[Nac Faves] My Favorites of 2002
Posted on January 16, 2003 at 7:58 am | No Comments
Here’s To You, Two-Thousand and Two…
Another year down, which means it’s time for a bunch of useless little lists. Just taking a little stock, if you will. Like last year, I’m not even going to try and put this stuff in order, and in a couple of cases, I couldn’t stick to just 10 things. I’m flexible like that. These lists are more for my own future reference than anything else, so don’t go thinkin’ my opinion matters or anything. That’d just be silly.
And awaaaay we go…
Favorite Films …
LOTR : The Two Towers
Bowling for Columbine
XX / XY (technically out this spring, saw a preview)
Secretary
Lovely & Amazing
Adaptation
Spirited Away
The Ring
Igby Goes Down
24 Hour Party People
13 Conversations About One Thing
Honorable Mention: Spider-Man (for not screwing it up too badly), One Hour Photo (incredible visuals), Far From Heaven (ditto), The Good Girl (Mike White & Jake Gyllenhaal rule), Signs (nearly made the list), Road to Perdition (RIP Conrad Hall), Minority Report (nice try), and Equilibrium (almost).
There are a bunch of movies I wanted to see but didn’t… Auto-Focus, About Schmidt, Narc, Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, the Hours, 25th Hour, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and Solaris. Blame most of it on the year-end Oscar rush of potentially good stuff. I don’t have enough free time, or extra dollars, to see all that. Maybe some o’ those will end up on next year’s list.
By the way… Maggie Gyllenhaal knocks my socks off.
Favorite Discs …
Interpol – “Turn On The Bright Lights” (mp3)
Jason Loewenstein – “At Sixes and Sevens” (mp3)
Silkworm – “Italian Platinum” (mp3)
Audio Learning Center – “Friendships Often Fade Away” (mp3)
Pedro the Lion – “Control” (mp3)
Hot Snakes – “Suicide Invoice” (mp3)
Low – “Trust” (mp3 excerpt)
“20 Years of Dischord” Box Set
Cinerama – “Torino” (mp3 excerpt)
Mary Timony – “The Golden Dove” (mp3)
Flaming Lips – “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” (stream)
Interpol snuck in under the wire and is blowing my mind. Sucker came out in August, and I should have been listening to it all along. Now that’s the good stuff.
Best Boston-Area Live Shows …
Mission of Burma at the Paradise, January 19th
Death Cab for Cutie at the Middle East, March 16th
Ted Leo at the Middle East, April 11th
Fugazi at the MassArt gym, April 20th
Poster Children at the MassArt gym, April 29th
Kristin Hersh at 608, May 2nd
Pedro the Lion at the Middle East, May 4th
Audio Learning Center at the Middle East, May 21st
Mary Timony & Friends at 608, June 6th
Tender Trap at 608, June 18th
Silkworm at TTs, July 12th
American Analog Set at TT the Bears, August 3rd
Darren Hanlon at the Kendall Cafe, September 1st
Jason Loewenstein at the Middle East, October 4th
Low at the Coolidge Corner Theater, October 8th
Elvis Costello at the Orpheum, October 21st
Television …
the Adult Swim cartoon block (Sealab 2021, Space Ghost, & Brak)
Insomniac with Dave Attell
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (treading water, though)
The Amazing Race
The Sopranos (barely)
Samurai Jack
X-Men Evolution
Justice League
Invader Zim (please, come back!)
Angel
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Wow, that’s more cartoon-heavy than I expected. 33 years old, folks. Thirty. Three.
I’ve got to give props to the Sci-Fi mini-series “Taken“, just for giving a 20-hour, multi-generational story a try. Each episode was so hit-or-miss, though, that it’s hard to give the whole thing a thumbs-up. That Blair Witch girl still annoys the hell outta me, and Matt Frewer gets even freakier as he gets older. When the show was good, though, it was damn good.
Favorite Comics …
… in print …
Lone Wolf & Cub reprints (finished at last)
Y the Last Man (the tough new kid)
Powers (always strong)
Queen and Country (Rucka rocks)
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. II (Moore Goodness)
Daredevil (go Bendis)
Hellblazer (return to form)
Transmetropolitan (will be missed)
Global Frequency (mini action movies)
The Ultimates (a perfect popcorn comic)
… and online …
Get Your War On
James Kochalka’s American Elf
Foxtrot
PVP Online
Penny Arcade
Nowhere Girl
Video Games …
Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)
GTA: Vice City (PS2)
Spider-Man: The Movie (PS2)
LOTR: The Two Towers (PS2)
Warcraft 3 (PC)
Unreal Tournament 2003 (PC)
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC)
Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
Age of Mythology (PC)
The Personal Best …
Being part of Kate & Jim’s wedding
Seeing Amie finish her first few road races
Our weekend in Provincetown
Watching Matt and Mary get married (and the night in Portsmouth)
The last Also-Rans show in Brooklyn
Felice’s Birthday Dinner in Manhattan
Boston Harbour by boat, with dinner at Mama Marias
Playing ball in Fenway Park
Holding the Resignation EP in my hand
NY weekend: Visiting friends, graduating family, Times Square, & carriage rides
Finally feeling like I belong and believe in my job(certification city!)
The Also-Rans‘ Week of Rock: Pipeline, Metronome, & the Middle East
The Pats win the Superbowl
Discovering Brooklyn Lager
The Personal Blahs …
from the major losses …
Losing our kitty, Jan, to cancer
Stereolab’s Mary Hansen is gone
The death of Ted Demme
Joe Strummer dies way too early
the Also-Rans become the Has-Beens
… to the minor disappointments …
Unwound calls it quits
No new Planetary
Firefly gets screwed
… and the building frustration …
George W. marches us slowly to War
Let’s hope that last one changes course, and ends up on the ‘good’ list next year. None of the other stuff really matters in comparison.
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