mikey_von_kang | Recent Entries

2011 movie list here: http://mikey-von-kang.dreamwidth.org/27293.html
Best of 2008 here: http://kenshin-iv.livejournal.com/120300.html
Best of 2009 and 2010 here: http://mikey-von-kang.dreamwidth.org/20170.html

The Best:

1. The Apartment

2. Network

3. Goodfellas

4. The Third Man

5. Blood Simple

6. Sunset Boulevard

7. The Deer Hunter

8. Cool Hand Luke

9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

10. Paths of Glory

11. Annie Hall

12. American Graffiti

13. On the Waterfront

14. Pulp Fiction

15. Moon

16. Mildred Pierce (1945)

17. Tangled (Rapunzel)

18. Zodiac

19. Metropolis (1927)

20. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Worst (Number 1 being the worst):

20. Knights of the Round Table

19. Get Smart

18. A Christmas Carol (2009)

17. The Moguls (The Amateurs)

16. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

15. Natural Born Killers

14. Midnight Cowboy

13. The Transporter

12. Psycho III

11. The Wolfman

10. More American Graffiti

9. Plan 9 from Outer Space

8. Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1958)

7. The Blob (1958)

6. Eraserhead

5. The Dead (1987)

4. MacGruber

3. Clash of the Titans (2010)

2. Beverly Hills Cop III

1. Catwoman

Pleasant Surprises (In alphabetical order):

2012

Addams Family Values

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

Beverly Hills Cop

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Captain America: The First Avenger

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Despicable Me

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

First Blood

Forbidden Planet

Gattaca

Green Zone

The Hangover: Part II

Hannah and Her Sisters

How to Train Your Dragon

The Informant!

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

The Manhattan Project

Midnight Express

Moon

Mulholland Drive

Panic Room

Pieces of April

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Slap Shot

Source Code

Super 8

Tangled (Rapunzel)

WarGames

So, 2011 was the year where I watched movies... And did basically nothing else (as you can see). I took a gigantic chunk out of my back log, and you'll see some very surprising films in there that I saw for the first time (e.g. Goodfellas,Pulp Fiction). Usual rules apply with the stars, but I will note that while anything under 3 stars means I did not like the movie, a 2-and-a-half star film does not necessarily mean it was a terrible movie. I cannot sit here and tell you that I truly believe that 2012 was a better movie than The Ice Storm or Bad Lieutenant, but 2012 worked for me for what it set out to do, while I felt The Ice Storm and Bad Lieutenant fell short of the bar those films set. The standards were set higher, and this is another reason why you really should not pay too close attention to the star ratings.

Since I saw so many movies this year -- including well over 100 over the summer -- I decided to include a "best movie of the month" thingy at the end. The best movie I saw in this year of the movie was Billy Wilder's The Apartment, and the worst was (by far) Catwoman. Not surprisingly, these are also the best and worst movies I've seen since I started doing my lists back in 2008.

2008 list here.
2009 list here.
2010 list here.

01/09:  The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya ***1/2
01/15:  True Grit (2010) ***1/2
01/15:  An Education ***1/2
01/20:  Capitalism: A Love Story ***
01/20:  Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) ***
01/20:  Ponyo ***
01/31:  Sunset Boulevard ****
02/05:  The Bourne Identity (2002) ***1/2
02/06:  The King's Speech ***
02/11:  The Moguls (The Amateurs) *1/2
02/11:  The Deer Hunter ****
02/12:  Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time *1/2
02/12:  Get Smart *1/2
02/14:  North by Northwest ***1/2
02/16:  Lawrence of Arabia ***1/2
02/17:  Gran Torino ***1/2
02/20:  Alice in Wonderland (2010) **1/2
02/20:  Dark City ***
02/21:  The Fifth Element ***1/2
02/25:  Goodfellas ****
02/26:  The Maltese Falcon (1941) ****
02/26:  Eraserhead 1/2
02/26:  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ***1/2
03/01:  Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs ***
03/02:  Batman: Under the Red Hood ***
03/03:  The Bourne Supremacy **
03/03:  The Bourne Ultimatum **1/2
03/04:  Rango ***1/2
03/04:  Casino ****
03/06:  Romancing the Stone **1/2
03/07:  Ran  ***
03/08:  Cool Hand Luke ****
03/11:  The Sting ****
03/12:  Get Shorty ***1/2
03/18:  Astro Boy **
03/22:  Gattaca ***1/2
03/25:  On the Waterfront ****
03/26:  Moon ****
03/27:  The Quiet American **
03/28:  Léon (The Professional) ***
03/29:  Network ****
03/30:  Annie Hall ****
04/03:  The Runaways ***
04/05:  Gunga Din ****
04/06:  Platoon ***1/2
04/13:  28 Days Later ***
04/15:  In the Heat of the Night ***1/2
04/18:  Twilight Zone: The Movie **
04/19:  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ****
05/03:  The Night of the Hunter ***1/2
05/10:  The Stunt Man **1/2
05/12:  Blood Simple ****
05/29:  The Hurt Locker ****
05/30:  How to Train Your Dragon ****
05/31:  Planes, Trains and Automobiles ****
05/31:  Pulp Fiction ****
06/01:  Robin Hood (2010) **
06/02:  X-Men Origins: Wolverine **
06/03:  Requiem for a Dream ***
06/04:  X-Men: First Class ***
06/05:  The Informant! ***
06/11:  Perfect Blue ****
06/11:  Monty Python's Life of Brian ***1/2
06/12:  The First Great Train Robbery ***
06/13:  Miller's Crossing ***1/2
06/14:  Shrek Forever After **
06/14:  Beverly Hills Cop ***1/2
06/15:  Knights of the Round Table **
06/15:  The Jerk **1/2
06/16:  The Hangover: Part II ***
06/17:  Rescue Dawn ***
06/19:  Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn ***1/2
06/20:  Beverly Hills Cop II **
06/20:  Solaris (2002) ***
06/21:  The Apartment ****
06/23:  12 Monkeys ***1/2
06/23:  Beverly Hills Cop III 1/2
06/24:  First Blood ***1/2
06/25:  Titan A.E. ***
06/25:  Public Enemies ***
06/25:  Panic Room ***1/2
06/26:  Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole ***
06/26:  Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1958) 1/2
06/27:  The Fortune Cookie ***
06/27:  Dial M for Murder ***
06/28:  Hoosiers ***
06/28:  Strangers on a Train **
06/29:  The Tale of Despereaux **
06/30:  Eden of the East: The King of Eden **
06/30:  Eden of the East: Paradise Lost **1/2
07/01:  Green Zone ***
07/03:  Night of the Living Dead (1968) ****
07/05:  Super 8 ***
07/05:  Raising Arizona ****
07/05:  9 **1/2
07/06:  500 Days of Summer ****
07/07:  Tron ***
07/08:  American Psycho ***
07/12:  The Addams Family **
07/13:  Addams Family Values ***
07/14:  Clash of the Titans (2010) 1/2
07/15:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ***1/2
07/16:  The Kids Are All Right ***1/2
07/18:  Inglourious Basterds ***1/2
07/18:  Catwoman 0
07/19:  The Manhattan Project ***1/2
07/20:  Bad Lieutenant **1/2
07/21:  Captain America: The First Avenger ***
07/23:  The Wolfman *
07/24:  The Thing from Another World **1/2
07/24:  The Thing (1982) ***
07/25:  Reservoir Dogs ***1/2
07/25:  Ocean's Eleven (2001) **1/2
07/26:  Midnight Express ***1/2
07/27:  Despicable Me ***
07/28:  Three Kings ****
07/28:  A Hard Day's Night ***1/2
07/30:  The Town **1/2
07/31:  The Great Race **1/2
08/01:  American Graffiti ****
08/01:  Sixteen Candles ***
08/02:  Slap Shot ****
08/02:  Pieces of April ****
08/03:  Funny People ****
08/03:  More American Graffiti *
08/04:  It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World **1/2
08/04:  Midnight Cowboy *
08/05:  Beavis and Butt-Head Do America ***
08/06:  Predators **1/2
08/08:  Spartacus ****
08/08:  The Third Man ****
08/09:  Sherlock Holmes (2009) **1/2
08/10:  Scarface (1932) ***1/2
08/10:  Some Came Running **1/2
08/10:  Ocean's Eleven (1960) **
08/11:  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ***
08/11:  The Last Picture Show ***1/2
08/12:  Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) ***1/2
08/12:  Mighty Joe Young (1949) ***
08/13:  National Lampoon's Animal House ***1/2
08/14:  The Wolf Man ***
08/14:  His Girl Friday ****
08/15:  It's a Wonderful World **1/2
08/15:  It Happened One Night ***1/2
08/16:  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ***1/2
08/17:  The Big Sleep (1946) ****
08/17:  In a Lonely Place **1/2
08/17:  MacGruber 1/2
08/18:  The Ice Storm **1/2
08/20:  Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans **1/2
08/20:  Good Morning, Vietnam ***1/2
08/21:  Knowing **
08/22:  Zodiac ****
08/22:  The Transporter *
08/23:  A Serious Man ***
08/23:  A Single Man ***
08/24:  Mildred Pierce (1945) ****
08/24:  Natural Born Killers *
08/25:  2012 ***
08/25:  The Killers (1946) ****
08/26:  Say Anything... ***1/2
08/27:  Seven Days in May ***1/2
08/28:  The Dark Crystal **
08/29:  Dr. No ***
08/29:  From Russia with Love ****
08/29:  Goldfinger ***1/2
08/29:  Thunderball ***1/2
08/30:  Forbidden Planet ***1/2
08/31:  Labyrinth ***
09/02:  From Dusk Till Dawn ***
09/02:  Fantastic Mr. Fox ***1/2
09/02:  The Dead (1987) 1/2
09/03:  Ed Wood ****
09/04:  Plan 9 from Outer Space 1/2
09/04:  Hannah and Her Sisters ****
09/04:  The Great Muppet Caper ***
09/05:  Meatballs ***
09/05:  Broadcast News ***1/2
09/06:  Mulholland Drive ***1/2
09/06:  Out of the Past ***
09/07:  Brazil ***1/2
09/08:  Thirteen ***
09/08:  The Blob (1958) 1/2
09/11:  Lolita (1962) ***1/2
09/11:  Source Code ***1/2
09/11:  True Grit (1969) ***1/2
09/14: Dead of Night (1945) ***
09/15:  WarGames ***1/2
09/15:  Psycho II **
09/16:  Psycho III *
09/18:  Metropolis (1927) ****
09/20:  The Blues Brothers ****
09/21:  Paths of Glory ****
09/22:  Rebel Without a Cause ***1/2
09/22:  East of Eden ***
09/23:  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas **1/2
09/23:  Tangled (Rapunzel) ****
09/25:  Stripes **
09/30:  Shanghai Express ***
10/02:  October Sky ***
10/05:  Nosferatu ***
10/08:  The Philadelphia Story ***
10/10:  Gojira (Godzilla) ***1/2
10/15:  Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein ***
10/15:  The Evil Dead ****
10/17:  Interview with the Vampire **
10/18:  House on Haunted Hill (1959) ***
10/18:  Nosferatu the Vampyre ***1/2
10/25:  Let the Right One In ****
10/28:  Let Me In **1/2
10/31:  The Seventh Seal ***1/2
11/01:  Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse ****
11/02:  The Breakfast Club ***1/2
11/11: This is Spinal Tap  ****
11/14: The Manchurian Candidate (1962)  ***1/2
11/22: Cars 2  **1/2
11/23: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)  ****
11/24: The Girl Who Played with Fire  **1/2
12/02: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest  **1/2
12/02: Hugo  ***1/2
12/15: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows  ***
12/23: The Adventures of Tintin ***
12/23: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)  ***1/2
12/23: Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol  **1/2
12/25: A Christmas Carol (2009)  *1/2
12/26: The Tree of Life  ***1/2
12/27: Dog Day Afternoon  ****
12/28: Insomnia (2002)  ***1/2
12/30: Following  ***1/2
12/30: The Fighter  ***1/2

January: 7
February: 16
March: 19
April: 7
May: 7
June: 34
July: 29
August: 50 (!)
September: 30
October: 12
November: 7
December: 12

Total: 230

Movie of the Month:

January:  Sunset Boulevard
February:  Goodfellas
March:  Network
April:  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
May:  Blood Simple
June:  The Apartment
July:  500 Days of Summer
August:  The Third Man
September:  Paths of Glory
October:  Let the Right One In
November: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
December: Dog Day Afternoon

If I happened to miss any, feel free to let me know (and, no, I did not forget Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War, World of Warcraft, or Halo -- those games just don't belong on here).

Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order):

Alundra
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham City
Blaster Master
Braid
Capcom Vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
Castlevania
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Chrono Cross
Contra
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Dead Space
Donkey Kong Country
Doom
Doom II
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Earthworm Jim
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fight
Grandia
God of War II
Guilty Gear X2: The Midnight Carnival
Heavy Rain
ICO
The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match
The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Yonder!
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
Kingdom Hearts
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Lunar: Silver Star Story
Mario Kart 64
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Mass Effect 2
Mega Man 2
Mega Man X
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Mortal Kombat II
NBA Jam
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden (2004)
Okami
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Persona 3
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Red Dead Redemption
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 4
Rock Band
Secret of Mana
The Secret of Monkey Island
Seiken Densetsu 3
Shadow of the Colossus
Shenmue
Shining Force
Shining Force II
Silent Hill
Silent Hill 2
Skies of Arcadia
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic & Knuckles
Star Fox 64
Star Wars: Dark Forces II -- Jedi Knight
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Street Fighter II (any version)
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Street Fighter IV (any version)
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Super Castlevania IV
Super Contra
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Metroid
Tales of Phantasia
Tales of Symphonia
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
Tetris
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Valkyria Chronicles
X-COM: UFO Defense
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPfnjeGNlYE&feature=youtu.be&t=5m32s

For the first time in my life I think I'm going to go out and get drunk. Maybe I'll get high while I'm at it. I need some sort of recreational activity that takes my mind off reality.

My relationship with my mom is done.

My relationship with my cousin, Janine is done.

I dropped a course in school because of some girl, and I'm not even sure I'll be able to continue with school.

But most importantly, most hurtful, most horrible, is knowing I'm never going to get that phone call from Caroline. The one I've been waiting two years for, the one where we just talk about our lives and not about any shitty stuff. I lost out on the only girl I ever really loved. What's the line? "I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen..."

Worst part is I never got to find out what she thought of me. If she liked me, disliked me, or was just (worst of all) indifferent to me the whole time... I don't want to hear the "fish in the sea" metaphore. I despise that metaphore. There's only one Caroline McCarthy.....and I never even got to ask her what her middle name was.

I remember reading about this story when this movie came out, but the fact that it was HER who was the main witness is just genius. I came about this completely randomly and it made my whole night.

http://www.wpxi.com/video/22427769/index.html

And Avatar still stunk.

Scrolling through channels and I noticed that the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from 1990 was on. So, of course I'm like "fuck, yeah! I have my next hour and a half set." I must have been around 6 years old when I saw that in the theater with my cousins Janine and David. Oh, hey, just did the math in my head, and I was right -- 6 years old. Anyway, I IMDbededed the movie and I noticed that the actress who plays April O'Neil in this one, who at the time when I was sitting in the theater I thought could've been old enough to be my mother, was 22 years old when the film got released. Her birthday is one day after mine, too. So, anyway, she was FIVE years YOUNGER than I am right now when she made this movie. Where has my life gone, and when and where did it all go so wrong?

Another thing that made me el-oh-el was seeing Sam Rockwell show up for, like, two scenes. He was more or less in it to be all "Hi, I'm Sam Rockwell, and I'm going to be an established actor in, oh, say 10 years." http://youtu.be/OTQO9cfs9uw?t=52s

I also saw the film, The Third Man last night for the first time. Excellent movie -- I would recommend it to anyone regardless of personal taste. I think anyone can enjoy it. Without giving anything away, I especially like how it was about a guy who did the right thing and got shit in the face for it. He lost out on what he wanted most because he did what was right, but had he done nothing he would have gotten what he wanted. He didn't get any medals, no rewards, no congratulations, and certainly no girl outta doing what was right. Now THAT'S reality for you. If they had used the requisite happy ending like one of the producers wanted, it would not have been anywhere near as effective an ending.

Welp, after purpously avoiding it for two years now I finally sat down to watch (500) Days of Summer. Why did I avoid it? Many reasons which I am about to get into.

Reason #1: This was the movie I wanted to take Caroline to see when I asked her to hang out the very first time after we met on May 24th, 2009. She saw it with a friend of hers and I remember her saying that Zooey Deschanel's character, Summer, angered her.

Reason #2: From everything I had heard about the movie Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, Tom, IS me. After seeing the movie, I can tell you that Tom is, in fact, me. He's not just similar, he IS me. Everything that he went through I have gone through in the past two years, not to mention the way he talks, acts, thinks, romanticizes, and even his mannerisms are all me. While the whole movie experience was a very difficult watch for me, the part where he goes to the party and they show both his expectations for what is going to happen and the reality of what happened was almost torture.

So, if you're wondering if I liked the movie, yes, it's terrific. How could I not like it? It's my life (though, Tom is much luckier than me -- I never got to have the time with Caroline that he got with Summer). I will never be able to sit through it again, though. If I have one big complaint with it, it's that it ends way too happily. Believe me, I know that things don't just work out like that for people like Tom. Director Mark Webb's next film is, of course, The Amazing Spider-Man, and I'm sure he'll do a decent job with the franchise (it still won't touch Spidey 1 or 2, though).

P.S. The narrator says Tom meets the girl at the end on May 23rd. Hrmmmm.... I seem to remember saying something earlier about May 24th. Oh, the irony of my life.

Things have been somewhat better since Caroline has told me she's going to come visit me when she gets the chance, but I still feel like the opportunities I've dreamed about have long since passed me by. I'm so excited to see her, but because I'm trying not to keep my hopes up that she will be able to make it in to see me, it's still very hard to be happy. It's a strange feeling and one that's difficult to describe. I'm also worried I'll screw things up and she'll change her mind, which if it really takes her all summer to see me will probably be the case.

NOTE:  Not all videos have ads. Some videos are demos, while some videos are trailers only.

Game of Show: Batman: Arkham City

Hardware of Show: PlayStation Vita

Surprise of Show:  El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

Handheld Game of Show: Gravity Daze

Downloadable Game of Show: Journey

Best Games -- The Expected:

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Mass Effect 3

BioShock Infinite

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Tomb Raider

Rayman: Origins

NeverDead

Silent Hill: Downpour

Dark Souls

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Street Fighter X Tekken

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Soulcalibur V

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Serious Sam 3: BFE

Battlefield 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Metro: Last Light

Best Games -- The Surprises:

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (It sure took long enough.)

Dragon's Dogma

Asura's Wrath

DMC: Devil May Cry

Ninja Gaiden 3

Darksiders II

Dragon's Crown

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Neverwinter

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Rage

Far Cry 3

Prey 2

Best Games -- The Handhelds:

For PlayStation Vita:

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Ruin

Little Big Planet Vita

Wipeout 2048

Super Stardust Delta

For Nintendo 3DS:

Super Mario 3-D

Paper Mario 3-D

Mario Kart 3-D

Luigi's Mansion 2

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Resident Evil: Revelations

Best Games -- Downloadable:

From Dust

Bastion

BloodRayne: Betrayal

Trials Evolution

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

PixelJunk Sidescroller

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls

Best Gameplay Trailer: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Best CG Trailer: Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Worst Trailer: Heroes of Ruin

Missing in Action (Again): Beyond Good & Evil 2

Worst Game of Show/ Most Unnecessary Sequel/ Worst Name: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Worst Hardware of Show:  Kinect

Been up all night with a severe coughing fit. Totally awesome times I tells ya wot.

There are a ton of games coming out in 2011 that are worth getting excited for. It has the potential to be the biggest year for games since 1998 (Ocarina of Time, Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2). I easily could've made this list 20 games long as I didn't even include games like Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, Dragon Age II, Infamous 2, the new Deus Ex, Ghost Trick (which I've played, and is great) or even the game that took 12 years to make, Duke Nukem Forever. Heck, there's even a new Legend of Zelda coming out (though, I admittedly do not like the direction they're taking that game -- all motion controlled). The reason I didn't is because I'm curious to see how different my top 10 will be at the end of the year.).

My "Best of 2010" list can be found here.

And, just to see if I'll be right, my expectations are Gears of War 3 will be the most overrated game of 2011... With Resistance 3 not being too far off. Though, Id's Rage is another title that's looking like it will get all kinds of undeserved accolades. I had to throw that last bit in there, because if I'm wrong about that one I'll be the first to admit it.

A few notes first -- for one, I tried making it look a lot less messy than last year's list. Doubtful it worked, but oh well, I tried. Also, this was the year of the downloadable game. Almost every category is filled with downloadable titles, and there was a ton of quality on both XBLA and PSN. The final note is that after taking two steps forward last year, the PlayStation 3 took a step back this year. Not only did they release very few exclusives, but the runner up for the PS3 exclusive of the year also happened to take the top spot for my biggest letdown, as well as find a place in my "most overrated" category. On the other hand, the Wii had by far its best year, though I still do not own one and therefor was not able to really include any Wii titles again in here.

The "Runners Up" are not in any particular order unless otherwise noted.

2007's list can be found here. 2008's list can be found here, and 2009's can be found here.

The Top 10 Games of 2010:

Best Multiplatform Game:  Red Dead Redemption -- Runner Up: Bayonetta

Best Xbox 360 Game: Mass Effect 2 -- Runner Up: Alan Wake

Best PlayStation 3 Game: Heavy Rain -- Runner Up: God of War III

Best PSP Game:  Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep -- Runner Up: Valkyria Chronicles II

Best DS Game:  Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth -- Runners Up: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Possible (But Not Definite) Wii Games Worth Looking Into (in alphabetical order):

Best Downloadable Game: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Runners Up (in alphabetical order):

Best Level Design: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Runners Up:

Ilomilo
Mega Man 10
Limbo
Super Meat Boy
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Raskulls
(Possible Wii Mentions: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn)

Best Multiplayer Game: Rock Band 3
Runners Up:

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
ModNation Racers
Lost Planet 2
Dead Rising 2
Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Dead Nation
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Transformers: War for Cybertron
Raskulls

Best Story: Mass Effect 2
Runners Up:

Heavy Rain
Red Dead Redemption
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
(Possible Wii Mention: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon)

Best Graphics: God of War III
Runners Up:

Final Fantasy XIII
Heavy Rain
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Mass Effect 2
NBA 2K11

Best Wii Graphics: Kirby's Epic Yarn Runners Up: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Red Steel 2, Fragile Dreams

Best Portable Graphics: God of War: Ghost of Sparta Runners Up: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Best Boss Battles (SPOILERS!): Bayonetta
Runners Up:

God of War III
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Lost Planet 2
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
(Possible Wii Mention: Monster Hunter Tri)

Best Expansion: Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Runners Up:

Best Remake: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition
Runners Up:

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
Persona 3 Portable
Earthworm Jim HD
NBA Jam
(Possible Wii Mention: GoldenEye 007, Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth)

Most Innovative Game: Heavy Rain
Runners Up:

Top 10 Original Scores (NOTE: This category is based on each soundtrack as a whole -- not on any individual tracks):

Red Dead Redemption by Bill Elm & Woody Jackson
Mass Effect 2 by Jack Wall
Heavy Rain by Normand Corbeil
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth by Noriyuki Iwadare & Yasuko Yamada
Final Fantasy XIV by Nobuo Uematsu
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World by Anamanaguchi
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow by Óscar Araujo
Valkyria Chronicles II by Hitoshi Sakimoto
Final Fantasy XIII by Masashi Hamauzu
Alan Wake by Petri Alanko

Best Original Songs (Three-way Tie/ In Alphabetical Order):

"The Poet and the Muse" from Alan Wake
"Deadman's Gun" from Red Dead Redemption
"Far Away" from Red Dead Redemption

Most Improved Sequel: Red Dead Redemption
Runners Up:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Mass Effect 2
Just Cause 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Rock Band 3
Super Scribblenauts
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
(Possible Wii Mentions: Red Steel 2, Sonic Colors)

Best Trailer for an Upcoming Game (NOTE: Trailers MUST show gameplay): Catherine
Runners Up (in alphabetical order):

Most Pleasant Surprise: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Runners Up:

Red Dead Redemption
Alan Wake
Darksiders
Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic Colors (DS)
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Ilomilo
Raskulls
Metro 2033
Dance Central
Transformers: War for Cybertron
(Possible Wii Mentions: Red Steel 2, Sonic Colors, Batman: The Brave and the Bold)

Biggest Letdown: God of War III
Runners Up:

BioShock 2
Splinter Cell: Conviction
White Knight Chronicles
Sands of Destruction
(Possible Wii Mentions: Metroid: Other M, Epic Mickey, Fragile Dreams, Arc Rise Fantasia)

Most Underrated Game: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Runners Up:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
Costume Quest
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
3D Dot Game Heroes
Vanquish
Darksiders
(Possible Wii Mentions: Epic Mickey, Fragile Dreams, Metroid: Other M, Arc Rise Fantasia)

Most Overrated Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Runners Up:

God of War III
Fable III
Gran Turismo 5
Halo: Reach
(Possible Wii Mention: Sonic Colors)

Worst Game of the Year: Dead or Alive Paradise
Runners Up:

Top Five Best Covers (NOTE: Collector's Edition covers do NOT count):

Top Five Worst Covers:

Most Unnecessarily Long and Obnoxious Title: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon Runner Up: Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

A funny thing happened as I looked over the movie lists I made in the past three years. I saw exactly one less film in both 2009 and 2010 (59) as I did in all of 2008 (60... for those who can't count). Of course, there's a personal reason why I've been skimping on the movies since, oh, late May of 2009. However, that's not what this is about. Since I made a recap list of the movies I saw in 2008, I figured I would do the same for the combined years of 2009 and 2010.
Yes, I am aware that 6 of the 10 best films I saw in the past two years are animated -- just how it happened. They're unquestionable great films and deserving of their places. I only had two animated films (WALL-E and Toy Story 2 -- both Pixar specialities) on my list in 2008. I also didn't see enough "really" bad movies to make a full list of 10 "worst films." Sure I saw more than seven bad movies, but no more than seven I would put on any "worst of" list.
It should also be noted that these films are not exclusively films that came out in 2009 and 2010, but films from any year that I happened to see in 2009 and 2010.

My best of 2008 can be found here: http://kenshin-iv.livejournal.com/120300.html

My 2009 movie list can be found here: http://mikey-von-kang.dreamwidth.org/13586.html

My 2010 movie list can be found -- yes, you guessed it -- here: http://mikey-von-kang.dreamwidth.org/19254.html

The Best 10 Films I Saw in 2009 and 2010:

1. Toy Story 3

2. The Iron Giant

3. Inception

4. Summer Wars

5. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

6. Coraline

7. Up

8. Slumdog Millionaire

9. Rachel Getting Married

10. Rob Roy

The Worst 7 Films I Saw in 2009 and 2010 (number "1" being the worst):

7. Jaws 2

6. The Next Karate Kid

5. Dragonball Evolution

4. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

3. 10,000 B.C.

2. Jaws 3-D

1. Jaws: The Revenge

Pleasant Surprises (in alphabetical order):

Changeling

Coraline

The Darjeeling Limited

The Hangover

The Mist

Rob Roy

Waitress

Zombieland

I completely forgot to post this at midnight on New Year's.  I've been dealing with more personally important issues than posting shit on here. There's a reason this list is so small with so many empty months -- this was far and away the most horrid year I've ever dealt with, and 2011 right now isn't looking much better.

So here's to what was a horrible New Year's Eve alone and a shit-fest new year with more of the same.

My 2008 and 2009 lists can be found in their respective links. Once again the stars are more of a guide to what I liked than a review -- anything under three stars is a film I considered not-so-good.

Best movies I saw this year were Toy Story 3, The Iron Giant, Summer Wars, Inception, and Rachel Getting Married.  The worst was Jaws: The Revenge (possibly the worst theatrical released movie I've ever seen) followed by Jaws 3-D and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. The most overrated film by leaps and bounds this year goes to James Cameron's 12-hour long mash up of every movie ever made -- but with blue cat people -- also known as Avatar.

1/02: Avatar **1/2
2/12: Summer Wars ****
4/04: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li 1/2
4/18:  Cape Fear (1991) ***1/2
4/21:  Rob Roy ***1/2
5/07: Iron Man 2 ***
5/19: Threesome **1/2
5/22:  Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ***
5/27: Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance ***1/2
5/28:  The Hand That Rocks the Cradle **
5/31: Shakespeare in Love ***
6/01: Jaws 2 *1/2
6/01: Jaws: The Revenge 0
6/11:  The Next Karate Kid *
6/12: District 9 ***
6/18: Jaws 3-D 1/2
6/19: William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet ***
6/19: Toy Story 3 ****
6/26: Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage ***
7/10: Rachel Getting Married ****
7/11: Mad Max **1/2
7/16: Inception  ****
7/25: Zombieland ***1/2
8/16: The Iron Giant ****
8/17: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World ***1/2
11/21: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ***1/2
11/30: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus ***
12/27: The Ghost Writer ***1/2

January: 1
February: 1
March: 0
April: 3
May: 6
June: 8
July: 4
August: 0
September: 0
October: 0
November: 2
December: 1

Total: 26

E3 sucked this year, so just a quick summary (hit F5 to quickly skip ads, and apologies for having to use IGN video's for the game demonstrations):

Game of Show: Dead Space 2

Runner Up #1: Portal 2

Runner Up #2: Sonic the Hedgehog 4

Runner Up #3: Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Wii Game of Show: Epic Mickey

Wii Runner Up #1: Donkey Kong Country Returns

Wii Runner Up #2: Kirby's Epic Yarn

DS Game of Show: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky

DS Runner Up: Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

PSP Game of Show: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

PSP Runner Up: The 3rd Birthday

Best New Announcement: Silent Hill 8

Best Trailer: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Best Game That Now Has a Keyboard Peripheral: Rock Band 3

Best Game That Finally Has a Sequel: Kid Icarus: Uprising

Best Monkey Island: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition

Best Game That Will Probably Be Ruined By Motion Controls: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Best Game That I Was Most Looking Forward to, but Didn't Show Up At E3: The Last Guardian

There is more imagination, creativity, and (especially) originality in a single frame of director Mamoru Hosoda and writer Satoko Okudera's Summer Wars than in the the entire two hours and forty-plus minutes of James Cameron's Avatar. Cameron, an anime fan himself, is more interested in the latest special effects and action in his latest film than merging it with an original story, as well as characters with personality.

Summer Wars does just that.

This is a true science fiction film that takes place in a very near future. The internet plays a huge role in the film, but it is a vastly superior internet than the one we're all accustomed to. Everything (from banking, to sporting events, to gaming, etc.) is done through a system called "Oz," which allows users to log into a virtual reality world through their computers, cell phones, and (as a slight joke) the Nintendo DS. Each user creates his or her own avatar -- which is usually depicted as a cartoony version of ones self -- which acts in the virtual world the same way we would go out to store and shop (on a side note, the mascots of Oz are two giant whales named "John" and "Yoko."  I chuckled). Therefor, there is a huge reliance on Oz. Naturally, something will go wrong in the system, and without Oz working properly, everything turns chaotic. This is about as far as the social commentary goes in this film, as it is more about one (rather large) family's story than Oz itself. One rather humorous scene depicts a woman who is stuck in traffic going miles out of her way because her GPS (which is now on the fritz) told her so.

As I said, the story is really about one family, and the wonderful visuals and creative setting only serve to tell their story. Having said that, the film does play out very much like a summer blockbuster, despite not being one. This is (as the film's title would imply) done intentionally, as the movie never takes conventional "movie cliche's" seriously.  That each character is connected with Oz's break down in such a convenient and coincidental way can only happen in the movies.  However, the film goes out of its way to tell us that it's aware of this, and even pokes fun at itself from time to time. It also features the most epic game of "Go Fish" ever filmed.

The film does derive from its light tone when it needs to be, and at times surprisingly can hit close to the heart. Is is a sign that the film is doing something right with it's characters when you've started caring about them before you even realize it.

This is a terrific film, and I recommend it (as well as Hosoda and Okudera's previous, and equally as brilliant, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) to any film fan.  You don't need to be a fan of animation or Japanese culture to enjoy this one.

NOTE:  I should add that I did not, in fact, dislike Cameron's Avatar. It is a good, albeit long and drawn out, popcorn movie with a lot of great visuals and action. The first 30-45 minutes of the film even border on great. However, the rest of the film has been done numerous times before, and done MUCH better. Not only is Avatar not one of Cameron's best, it is also nowhere near one of the year's best.  And that's saying a lot, because I have yet to see most of what's considered this year's best films so far.

My third annual "Game of the Year" awards. 2007 and 2008 can be found in their respective links. Some notes beforehand: This was overall a fairly down year for gaming (having said that, the number 1 pick is more than worthy of being the number 1 pick). Mostly because half of the big holiday games were pushed back out of fear of Modern Warfare 2, which broke record sales. Therefor I have a new list at the end showing off the huge amount of games coming in 2010 that are worth a chance.
Also, I am no longer an owner of a Wii, which is a shame because it seemed to have by far it's best year this year. This after a horrendous 2008 for Nintendo. Because of this, I was not able to play any of the big titles on the system and therefor can give no opinion on them. Instead, I gave it it's own list compiled of titles that have received good word from both critics and consumers. The list was included for two reasons: One being a list of probable quality titles that may have put a dent in my finalized "top 10" list, and two being that quality does not sell well on the Wii. Nor does it get marketed well. So if all of the two people who will read this happens to have a Wii, those are some choices to consider. I also added "possible Wii mentions" to all necessary minor categories.
There is no "best downloaded game" category this year because I haven't played many, and the ones I have aren't good enough to be considered "best" anything. One final note is that due to being annoyed by seeing the abundance of unnecessarily long and obnoxious titles for both games and movies, I included it's own category! And now here's the big list compiled because of not much else to do:

The Top 10 Games of the Year:

Possibly Good Games on the Wii (in alphabetical order):

Best Story:  Uncharted 2 Runners Up:  Dragon Age: Origins, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Tales of Monkey Island, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, Assassin's Creed II (Possible Wii Mention: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories)

Best Level Design (SPOILERS!):  Uncharted 2 Runners Up: Assassin's Creed II, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Trials HD, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Little Big Planet PSP (Possible Wii Mention: New Super Mario Bros. Wii)

Best Multiplayer: Left 4 Dead 2 Runners Up: Borderlands, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, The Beatles: Rock Band, Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Uncharted 2 (Possible Wii Mention: New Super Mario Bros. Wii)

Best Graphics:  Uncharted 2  Runners Up:  Killzone 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Resident Evil 5, The King of Fighters XII

Best Wii Graphics:  Muramasa: The Demon Blade Runners Up:  Dead Space Extraction, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

Best Original Score: Dragon Age: Origins by Inon Zur Runners Up: WET by Brian LeBarton, Borderlands by Jesper Kyd, Demon's Souls by Shunsuke Kida, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor by Takami Asano, Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica by Akira Tsuchiya, Ken Nakagawa, and Daisuke Achiwa

Best Original Song: "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" from Borderlands Runners Up: "When You're Gone" from Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, "The Donut Song" from 'Splosion Man

Best Remake: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition Runners Up: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Star Ocean: Second Evolution, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (Possilbe Wii Mention: Excitebike: World Rally)

Best Boss Battles (SPOILERS!):  Demon's Souls Runner Up: Resident Evil 5

Most Innovative Game: Demon's Souls Runners Up: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, Scribblenauts (Possible Wii Mention:  Little King's Story)

Most Improved Sequel:  Assassin's Creed II Runners Up: Killzone 2, Uncharted 2

Best Cover: Dragon Age: Origins Runners Up: Street Fighter IV, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, The King of Fighters XII, Borderlands

Worst Cover: Dragonball Evolution Runner Up: Dead Space Extraction, James Cameron's Avatar: The Game

Most Pleasant Surprise:  Demon's Souls Runners Up: Batman: Arkham Asylum, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Torchlight, Trials HD, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, WET (Possible Wii Mention:  Little King's Story)

Biggest Letdown: The King of Fighters XII Runners Up: Brutal Legend, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, Scribblenauts, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (Possible Wii Mentions: The Conduit, FFCC: The Crystal Bearers)

Most Overrated Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Runners Up: Shadow Complex, UFC 2009 Undisputed, Fight Night Round 4, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Worst Game of the Year:  Tony Hawk: Ride Runners Up:  Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust, Dragonball Evolution, Jurassic: The Hunted

Most Unnecessarily Long and Obnoxious Title:  Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Runners Up:  James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Best Trailer for an Upcoming Release: The Last Guardian Runners Up: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Posting my annual movie list early tonight since I won't be watching any movies before midnight. This is the year where I didn't watch any movies, as you can see. And, for the record, John paid for my Dragonball Evolution ticket because I wouldn't be caught dead actually going out to see that otherwise. That and 10,000 B.C. were the worst movies I saw this year, and the best was The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Anything under three stars I didn't like. However, don't take the stars literally -- I just use them as a quick way to say if I liked, hated, or really liked a movie. Four stars is the max.

1/02: Slumdog Millionaire ****
1/03: District B13 **
1/07:  Waitress ***
1/17: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button **1/2
1/22: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back **
3/06:  Watchmen ***
3/13: 10,000 B.C. 1/2
4/07: Oldboy ***1/2
4/08:  I Love You, Man ***
4/16:  Dragonball Evolution 1/2
4/30: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time ****
5/02: Changeling ***
5/14: Star Trek **
5/28: Up ****
6/14:  The Hangover ****
8/01:  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ***1/2
9/06: The Mist ***
10/03: The Darjeeling Limited ***1/2
10/18:  Where the Wild Things Are ***
10/24: Men in Black II ***
10/31: Drag Me to Hell ***
11/07: Coraline ****
11/07: Sunshine Cleaning ***

January: 5
February: 0
March: 2
April: 4
May: 3
June: 1
July: 0
August: 1
September: 1
October: 5
November: 2
December: 0

Total: 23

Best of 2011

My 2011 Movie Viewings

The Bestest Games EVAR!!!1

The Song I'd Want to Hear on My Death Bed

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HAAAAA!

Old Mutant Ninja Turtles

(774) Days of Caroline (and counting)

E3 2011

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My Hero

Most Anticipated of 2011

Game of the Year 2010

2009 and 2010 Movie Viewings Recap

My 2010 Movie Viewings

E3 2010

Summer Wars: Or, "The Movie I Still Loved Despite a Character Wearing a Red Sox Jersey"

Game of the Year 2009

My 2009 Movie Viewings

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