Bumper film post

AYGH's Ten Favourite Films of 2006


The Queen

Maybe this is especially powerful to me because we went, my family, to the palace on that Sunday, and it was an unforgettable day. The film is every bit as good as every critic on the planet has already suggested. Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are perfect. The royal family is rarely seen as human, and they earn a lot of sympathy from this film. Not Philip, but that's hardly a shock. The news and interview footage is woven in really well, and the crash scene at the beginning is really powerful. And, Pat Mustard is in it!

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

A simple idea: take great hip hop acts, put on a free show in Brooklyn, get Michel Gondry to film it. The people are great, from the two kids who won tickets and can't believe their luck, to the marching band, to the crazy hippies whose house the show is at, to Dead Prez. It highlights how music can make a difference to people, how easy it can be to give people so much joy, and how
fucking great a new Black Star record would be. Oh, and that Dave guy that hosts it, he's pretty funny, you know.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

Steve Coogan is great in two different roles, plus as himself. The whole thing is almost too postmodern to enjoy, but Michael Winterbottom pulls it off easily. Having made films of Thomas Hardy novels already, he's obviously fine with adapting crap books, so why not aim for supposedly one of the worst? Great insights into the filmmaking process, actors' egos and the lure of celebrity. Plus, it's really fucking funny. My excitement for this currently knows no bounds.

Children of Men

Late addition to the list, but more than deserving. Incredibly filmed by Cuaron, barely any music, completely bleak and yet totally engaging throughout. Clive Owen's character begins not knowing much and then getting more and more involved, which matches the audience reaction well. There's a snippet of 'Witness' by Roots Manuva, and later a Pink Floyd visual reference. It's unsettling but not unbelievable and that's even more scary. And the actress that plays Kee went to high school with my sister.

The Departed

Again, one that's on many people's list. But that's only because it's so good. Tense as hell, great performances from actors at the top of the game, good support and lead characters, not a wasted minute, kickin' soundtrack, and the expert hand of Mr. Scorsese. Give him an Oscar already.

Mission Impossible 3

Don't think I can't hear you rolling your eyes, you jerks. I didn't see the second one, I heard it was baws, but JJ Abrams really brought the boo-yah to Ethan Hunt and his hi-octane nonsense-fest. I stand by my oft-repeated analogy about this being the cinematic equivalent of Sleater-Kinney's 'The Woods'. Begins heavily, doesn't let up, is really exhilarating, slows down right towards the end, then reprises the beginning... It doesn't sync up like Wizard of
Oz/Dark Side of the Moon, but you know. Easily the best of the summer's big name blockbusters.

Lucky Number Slevin
Dynamite cast, great cutting and filming, some cool dialogue and action scenes, but it really comes down to the plot. Absolutely solid thriller - lots of really great characters (The Fairy, Slim, The Boss, The Rabbi) and a "oh-shit!" reveal at the end, something essential for films of this ilk. It's dense, it's confusing, it spans different time periods, but that makes it all the more satisfying when it all comes together at the end.

Inside Man

Clive and Chiwetel Ejiofor again, in Spike Lee's big name bank robbery thriller which really makes up in tension where it sometimes lags in great storytelling. Of course racism and cultural differences play a big role, and I was wary about going into banks for months that followed. Later in the year, a TV show called 'The Nine' would try and fail to be as edgy, stylish and not-boring as Inside Man.

V for Vendetta

Like 'Children of Men' this takes the current sociopolitical climate and predicts how it'll be in the not-too-distant future, and again, it's terrifying. But 'Children...' didn't have some badass fireworks, swordplay, an enigmatic arch-villain and some nifty wordplay. Portman is good but Weaving is great and the imagery and message are really powerful.

Idiocracy

Another film set in the future. But much funnier. Edges it as the comedy of the year for me, the lack of any publicity definitely helps, but it's the ultra-corporate, ultra-stupid vision of the future that's the most fun part. Out on video this week... make sure you watch it, jerks.

Honorable Mentions: Borat, Night at the Museum, Brick, Thank You for Smoking, Water

Dishonorable Mentions: The Black Dahlia, American Dreamz, Accepted, Clerks II, The Break Up

...How about you guys?

I hung around with my adrenaline

Most fun obscure European band: Figurines

I've been enjoying their album 'Skeleton' for the best part of the year, and I still don't know shit about them. But it's a great album, reminds me of prime-time Wannadies for its energy and harmonies and start/stop choruses. Love it. The first song is deceptively quiet, then it really kicks off. Songs like 'All Night' and 'Fiery Affair' are like spontaneous elevator dance parties, over before you know it but really enjoyable. 'Rivalry' is an epic which is really nice and ends on crashing guitars. But 'The Wonder' is just that, and if you don't at least nod your head along with it, you're annoying.

[download Figurines - The Wonder]

Take it over and make it mine

Best song about a town in the West Midlands of England: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Dudley

I didn't really dig them til I saw them live a couple of years ago (hello, hairy me!) and YYYs' second album 'Show Your Bones' didn't do a lot to change my opinion of them. It began solidly, but then petered out very quickly. The album's second half is saved by the killer double of former single 'Cheated Hearts', and this song which is pretty and reserved and classy. The flipside to 'Maps', it's about the other side of being in love, the much more interesting dark side. For people who find Karen's yelp too frenzied to really enjoy, this song will be a welcome treat.

[download Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Dudley]

A million ways to make a million

Best Mixtape of the Year: Amerie – Because I Love It

I know I gave Lil Weezyana some props in here the other day, but to be fair, it’s only Mr. Wayne who makes it so enjoyable. It’s meant to be a showcase for his pals Young Money, who sadly don’t have his charm or lyrical power, so it’s not a great mixtape.

Despite the (sorta) legitimacy, Girl Talk’s ‘Night Ripper’ definitely has the right vibe, being cut-and-paste heaven, but there’s too much going on in there [full tracklisting] to digest in any one sitting. And, his live Nirvana cover is still haunting my dreams.

But in the gold corner is Amerie, who did more for brilliant sexy futuristic RnB in this one download-only gap-filler than Beyonce offered all year. Seriously, a Basic Instinct homage? Really? If you’ve never heard Amerie’s ‘1 Thing’, then what the hell are you doing wasting your time reading this? This mixtape, available online here, shows off some really kickin’ beats and her great voice. Less histrionic than most of her peers, I really like Amerie. ‘Push It’ and ‘Blow’ are just sheer determination and self-belief, whilst her take on ‘Money Maker’ (originally by SAG Award winner (!) Ludacris) is great and more fun than the original. Only the ultra-syrupy ‘Weekend Love’ is skippable. Check it out.

[download Amerie – Blow]

Oh, and as a bonus, here’s a mashup of Amerie with Modest Mouse, from my good friend DJ Payroll. You’ll like it.

[download Payroll – One Thing 2 Float On]

My nightgown sweeps the pavement

Hey! My finals are over! Hooray!

Today's selections are stuff that many other bloggers also seem to love. I obviously don't make any conscious decision to not go with the crowd or anything like that, but looking at many sites' "best of..." lists, I keep thinking "I don't like many of these, what's wrong with me?" and demanding reassurance from my nearest and dearest. But here's a few songs from 'Best of 06' mainstays which I, too, enjoy.

Best new slang word: Clipse - Trill

It's a combination of 'true' and 'real'. As a dorky Indian without an ounce of street cred, I really like this. The beat is sicker than smallpox, and there's much boasting about drugs, fear and... ahh, just mostly drugs. And a Billy Ray Cyrus shout out. It sounds like the future. I like that.

Best "I can't really think of a category but I love it" of the year: Neko Case - Star Witness

Nuff said. If you don't like it, you're probably already dead.

Best song about the hometown: Lily Allen - LDN

Can you believe it? Yeah, it's even better than this song about the big L. Even though her dad is that bloke from Fat Les and the rest of her album isn't very good, this song really stands out. It's chirpy, sunny and really infectious. So much so, in fact, that you don't even pay attention to the fact that an old lady gets mugged in the lyrics.

Best ubiquitous song of the summer: Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks

Written about by everyone and their mother. Nothing to add. Whistle it loud, whistle it proud.

Best song about furniture: Yo La Tengo - Beanbag Chair

One of those songs that it's impossible to hate. Completely different to the nine minute monster it follows on their record. It's warm and horny, just like... Oh it's too easy.

[download Clipse - Trill]
[download Neko Case - Star Witness]
[download Lily Allen - LDN]
[download Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks]
[download Yo La Tengo - Beanbag Chair]

Bonus: I gave Mogwai some props recently, and today rbally has a full live set of theirs from the summer. Look out for that apocalyptic closing 'My Father My King'.

And instead of a picture, here's an episode of 'Look Around You', a show I've been getting really into lately. It's under ten minutes long, so give it a look.

We can make it better

Best Live Show of the Year: (tie) Wilco and Art Brut

Just to qualify this... I live in Florida. Bands don't really come by here. I saw, maybe, ten gigs this whole year. It's bleak, so there's not really a lot to pick from. I've narrowed it down to two gigs, which couldn't be more different.

Wilco: Tallahassee, March

When I got home from this one, my roommate asked what kind of music Wilco are, and I struggled for awhile. Rock for adults, I suggested sheepishly, even though that makes them sound horrific. They're not Dire Straits! But they're ace, and they were brilliant. Played about a trillion songs, including a few new ones. Jeff was chatty, insulting a guy for shouting too much and telling jokes. The band were solid, rocking, anthemic and everyone was singing and swaying along. They finished with a new song, which is great and you can see it here.



Art Brut: Tallahassee, September

The Brut were opening up for We Are Scientists, and, as I wrote at the time, they were drunk, in pain, sweaty, a mess, and absolutely blinding. Uniting about half of the crowd, ripping through almost all of 'Bang Bang Rock and Roll', they were everything Wilco weren't. 'Nag Nag Nag Nag' suggests that next year will be just as bright as the boys (and indeed girl) from London.



[download Wilco - Shot in the Arm (live)]
[download Art Brut - Stand Down (live)]

Be my photo bitch and I'll make you rich

Best 'Finally, they've made an album I like!' album: Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

I've never really dug B&S. Some of their songs were ok, some were really good, but every time I stuck on one of their records, it was so monochromatic and apologetic that I'd have to listen to some Spice Girls and eat some beef just to restore balance. 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress' was a step away from that, with more of a pop edge, but it didn't sound right. 'The Life Pursuit' sounds right.

Easily my most played album of the first half of the year, I still love sticking it on. The bass part in the middle of 'Sukie in the Graveyard' is chunky enough to support the weight of small children. The trifecta of breezy pop perfection that comprises tracks 2, 3 and 4, made my morning drives to work way more enjoyable. The last song is sad and pretty and about a weird Tube station in north London which used to be closed all the time. Truth be told, enjoying 'Pursuit' so much made me dig up the older stuff again, but only 'If You're Feeling Sinister' ever gets any replays (and even there, it's the live album). So, kudos to Stuart and the gang for bringing me round to the twee-est gang in town.

But it wasn't quite good enough to win...

Best Scottish album of the year: My Latest Novel - Wolves

What a debut! You know how, when hot air rises, cold air rushes in to replace it? To fill the vacuum, so to speak? Let's assume the delgados were hot air. They broke up, and my life had a "gorgeous Glasgow band to melt into" shaped vacuum. But fear not! Here, taking the form of a cool breeze, are My Latest Novel! What a clunky and not-quite-working analogy.

There's a lot to love on this album. The conversational, upbeat 'The Job Mr Kurtz Done', which steers far away from its eponymous hero's craziness. Majesterial single 'Sister Sneaker, Sister Soul', which is up there for me in terms of impact with 'Black Dollar Bills'. The song 'When We Were Wolves' has about six lyrics but about six-hundred excitements (New unit of measurement). Only the instrumental track isn't too great. Best track? That leads us nicely to...

Best second half of a song: My Latest Novel - Wrongfully, I Rested

Look, nothing against the first half. It's certainly not bad at all. The pace builds steadily and it gets pretty intense. But then everything cuts out, to a few hits of the xylophone, and then the violin starts again... From the 2.23 mark, this is a whole new song, completely gorgeous and once the new vocal melody begins, with "la-la-las", it's just silk.

[download Belle and Sebastian - Sukie in the Graveyard]
[download My Latest Novel - Wrongfully, I Rested]

This one should go cold

Best song on an otherwise crap album: The Concretes - Fiction

That's a little unfair, because 'Sunbeams' was also pretty good. But honestly, wasn't 'In Colour' a terrible album? The first song is called 'On the Radio' and sets the bar suitably low. We stay in unfocused, mid-tempo purgatory limbo for the best part of the album's forty-five minutes. After their self-titled album, which was so affecting and pretty, I had high hopes for this badboy, but it just grates. Even when the horns and backing harmonies work, like on 'Chosen One', Victoria's detached vocals (which really worked on older songs) just sound bored. Not really a shock that she left the band earlier this year. A duet with Romeo from The Magic Numbers (whose 'Take A Chance' was an outsider choice for this award) sees the band hit an all time nadir. So enjoy 'Fiction', six minutes of - get this! - dynamics and interest.

[download The Concretes - Fiction]