Top 10 Most Downloaded Songs

Music Reviews are not my forte (so to speak), but then again I'm not particularly experienced in any form of reviewing, so here goes nothing.


(please note: I couldn't seem to find a reliable source for this list-every list I saw had different top earners, but most lists, at the very least, contained the same top 10 in one order or another--a few names that are missing from this one that I saw on others would be Lady Gaga [Born This Way], Justin Bieber [Never Say Never], and P!nk [F**kin' Perfect]).

1) We Found Love-Rihanna
Ok-I really enjoyed this song at first. It's got a good vibe to it, and I can't say it isn't catchy. HOWEVER-I burnt out on it after the 37 millionth time it played on my radio while I was sitting in the oh so dreadful rush hour traffic. Music is far too overplayed, and this song is DEFINITELY NOT AN EXCEPTION! Poor Rihanna... I'm beginning to hate her and it isn't even her fault.
2) It Will Rain-Bruno Mars
Not a Bruno Mars fan. He's too whiny. Hated this song at first, learned to tolerate it, hated it more when it became yet another overplayed song.
3) Sexy and I Know It-LMFAO
Stupid, kind of annoying, and very fun. LMFAO usually leaves me with my mouth hanging open in utter disbelief (if I try to listen to the lyrics, that is), because the material NEVER bares ANY semblance of logical sense, but the overly egotistical song is good for a listen; it also provides entertainment in the world of amateur karaoke, let me tell you!  
4) Without You-David Guetta
I'm becoming a Guetta fan, actually. This song is beginning to be overplayed, but after roughly 3,000 plays so far... I'm not changing the channel in a rush.
5) The One that got Away-Katy Perry
Not my favorite from ol' Perry. E.T. is much preferred, in my opinion. This one just gets kind of annoying after the first chorus.
6) Good Feeling-Flo Rida
As I would indicate if this were Facebook: 'Like'. I liked it the first time, and I still like it. The instrumental makes me feel like I'm in a video game, and the sound is quite appealing.
7) Stereo Hearts-Gym Class Heroes
First listen-thought it was the dumbest song ever. Today (3 million listens later), I pump up the volume and sing along. No lies.
8) Ni**as in Paris-Jay Z and Kanye West
Don't know this one at all, actually.
9) Moves Like Jagger-Marron 5
MOST HATED SONG OF ALL TIME. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT.
10) Someone Like You-Adele
I'm becoming an Adele fan. I've loved all of her [released] songs (haven't heard the whole album), and I even coerced my piano playing friend to learn some of her stuff so that we could belt it out together. I love everything about her-the lyrics, the music, the style- but I especially love that her sound is competing among all of the pop music that monopolizes the industry. She's different and it's working out for her. I can dig that.

Honorable Mention who probably made some hefty $$$ this year: Nikki Minaj. Super Bass, anyone? Again, this is another artist/song that I didn't enjoy the first few times around, but this song definitely grew on me. Sometimes, when I'm all alone.... I actually try to rap it.

I ALSO DISCOVERED: OWL CITY and MUMFORD AND SONS. Never would have listened to either of these in times past, but friends have a lot of influence over a person... and mine fixed me up with some easy listening. Highly recommend any and every song/album from either artist. 

AFI's Top 100 Movies-AKA the goal that will take me the rest of my life to accomplish.

My AFI Top 100 list update for 2011: I doubt that I'll be adding to it before the year ends (Ben-Hur is a possible addition, though). Highlighted in yellow are, unfortunately, NOT the movies remaining on the list... they're the few that I've managed to watch not just in 2011, but in all years of my life to date.  There are 23 1/2 highlighted (the half being on account of the fact that I can't seem to finish A Streetcar Named Desire... hopefully someday I will, but I strongly doubt it. I have a low tolerance for films that haven't sparked ANY interest in the first 35 minutes). This brings me about 21 closer than I was this time last year (I kid... a little), so I guess I did accomplish something. 

Other notes about movies not pertaining to "the list".... I watched far too many war flicks this year and I'm still mildly depressed (I kid... again). Can't lie though; there are few genres that I truly enjoy, and historical films are probably #1 for me. I tried to balance my viewing by watching at least one comedy/chick flick/stupid movie/animated film for every 1-3 war films. This method worked fairly well, and I actually enjoyed a ton of stupid movies simply because they made me laugh (a feat never before accomplished to quite this extreme, for me). 

And can I tell you how excited I am for 2012 films?!!! The top few that I can think of off of the top of my head:

1) The Lorax

2) The Hunger Games 

3) Titanic in 3D....?

4) Beauty and the Beast in 3D....??

5) Men in Black 3...???

6) Snow White and the Huntsman

7) Spiderman (another?!)

8) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

9) Ice Age (another?!)

10) The Bourne Legacy (another?!)

11) TWILIGHTTTTTT!!!!ASOEIFJF!!!!! (lol jk... my online persona may be nebulous at times, but rest assured-I am no tweenie)

12) THE HOBBIT!!!!!!! 

In yellow are the ones that I am legitimately excited for, in the bright, painful to look at bluish color are the ones that I will watch (though probably not in theatres) just.... because, and the rest I find both amusing and also relatively disappointing, but might go see if I am especially bored. I hate the 3D thing, though. Just a note.

1.CITIZEN KANE (1941) 

2.CASABLANCA (1942) 

3.GODFATHER, THE (1972) 

4.GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) 

5.LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) 

6.WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939) 

7.GRADUATE, THE (1967) 

8.ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) 

9.SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) 

10.SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) 

11.IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) 

12.SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) 

13.BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957) 

14.SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) 

15.STAR WARS (1977) 

16.ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) 

17.AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951) 

18.PSYCHO (1960) 

19.CHINATOWN (1974) 

20.ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975) 

21.GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940) 

22.2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) 

23.MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941) 

24.RAGING BULL (1980) 

25.E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) 

26.DR. STRANGELOVE (1964) 

27.BONNIE & CLYDE (1967) 

28.APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) 

29.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) 

30.TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) 

31.ANNIE HALL (1977) 

32.GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974) 

33.HIGH NOON (1952) 

34.TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) 

35.IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) 

36.MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) 

37.BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946) 

38.DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) 

39.DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) 

40.NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) 

41.WEST SIDE STORY (1961) 

42.REAR WINDOW (1954) 

43.KING KONG (1933) 

44.BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915) 

45.STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951) 

46.CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971) 

47.TAXI DRIVER (1976) 

48.JAWS (1975) 

49.SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) 

50.BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) 

51.PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE(1940) 

52.FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) 

53.AMADEUS (1984) 

54.ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) 

55.SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965) 

56.M*A*S*H(1970) 

57.THIRD MAN, THE (1949) 

58.FANTASIA (1940) 

59.REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) 

60.RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) 

61.VERTIGO (1958) 

62.TOOTSIE (1982) 

63.STAGECOACH (1939) 

64.CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) 

65.SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991) 

66.NETWORK (1976) 

67.MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962) 

68.AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951) 

69.SHANE (1953) 

70.FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971) 

71.FORREST GUMP (1994) 

72.BEN-HUR (1959) 

73.WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) 

74.GOLD RUSH, THE (1925) 

75.DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) 

76.CITY LIGHTS (1931) 

77.AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) 

78.ROCKY (1976) 

79.DEER HUNTER, THE (1978) 

80.WILD BUNCH, THE (1969) 

81.MODERN TIMES (1936) 

82.GIANT (1956) 

83.PLATOON (1986) 

84.FARGO (1996) 

85.DUCK SOUP (1933) 

86.MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) 

87.FRANKENSTEIN (1931) 

88.EASY RIDER (1969) 

89.PATTON (1970) 

90.JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927) 

91.MY FAIR LADY (1964) 

92.PLACE IN THE SUN, A(1951) 

93.APARTMENT, THE (1960) 

94.GOODFELLAS (1990) 

95.PULP FICTION (1994) 

96.SEARCHERS, THE (1956) 

97.BRINGING UP BABY (1938) 

98.UNFORGIVEN (1992) 

99.GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967) 

100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

ADDED MOVIES:

The General

Intolerance

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Nashville

Sullivan's Travels

Cabaret

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Saving Private Ryan

The Shawshank Redemption

In the Heat of the Night

All the Presidents Men

Spartacus

A Night at the Opera

12 Angry Men

Swing Time

Sophie's Choice

The Last Picture Show

Do the Right Thing

Blade Runner

Toy Story

End of the year---time to reflect?

Honestly didn't think I'd forget my password... again. Clearly my memory is not what it once was. Kicking myself for forgetting it during one of the biggest times of the year for me (for entertainment and time to spend writing about it, as I had some time off from both work and school). I've seen, read and listened to much since my last post, but I won't have time to catch up on the reviews until... well, I really have no idea when. But I did want to catch up on a few things before we hit 2012 (because once we start the new year I will probably follow my personal annual tradition of disregarding basically anything and everything I can from the previous year-particularly things of this nature that really don't matter at all).

Quick side note---the NBA---I missed you, Beautiful, and I am glad you are back. Seeing my team play with a vengeance has been rather enjoyable. It got me to wondering why the season is so long in the first place... maybe a shorter season would do us good....? Don't know and don't care, at the moment. I am just GLAD GLAD GLAD to have it back!

Another note--I am considering making a new year's resolution that has to do with me eliminating my disgusting need for a list to accompany every mundane aspect of my life. I need to not need a list-but I feel like this will never happen, so who cares... here are my lists for the year, posted in several entries in an effort to avoid one large blurb that I won't want to proofread all at once!

Also- what does NBA stand for, anyway?

(I know it isn't a book, movie or musical item, but sports are entertainment so that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

I think it was Jay Leno that made the joke... NBA now stands for "No Basketball Anymore". What's the deal?! Can't believe there won't be any basketball this season... seriously never thought it would come down to this. I guess there's still college, though (meh...). I haven't followed the issue (again, really didn't think they'd throw out a whole season!), and I don't know who's to blame, but this is pretty disappointing. Sports are like the seasons-I need to look forward to them! Geez guys-pull it together before next season... PLEASE.

Finally remembered my username/password combination...

I've watched probably 10 movies, read maybe 5 books, and listened to about a million songs since my last post. I had intended to write reviews on each and every one of those (well, the books and movies, anyway), but I could not-for the life of me-remember my password. Getting old is a real pain. At any rate, I can't actually remember everything that I've ingurgitated over the past few weeks (or months?), so I'm just going to write about what stood out. 

MOVIES

FINALLY watched Saving Private Ryan. Finally. And now I understand. I read a review on the film awhile back that described it as "devastating"... and I concur. The opening soldier's eye view of the D-Day invasion is horrifyingly well done. This is probably the first scene in a movie where the camera angles were used in a way that I was able to appreciate them (and by that, I simply mean that this is the first time I've even NOTICED the camera angle in a movie, much less felt moved by it). After that scene, I was admittedly sick to the stomach and concerned that the entire movie would be just as gut-wrenchingly realistic and grotesque. While the movie remained realistic, the story turned enough to give my weak organs a break. Besides the amazing depiction of what happened on that day, the story and dialogue were also incredible (not to take away from the actors, who were exceptional). While I'm not a huge fan of Tom Hanks, I felt like his performance in this film was very, very convincing (especially towards the end of the film when his character's colors really begin to show). 

So yes-this film was incredible. I don't often remember much from a movie after just one viewing, but there are some that I probably won't have the heart to watch twice (war flicks, typically... of which this one is certainly included). I always try to be careful when watching a film by a well-known and much respected director like Spielberg (especially when he's accompanied by his right-hand-man, John Williams), because I don't want the reputation to become the film and influence my opinion of the movie. That being said, I dare you to find a subpar Spielberg movie that has not lived up to his usual standard of excellence. I certainly can't name one. 

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World-I didn't get it...? I really didn't. Maybe I don't play enough video games (actually, I'm certain I don't), but the whole thing seemed like a lame trip. The humor was relatively funny, but I could never understand what was going on, and that was kind of frustrating. That's about all I have to say about that!

Bringing Up Baby-Pure, unadulterated humor. Funniest movie that I've seen in a good long time. I watched it a few months back so I don't remember all of my initial thoughts, but the screenplay and acting were incredible. Movies like these really make me resent a lot of the stuff coming out of Hollywood recently. Comedies today are unrealistically raunchy and rude. Older films like Bringing up Baby are refreshing in that they use clever and thoughtful means to produce the kind of humor that I actually find funny, without insulting me in the process (since when is insulting a person funny? I feel like 90% of humor today is found in hurting another person [usually by making a crude joke]). Anyway, the acting made this movie... and I'd love to see something like this find its way into modern production!

I know I watched more than that, but everyone and his mom is blowing up my phone right now, and this has already taken me far too long to write. I'm gonna stay signed in and try to pick this up again at some point...

MORE MOVIES


The Pianist-Another overwhelmingly realistic depiction of the horror that was The Holocaust. I've also recently watched Schindler's List, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Watching these movies was a truly disturbing experience; the Nazis weren't inhumane... they were absolutely possessed by a disgusting hatred against fellow members of the human race, and these movies capture these emotionless beings in a VERY realistic way. It is difficult for me to believe that anyone could actually manage to be THAT repulsively gross to another living being, but that's why I appreciate these movies; they show the reality that was The Holocaust.
Schindler's List was especially brutal, and there were many times where I honestly didn't think that I could handle any more of the violence. The realistic intensity of the film-although horrifying to watch-allows one to enter the world of Nazi Germany. It also allows the viewer the chance to see that Germans were not ALL as disgusting as Amon, the commander who shoots Jews from his balcony just for the sport of it. The movie is a reminder that sometimes we do things because someone says we should; sometimes we trust our leaders blindly, without justification. And sometimes, even Germans knew that what they were doing was wrong. It's easy to lump all of the Nazis into one big pile of hateful, angry killers... but this movie really made me wonder how many of them were just that cold because someone told them to be.
And that same thought continued when I watched The Pianist. Although not nearly as grotesque as Schindler's List, The Pianist still brought both the violence and human sides of the historical event. The music was, of course, fantastic, and I loved the way they incorporated his talent and passion for music throughout the film. I especially appreciated the fact that it was his ability as a pianist that softened the heart of the Nazi who could have killed him but decided instead to provide Szpilman with food and information that helped him survive to see his freedom become a reality. Another heartbreakingly brilliant film!

On a COMPLETELY different note! The Social Network-The Facebook movie! A very good movie, I must say. Although I need another watch before knowing for sure whether or not I really appreciate this film, the first watch did give me enough to want to see it again, at the very least. My only complaint is that the movie was difficult to hear; the college life (AKA noisy scenes with lots of party sounds and loud music) made the movie feel very busy, not to mention the fact that Zuckerberg's character talked a mile a minute about things that would be confusing to me even if I understood what he was saying. I feel like a second watch will solidify this as a good film, because other than that which I just mentioned, I did think that it was well acted, well scripted and overall a good movie.

There are more movies where that came from but at the moment I'm either A) not remembering which movies I've left out or B) not in the mood to write about them for various reasons. yeapy!

BOOKS


Fortunately, I haven't read nearly as many books lately as I have movies! Although I sometimes prefer the books, I have been enjoying the movies for a change... and this reviewing movies thing is already beginning to feel old, so I'm glad for a change of pace. 

For Love of the Game, Michael Shaara-LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I picked it up because I was looking for another war novel by Shaara (author of The Killer Angels... another great book that I read back in middle school). I had never heard of this book, but there is a quote on the front cover from the Los Angeles Times that reads, "Moving, beautiful... If Hemingway had written a baseball novel, he might have written For Love of the Game.".  The quote hit the nail on the head; not only is the book beautiful and moving, it most definitely has a dry and cynical Hemingway feel to it.
The story is about a professional baseball player who has been loyal to one team his entire career, only to find out that the team plans to trade him as soon as the season is over. Because the information was spilled and no one else knows of the trade, Billy Chapel is able to literally throw every ounce of himself into his very last game. The story draws parallels to another of my all time favorite stories, Peter Pan. Chapel and his female companion of sorts learn to love each other, and to grow up. By the end of the book Chapel has conquered his loneliness and is prepared to leave his Never Never Land.... it's a fantastic and short, yet very well told story.

A Painted House, John Grisham-Grisham always tells a marvelous story. Well, he usually tells a marvelous story... unfortunately, A Painted House did not really hold my attention. I was able to finish the book only because I kept assuming that it would get better... Grisham has never disappointed (until, of course, this book). The story had no purpose; the characters were interesting enough, but there were so many empty points that I feel like Grisham is mocking me. Maybe my hopes were too high, but this book was nothing more than an utter disappointment.

The 100th Kill, Charles W. Sasser-One of the best war novels that I've ever read (and I've both read and loved a good many). It was violent, vulgar, and very much the story of American snipers in Vietnam. The protagonist is an American journalist who is in Vietnam to cover the war. He becomes intrigued by a Marine sniper who intends to kill 100 Vietcong. We follow Mike (the journalist) as he attempts to discover what it is that makes "Dog"/Johnny Abel (the sniper) such a cold-blooded killer, and also as he uncovers details of the young marines past that cause him to see himself in a new way. Great read, and great look into the soldiers that fought in Vietnam only to return home to protests and angry citizens who had no idea what was really going on. Loved it!