Top 50 Films of the 2000s part 2, or How the 'best of' continues

TOP 50 FILMS OF THE 2000s

This is obviously a biased list of titles that range from Oscar winners to animated gems, and the only criteria I used was: "movies that I have thought about, have rewatched over and over again and which have stayed with me in one way or another." It's a "best of" list only in the sense that that 'best' is utterly subjective.

[Check out part 1 here]

20. Minority Report

Was there a better Spielberg film this decade than Minority Report? Sure, the Academy gave a nod to the otherwise under-appreciated Munich (which should be rewatched if only to catch Daniel Craig in some snug jeans...) but I think that this Tom Cruise film (his best film in a decade that saw him go from bona fide movie star to laughing stock) is one for the ages. Taking a solid dystopian/futuristic premise (in the world of the film criminals are arrested before they commit the crime) and wonderful supporting performances, Spielberg creates a beautifully rendered film that looks as slick as it works.

19. Adapation

I love Charlie Kauffman soo much. I have yet to revisit Synecdoche, NY (which I really think I should) but for making me enjoy a Nicolas Cage this much, he deserves mad props. Also, I'm a sucker for metafiction so this film about a book being adapted into a film that turns out to be the same film we are watching being adapted... (see? I'm confused already) is a triumph for me on several different levels. Spike Jonze's direction grounds the crazy premise in a fully lived-in world and offers his actors (Cage, Streep and Oscar-winning Cooper, not to mention the lovely Swinton and the underrated Greer) the room to stretch their thespian muscles and give memorable performances in a film as funny as it is sad and as entertaining as it is smart.

18. Children of Men

Sometimes I love films for their actors (see above) or for their writers (see below) and sometimes, it is the director that takes center stage for me in why I love a film. There's no denying that Alfonso Cuaron is one of the greatest directors working today and not content with giving us the greatest Harry Potter film of them all (and don't even try to make an argument for any of the others), he went ahead and turned a dystopian novel based on a world where no can reproduce into a strikingly beautiful melancholic visual journey. Clive Owen as Theo (given the task to protect the only pregnant woman on the planet - see how easily that could have devolved into Michael Bay/Bruce Willis territory?)

17. Erin Brockovich

Lately I feel like the only Julia Roberts fan/apologist around (it is no surprise that two of her films make my Top 25 even in a decade that saw her relegated to smaller roles given her choice to raise her family, but it seems she's gearing up for a comeback with two films lined up for release next year). But I dare anyone, fan or not, to watch Erin Brockovich and not relish the delicious way in which Roberts takes this real-life role and utterly makes it an iconic Roberts-role. Soderbergh's direction allows her to breathe and in its seeming simplicity (especially compared to his more showy work that year in Traffic) manages to keep her performance front and center (quite a gamble if you think about it). Good thing Roberts has the goods (comedic, dramatic and physical) to deliver - her 'numbers' monologue alone makes me love this film more than I would have originally thought possible (I mean, the story itself isn't the stuff of good films, now is it?).

16. Gosford Park

This is one of the films from this past decade that gets better with every viewing and whose grip on me didn't come from my first viewing experience but which crept on me as I kept revisiting in. Altman's whodunnit film, framed within the confines of English High society yet from the point of view of those who serve them (it is no accident that we are only privy to scenes with servants present) is a great example of a successful use of an ensemble cast. While Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith are the clear standouts (the former for her restraint the latter for quite the opposite) every single actor shines throughout, and they do so because the improvisational nature of the script and the wandering camera never let this feel like a film but more like an experience. Throughout we are invited as guests to this party and come to know the secrets behind the death that opens the conflict in the same way that characters move through them.

15. Kill Bill (Vol 1 & 2)

It might be a cop out to place 'both' these films under one spot but they seem so organically paired (they were supposed to be, after all, just one film) that while I enjoy Vol 1 and its Japanese-tone/setting more than Vol 2's spaghetti Western style/frame, I can't sacrifice one for the other. Uma Thurman's Bride is a character for the ages - at once wounded and broken yet with a resilience and a strength usually reserved for much more testosterone-fuelled heroes of action films. Much like with other films on this list, Tarantino's double feature won my heart with the Crazy 88s sequence which swings from high camp (the spanking with the sword) to full out gore (anyone ever count how many limbs are lying around?) to beautifully stylized fight choreography without lowering the stakes or sacrificing the driving narrative.

14. Thank You For Smoking

As Part 1 made clear, Up in the Air won me over (unsurprisingly) and while Oscar went ga-ga (or I guess Dia-blo!) over Juno, it is this Aaron Eckhart vehicle that cracks me up everytime when it comes to Reitman's filmography. A scathing look at capitalism, individualism, modern families and American 'values', Thank You For Smoking manages to take on controversial issues with mordant bite and witty humour. Maria Bello and Eckhart bring the house down as cut-throat corporate bitches with (maybe a blackened) heart.

13. Atonement

That green dress! I mean, I know there are more reasons to love this Joe Wright directed film, but that library scene alone makes me swoon every time I watch it. It's not just the fact that the erotics of Kiera and James are framed in such an apropos location (what is Atonement if not an exploration of the intersection between texts and sex?) but that the sex appeal of the scene is done mostly by suggestion with little or no nudity required to entice (and excite!) its audience. A breathtaking performance by Saoirse Ronan makes the first act of this film a gem in itself, and while it meanders and loses me quite a bit when it becomes a war film, Garai and Redgrave manage to salvage the film and make it one of my all-time favorite failed romance films this decade gave us.

12. Ratatouille

How do you successfully blend a story of a rat who wants to be a world-class chef, sumptuous animation and still manage to hit notes of 'being/finding yourself', 'family' and vermin? I have no idea, but clearly Brad Bird and his team over at Pixar know something I don't about making heart-warming, beautifully rendered films with off-beat premises.

11. The Devil Wears Prada

This might seem like a 'light' inclusion (it is, after all a film about the fashion world told through mostly formulaic comedic cliches) but Meryl as editrix Miranda Priestly, Anne as the plucky Andrea, Stanley as the bitchy () and Emily as...well, Emily, lift this adaptation (from a mostly grudge-driven and mean-spirited albeit hilarious novel of the same name) to another realm. Patricia Field's costumes alone and Streep's cerulean monologue make this a rewatch-staple every couple of months.

Top 50 Films of the 2000s part 1, or How the 'best of' continues

TOP 50 FILMS OF THE 2000s

This is obviously a biased list of titles that range from Oscar winners to animated gems, and the only criteria I used was: "movies that I have thought about, have rewatched over and over again and which have stayed with me in one way or another." It's a "best of" list only in the sense that that 'best' is utterly subjective. (Also, since these are my criteria, this explains why 2009 titles aren't as well represented - I need more time to digest and work through them).

25. Lilo & Stitch

What better way to kick off my list than with one of my all-time favorite Disney films? (Albeit one that didn't get the critical and box office love it deserved) It may not match the brilliance of the string of Pixar gems that peppered the 2000s or the buoyancy of the 90s renaissance of Disney musicals, but Chris Sanders's Lilo and Stitch has such an off-beat premise, such a gorgeous water-coloured palette and such an adorable pair at its center, that I can never refuse its charms as it blends sci-fi, Hawaii, Elvis and riffs on buddy-movies and advancing a beautiful theme surrounding "family" ("Ohanna means no one gets left behind").

24. 8 Women

It seems my idea of "Foreign Films" is restricted to French and Spanish language films (with the occasional Miyazaki thrown in). This is something I should work on, but I could do worse in finding two countries with a wider and more interesting filmic selection. Francois Ozon's 8 Women, while uproariously campy and unswervingly stylish (almost to its own detriment) it is such a joy to watch that I can't help but light up whenever the eponymous 8 women from the title (which include such French beauties as Isabelle Hupert, Catherine Deneuve and the luminous Ludivine Sagnier) burst into song and dance. Who knew there could be a whodunnit that could work just as well as a musical and as an actressexual dream?

23. A Single Man

In compiling this list I've realized how much respect and adoration I have for wonderfully aestheticized films. That's not to say that all "pretty" or "formally disciplined" films are good, but that when an attention to an aestheticized form is paired with the right tone and story, the results can be mesmerizing (just wait for my Top 5 - they all conform to this). Tom Ford's film - while recent in my memory, has been haunting me now for over two weeks. After watching it, I thought it was a good film with a heartbreaking performance by Colin Firth, if not the home run I wanted it to be (the film, not the performance). But the more I think about it, the more I fall in love with Ford's film: its European flavor, its gorgeous art direction, its meticulous shots, its obsession with the male body.

22. Up in the Air

In choosing another 2009 title, I didn't have to go far. It is not surprising any of Reitman's films would have finished in my Top 50: I love his style of storytelling and with this George Clooney vehicle he's hit all the right spots. Described as "Death of a Salesman starring Cary Grant" (by Roger Ebert, I believe), Reitman's film has us follow Ray Bingham as he finds the world as he knows it slowly ebbing away. If to travel is to live, as he believes, what happens when one is no longer in flight? With a pair of lovely supporting ladies (Farmiga and Kendrick), Clooney and Reitman's witty film is a joy to watch, even as its ending feels at once to hopeless and too hopeful.

21. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

I know it's a cop-out (see 15) but how can you really separate these three films that together they make one of the most daring cinematic achievements of all time, let alone the decade? Every time I talk about these films I feel I should re-watch them yet again (I've rewatched them here and there but never in a row, never in any systematic way) because every time I catch them on cable or at someone's house I am enraptured by the way Jackson & co. manage to make Middle Earth's conflict feel so epic and yet so grounded. If I had to choose one film to spotlight it would be Fellowship (Two Towers suffers from being the middle film and Return of the King for all its greatness feels too long and its multiple endings always feel less engaging than they should be). A great ensemble, enviable special effects, a gorgeous score and the lovely New Zealand canvas just add to the overall wonder that these films created over three years of my life (and for years to come, I'm sure).

Runners-up (in alphabetical order):

Batman Begins, Bring it On, Brokeback Mountain, Catch Me If You Can, Chicago, Duplicity, Frida, Finding Nemo, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Mary and Max, Match Point, Mean Girls, Memento, Monsters, Inc., Notes on a Scandal, Once, Something's Gotta Give, Spiderman 2, Spirited Away, The Incredibles, There Will Be Blood, Transamerica, Unfaithful, X2.

First! or How the image will speak for itself

The following is an actual conversation via Adium with someone who I've no real contact (via blogs or otherwise) with and yet who thought giving feedback about this blog was his prerogative:

I appreciate constructive criticism as much as the next one (heck! the college writing course I teach basically depends on it) but this was... not quite what I have in mind. The internet, twitter, facebook, etc. have opened a world where everyone's opinion can be heard and distributed and that's great - but this (at least in my mind) went a bit far beyond mere "opinion." I don't even know why I'm posting this other than I found it an incredibly odd conversation to have had and thought I'd share it.

Half of 2009 over?! or How Let's Assess...

I'd be lying if I said I was planning on writing this regardless and didn't credit James for inspiring me to emulate him (highest form of flattery, remember!), but reading over his post just made want to jump on the bandwagon and choo-choo away!

Wait, 2009 is halfway done?

Why do I always feel like the first half flies by while the latter half just stretches on and on? Maybe it's the fact that for me "the year" doesn't end til AMPAS hands out little golden men, yet the midpoint of the year is still mid-summer... which just makes for some crazy calendar calibrating. But I digress. We're halfway there and we must use this opportunity to crank out lists:

Top 5 TV Shows

... that premiered during the Spring Season

(or in one case, was previewed and will return this fall)

Honourable Mentions:

Flight of the Conchords

(Oh those crazy Kiwis! The Michel Gondry episode alone made the lackluster second season worth it)

Big Love (reruns - Season 1 & 2)

(Okay so the whole 'Mormon' political power-grabbing storylines are starting to tire me, but the 'family' drama is utterly gripping. Also: Ginnifer + Chloe + Jeanne = A holy trinity indeed.)

Skins (Series 1 & 2)

(Slowly catching up with this sexy, daring BBC "teen" show - those are quotation marks because it showcases more nudity, drugs, sex & cursing than ALL of US Network TV shows pooled together! Heck throw Showtime and HBO in there and you're still not there...)

5.Glee

After being shown only the first episode I can safely say I have found a new show to look forward to once Fall TV hits. Singing! Dancing! Witticising! It's all I ever dreamed would be in a good show (see 2.)

4. Dollhouse

Joss returns to TV with his beloved (and beautiful) Eliza Dushku playing 'Echo' [and here I'm referring to Wikipedia for a non-confusing account of who she is:] "a member of a group of people known as "Actives" or "Dolls". The Dolls are people whose personalities and existence in the outside world have been wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas—including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language—for different assignments (referred to as engagements)." Despite a shaky start, it picked up steam and I'm aching for more already.

3. United States of Tara

Toni Colette plays a suburban mom with multiple personalities (a teen girl that goes by "t", a truck-driver called "Buck" and a Stepford Wife called "Alice"). Hokey? Maybe, but thankfully at the hands of Colette and written by Diablo Cody, Tara morphs into a compelling study of suburban family life. Add in a great ensemble playing a host of well-defined characters (including her teen gay son, her rebellious daughter, her weird-boobed sister, etc.), add in great pop culture references and you've got a pretty fine-tuned show. Also I did mention Ms Colette is amazing, right?

2. Pushing Daisies (RIP)

The show that couldn't be brought back from the dead (not even by our dear Piemaker himself) came back for its last three episodes, which - despite a rushed "last scene" that tried to wrap everything in nicely tied bows (damn you ABC!), bristled with the usual charm, wit, colour, outrageous murder scenes and surreal musical Chenoweth moments we had come to expect from this gem of a show. Sigh. Not a great sendoff but a lovely bookend that brought our heroes full circle and gave us at long last a Darling Mermaid Darlings show. Ned, you'll be sorely missed.

1. Grey GardensI considered including Grey Gardens under the Films rubric but since it aired on HBO and is a made-for-TV movie (therefore eligible for Emmys and not Oscars) I'd figure I'd let it top my TV list. Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange uncannily (re)create the Beales for us in this lushly executed docu-film, tracing the riches to rags story of Jackie O's relatives, inhabitants of the eponymous summer house in Upstate NY.

Top 5 Films

... released in the first six months of 2009

(in which I sort of cheat because I have seen two too many a film that haven't yet been released, but I don't care, really because it already reads like an mB list - what with animation, musical theatre, Julia Roberts and witty post-modern comedies all accounted for!)

Honourable Mentions:

Sunshine Cleaning (review B)

(give me Amy & Emily and I'm in)

Star Trek (A-)

(who knew I'd actually enjoy this - the only one I've seen - movie from this dead in the water franchise?)

& Away We Go (A-)

(because Sam + ensemble cast + a star turn by a Ms Maya Rudolph pays for itself).

5. Ponyo (review A)

Who knew Miyazaki could retell the 'Little Mermaid' story and make it his own? Okay so we all did. Mainly because we all know he's able to craft wonderfully entertaining films, full stop. Here, the simple premise from Hans Christian Anderson's story gets re-mapped with little kids and all the innocence and wonder they bring.

4. Every Little Step (review A)

If you love musical theater (and why wouldn't you?) and you love A Chorus Line (and why wouldn't you?... okay that's less rhetorical, of course) you'll probably enjoy this dazzling documentary following a couple of Broadway hopefuls as they audition for the 2005 revival of the classic musical about a couple of Broadway hopefuls as they audition for a show. So meta- it's amazing! Plus: singing! dancing! always a plus.

3. Duplicity (review A-)

My letter-grade would suggest it should be lower than on #3 but having been the only one I've seen twice in theaters and considering I'd probably revisit it more often than # 4 and # 5 I decided to bump up Tony Gilroy's sophomore effort, which featured a star-studded, crisply written caper-comedy featuring one of my favorite leading lady (Ms Roberts), a dashing Clive Owen and great supporting turns by Mr Giamatti and Mr Wilkinson.

2. (500) Days of Summer (review A+)

Oh to fall in love! And then to fall out of love because the person you love doesn't love you back, or maybe they do but they don't show it, and then you want them back but don't want to seem like you want them back... I could keep going, but I'd be giving out too much of the "plot" of this film. Yet, even though we all know the plot of this film (it is after all a romantic comedy of sorts) the charm of this flick is the way the story is told, one day of Summer at a time. Also: best closing line exchange ever!

1. Up (review A+)

To say "PIXAR has done it again!" is to sell the Emeryville-based animation studio short: why wouldn't they do it again, pray tell? Sure, WALL-E set the bar (way way) high, but this film about a grouchy old man, a bubbly wilderness explorer, a colourful bird, a talking dog and a balloon-lifted house is endearing, mature, wonderfully riveting and utterly charming (not to mention all-out sad and depressing - in the good way!)

Top 5 Reads

This is for books read in 2009, not "released" in 2009.

(It's like cheating, only not, since I do want to plug these books)

Honourable Mentions:

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

(The plurality of narrators in Diaz's novel make for a great ensemble narrative device that takes through generations of Dominicans struggling both in Santo Domingo - with Trujillo-as-Sauron in power, and in New Jersey - could have done with a more nuanced ending, though)

& Buffy Season 8 (continued) exec produced by Joss Whedon (assorted writers)

Dark Horse's successful run continued with more action-packed (and one-off) adventures featuring our favorite Sunnydale blonde and her cohort of slayers.

5. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

(Unabashedly morally ambiguous, this tale of a professor accused of sexual harassment follows him to rural South Africa where his daughter lives in a farm where one brutal night will change their lives forever. Sound too cliche? It's Coetzee, he doesn't know what that is.)

4. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

A family history told from the point of view of an unborn child? Add in the fact that said "child" grows up to be an intersex child of Greek heritage and you have a compelling narrator, an intricately woven family saga and an entertaining read all in one!

3. Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe (Vol. 5) by Bryan O'Malley

The first four volumes were hysterical, so it was no surprise that this fifth installment continues telling the story of Toronto-dweller, indie-band member and resident loser Scott Pilgrim who's been fighting his love Ramona's ex-boyfriends (and girlfriend) in order to earn her love. Plus: I'm already excited for the film!

2. Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton

Would you believe me if I told you you could tell a coherent story solely through objects? Well, that's exactly what Ms Shapton has done here. Through an auction catalogue, we follow the "love story" between Harold and Lenore. Intriguing premise? The execution is even better! Read my initial fanboy-ish thoughts here.

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Couldn't put it down: all 326 pages flew by in three days! After his brain-teaser and scavenger-hunt aficionado dad perishes at the towers on 9/11, Oskar Schell, age 8, finds a key in an envelope marked "Black" while snooping around in his dad's room. Where does the key lead? What does it open? More than a simple enjoyable story, Safran Foer's book immerses you effortlessly in a funnily written and poignantly staged family history about dealing with grief and loss. Brilliant.

Top 5 Blog Posts

...because I'm not beyond self-publicity. No shame 'bout that, really.

(Can we believe that my itty-bitty reposting of a couple of Dustin Lance-Black's pics - no, not those ones! - was my most visited page throwing my page-count through the roof, actually... when will I ever get 1000+ hits in a single day again... sigh)

5.New inductees to "Everything I know I Learnt From Animation":
Oscar nominated Bolt & Kung Fu Panda, Oscar-winner (and modern masterpiece) Wall-E, and Disney classics The Lion king & The Emperor's New Groove

4. Top 20 Movie Characters

And after compiling them I realised I'm some sort of schizo who can love Dolly-loving robots as much as suburban train-wrecks and brassy drunks... what does that say about me? Find out for yourself!

3. I love the ending to 9 to 5, don't you?

I have yet to see the Broadway version of this 1980s "work comedy" featuring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton, but til then we can always revisit this comedic gem whose end-titles gave me something to write about for JD's blog-a-thon.

2. Did you know Heavenly Creatures is Ms Kate Winslet's career to a tee?
To celebrate Ms Winslet's victory at the Oscars (and the Globes!), I revisited Kate's career through the lens of her screen debut (courtesy of Mr Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson!

1. Academic OscarsThese are the types of posts I enjoy writing: marrying my academic pursuits with my pop culture obsessions. Just in time for the February ceremony, we explored 'manliness' in the Best Actor roles, we found the Best Actress lineup was full of mothers, encountered a couple of crazies in Best Supporting Actor lineup and delved into 'desire' with the Best Supporting Actress ladies.

The LAMB, or How it's called networking for a reason

A Blog Next Door is proud to be inducted into The LAMB ("The Large Association of Movie Blogs"):

The LAMB is the premier movie blog directory - a one-stop shop for readers and bloggers alike. Want to know more?

So for those of you stumbling around here from there:

Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs,
Ladies and Gentlemen! Guden Abend, bon soir,
We geht's? Comment ca va? Do you feel good?
I bet you do!
Ich bin euer Confrecier; je suis votre compere...
I am you host!

Und sagen
Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome
Im Cabaret A Blog Next Door, au Cabaret A Blog Next Door, to Cabaret A Blog Next Door

A Blog Next Door Recap 2.0 or How while I'm away you should catch up!

Holidays 'round here begin this week so I'll be away from the blog for a while (partly because I'm (gasp!) going to be internet-less for the coming weeks) so feel free to peruse a selection of this year's best posts:

I love writing about animation, so feel free to start off with Pixar, or How Everything I know I learnt from Animation cause I'm really proud of that post. And if I hadn't already pledged my allegiance to that form (not a genre!) Andrew Stanton's Wall-E blew me away earlier this year, and proved to me that it might actually have a shot at a Best Picture Oscar: just look how much it has in common with that other animated BP nominee!

What else did I learn this past year? Well, I found out that my funniest film reviews come about when I really don't like a film. Don't believe me? Catch the reviews for, 27 Dresses, Indiana Jones IV, and W. And conversely, found that really inspiring films make me wordy and all 'deep': see those for Revolutionary Road, Happy Go Lucky, & Synecdoche New York .

In terms of music, among other things, I checked out Madonna's Hard Candy & Britney's Circus (and offered my own retail tie-in idea from the latter's Womanizer video). But really, all you should know about Pop Music is that it is just the newest version of Post-Humanism.

TV-wise, I Live-Blogged the Desperate Housewives season premiere (and survived!), dissected the women of Mad Men, listed my Favorite Characters on TV, fell in love with the Piemaker (and his clothes!) yet again and mourned his loss in my own way.

I realised Academic Biopics might be a way to earn some Oscars in the next few years, realised Can't Hardly Wait works as a who's who? of the 1990s. Also found out Bill Condon reads my blog: see? He took my suggestion of Hugh as Oscar host! Found that Academia can meet Pop Culture and found new political relevance in Tony Kushner's Angels in America after Prop 8.

I also participated in a couple of guest-posts over at The Film Experience. My favourite of which was Voice Actressexuality which spawned my My Stuff and Cr*p's Rugrats Blogathon post on Child (Voice) Actors. And yes, we started with animation and end there too... how predictable am I?

Enjoy! See you in 2009!

New Banner! or How it was time for a change!

Emma, Meryl and co. wish the new banner well.

Best Post Blog-a-Thon, or How Pixar's my gem post

I recently discovered He Shot Cyrus and he's hosting a best post Blog-a-Thon and I've been having so much fun leafing through them I thought I'd share mine.

And here's my best post (I think...):

Everything I know, I learned from Animation: The Pixar Edition

Enjoy!

A Blog Next Door Recap, or How while I'm away you should catch up

So A Blog Next Door goes on holiday this week - one has to take some time off and spend time with family, and yeah... get to those papers we've been leaving aside for a while now. And so, coming to the blog's fourth month anniversary (who knew?!) I thought I'd offer a menu of past posts that I really like, you should read, link to and more importantly enjoy.


If you're an awards geek, or just want to know what movies to look out this holiday season, you should take a look at my FYC campaign, which included highlighting movies such as , Juno, Hairspray, Ratatouille, Knocked Up, Superbad and the one movie you should catch on DVD right now (!) : Once.

Are you a fan of ABC's wildly colourful, style-obsessed and hilariously upbeat comedy Ugly Betty? Take a look at a tripartite study of Ugly Betty's 'queer' characters as we answer How Queer is MODE? Take a look at the posts on Alex/is Meade, Marc St James and Justin Suarez.

If you're looking at the year ahead just check out the newest collection of posts which highlight a number of upcoming films that A Blog Next Door is looking forward to.

If you want something a bit more meaty (academically speaking), you should check out a couple of posts which have covered events hosted by the English Department here at Rutgers: check out the coverage of the After Sex? On Writing Since Queer Theory event which featured Lee Edelman, Jeff Nunokawa and Michael Cobb among others, and the post on Marilee Lindeman's talk On the Internet Everyone Thinks I'm a Dog.

Blog-a-thons.
They gave me a chance to write stuff I love and both posts were warmly welcomed. Over at The Film Experience, Nat hosted a Montgomery Clift Blog-a-thon to which I added my own thoughts on Suddenly, Last Summer's queer leanings. And over at Queering the Apparatus, the blog-a-thon's topic was 'Queer Movies' to which I chimed in with a post on Disney's villains and their particularly queer nature.
Check the Monty post Suddenly, Last Summer, or How Queering is Fun and the QTA post Queering Disney, or How Walt's Villains Play For Our Team.

Seeing Double. What started as a fun addition to the blog, became an addiction. So much that I keep looking out for images that mirror, or echo, or speak to each other. My favourite? The 300/Beowulf (visual) comparison essay.

And then of course, you can revel in posts that are basically just love-letters to the things that have kept me smiling this past year: Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock and Buffy Season 8.

Enjoy! See you in 2008!