By Dalton Del Don â Senior Writer
With fantasy football season finished and baseball still a couple of months away, itâs as good a time as any to put sports on the backburner for a day or two. After last yearâs debut of RotoScoopâs best and worst column ended up being a smashing success, itâs time for the 2007 version.
One caveat before we get started. While itâs an objective fact Iâm better than you at fantasy sports, I understand the following âartâ is more subjective, and the hierarchy of it all is less important than itâs inclusion in the first place. Thereâs something ridiculous about comparing a comedy with a drama. And now, without further ado, my 2007 Year-End Lists:
MOVIES
Weird how almost all of the yearâs good movies typically come out during December/January. Itâs almost as if the picture doesnât want to end up a RotoScoop favorite. I digress. Anyway, I havenât seen âThere Will Be Blood,â and since Iâm a huge Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis fan, Iâd be surprised if itâs not worthy of inclusion at a later date.
10. Death Proof â More than anything, âGrindhouseâ can best be described as a truly unique movie going experience. If you didnât see this in the theatre, then forget about it; itâs simply not the same. âDeath Proofâ was the superior, second half to the double feature, and admittedly, I always have a soft spot for Quentin Tarantino. Itâs a film that consists of mostly dialogue and good old-fashioned stunts as opposed to CGI. And last but not least, the fake trailers, which appeared before and in between the movies in the theatre, are pretty ridiculous.
9. Eastern Promises â Far from great, âEastern Promisesâ doesnât even come close to matching David Cronenbergâs last film, the amazing âA History of Violence.â Still, it keeps your interest, with a paradox at its core. I liked its lack of resolution.
8. 3:10 To Yuma â First, a confession: Iâll watch anything with Christian Bale in it. âAmerican Psychoâ is definitely one of my five favorite movies of all-time. Iâm no fan of westerns, but they simply donât make movies like this anymore, and I was thoroughly entertained. Ben Foster might be one of the most underrated actors out there right now.
7. Once â This script pretty much reads, âboy meets girl. They sing. The end.â Still, itâs shot very well, is unique and the songs will stay with you for days. For what itâs worth, this is my fiancéeâs favorite movie of the year.
6. American Gangster â While there may not be anything special about this movie, itâs acted and executed quite well. Pretty crazy for a true story.
5. Superbad â Itâs very funny, if not also blatantly immature. The first half of the movie rates right up there with just about any other on the laugh scale, but it drops off significantly from there on. Still, thereâs some terrific dialogue here. “The funny thing about my back is…”
4. Knocked Up â The yearâs biggest debate has to be âSuperbad or Knocked Up?â While I acknowledge itâs somewhat close, I side pretty heavily toward the more adult âKnocked Up,â which certainly possesses more substance.
3. Zodiac – I did say I reserved the right to change my mind when I previously ranked Zodiac as my favorite David Fincher film, and after a repeat viewing, Iâm flip-flopping. Itâs still a great film â and certainly the most realistic Fincher flick â but after further review, itâs not as MEMORABLE as the others. My new rank: 1. Se7en 2. Fight Club 3. Zodiac
2. Juno â Written by an ex-stripper and phone sex operator, âJunoâ tries to be a little too hip for its own good at times (Dwight from âThe Officeâ saying âhome skilletâ comes to mind), but this movie is much more rewarding than the vastly inferior âLittle Miss Sunshine.â Itâs the rare movie that makes you both laugh and cry. I wasnât a fan of director Jason Reitmanâs first film (âThank You For Smokingâ), but here he gets it right. I liked Ellen Page in âHard Candy.â I loved her in âJuno.â Her dynamic with the adoptive parents is something special, as is this movie.
1. No Country For Old Men â Odd movie. Little character development yet Chigurh haunted me for weeks. And how would you describe its genre? An action/comedy? The Coen brothers finally decided to start respecting their characters, without a snarky wink, and the results are fantastic. I refuse to accept the notion there was a movie released this year that kept you more on the edge of your seat for 2 hours. We all have choices to make in our lives, and never has silence been so loud.
TELEVISION
10. The Shield â Season 6 wasnât as good as the amazing Seasons 4 and 5, but thatâs hardly an indictment. Far from your average procedural cop drama, âThe Shieldâ is griping and unapologetic. Walton Goggins is the best actor no one knows about.
9. 30 Rock â â30 Rockâ has become so underrated, itâs now overrated. While most would point to Tracy Jordan or (sigh) Kenneth as the showâs funniest characters, I say itâs Jenna. Itâs good, donât get me wrong, but itâs almost universal proclamation as TVâs best show in 2007 is as misguided as Malibu.
8. Flight Of The Conchords â FOTC is subtle, clever and even better after repeat viewings. While Iâm normally against musical interludes, these are too good not to like (especially the brilliant âItâs Business Timeâ). Maybe Bret and Jemaine are a little too dense sometimes, but role players Murray, Mel and Dave are flat-out hilarious. Watching FOTC doesnât make me quite as happy as this guy, but itâs close.
7. Dexter â More of a guilty pleasure than anything else, but I somehow found myself looking forward to this show every week almost more than any other. The narration is god-awful, but the show as a whole really improved during season 2. If loving Dexter is wrong, then I donât want to be right.
6. The Sopranos â A terrific show that came to a fitting end. But after writing about the finale here in which I believed Tony didnât die, Iâve completely changed my tune. I was wrong. In fact, Iâm 100 percent convinced that was David Chaseâs intention. If you donât believe me, maybe this guy will convince you. Or Chase himself.
5. The Sarah Silverman Program â This show is not for anyone with taste, morals or is faint of heart. The protagonist isnât a hero but rather a spoiled, childish, bigoted pervert. Sheâs also hilarious. The funniest comedian alive today, Sarah Silverman is simply brilliant.
4. Tell Me You Love Me â I gave up on this show midway through the second episode. After being apprised of my mistake, I luckily gave it another shot. Yes, itâs slow, but itâs also realistic to a fault, to the point of being gut-wrenching. If you canât take the intimacy, I can understand, but to call this show the best drama about couples would be the understatement of the century.
3. Lost â âLostâ can sometimes be gimmicky, but it works. Iâm normally not into science fiction, but the existential aspect of this show is beyond intriguing. Whatâs going to happen next? I refuse to believe thereâs ever been a show that leaves viewers wanting more than âLostâ does â and I mean that in a good way. âThe Sopranosâ last episode was brilliant, but Iâd argue âLostâsâ season finale was even better.
2. The Office â Just because the British version is better doesnât make the American one any less brilliant. With so many likable characters, âThe Officeâ is set for a long run, and itâs the best comedy not on cable since âSeinfeld.â Creed is my favorite character, by the way.
1. Curb Your Enthusiasm â Without a doubt, thereâs no one Iâd rather meet in person than Larry David. Watching art imitate life (his wife left him both on the show and in reality this year) was fascinating, and Season 6 was easily one of the best the remarkable series has yet to offer. The co-creator of âSeinfeld,â itâs pretty crazy that David has become one of the finest actors on television. The last five minutes of Season 6 was the funniest span of TV in recent memory, if not ever.
Honorable Mention (just missed the list): Mad Men, Extras, John From Cincinnati, Friday Night Lights, Weeds, Californication, Damages
MUSIC
5. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – My friend Sean turned me on to The Good, The Bad & The Queen, (incidentally, you should all check out his new movie), one of the more under the radar groups from 2007. Lead singer Damon Albarn came from Blur and The Gorillaz, but this is his best effort yet. The group is an odd mix – Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong and Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen, plus the production of Danger Mouse. In the end, the eclectic mix works magnificently. And yes, war is bad.
Highlights: âHerculean,â âHistory Songâ
4. The Shins: âWincing The Night Awayâ – Admittedly, they sometimes do sound a little too âThe O.C.â And the lyrics are incomprehensible for the most part. Still, itâs hard to deny that The Shins are catchy. I donât think they get enough credit among the snobby music community, and I blame Zach Braff for it.
Highlights: âSplit Needles,â âSea Legs,â âSleeping Lessons,â âPhantom Limb,â âTurn On Meâ
3. Arcade Fire: âNeon Bibleâ â Listening to âNeon Bible,â which was aptly recorded inside a church, is a divine experience indeed. Frontman Win Butler unapologetically spews righteous accusations on the groupâs smart and subtle second album. And it just sounds so damn good. Plus, thereâs a song about Jessica and Ashley Simpsonâs dad.
Highlights: âKeep The Car Running,â âIntervention,â âWindowsill,â âNeon Bibleâ
2. Band Of Horses: âCease To Beginâ – If you donât like the song âDetlef Schrempf,â then you almost certainly are also opposed to puppies, mothers and sunsets. I was late to the party with this group, but my life has become decidedly better after discovering them. BoH are seemingly incapable of making a bad song. Sure, the lyrics are straightforward and sometimes optimistic to the point of cheesy, but I say the world needs more positive messages like this. If you donât like Band Of Horses, then you probably think up is down, left is right, short is tall, right is wrong and Sophia Bush is ugly.
Highlights: âDetlef Schrempf,â âMarry Song,â âIs There a Ghost,â âNo Oneâs Gonna Love Youâ
1. Radiohead: âIn Rainbowsâ â Here are my top-five albums of all-time: 1. OK Computer (Radiohead) 2. The Bends (Radiohead) 3. Sea Change (Beck) 4. Nirvana Unplugged in New York (Nirvana) 5. Not exactly sure which one, but it would be Radiohead. Itâs safe to say Iâm a pretty big fan of the group, so its inclusion at No. 1 comes as no surprise. For what itâs worth, the first three songs listed below would all fall in my top-10 favorite songs from the group from any of their records. Oh, and they changed the modern day market place as well.
Highlights: âJigsaw Falling Into Place,â âAll I Need,â â15 Step,â âBodysnatchersâ
That wasnât the only music I liked this year, so here are some select tracks that I also particularly enjoyed from 2007: âBoy With A Coinâ by Iron and Wine, âDvnoâ and âD.A.N.C.Eâ by Justice, âPaper Planesâ by M.I.A., âGreat Destroyer Modwheelmoodâ by Nine Inch Nails, “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe” by Okkervil River, âPeaceboneâ by Animal Collective, âMistaken For Strangersâ by The National, âWake Up Callâ by Maroon 5, âBleed It Outâ by Linkin Park, âDigâ by Incubus, âLazy Eyeâ by Silversun Pickups and âUniteâ by Burial.
WORST
Iâm not going to make an exhaustive âworst ofâ list, as this post is already getting (more than) a little on the long side. Additionally, I made a point of avoiding bad movies this year. I donât need to waste two hours of my life so I can tell you âGood Luck Chuckâ was awful. So Iâm making the following more of an overrated/bad combination:
Monday Night Football â If you watched ESPNâs second year of running MNF, you know where Iâm going with this. If you didnât catch a telecast, Iâm jealous. Hereâs what you missed: Tony Kornheiser found that weekâs theme and beat it to death. Thereâs got to be a larger picture here! We canât just watch a football game, folks. Oh, and they featured excellent guests in the booth this season – Drew Carrey, Vince Vaughn, John C. Reilly to name a few – all of whom offered extremely informative commentary. And by that I mean the opposite.
Heroes and 24 â Itâs not that either of these are particularly bad shows (thatâs designated for the words-canât-describe-how-bad-it-is âDirtâ), but they got to be so boring, Iâve given up. Iâd rather watch 2 Girls 1 Cup.
Plain White Tâs and Soulja Boy â Both get played on the radio about as often as any group. Both are whack. Here are some choice lyrics from âCrank That:â
âIâm 2 clean off in this hoe
Watch me crank it
Watch me roll
Watch me crank that roosavelt
And super soak that Hoeâ
Even this guy finds that unintelligent. Hope all of you have a happy 2008.
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