White Board Mafia

2009 was a hell of a year, that’s for sure. We saw the release of many albums that will be enjoyed for years to come, and a perfect mood setter for the Halloween season finally saw a release. Wrestlemania 25 went down in Houston, and 3/4 of the White Board Mafia was there to witness it live and in person. A few decent movies were released in theaters, but nothing I went absolutely batshit over. I got to see some incredible live acts as well. Here is a condensed list of my favorite points of 2009.

cKy – Carver City
I’ve been a fan of cKy since 01/02 when I got turned on to the DVDs in high school and I’ve followed them through their career and I can honestly say that no one sound like cKy, they’re simply in a league of their own. This is easily my favorite album from the group, and I highly suggest you scoop it up.

P.O.S. – Never Better
The Junior album from that lovable piece of shit from Minnesota, this album is topping a lot of “Best of 09″ lists. I love this album from front to back, I’m just disappointed I still haven’t seen him live yet.

Mastodon – Crack The Skye
If you take mind altering substances, this is the album for you. A concept album that follows a rollercoaster of a story that you’ll agree is one of the most inventive things you’ve ever heard. Mix that with a solidly written album, and you have a recipe for success.

Insane Clown Posse – Bang Pow Boom
This album was highly touted as the “Return of the Dark Carnival”. Every act has billed their newest album as the darkest, or sounds like the old stuff, or whatever the fans want to hear. The difference is, the wicked clowns got it right. This album brings be back to when I got into ICP around 97, and the live show was brought back in full force as well. 5 dates on the tour including the Hallowicked stop in Detroit on 10/31, and I could have easily done another 5.

Twiztid – W.I.C.K.E.D.
Personally, I think this is Twiztid’s best album since the Mostasteless album(s) dropped. The album flows so well and every track is a banger. There must be something in the water in Detroit Murderous, because both ICP and Twiztid albums this year were worth their weight in gold.

The only movie I’ll mention is Trick ‘r Treat, because it deserves the most attention, by FAR. Originally attached to the DVD of 300, this movie has had a cult following of people that have never seen it, campaigning for its release. Years passed, but the faithful did not forget. This year, it was finally released to smashing reviews and currently sits at an 86%(As of when I wrote this) on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a very high rating for a movie with no promotion that people have every right to be angry at. It’s an incredibly fun set of Halloween stories that’s perfect to get you in the mood for the best season of the year, the Season of the Pumpkin.

This year, I got to see Nine Inch Nails again. Their performance I saw in Philadelphia with A Perfect Circle on tour for The Fragile has topped my list of shows as the best I’ve ever seen. That was, until August 6, when I finally got to see the Don Dada himself, Ice Cube. As the main act for the opening ceremonies of the 10th annual Gathering of the Juggalos, he followed solid sets by the likes of Paradime and MC Chris, and blew the entire crowd away. Not once did the energy stop. EVERY song was a banger, every song had the crowd moving, and dare I say it, it’s the best live performance I’ve ever seen, Gathering or not.

Wrestlemania 25, oh what a trip you were. I can’t really add on to what’s already been said, without repeating that Undertaker vs Shawn Micheals was the best wrestling match I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Live, taped, it makes no difference. That match blew the roof off the dome and blew every other match that night away. I felt every single emotion during that spectacular display, and couldn’t have been prouder when Undertaker sealed the victory.

All in all, 2009 is one of the best years I’ve had in a long time. I made a lot of good memories with a lot of close friends, got more ink, traveled all over the country, and even picked up some nice stuff along the way. 2010, let’s see if you can compare.

Every year on the message boards and blogs I post on, I usually post 3 messages, one with my top movies, albums and video games of the year. Well, I’m still undecided on the albums and I’m still playing through a lot of 2009’s best games, so I don’t feel I’m ready to write those posts, but in a generally disappointing year of movies, I’m ready to reveal which of the few good ones I saw were my favorites.

Boomaga’s TOP FIVE FILMS OF 2009

5. The Hangover – I usually don’t have any comedies on my yearly list, but that’s because most comedies nowadays kinda suck. I’ll see them in the theaters and they’re one and done affairs, walk away with a few laughs and never need to see them again. The Hangover was different, loaded with enough witty remarks, ridiculous situations and clever jokes to keep me laughing several times through, this movie is something different. It’s a comedy that almost anyone can enjoy, provided they’re not the easily offended type.

4. Up – I don’t think a single movie this year made me laugh or tear up as much as this one. While it’s not Pixar’s best movie, even their worst movies usually end up being some of the best films of their respective years. I never thought I’d want to see the adventures of an old widower and a young cub scout, but I couldn’t help but be drawn into their story of adventure and mutual friendship in a beautifully rendered wilderness.

3. Watchmen – This movie was made for people who read the book. That being said, I read the book and loved this movie. Slavishly loyal to this source material, this was literally the comic brought to life. Now, because of that it became a little long winded and hard to swallow for folks not familiar with the original material, but as a fan of the book I will say I don’t think they could have done a better job. All the intense moments and favorite characters brought to life before me couldn’t make me happier, kudos to Zach Snyder for giving us Watchmen fans the best film adaptation we could hope for.

2. Inglourious Basterds – SPOILER ALERT….

I can’t not like any World War II movie where they kill Hitler. After being sucked into Tarantino’s wild world by Kill Bill and massively disappointed by Death Proof, I didn’t know what to expect from Inglorious Basterds. World War II seemed like a time where Tarantino’s style and scripting wouldn’t really flourish, but I was wrong. From the drawn-out and increasingly tense dialogue in the first scene to our introduction to the titular Basterds to the very last swastika being carved into Hans Landa’s head, this was Tarantino at his finest, a truly interesting and original take on cinema.

1. Star Trek – Of all the movies I saw in 2009, none of them captivated me and kept a smile on my face like JJ Abram’s Star Trek. I was never a huge fan of the original series or any of the Trek material, or anything JJ Abram has done for that matter, but the stars must have aligned for this project. I had seen a couple of the older Trek movies and knew who the main characters were, but I was nowhere near a Trekkie, and this movie managed to blow me away. A fantastic and likable cast, which is uncanny in most of today’s movies, a mix of new and nostalgic elements from the series, great action and special effects and a well-paced storyline that was more likely to keep you enthralled and entertained. It wasn’t trying to be revolutionary like Avatar or pretentious like District 9, it was just trying to be fun, and that’s really what movies should strive to be, they are entertainment after all. I can honestly say I didn’t enjoy myself more at the movie theaters than I did watching Star Trek, and that is why it is my favorite movie of 2009.

Also, here were my biggest disappointments of 2009:

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: I watched Harry Potter 4 and 5 right before this came out and was actually pretty hyped for it. I’m not a huge fan of the franchise, but I enjoyed the previous two movies and was excited for the new one, which proved to be one of the most boring movies I ever saw. 2 hours long and covered a plot point that could have been wrapped up in like 10 minutes, the rest of the time nothing fucking happened. Just a long-ass teenage snogging Dumblebore.

- Public Enemies – Two of my favorite actors in a real-life gangster drama, sounds sweet to me, too bad neither of the actors played likeable characters and the entire movie seemed to put along at an uninteresting pace. I couldn’t get sucked into it and spent the entire 2 movies battling sleep.

- Avatar – This really shouldn’t be on here because I wasn’t that excited to see it, but this movie was all style and no substance with all the special effects to impress someone who’s never played a Playstation 3.

Although the top films were easily my favorites of 2009, I don’t think any of them would rank within my top 10 films of the decade, 2000-2009. I’m currently trying to break down what’s going to be included in that list but I already know what number 1 is by a landslide, I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “Fjord of the Pings”.

Simply put, Trick ‘R Treat is the best kept secret of this year, or since the trailer was advertised on the packaging for the DVD release of 300.  Anything you can think of that should be in a Halloween movie, Trick ‘r Treat delivers in spades.  I remember seeing the trailer the day 300 dropped on DVD and immediately becoming impatient for this movie’s release.  Finally, the long wait is over, and I have to say, it’s been worth the wait.  From the movie’s opening scene until the climatic finish the movie sucks you in to a thrill packed rollercoaster ride through 4 interwoven stories.  Adapted from a graphic novel, the story follows the night for 4 groups of people and shows how each person’s story affects the next.  While not the center of the story, you’ll see Sam pop up in each story, the masked mystery from the cover of the DVD.   I only wish they’d fleshed out a story for Sam instead of just leaving him as short, stocky, and mysterious.  For Blu Ray fans, I’ve seen Amazon offering a deal with Trick ‘r Treat and Drag Me To Hell, my favorite horror/thriller released in theaters this year, for $51.98 with free shipping, or pick it the book for about $25.  I strongly urge you to check this movie out and please, SPREAD THE WORD.  9/10

My quintessential scene from any Pixar movie is from the film they’ll probably be least remembered for. If anything, it’ll most likely be remembered and admonished as being the least successful of all their films. It’s a scene from the climax of Ratatouille, not my favorite Pixar film, I didn’t even like it as much as last year’s Wall-E, but it was still an excellent movie in Pixar’s flawless cannon.

In this scene, Anton Ego, the harshest food critic in all of Paris, comes to Gusteau’s, the restaurant that is the main focus of the movie, prepared to critique their food and already anticipating extreme disappointment, having condemned the restaurant years prior. Ego is the most cynical critic around, to the extent that if he doesn’t like what he’s tasting, he refuses to swallow. Like a film critic leaving a movie early because he doesn’t like what he sees. After a lengthy wait, Ego looks disdainfully at the ratatouille dish that Remy the rat creates for him, only to be blown away when he takes one taste. The scene reflects Ego as a child, being served a simple bowl of ratatouille from his mom after seeming having fallen off his bike, and his demeanor immediately changes from almost tears to satisfied smiling. Then, we rejoin Ego in the present as his look of shock at the immediate taste turns into a look of delight as he joyfully chows down on the rest of the dish. With this small dish of food in front of them, even the coarsest, meanest, vilest of critics can remember what it was like to be happy and innocent. That is a Pixar movie to me.

The reason I feel compelled to write about this is because Up, Pixar’s 10^th full-length feature comes out tomorrow (or today depending on when I post this). The reviews have been excellent, the previews have been delightful and the hype has been rigorous if not a little understated. I’ve already got my ticket to see it, but it’s more than just a chance to go see a movie. It’s a chance to be that happy little kid again, sitting in the theater and not having a care in the world, if only for an hour and half.

I’m the living 24 year old incarnation of Randall Graves from Clerks. I’m about as far as he is in life when it comes to relationships, career, income and most of all, cynicism. I spend most of my time listening to caustic, angry music. I do not have what I would consider high job satisfaction. I’ve been to 6 Phillies game this season, and they’ve only won one of them. Everyone is stupid to me and I’ll always be the first to notice or anticipate someone’s faults before their benefits. And yet, for the last few years, about once a year, I’ve been able to feel wonder, imagination and amazement like I did 10, 15 or 20 years ago. It’s hard to see the beauty in the world around me with my daily disappointments and frustrations, whether internal or external. However, when the film rolls and the Pixar lamp hops across the screen, I’m transported out of my life to a variety of truly magical worlds without me realizing it until the movie is over.

While I was too young to truly appreciate some of their earliest films when they were released, I was 11 when the first Toy Story came out, each one of their latest movies has felt almost like an out of body experience. Each of their films has been a masterpiece of setting, character, plot and scripting that takes me into a world of fantasy like almost no other film company can hope to accomplish. I remember seeing The Incredibles in theaters the Sunday after it came out and wanting to talk about superheroes for hours, not even the excellent Iron Man did that to me. I remember wanting to go out and grab a bite to eat at a fancy restaurant when walking out of Ratatouille. I completely lost myself and felt at peace as Lightning McQueen and Sally took their little drive through the countryside in Cars. And just last summer, the music and motion in a few scenes of Wall-E literally sent chills down my spine and a scene towards the end almost, ALMOST, made me cry at the movies for the first time. Now, how does that happen to someone who’s favorite movies are Fight Club and Kill Bill?

I’m not sure if I can put it into words, the way Pixar’s movies draw me in and put me at peace. It’s a phenomenon that’s exclusive to them, what I like to call “The Pixar Experience”. I’ve seen some of my favorite movies of all time in the theaters, but never did I lose grasp of myself. I was always self-aware that I was a miserable wreck of a human being in a fleeting moment of happiness, but it was different during Pixar’s movies. It’s hard to explain the difference between knowing exactly who you are while genuinely enjoying a movie and letting your mind escape into the imaginary world before your eyes like you did while watching cartoons as a child. These are child-appropriate animated movies, both funny, emotional and critically acclaimed, how do they do it?

It’s not like every cartoon movie works this way on me. I saw Cars in theaters the same summer I saw Over the Hedge. I now own Cars on Blu-ray, I haven’t seen Over the Hedge since then. There’s a distinct difference between the power of Pixar and everyone else in the computer animated game, even Disney’s own animation studio. Everyone else looks like they’re looking for the slam dunk cash cow and pale in comparison to any of Pixar’s movies (the single exclusion was the great Kung-Fu Panda). They make movies with some endearing moments, pop-culture send-ups and adult-centric jokes, they have mom & dad buy a few tickets for the kids and sell some dolls and t-shirts for kids for a few months after the movie’s release and then vanish. Hey, does anyone else even remember that Antz existed? I bet we would’ve forgotten about Ice Age by now too if it wasn’t for the sequels. In watching Wall-E last year, I never thought about buying a Wall-E action figure or getting a shirt with EVE on it for my niece (well, a little…), I was just enraptured in an excellent, touching, poignant story about robots centuries in the future. It’s like Pixar has no rules, and they’re willing to break the barrier between making a successful franchise movie and creating an excellent tale that only has one intention. That intention is to make audiences happy, to take them away from their everyday problems without thought of marketability, sales, product placement or endorsements. I’m actually impressed by Disney’s obvious trust that Pixar will deliver an amazing product every time they make a movie. It’s so hard to find integrity and quality in family entertainment today, and Pixar is the top company for both in today’s movies.

That’s why by this time tomorrow I’ll have seen their latest film, Up. And for a short time within the next 24 hours, I’ll expect to be the happiest and most peaceful you could ever hope to see me. Like Anton Ego over his plate of ratatouille, my inner child expects to be released and hold my hand as I escape from reality, if only for a little while. The little while when I’m lost to the Pixar Experience.

Up, in theaters today!