So 2010 is at an end and it’s been quite a year. It’s had it’s up’s and it’s fair share of very rapid downs, but something’s have been great.
Here are some of my highlights of the year in film and music.
Film
I didn’t get to the cinema as such as I would have liked this year but when I did it was to see something I was really looking forward to seeing.
My film of the year was without doubt Edgar Wright’s fantastic adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was the perfect combination of visuals and music. If you have not seen this film I recommend you go out now and pick up the Blu Ray or DVD and treat yourself to one of the best films of 2010.
I also enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon, which while not a direct adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s wonderful children’s stories, proved that CGI animation by studios other than Pixar could have heart and didn’t need to be filled with pop culture references and terrible pop soundtrack.
And speaking of Pixar they continued to raise the bar for animated features with Toy Story 3. This was a film that reduced me to near tears in places and cements Pixar’s place as the most creative studio in Hollywood.
Comic book adaptations have been doing well at the box office in recent years and one of the best has been Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman’s take on Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass. A great film, which also saw Nicholas Cage produce a pitch perfect performance as Big Daddy.
Two films, which were only around on limited release this year but I recommend you track down on Blu Ray or DVD, are A Town Called Panic and Exit Through the Gift Show.
The only other films I managed to see at the cinema this year were Despicable Me, Iron Man 2, The A Team and Tron: Legacy. A disappointingly short list but I now have a stack of Blu Rays and DVD’s to catch up on all the films I missed.
Music
I didn’t really pick up on much new music this year but there have been a couple of album’s that have really stuck with me.
First Aid Kit’s The Big Black and The Blue was the first must hear album of the year for me and as a result I saw them live twice this year. A magnificent debut album and certainly a band to watch in 2011.
As well as being my stand out film Scott Pilgrim also produced two awesome albums. The score by Nigel Godrich is superb and feature the amazing 8-bit Universal Theme. The album of songs that was also released had some great classic songs from the Rolling Stones and T-Rex as well as song by Metric, Plumtree, Blood Red Shoes and new material from Beck.
Another film soundtrack that I have played a lot since it’s release is Daft Punk’s score to Tron: Legacy. The perfect aural version of the Grid, it is a score that really did enhance the film. I wasn’t a big fan of Daft Punk before but I may revisit some of their older material now.
The Gorillaz also returned this year with their album Plastic Beach. A fantastic album featuring guest appearances by De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack and Mark E. Smith.
The Manic Street Preachers also returned this year with their album Postcards From a Young Man that they have referred to as their “one last shot at mass communication”. A great album I played a lot this year.
But my stand out album of 2010 was Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. This album is nothing short of brilliance. From the opening track this album is Arcade Fire’s finest work. The Spike Jonze directed video for the title track is one of the best videos of the year and I was luck enough to see them perform live in December in Birmingham. One of the years highlights without a shadow of a doubt.
So that was 2010 and these are just a few of its good and bad points –
The Good -
- Starting out as a freelance Film Maker, Photographer and Community Artist.
- Seeing First Aid Kit and Arcade Fire live.
- Having my short film ‘Trees’ screened at the Electric Cinema and Hello Digital.
- Having my photographs being used on the web and in print.
- Being featured on the Guardian website as part of Douglas Adam's Towel Day celebrations.
- Having my artwork exhibited in The Birmingham Zine Festival Postcard Exhibition.
- Being part of the Beyond Bricks Programme.
- Having Jonathan Ross follow me on Twitter.
- Becoming an Associate Producer on AD Lane’s fan financed film ‘Invasion of the Not Quite Dead’.
The Bad -
- Being made redundant at the start of the year.
- Having my dream project stolen and receiving no recognition for it.
- The current Government and its actions since gaining power.
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read by post, follows me on twitter and looks at my photographs, films and artworks on Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and my own website.
Let’s hope 2011 will be a good year.
