2007: The Year in Music & Movies

MUSIC

Songs of the Year

Umbrella – Rihanna
Grace Kelly – Mika
1234 – Feist
Young Folks – Peter, Bjorn & John
Rehab – Amy Winehouse
Stronger – Kanye West

My Personal Faves
1. Young Folks – Peter, Bjorn & John; the ubiquitous indie rock song of the summer; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48hcp-zDpg4

2. Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) – Groove Armada; in a perfect world this would have been the song of the year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lMJW4V49Yc

3. Stronger – Kanye West; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jzSh_MLNcY

4. Grace Kelly – Mika (the most fun song of the year); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzA0nG_PurQ; see also: Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)

5. The Great Escape – Patrick Watson; also see: Luscious Life, Drifters; PW was the surprise winner of the 2007 Polaris Prize; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA2h9PrIUxs

6. Phantom Limb – the Shins; this one grows on you more and more with each listen; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkITsv3Nk6M

7. Flathead – The Fratellis; big time exuberance and fun (“saw you one time at the back of the club chewing on glass and a ticket stub”); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKQK8rYZNHY; also see: Chelsea Dagger, Whistle for the Choir

8. You Know I’m No Good – Amy Winehouse; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFVM5pVTwkM; also see Rehab. You’ve now heard them each a million times but they were so fresh when they came out. They’ve also proven sadly prophetic.

9. Dashboard – Modest Mouse; the energy build on this song is fantastic; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erc40wCxRZo

10. ‘Antichrist Television Blues’ – Arcade Fire; also see Intervention, Windowsill

Other Notables:
- Fluorescent Adolescent – Arctic Monkeys; also see: Teddy Picker, Yellow Sun
-I’m Slowly Turning Into You – The White Stripes; also see: Icky Thump, You Don’t Know What Love Is, A Martyr For My Love For You
- Smile – Lily Allen; also see: L.D.N.
- My Moon My Man – Feist (“1234” got the iPod commercial and the Grammy nod, but I prefer the jazzy sound of MMMM); also see: 1234
- Civil Twilight – The Weakerthans; also see: Tournament of Hearts (a song that uses curling as a metaphor… awesome!)
- Into Action – Tim Armstrong; great vibe and energy
- Thou Shalt Always Kill – Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip; an instant obsession
- Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex – CSS; gotta love this English is not our first language offering;
- Umbrella – Rihanna; the “ella… ella… ella” thing gets annoying but the rest of the song is excellent and just try getting it out of your head
- D.A.N.C.E. – Justice; This might be the coolest music video of the year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8bwZf3vXjg

MOVIES

My Faves – in theatres:
Hot Fuzz
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country For Old Men
Ratatouille
Knocked Up

Honourable Mention:
The Lookout – it is hard to believe that one of the kids from 3rd Rock From the Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is on the verge of developing into one of the top actors of his generation but here you go
2 Days In Paris
Paris Je T’aime
The Simpsons Movie (a must see if you are a fan; if you are not, it is still pretty funny)

Biggest Disappointments:
Spiderman 3
Superbad

My Faves – on DVD (movies watched in 2007, not necessarily released in 2007)
Bon Cop, Bad Cop
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Last King Of Scotland
Little Miss Sunshine
The Break Up
Zodiac

Movie Line of the Year: "Madness...? THIS... IS... SPARTA!" – King Leonidas, 300

Runner-up: [Singing tune to Spider-Man theme song] "Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig / Does whatever a Spider-Pig does / Can he swing / from a web? / No he can't / He's a pig / Look out! / He is the Spider-Pig!" – Homer Simpson, The Simpsons Movie

BOOKS

Best read of the year: De Niro’s Game – Rawi Hage

Other Notables:
Man Walks into a Pub – Pete Brown
Galveston – Paul Quarrington
The Egyptologist – Arthur Phillips