from the talented (Britney Spears, Hugh Hefner) to the talent-less (Real Housewives, Jersey Shore) have bared “themselves” on camera for a taste of the sweet, sweet easy dollar, and the more reprehensible the behavior, the more we applaud and pay. Total opinion here (which I’m entitled to have, and doesn’t make me an asshole. Save your anger), but if you wonder why people like Rep. Joe Wilson, Venus Williams, and St. Kanye act out like they do, destroying civil discourse? Well, look at how we treat the girls on Pretty Wild.

Now, with all the vulgarity and repulsive sexuality on reality TV, you wonder what the moral majority are watching. Where is good, wholesome family programming, right? Well, let’s take a look at the big ratings earners this decade. CSI, CSI: Miami, NCIS, Law & Order: SVU. Wait, what the fuck? The thousands of complaint letters MTV gets from the Parents’ Television Council and the “moral majority” about the consensual sex in the Jersey Shore’s hot tub, or gay characters on Glee, and y’all are watching guys in gloves poke at rape victims’ eviscerated bodies? To clarify, it’s not ok to mention sexual fluids, unless you find them in a fictional corpse, huh? MTV’s Skins is a problem, but someone actually getting skinned by a serial killer in New York while some cops solve the murder, that’s ok? My initial point was that police procedurals were a big hit this decade. Now I just find myself with my face in my palm.

Though I’m not the only one with my face in my palm. No, no, I’m surely joined by the executives at NBC. I could mention that even with the critical success of 30 Rock, NBC has continually failed to get a show in the Top 20, ratings wise. I could mention the utter failure that was any drama they tried to produce, with the exception of the debut of Heroes. I could also mention everything after the debut season of Heroes. I could mention the myriad of reality shows that make Jack Donaghy of 30 Rock’s “Milf Island” show seem classy. But let’s be real. 5 words can sum up the catastrophe that was NBC this decade: The 10 p.m. Jay Leno Show.

Yet, they’re still my favorite network, and I stand by the peacock. Despite the fact the NBC Universal just announced that they’re getting rid of the peacock…and still keeping Leno.

Of course, this decade saw the loss of television titans. The king of late night (Johnny Carson) and his sidekick (Ed McMahon) both signed off a final time. From the men who brought us the news (Peter Jennings, Walter Cronkite, Tim Russert), to those who mocked it (Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bernie Mac); from the women who made us laugh (Beatrice Arthur, Estelle Getty), to the woman who made us hungry (Julia Child) to the woman who most made us…come on guys, you know (Farrah Fawcett); we lost the those who taught us what to buy (Dave Thomas, Billy Mays), how to laugh (Merv Griffin, Peter Boyle, Don Knotts, Don Adams, John Ritter), how to live to the extreme (Steve Irwin, Evel Knievel), and most importantly (as sappy as it sounds) how to love (Fred Rogers). It is on this note that we at Loomings salute those who made TV great, and those who continue to. We hope you enjoy the issue, and feel free to send your comments to loomingscwp@gmail.com.

The Best TV Shows of the Decade (2001-2010)

1) HBO Shows (2001-2010)

So maybe you’ll see it as a cop-out that we took the slogan “It’s not TV, it’s HBO” literally and grouped them all together, but hell, we couldn’t afford to put them individually on this list. Let’s side the inter-staff war over which is superior, The Wire or The Sopranos, just take a moment and think of how many HBO shows would be on this list, and high up. Deadwood, The Sopranos, The Wire, Sex & The City, In Treatment, Entourage, Six Feet Under, True Blood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords, Rome, Extras, Angels in America, Band of Brothers, Carnivale. I mean, hell, can you imagine if they’d picked up Mad Men when it was pitched to them? If we split these shows up, they’d be the whole list. The impact of HBO is undeniable. It changed what television could be, even attracting big name movie players to the field, and proving that TV can be art.
2) The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (1996- )

When Jon Stewart inherited Craig Kilborn’s half hour Comedy Central satire show, he could have kept the same style of banal jokery. Instead, Stewart overhauled the show, making it the most biting political satire of the 00’s, and himself the most trusted man in news, simply for wearing his bias on his sleeve and calling out all the media elite for their failings. From his powerful rally in D.C. to his recent handling of the Tucson shooting, Stewart earns his place as the voice of our generation.
3) Arrested Development (2003-2006)

4) Battlestar Gallactica (2003-2009)

5) Lost (2004-2010)

6) American Idol (2002- )

Sure, be too cool for the show, but this changed the face of reality television, and encapsulated America at it’s heart. Was the choice between simple, Middle America Kris Allen and flamboyant Adam Lambert really just a choice between two singers, or a chance for the country to subtly say what they would and wouldn’t deal with? Plus, Simon Cowell is a household name, and judges panels everywhere suddenly needed a sassy Brit. That ain’t coincidence.

7) South Park (1997- )

8) The Shield (2002-2008)

9) 24 (2001-2010)

10) Mad Men (2007- )

11) The Office (U.K.) (2001-2003)

12) The West Wing (1999-2006)

It would surprise no one that TV wasn’t ready for Aaron Sorkin’s snappy dialogue when the brilliant Sports Night failed in 1998. It subsequently surprised everyone when his political drama The West Wing managed to become one of the most engaging, engrossing, and…popular shows in recent memory. Hell, audiences cared more about the policies of Josiah Bartlet, the show’s fictional president, than those of the actual president.
13) Chappelle's Show (2003-2006)

Who didn’t howl “I’m Rick James, b***h!” down the halls of middle school? Dave Chappelle created a show that could have been a collection of offensive and outlandish racial humor, but instead became one of the most clever and original sketch comedy shows in television history. Yes, one could talk about the significance it had racially, but Chappelle’s Show transcended race, and proved to be simply the best sketch comedy in recent memory.
14) 30 Rock (2006- )

15) Breaking Bad (2008- )

16) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005- )

17) Dexter (2007- )

18) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

19) Family Guy (1995-2002, 2005- )

20) Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)

A show so engaging, it could draw in people who cared nothing for football, and only watched the Super Bowl, and even then, just for the commercials and halftime show (i.e. me). Adapted from the film of the same title, this tragically overlooked show examines life in Dillon, Texas, a town which basically revolves around its high school football. The daily trials of Panther’s coach Eric Taylor, as with those of his family and team, hit home even if your hands have never graced a pigskin.

And the rest...

21.) Rescue Me (2004- )
22.) Doctor Who (2005- )
23.) Sons of Anarchy (2008- )
24.) Supernatural (2005- )
25.) Weeds (2005- )
26.) Firefly (2002-2002)
27.) The Colbert Report (2005- )
28.) Big Bang Theory (2007- )
29.) Project Runway (2004- )
30.) Survivor (2000- )
31.) Veronica Mars (2004-2007)
32.) Undeclared (2001-2002)
33.) Robot Chicken (2005- )
34.) Justified (2010- )
35.) The Office (US) (2005- )
36.) Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005- )
37.) CSI(s) (2000- )
38.) How I Met Your Mother (2005- )
39.) Slings and Arrows (2003-2006)
40.) The Walking Dead (2010- )
41.) Scrubs (2001-2010)
42.) Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)
43.) The Amazing Race (2001- )
44.) The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005- )
45.) Futurama (1999-2003, 2008- )
46.) Community (2009- )
47.) Nip/Tuck (2003-2010)
48.) Smallville (2001- )
49.) The Boondocks (2005- )
50.) Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

Best of the Decade: Movie Issue

{Originally published in Loomings as a four part series, examining the decade in pop culture (since the counting of years started with 1 and not zero, the decade didn't truly end until 2011). Excluding articles I had no part in at all (and therefor it would be wrong to repost without permission), I'm posting here the complete issues, including introductions}

Introduction

So, we’re back for the new year, and what better way to celebrate then a look back at the decade that passed. Yes, due to the fact that we as humans started counting years at 1 and not 0, this decade actually started in 2001 and ended on New Year’s Eve, 2010. Bet all those major publications who made their “Best of the Decade” lists a year early are probably thinking “Huh, we screwed up” now, huh? Actually, they’re probably thinking “Who is this little piss ant at some college newspaper to suggest that we screwed up? We’re Rolling f*****g Stone. We make so much money we could buy this little a-hole’s soul”. Yeah, that’s more likely.

    Anyway, we thought we’d kick off our best of the decade series on the subject of movies. Hell, movies are the best place to start for this decade, since movies have been imagining these aught years for decades, whether it be the bright white dystopia of space in Kurbrick’s 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey, a post-earthquake Los Angeles of 1994’s Double Dragon, or whatever the f**k was going on in Japan’s 1979 Undersea Super Train: Marine Express. (Yeah, I did my research. There’s a lot of movies set in the 2000’s. Might I recommend Wikipedia-ing Inseminoid.)

    It’s been an interesting decade for film, kicking off with flights of innocent fancy like the first Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films,  and ending on bouts of bleak reality like The Social Network and The Fighter. Oh, and that second to last Harry Potter film. With the advent of HD and the re-advent of 3D, it seemed like if your movie involved some kind of “D”, you were set. Except for Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. And Daddy Day Camp. Oh, and don’t forget Disaster Movie. Ok, forget that idea about the “D” thing.

    The cinema suffered it’s share of losses this decade, seeing a wrap on the careers of legendary filmmakers Ingmar Bergman, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Robert Altman; acting greats Katharine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Paul Newman; and also causing us to appreciate those who never earned the acclaim they deserved in their lifetime, be it a posthumous Oscar to the chameleon Heath Ledger or saying a last “Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson!” to the divine Anne Bancroft.

    So, without much further ado, I give you our movie issue. In it, you’ll find our picks for the Best Movies of the Decade. Also featured in this issue is my overview of the…let’s say underground films of the decade (if my editors let me run it, that is. Which I‘m sure they will, since they‘re wonderful, fantastic, intelligent, insightful, and all around lovely people. Yep, I can kiss a** with the best of them), a little look at the decade’s biggest let downs, and the first installment of a new series we’ll be running, Nick Young’s 30 Subversive Pop Songs of the Decade. Bobby the Pink, our beloved comic strip, will return next week, as our cartoonist Josh Paige came down with that virus that’s been going around. That really terrible virus. Which had nothing at all to do with the food people ate, you understand? It’s a virus! And don’t you forget it! (I assure you I was not instructed to make that clarification).

The Biggest Disappointments of the Decade (Film Edition)

    Yes, while this decade had its triumphs, it also had its failures. Its flaming, flaming failures. Now, we’re not talking failures like The Love Guru or Gigli, things that seemed doomed from the first flicker of a trailer. We’re here to discuss movies that genuinely hurt our souls, crushed our dreams, and brought us a little closer to considering a sink-cleaner cocktail. Let’s set the scene: A young 16-year old boy, let’s call him Mickey, asks a girl he’s had a crush on since the 8th grade out on a date. She’s smart, funny, dorky in the cute way, and wears a replica of Wolverine’s dogtags on her neck. So what would be the ideal movie, especially when he too is dorky (though not in the cute way)? Why not the summer’s sure-to-be-blockbuster, the revival of the greatest superhero of all time Superman Returns? Yes, the summer of 2006, when many of his peers are losing their virginities, he’s losing 154 minutes of his life to Bryan Singer’s train wreck. He is pissed. He is royal pissed. He’s already been burned by The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, has already had his first taste of superhero suck-fest at X-Men: The Last Stand,and been bitten by Jurassic Park III, Star Wars: Episode III and Terminator 3 (Mickey would later learn that destructive force the number 3 has on a movie). Surely, though, he has learned his lesson. Never again will he let a crappy movie ruin a date. That he knows for damn sure.

    For his next date, in fact, this time for a different girl’s 14th birthday (let’s save the judging, shall we?), he thinks “Why not see the next film by that wunderkind M. Night?” After all, The Sixth Sense is a modern classic, Unbreakable was fun, and even Signs and The Village were…decent? Well, he’s sure this is going to be good. An engaging trailer, Paul Giamatti, where could it go wrong? Well, let’s just say the 2 hours the girl would later berate Mickey for (kind of) cheating on her were more enjoyable than the 110 minutes he and the girl sit through The Lady In The Water. “How does something like that film even come about?” Mickey wonders. He swears that day he will never again make any girl suffer through a bad film.

Well, he doesn’t. He makes her suffer through three. While later in life he somewhat regrets his junior year girlfriend suffering through his steep depression, rampant alcoholism, and Guido Anselmi-esque narcissism, he more regrets forcing this girl to endure Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Black Snake Moan, and (worst of all) a midnight showing of Spider-man 3. But he swears, never again.

Then Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull happens.

Mickey learns this decade that bad movies have their place (he has some fun in the back row of Big Momma’s House 2), but that place is not in the eyes and memories of viewers. Mickey is sure there will be no let downs this decade, as he eagerly awaits the new Spider-man, James Bond, and Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He’ll learn eventually.

The Top 50 Movies of the Decade (2001-2010)

1) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

 There are some that will argue that Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy should be treated as three separate films. The truth is, he only released them as such because no one would release a 9 hour movie, and those that say it’s not all meant to be one film clearly have not had a Red Bull fueled LOTR marathon. LOTR was branded “unfilmable” short of a Ralph Bakshi cartoon from the 80’s. Jackson succeeded where all expected failure, and crafted a trilogy of three hour epics full of complex characters, dense mythology, and poetic dialogue, and drew massive mainstream audiences despite that. There are some that will say that there were better films this decade, but that’s like comparing a painting to the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Perhaps little details of the ceiling are flawed, but to sit back and marvel at the achievement as a whole, it’s sheer mastery is undeniable.

2) The Dark Knight (2008)

3) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

4) There Will Be Blood (2007)

5) Children of Men (2006)

6) Shaun of the Dead (2004)

7) Brokeback Mountain (2007)

8) Kill Bill (2003-2004)

9) Spirited Away (2001)

The only non-English animated film to win an Oscar, Hayao Miyazaki’s modern day fairytale plays like poetry on film, spinning the tale of Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who wanders into a world on fanciful creatures. Distributed here in the states by Disney (because it was better than any animated film they’d put out in a while), Spirited Away proved to be a beautiful film for any age, without even being in 3-D. Who woulda thought?

10) Mulholland Drive (2001)

11) The Royal Tennenbaums (2001)

12) Moulin Rouge! (2001)

By the end of the 90’s, the musical movie was dead in the water. That all changed when a little mad man from down under named Baz Luhrman helmed his attempt at “An English Language Bollywood-style re-imagining of La Traviata using contemporary songs”. We expected a train wreck. What we got was one of the most original, striking, and heartbreaking romantic films of all time. Who doesn’t still swoon when Christian sings “Your Song”?

13) The Social Network (2010)

14) Casino Royale (2006)

15) Amelie (2001)

One of the first “must see” foreign films of my lifetime, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s fanciful story of Amélie Poulain uses the tragedy of Lady Diana’s passing to launch Amelie into a colorful world on non-stop joy and simple, child-like happiness. Amelie allowed a lot of us here in the states in November 2001 to feel pure joy for a few fleeting moments, finding hope, as the titular character does, in the wake of tragedy.

16) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Seeing Borat for the first time was a revelation. No one had ever before pushed the envelope so far, so much, and so…smart. Never before had someone created such a clever satire as to rouse the praises of even the stuffiest critic, while being so low-brow and dirty as to make even the dumbest guy you want to high school with say “Very nice!” over and over again. Though virtually forgotten now, it’s worth the revisit.

17) Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

18) Up (2009)

19) Once (2007)

Undoubtedly the least-seen film in our top 20, John Carney’s film having a place on this list should surprise none who‘ve seen this small Irish gem. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova star in the film, as well as compose the gorgeous soundtrack, winning an Oscar for “Falling Slowly”. In a decade of pushing the envelope and huge budgets, it is a simple film made on two handy-cams, that proves to touch the most viewers.

20) Avatar (2009)

And the rest...

21.) Far From Heaven (2002)
22.) Spider-Man 2 (2004)
23.) The Bourne Movies (2002-2007)
24.) Lost in Translation (2003)
25.) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
26.) Garden State (2004)
27.) Brick (2005)
28.) Before Sunset (2004)
29.) Wall-E (2008)
30.) The Departed (2006)
31.) Zodiac (2007)
32.) The Passion of the Christ (2004)
33.) I’m Not There (2007)
34.) Black Dynamite (2009)
35.) The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007)
36.) Caché (2005)
37.) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
38.) Batman Begins (2005)
39.) Downfall (2004)
40.) Oldboy (2003)
41.) City of God (2002)
42.) Super Troopers (2001)
43.) Donnie Darko (2001)
44.) 25th Hour (2002)
45.) 28 Days Later (2002)
46.) About a Boy (2002)
47.) The Pianist (2002)
48.) Love Actually (2003)
49.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
50.) Bowling for Columbine (2002)