2004: Movies, TV, Books, Games

Movies

Best Movie:
This is close to a tie, but I'm going to give the nod to Spiderman 2 over The Incredibles. I love both, but Spidey 2 is simply the best live-action superhero movie ever filmed. Not only did it succeed in a genre prone to generating painfully big flops (see: The last three Batman movies, the last two Superman movies, Daredevil, X-men, etc. etc.), but at the same time it broke the sequel curse. If The Incredibles is a love letter to the whole concept of superheroes, Spidey 2 is the kind of quality film that inspires that love.

Biggest Movie Disappointment:
Lots of potential in this category, too, but I'll give the nod to The Bourne Supremacy. I'm always wary when a different director comes in to handle a sequel, and in this case that wariness was completely warranted. The Bourne Identity is one of my favorite action thrillers, but this tepid sequel misfires in every direction. Utterly disappointing.

Most Over-hyped Movie:
Open Water. I have to give Director Chris Kentis credit for how he made this movie, but it's bad when the "Making of" feature on the DVD is more compelling than the movie itself. The lead actors alternate between completely wooden and completely annoying - a problem when they're in pretty much every shot. And despite the short 80-minute run time, Open Water feels like it's been padded to reach feature film length. But the biggest problem? A film supposedly about primal terror is primarily boring.

Television

Best Modern TV Innovation:
It has nothing to do with HDTV, plasma screens, or even TiVo. Instead, let me speak briefly again about my love for TV shows on DVD. Watch at your own pace (handy for those shows with cliffhangers), without commercials (saves you on time and annoyance) in a better (read: letterbox) format. Do people still watch regular TV? I pretty much don't.

Best TV Show on DVD I'm Now Addicted to (with thanks to Kevin for the category title):
In less than three months we cruised through the first three seasons of Alias. The first season almost flirts with becoming formulaic, but then breaks free and the show soars in the second season. The third season is a little uneven, but the cliffhanger at the end has me seriously considering watching the fourth season on TV. Strong cast, good writing, great direction. My favorite TV show since 24.

The Boob Tube award:
Superbowl half time shows have a long history of being utter crap, but nobody would have guessed that last year's event would generate the wardrobe malfunction heard around the world (btw, Most Tired Phrase of 2004: wardrobe malfunction). Janet Jackson proved to have the most powerful nipple in the universe (posit: perhaps that odd sun jewelry thing amplifies its power?) as a mere second of exposure of said body part sent ripples throughout American culture, ultimately leading to the strengthening of the FCC, the nearly-complete demise of Howard Stern (not particularly sad about that), and a big fine for airing Bono's f-bomb at an awards show (btw, Hot Job in 2005: The guy who runs the 10-second tape delay for live broadcast events).

Print

Favorite Book:
Handling Sin by Michael Malone. Hands-down easily the best book I read this year. It's a comedy, it's an epic journey, it's full of wonderful characters, and ultimately it's the kind of book that comes along only once in a great while. Simply brilliant.

Best Book I Finally Read:
This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. You need look no further than the Left Behind series for why I'm hesitant to read Christian fiction, but I finally decided to check out Peretti's breakthrough novel, and it's better than I thought it would be. It's not great literature, but it's probably on par with some of the Crichton books I've read. When I think about it, it's sad that Christian fiction is memorable if it manages to be of even tolerable quality.

Music

Best CD:
U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The music category is going to be all about obvious choices, I'm afraid, but HTDAAB deserves top honors. U2 continues to put out well-crafted, well-written, relevant music that makes just about everything else on the radio sound juvenile.

Best Song:
U2's Vertigo. Again, I know, an obvious choice, but can you blame me? From the second the drum sticks start at the beginning, you know you're in for something incredible - one of rock music's greatest bands at the top of their game. The greatest full-on rock song of 2004.

Best New U2 Song that Deserves Multiple Listenings:
"Love and Peace or Else" grows on me every time I listen to it.

Videogames

Best Multi-Platform Game I Played:
Tie: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (GameCube), Burnout 3: Takedown (Xbox)
(Note: I have yet to play many of the big titles released in November and December of 2004).
I started the year playing Prince of Persia: Sands of Time on the GameCube. Beautiful graphics, excellent control, challenging environmental puzzles, and a decent story complimented by a lighthearted love interest make this one of the best games I've ever played. I've written before about Burnout 3, but here's the short and sweet: Best. Racing Game. Ever.

Best PS2 Exclusive:
I ended the year playing Rachet and Clank: Going Commando on the PS2. R&C has a really fun weapons upgrade system that adds RPG elements to the standard platforming genre. The game also has a quirky sense of humor that'll at least bring a smile to your face. The story itself ends up being secondary to the gameplay, but that can be said of a lot of great videogames (ex. "Sorry Mario, but the princess is in another castle"). Solid fun, great graphics, and neat rewards to unlock for players committed to finding all the game's secrets.

Best GameCube Exclusive:
Pikmin 2. RTS (real-time strategy) games can be intimidating, but Pikmin 2 ends up being one of those great games that just about anyone can pick up and enjoy. Unlike the original, Pikmin 2 has a decent length, though some of the collection towards the end of the game does become a little tedious. Still, it's games like this that continue to give Nintendo bragging rights as one of the best software developers around.

Best Game I Played that Nobody Else Did:
Beyond Good and Evil (GC). A great game that few bothered to play, but anybody who did almost instantly fell in love with this short (maybe around 10 hours?) but brilliant game. The soundtrack is solid enough to be released on CD, the graphics are eye-popping and sylized, and the gameplay borrows heavily from the 3D Zelda games - if you're gonna borrow, borrow from the best. The story here is compelling, and by the end you actually care about the main characters. It's a pity that the story sets up a little cliffhanger, because the weak sales will probably prevent a sequel from ever happening. If you see this in the bargain bin somewhere, it's more than worth the price of admission.