Wow, 2011, what a year - it really has been a blast.
It was the year I met Ryan Gosling in New York. 2011 was also the year I got given a book called Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Friendships from the Animal Kingdom. It was the year I interviewed a man who had a 9 month sexual fling with a dolphin. It was the year I visited the HR Giger museum in Switzerland and interviewed Sigourney Weaver in London.
But now, 2011 is winding up, and it’s a good time to share some of the things I found best. Maybe they’d make good Christmas presents. I’m not going to be half-assed about it and do a top 5 for each or something – just a BEST thing for TV, film, books and music.
The best TV of 2011:
There was some super TV around this year: An Idiot Abroad, Community, Supernatural, Dexter. Black Mirror if you live in the UK. But clearly this was the year of Breaking Bad. Sure, we didn’t get season 4 on New Zealand TV, but you’ve all watched it, right? To think that Bryan Cranston was once the dad in Malcolm in the Middle.
The best music of 2011:
If you disagree with Breaking Bad as best TV of 2011, then you’re just plain wrong. Sorry, but you are. As for best album, well I’d say I’m definitely wrong, but I’m going with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. His brother Liam may have brought the swagger with Beady Eye, but Noel brings the love with Birds. It’s a beautiful album, reminding me a bit of Oasis’ b-side record, The Masterplan (which I adored, and you should too).
The best film of 2011:
There was a lot of fun on the screen this year: From mainstream craziness like Mission Impossible 4, to odd offerings like Kill List, it was a great year. Sure, some films we didn’t get to see on the big screen. There was just no way Human Centipede 2 was going to get a rating without being severely cut down, and that shit’s expensive. But there can only be one winner in this “List” game, and that winner is Drive. It looks cool, it sounds cool, and it made everyone realize Ryan Gosling is way sexier than Bradley Cooper (why did he win again?). It’s great fun to take friends to, because when the violence hits, it hits hard, and it’s fun to hear people whimper and squirm. No crazy cutting, no shaky cameras: Just solid, solid film-making. A cinematic delight.
The best book of 2011:
I’ll just come out and say it: 11.22.63. Even when Stephen King writes a shitty book, it’s still a pretty good read. And when he writes a good book, it’s really good. Sure, this time-travel novel can be a bit bloated, but sometimes I want it bloated. I want certain elements of the story to go on for too long – because it’s King’s world, and it’s usually awesome. So while the setup of a guy who gets the opportunity to travel back in time to stop the Kennedy assassinations sounds a little, er, naff - it isn’t. King injects it with heart, horror and best of all, amazing story-telling. And for fans of a certain other book of his, travelling back in time to Derry towards the end of the 50s has the most touching moment I’ve ever read in King book (and I’ve read them all).
So there you have it. Another TV wanker making a list. So typical at this time of the year.
Speaking of Lists, ‘The List’ is one of my favourite X-Files episodes. It was somewhere in season 3, where a chap on death row reckoned he'd be reincarnated and start killing again. Scully and Mulder argue for ages about whether this is possible. Scully eventually convinces Mulder she's right. Turns out Mulder's right. Typical.