Movies
1. No Country For Old Men, hands down an on-the-edge of your seat movie. How good? Well, I saw it in a packed theater and you could hear a pin drop.
2. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, an amazing study of greed and family; I predict Oscar nominations (if not wins) for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Albert Finney
3. Away From Her, Julie Christie is back, thank the heavens, in this painful study of Alzheimer’s Disease and what it really means.
4. Eastern Promises, Viggo Mortensen just keeps getting better.
5. Romance and Cigarettes, a musical mind you by John Turturro starring James Gandolfini.
6. Sicko, less Michael Moore and more content.
7. Talk to Me, Don Cheadle in another virtuoso performance, what more do you need to know?
8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a a great book made into a terrific movie.
9. Starting Out, Frank Langella's performance is remarkable.
10. It's a tie:
Music and Lyrics, I should hate this movie because it was so contrived, but I loved the music, I'm a sucker for Hugh Grant and I absolutely reveled in the opening "music video." We all have secret vices.
Sweeney Todd, I loved the play and was prepared to hate the movie, but I had not counted on Johnny Depp, who once again stunned me with yet another amazing performance.
Books (some were published in 2006, but I read them in 2007, sue me)
1. Out Stealing Horses, I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down.
2. The Road, just remember: it's fiction.
3. What is the What, Dave Egger's stole my heart with his first book and our love affair continues.
4. Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations, it reads like fiction but there was a real Gertrude Bell and she is the mother of Iraq.
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns, all that wasted love will break your heart
6. A Tree of Smoke, I probably liked this book because it's assessment of Vietnam closely mirrored my own: A clash between two entirely different cultures, both of which believed their way was the only way.
7. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, David Halberstam's final work is a compelling story told by the men who were there.
8. Big Girls, this heart breaker is set in a woman's prison and explores the relationship between a psychiatrist and her mentally ill patient.
9. Yiddish Policemen's Union, at one point, the Roosevelt administration considere placing Jewish refuges in Alaska; this story delves into what might have happened (and it's a murder mystery)
10. Happiness Sold Separately, what happens when you meet the wrong person at the wrong time and try to make it work anyway.
TV
1. Series Finale: The Sopranos. We all knew the series had to end with Tony dead or in jail, and dead is what David Chase choose, but the way he choose to finish his tale left fans fuming. Clearly, only daughter Meadow survived, and only because she couldn't parallel park. But it all made sense.
2. Series Finale: Extras. Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman seems to have it all, but he is dissatisfied with his TV series and the kind of fame it brings him. It's really an extraordinary commentary on fame and loyalty, and while amusing, it will touch you (and yeah, maybe make you think).
3. The Wire, this HBO series set in Baltimore, devoted the entire penultimate season to the effects of drugs, violence, crime and poverty on children. It was surprising, moving and insightful. Really, some of the best stuff on TV.
4. Rome, I thought long and hard about this because the second season was not as good as the first. But the acting was so good that I felt compelled to include it on my list. Roman everymen are at every major event, which means history suffers (hell, it dies a bloody death). But it was beautiful to look at and fun to watch.
Happy New Year!
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