Beasts of the Southern Wild

"What? I'm the youngest person ever to be nominated for Best Actress?"

There’s a big problem taking place at the end of 2012: very few people are talking about the best movie of the year. Argo was great, but it you want to see something even better and devoid of any Hollywood cheese, go see Beasts of the Southern Wild. Where Shawn of the Dead can be classified as a drama/comedy/zombie/romantic film, BOTSW can be labelled a drama/children’s fantasy/period piece/geographical film that will revitalize your hope in humanity, authentic films and child acting. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen the entire time and sat in my chair for minutes afterwards. Watch.

Ticketmaster. Not cool.

You're not a god ticketmaste

Some companies are essentially monopolies, in that they conquer so much of the market that they immediately pop in our heads as the head honcho. For buying music online it's iTunes. For pop it's Coke. For tickets it's Ticketmaster. Whereas we all dig iTunes and Coke, we don't like Ticketmaster. Why? You wait forever on the phone, their website is never straightforward, the human verification words are always convoluted as s**t and I'm sorry, why I do need go through with Ticketmaster all the f**king time? They get too much money from musicians and fans.

Blunderbuss (J.W.'s new album)

By the time Jack White is 60 he will have a repertoire as full and diverse as Paul McCartney. There is no artist that can attack each sub-genre of rock and roll and turn it on its head like Mr. White can. He is Elvis of the 21st century, mysterious and epic and bitchin'. His first solo vehicle, Blunderbuss, gives us the all-encompassing artist. It's loud, bluesy, sweet, offbeat, abrasive. It's the best album you will hear this year. Do yourself a favour and rock out to the new King of Rock 'n Roll. And then chill out to him.

Yo Mr. White! You look like a hybrid of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp!

The Entire Work of Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Now that Trey and Matt have conquered Broadway and the subsequent Tony Awards with The Book of Mormon, go back and check out the evolution of two of the most important and hard-working satirists in America. From the student film Cannibal the Musical to the abrasive Team America: World Police, your stomach will hurt from laughing and your brain will be blown by the brilliant political and social statements that linger underneath layers of ridiculous characters and crude drawings. Eric Hartman is the Kramer of the 2000s and the South Park film from 1999 is still stupidly hilarious. 

Two of the most important men in America. My first joke-free caption

Nick Drake

Mick Jagger and Jackson Browne had a lovechild

Nick Drake is easily one of the most underrated musicians in the 20th century. He would have preferred in that way. As mentioned by fan friends and Wikipedia, Nick was a very depressed and private man leading up to his overdose. Nick never reached platinum status or gold certified or whatever commercially credible term you can think of. He was a terrific songwriter, talented lyricist, impeccable guitar player and had a powerfully mellow voice. Pink Moon is to Bryter Layter as what Nevermind is to In Utero: the former is more popular but the latter is more personal and impactful.

The Squid and the Whale

"Yeah it's Kafkaesque, cause it was written by Kafka."

After Jeff Daniel's fall from popularity and before Jesse Eisenberg became famous for his really good performance in The Social Network the two delivered the best performances of their careers (so far) as father and son Bernard and Walt Berkman coping with the shittiness that is divorce and joint custody. The acting, writing and sountrack make it more than worthwhile, but there's something unexplainable, perhaps that all the elements work well together making for a classic indie that is definitely influenced by new-wave French cinema and Woody Allen. It's also written and directed by a guy named Noah.

Toronto Centre Island (Olympic Island)

The Island of Dr. Morefun

I've come around from the days when I was convinced Toronto was just a big urban jungle with skycrapers, Bay Street businesspeople and parking lots. These things account for more than enough in this great city, but on the bright side there are hundreds of spots with mucho greenery. Olympic Island is a mere $7 and 5 minute ride away from Bay and Lakeshore; it's a terrific place to toss a frisbee, walk on the beach, grab some treats, embrace serenity. And when you make your first million, buy a yacht and live it up on one of the private islands.

Smoked Gouda

You know when you listen to a great band for the first time and you wonder, why did it take so long for me to check them out? Growing up I was what you would call a non-adventurer when it came to food. I was surprisingly satisfied with all those plain foods that lacked flavours and spices, the two fundamentals I’ve come to salivate over in the last decade.  I loved pasta salad, cereal and other boring foods. When it came to cheese I ate cheddar and mozzarella. Why did it take so long for me check out smoked gouda?

Smoked goodness right here

Breaking Bad

From Hal to Hell

Why did it take so long for me to get into Breaking Bad? Even my parents beat me to the punch! This is a roller coaster of a show, a stellar piece of writing and a tour de force from the actor who Jerry once accused of converting to Judaism for the jokes. This show has everything, and then some. Beneath the domestic family struggles and ruthless drug world, this is a character study of two men undergoing major life transformations. Watch how shocking and entertaining their actions affect themselves and everyone around them. Chemistry has never been so hardcore. 

David Sedaris

The writer is in

When I complete this blog, I will have likely written about my three favourite authors, the only three authors I read. What Klosterman, Quarrington and Sedaris have in common is that they’re deeply insightful and outright hilarious, but they’re funny in very different ways. Klosterman is funny in an angry, satirical fashion, Quarrington highlights the subtle humour of humanity and David Sedaris is funny in a snobby-but-right kind of way, drawing from his bizarre and quirky encounters with family and society.  Pick up When You Are Engulfed in Flames among others to discover how funny and enriching memoirs can be.

Inception

Whoa man this is trippy!

The release of Inception confirmed to me the excess of cynicism when it comes to contemporary film, if not contemporary art in general. Imagine that when The Ten Commandments was released most filmgoers and critics ignored it for being over-the-top, ambitious and stupid. Of course those adjectives could be put to that movie, but this is where we must suspend our disbelief and remember we’re at the freakin’ cinema and not all feature presentations will be realistic indie flicks. Inception is contradictory and ridiculous; it’s one of the most entertaining and bold films I’ve seen in years.

Real Estate

There are too many musical artists working their buns off around the globe. Real Estate is one that you should pay attention to. These American gents are one of my new favourite bands. Their 2011 album Days is a solid work of art with lush guitars, simple and catchy melodies, great lyrics and some hazy guitar jams that perfectly accompany a summer stroll. Imagine a contemporary Byrds trading folk country for sensible indie pop. “Green Aisles” and “It’s Real” are highly rated on Pitchfork but first listen to guitar-ridden “Out of Tune” and “Wonder Years”, where ‘60s meets ‘90s. 

Bassist looks like all the members of Sloan put together