Two Geeks Episode 89 – 2008 We Hardly Knew Ye
Friday, January 9th, 2009
In this episode we take a look at the year that was, that’s right its our annual year in review episode, with a look at Movies, TV, and Music.
Its that time of year again (almost like a tradition or something). Yes, it is time for Scott and I to sit down and make our lists of the best and worst in Movies, TV, and even Music for the year gone by. It was a good year with lots of ups and downs, we had road trips and more movies and TV than we knew what to do with. Let’s just hope that next year will be as memorable as this one.
• Top Ten Movies of 2008
• Worst Movie of 2008
• Top Five TV Shows of 2008
• Our Favorite Albums of 2008
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Book of the Month
Y The Last Man Vol. 5In this final Deluxe Edition hardcover collecting Y #49-60, Yorick and Agent 355 prepare for their ultimate quest to reunite the last man with his lost love, while the person, people or thing behind the disaster that wiped out half of humanity is revealed. Then, Yorick Brown's long journey through an Earth populated only by women comes to its dramatic, unexpected conclusion.
No love for Cloverfield (1-18-08)??? With all the viral videos and keeping a tight lip on the monster, to me it lived up to all the hype.
I did really like Cloverfield, it did live up to the hype for me, just not top 10 material. It was a full year!
stinker of 2008: Whatever Uwe Boll directed this year
Fun Fact: Two of your albums are connected because Ben Gibbard of Death Cab is engaged to Zooey Deschanel
I HAVE heard of Murder by Death
If you don’t like using “Frak”, use “Frell” instead (or any number of other awesome made-up words from Farscape). :D
Since we’re in a list-making zone here, I’ll list my own top movies and TV of the year. I haven’t seen any movies in December though, so keep that in mind.
Movies:
1. Dark Knight (tie)
1. Wall-E (tie)
I just couldn’t choose between these two. They are both great in their own ways.
3. Iron Man – Robert Downey, Jr makes the perfect tony Stark, and it was a lot of fun watching him tear up the screen.
4. The Fall – This is one of the most impressive visual experiences I have ever had from a movie. It does a great job of portraying the vivid imagination of a child in a beautifully colorful way.
5. Bolt – This movie had great animation, a great set of characters (especially the hampster), and a really good story. Seeing it in 3D also added a little extra icing on the cake.
6. Hellboy 2 – I love most Guillermo del Toro movies, and this is no exception. I loved Pan’s Labyrinth, Blade 2, and The Devil’s Backbone. I liked the first Hellboy, but the sequel improved upon it in just about every way.
7. Appaloosa – Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are great together. This is a Western through and through, and it does it very well.
8. Tropic Thunder – A mainstream comedy that wasn’t afraid to step over the line a bit in search of a laugh. Robert Downey, Jr again made this movie much better than if he hadn’t been in it.
9. Speed Racer – This is the best “family” movie that I’ve seen in a long while. It is visually stunning, and the story has a lot of heart.
10. Quantum of Solace – This was a great continuation of Casino Royale. Daniel Craig still makes a great James Bond.
Honorable Mentions – Kung Fu Panda, In Bruges, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Incredible Hulk
Most Disappointing – Indiana Jones 4
Television:
1. Lost – Those who gave up on this show missed the best season of Lost thus far. There were a ton of revelations last year, and I’m excited to see where Lost goes next.
2. Supernatural – Like you guys, I liked the 3rd season, but it was definitely rushed in the end section that aired in the beginning of the year. If we only had the current season to consider, it might threaten to take over Lost’s top spot.
3. Battlestar Galactica – Despite having only half a season in ‘08, BSG was consistently excellent, and the finale was perhaps the most surprising yet which is saying something for a show that has had several crazy finales. The events in that episode shook things up in a big way, and I can’t wait to finally see how things shake out when BSG starts back up in a week.
4. Chuck – This show just keeps getting better and better. The show does a great job with the comedy, and it is able to stay funny over the long-term because of the great characters.
5. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – This show is flying a bit under the radar, and it’s a shame. I think it should be getting a bit more attention than it has been getting.
I really loved the first two and a half seasons of BSG but many of the story lines since then have left me cold. And this whole, let’s do thirteen episodes and then wait another frakkin’ year has not left me kindly disposed to them. Let’s just hope the final payoff is good.
…
Melodic is a real word.
Damn.
My favorite albums of the year were Stay Positive by The Hold Steady; 808s and Heartbreak by Kanye West; Skeletal Lamping by Of Montreal; Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay; Made of Bricks by Kate Nash; Razia’s Shadow: A Musical by Forgive Durden; Folie A Deaux by Fall Out Boy and Pretty. Odd. by Panic at the Disco. (Believe me, I’m just as surprised by the last two as you are)
I listened to a few tracks off Razia’s Shadow, but they didn’t really grab me, but I’m still interested in the album, is it worth it?
I really liked Razia’s Shadow, it was something that I hadn’t heard much about, but it was a fresh idea that I have really enjoyed.
Well, if you’ve heard a handful of tracks already, I’d say you gave it an honest enough shot.
Yay Scott, another person around my age who’s favorite band is the Cure
My lists are
TV
1. It’s Always Sunny in Phillidelphia
2. Chuck
3. 30 Rock
4. South Park
5. Gavin and Stacey
Film
1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3. Frost/Nixon
4. Burn After Reading
5. In Bruges
6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
7. Wall-E
8. The Wrestler
9. Son of Rambow
10. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Some good ol’ music for the year that I have enjoyed were:
Only by the Night by Kings of Leon
Heart On by Eagles of Death Metal
Yep, I love me some rock a’ billy style music!
Thanks so much for talking about los campesinos. I checked them out and they are totally awesome!
I got to see an advanced screening of Slumdog Millionaire here in Louisville in early November. My work randomly gets free tickets to advanced screenings a lot. I also got to see Juno & Nick and Norah’s for free in the same way.
I have a feeling if you guys had seen it, it would have at least beaten Speed Racer and Casino Royale for the Top 10. At the very least. It’s a great movie, and I’m sure you guys will check it out on DVD.
Also, I have Murder by Death’s “Like the Exorcist but More Breakdancing” and you’ve convinced me to listen to it since I haven’t listened to it in a while.
I loved Vampire Weekend’s CD this year. When I first got it, I kinda set it aside and would listen to a couple of the hit tracks (A-Punk, Mansfard Roof, Oxford Comma), but Scotts right, every track could be a hit song. A couple weeks after getting it I listened to the full thing a couple times and all the songs are great.
Also if you guys like MGMT and Black Kids, you might also like the 2008 album “You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into” by the band Does it Offend You, Yeah? Especially these tracks:
Track 8: Being Bad Feels Pretty Good
Track 4: Dawn Of The Dead
Track 3: We Are Rockstars
Track 1: Battle Royale
Other 2008 albums of note:
“We Started Nothing” from The Ting Tings (Not necessarily musical genius, but lots of fun)
“Santogold” from Santogold (I love her music and she seems like a really nice person as well)
“Lucky” from Nada Surf (Originally coined as a Weezer wanna be even though they were around before Weezer, I feel they branch of into another direction with this album. The tracks are a lot “prettier” for lack of a better word. Especially “Whose Authority” “I Like What You Say” & “Ice On The Wing”)
“Youth Novels” from Lykke Li (The tracks “I’m Good I’m Gone,” and “Little Bit” are my two highlights)
“Neptune” from The Duke Spirit (I love this band so much. Her voice is so captivating. “The Step and Walk” has so much feeling, and “Sunken Treasure” is pretty.
“Donkey” from CSS (This is full of fun dance music. I like the tracks “Move” “Left Behind” “Let’s Reggae All Night” “Rat Is Dead (Rage)”)
“Konk” from The Kooks (From catchy energetic rock to gentler acoustic pieces, this album has a nice variety)
Also, Los Campesinos sound pretty cool. Thanks for bringing them up in this episode. Pretty much the only artist/album you all talked about that I don’t have yet.
And Ben, thanks for telling me the correct way to pronounce Sigur Rós. I always pronounced it “SIG-OOR ROSS.” And they do make great “background music.” That’s a worthy description. And not only does the band not sing in English, but they don’t sing in any language. The lyrics in their songs are in a fake language, like gibberish.