Other Favorites of 2012

In past years I’ve written more “best of” lists at year end, but that can become difficult when ingesting pop culture isn’t a full-time job. I wasn’t sure I’d read enough books that I loved to do a full list, and I listen to almost all the same podcasts I did a year ago. So instead of publishing a slew of posts over the next couple days, I thought I’d just compile a few non-television favorites into one piece. You can find my piece on the best TV I watched in 2012 here.

 

Podcasts

I still heartily recommend “Pop Culture Happy Hour” and “This American Life” from NPR to those who don’t listen to them – those podcasts result in two of the most enjoyable hours of my week on a regular basis. I was recently introduced to “My Brother, My Brother and Me” by a friend and I’m looking forward to checking out more of it in 2013.

Books

Like many others, I read “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn this year and really, really liked it. It’s a total page-turner, and it was a refreshing change for someone who doesn’t read a lot of mystery novels. I also read “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky for the first time this year, and adored it, and I highly recommend rereading “The Great Gatsby” before the film comes out to those who are interested.  One of the most surprising books I read this year was “MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For a New Best Friend” by Rachel Bertsche. It’s a memoir written by a woman who was looking to make friends after settling down in Chicago, and it’s quite funny. I’m not a self-help book person, but reading about someone else just walking up to strangers and asking them to go for coffee helped inspire me to be more proactive when it came to asking acquaintances to get together outside of the party scene. I’m looking forward to digging into Alan Sepinwall’s book “The Revolution was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever” before my vacation is through, as well books by David Rakoff and Mike Birbiglia that I received for Christmas.

Music

I’m not really great and recommending music, because
a) I readily accept the fact that a lot of what I like is not considered “good” by people who are concerned with being “cool”. Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars were in high rotation this year and I’m not ashamed to admit it. They all produced good, catchy pop songs.
b) When I find something I like, I tend to play it nonstop.

I really played the hell out of The Lumineers. My favorite songs are “Ho Hey”, “Flowers in Your Hair” and “Classy Girl”. I started listening to Alt-J recently. (Check out “Breezeblocks”.) Mt iPod in 2012 also saw a lot of Of Monsters and Men (you’ve probably heard “Little Talks”, but if not, go listen to it), fun., and The Civil Wars. (Also, music from the show Nashville, some of which was written by The Civil Wars.)

Movies

I have a weird relationship with films. I love to go see movies, I read reviews and follow Oscar buzz. But I rarely watch them at home (two whole hours devoted to one thing always feels like too much, even though I can mainline six hours of Breaking Bad if the mood strikes) and I’m very particular about what sort of movie I *feel* like seeing at any given moment. I also have a hard time remembering what films I’ve seen and when – but I’ve managed to come up with an assortment of seven from 2012 that I really enjoyed.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: I read the book in preparation to see this movie, which I was interested in as one of Emma Watson’s first post-Potter films. I loved the book, and this is one of the best film adaptations I’ve ever seen – likely because it was written and directed by the author. The performances are so incredibly strong. I think this cast is a nice look at the next generation of great actors. See it.
The Hunger Games: Another film adaptation, obviously. As a huge fan of the books, a lot was riding on this first movie. I don’t think they got everything right (Hi, Peeta) but they got most of it and that’s more than you can say for a lot of similar movies. Jennifer Lawrence was very good, though I wonder if people who haven’t read the much more detailed, thoughtful books would have the same movie experience.
Looper: Is there anyone better than Joseph Gordon Levitt? I loved him in this movie. It was thrilling and well-written, and cut to the chase – I hate movies set in the future that get too bogged down with logistics. A great example of a really excellent action movie.
Ruby Sparks: This was a quirky little movie I saw in the summer (I unfortunately missed Celeste & Jesse Forever, but I plan on seeing it) that I really enjoyed. Zoe Kazan plays a girl who comes to life after she’s written by a young male author, and I think it’s an interesting commentary on stock characters, romantic comedies, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and, in general, relationships.
Pitch Perfect: The year’s funniest movie, I’d say, save for a couple of unnecessary vomit scenes. (Bodily functions are not my jam, I said the same thing about Bridesmaids.) Anna Kendrick is a delightful little human, and Rebel Wilson steals every scene she’s in. (So do Brittany Snow’s eyes. That girl is impossibly beautiful.)The movie is loads of fun, but also one of the most realistic movies of the genre I’ve ever seen.
Argo: Can we all stop being surprised by Ben Affleck? He’s smart and good at what he does. Let’s stop making him prove it now and just enjoy the show. While there’s no doubt that there are some issues with Argo in terms of historical accuracy and racial prejudice, it’s a well-crafted political thriller. Even though you know the outcome, you are never bored. You ar e always on the edge of your seat. That’s a huge accomplishment.
Les Misérables : I saw this movie on Christmas Day (in the nighttime) with my fiancé and his mom, and we all loved it. It’s the very definition of epic – huge sets and landscapes, swelling emotion, a massive, star-studded cast. Anne Hathaway kills it. Hugh Jackman gives the performance of a lifetime. Russell Crowe is more adequate than people are giving him credit for. Amanda Seyfried is a perfect Cosette, and I absolutely adored Samantha Barks as Eponine. Eddie Redmayne and Aaron Tveit were both excellent revolutionaries. It’s so, so good you guys. I want to see it again.

 

 

 

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