2005: The Year in Hyperlinks.
Joy and rapture, it’s that time of the year again. Time for me to roll up my sleeves, clear the cobwebs out of my skull and dump groups of five all over this page. Predictions for the new year? Nay, nay. I’d just be embarrassed, once again, when the personal jetpack didn’t emerge in 2006 like I predicted it would. I’ll leave fortunetelling to Nostradomus and Cameron. Besides, I’d much rather guide you through the swellness that was 2005. Shall we begin?
Top 5 Hilights of 2005
I simply didn’t keep up with a lot of current events this year, so “top” five hilights is really pushing it. But here are a few random notables that punctuated my year:
- Jared moves to Plano to work with the fine folks of Bright Corner. Hey, they’re my hilights, mmmkay?
- Apple announces switch to Intel chips. Wahoo, faster Powerbooks (someday)!
- Just when you thought Pat Robertson was going to go down in history as the most insane conservative television personality, Bill “Moe Lester” O’Reilly hits the ‘turbo’ button to claim the top spot. Congratulations, you sack of garbage.
- Sony BMG gets its tush handed to itself on a platter after releasing ill-conceived copy protection software into the wild.
- Ol’ Dubya continues to play the backwood klutz on the stage of worldwide politics. Classic.
Top 5 Albums of 2005
This was a great year for music. Getting an iPod really rekindled my interest in and exposure to great new music. Here are some of my favorite discoveries of the year:
- Speak For Yourself, Imogen Heap. I’ve done all the gushing I need to do about this album. Gorgeous, trancendant pop (just make sure you buy the non-copy protected UK version).
- Set Yourself On Fire, Stars. Montreal just knows how to kick out the soft rock jams. More of Canada’s finest made my winter nights warmer with their lush pop songcraft.
- Live It Out, Metric. If Old World Underground was like touching both contacts of a car battery, then Live It Out is like licking an economy pack of 9-volts. This more restrained album rocks out in the details.
- Guero, Beck. I lost interest in Beck during his post-Odelay days, but this year he returned strong with that cut ‘n’ paste Dust Brothers-esque sound I love so much.
- Room Noises, Eisley. I’m a sucker for singalong melodies and pretty voices, and Eisley delivered that in spades on their first full-length release.
Honorable mentions: So Jealous, Tegan & Sara; Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, Bright Eyes; Thunder Lightning Strike, The Go! Team, Takk, Sigur Ros; The Woods, Sleater-Kinney; Made In China, Juliana Hatfield, Super Extra Gravity, The Cardigans, Bleed Like Me, Garbage, Make Believe, Weezer.
Top 5 Movies of 2005
- Serenity. Seriously one of the best, if not the best, sci-fi adventure movies ever. The crew of Serenity could totally roll the Star Trek away team.
- War of the Worlds. I give this movie a rating of 5 diapers, which is as many times as I should have wet my pants during the movie. It was unbelievably intense and well made.
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I held up the publishing of this article for days, just so I could include this movie on the list. Fantastic!
- Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I’m a longtime Wallace and Gromit fan, and even though I was a tad disappointed about the script/plot in this feature film I have to give props to the most beloved claymation duo ever made.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Bizarre and highly entertaining romp through a seriously far-out universe. It has the answer to everything, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the creepiest character John Malkovich has ever played. Winner.
Honorable mentions: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Island, Must Love Dogs, The Jacket, Robots, Sahara.
The 5 Absolute Worst Movies of 2005
Holloywood releases a lot of stinkers every year, and this is my little homage to movies that I’m really mad about having been suckered into paying to see:
- Bewitched. This movie is so bad, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was written overnight. Oh, wait. It was. Curse you, Nora Ephron.
- Elektra. Just when I thought Daredevil was the worst superhero movie that could ever be made, Jennifer Garner proved me wrong by turning a hardcore comic book assassin into a miniature poodle with 2 weeks of acting lessons.
- Constantine. The only thing worse than Keanu Reeves’ acting was this convuluted, preposterous plot.
- The Brothers Grimm. I don’t even know where to start. Pretty nice visually, but about as interesting as a bag of sawdust.
- The Pacifier. I have to say, Vin Diesel’s cardboard cutout did a pretty good job in this movie. Best acting by an inanimate object, for sure!
Favorite 5 Weblogs of 2005
A lot of great weblogs launched (or relaunched) this year, and I found that my taste in online reading materials changed quite a bit this year. Here’s the stuff I found myself constantly going back to:
Favorite 5 Music Blogs of 2005
Music blogs are a great way to preview music before you buy it. I avoided plenty of stinkers and discovered lots of gems thanks to these sites. Thanks!
Best Live Show of 2005
This was a tough choice, but only for lack of live music experiences. This year I only saw 2 shows, Eisley and Metric. Chalk it up to moving to a new city, the mounting responsibilities of being an adult, husband, and professional, or age—whatever. I had a great time at both shows, but I ultimately had to go with Eisley. Metric isn’t far behind, but just enough. Those Dupree kids are just so dang good! I may have to eliminate this category from next year’s list if this decline in live show attendance continues… :(
And last, but not least…
Top CMS of 2005
Textpattern, you’re still the one for me.
