{"id":1865,"date":"2009-01-04T23:27:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-05T04:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/?p=1865"},"modified":"2009-01-06T21:23:22","modified_gmt":"2009-01-07T02:23:22","slug":"my-2008-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/my-2008-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"My 2008 Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As per usual, I haven&#8217;t seen enough 2008 releases to be justified making a Best of 2008 list, so here is my much more egocentric list of my favorite movies that I saw during 2008, no matter when they were released. And I threw in books, music, and games, with the same caveat. The links go to my reviews, reactions, or other previous writings about them. The non-linked ones I, uh, didn&#8217;t write about. Because I am lazy. So I&#8217;ll throw in a line about them, but I may still write about the more in the future. Or not. Because I am lazy.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and also, don&#8217;t even think these are lists of bests. They&#8217;re lists of favorites, 100% subjective. And highly subject to change.<\/p>\n<h3>FILM<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>LOVED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1915 aligncenter\" title=\"Cleo from 5 to 7\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/blogsized.jpg\" alt=\"Cleo from 5 to 7\" width=\"500\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/blogsized.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/blogsized-222x128.jpg 222w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/blogsized-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Cleo from 5 to 7<\/em><\/strong><em><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0055852\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; A New Wave film from a female director (Agnes Varda). It&#8217;s an excellent combination.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/28\/february-2008-watchingreadinggaming-recap\/#4months\"><em><strong>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/01\/05\/review-the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly\/\"><em><strong>The Diving Bell and the Butterfly<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/09\/film-classics-sunrise-a-song-of-two-humans\/\"><em><strong>Sunrise<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><em>Wall-E<\/em><\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0910970\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; <em>edit<\/em>: I managed to forget this one upon publishing this post. BAD JANDY. A breathtakingly beautiful, heartwarming but not maudlin, and prescient sci-fi animated film. Virtually perfect in every way.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#dividedwefall\"><em><strong>Divided We Fall<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#easyrider\"><em><strong>Easy Rider<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1920\" title=\"The Fall\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/the-fall-screencap.jpg\" alt=\"The Fall\" width=\"500\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/the-fall-screencap.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/the-fall-screencap-223x128.jpg 223w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/the-fall-screencap-300x171.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The Fall<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0460791\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; A dazzlingly imaginative film set partly in war-torn Spain and partly in the story a dying soldier tells a young girl. Not as cohesive as <em>Pan&#8217;s Labyrinth<\/em>, but very much in the same vein.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/27\/independent-and-world-cinema-catch-up-post\/#kickingandscreaming\"><em><strong>Kicking and Screaming<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#allthatjazz\"><em><strong>All That Jazz<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/28\/february-2008-watchingreadinggaming-recap\/#assassination\"><em><strong>The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Speed Racer<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0811080\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; One of the most criminally underrated films of the year. A visionary expression of sensory overload and invention. Plus, shiny!<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/frame.the-frame.com\/2008\/05\/01\/i-walked-with-a-zombie-a-liminal-postcolonial-text\/\"><em><strong>I Walked With a Zombie<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/14\/review-vicky-cristina-barcelona\/\"><em><strong>Vicky Cristina Barcelona<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/07\/a-month-of-horror\/#planetterror\"><em><strong>Planet Terror<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>REALLY LIKED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1922 aligncenter\" title=\"I'm Not There\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/im-not-there-screencap.jpg\" alt=\"I'm Not There\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/im-not-there-screencap.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/im-not-there-screencap-226x128.jpg 226w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/im-not-there-screencap-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/21\/new-on-dvd-catch-up-reviews\/#imnotthere\"><em><strong>I&#8217;m Not There<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Rachel Getting Married<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1084950\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Fantastic acting and script. Just misses being in the &#8220;Loved&#8221; section because I could strangle Jonathan Demme for misusing the shakicam.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/29\/new-on-dvd-the-savages-and-be-kind-rewind\/\"><em><strong>The Savages<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/05\/fb100-94-orpheus\/\"><em><strong>Orpheus<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Werckmeister Harmonies<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0249241\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Director Bela Tarr is known for using reaaaallllly long takes, and he does. But the slow pacing soon becomes mesmerizing and stunningly beautiful.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/11\/new-releases-catch-up-reviews\/#ironman\"><em><strong>Iron Man<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>The Dark Knight<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0468569\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; I&#8217;m sorry, but I have to say I think <em>The Dark Knight<\/em> is a little overrated. Ledger is fantastic, and the Joker is the best villain the movies have seen in a long time. But I pretty much can&#8217;t remember ANY of the scenes without him.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#go\"><em><strong>Go<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#allthepresidentsmen\"><em><strong>All the President&#8217;s Men<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/tumblr.the-frame.com\/post\/66546592\/things-i-learned-watching-repulsion\"><em><strong>Repulsion<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1923\" title=\"Burn After Reading\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/burn-after-reading-screencap.jpg\" alt=\"Burn After Reading\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/burn-after-reading-screencap.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/burn-after-reading-screencap-226x128.jpg 226w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/burn-after-reading-screencap-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Burn After Reading<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0887883\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; The black humor Coens return in force (and farce) here. It&#8217;s nothing like <em>No Country<\/em>, but it&#8217;s an over-the-top great time.<br \/>\n<em><strong>The Innocents<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0055018\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; This should&#8217;ve been in my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/07\/a-month-of-horror\/\">Month of Horror<\/a> post; don&#8217;t know how I forgot it. Very well-done quiet (maybe) evil kid horror film based on <em>The Turn of the Screw<\/em>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/28\/february-2008-watchingreadinggaming-recap\/#them\"><em><strong>Them!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/07\/a-month-of-horror\/#lettherightonein\"><em><strong>Let the Right One In<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Nick and Norah&#8217;s Infinite Playlist<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0981227\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Perhaps a movie about hipsters running around New York City in search of an elusive band is just made for me. Granted, it&#8217;s slight, but it&#8217;s really enjoyable.<br \/>\n<em><strong>Australia<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0455824\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; There are admittedly a lot of tonal problems with <em>Australia<\/em>, but I enjoyed watching every second of it.<br \/>\n<em><strong>Tell No One<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0362225\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; A man&#8217;s wife is murdered&#8230;or is she? When he starts seeing her and hearing from her years later, it quickly becomes clear there&#8217;s much more going on in this twisty French thriller.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#sweeneytodd\"><em><strong>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Transsiberian<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0800241\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; A couple travels from China via the Transsiberian Railway, but gets pulled into trouble by a couple of young drifters. A solid thriller with a good twist or two.<br \/>\n<em><strong>Shaft<\/strong><\/em> (1971) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0067741\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; I saw Samuel L. Jackson&#8217;s remake a few years ago. As cool as Sam Jackson is, he WISHES he were as cool as Richard Roundtree, the original iconoclastic black private eye facing off with Harlem and Italian gangsters and the NYPD.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/07\/a-month-of-horror\/#nightofthelivingdead\"><em><strong>Night of the Living Dead<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Saawariya\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/saawariya-screencap.jpg\" alt=\"Saawariya\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Saawariya<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0758053\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; This fairy-tale Bollywood film is extremely stylized and imaginative &#8211; one of the more interesting Indian films I&#8217;ve seen so far. They&#8217;re always visually sumptuous, but this one takes it to a whole new level.<br \/>\n<em><strong>The Flower of My Secret<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0113083\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Pedro Almodovar film similar to <em>All About My Mother<\/em> in tone. Not as good, but still very worthwhile.<br \/>\n<em><strong>Synecdoche, New York<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0383028\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; I can&#8217;t do this one justice in a few sentences. I&#8217;m still working out in my head what I think about it. The best quote I&#8217;ve seen about it, though, is from Roger Ebert: &#8220;a film that should never be seen unless you&#8217;ve already seen it at least once.&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/22\/great-directors-catch-up-post\/#lesbonnesfemmes\"><em><strong>Les bonnes femmes<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#atonement\"><em><strong>Atonement<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Village of the Damned<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0054443\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Evil alien children take over a rural English town. It&#8217;s way better than it sounds, a classic old-school British horror flick.<br \/>\n<em><strong>My Blueberry Nights<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0765120\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Wong Kar-Wai&#8217;s first English-language film is a visually beautiful odyssey following a girl as she tries to find out what she wants. I&#8217;m excited to see his other films now, which I&#8217;ve heard are better.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/28\/february-2008-watchingreadinggaming-recap\/#sunshine\"><em><strong>Sunshine<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#metropolitan\"><strong>Metropolitan<\/strong><\/a><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>Some Came Running<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0052218\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Frank Sinatra gets to prove his acting chops again as a cynical soldier returning to his small-town home. Shirley MacLaine is a revelation, and Dean Martin gets probably his best role, as well.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/21\/new-on-dvd-catch-up-reviews\/#larsandtherealgirl\"><em><strong>Lars and the Real Girl<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1925\" title=\"Ace in the Hole\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/ace-in-the-hole-screencap.jpg\" alt=\"Ace in the Hole\" width=\"500\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/ace-in-the-hole-screencap.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/ace-in-the-hole-screencap-171x128.jpg 171w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/ace-in-the-hole-screencap-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/ace-in-the-hole-screencap-268x200.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Ace in the Hole<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0043338\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Reporter Kirk Douglas will do anything to get a good story, even keeping a trapped miner trapped as long as he can to increase the media frenzy. It&#8217;s Billy Wilder, so you know it&#8217;s going to be solid, and it is.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#towlaneblacktop\"><em><strong>Two-Lane Blacktop<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/22\/film-on-tv-22-26-oct\/#bodysnatcher\"><em><strong>The Body Snatcher<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/27\/independent-and-world-cinema-catch-up-post\/#wristcutters\"><em><strong>Wristcutters: A Love Story<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/22\/film-on-tv-22-26-oct\/#isleofthedead\"><em><strong>Isle of the Dead<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Do You Like Hitchcock<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0430676\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; This Dario Argento film has a film student getting involved with a murder that bears a close resemblance to <em>Strangers on a Train<\/em>; the overall film also had plenty of <em>Rear Window<\/em> and I like to think a little <em>Vertigo<\/em> in there.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/29\/new-on-dvd-the-savages-and-be-kind-rewind\/\"><em><strong>Be Kind, Rewind<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/11\/new-releases-catch-up-reviews\/#leatherheads\"><em><strong>Leatherheads<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Shadows<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0053270\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; John Cassavetes&#8217; first film, and often hailed as the beginning of American independent film. Touches on show business, youth, and sibling rivalry, but the tough look at 1960s racial issues is the most interesting aspect.<br \/>\n<em><strong>In Bruges<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0780536\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; I expected a comic action film, and it is that sometimes, but it&#8217;s also got a huge dose of thoughtful philosophy in there, as two hitmen go to Bruges (read: Purgatory) to wait out a botched job.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/27\/independent-and-world-cinema-catch-up-post\/#hannahtakesthestairs\"><em><strong>Hannah Takes the Stairs<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Lacombe, Lucien<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0071733\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; A young German boy falls into working with the Nazis during WWII, but finds his loyalties divided when he befriends a Jewish family &#8211; and falls in love with the family&#8217;s daughter. It&#8217;s a big tough at first to relate to the implacable boy, but there&#8217;s more here than meets the eye.<br \/>\n<em><strong>The Seventh Victim<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0036341\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Val Lewton, occultism, missing sisters, overall creepiness &#8211; what more do you want?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1926\" title=\"Made in USA\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/made-in-usa-screencap.jpg\" alt=\"Made in USA\" width=\"500\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/made-in-usa-screencap.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/made-in-usa-screencap-303x128.jpg 303w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/made-in-usa-screencap-300x127.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/made-in-usa-screencap-473x200.jpg 473w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/22\/great-directors-catch-up-post\/#madeinusa\"><em><strong>Made in USA<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/24\/fbtop100-93-the-blue-angel\/\"><em><strong>The Blue Angel<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>Lola Montes<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048308\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Max Ophuls&#8217; only widescreen, color feature about the rise and fall of a the title character in the courts of Europe is sumptuous, but a little distancing. Perhaps purposefully.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#paprika\"><em><strong>Paprika<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/27\/independent-and-world-cinema-catch-up-post\/#priscillaqueenofthedesert\"><em><strong>The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#lantana\"><em><strong>Lantana<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/08\/film-classics-mickey-one\/\"><em><strong>Mickey One<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/21\/new-on-dvd-catch-up-reviews\/#michaelclayton\"><em><strong>Michael Clayton<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<em><strong>The Cool World<\/strong><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0056952\/\">imdb<\/a>) &#8211; Another early independent film, this is the story of a young Harlem boy who thinks everything in his life would be better if he just had a gun, and thus some power and authority. Hard to see due to rights issues, so if you get the chance, jump on it.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/21\/new-on-dvd-catch-up-reviews\/#iamlegend\"><em><strong>I Am Legend<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#papillon\"><em><strong>Papillon<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#bottlerocket\"><em><strong>Bottle Rocket<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/07\/a-month-of-horror\/\"><em><strong>Ghost Ship<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>BOOKS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>LOVED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/28\/february-2008-watchingreadinggaming-recap\/#vanityfair\"><em>Vanity Fair<\/em><\/a> by William Makepeace Thackeray<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>The Portrait of a Lady<\/em> by Henry James<\/strong> &#8211; First thing I&#8217;ve read by James, and I was highly impressed. His mastery of depicting the interior life is a great foreshadowing of Modernism.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Watchmen<\/em> by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons<\/strong> &#8211; Proof that graphic novels can be just as complex and well-written as traditional novels.<br \/>\n<strong><em>The Sun Also Rises<\/em> by Ernest Hemingway<\/strong> &#8211; The basis for my current revaluation of Hemingway, who I used to not like. But this one is great.<br \/>\n<strong><em>The Woman in White<\/em> by Wilkie Collins<\/strong> &#8211; A Victorian mystery, and with my general dislike of Victorian lit, I was shocked at how much I liked it. It&#8217;s perfectly written, and so much more than *just* a mystery.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Gaudy Night<\/em> by Dorothy L. Sayers<\/strong> &#8211; Similarly here, as this is technically a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, but the mystery is almost secondary to Sayers&#8217; exploration of life at an Oxford women&#8217;s college, with side notes on feminism, class, and academia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LIKED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Good Night Mr. Holmes<\/em> by Carol Nelson Douglas<\/strong> &#8211; Douglas rewrites Sherlock Holmes from a woman&#8217;s point of view, making Irene Adler, the only person to outwit Holmes (in <em>A Scandal in Bohemia<\/em>), the heroine.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Alias Grace<\/em> Margaret Atwood<\/strong> &#8211; Grace is a convicted murderess, shuttled between prison and mental institution; she tells her story to a sympathetic doctor who hopes to absolve her. But the truth of the matter is elusive, even to the reader.<br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/28\/february-2008-watchingreadinggaming-recap\/#bleakhouse\"><em>Bleak House<\/em><\/a> by Charles Dickens<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>Things Fall Apart<\/em> by Chinua Ichebe<\/strong> &#8211; A leader in an African tribe struggles with pride and the conflict between tribal customs and the incoming Christian missionaries. Achebe is known for being among the first to bring a truly African voice into English-language literature, and his minimalist style suits the story perfectly.<br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/02\/23\/january-2008-readingwatching-recap\/#spookcountry\"><em>Spook Country<\/em><\/a> by William Gibson<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>MUSIC<\/h3>\n<p>With music it&#8217;s more &#8220;these are what I&#8217;ve been listening to the most in 2008.&#8221; Although I think I did acquire all of these albums in 2008, even though several of them are from earlier. All 2006-2008, though, I think. I linked Music Monday or concert coverage posts where I had them; otherwise tacked on a MySpace link so you can hear them yourself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LOVED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/05\/jenny-lewis-ucsd\/\"><strong>Jenny Lewis<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Acid Tongue<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/08\/music-monday-the-rosebuds-and-the-submarines\/\"><strong>The Submarines<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Honeysuckle Weeks<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Babyshambles<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Shotters Nation<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/babyshamblesofficial\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/02\/music-monday-mates-of-state-and-snow-patrol\/\"><strong>Mates of State<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Rearrange Us<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/24\/featured-video-death-to-los-campesinos\/\"><strong>Los Campesinos!<\/strong> &#8211; <em>We Are Beautiful, We are Doomed<\/em> \/ <em>Hold On Now, Youngster<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Metric<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Live It Out<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/metricband\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/25\/music-monday-1st-la-edition-army-navy-and-silversun-pickups\/\"><strong>Army Navy<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Army Navy<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/25\/music-monday-1st-la-edition-army-navy-and-silversun-pickups\/\"><strong>Silversun Pickups<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Carnavas<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>The Apples in Stereo<\/strong> &#8211; <em>New Magnetic Wonder<\/em> (<a href=\"www.myspace.com\/theapplesinstereo\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<strong>Arcade Fire<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Neon Bible<\/em> (<a href=\"www.myspace.com\/arcadefireofficial\">MySpace<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>REALLY LIKE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Fleet Foxes<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Fleet Foxes<\/em> (<a href=\"www.myspace.com\/fleetfoxes\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<strong>We are Scientists<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Brain Thrust Mastery<\/em> (<a href=\"www.myspace.com\/wearescientists\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<strong>She &amp; Him<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Volume One<\/em> (<a href=\"www.myspace.com\/sheandhim\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<strong>I&#8217;m From Barcelona<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Who Killed Harry Houdini<\/em> \/ <em>Let Me Introduce My Friends<\/em> (<a href=\"www.myspace.com\/imfrombarcelona\">MySpace<\/a>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/08\/music-monday-the-rosebuds-and-the-submarines\/\"><strong>The Rosebuds<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Life Like<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/25\/music-monday-tuesday-sxsw-finds\/\"><strong>Vampire Weekend<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Vampire Weekend<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/18\/music-monday-thursday-the-fratellis-in-concert\/\"><strong>The Fratellis<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Here We Stand<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>GAMES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>LOVE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/01\/05\/december-2007-readingwatchingplaying-recap\/#masseffect\"><em><strong>Mass Effect<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><em>Bioshock<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; One of the most amazing stories and art direction in any game ever.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Bully<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; Like GTA, but at a boarding school. :) Not particularly innovative, but a blast to play.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Portal<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; The only problem with Portal is it&#8217;s too short! Fantastic puzzle game with a fun story to boot.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Fallout 3<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; I&#8217;ve only played a few hours of this, but I can already tell it&#8217;s headed to the &#8220;loved&#8221; category. Looks fantastic and plays like <em>Oblivion<\/em> (aka, my fave game of all time).<br \/>\n<strong><em>Rock Band 2<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; Not much different than <em>Rock Band<\/em>, but don&#8217;t fix what ain&#8217;t broken, and the improvements made are good. I just keeping coming back for more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>REALLY LIKE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Fable 2<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; Does a nice job of improving on the first <em>Fable<\/em>, which was already good. The difficulty&#8217;s not perfect, though &#8211; I found I got through the whole main quest with very little leveling.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Guitar Hero: World Tour<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; The first <em>Guitar Hero<\/em> game that remotely gives <em>Rock Band<\/em> any competition, to my mind. I actually think the gameplay is a bit better, but the overall experience was less enjoyable.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Assassin&#8217;s Creed<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; Climbing up every building in town and running over rooftops never got old. The gameplay here is spectacular, but it&#8217;s not one I&#8217;d ever play again. Looking forward to seeing what the sequels do with the story, though.<br \/>\n<strong><em>Mirror&#8217;s Edge<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; Again, groundbreaking gameplay, once you get the hang of it. But I&#8217;m about halfway through and I&#8217;m already bored with the story and missions. Still, paves the way for potentially stupendous games in the future.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/07\/lost-odyssey-things-i-liked-things-i-didnt\/\"><em><strong>Lost Odyssey<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As per usual, I haven&#8217;t seen enough 2008 releases to be justified making a Best of 2008 list, so here is my much more egocentric list of my favorite movies that I saw during 2008, no matter when they were released. And I threw in books, music, and games, with the same caveat. The links [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,2,34,7],"tags":[1229,1240,456,896,1242,1243,891,1216,1230,1246,1245,1238,1239,1248,797,964,1014,1249,1228,1221,1244,1218,1247,1225,1231,1224,971,880,899,1222,1233,887,1217,1226,1220,1234,1232,1236,1237,1241,1223,1227,885,1235,1219],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":835,"url":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2007\/12\/heavy-reading\/","url_meta":{"origin":1865,"position":0},"title":"Heavy Reading","author":"Jandy","date":"December 5, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"So I just checked out the reading list for my Victorian Novel class in the Spring. The list of books follows, along with the page number count for each one (taken from the Modern Library paperbacks, accounting for the notes and commentary, so the number given is the text itself\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books and Reading&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books and Reading","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37051,"url":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/tbr-adds-january\/","url_meta":{"origin":1865,"position":1},"title":"TBR Adds &#8211; January","author":"Jandy","date":"February 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"If there's anything I love more than reading itself, it's making lists of books to read. No, seriously, I sometimes think I like making the lists more than the actual reading. It's a fault. Here are some I added in January. Where do I find new books to add to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books and Reading&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books and Reading","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/A-Quantum-Love-Story.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36922,"url":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/the-roundup\/","url_meta":{"origin":1865,"position":2},"title":"The Roundup: The Return!","author":"Jandy","date":"February 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Links from Elsewhere My favorite reads from around the web. If you used to read my link roundups a few years ago, you'll note my reading material has changed somewhat! A shift from focus on film to more about books and teaching and education will likely be evident, as well\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Roundup&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Roundup","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/category\/linkage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2023-02-08-at-5.13.51-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2023-02-08-at-5.13.51-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2023-02-08-at-5.13.51-PM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2023-02-08-at-5.13.51-PM.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36659,"url":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/challenge-week-51-far-from-the-madding-crowd-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":1865,"position":3},"title":"Challenge Week 51: Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)","author":"Jandy","date":"January 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Lately if you ask me whether I'm into costume dramas and period films, I'd say nah, not really. And then something like this comes along and reminds me that actually, I am. I watched quite a bit of this kind of thing as a teenager - films based on Jane\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2016 Movie Challenge&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2016 Movie Challenge","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/category\/film\/2016-movie-challenge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/tf-feat-maddingcrowd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2783,"url":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/fall-tv-is-upon-us-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":1865,"position":4},"title":"Fall TV is Upon Us Again","author":"Jandy","date":"September 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"And my DVR begins its protests against abuse and overwork. I'm trying to cut down this year, really I am, but I think what's going to happen (again) is I start off watching way too much and then shows will fall off as the season goes on. At least this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Television&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Television","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/category\/television\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/30-rock-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32546,"url":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/blindspotting-2013-the-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":1865,"position":5},"title":"Blindspotting 2013: The List","author":"Jandy","date":"February 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm joining the Blind Spots folks (seems like most bloggers I know are doing it!) this year, but that's because I'd nearly decided not to even make a list this year. I mean, it's pretty foolish of me to try, for two major reasons. One, I did terribly on last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Film&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Film","link":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/category\/film\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Blind-Spots-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-frame.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}