geekyWith all that out of the way, I present...
Seanan's Best Cinematic Media Moments of 2010.
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Movies.
I went to surprisingly few movies in 2010...or maybe not surprising, if you factor in how insanely busy I've been. Yes, there are some Syfy Originals in here. No, I have no regrets. And so...
Best Horror Movie: The Crazies. Yes, I'm opening my list with a remake. No, I don't care. I probably watched this movie differently than most of the target audience, since I was rooting for the government quarantine squad (good job wiping out mankind, heroes), but I loved it all the same.
Best Bad Horror Movie: Sharktopus. Shut up. And Dinoshark takes a close second place, in part because Dinoshark himself was hanging out on Twitter for a while.
Better Than I Expected: Resident Evil: Afterlife. Did I hate Resident Evil: Extinction? Why, yes. Yes, I did. Did I go to Resident Evil: Afterlife expecting to be horribly disappointed? Again, yes. So when the movie wasn't horrible, I was pleasantly surprised.
Most Unexpected Pleasure: She's Out of My League. This was one of the movies available on my flight to Australia. I watched it on a whim...and I loved it. Seriously, it was sweet and funny and fun, despite all the requisite sex comedy embarrassment jokes. There's one sequence I couldn't watch (the Chasing Amy problem), but it was otherwise awesome.
Best Animated Feature: Tangled. Hate the title, love the film. I cried, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Most Unmitigated Fun: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I'm totally adding this to my list of "movies to watch when you need to be cheered up, lest all humanity feel your undying wrath." Seriously adorable.
Best Comedy: Easy A. Possibly the tamest teen sex comedy ever made, in terms of actual amounts of sex and naughtiness, but the cast was awesome, the script was great, and Emma Stone nailed it. So much win.
Best Movie I Saw In 2010: How to Train Your Dragon. It doesn't take "Best Animated" because it was just plain the best movie of the year, at least for me. Forget genre labels. Hiccup and Toothless rocked. Thank you, Chris Saunders.
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Television.
I may not have seen that many movies, but wow, did I watch a lot of television. I have no regrets.
Best New Doctor: Eleven. Oh, Matt Smith, never leave us. You make bow ties cool.
Best Surprise Upset On a Reality Show: Did anyone see Lauren winning this season of So You Think You Can Dance? You made my inner Verity proud, lady.
Best New Show: Tower Prep. Beginning to end, this show nailed it, and the thought that we might not get a season two makes my knees go weak. Seriously, if you have the opportunity to catch up, take it.
Most Unexpected New Obsession: Phineas and Ferb. STOP JUDGING ME.
Most Unexpected Loss of Give-a-Shit: The Wizards of Waverly Place. I hate everything about the new season (well, everything except the permanent addition of Mason to the main cast). The current plot arc is terrifying in its social implications, and no amount of sparkly candy coating can change that.
Best Unadulterated Fun: Warehouse 13. It's like a delicious can of whipped cream. The whipped cream is cursed. But it's sooooooo tasty.
Best Single Episode: We have a tie! Between "The Pandorica Opens" (Doctor Who) and "Entrada" (Fringe). I love me some science fiction.
Worst Second Season: Glee. It's gone from "must see TV" to "only if it doesn't conflict with something that doesn't make me cringe constantly." Get it together, people.
Best Season Finale: Another tie! Between "Fathers" (Tower Prep) and "The San Lorenzo Job" (Leverage). Nicely done, gentlemen. Nicely done.
Best Show of the Year: Fringe. Beautifully played, from the end of season two in the summer through to the first half of season three in the fall. I can't wait to see what happens next.
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Next up, books, comics, and anything else I think of that needs listing. (Best Kitten of 2010: Thomas!)
What were your bests of 2010?
December 29 2010, 18:25:34 UTC 6 years ago
(I cried at Tangled, but probably not at the same thing you did, since I have a "sad parents are sad" trigger these days. Which is why I doubt I will ever watch Up again from the beginning.)
December 29 2010, 18:26:54 UTC 6 years ago
My Ponies are happier with me, thanks.
And also, air hugs to you. I fully understand on the other things.
December 30 2010, 13:37:58 UTC 6 years ago
I think the movie's trying to show that it takes thought and love and work and pain to identify the need for, and to navigate, those state changes. It's terribly painful for Andy to give away Woody, and there's an ending in which Andy could have kept him and done the right thing in doing so. But Woody had been in the box for years. If he'd been out of the box -- whether as an active playmate or as a stoic confidant and companion of Andy's, sitting on his desk -- giving him away would've been different, a cruel surrender in the name of some false idea of adulthood. But it would've been equally cruel for Andy to take Woody with him if Andy knew, deep down, that Woody was just going to end up back in a box again.
I have old friends I still love and who'll always be my friends (something that becomes obvious during the holidays), but we spend little time together now because our interests have diverged. We don't want to have the same adventures any more, but we still love to hear about each others', and to know -- and provide help to make sure, if the need arises -- that we're all enjoying our now-divergent, but still connected, lives.
That said, some relationships involve lifelong commitments to remain close. And should. I'm happy your ponies have you. :)