The Bin – 1/8/10
Jan 08
We used to just like stuff every week. Now we throw that in a blender with links, videos, and random claptrap and we call it…THE BIN. It stinks like garbage but it doesn’t taste half bad.
2009: This Was That Year What Was
Jan 04
I keep seeing people complaining about what a crummy year 2009 was. Maybe it’s the afterglow of the holidays talking but I thought 2009 was a perfectly serviceable year. Personally, it was full of the usual ups and downs, with a few really good “ups” to boot, namely the birth of my son, who is adorable and perfect, thanks for asking.
Pop culturally, there was plenty of bullshit but certainly no more or less than any other year. Bubble Boy, Sookie, and the tragic Michael Jackson deahth show would just as easily have gone down in any other annum.
I have a lousy memory for these things, but here’s a few geeky things that stand out for me from 2009. It goes without saying that the best things about the year were my wonderful family and friends, and that is sure to continue into 2010 and beyond. These are just the dweeby highlights:
Star Trek: If I had seen more than 3 movies at the show this year, I’d feel more confident naming this the best movie of the year. It is easily my favorite anything of 2009. I can’t speak for casual fans but I think there’s a certain stripe of lapsed Trekkie for whom this movie felt like a homecoming, a validation, and a brave new start, all at the same time. Let’s put it this way: It’s got me buying Trek comics again for the first time since high school. It’s good to be back.
2009: My Favorite Comics
Dec 30
A few notes before we begin: I read everything in trade these days. (Civil War broke me, you guys — broke me.) That means that I am 1) eternally behind by at least one Astounding Marvel Crossover Event 2) listing things here that are either collected editions or graphic novels. Cause that’s what I read. Initially, I was going to make everything I read this year — regardless of release date — eligible, but that proved to be too daunting a task. So the stuff on this list actually came out this year (though in one case, I believe it came out in hardcover last year and in trade this year, but I bought the trade, so that’s what counts).
So…yes. I guess this is more like My Ten Favorite Comics That Came Out in Trade Paperback Format This Year. Honestly, sometimes explaining your reading habits is just as confusing as explaining Big Two continuity.
And now, in no particular order…
2009: My Favorite Movies
Dec 28
You know what? This was actually a pretty dang great year for nerdy movies. Zombies, Vulcans, bespectacled young ladies who know how to rollerskate? All there! Because I know you’re not at all sick of these end-of-the-year lists yet, here’s a rundown of my favorite films of 2009. This isn’t a “here are the undisputed best movies!” list. Or a “here are the ones that will win a bunch of awards!” list. Just my ten personal favorites, in no particular order.
The Iron Man 2 Trailer
Dec 18We’ve all seen it by now, yes?
If not, peruse below:
Wow, right?
I love Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. He is not too zany or campy, just a man with unlimited wealth and unlimited potential who is on top of the world and knows it.
Mickey Rourke’s casting aside, I’ve not gotten a big thrill out of Backlash being the villain here (or rather, a villain), and I thought those first stills of him were kind of silly, but I’m a bit more of a believer after seeing Rourke and the whips in action. I could do without the ‘evil science genius vs. good science genius’ plot again, especially since it once again seems to revolve around repulsor technology, but I’m not about to lose sleep over the storytellers establishing a theme.
War Machine made me freak out a bit, I don’t mind telling you. I suspect, reader, that you had a similar reaction.
And Pepper kissing the helmet? Can that be my entry in Sarah’s contest?
