Above thoughts by Rhiannon Miller, a 12 year old girl just months before her accidental death..

I Came across this piece online five days back and it has stuck with me since.. like a punch to gut…a stark realization….an ominous omen of things to come….Merely stating that I was deeply moved would be an understatement!!

Yes, this optimistic prose left a mark on me and I have been contemplating the realities of life these last few days… And then just yesterday another heartbreaking tragedy closer to home…

I was made aware that one of our neighbors down the street had lost his wife in a horrendous highway accident.. A loving mother of 3, she was returning home from work to be with her beloved family when she met her tragic end..Life is strange that way

Just got back from the funeral now.. It was jam packed there and the somber mood overwhelmed me. As it happened the two sons that she left behind were sitting in the next row over(They bawled their eyes out throught the session as I watched them stare into an empty abyss) I was barely able to keep my composure till the end and as things finished up there I reached out to the youngest son and whimpered “I am so so so sorry for your loss!!” as I shook his hand he leaned over and broke down on my shoulder.. “why her!! WHY????”...Life is strange that way

I returned home in a very unsettled state this evening and decided to step out for a long walk just to clear my head …... There was a dry howl in the air as the bone-shaking temperature chilled my inner soul….It started to snow and my cheeks were numb and my tears simply froze..My walk lasted a lot longer then expected on this night as I crossed onto paths less known, roads unfamiliar and territories undiscovered before…. I pondered our finite existence and struggled to find a just explanation for why “these” things happen..Life is strange that way

Indeed, Life is harsh and unforgiving … Life is cruel and unfair…an uncompromising tragedy ultimately…..

My eyes are raging red as I write this now…Yet why is it that after all that I have observed and witnessed recently, I can only scream “LIFE IS MAGNIFICENT!!!!!”

LIVE YOUR LIFE fully and do cherish your precious time. You don’t know how good you’ve got it till its all gone…...........

Do not loose HOPE under any circumstances and “WILL” you way onwards….....

(2/19/2009) marks six years since Rhiannon passed away….
See more about her>
http://www.rhiannonmiller.com/legacy.html

I know there are tragedies unfolding around the world everyday but something about this last week has shaken me to the very core (just the kick that I had been hoping/praying for..)

Life is strange that way

Good Night World!

Oh my, I still cant believe that a kryptonite laden hobbit(little Nate) jumped over Superman…......UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend highlights & afterthoughts…....

http://www.nba.com/allstar2009/

Shaqs Dance moves and that between the legs pass play

Good Riddance Jamario & JO

Rudy was robbed

Perfect timing @ All-Star Wings. After a looooooong wait we got our booth just as the hockey game(The NHL BLOWS!!!!!)ended and every screen in da house tuned into the B-ball festivities

The embarrassing display of 3 point shooting at the contest

AI’s haircut brought back memories of old school Georgetown days…

Shaq daddy and Kobe bff’s for life?!?

Lebrons vicious dunk to close the game…

Dwight Howard should have won the contest just for bringing out that fork lift!!!

Howards second dunk in the finals was lame….

OMG OMG OMG …Lebron Does Dallas in 2010….. 50,000+ fans and LBJ @ the dunk contest next year… can you say roadtrip!!!!!!!!!

Sundays Top 10 Plays

P.S. Checkout the wicked cool new Jordan Ad>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sOT6DP_zQc&feature=related

2008 was an interesting year to say the least.
Many humbling realizations…Much introspective analysis

I hope that we as a society can overcome our personal indifference issues and focus on the big picture as the current state of civilization leaves a lot to be desired. So much hate, suffering, ignorance and deception.

A global crisis(in every sense of the word)is upon us as we stare into the bleak future Yet Manny of us still refuse to look beyond ‘Me, Myself and I’ with no regard for all the problematic issues lingering around the world today.

Its mind-boggling how easily the masses adapt the “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” mantra. Lets all try and make a greater effort to expand our horizons and educate our selves(knowledge truly is power!!!!).

Why is it that so many just don’t give a damn??
Simply being oblivious by ignoring reality and choosing to remain clueless as we live for the day … un-aware/un-affected(escapism galore!!!!)

Humanity continues to suffer while we are simply preoccupied with selfish agendas in our materialistic society. We are all searching for something in our day to day lives BUT what is it that we really seek in this life?!

Lets hope that more of us are able to conquer our individual insecurities and take positive steps to overcome our shortcomings. Lets strive to have sincere intentions towards one and all. Lets question our values and activate our moral compass.

Lets pray that we can truly be contempt with ourselves..take actions to achieve inner peace and balance our worldly ambitions/desires and are able to find a meaningful life path

So here’s to a Proud, Productive and Prosperous 2009

Both Individually and Globally

And all the best to HUMANITY

UPDATED (FEB ‘09)

10/ / Personal Favourite

The Dark Knight

9/ / Great

Wall•E
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Wrestler
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
Rachel Getting Married

8/ / Good

Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Taken
Doubt
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Last Chance Harvey
Traitor
Snow Angels
Slumdog Millionaire
Body of Lies
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Amal (2007)
The Counterfeiter (2007)
The Visitor (2007)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Fugitive Pieces (2007)
The Happening
Iron Man
Wanted
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Before The Rains(2007)

7/ / Average

RocknRolla
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Quantum of Solace
Role Models
City of Ember
In Bruges
The Forbidden Kingdom
War, Inc
Get Smart
Pineapple Express

6/ / Mediocre

Transporter 3
Burn After Reading
Tropic Thunder
Cloverfield
La Vie en Rose (2007)
Superhero Movie

5/ / Terrible

The Love Guru
Speed Racer

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING>

Will catch these on DVD eventually…..

My Winnipeg
I’ve Loved You So Long.
The Edge Of Heaven.
Australia
Synecdoche, New York
Che
Revolutionary Road
Mongol
Appaloosa
The Last Mistress
Roman de Gare
The Wave
Happy-Go-Lucky
Les Chansons d’amour
Dasavatharam
Gomorra
The Chaser

You may view most of my rating from 2006HERE

I will post a list of my 2007 rankings up soon

What has been your Favourite film at the theaters this year??

.....mmmmmmmm OR maybe some magnificent maple flavored smoked MEAT will cure my morning MUNCHIES

=====

yo yo yo anyone in the blogesphere reading this blurb going to the Radiohead concerts this August (Montreal/T.O./Vancouver)..whaaa you have seats but cant make it and would like to generously donate those tickets to moi…ThX Dude :D)

The above note was my subtle/shameless birthday gift hint for my REAL T.O. friends (I know you are reading this and I DONT care that everything is sold out… go try ebay or sleep with a scalper or something!!! :D

===

Alrighty..back to the post now>

OH MONTREAL, I MISS THEE!!!!

It’s been a while since my last visit so I plan on heading down there with some friends this weekend for my birthday bash

Looking forward to our roadtrip to Quebec…
(NOTE to self: Do NOT try to ask for directions in ENGLISH :D)

Speaking of the FRENCH (Get it?! LOL), I was looking up a few local Montreal restaurants and came across a recent public survey @ the Mirror

Found this particular poll entry to be quite amusing…ENJOY!

>>What is the best THING from Montreal to give as a gift to a non-Montrealer?

1. Bagels
2. Anything Habs related
3. Poutine
4. Maple syrup
5. Smoked meat
6. Music from a local artist
7. A night on the town
8. A meal in a restaurant
9. Sex
10. Tour of the city
11. Two-cheek kiss
12. Beautiful Montreal girl
13. Weed
14. Local beer
15. Ticket to Montreal
16. French lessons
17. Joie de vivre
18. Snow
19. Cheese curds
20. Couch to sleep on

Also receiving votes….

Lap dance – Local fashion – Beaver tail (chill out PETA members..its a dessert/snack!!) – Advice on avoiding potholes – Bricks that fell off the Olympic Stadium – Fashion advice – Gift certificate for breakfast at a topless diner – Hangover – A stolen bicycle

You can find other surveys showcasing the best of
Montreal’s City Life, Music scene, Arts front, Nightlife and Restaurants HERE

Also, I Discovered an excellent BLOG recently dealing with all things Montreal

http://www.midnightpoutine.ca

Excellent staff posting on a wide array of topics .. I enjoy their personal insights covering the hoard of events happening around Habs town

Be sure to check out Jeremy’s weekly podcast showcasing local and touring bands AND Sarah’s overview of the active theater and music scene(Festival Gigs and Concert reviews anyone?!)

P.S. I may come across as just another sour Torontonian(I really like Vancouver and Montreal) but seeing T.O. snubbed in this recent Globe article 25 most livable cities… was simply LAUGHABLE!!

Have discovered a lot of interesting material of late and one of my favourite finds is an album from ‘07 by a Canadian band from the east coast…

Welcome To The Night Sky by Wintersleep

A great album from start to finish with 0 fillers (which is quite rare these day eh?!)

solid material and production … listen to some of their songs HERE

Also have a peek at this music video>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-iW0zL2LI0

The boys bagged a Juno last month and recently got their album released in Japan. They are currently touring Europe (catch them live if you get the chance!!!)

I highly recommend that you pick up this fine album by Wintersleep

Also would like to share my picks of Top notch work by other Canuck bands/artists so here is my list of some the very best

Top 10 Canadian Albums Of ‘07

http://www.listsofbests.com/list/51425

_+_++_+__

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Hal Holbrook for Into the Wild (2007)
Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton (2007)

Who should win: Javier Bardem
Who will win: Javier Bardem

No Contest. Javier Bardems performance was eerily haunting and the brilliant character should result in him taking the Oscar…Bardem was born to play this role Also take the time to check out some of his earlier films..fabulous!!!

Best Actor

George Clooney for Michael Clayton (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007)
Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah (2007)
Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises (2007)

Who should win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who will win: Daniel Day-Lewis

One of the most memorable on screen performances of recent times… Guaranteed winner here as well

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There. (2007)
Ruby Dee for American Gangster (2007)
Saoirse Ronan for Atonement (2007)
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton (2007)

Who should win: Tilda Swinton
Who will win: Cate Blanchett

Tilda Swinton represented ‘EVIL’ brilliantly but Cate Blanchett also had a nice showing

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Julie Christie for Away from Her (2006)
Marion Cotillard for Môme, La (2007)
Laura Linney for The Savages (2007)
Ellen Page for Juno (2007)

Who should win: Marion Cotillard
Who will win: Julie Christie

Julie Christie seems to be the talk of the town in this category… personally I thought this film and her role were decent but nothing “Special!!!”

Best Foreign Language Film

Fälscher, Die (2007) (Austria)
Beaufort (2007) (Israel)
Mongol (2007) (Kazakhstan)
Katyn (2007) (Poland)
12 (2007) (Russia)

Who should win:?!?
Who will win:?!?

I’m a big foreign film buff but I had not even heard of any of these titles until their nominations were announced…. when were these released???

For one of the finest foreign films of 2007 see next category below

Best Adapted Screenplay

Atonement (2007): Christopher Hampton
Away from Her (2006): Sarah Polley
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Ronald Harwood
No Country for Old Men (2007): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood (2007): Paul Thomas Anderson

Who should win: Le Scaphandre et le papillon
(AKA The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Who will win: Le Scaphandre et le papillon

One of the most moving/inspirational projects that I can recall…..I did not see this in time for it to be included in MY TOP 10 FILMS OF 2007 but it definitely is one of the best from last year

Why was this brilliant film not included in the Best foreign/Best picture is beyond me. Go see this film ASAP

Best Original Screenplay

Juno (2007): Diablo Cody
Lars and the Real Girl (2007): Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton (2007): Tony Gilroy
Ratatouille (2007): Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco
The Savages (2007): Tamara Jenkins

Who should win: Michael Clayton
Who will win: Juno

Michael Clayton was a bold and daring film
This brilliant screenplay needs to be rewarded but the conservative academy will not vote for this serious film

Best Film Score

Atonement (2007): Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner (2007): Alberto Iglesias
Michael Clayton (2007): James Newton Howard
Ratatouille (2007): Michael Giacchino
3:10 to Yuma (2007): Marco Beltrami

Who should win: 3:10 to Yuma composed by Marco Beltrami
Who will win: Atonement composed by Dario Marianelli

See my Top 5 film Scores from 2007

Best Documentary

No End in Sight (2007): Charles Ferguson, Audrey
Marrs
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime
Experience (2007): Richard Robbins
Sicko (2007): Michael Moore, Meghan O’Hara
Taxi to the Dark Side (2007): Alex Gibney, Eva Orner
War Dance (2007): Andrea Nix, Sean Fine

Who should win: Sicko
Who will win: Sicko

Excellent Doc by the infamous Michael Moore… more people need to see this..even if you aren’t a Moore fan, give this film a chance and be truly moved by the TRUTH

Best Animated Feature

Persepolis (2007): Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Ratatouille (2007): Brad Bird
Surf’s Up (2007): Ash Brannon, Chris Buck

Who should win: Ratatouille
Who will win: Ratatouille

Ratatouille Was an utterly incredible cinematic experience(Yes, you truly missed out if you didn’t see it on the big screen!!) Truly a gem for the ages..This was the best animation project since Beauty & The Best... and those who appreciated that classic will love this as well …

The other 2 nominated titles we also good.. so check them out if you haven’t already. Oh and I highly recommend Brad Birds previous films

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood (2007)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men (2007)
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton (2007)
Jason Reitman for Juno (2007)
Julian Schnabel for Le Scaphandre et le papillon (2007)

Who should win: Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Who will win: Julian Schnabel for Le scaphandre et le papillon

I really really hope that Butterfly comes through as the winner…

Best Picture

Atonement (2007): Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster
Juno (2007): Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick, Russell Smith
Michael Clayton (2007): Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, Kerry Orent
No Country for Old Men (2007): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
There Will Be Blood (2007): Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, JoAnne Sellar

Who should win: No Country for Old Men
Who will win: No Country for Old Men

Simply put NO COUNTRY is by far the best film of 07 deserves to win…and it should…unless The Violent nature of the film puts off a lot voters…But The Brilliant The Departed came through last year so there is hope..

My personal ratings for the nominated titles

No Country for Old Men 10/10

Michael Clayton 9.5/10

Atonement 9/10

There Will Be Blood 8/10

Juno 8/10

Thoughts??Comments??Predictions???

HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY’

.

++++++

May the new years sun bring you true light

Heres to good health and prosperity

My best wishes to all of you

Have a truly great 2008!!!!!!!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Before my actual top 10 films this year, I would like to mention 3 Gems that are ineligible for inclusion here but are better than most of what I saw this year altogether. That says a lot as 2007 was a great year at the cinema with quite a few memorable films. Actually, I could have easily made a top 25 list of great selections had I had seen a few more of the releases in time

Balderunner:Final Cut

Epic Sc-fi and one of my all time faves finally got the final cut release. The superb DVD set is the best release of the year

In The Lives Of Others

2007 Oscar winner for Best foreign film, this German project is a powerhouse. Most people didn’t get a chance to experience this work well into 2007. This would have been my #1 last year had I seen it before the years end.

Children Of Men

What a fabulous film. Like the previous title, I did not get a chance to see this one until 2007..It certainly would have been in my top 3 for 2006

MY TOP 10 FILMS OF 2007

1.No Country For Old Men

2.Across The Universe

3.Amazing Grace

4.Ratatouille

T-5.Michael Clayton

T-5.Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead

6.Crime Novel (AKA Romanzo Criminale)

7.Attonement

8.3:10 To Yuma

9.Life In A… Metro

T-10.The Kite Runner

T-10.Persepolis

As I mentioned earlier this was a great year of new releases. Below is a list of noteworthy titles that appear in many top 10 lists and could have also made mine had I seen them in time…

I anxiously look forward to seeing some of these interesting ‘07 titles ASAP>

• The Namesake
• The Great Debaters
• Sweeney Todd
• There Will Be Blood
• Once
• Juno
• The Air I Breathe
• Redacted
• Control
• Shut Up And Sing
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Talk To Me
• Rocket Science

Curious to see where some of your favs from ‘07 came up across other critics top 10 lists from around the globe.. Go Check out this chart>

Share your thoughts on the above selections and do post your personal top films of 2007 as well.

• A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

• The Assassin’s Song

by M.G. Vassanji

• Late Nights On Air

by Elizabeth Hay
~(2007 Gillard Prize Winner)

• The Gathering

by Anne Enright
~(2007 Man Booker Prize Winner)

• The Children Of Húrin

by J.R.R. Tolkien

• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union

by Michael Chabon

• The Savage Detectives

by Roberto Bolaño

• Tree Of Smoke

by Denis Johnson

• Water For Elephants

by Sara Gruen

• Out Stealing Horses

by Per Petterson

and here is my earlier post>

Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2007

SO…......

Any Thoughts or Recommendations????

These weren’t the worst films to be released this year by any means…simply not very good ones IMHO as these were Over hyped projects which definitely under delivered… can you spell Overrated BTW if you have really bad taste in films, these 5 could be your personal favs..how sad..if that is indeed the case,you should be ashamed..Having Higher standards is a good thing people!!!;D

Grindhouse =Who let QT & his pal RR out of the nut house to direct this sad homage. If your friends have this in their Top 10 list.. you need to go find new friends ; ) 2 crappy films for the price of one. No Thank You! The Grindhouse along with all its admirers belong in the asylum..seriously!!

Ocean’s Thirteen =Even the most simple minded individuals must have felt insulted by this dumbed down filler film. I hope this will be the last we see of this cheezy series.

Spiderman 3 =WTH was this crap?!? Someone tried to pull of the ‘Grindhouse’ effect here by squeezing in two films into one and failed miserably. The executives who signed the paychecks for the director/editor for this atrocity should be fired right away!!

Live Free Or Die Hard =Just die already and put this project(and the audiences) out of their misery.. what and incredibly silly film this was…just awful

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End =Capping off the summer of stinky sequels was this mess. Arrrr matey..Captain Aleem recommends steering clear of this pathetic excuse for a film.

I could easily lash out at a few more failed films which I didn’t fancy but lets just leave it at that..

and now for some good films for a change…

Here are 3 Top 10 lists for you

Sight & Sound’s Top 10 Films Of 2007

Roger Ebert’s Top Ten Movies of 2007

AFI’s Top 10 Movies Of The Year 2007

And I should have my own top 10 films list by next week..

Top 10 PC Games Of 2007

PC Gamer 4 Life

• BioShock
• Crysis
• The Orange Box (Half-Life 2/Portal/Team Fortress 2)
• World In Conflict
• DiRT
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Gears Of War
• Supreme Commander
• Unreal Tournament III
• Race 07

Top 10 Console Games Of 2007

OMG.These Praiseworthy games(Exclusively on Consoles) truly kick ass and make me want to get all three systems..Right NOW!!!!!

• (Tie)Halo 3 (360)
• (Tie)Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3)
• (Tie)Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)
• Mass Effect (360)
• Assassin’s Creed (360/PS3)
• God of War II (PS2)
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
• Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
• Forza Motorsport 2 (360)
• MotorStorm (PS3)
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (360)

Top 10 Film Scores Of 2007

Atonement by Dario Marianelli
Lust, Caution by Alexandre Desplat
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Wortld’s End by Hans Zimmer
Ratatouille by Michael Giacchino
Eastern Promises by Howard Shore
Island Of Lost Souls by Jane Antonia Cornish
The Water Horse by James Newton Howard
The Golden Compass by Alexandre Desplat
The Last Legion by Patrick Doyle
The Kite Runner by Alberto Iglesias
Elizabeth: The Golden Age by Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman

Other Notables Releases In 2007

Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 by Bear McCreary
3:10 To Yuma by Marco Beltrami
Half-Life_2 – Episode Two by Kelly Bailey
Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium by Alexandre Desplat
Nomad: The Warrior by Carlo Siliotto
Beowulf by Alan Silvestri
Doctor Who by Murray Gold
El Greco by Vangelis
Grace Is Gone by Clint Eastwood
Dexter by Daniel Licht
Bioshock by Garry Schyman
The Last Mimzy By Howard Shore
Notes On A Scandal by Philip Glass
Ghost Rider by Christopher Young
Planet Earth by George Fenton
Children Of Men by John Tavener
Spider-Man 3 by Christopher Young
Zodiac by David Shire
Superman: Doomsday by Robert J. Kral
There Will Be Blood by Jonny Greenwood
Call Of Duty 4 by Harry Gregson-Williams and Stephen Barton
Enchanted by Alan Menken
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales by Christopher Franke
Rome by Jeff Beal
Unreal Tournament 3 by Rom Di Prisco and Jasper Kyd
The Bourne Ultimatum by John Powell
Bee Movie by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Curse Of The Golden Flower by Shigeru Umebayashi

Top 10 Video Game Scores

Selected Gems from 2007

Halo 3 By Martin O’Donnell
Soul Of The Ultimate Nation by Howard Shore
Lair by John Debney
Eternal Sonata by Motoi Sakuraba
Bioshock by Garry Schyman
Assassins Creed by Jasper kyd
Medal Of Honor:Airborne by Michael Giacchino
Crysis by Inon Zur
Mass Effect by Jack Wall
Warhawk by Christopher Lennertz
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune by Greg Edmonson

Top 10 Special Releases

Re-release/expanded editions of some classic scores

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – The Complete Recordings 4 Disc set by Howard Shore
Alien 2-Disc Re-release by Jerry Goldsmith
Farewell To The King – Expanded Score by Basil Poledouris
The Wind And The Lion – 2 disc Complete Score by Jerry Goldsmith
Fahrenheit 451 – Re-release by Bernard Herrmann
Blade Runner Trilogy by Vangelis
North By Northwest re-recording by Bernard Herrmann
Amazing Stories: Anthology 3 by John Williams/Various
King Solomon’s Mines – Expanded By Jerry Goldsmith
The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes by Miklós Rózsa

Top 10 Ongoing Series

Best Monthly Books Of 2007

Y-The Last Man
Fables
Elephantmen
T-Wasteland
T-Godland
Casanova
Invincible
Ex Machina
Powers
Criminal
100 Bullets

Top 10 Mini-Series

Best Minis Of 07

Highwaymen
T-Cover Girl
T-Left On Mission
New Avengers: Illuminati
Nightly News
Atomic Robo
Silver Surfer: Requiem
Umbrella Academy
2 Guns
Samurai: Heaven and Earth volume 2
Phonogram

Top 10 New Series

Best New Books Of The Year

T-The Spirit
T-Scalped
The Order
Dynamo 5
The Immortal Iron Fist
Ramayan 3392 AD
Nova
The Killer
Crossing Midnight
Welcome To Tranquility
Brave And The Bold

Top 10 Graphic Novels

Original Top 10

Super Spy
Exit Wounds
Cairo
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier
Postcards: Stories That Never Happened
T-The Plain Janes
T-Good As Lily
Scott Pilgrim Vol 4
Sentences: The Life Of M.F. Grimm
Macedonia
Alice In Sunderland

Collected Top 10

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born HC
All-Star Superman Vol 1 HC
The Escapists HC
Mouse Guard Volume 1: Fall 1152 HC
T-Godland Celestial Edition HC
T-Elephantmen Volume 1: Wounded Animals HC
Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil HC
Shortcomings HC
Elk’s Run TPB
Meltdown: The Definitive Collection TPB
The Damned: Three Days Dead TPB

“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”
-Sydney Smith

“The bittersweet tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”
-Harriet Beecher Stowe

“I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I’d just been myself.”
-Brittany Renée

“Now is not the time to cling to what was, but to amend what is”
-Helen Hayes

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.”
-Fulton Oursler

“One’s real life is often the life that one does not lead”
-Oscar Wilde

“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.”
-Jonathan Larson

Here are my top 5 comedies this year

1. Hot Fuzz

2. Superbad

3. Death At A Funeral

4. Knocked Up

5. The Darjeeling Limited

Up next will be my list of most overrated titles from the last 12 months followed by my Top 10 Of 2007 sometime before the new year.

Which comedies did you personally enjoy the most???

Also, which films would make your favourite comedies of all time?? (Do share your best as I need some rental ideas this week)

Some of the most interesting material to come out over the last few months (IMHO). I did cheat a bit here as I have not read every book listed yet.I Am quite familiar with most of the works as this list reflects my general taste. I have gone thorough a few and own a couple more. I plan to pickup and complete the rest very soon. Do share your thoughts on the ones you have read from my picks. Follow the direct link to amazon for more info/reviews if interested

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
-by Steven Pinker

The Assault on Reason
-by Al Gore

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
-by Ishmael Beah

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
-by Naomi Klein

by Walter Isaacson

by Jonathan Haidt

by Elizabeth Gilbert

by Alan Weisman

by Oliver Sacks

by Tim Weiner (2007 The National Book Awards winner)

Any thoughts on the above selections??

What NF titles did you fancy in 2007????

Do check out my my list of Top 10 Fiction Novels of 2007 as well

Here is a quick look at the new series that caught my interest as well as some returning programs that I am looking forward to most

New Series In 2007

Here are my picks for the best premiering shows

1. Chuck (NBC) Premiers Monday, September 24th before HEROES

Computer geek by day. Government operative by night…An offbeat look at young spies in their twenties.

“As Chuck Bartowski, Zachary Levi plays a computer-tech expert who unwittingly becomes a secret agent when sensitive government intel is downloaded to his brain. The lovelorn, socially constipated dork then becomes a target for ninja assassins and terrorists and must be placed under the watchful eye of NSA agent John Casey and his is knife-slinging CIA cohort Sarah Walker” – Tvguide

Video clip of this show>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdPnYBZ7Qgc

2. Pushing Daisies (ABC) Premiers Wednesday, October 3rd

“ABC’s whimsical Pushing Daisies shifts effortlessly from lush fairy-tale romance to comedy to fantastical murder mystery. Intimacy-challenged pie baker Ned can bring the dead back to life with a single touch. But touch them again and, once more, they’re dead — this time for good. He puts his cursed gift to use in a side gig, helping a private eye solve murders. But when Ned discovers that his plucky childhood crush, Chuck, is one of the victims, he can’t bear to lose her again.” – Tvguide

Have a peek at the pilot preview>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qikoHqugOs

3. Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) Premiers Wednesday, September 26th

“This Drama is bold, provocative and a little tongue-in-cheek. The modern-day Faustian tale revolves around Nick George, an idealistic lawyer who finds himself representing New York City’s filthy-rich, troublemaking Darling clan after his dad Dutch, who previously held the job, dies in a plane crash” – Tvguide

Clip here>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luGhfdvI68c

4. Reaper (CW) Premiers Tuesday, September 25

“In this charmingly offbeat new comedy, Sam discovers that his parents sold his soul to Satan. Now the slacker must work as his own personal bounty hunter, capturing Hell’s escapees and sending them back home. Attempting to help him with the dirty job is Sock, his wisecracking best bud and coworker at a Home Depot-esque mega-store” – Tvguide

See Preview>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN3vZqKWjsc

5. Back To You (FOX) Premiered Wednesday, September 19th

Kelsey Grammer returns to star in this new sitcom. His last two shows lasted a combined 20 years. Lets see if this one can survive a mere 2 months...

Returning Shows

My Top 5

1. HEROES

2. CSI

3. ER

4. Dexter

5. LOST

(Lost is 5th Only because of the long delay till March 2008. Can’t wait to see what BKV has in store for us….)

Showcasing over 300 movies.

Here is a list of some of the excellent titles that premiered here

No Country for Old Men ~ The Coen’s adaptation based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy ( Have you read his brilliant work ‘The Road’ yet??) Cant wait for this one!!

Juno ~ This interesting black comedy created a lot of buzz over the last week

Persepolis ~ The Classic Graphic Novels are brought to film brilliantly!!!

Lust, Caution ~ Ang Lee’s Latest is rumored to be amongst his best works to date…

Eastern Promises ~ Cronenberg follows up ‘A History Of Violence’ with this sinister tale.

Secret Sunshine ~ Have read quite a few interesting reviews on this Asian drama and looking forward to seeing it soon

Into The Wild ~ Sean Penn’s Film was easily one of the most intriguing features at the fest this year

Michael Clayton ~ George Clooney’s latest project

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days ~ This Romanian film was the winner of the Palme d’Or earlier this year.

Silent Light ~ Low key art house project is the title that I most anxiously await
Read a good review of this film here

Have a peek HEREORHERE for mini reviews covering most of the feature length films screened in Toronto last week

Ambition & Determination

“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm.. in the real world all rests on perseverance.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
- Winston Churchill

“The men who succeed are the efficient few. They are the few who have the ambition and will power to develop themselves.”
-Herbert N. Casson

“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.”
- George Lorimer

“The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.”
-Brian Tracy

“A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.”
-Unknown

“Little by little one walks far.”
-Peruvian proverb

“An ambitious horse will never return to its old stable.”
-Chinese proverb

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”
- Albert Einstein