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| This puppy has nothing to do with what you're about to read! |
Oh, 2013, what a strange year you've been. My life has undergone some vast changes throughout the course of the last 365 days, and with those changes, it's only natural for my interests and priorities to transform as well. So I am breaking tradition! This is not a list of my Top Ten favorite movies of the year, but a list of my Top Ten favorite pieces of entertainment. Because as time goes on, I've noticed that I've responded more to alternate forms of media outside of movies. And while I still love movies, my passion for films of the present pales in comparison to my passion for films of the past. I believe it's a generational thing. The kids may love the shit that's out nowadays, but I'm virtually indifferent to it. The spectacle that movies offer has peaked in the last decade, and you can only up the ante so much until there's no more ante to up. The bar has been set impossibly high for future filmmakers by the likes of James Cameron. Peter Jackson, and most recently, Alfonso Cuaron. So until the masses stop feeding money to overblown epics that fail to match what came before it, then maybe storytelling and rich characterization will reign supreme after all is said and done.
So I'm not doing my top ten movies this year. However, a list must be made to sum up how I've grown creatively, and quite possibly how I've grown personally as well. Because entertainment is simply life enhancement. It's one of the seasonings that gives life its flavor. We can learn from it, be inspired by it. It helps people cope with difficult times in life. It's also an experience we can share, that brings us together. Even something silly, or poorly made can make a profound impact on our daily routines based on the conversations it generates among our peers. And it comes from numerous sources: the screen, the radio, the internet, the page. So it's just plain wrong to simply focus on movies when there is so much more out there to absorb.
In other words; I didn't see enough movies this year to warrant a Top Ten list, and I'm much too busy being a father and an obsessive screenwriter to ever catch up. So here it is:
NICK MURPHY'S TOP TEN PIECES OF ENTERTAINMENT: 2013
10) Arcade Fire - Reflektor (music album)
If you haven't noticed by now, I am enamored with pop culture. It sinks into my pores like a moisturizing face wash. And I do not give enough credit to music for intensifying my fascination. Arcade Fire is one of the major influences when it comes to my creative identity. I can visualize an entire movie scenario in my head just by opening my ears to an Arcade Fire tune. Their music is transportive to me in a way most other bands are not. Their sound is epic on a grand scale. I can do the most menial task with no effort. However, with Arcade Fire in the background, the task takes on a completely different, and more important meaning. Arcade Fire's latest album continues their creative mission to break out of musical norms and achieve something greater. While not their best effort (that distinction goes to Neon Bible), Reflektor still maintains the group's legendary command of hypnotic melodies, and ominous lyrics. That talent reaches an atmospheric level with one of their most entrancing songs, Afterlife. Every track on this album is good, but Afterlife is the crown jewel. Definitely the finest song on Reflektor, and quite possibly the best song I've heard in 2013.
9) Louis C.K. - Oh My God (stand up special)
Whenever I watch a Louis C.K. comedy performance, I'm always disappointed when it's over because I never want it to end. What can be said about Louie that hasn't been said already? Clearly, he's picking up where George Carlin left off, and clearly, has changed the way stand up is presented to the masses. Many people have called him the poor man's Dane Cook-- which is not true. At this point in the game, Louis C.K. has become more popular than Dane Cook ever was simply because of his contributions to the craft. And he seems to get better every year because he's constantly coming up with new material, always trying to improve on what he's done. A lot of comedians try this approach and fail miserably, but Louis C.K. has yet to falter with any of his recent endeavors. 'Oh My God' works because it sustains the Louis C.K. brand, and Louis C.K. is never afraid to say what we're all thinking on a litany of subjects including: Facebook videos of other people's kids, peanut allergies, slavery, and getting old. But the crowning achievement of this special is the most insightful and tasteful rape joke ever told. Proving that anything can be funny with the right context, and the correct combination of words.
8) Beach House - Wishes (music video)
During a year when Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, Macklemore, and Katy Perry terrorized the radio with an endless, repetitive stream of seemingly automated hits, I somehow discovered indie outfit, Beach House with their song, Myth. It was a haunting tune that nearly left tears in my eyes upon hearing it-- much like Arcade Fire's Afterlife. In a YouTube fit of curiousity, I searched for any music videos Beach House may have had. This was the first result-- and the best. Directed by one of my personal idols, Eric Wareheim, Wishes is a beautifully bizarre and surreal visual experience. I cannot accurately describe what is going on here. The whole thing looks as if it takes place on another planet during half time of an important sporting event. Some kind of jousting/lacrosse/football hybrid. The crowd goes from blank stared zombies to overly enthusiastic animals almost without provocation. The whole thing is pure concentrated strangeness, shot through a glossy lens flared filter-- almost as if David Lynch collaborated with JJ Abrams on it. Rest assured, Eric Warehiem has a distinct vision as a director, and the music of Beach House punctuates that odd vision with unparalleled majesty. This man needs to make feature movies imbued with this style-- at least that's one my hopes for the future of cinema.
7) The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made (book by Greg Sestero & Tom Bissel)
I have never been as obsessed with a movie as much as I was with The Room. Since 2009, my fascination with this legendarily bad movie reached some incredible heights. I even went as far as to dub over Batman's dialogue in The Dark Knight with Tommy Wiseau's lines from The Room on more than one occasion. Yes, I am a fan, and as a fan, I was morbidly curious as to how some of The Room's nonsensical narrative turns came to be. Now I shall wonder no more. All the mysteries of The Room are revealed in Greg Sestero's tell all memoir about his experiences working on The Room as Mark, the main character's best friend. However, if this was just a mere recounting of what it was like on the set of this inconsistent and insane movie, that would be good enough. But the book goes WAY deeper than that by exploring Sestero's unlikely friendship with Tommy Wiseau, and analyzing just why Wiseau is so mysterious and secretive about his history while at the same time chronicling how Wiseau conceived of his six million dollar vanity project. It's more layered than anything I expected to read from the guy who played Mark. There is so much subtext, such rich characterization! The book is so well put together that I can wholly imagine Hollywood adapting it for the screen in the next couple years with someone like Bradley Cooper as Greg Sestero and Christoph Waltz as Tommy Wiseau. The Disaster Artist is an incredible read, that's always playing psychologist with us as the pages attempt to figure out Tommy's motivations behind his grand ambition. Above all, this book is full of inspiration to go after your dreams, even if you're horrible at what you want to accomplish.
6) Bo Burnham - what. (Stand up special)
As I grow older, I'm constantly coping with the fact that I'm an unsuccessful entertainer. That all my dreams of being a revered filmmaker, a celebrated actor, and a widely influential screenwriter are not going to come true. A tough truth to face, for sure. So the anger that stems from that fact always rears its ugly head when I discover someone my age or younger who has attained the success I so greatly desire. It's a negative characteristic that I desperately want to absolve, but it's going to take a lot of time to keep that cynicism at bay. Now many folks have demonized Bo Burnham because he is young and successful and got that notoriety through his YouTube videos. However, the thing about Bo Burnham is that he's a fucking genius! The proof lies within this one man show, which is almost impossibly brilliant. At 22 (seven years younger than I) Burnham has jammed packed his comedic style with pantomime, songs, poems, satirical metaphors, and flights of whimsy. The mixture of which makes this show a mesmerizing experience. It's been a big year for Bo. Apart from this, he also had 'Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous' on MTV (which was canceled before I even knew it existed). Then he was one of the lucky screenwriters whose script 'Gay Kid and Fat Chick' ended up on this year's prestigious Black List. I may be a cynical asshole who's envious of the success of others, but I know talent when I see it, and Bo Burnham has oodles of it. Also, being the artist he is, Bo bypassed the whole "Pay to download my show" attitude and released the special for free on YouTube and Netflix. Perhaps as a thank you to his fans for viewing his videos and making him the success he is today. I'm expecting to hear a lot more about Bo in the coming years. So keep your eyes peeled.
5) The World's End (film)
The only movie on this list, and the best movie I saw in 2013. Edgar Wright is quite possibly the most skilled comedy director of this, or any generation. Here, he wraps up his "Cornetto Trilogy" of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost comedies with literally apocolyptic fervor. And in the midst of this body snatching action packed epic, there's a more personal story of facing life head on and coming to terms with events of the past that have greatly affected the present. This is a well thought out spectacle with not one wasted moment. All the humor is set up beautifully with perfectly timed payoffs, the characters are dense with a complete history behind them, and the performances are pristine with Pegg and Frost delivering some of the best work of their careers. It's sad that a flick which establishes an ideal example of filmmaking craft will undoubtedly go unnoticed by Academy voters during awards season. However, the fact remains that The World's End, while maybe not my favorite of Wright's thematic trilogy, still serves up a level of talent most aspiring directors can only dream to attain.
4) Smodcast #259: The Walrus and the Carpenter/Tusk (podcast/screenplay by Kevin Smith)
As I walked home from work earlier this summer, I listened passively to one of many S.I.R. podcasts featuring writer/director Kevin Smith. With each step I took, this particular episode of Smodcast transformed into a real time example of the creative process. It was surreal how this back and forth between Smith and co-host Scott Mosier went from chuckle inducing yammering to a serious brainstorming for what has become Smith's latest movie, Tusk. No one tells the story better than Smith himself, but this podcast and the screenplay that resulted is a true example of how inspiration breeds creativity. There was just something about this weird concept about a man being surgically altered to become a walrus that aroused Smith's sense of wonder. I'm not sure what we're in store for with the actual movie of this idea, but if the screenplay is any indicator, it's going to be one hell of a twisted ride that could quite possibly make it onto my Top Ten list next year.
3) The Wolf of Wall Street (shooting script by Terence Winter)
It's the last day of 2013, and I must sadly admit that I have yet to see Martin Scorsese's latest opus due to financial and scheduling conflicts. Instead, I did the next best thing, I read the screenplay! And I must say, what a tremendous piece of writing! Probably the best script I've read in a decade. I don't often read a screenplay before seeing the movie, but as a screenwriter myself, it's something I'm going to do with as many flicks possible from here on in. At this point, I can only speculate as to how Winter's 137 page script turned into a 179 minute movie, but it's almost certainly due to the comedic building on what are already fantastic dialogue exchanges. This script has everything I look for in a movie: interesting characters, sharp dialogue, and a layered story that feels like so much more than it actually is. Because after all, movies are just movies, but when they are written THIS well, a simple movie has the power to change lives.
2) Bob's Burgers (episodes 32-53)
My history with Bob's Burgers is an interesting one. I began watching the show back in early 2011 when it premiered, then for some reason, in the middle of the second season, I stopped. I didn't watch it again for almost a year and a half. Not until I renewed my Netfilx subscription a couple months ago. I always thought it was an entertaining show, and I only watched it on Netfilx because I wanted to run something for atmosphere while doing other things around the house. My wife watched a bit of an episode and thought it was very "meh". Nothing special about it at all. Then over the next couple weeks, something magical happened. The show cast a spell in our household in a way no other piece of media ever had before. My wife became entranced by the antics of the Belcher kids and the random things they would spout out in numerous throwaway gags. Needless to say, my interest in the program was reignited with a powerful vengeance. We proceeded to watch every episode of Bob's Burgers repeatedly to the point where we have almost memorized the entire series word for word. And the crop of episodes that have aired this year is a prime example of a great television show at the peak of its prowess. Upon subsequent viewings of any episode, I discover new things, hidden jokes, and impressive character development which catapults the series to a level most live action sitcoms will never reach. In the midst of this strange obsession, I found myself asking, "Why is this show so fantastic? What sets it apart from virtually anything you can find on TV now?" The answer is simple. Apart from the fact that the show is balls to the wall hilarious, the truth is that the entire concept is totally relatable. Bob's Burgers is about an average family on the struggle who stick together no matter what the circumstances. The goal of the series is refreshingly direct; keep the restaurant running. And the obstacles Bob and his family face to keep their doors open are uproarious and somewhat suspenseful. It helps that the characters are brilliantly written, so when the show departs from its initial goal, we're still on board because we like these people. For a show that revolves around toilet humor, it's incomprehensibly deep, and that depth makes every episode uplifting and inspiring. So if you haven't watched it, do so immediately. It may take a few episodes to adjust to its endearing style, but once it grabs hold, it will never let go. That's what makes Bob's Burgers the best animated series since South Park.
1) Breaking Bad (season five - part two)
I'll tell you the truth, I wanted Walt to get away with it. I wanted Jesse to forgive Walt and team up with him for one last cook before going off in the sunset. These are just romanticized fantasies of how I imagined it would play out. But no matter how it went down, the final episodes of Breaking Bad felt like a landmark moment in American pop culture, akin to the finale of something like the Harry Potter series. This show started with subdued acclaim and a small fanbase. Then after a few years, Breaking Bad became heralded as the greatest televised drama of all time and gained legions of loyal followers. You can parallel that with the rise of Walter White himself. He started out as a dying chemistry teacher, who cooks meth out of both curiosity and desperation. Cooking then becomes his all encompassing obsession as Walt transforms into a powerful drug lord who takes out all of his competition and earns more money than 100 families could ever need to survive... Then it all comes crashing down in the final eight episodes. And what a way to wrap everything up! Over the course of these episodes, all is revealed to everyone in the dark, and Walter must face every bad deed he's committed throughout the series. It's equal parts crowd pleasing, and true to the story it tells. There is NOTHING I've seen in the past few years that matches the unbearable tension Breaking Bad delivers in every single episode. How the hell did the writers pull this off!? There is no easy explanation. All I know is that the lasting impact of this show has changed the way I look at storytelling, and televised drama in general. Breaking Bad is SO good that it's ruined other shows for me. Imagine a TV show so amazing that you almost wish you never watched it because you'll never watch anything better. That's an accurate description of my relationship with Breaking Bad. Watching the final flourishes unfold was the televised highlight of the year! And when all is said and done, Walter got the recognition he deserved, and he left this world with all his work completed. It's the type of cathartic closure that's rare in television and even more rare in real life. Breaking Bad is a true dramatic treasure in a class by itself, and I'm glad the world has realized it.
And that's it! Happy 2014, everybody! See ya next year!
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