Best of 2010

By Dalton Del Don

It’s that time of year again – RotoScoop’s year-end lists. Better late than never. As always, feel free to let me know what I got right, what I missed and what I got wrong in the comments.

Before we delve into lists, my MVP for 2010 would be Adam Carolla, whose podcast was my favorite entity of the year, considering it ran around 90 minutes 4-5 days per week and delivered almost every single time. If you’re unfamiliar, check out this recent edition, recorded at a sports bar on a Sunday, billed as a football edition that (like always) resulted in about 1% sports talk. Here’s how backward the world works. Carolla’s recent pilot wasn’t picked up by NBC. You know, the guy who co-hosted Loveline for 10 years, helped create both “The Man Show” and “Crank Yankers” and currently has a book on the New York Times best seller list. And his podcast gets around 2.8 million downloads, which would be considered a success in television. Clearly, this guy has no clue what he’s doing.

MOVIES

I barely saw a dozen films this year, so if I excluded one of your favorites from 2010, chances are I just haven’t seen it yet. As for my list, I feel like the top tier was strong this year, but 6-10 was shaky.

10. I don’t really have a No. 10 to be honest. “Dinner For Schmucks” was OK, but I’m not adding it here just for the sake of coming up with a base 10 system, and I’m not putting the overrated “Inception” on here either. My wife loved “Blue Valentine,” which I haven’t seen yet, so how about that?

9. Kick Ass – “Kick Ass” isn’t my type of movie, but it was done well for a genre that doesn’t interest me. Loved Nicholas Cage’s Batman voice, seemingly mocking Christian Bale (whom I am a fan of otherwise).

8. Harry Potter – Haven’t read any of the books. Seen every movie. Mostly good, not great, but I’m usually entertained. So, Hermione is a much bigger star than Harry, right?

7. Jackass 3D – The drinking the sweat scene ranks among the grossest of all-time, and the Johnny Knoxville setup when he dressed as a 90-year-old was terrific. After making out with an 18-year-old in front of people, he states: “Don’t worry, she’s of age. I know this because she’s my granddaughter.” Good stuff.

6. Shutter Island – Normally I’m against movies trying to pull the wool over the audiences’ eyes, with a big reveal (gotcha!) at the end that there really was no way of predicting (I’m looking at you “Matchstick Men”), and I really wouldn’t argue with anyone who put this movie on their “worst” list, because it’s definitely a stretch. There’s little doubt Martin Scorsese has lost his fastball over the past 15 years, but like “The Departed,” “Shutter Island” thoroughly entertained me, which is really all I can ask for. The final scene of this movie produced a ton of debate, which is also a plus. The subtlety of it was quite clever, really.

5. The Town – Really good movie until the final 20 minutes, when it got a little too clichéd and relied too heavily on action. But enough with the negatives – they rarely make movies like this any more, so I was happy to see it executed well. The opening scene (no explaining, just joining the story in progress) was excellent, but the scene with Jeremy Renner (who steals the movie) running into Ben Affleck at lunch with the underrated Rebecca Hall was one of my favorites of the year. And that car chase scene was so good, concluding with a cop simply looking the other way, which was brilliant. Affleck may have gone a bit overboard making sure to shoot a scene of himself working out solo with his shirt off, but the guy can clearly direct. RIP Pete Postlethwaite.

4. Catfish – Wow, what a story. Regarding the controversy (some regard the ending a big twist, and whether or not the filmmakers knew all along about it has been brought into question), my friend Sean (who did the animation for “Waiting For Superman,” the likely winner at this year’s Academy Awards for best documentary. And you should all also check out his own documentary, “I Think We’re Alone Now”), knows both the directors and the main actor and swears it’s all legit. But even if the directors caught on that something was up, to me, it means absolutely nothing. Not even a little bit. The catfish speech at the end is fantastic. And while I understand some hate the depiction of the handicapped twins, would you rather people like that just be totally ignored? They exist and not showing them would arguably be more insulting. After all, it helped reveal why someone would behave in such a way – i.e. it added to the story and in no way exploited them. “Catfish” is not a horror film in which the marketing campaign somehow erroneously tried to display. Rather, it’s a remarkable story about loneliness and the desperation to connect by extreme measures.

3. True Grit – There’s no question this was hands down the funniest movie of the year.  And while I haven’t seen the original in full, I caught some of it after I watched the remake, and it too was quite humorous (although it’s unclear if this was intentional). I’m not a fan of Westerns, but this was my favorite of the genre, and the Cohen brothers continue to impress (they are on quite a roll recently). The ranking here reveals a strong year in movies more than anything else, as I really enjoyed “True Grit.”

2. The Social Network – This is somehow my second movie ranked high dealing with Facebook, something I didn’t even join until recently. Of course, both “Catfish” and “The Social Network” aren’t REALLY about FB, but when I first heard David Fincher, easily one of my favorite directors, was attached to this project, my initial reaction was “huh?” But make no mistake, he totally redeems himself for the awful “Benjamin Button.” The opening scene of “The Social Network” was positively brilliant, and Aaron Sorkin’s script deserves a ton of credit. Trent Reznor’s score was fantastic as well. I loved how there wasn’t clearly designated “good guys” and “bad guys.” For instance, I’ve heard plenty of people talk about how deplorable the Winklevoss twins were. To me, they were clear victims, but more importantly, they certainly weren’t unlikeable in any way (aside from being born good looking, privileged and with a ton of money). And while I give Mark Zuckerberg (or is it Jesse Eisenberg?) props, he’s kind of a prick, right? Despite finishing No. 2 on my list, “The Social Network” would have been my top ranked movie in either of the past two years.

1. Black Swan – I’d normally pass on a movie based solely on ballet, but “Requiem For A Dream” is my favorite film ever, and I ranked “The Wrestler” my No. 1 movie of 2008, and I also really liked “Pi,” so with Darren Aronofsky directing, I was eager to see it, and let’s just say it didn’t disappoint. Let’s get some of the negatives out of the way. This movie is over-the-top, and I said “WTF” a few times, and while I usually can’t stand not knowing what is real and what’s not in films, to me, this works. I thought A.O. Scott from the N.Y. Times said it best: “Is “Black Swan” a realistic portrayal of life in a ballet company? Probably not. Is it an overheated, wildly melodramatic rendering of an artist’s struggle? Without a doubt. And to scold the director, Darren Aronofsky, for what he doesn’t get about dancers or how he looks at women is almost deliberately to miss the point. This is, at bottom, a horror movie. It gathers psychological implications from its chosen milieu and makes them literal, giving flesh to wild metaphors of female sexuality and aesthetic risk.” Exactly. And while it’s mostly in your face, I’d also argue “Black Swan” has a subtle take on an eating disorder. It’s also unclear if Nina had previously ever had sex, drank alcohol or done a drug in her entire life (my guess is “no” to all of the above). And her mother is a monster, right? I can’t remember caring so much about a character than I did Nina in the final act of the film. The script is far from perfect, but this is Aronofsky at his best, and Natalie Portman gives a tour de force performance. “Black Swan” was easily my favorite movie of 2010.

TV

I realize it looks bad having not watched “Breaking Bad” or “Boardwalk Empire,” and I fully expect to be berated by Dreamweapon as a result, and it looks even worse when you consider I rank 20 shows this year, and almost all are inferior in quality I suspect. However, please understand a lot of these were watched on DVR in the background while I’m doing work on the computer, a lack of respect I’d never give to a show like “Breaking Bad.” Also, my wife loved “The Walking Dead,” and I must say, I was intrigued after later watching the premiere (the one episode she saved on DVR). Enough with the qualifying:

Honorable Mention: The Office, Weeds, Entourage, Community, United States of Tara, Bored to Death, How I Met Your Mother, The Ricky Gervais Show

20. The League – No show was more hit-or-miss. And when they “hit,” it’s so clear the head writer was once affiliated with “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” my favorite show since “Seinfeld.” (See the awesome episode with Josh Cribbs involved). The mention of RW was nice, but there’s no homerism involved here. This show often tries for shock factor, and while there were plenty of misses, it produced plenty of laughs as well.

19. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains – This is tough, because if you watched this specific season and had never seen the series before, it had to be less enjoyable. Jeff Probst is the best reality host by far, and Russell might be the best contestant of all-time as well. Only O.J. Simpson’s jury was dumber than this one.

18. Jersey Shore – Call me a problem with today’s society. I’m not contributing to book sells by Snooki or the Situation, and that side of this phenomenon blows my mind, but this show is entertaining as hell. T-shirt time!

17. True Blood – Over-the-top? Check. Campy? Check. Good popcorn fun? Check. Personally, I liked season 3 more than season 2, and while apparently the TV show has veered far away from the books, that matters little to me. My wife is on Team Eric, and I have a sneaking suspicion why,  but I remain on Bill’s side (or should I say “Beel”).

16. Damages – A show that everyone should be watching. Glenn Close is so good. Season 3 centered around a Ponzi scheme, making it extremely relevant.

15. Eastbound & Down – I actually think they went an episode or two too long, as I wasn’t that into the Don Johnson story line. However, there’s no doubt this show is very funny. The beginning scene of this episode was awesome. And Stevie Janowski is easily one of the better role players on TV these days (“it smells”).

14. 90210 – This isn’t a joke, nor am I trying to be ironical (it’s so bad it’s good). I assume most of you have never seen this show, but before criticizing, find one person who watched season 3 and wouldn’t recommend it. I’m normally not into anything related to teenagers, and while it would be easy for me to say I enjoy watching this because it has, by far, the hottest cast ever (Shenae Grimes: see here. Here. Here. Jessica Lowndes: see here. Here. Here. Here. Jessica Stroup: see here. Here. Here. Here. AnnaLynne McCord: see here. Here. Here. And realize I’m also leaving another out some would argue is the prettiest of them all), that’s not the case, although it certainly doesn’t hurt. The acting isn’t great, but the writing is. Don’t be dismissive.

13. In Treatment – Takes a big commitment and definitely not for everyone. Maybe I’m a bit biased since I graduated with a degree in psychology, but there’s some deep stuff here. You have to invest, but the reward is worth it.

12. 30 Rock – For a year or two there, I considered this show overrated, even though I always enjoyed it, and while they try to be a little too cool for school sometimes (check out this insider joke!), “30 Rock” is clearly one of the best shows on television.

11. Sons Of Anarchy – Season 3 wasn’t nearly as good as the brilliant season 2, but they had a high bar to clear. While I personally thought the finale worked, it presented a good argument for those who felt cheated that the audience was kept in the dark.

10. Modern Family – I’m not quite sure it was worthy of winning an Emmy for best comedy right away, but I’m a fan.

9. Parks and Recreation – What a joke Parks and Recs was delayed for their third season (for “Outsourced,” really?), and although season 2 overlapped with 2009 and 2010, I’m still rating it this high. It’s smart, funny and frankly, one of the best comedies on TV.

8. Friday Night Lights – I’ve been reluctant to rank this in my top-10 in the past, and the season I’m talking about here won’t air on NBC until 2011, but I must say there’s an argument it’s been the best yet, despite a cast that barely resembles season 1.

7. Tosh.O – People may be turned off by the smug Tosh, but I think he’s brilliant. The premise is cheap – just looking at Internet clips, but a) they are mostly hilarious and b) Tosh is one of the better comedians alive, so he makes it work. The web redemptions can run a bit long, but I’d argue the first eight minutes of each episode can’t be beat. That’s science.

6. Party Down – If you haven’t seen this show, put both seasons at the top of your Netflix queue and thank me later. “Cole Landry’s Draft Day Party,” the penultimate episode of the series, is a must-watch.

5. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – This season got off to a slow start but it picked up in a huge way. There’s certainly a strong argument this is the funniest show on television.

4. Dexter – “Dexter” can be polarizing, and you often need to employ suspension of disbelief, but few shows I look forward to more each week. While the direction the writers took Dexter and Lumen’s relationship was questionable, I liked Jordan Chase as this year’s antagonist (actually, I’d argue Lt. Laguerta was this season’s biggest villain at times). There were some overlapping themes from past seasons, and I’m not sure where this show goes moving forward, but the dynamic of Quinn, Dexter and Debra is set up well. Also, Peter Weller was fantastic as the creepy Stan Liddy. For extreme Dexter fans interested in serious discussion about the show, check out the comments in this article.

3. Lost – I have a love/hate relationship with “Lost.” I believe this might be the first time I’ve included it in my year-end list (partly because I didn’t start writing it until after the first two seasons of the show, when it was at its best). While I was skeptical of the alternate universe setup for the final season, completely eschewing the flashbacks, ultimately I found the last year to be one of its finest. Well behind and wanting to catch up before the series finale, I watched 12 episodes over a two day period, which is probably the ideal way to view this show that thrives on “what’s going to happen next?” scenarios. As for the much talked about finale, the first two hours were really good, but things fell apart during the final 30 minutes. There was no way of answering all of the many questions, and maybe no ending would truly satisfy, but really? SPOILER ALERT – They all meet in church and sing kumbaya and go to heaven? It was like the last scene of “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under” and “The Shield,” only the opposite.

2. Mad Men – How is it possible (arguably) the best show on television just keeps getting better each season? The acting. The direction. The writing. Phenomenal. If I ranked these in tiers, make no mistake, the top-two would be tier 1 and in a class easily by themselves. The old lady receptionist was one of the funniest characters on TV in 2010. Conversely, is Betty Draper one of the most deplorable?

1. Louie – Billed as a comedy, I thought it worked better as a drama, but either way, Louis C.K. might as well have been filmed naked he reveals himself so much during his masterpiece. The episode “Bully” was unlike anything I’ve ever watched and had me both uncomfortable and on the edge of my seat the entire time. And what about that scene at the dentist? And during the episode “God,” the priest giving his speech at the church was absolutely mesmerizing. “Lucky Louie” was terrible, but it’s obvious Louis C.K. is one of, if not the best comedian alive, so it’s clear HBO shit the bed, which is why I give FX a ton of credit – they gave him complete control: he writes, stars, directs and edits every episode, and they don’t even see it until handed the finished product. Hard to argue with the results. If I haven’t convinced you yet, check out this clip, and this one, and finally this one.

MUSIC

This was a phenomenal year in music, and my main obsession (Radiohead) wasn’t even involved. Not only did I rank 10 albums this year after previously never listing more than five, I had a tough time cutting a few others as well (one being Beach House).

10. Kings of Leon: “Come Around Sundown” – Let’s get a couple of things out of the way: “Sex on Fire” is a horrible song, and “Use somebody” was unquestionably the most overplayed (and it also sucked) song of 2008/09. But should that really be held against Kings of Leon? I actually liked their last album, and they seem to suffer from Coldplay syndrome – their worst songs happen to also be their singles. I admit the lyrics are weak, and they really seem to be a country group at heart, but music is clearly more subjective than any other medium, right?  I saw a tweet (I forget by whom) that said every time they read a review of “Kings of Leno” by Pitchfork they are convinced the lead singer must have fucked the writer’s wife or girlfriend. I get the fallout here, but this isn’t exactly Creed either.

Listen to: The Face, Pickup Truck, Pony Up, Back Down South, Mi Amigo, Mary, Pyro, The End, Radioactive

9. Sufjan Stevens: “The Age of Adz” – Sufjan is clearly one of the more talented people in the world, and yet, I’d wager 99 out of 100 people have never heard of him. He’s both the singer and songwriter of all his albums, and here’s a list of instruments he also plays: guitar, bass guitar, banjo, sitar, piano, xylophone, vibraphone, English horn, oboe, drums and recorder. Is that all? I’m not religious (as Ricky Gervais put it while ending the Golden Globes, “Thank you God for making me an atheist”), but Sufjan most certainly is, although he never comes across as preaching. In fact, “Get Real Get Right” might be my favorite song of 2010. “The Age of Adz” isn’t as good as past efforts such as “Illinoise,” but it’s definitely one of the best albums of 2010.

Listen to: Get Real Get Right, I Walked, Impossible Soul, Vesuvius, Too Much

8. The Black Keys: “Brothers” – No song really jumps out, but I could list double-digits easily from this well-rounded album that runs nearly an hour in length, which is increasingly rare these days. The Black Keys aren’t exactly innovative (aside from being a two person band), but this is blues rock at its finest. Plus, they put on a hell of  a live show in concert.

Listen to: Sinister Kid, Tighten Up, Howlin’ For You, Next Girl, Everlasting Light, Too Afraid To Love You, She’s Long Gone, Never Give You Up

7. Spoon: “Transference” – I’ve enjoyed some singles in the past, but I’d hardly be confused with some big “Spoon” fan beforehand, but I really got into “Transference.” They produced the album themselves, and half the songs are presented in their original demo form, often ending abruptly. The technique worked.

Listen to: Who Makes Your Money, Written in Reverse, The Mystery Zone, Out Go The Lights, Before Destruction, Goodnight Laura

6. Frightened Rabbit: “The Winter Of Mixed Drinks” – The best group few know about, which is evidenced by the amount of views on the YouTube clips I linked to here, and the fact I couldn’t even find some other songs I wanted to share and another I could only find a live version.

Listen to: Skip The Youth, Foot Shooter, Not Miserable, The Loneliness & The Scream, The Wrestle, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, Things

5. Stars: “The Five Ghosts” – “Stars” have been around for more than a decade now, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself a huge fan before their latest album. The lead singers alternate between male and female, and while I wouldn’t call this especially deep stuff, and I tried to fight the recency effect (this was the latest album I discovered appearing on this list), I’ll now be eagerly awaiting future efforts, because I’ve had “The Five Ghosts” on repeat for some time.

Listen to: He Dreams He’s Awake, We Don’t Want Your Body, Dead Hearts, The Passenger, Fixed, Wasted Daylight, I Died So I Could Haunt You, How Much More

4. Menomena: “Mines” – I didn’t become a Menomena fan (or even aware of them, actually) until this year (h/t Matt Azevedo), so while I was impressed with their previous three albums, it was to my surprise their newest release would become my favorite of them all. They used to base all their old work around their own software, and “Menomena” is also interesting in that they deploy different vocalists (three in all) depending on songs. Any way you construe it, however, results in a terrific product.

Listen to: Five Little Rooms, Dirty Cartoons, Oh Pretty Boy, You’re Such A Big Boy, TAOS, Queen Black Acid, INTIL, BOTE

3. Kanye West: “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” – A good way of demonstrating just how subjective this whole practice is, my friend Robby (and former RotoScoop scribe) called me out in the comments section earlier this year, saying my “Power” selection as song of the week was one of “the worst songs on the album.” This may or may not be true, but every year-end list I’ve come across since then ranks “Power” as a top-10 song of the year. Regardless, I’m not a rap fan these days, and I can’t get on board with Pitchfork giving this album a perfect 10.0 rating, but Kanye is obviously quite talented, and this belongs in the conversation of best rap album of the decade.

Listen to: Power, Runaway, All Of The Lights, Monster, Dark Fantasy, Hell Of A Life, Blame Game

2. The National: “High Violet” – I saw them in concert, and they really delivered. Matt Berninger’s voice is distinctive, and for some reason, makes “The National” feel old fashioned in a way. Some may consider past efforts such as “Alligator” and “Boxer” superior, and I wouldn’t argue, but that doesn’t mean “High Violet” wasn’t one of the best albums of 2010. “Afraid Of Everyone” is one of the better songs in recent memory.

Listen to: Afraid Of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Terrible Love, Sorrow, England, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, Conversation 16

1. Arcade Fire: “The Suburbs” – When I heard their first three released singles on the radio, I was underwhelmed. Of course, they had a high bar to clear after their first two albums. But unsurprisingly, when the full version came out, they didn’t disappoint. In fact, it’s comparable to their first two efforts, which is another way of saying this is the most talented group not named Radiohead in the business these days. The whole Win Butler didn’t steal your basketball controversy in the past made an otherwise omnipotent group more human. But when it comes to music, “Arcade Fire” have few peers. If “Get Real Get Right” is my favorite song of the year, “We Used To Wait” is a close second, especially since it inspired one of the most innovative things I’ve ever seen.

Listen to: We Used To Wait, Sprawl II, Ready To Start, Modern Man, Suburban War, City With No Children, Month Of May, The Suburbs

SONGS

My favorite tracks from 2010: “Words, words, words” and “Oh Bo” by Bo Burnham, “Down By The Water” by The Decemberists, “On Melancholy Hill” and “Surperfast Jellyfish” by Gorillaz, “Spanish Sahara” by Foals, “Swim” by Surfer Blood, “I Can Change” and “Dance Yrself Clean” by LCD Soundsystem, “Glitter” by No Age, “Crash Years” by The New Pornographers, “New Low” by Middle Class Rut, “Congratulations” by MGMT, “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People, “Hey Ho” by Gin Wigmore, Pale kid raps fast, “Blue Beard”  and “Way Back Home” by Band of Horses, “Le Chat du Cafe’ des Artistes,”  “Time of the Assassins,” and “Trick Pony” by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

WORST

Not much of a worst list this year, as this article is plenty lengthy enough as is, but this song is terrifically awful, and words can’t even begin to do justice how bad the NFL Network’s announcing crew was in 2010. Also, Colin Cowherd deserves a swift kick to the nuts.