Favorite 11s

MOVIES

11) Sleepwalk With Me

Although it wasn't quite my favorite of the year, I can't make this list without shouting out to my boy Mike Birbiglia. Based off his one-man show of the same name (which was also adapted to a book, as well as one of my top 5 albums from last year), this movie is great for Virgiglias. Unfortunately, having heard/read the story and most of the jokes already, by the time this came out I was suffering from Sleepwalk-fatigue.

10) Argo

Remember when it was cool to not like Ben Affleck? Well it's not cool now... Argo makes for 3 great pictures in a row under his belt. Not bad for the director of only 3 films. Much like The Town before it, Argo has Ben putting himself in a bland-ish leading role, allowing room for the other characters to take off with the movie. Packed with even more suspense, and a (mostly) true story to boot, this is Affleck's best movie yet.

9) The Avengers

Pulling off the seemingly impossible, Joss Whedon took threads from several separate films and tied them into one, AND made it make sense even without having seen them. The Avengers was probably the most fun I had at the theater this year, I would say the pinnacle of pure popcorn entertainment.

8) The Dark Knight Rises

Umm liek Bain was rly cool adn Bat man was like im gunna kill u but i cant ahhhh and then ther was like these sexy ladys specialy cat woman she was rly good @ fighting. Seriously though, I can't help but just love anything based on Batman. Oh yeah, and Christopher Nolan is awesome or whatever.

7) Silver Linings Playbook

It's not what I expected, I'll say that. Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect from David O Russell, I never do. From the wacky antics of Flirting With Disaster to the existential humor of I Heart Huckabees, to the gritty Oscar-nominated drama of The Fighter, and now Silver Linings Playbook seems to be straddling the line between romantic comedy and award-winning drama. Just expect to be surprised, I guess.

6) Moonrise Kingdom

People always seemed to like Wes Anderson. I never got it until Moonrise. But with a screenplay as cute as this, with lead child actors as cute as these, it's no wonder big name actors (Willis, Murray, McDormand, Norton, Schwartzman, and Swinton) are lining up to play minor roles.

5) Django Unchained

Even though it failed to live up to the incredible promise of the trailers (I once jokingly said the trailer was my favorite movie of all time), Tarantino has yet to make a bad film, or even one less than "great". Christoph Waltz and Leo DiCaprio both played well against type (as a good guy and as a bad guy, respectively), and Jamie Foxx as the title character proved I had nothing to worry about.

4) Cabin in the Woods

With Cabin, Joss Whedon made a fan of me. I'm not even a horror fan and this movie fully engrossed me... to give away anything would be to deprive you of the joy that is watching its events unfurl. Just do it, seriously.

3) Bernie

Those of us who have seen Margot at the Wedding knew Jack Black had some measure of dramatic chops in him, and they came through in full force in this dark comedy. Maybe if Jonah Hill can get a nom, so can good old Jables.

2) Seven Pyschopaths

The In Bruges writer/director has out-Tarantino'd Quentin himself this year. A deliciously funny crime pancake dotted with violent bits of whipped cream and lathered in swear-syrup. Sam Rockwell gives his best performance to date as Colin Farrell's overeager best friend/ dog kidnapper.

1) Looper

Looper reminded me of Inception in the best ways. Both are near-future, believable sci-fi action flicks, both have great performances by Joseph Gordon Levitt, both are nicely packaged narratives in a universe ripe for sequels (although I'm not sure I would want them). But where Looper truly shines is where it differs from Inception. The lived-in world, complete with retrofitted solar panels on old cars, has a grittier feel. And the much-debated ending of Inception, no matter how analyzed, was not as satisfying as Looper's finale. Not only my favorite of the year, but one of the all-time best in the genre.

ALBUMS

11) Kendrick Lamar- good kid m.A.A.d city

Since Pitchfork awarded this their album of the year, a good deal of the enjoyment I get out of it comes from the thought of a bunch of ironic-facial-haired, hemp-scarf-wearing white dudes sitting around a table jamming to lines like "All my life I want money and power/ Respect my mind or die from lead shower". So, if you think about it, I've achieved a level of hipstonian ironic appreciation that Pitchfork could only dream of.

10) Regina Spektor- What We Saw from the Cheap Seats

Weird, but not quite as weird as Fiona Apple's latest release. What We Saw from the Cheap Seats is a solid pop record, deconstructed with more experimental tactics. It's enjoyable on a traditional level as well as a more critical one, which is what I think Apple's record lacked.

9) Japandroids- Celebration Rock

It's called Celebration Rock. It starts with the sound of fireworks. It's full of well-crafted punk rock songs. All this with zero hint of irony. This is just a couple of dudes playing the loud music they grew up loving, and you can't help but love them for it.

8) Tenacious D- Rize of the Fenix

It opens with the title track, (which, if I was doing top songs of 2012, would probably be #1) and sets you up for a thrilling heavy metal/comedy adventure. But then you get to pseudo-serious semi-autobiographical songs like The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Cage and you know this isn't the same old D. But it is still. Let's just say this: You can get a new Tenacious D tattoo.

7) John Mayer- Born and Raised

After a considerable misstep in Battle Studies (which I still maintain is a decent album), Mayer has a brand new hat and sounds more like Neil Young than Stevie Ray Vaughan. This is fully acknowledged, with lines mentioning Neil by name, and back up vocals by his former CSNY bandmates C & N. Overall it seems like a step in the right direction.

6) Muse- The 2nd Law

Ah, here's another case of returning from the dumps of the last album. Having lost none of his dramatic flair, Matthew Bellamy adds Gothic choirs and dubstep wubs to the band's sound, while somehow sounding more like a hard rock U2 than ever.

5) Rufus Wainwright- Out of the Game

When I first heard it, I thought it was Jon Brion's work for sure... It's not, but it has a similar sound, which is one my favorites. Classic without being too nostalgic, modern without relying on synthesizers or drum machines. It's a baroque pop album for the 21st century.

4) Divine Fits- A Thing Called Divine Fits

These guys are a supergroup that puts members of Wolf Parade (who I'm admittedly not too familiar with) together with the dude from Spoon (who is amazing). When I'm listening, I can't help forgetting it's not just a Spoon album, because it easily holds up with anything they've ever done.

3) Jack White- Blunderbuss

In all honesty, though I've always loved Jack White himself, I never truly got into White Stripes or Raconteurs as much as I wanted to. I always felt there was something holding it back from really connecting with me. Turns out, it was the band that was holding him back. Now with an album that has only his name on the cover he can finally shine, and shine he does.

2) Frank Ocean- Channel Orange

One of the only R&B albums in recent years I've given a hoot about. And for good reason; Ocean's influences seem to come more from days past (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince, etc) than anything current. However, it looks forward just as much as it looks back, and if this is what R&B is about to sound like, I'm back in.

1) David Byrne & St Vincent- Love This Giant

One of the only albums I've ever heard that doesn't have a single "skippable" track. Basically, if you're gonna dig it, you're gonna dig all of it. From the critical consensus, it seems as if most didn't dig it, which is fine... I guess it was made just for me. The collaboration between these two produced plenty of synth basslines and a mean horn section, as well as Byrne's best material since Speaking in Tongues. This is the kind of album that evades genre classification and just becomes it's own thing, and that's why it is my favorite of the year.

Thanks for reading!

The "Chicken Wing" Theory

I think that perhaps I might have discovered some sort of purpose for this blog. I may or may not use it for spouting my thoughts on life. It could prove to be too bold an undertaking (in assuming these thoughts are of any relevance), but I figure I might as well give it a shot. I'm starting to slow down the elegant, scholarly writing style at this point (what am I, writing an essay? I think not.) so it should start to get good right about... now.

Anyways, there was this revelation I had concerning chicken wings......

There I was, at Native New Yorker on a Tuesday (or Thursday, whatever) night chowing down on some 50 cent honey BBQ's. I realized that the way I happened to be consuming the wings was just that-- consuming. I wasn't taking time to savor the delicious flavors of the sauce, the texture of the poultry, or even the atmosphere of the restaurant. About four wings into a set of eight, I examined my process and reversed it. Instead of eating the wing to eat the wing, I took time to appreciate every aspect of the task. I even took a moment to check out the aesthetic qualities of my meal- the shiny, rich mahogany exterior, which opens up to a steamy, beige, chicken-y center after every delectable first bite. Needless to say, if I had continued eating the second half of my wings in the same manner that I had the first, it would not be the memorable experience that it was. And definitely not worth recounting, although it is arguable that this version of the story is.

The important thing here is not the story or the chicken wings (which are quite good, by the way. That's a fact). What I took from the experience and applied into my life is what makes this, in my opinion, something worth telling. For the record, I do realize that it sounds utterly ludicrous to take a chicken wing and make it a life lesson. I get that. But did anyone ask questions when Doc Brown hit his head in the bathroom and came up with the idea for the Flux capacitor? Where the idea originates is not what matters. The results are what matters. So let's say this: Doc Brown achieved time travel, Eric Smith achieved both satisfaction with and awe of life itself.

Okay, this is getting a little too "motivational speaker"-ish for me. My name is not Matt Foley. I'm not pushing an 11-step program. I just have a fun little way to look at life that works for me and I thought I'd share.

Basically I just took the idea of enjoying the chicken wing and generalized it to enjoying life. I'm not sure if analogy is exactly what this is all about, but it is the simplest way to get across my point. Let's compare the chicken wing to a day. Whether you like it or not, that chicken wing is going to be eaten. At least, when you put it in front of me, but I digress. I can either say, "Let's get this day over with..." or I can say, "Let's have a good time!" and the day seems to go accordingly. For me, a lot of it has to do with attitude. Like most, I was once a teenager with a bad attitude. For that reason, several of my junior high and high school years remain pretty low on the list for "best ever." Now I've adopted (or rather, formulated) the philosophy of "Life is Cool," even wrote a song with such a title. "Life is Cool" differs from similar, more nihilistic philosophies such as Immanuel Kant's "Transcendental idealism" and Timon and Pumba's "Hakuna Matada" in that it has an inherently positive connotation. It's not, as it could be mistaken, some sort of naive optimism. "Life is Cool" recognizes the importance of social obligations and work-related responsibilities, and instead of avoiding or ignoring them, embraces them for all that is positive. We, as humans, have an all-too prevalent tendency to go into a situation expecting it to be unpleasant in some way or other. With that sort of predetermination, it is entirely too easy to find something unpleasant. So I say: Why not flip that around? I like to reverse my thinking, just like with the chicken wing. It is just as easy to find good when you look for it, and it just so happens that nine times out of ten that's just what happens.

Hopefully that's as cool as I think it is. Anyways, see y'all later, blog-readerzzz.

Out.

-Eric

Pull down you defenses

Looks like it's later. Here are some things about me.

-My name is Eric Daniel Smith

-I am infatuated with Madolyn Sarah Whitmer

-I have a great love for music, which encompasses the following of my activities:

*Recording and performing on guitar, bass, drums, and/or keyboards

*Trying to find the best new music out there

*Collecting the best old music in awesome formats (vinyl, tape)

*Witnessing others perform music, whether I like the music or not

-I haven't figured out what I'm going to use this blog for yet. Suggestions are certainly welcome.

-My wall decorations consist of Star Wars, The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Michael Jordan, a painting I made, and of course, Kanye West.

-I work at Sonic, where I have awesome bright yellow skates and have good times.

-My favorite films tend to be made by Quentin Tarantino, Charlie Kaufman, Judd Apatow, or the Coen Brothers.

-I collect shoes and GoodWill t-shirts. My favorite shoes are usually slippers or hi-tops. My favorite t-shirts usually have some sort of animal or outdated pop culture icon. Anything I think would be funny to wear on my chest.

I think that's a good start. Later y'all.

-Eric

I can start blogging!

I suppose this should be the part where I begin informing the vast sea of intellectuals who read my blog daily about all of my important conquest and adventures.

I suppose now would be the time to introduce myself and who I am, propel that into the blogosphere, and wait for other bloggers to respond.

And I imagine that were I to do so, I would become very popular in the blog-world and my respectable followers would in turn be made members of an elite club whose purpose is only to maintain the rarity of its membership.

Maybe later.

-Eric