2010 felt like a disappointing year for movies, yet here I am with like 10 movies that I feel should be on this list but couldn’t make the cut. Yeah, I’m looking at you, The Kids are All Right. So quickly: Micmacs is neat, The Fighter is good, The Town is a lot of fun, True Grit is pretty impressive, Greenberg is interesting, Kick-Ass is funny (I’ve seen it three times!), Scott Pilgrim is cool, I guess, How to Train Your Dragon was surprisingly charming, The A-Team is a masterpiece. There. Glad I got that out. Also, I missed out on some movies that are probably really good. Specifically: Animal Kingdom, Mother, Shutter Island, I am Love and Please Give. Just didn’t have the time. Now that I’ve gotten through those massive lists, I’m sure you’re dying to see what my real list is; so let’s dig in.

What makes Restrepo a triumph is that it doesn’t politicize anything. And that would have been so easy to do: this is a documentary about the troops in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan, after all. But these soldiers don’t politicize it, they’re not out there saying they’re fighting because the liberals are too weak or anything like that. These are guys as old as me, and they remind me of the people I know. Except a lot braver. They are fighting because they swore to defend us. They are fighting because they want they’re buddies to live. After the recent passing of Band of Brothers hero Dick Winters, it’s comforting to know that while the times have changed, the caliber of the young men asked to defend us has not.

9. Black Swan

The more I’ve come to think of the Black Swan’s screenplay, the more I’ve come to doubt the writing. So I hope it means something when I say that doesn’t matter. Future Wolverine sequel director Darren Aronofsky is such an expert with his camera and the performances are so strong that the film still triumphs as one of most intense, uncomfortable, trashy movies I’ve seen in recent memory. Oh man, that last ballet sequence at the end gives me chills.

The world of Winter’s Bone is so alien to me this might as well have been a sci fi movie. Kinda like The Road but better. This is a world where everyone seems to be related in some way, where gossip has enormous power, and no one is safe. It’s a complex and dark movie that I could see a lot of people really being turned off by, but I found it enthralling. I just really wanted that girl to get a better life.

I had to really think about this one. Something about it just seemed cliche to me. Oh, the British monarchy period piece movie. Look at its all-star British cast! I didn’t want to succumb to those temptations, but here I am. At least I can say that my favorite part wasn’t British, but in fact Geoffrey Rush, who was great in the role and a real treat to see out of Pirates of the Carribbean makeup. You know what? This is a really good movie about a pretty crazy part of history I only knew a little bit about before.

So, yeah, this is a movie about one dude stuck in a canyon for a long time. It is a movie which graphically shows said dude amputating his arm. None of that sounds appealing. But what makes it great is DB’s direction and JF’s performance. It becomes clear pretty quick that this is a story about more than survival, it is a story about perseverance and finding out why you want to survive. That’s pretty cool. Also, Sigur Rós.

Is this really an entry on my list, or a trick? In a year with a lot of disappointing comedies, it was even more surprising when one of the most amusing movies I saw was a “documentary.” Whether there’s any truth to this document doesn’t matter, because its story of a rebellious art form selling out and this unstable guy who was there to see it all is just so good. I really recommend you check this out, it’s on Netflix Instant streaming.

A Prophet is kinda like the French version of The Wire, but it’s a movie. Yeah, I can get behind that. It takes its time to get you into this world and these characters. The argument can probably be made that this makes the movie way too long and unfocused, but to me I felt like I knocked out a whole TV series over the course of one movie. There are some seriously crazy moments packed in here, making it among the best prison films I’ve ever seen. Plus, France is weird. The give you a day off of jail? What’s up with that? Also, Sigur Rós.

Hollywood started paying attention to the creepy qualities of Facebook in 2010. It was well documented in the creepy, surreal Catfish. The Social Network touches on what makes Facebook scary, from a privacy point of view, but is more content telling a great story with some tremendously memorable characters. So am I. I think in my review of this movie I compared it to Citizen Kane, in that it is a story of a youth’s rise to power and fortune at the cost of everything he once held dear. However, Mark is never that likable, he’s too distant and possibly mentally troubled for anyone to really get that close. The Social Network is an extraordinary film that I believe will still survive even after we’ve all moved on to whatever comes after Facebook.

I sure do like me some Chris Nolan, I tell you what. Is there anyone better than him when it comes to big action movies? He manages to make movies that are more thrilling than the Michael Bays of the world, and he still is able to fit in interesting plots and quality characters. Inception is a crazy movie for a lot of reasons, including just the fact that it was made with the big budget it had. It’s a real trip the first time through and you pick up more each time you revisit it, or at least I have.

I think we waited long enough for this one. The first two Toy Story movies are certainly among my favorite animated films, and Woody and Buzz are one of the best couples in cinema. There was some concern that the threequel for this series couldn’t live up to that legacy, especially so many years later. We’ve all grown up, and, fortunately, Andy did too. Toy Story 3 is a more mature film, dealing with some very adult themes and featuring some pretty harrowing sequences. Pixar did a great job with both the familiar and new, and provided us with a damn satisfying conclusion to a wonderful franchise.

When I look back at 2010, I’ll remember it as the year that I tried to get into two new genres. One was electronic music, which I would say was a great success thanks to terrific albums from the likes of Flying Lotus and Four Tet. Then there was my failed attempt to get into hip hop, although I didn’t really listen to modern music from that genre. I did think My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was kind of amazing in a terrible way. That Titus Andronicus album was really good. So was that album Brothers by that band the Black Keys. I even liked the new New Pornographers album. In fact, I listened to 41 albums in 2010, and had to make some painful cuts for this post. But these are the ones that stuck with me.

Gotta rep a Portland band while I still can. Because everyone knows once you move out of Oregon you must forget about it and your time spent there forever. Menomena has an interesting recording process that has resulted in a beautiful collection of intricate, complex songs. They’re melodic when they need to be, rocking when necessary. So what gave Mines an edge over some of the other amazing albums from the past year? Well, I’m not quite sure. I guess I like it a lot. I keep coming back for more, and I’d say that “Killemall” and “Tithe” are among my favorite tracks of all of 2010. While I loved something like The Monitor, I haven’t listened to it in its entirety since July. I listened to Mines over the weekend. This is just one of those terrifically accessible albums that anyone could enjoy and keep coming back to – even in the scary blank slate that is 2011.

Yeah, that’s right. More of that Oregon sound. Well, that’s probably not fair, since this sounds a lot more like Danger Mouse than the Shins. Whatever. I know Broken Bells is not the most popular pick for these lists since, well, the album was not that popular. But if you look at the criticism a lot of people levied against it, the main complaint is that it wasn’t a big enough departure for either of the artists. Maybe it’s because I haven’t heard much from either of them the past few years, but I’m OK with them not breaking a ton of new ground. This is one of the catchiest albums I heard all of last year, and the first album I was really looking forward to back in 2009. In a year with middling releases from the Gaslight Anthem, the Hold Steady, Interpol, MGMT, Murder By Death, and even Shout Out Louds, it was nice to hear some new material from guys I already knew that was really good.

Hey, here’s a band I knew nothing about a year ago. And yet there I was on the first day of summer perched on a hill watching them rock it out. So when I finally got home, I had to check out there new album, and, well, it’s awesome. I don’t know if you know this about me, but I like things that are awesome. I still haven’t gone back and checked out most of the Broken Social Scene discography, but Forgiveness Rock Record is, at the very least, enjoyable for newbies. Man, I actually saw a lot of bands live last year, didn’t I? It’s so easy to forget. Phoenix, Japandroids, My Morning Jacket, even that silly not-cowboy band. And Patton Oswalt! That guy’s funny. Remember when he made fun of “Home,” Colin? That’s a special moment that we’ll get to cherish forever.

Speaking of Colin, I believe he admitted to me that he at least really liked the first track off Swim. So that’s something I guess. I like most of them, but “Odessa” sure is nice. I love that Caribou called the album “swim” because they managed to give the entire thing an underwater feeling that I am in no way qualified to explain or even quantify. That’s right, double q-word sentence. Fuck me I’m tired. Um, here’s my advise for anyone who is not sure if they’ll like this album. Download it, put the whole thing in your library, and start playing the first track. Now here’s the tricky part: walk away. Not too far, you still want to be able to hear it. Just far enough that you won’t be tempted to change to something else. Just listen to the whole damn thing. You’ll get it. And then you’ll be like, “ah yeah, this is good.” Or, in the worst case scenario: “those were 40 minutes that I feel I wasted.”

Here’s another album that I feel like I enjoyed more than other critics simply because I haven’t listened to a Sufjan Stevens that wasn’t Illinoise. So, from my crazy point of view, that was his first album and this is his many-years-later followup. Maybe I should listen to more EPs. Anyway, oddly enough my most listened to track on The Age of Adz is the 25-minute “Impossible Soul” at the end of the album. Now, I like long songs, but that seems ridiculous even to me. How could this happen? I could have listened to the first track, “Futile Devices” over a hundred times more if I had spent my time listening to it instead of “Impossible Soul.” Boy, we can do much more together.

Is this real life? Is this a dream? Is this going to be forever? Questions such as these, which may or may not have been asked (and some would say, answered) by David after dentist will haunt your mind every second you spend listening to Halcyon Digest. You know what I mean? Of course you don’t, no one does. It never happens. Sorry, Ted, that’s a dumb question, skip that. Skip all these questions. Just go listen to the lush, beautiful album from another tremendous band from Georgia. No! That’s just what I’ll be expecting you to do! There’s a sale at Penny’s! It’s a damn good thing you don’t know how much he hates your guts. I guess the foot’s on the other hand now, isn’t it, reader?

I’ve never been raped, but I imagine rapists say something along the lines of “this is happening” while they’re assaulting you and you’re trying to fight them off. So this is kind of like LCD Soundsystem is raping me. He lures you in, sounding all quiet and friendly, talking like a jerk, except you actually are a jerk. Then he lunges at you, instantly getting louder, and indeed, bolder. He has his way with you, making you feel like drunk girls as he takes his one touch. All I want is to get away at this point, but he won’t let me. “I can change,” he says. “You wanted a hit, right?” I ask, he hesitates, trying to understand what I meant and then: Pow Pow! My one two punch knocks him off as I get away. Somebody’s calling me, I hear him trying to give chase. But it’s too late, I’ve escaped. Time to go home.

You ever wonder why this album is called Teen Dream? I’m not sure what’s so “teen” about it, although it certainly is dreamlike. Seems to me like albums as good as this should be given away for free to anyone who’s having a bad day or is just really tired or over-thinking things. There is a tender, emotional quality to Beach House’s music that soothes me, like one of those dudes who makes snakes dance. It’s just that charming. According to this iTunes I’ve listened to Teen Dream 27 times since I last restored my iTunes library, which was, I believe, around September. Is that a lot? For me, yes. Not for all people though. Frankly, it’s a rather useless bit of information that will ultimately make no difference in anyone’s life. I’m sorry for wasting your time.

This just goes on forever, doesn’t it? I’m so goddamn tired. Anyway, like Johnny O I just got into the National this year in time to go see them live. That makes me sound really spoiled, doesn’t it? I’m seeing them live, so I should probably familiarize myself with their music. Meanwhile, there are people all over the country who have loved the National since they released their first single who have never been afforded a chance to see them live. Please forgive me for my selfishness. If it makes you feel any better, I did really like High Violet. Especially as the weather took a turn for the colder and I lost sleep in favor of schoolwork. I should probably write some specifics, but frankly I’m still listening to Teen Dream right now and that’s making me keep forgetting what the National sound like.

These people out there, they look at Arcade Fire and Funeral and say, “Whelp, they’re done.” Well, let me let you in on a secret: Arcade Fire’s been getting better with each album. Sure, they haven’t matched the raw emotionality of Funeral in there last two albums, but the group has continued to pursue more complex songwriting and themes somehow more challenging than life and death. We all live and we all will die. Arcade Fire has moved on, and their latest project, about growing up in the suburbs, shows the universality of that experience, the good and the bad. While that means they won’t be scoring any amazing movie trailers with the new stuff, that doesn’t mean the new stuff isn’t good. In fact, it’s amazing. Wow, what a terrible ending to a questionable post. I apologize for my writing.

As another year comes to a close it’s time to look back at the media that helped us get through it and will remind us of it in the distant future. This was meant to be the first week of a three week event, although Nancy seems to busy to post and Kevin is having his own troubles. Regardless, look for music next week and movies the week after that.

2010 was an interesting year for games, with a really spread out release calendar. Usually I have to wait for November to play my most anticipated games, but it seemed like there was a big release coming out every month right up until December, which, as we all know, is too late in the year for anyone to release anything good.

The number 10 spot is always a tricky one. Do I reward a franchise for reinventing itself (Splinter Cell: Conviction)? Do I single out an amazingly fun, but stupid game (Just Cause 2)? Do I talk about some of the great downloadable games that came out this past year (Pac-Man CE DX, Limbo, Super Meat Boy)? How about one of the most competent games of the year instead? Kratos is angry, and so he’s going to kill everybody. That seems to be the entire plot of God of War III, which picks up right after the second game and then kicks our “hero” around enough that he just doesn’t seem to care anymore. Kill the Gods, kill the Titans, kill the innocent people caught in-between. And enjoy some exceptionally pretty visuals and solid combat along the way. You could complain about the weapons being too similar or other unessential nitpicks, but at the end of the day I enjoyed putting an end to a story that started back while I was still in high school.

Heavy Rain is not a great movie or work of fiction, but it’s one hell of a compelling gaming experience that sticks with you like glue from outer space. I can’t think of any title before this one that worked so hard at making you care about the characters you play as, making you experience the minutia of their lives. While not all of that pays off in the end, what does work works really well, and in a way no one has seen before. Sure, it’s easy to laugh at the ridiculous accents and some of the moments can be ruined by silly gamers, but can you think of anything as thrilling as the segment driving on the freeway in the wrong direction? The finger chopping scene? The murder? Did you even get those moments? Was my experience totally different from yours? It probably was, and that’s another reason why Heavy Rain is a game that helped make 2010 worth remembering.

I really liked that first Devil May Cry. The third one was good too. The fourth one was alright, I guess. But this new game, Bayonetta, well, that’s something special. She’s a hyper-sexualized witch/stripper/librarian on a journey of revenge and self-discovery, but the why doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Bayonetta kicks some stylish ass, and then shoots it, and the cuts it with a sword. Watching Bayonetta play out was among the most mind-boggling experience I’ve had, and that’s not a bad thing. I mean, where else but in video games do you get to see a woman turn her skin-tight leather suit, which is actually made of her hair, into a giagantic demon dog head that goes on to devour a spear wielding angel monster while said lady does sexy dance moves on rubble falling a seemingly infinite height? Where, I ask you.

And so the music genre of video games comes to an end, not with a whimper but with a glorious chorus of keyboards and vocal harmonies. Rock Band 3 is the logical conclusion of this legendary franchise, which not only adds a new instrument but modes to actually teach people to play their instruments all by themselves. Learning a new instrument for the game is an experience we haven’t had in years and while it has been a struggle it has also been a lot of fun and somehow a little bit nostalgic. The UI makes all the necessary improvements and of course you can play all the songs in your massive song library. I just wish I didn’t have to buy songs all over again. Now that Harmonix is independent again, I hope the can just go on making DLC for, I don’t know, the rest of my life.

Assassin’s Creed II was a helluva game. Brotherhood is better. The Desmond stuff is better than it has ever been, actually turning the rag-tag crew of futuristic assassins into people I didn’t mind talking with and rooting for. Ezio is just as badass as ever, taking up the mantle of leadership in the assassin’s guild of Renaissance Italy. Rome is an amazing city to run around and kill people in. Ubisoft has gone so far from the first title in the series. Earlier complaints of repetition have been destroyed by a robust collection of addictive sidequests and the sheer number of collectibles hidden all over the city. Plus, what other game let’s you hang out with Da Vinci and Machiavelli in-between murder sessions? It’s even got multiplayer that is actually pretty fun and is being supported by free DLC, or as I like to call it “free-LC.” That sounds better when said than when written.

“Hell, it’s about time.” One of the most anticipated games in recent memory finally made it to store shelves this summer, and has become a fact of life for gamers all over the world since then. While I’ll never be good enough to truly enjoy what most people come to StarCraft II to play, spending more than a month going through the singleplayer campaign, the ingenious challenge mode and even a few matches with friends made it totally clear that this is a landmark game. It’s also the most watchable game I’ve ever seen, as I’ve probably spent more time watching matches on YouTube and uSteam than actually playing StarCraft II at this point. Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking about eSports. Deal with it. South Korea’s cool with them, why can’t I be? Watching pro-level StarCraft II is like watching professional 3D chess in fast forward, but with blood.

As soon as I got to fly in the Burning Crusade expansion, I’ve been waiting to fly in Azeroth proper. “But we’d have to remake the world,” Blizzard said. “So do it, you makes crazy money every month,” I said. So they did. And Cataclysm is the best work they’ve ever done. Questing is crazy fun, the new races are great and while the level 85 cap is dumb, thinks are looking bright for the endgame as well. I genuinely enjoyed watching my druid gain tens of thousands of HP as he gained those last five levels, and the simplified talent trees allowed me to actually build my spec on my own instead of looking up a guide on the Internet (which I probably should have done). Blizzard has definitely reshaped the game to be simpler, more fun, and yet more tactical and skill-based than ever before. There’s never been a better time to hop into the World of Wacraft.

The beloved Halo franchise bids farewell to its creator with Reach, the best game in the franchise. I know that’s kind of hard to swallow, what with Master Chief being sidelined in favor of dudes and a lady we’ve never met before, but the concept of a planet being taken over by aliens while humanity desperately tries to fight back, and later simply survive, is more compelling than the intergalactic stories we’re used too. It helps that we dealt with a much smaller cast of characters who were more willing to take off their helmets and let you get to know them. But now they’re dead. Plus space battles, jet packs and the most robust multiplayer suite thus far, with all sorts of great armor customization, gameplay mode flexibility and even the Forgeworld, a land you can alter any way you wish. This is the definitive Halo experience, and my current online FPS of choice.

Cowboy’s never got their just reward in video games. Every once in a while, someone would take a shot at the old west, but it never quite paid off. Rockstar changed that with Red Dead Redemption, which is not only the best cowboy game ever, but possibly the best game the studio has ever put out. John Marsten is a tremendous character to play as, and his version of the old west is fully realized. This is simply one of the best stories I’ve ever played, with a remarkable cast and a satisfying series of endings that delivers a profound sense of closure. It’s also worth pointing out that this amazingly robust game also includes a complete mutliplayer package that I hear is a lot of fun, but haven’t touched myself. There’s so much to do, to see, to experience in Red Dead Redemption you could probably play is for the rest of next year too.

The sequel to 2007’s Mass Effect came out in January and I could still play it right now. That’s after three substantial DLC releases and multiple attempts at playthroughs. Hell, I’ve even thought about replaying the first game to set up the ideal Mass Effect 2 run. The new combat system is terrific, making the game a competent third person shooter made exceptional by the biotic and technical powers that you and your squad can use. I love how Bioware streamlined the RPG systems, making character leveling substantially less complex and turning armor into a fun cosmetic experience instead of a constant battle against your inventory. The story is great too, crushing you with the gravity of your suicide mission right through the end. Mass Effect 2 is everything I love about video games and a reminder of why the medium remained my favorite in 2010. Now let’s get that Mass Effect 3 already.