Well, the winter solstice is still a few days away, but this is really just a placeholder post anyway. If you don't know this already, or couldn't tell from my cultural elitism, I'm in Graduate school, and as such, am still operating on a semesterly schedule. Which means, of course, that I don't feel any compulsion to do much work from now until January. So, after 11 posts, and 2-3 particularly intense ones, Culturology is taking a vacation. Meanwhile, you should go check out the online literary journal that I designed and assistant-edited: Gulf Stream Magazine.
And to make a few pronouncements, so that the post isn't a total waste:
2008 Album of the Year: Portishead's Third
2008 Movie of the Year: In Bruges
2008 Book of the Year*: Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union
One of the best things about In Bruges was that it was released in Germany under the title "See Bruges... and Die?"
See you in 2009!
*Okay, well this was published in 2007, but the paperback wasn't printed until '08, so I'm counting it.
portishead? seriously pete? talk about a crappy album. next youll be telling me how much you love imogean heap.
Well, I'll admit to listening to very little new music, but at the same time, I thoroughly enjoy the Portisheads, and its about the only new-for-'08 album that I picked up. Also, then, my second favorite pick is Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks's Real Emotional Trash. Is that any better?
If it's good enough for Pete, it's good enough for me!!! Here are mine:
2008 Album of the Year*: Beggar & Co.'s Brass Strings 'n' Things
2008 Movie of the Year: TIE! Kung Fu Panda AND Iron Man
2008 Book of the Year: Christos Gage and Sean Chen’s three issue run on War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD
*Okay, this was released in 2007 as well but it came out at the end of the year and I didn't learn about it until 2008... so I'm counting it!!!
AudioShocker Shoutouts!
Ok, I'll throw my 'BEST of 08' into the mix
Album - The Ting Tings' We Started Nothing
I can not stop listening to this disc. Trendiness be damned, this is just plain good music.
Movie - Caramel
Granted, it came out in 2007, but it wasn't released in the states till Feb 2008. Oh, and I effing loved it.
Television - It's a tossup between Dexter, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Chuck. I eagerly anticipate all three every week and each fulfills a different portion of my tv needs.
Books - Anything from the Best American series. Creative non-fiction, essays, short stories, etc. Everything except what Dave Eggers edits.
I'm in the middle of Yiddish Policemen right now. So far, so awesome.
Pete - so I just finished In Bruges, and while it was not as amazing as it may have been purported to be, I did enjoy it.
Maybe it was the totally ludicrous premise, the benign setting, or the superfluous supporting characters, but I think I got it.
AudioShocker Shoutouts!
