Peliculas! No se......

Pathetic. Weak. Lacking. These would all be good words that could describe my effort to see all of the good movies that came out this year. In fact, I'm not even sure if I went to the theatre 10 times this year, nonetheless have enough to make an honest Top 10. To put this in perspective, here is a list of the movies that came out this year that I didn't see, but had every intention on seeing.

Ah hem... The List of Movies that I didn't see that would otherwise change my Top 10

3:10 to Yuma,No Country for Old Men,I am Legend,Juno,Sweeny Todd,Bee Movie,Southland Tales,Beowulf,Hitman,Gone Baby Gone,Shoot em Up, Eastern Promises,The Kingdom,The Darjeeling Limited,Rescue Dawn,Harry Potter,Sicko,Pirates of the Caribbean; At World's End, Spider Man 3,Blades of Glory,Grindhouse,Sunshine,The Simpson's Movie,The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford,We Own the Night,Rendition.

With that out of the way, I present to you.

My Top 10 Movies of 2007

10. Hot Fuzz

If you saw Shaun of the Dead, then you know exactly what kind of comedy to expect for Hot Fuzz. It's an over the top story about Supercop from London being sent to a small town because he is "too good" at his job. Only the small town happens to be run by crazed killers who are determined to keep the town perfect. Hilarity and Bad Boys II references ensue.

9. Ocean's 13

I've watched Ocean's 11 so many times that I lost count. I only have seen Oceans 12 twice because it was a huge disappointment. Ocean's 13 is somewhere in between. The fact that they are back in Vegas helps the movie tremendously, and the heist is way more fun to watch, but it still doesn't capture the awesomeness of 11. However, in Oceans 13 it feels like the actors are having fun again, as opposed to 12 where they seemed to be sleep walking through the entire thing.

8. Ratatouille

Pixar always delivers. Always. I have yet to see a movie from that studio that I didn't like, and each year the movies get better. Pixar explores themes that kids movies used to be terrified to venture into.

7. Transformers

Michael Bay sucks. Me, you, everyone knows that. One thing he doesn't suck at however is blowing stuff up, and Transformers is just that. Giant robots transforming, blowing stuff up, and fighting each other. Occasionally these Transformers also fights tanks and other things that explode while they fight each other. I mean, what's not to like (except the dialogue and Jon Voight)

6. TMNT

I was a Ninja Turtle pimp when I was younger. I had them all, I watched them all, I drove everyone crazy. I was worried when I heard this movie was coming out, but the finished product connected the old stories from the 80's with the movies from the 90's, making the movie something for every generation of fans. I felt like a 7 year old the entire movie.

5. Live Free or Die Hard (Unrated Version)

Pg-13 Die Hard was still entertaining, and somehow still felt like a Die Hard despite the rating. However, Unrated Yippe-Ky-Yay Die Hard is where it's at. Bruce Willis is still, without question, Jon McClane, and despite one particular action sequence, Live Free or Die Hard was an awesome experience. Sorry Michael Scott, I disagree with you.

4. Superbad

Part 2 of the 1,2,3 punch that Judd Aptow and friends dropped on Hollywood this year. Superbad is hilarious, mostly for the reason that it wasn't scared to go the extra mile for laughs, i.e "blood brothers", the entire McLovin scenario, and Seth's "problem". Awesome movie that will surely considered a classic years from now, and it might be already.

3. Knocked Up

It's hard to decide which one is the most funny between this and Superbad. I guess it depends on which day it is, what mood you're in, or possibly the positioning of the sun. What made Knocked Up so great for me was how realistic it was. Sure it was a romantic comedy, but one that made it clear that things don't always go the way you plan them to. It also solidified Paul Rudd as one of the most underrated actors maybe ever.

2. 300

This movie is visually insane. There has never been anything like 300 in film before (Sin City being the closest) Great fights, great acting, and the emergence of Gerard Butler as a bad ass. Watching this movie in HD will bring a tear to your eye, followed by more tears, then uncontrollable sobbing. It's that good.

1. American Gangster

There aren't many movies that I've seen, that immediately following them, I went home and both googled and Wikied. I did this after watching the tale of Frank Lucas, played superbly by Denzel. American Gangster was a three hour movie that felt like 45 minutes, filled with actors at the top of their game, and Directed by one of the greats Ridley Scott.

Worst Movie of 2007

License to Wed

I would rather get hit by a bus then watch this movie again. Thank God I only saw it on DVD.

--------

Like I said, I didn't see more movies than I actually saw this year, which I'm sure would effect my list a great deal. But from what I was able to see, this is how I'd rank them. As far as next year goes, there are a lot of good ones to look forward to including but not limited to: The Dark Knight, Where the Wild Things Are, Cloverfield, Indiana Jones 4, The Pineapple Express, RocknRolla, Bond 22, and Speed Racer.

Te Gusta la musica de dos mil siete? Si senor, muchas.

2007 was a year of surprises for me when it came to music. There where definitely some albums that I expected to like, and like them I did, but my favorites from the past 365 days came out of nowhere. Meaning that last year at this time I had no idea they even existed. I re-discovered some oldies that I missed out on, and I grew tired of a band that I had grown up with, and one of the albums I was looking forward to the most turned out to be a bust in my eyes (apparently not in others).When it's all said and done however, 2007 turned out to be one of the strongest years of music for me personally in quite sometime.

But enough talk, it's time for the good stuff

The Climaxan's Top 10 Albums of the Year

10. Mae- Singularity
Mae's last album,The Everglow, was sort of hit and miss. It had some really solid tracks, but for the most part never really captured the energy from Destination Beautiful (their first album) Singularity brought back what makes Mae such a standout band, and that's beautiful music that dips into rock territory on each track.
9. Tokyo Rose- The Promise in Compromise
This band should be bigger than they are. Period. Tokyo Rose plays high energy pop punk that is as well written as it is catchy. There have been many other pop/punk bands that have received exposure over the years who would cry tears of untold fear if they heard a little Tokyo Rose.
8. Fall Out Boy- Infinity on High
Fall Out Boy receives truckloads of disrespect. Why? Is it because they got too big too fast, is it because Pete Wentz isn't afraid of the camera, is it because they put on a mediocre live show? It could be for all of these reasons, but anyone who says that their albums aren't pure pop/punk gold, isn't listening close enough. You don't have to love Fall Out Boy, but one can't deny that they are good at what they do. There was no better album this year to roll the windows down and unabashedly rock out.
7. Maroon 5- It Wont Be Soon Before Long
This was one of my surprises from this year. I won't lie, just like the Killers last year, Maroon 5 was a band I loved to hate on. Then I actually gave them an honest listen, followed by large quantities of crow. Maroon 5 is catchy, confident, funky as hell, and they know it. IWBSBL is an album that you start from track one and let play out until the end, giving you everything from dance songs to love songs to straight rock songs. I copped Songs About Jane thanks to this, and I am now a full-fledged Maroon 5 fan. Don't hate.
6. Talib Kweli- Ear Drum
Kweli and Hi-Tek's Reflection Eternal is one of my favorite albums of all time. This is a double-edged sword for me, because every Kweli album I hear I hold to that standard. This really isn't fair, because to me, Reflection Eternal is a masterpiece, and masterpieces are hard to put out once every two years. With that said, Ear Drum is the closest Kweli has come to the greatness of Reflection. Ear Drum has 20+ songs, featuring some of the best writing of any Kweli album. Kweli is the most underrated M.C. in Hip Hop, and one day he'll get the respect commercially that he deserves.
5. The Shins- Wincing the Night Away
Tar me, feather me, do what you must, but Wincing the Night Away was the first Shins album that I've ever bought. I'd heard a lot of their older stuff at random times, but never a full album. Wincing the Night Away was the first album that I picked up this year, as it was the only beacon of quality music in the desolate month of January. The album itself played well to that role, because as it progresses it's like dancing through a relaxing, rainy winter afternoon. If that sounds like a downer, it's not. It's a sobering optimism. Now I've used up all of my adjectives.
4. Sara Bareilles- Pretty Voice
I don't know what my problem used to be. For the longest time female vocalists proved difficult for me to get into, and that's not because I'm sexist. I grew up on Fleetwood Mac, and early in my life I was really into No Doubt. I think my biggest hang up is that many popular female vocalists don't write their own music. This excuse is also out the window now, as in the past couple of years great female singer songwriters have started to emerge, and Sara Bareilles is one of them. Her writing is top notch, the story of her career is inspiring to anyone who plays music, and better yet this chick can sing some blues. She sort of reminds me of a female version of John Mayer, and if you love bluesy rock/piano then you can't deny yourself this album. I mean you can, but I wouldn't recommend it.
3. Coheed and Cambria- No World For Tomorrow
Arena rock died, then Coheed resurrected it. Coheed almost died, then No World For Tomorrow resurrected them. After Good Apollo, Coheed lost their drummer and bassist, and for a band whose cornerstone is intricate ballady prog rock, that is kind of a big deal. Luckily their bassist returned (thanks to rehab) and they were able to recruit more than capable drummer Chris Penne in order to finish recording the album. The result is Coheed's best album to date, combining all of the positive elements from their previous albums, then turning the "rock out" component to 11. The fact that Claudio Sanchez can play the guitar arrangements he does while at the same time singing his off the wall lyrics still blows my mind. Only now he's better at it. Scary stuff, and by scary I mean awesome.
2. Motion City Soundtrack- Even If It Kills Me
Motion City Soundtracks lead singer Justin Pierre has a knack for writing lyrics that take depressing situations, (i.e heartbreak, addiction, paranoia, more heartbreak) and turning them into catchy songs that somehow, someway, make you happy. These aren't your standard sappy emo songs, they are honest and self-deprecating, filled with off the wall metaphors and comparisons that give Motion City it's originality. It helps that those lyrics are also backed by high energy moog rock, catchy hooks, and slick guitar. Even if it Kills Me feels like a transition album both in style and in reality. This is the main reason this album is so high on my list. These aren't songs about High School issues, this album touches on situations that many people face when they come to milestone decisions in their life, and how to deal with the consequences. Even if It Kills Me couldn't have come at a better time in my life.
1. Paulson- All at Once
Catchiest album of the year. Freshest album of the year. My most listened to album of the year (according to my itunes), making it naturally my album of they year. Paulson is still very indie, even by indie standards. However, if they stop in your town, you will quickly learn who they are by word of mouth. Their music is a mix of many different styles including but not limited to, pop, rock, dance, funk, and electronic, making it hard place these guys in a single genre. Paulson's vocals blend perfectly with their sound and if you don't find yourself moving to their music then you my friend have no soul. Paulson backs this up with a very entertaining live show that loses no energy from the album. You should have bought this album yesterday, and that's all there is to it.

Worst Album(s) of the Year:
(Tie) Saves the Day- Under the Boards
Saves the Day are some of the founding fathers of the emo/pop/punk revolution that kicked off in the early 00's. Their albums have always been all over the place when it comes to sound, but at least up until this point, there was something for everyone due to the quality of the writing and instrumentals. On Under the Boards, Saves the Day offers up one of the most painful musical experiences that I have ever had to sit through from a band that I love. I know your sad Chris Conley, but sadness doesn't mean you've forgotten song structure, or how to carry a note. Two things that are missing from Under the Boards. That's not to say that every song on the album is bad, but most of them are. I just hope they get back on track for the third part of the trilogy they are working on, because simply thinking about Under the Boards gives me a stomach ache.

(Tie) Kanye West- Graduation
This album is on many top ten lists this year, in fact, it is some people's album of the year. This absolutely boggles my mind. I don't see how any Kanye fan (which I am) who has listened to any of Kanye's previous work (which I own), can think that this is a good album (which I don't). At best this is a "Meh" album. There are two to three quality tracks, including "Stronger" and "Champion". If anything I viewed this album as a step back for Kanye. His delivery was broken, the beats seemed lazy, his subject matter played out. I miss College Dropout Kanye, who was honest, original, confident but not too cocky. That Kanye was real. Graduation Kanye feels like another ice rap retread. Remember Kanye it's only cool to rap about gold if you you got it from Ghana and Mali.

_________

Well that does it for my music list of 2007. There where still a few albums that I never got around to hearing, like the new Jimmy Eat World and Radiohead that I'm sure I'll hear as the front end of 2008 seems to be a little light and I'll be needing some new music. That's not to say that 2008 will be weak, as there are new albums from the likes of Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, 311, Saves the Day (fingers crossed), Paulson, and Dr. Dre that I know of already, not even counting the surprises that come along. So enjoy and listen to as much music as you possibly can, it'll make your life that much better.

Everytime T.O. calls out Jessica Simpson an angel gets its wings.

This is by no means a big news story, but I would file it under one of the funniest news items of the week, well next to a pregnant teeny Spears. When asked by reporters this week what he thought of Tony Romo's terrible performance, T.O quickly pointed out the presence of ol' girl. I only hope that this escalates to unforeseen heights.

I doubt where that lucky though.

Is THIS how the world ends......

Earlier this week an Intelligence report was released stating that Iran had ceased their Nuclear Weapons programs. They are still enriching uranium, but their weapons development stopped in 2003. This of course, runs contrary to the rhetoric we have been hearing from the Bush administration. In the past few months a growing struggle with Iran has been hyped by the administration based on claims that Iran was indeed defying the world and building nuclear weapons.

Our fearless leader George Bush addressed this issue in a press conference. His answers, to anyone who was actually paying attention, would have made your head explode. Bush broke it down by saying that despite the facts at hand they wont change their position on Iran. I've heard that song before, it was the Bush Administrations #1 chart topping hit in 2002. It's called "Take this war and like it America". I'm now convinced that the entire Bush Administration finds this funny. That of course being the fact that they can say anything they want to, no matter how ludicrous, ridiculous, or untrue it may be, and get away with it. Karl Rove did it last week in an interview with Charlie Rose, saying that it was Congress, not the President who pushed for the Iraq war. Which is absolutely 100% bet-my-life and-well-being-on-it-false. What happened to Rove? Was he lambasted in the press? Was the news all over it? What's that, Britney Spears is pregnant again! Move over Rove, because there's some real news. Bush's press conference didn't even make a big splash, and that was some seriously...seriously angering stuff. You know, the kind of thing that used to make people march

I know this is nothing new, and I know I'm not the first, or last, or best person to say it, but the 2008 election can't come fast enough, because I see absolutely no way that any of the candidates can be worse than this...can they? If so then...