Many apologies for missing the countdown on Thursday. I'm sure my many devoted readers or reader if they exist were heart broken yesterday. Sadly, the real world of actual work1 and a pointless continuing legal education class2 meant I was very short on time to blog. But don't worry! I'm back today with a double header to make up for missing yesterday.
Coming in at Number 11 is Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. Obviously a classic...
Next at number 10 is Little Drummer Boy by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. This is by far the best and definitive version of Little Drummer Boy by an American legend. A Christmas song so good that it almost made the definitive Summer 123 song countdown twice! Just think a song about Christmas was almost in a summer song list. That is cray. Pa rum pum pum pum...
1 Contrary to popular belief held by my roommate, my friends and my family, I actually have a job that requires actual work by an actual lawyer. I can't maintain my above 100% efficiency by doing nothing all the time. I think they are all hatin' cause they wish they had my job. As always haters always gonna hate.
2 Yesterday's CLE class was about the Landlord Tenant relationship, which you would think would have been a very good topic for me since I'm constantly thinking about becoming a slum...er landlord. But, you never know when you get a roomful of lawyers involved. And in the case of last night, it was not good. The presenter basically copied meaningless lists from the internet about and one lawyer kept on talking about her problems as a tenant and a buyer in NYC. Seriously, I could not care less that you had an awesome apartment in NYC and that your neighbor was paying $800 in rent control for an apartment that should have been $3,500. Blah, blah, blah. End Rant.
Coming in at number 12 in the countdown is Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys. Classic song by a classic American rock band. Doesn't get much better than that...
Even though my fellow blogger hates Christmas music and has a long standing feud against Christmas for valid reasons, I'm not going to let his negativity seep into my positivity. Although, he better watch out Fox News might declare him to be a head terrorist in the war against Christmas. Christmas music might be cheesy, sentimental and over-the-top at times, but it is still awesome because any song can instantly make you think of fun time you had in the past when it was playing.
So coming in at number 13 is an oldie but a goodie, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee with a bonus Christmas light show...
By the way I can only imagine the amount of work that goes into making one of the Christmas light shows. I can't wait to try to make one. It is the perfect way to spread Holiday cheer to all of your neighbors and maybe cause a few seizures on the way.
After watching DMX sing perhaps the finest version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, I've become inspired to have my own countdown of the best Christmas songs.
I'm only limiting the countdown to Christmas songs, sorry Adam Sandler, but his Hanukkah song is still awesome with classic lines like, "You dont need Deck the Halls or Jingle Bell Rock Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock--both Jewish!" and "O.J. Simpson--not a Jew!"
So coming in at number 14 is Last Christmas by Wham! Words can't describe how big time this video is... The 80s at its finest...
Because we have a wealth of movie knowledge, love talking about movies and the Academy Awards are horrible, we have decided to go year-by-year discussing what we each thought were the best movie or movies of the year. No point system or some arbitrary ranking system, just two dudes B.S.'ing and making random arguments If you think we messed up, are completely insane or left a movie out, comment and add to the conversation...
Marty:
Wow, 2000 was a weird year for movies. The top grossing movie was that horrible Grinch movie staring Jim Carrey and Scary Movie finished in the top 10. However, 2000 is one of the rare years that I actually agree with the Oscars choice for best picture.1 Gladiator was the best picture. An epic film, with epic battles and epic speeches Russell Crowe is at his best as Maximus, Joaquin Phoenix is great as the creepy Commodus and Ridley Scott is solid as ever directing. The movie holds up pretty well with great rewatchability 2 years later. Ugh, I'm getting old. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything that deals with the Roman Empire. Add it all up and Gladiator was the top movie of 2000.
Sean:
You are starting out with a bang here, and it really is tough to disagree with your Gladiator suggestion. I agree with your Gladiator nomination, and thought it was the movie of the year for 2000. It is an epic movie, one of the few that I would put in the epic movie pantheon and a movie you can rewatch over and over. The acting is fantastic, and it was the movie that really put Russell Crowe on the world's stage. The action scenes are many and varied, from a Roman legionary army battling barbarians in modern-day Germany to a fight in the Colosseum. But I think the argument could also be made for several other movies that came out in 2000 and are deserving of praise.
Boondock Saints came out in early 2000 and is a cult classic when it comes to movies. The Irish brothers who turn into modern day Robin Hoods with more than a dash of vigilantism is a very well known movie and a solid action flick.
American Psycho also came out in 2000 and this satirically dark take on 1980's Wall Street and the culture that rose up around it is a very interesting movie with a very interesting approach. You never know by the end of the movie if it was all just a series of dreams or actual events, but the tale is a lurid and sordid one.
Billy Elliot was a movie I saw in college, following a young English boy who just loved dancing and whose family sacrificed everything for him. A bit of a tear-jerker but a very well made movie and it held your attention.
Traffic was well acclaimed and I think it won an Oscar for something. It was well made but nothing I would call the best picture of 2000.2
Marty:
I have a feeling this will be one of the few years that we will actually agree. I thought for sure you'd pick Requiem for a Dream, which I never liked as much as a lot of other people.
Spot on with Boondock Saints and Traffic. Traffic is typical Soderbergh very well done but missing something.
American Psycho is pretty big time, Patrick Bateman is one of the best movie characters you will find. Plus, you can't go wrong with the constant barrage of 80's references such as Genesis and the awesome excuse of having to leave in order to return a videotape. Although, I think it is too over-the-top to be the best movie of the year.
Speaking of other movies from 2000, my second best movie for the year was probably Memento, which is one of Nolan's finest. What took it down a notch for me was that as soon as you see the ending there isn't any reason to watch the movie again, sort of like the Sixth Sense.
Sean:
I knew I glossed over something. I meant to mention Memento. You are right and 6th sense is an apt comparison. Maybe you watch the movie one more time after you know the secret, just to spot the glitches and the continuities that you missed the first time.
Requiem for a Dream was an eh movie. It was almost like a car crash in movie form, following these 5 people and watching their lives being destroyed. People liked it because it was an edgy movie.
That is spot-on analysis about American Psycho. Patrick Bateman is a top 5 movie character because he is 80's yuppies excess to a T. And the music is somewhat nostalgic but believable at the same time.
1Most of the years the Oscars are horribly off e.g., Shakespeare in Love, Million Dollar Baby and anything that involves English period pieces
2Almost Famous was also critically acclaimed and I wish I could opine further on it, but I never actually saw it.
