Diatribes by Joah

Best of '08 - Movies

2008 was a so-so year for film in my opinion. I consider it a good year for film when there is at least one go-to movie per month, but this year, there are only six movies that I think were absolute go-tos this year and they make up my best of list. *The one disclaimer I have is that I never got around to seeing Milk, but I heard it was worthy of inclusion. My apologies.

#6 - Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr., is going to make a run at an Oscar in the upcoming film The Soloist, but it was his performance in this action hero flick that put him fully back into leading man conversations and resurrected his career in a big way. With a $140+ million budget, the Downey-led cast, which included Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow, raked in a cool $318 million, making it one of the biggest movies of '08.

#5 - Seven Pounds - Sure, it gets cheesy at parts when Will Smith and Rosario Dawson start playing "what if", but if you see this movie for what it's worth, you see two great things: 1) Smith in is most balanced and challenging role ever (even moreso than Ali, which left you thinking that they should've waited a bit longer to make the film) and 2) a movie that wasn't afraid of the element of surprise. Everyone knows Will Smith is the biggest thing in Hollywood since Tom Cruise's Oprah couch event, but it's incredible how well they kept the mystery of the movie under wraps with such a big name attached to it.

#4 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I saw this just last week and I still think my mom put it best when she said it was a lot like Forrest Gump. Obviously, Forrest Gump is a great movie (although it shouldn't have won best picture [Shawshank Redemption anyone?]) and isn't nearly topped by Button, but Brad Pitt gives a winning performance not because he loses himself in the role, but because he amplifies the role with his astonishing good looks after an hour-plus of seeing this old ugly guy come of age. It's an incredible script by F. Scott Fitzgerald with an assist from Forrest Gump writer Eric Roth.

#3 - Wall-E - I would not at all be surprised if this gets serious consideration for best picture. No, not best animated feature, best picture. If you haven't seen this movie and you were wondering what should be next on your Netflix queue, here you go. Pixar never fails to amaze. Who knew a robot could be a leading man in such impeccable fashion?

#2 - Slumdog Millionaire - No review necessary. The only people who won't like this movie are people who don't like film. If you prefer movies with no drama, no love and no passion...and no substance, stay away from this one.

#1 - Dark Knight - THE BEST ACTION MOVIE OF MY GENERATION. This is my order of post-1990 action flicks...#3 The Matrix, #2 Bourne Ultimatum, #1 - Dark Knight. I don't just want Heath Ledger to win the Oscar because he died. I want him to win it because no one else is close. And man, what an opening scene. And boy, what a jam-packed story. And my God, what a sensational cast of villains, good guys, and guys in between that you root for then root against like Aaron Eckhart's character. That guy is about to put himself in Christian Bale territory in terms of good leading men for under $15 mil.

Best of '08 - Diatribes

I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year. I have good health (and thanks to a $700 dollar dental bill, a nice new fake tooth). I ran my first marathon. I made great new friends. Althea and I traveled the U.S., Canada and Mexico in parts. I saw another awesome year in sports and concerts. I worked my ass off and got financially rewarded for the most part. And my blog readership is up about 500 percent from this time last year. I have you all to thank for that!

And so I went back over the diatribes of '08 and tried to identify the best of them. These were selected either based on personal favorites, high readership or good comments (keeping in mind that most of you are too hesitant to comment on the site itself, so I mean comments in person or via email). Enjoy 2008 while you still can!

Fashion over friendship (4/8) - "Today, I consider myself an expert in women’s wear. The first thing I notice about a woman is her face. Then I notice what she’s wearing. Those two things, better than anything else, tells me a lot about who that woman is. And since facial expressions are so mood-based, clothes are an even better indicator of one’s personality at first sight, I think."

America it's the White (or black) house, not the interracial house (4/22) - "if Obama’s candidacy has widespread implications throughout Washington and American politics, I wonder what kind of implications having an interracial president could have on American society."

Virginia is for lovers...and commuters (8/12) - "To D.C. residents, Virginia means 'burbs. It means boring. It means staid. It means old. It means cheap(er). It means not city. It means less culture. It means less crime. It means white. It means commuting. It means lower taxes. It means Washington Nationals season-ticket holders who don't pay for the new stadium. It means pre-fab homes. It means little league games. It means backyards. It means something DC residents don't have either by circumstance or choice."

Ten Reasons I don't go to the black club (8/18) - "I don't really get why Black-owned clubs have this fascination with keeping men out of their doors because they're wearing tennis shoes (aka kicks, some of which cost as much as your finest pair of Jimmy Choo's or Manolo's)...I mean, Don Johnson used to wear t-shirts underneath his white blazers and no one ever said he couldn't get in the hottest spots on South Beach..."

Who is the Washington Elite (9/9) - "They want to be in the middle of everything. They don't want to be the best or worst at anything. They just want to be in the midst of it all. They go to Washington, D.C., for just that reason. They immediately polarize themselves on nearly every issue. They just want you to understand what they're saying because then you'll agree with them."

Why Austin is the best city (9/30, 10/1) - "Austin is a lot like this cloud-covered sun. Sure, George Bush has made you think negatively about Texans. And sure cities like New York and San Francisco get all the limelight. But eventually, no matter what you do, the sun comes out and shows you what you've been missing. Only in Austin's case, it's not just 90+ degree days that come along with it. Case in point, I've been to more than 100 concerts, but only one music festival. I consider myself lucky that Austin City Limits is that one."

My First Marathon, You'll Win if you don't quit (10/13) - "Mile 25.7: Less than half a mile left Joah. You have...look at your watch...3:06...you have, you have four minutes to run the last half mile. You can do this Joah. You feel better than you thought you'd feel at this point in your first marathon. You've never run more than 21.5 miles and you didn't even do that at your race pace. You've eaten more food and drank more liquid than you normally do for races or training runs, you should be good to the finish. Where to the hell is that finish line? I see all these people, but where the hell is the finish line??"

On the Wrong Side of History in the future (10/16) - "To this day, I regret having voted for John McCain. What can I say, Barack Obama proved me wrong."

Calling BS on Colin Powell (10/20) - "gimme a break. Colin Powell is a super-light-skinnned Black man with loads of accomplishments, which makes him something like a predecessor to Obama. So when Obama was going through all the questions about his Blackness, Colin Powell was the one guy who could have stood up and said, “Listen! Barack Obama is Black like me.” But he didn’t. He just sat idly by and kept having those private conversations with Obama."

Is Obama already a good president (11/4) - "Don’t get me wrong, I know Obama is qualified to be a good president. He has good ideas, a good first lady-in-waiting, good experience and good people around him, but is he already a good president? I ask this question because it seems like we’re already giving him credit for looking like the kind of president we really need, even though we don’t know if he actually is."

Best of '08 - Hit Songs (better known as Records)

I already gave you 10 reasons why I don't like going to the Black club, but last night - while I was out in Greenville, SC - I found one reason why the Black club could be a lot of fun...the dancing. Sure it takes a full hour before everyone stops posting up against the wall and lets loose just enough to hit the floor, but once everyone gets started, you'll see everyone doing their own little two step. The trio of women doing their little shuffle, the old man trying to show the youngins' how it's done, the tall dudes with their hands in the air, seeming like giants, and the women like my mom - yeah, I went out with my mom last night - who wear every bit of joy on their faces. I'm not saying you don't get this in a non-Black club, but there's a certain vibe that only happens in a place where my kinfolk come in droves.

Back to the post...these are my picks for the best records of '08:

#5 - You're Everything by Bun B feat. David Banner, Rick Ross, Eightball and MJG...just as Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff perfectly captured the summer with "Summertime", Bun B put together an ensemble cast of rappers to get lyrical about the South. Whenever people say rap songs don't have any meaning, songs like this show that they're just not listening well enough.

#4 - Everybody Nose - N.E.R.D. feat. Kanye, Lupe Fiasco and Pusha-T from the Clipse...from Kanye's hilarious opening line - "hey, do you have any black inside you? would you like some?" - to the last verse by one of the most underrated rappers in the game (Pusha-T) - "I gotta crown made of powder, everybody knows who the king of the coke flow be, all I hear is 'O key', every line is 'O key', all you rappers okey-dokey" - this track is both a party pumper and a lesson in wordplay.

#3 - American Boy by Estelle feat. Kanye West...while Estelle's break into the American market, with the help of John Legend and Wyclef, wasn't as jaw-dropping as Amy Winehouse's a year before, this song goes to show that we still love a British invasion every now and again. And Kanye's verse is both clever and spot on for the song..."who killin' them in the UK, everybody wanna say you K..."

#2 - Live Your Life by T.I. feat. Rihanna...along with Amy Winehouse, Rihanna was queen of '07 with "Umbrella" and she's back in '08 with T.I., who has a string of hits himself with this song and "Whatever You Like" holding down the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list for weeks...you pretty much couldn't go to a good party or club in the latter part of this year without hearing Rihanna's now-famous voice fluctuation of "eh-a-eh-a-eh"...

#1 - Paper Planes by M.I.A....a great record does two things: it gets a lot of play either in clubs and parties or TV and radio and it establishes (or re-establishes) an artist...that said, great records are the foundation for under-the-radar or new artist because the masses usually wait until everyone and their grandmother have heard a song before they decide to hear more from an artist...M.I.A. is a perfect example because though she's been known by DJs and underground hip-hop and beats/rhymes fans around the world for a few years, it wasn't until "all I wanna do..." hit the airwaves that this artist became mainstream...and the best thing about it is that, unlike the other songs on this list, she didn't need any help...that's why she gets top billing on my list.

Best of '08 - American City

The best American City in 2008 has to be Washington, D.C. If you don't believe me, wait until Jan. 20, 2009, and ask the First Family.

Sure, Chicago had an incredible year. Their new favorite son won the presidency, their chances of winning the 2016 Olympics shot through the roof because of it, the Cubs had the best record in the National League and their South Side counterpart, the White Sox, won their division as well, Kanye West cemented his status as one of the most creative, talented artist in the world with a worldwide tour and #1 album, and Oprah made another billion or something...still, the year our nation's capitol had was unmatched.

Obama may be from Chicago, but he left the Windy City because D.C., more than anywhere else in the world, is the best place to try to change the country and the world from the inside out. The entire year of 2008 was abuzz with the possibility of having a black man in the Oval Office and inauguration may bring upwards to four million people to the city for a party not seen since...well since never.

And when they come to D.C., they'll find a city that grows cleaner, greener and safer by the day. Obviously not everyone is benefiting from this gentrification because rent is going up all over, but the city itself is thriving in this change.

The Metro is full of escalator outages and track work on weekends, but it remains a fairly easy-to-manage and timely way to get around the city. Cabs went to the metered system that works in New York and other major cities. And more and more bikes are being seen all over the city, although drivers haven't fully adapted to this, which has resulted in at least one tragic death this year.

Columbia Heights, a neighborhood that best demonstrates gentrification in D.C., got a Target, Best Buy and a load of condo development to become D.C.'s hottest growth area (although personal theft has gone up) and Shaw and H Street aren't far behind. Not to mention, the baseball team here, the Washington Nationals - who are still God-awful to watch - moved into their (overpriced) new stadium which is definitely worth a visit and offers a pretty good assortment of food.

And if you want a nicer meal, check out any of the new wine bars in D.C. True, it took a while for the city to catch up to New York and other major metropolitans in this category, but they caught up in a hurry once they started. Urbana, Dino, and Veritas are high-fair, high-class establishments, but Cork on 14th Street is the best new addition to this group of restaurants with a superb wine list.

Speaking of 14th Street, it's become something like a high-end hipster enclave with some of the best bars, restaurants and shops in the District. Along with Cork, the triumvirate of Rice, Bar Pilar and Saint Ex offer extremely-edible menus and the latter is inarguable the best dance club in Northwest D.C. If you're not in the mood for dancing, you can go to the outdoor area of Marvin's, a Marvin Gaye-inspired bar up the street, to hit on co-eds or its next-door neighbor Gibson's, for a pricier, more sedated vibe. Redeem, Circle, and Rue14 are just a few of the new shops that will have you spending half your paycheck on the latest fashions months before they make it to Gap, H&M and the like.

If you're a music lover, D.C. is a place for you because it's almost always a stop on all the best tours, from Jill Scott and Coldplay to Australian-band Cut Copy and Femi Kuti. Oh, and D.C. rapper Wale made waves in the underground rap scene with "Nike Boots" while D.C. resident Alice Smith used her recent success, including have her songs "Dreamin'" featured on Entourage, to perform a number of shows in the city.

Not everyone has the same interests as me, so I'll give you two final reasons why D.C. was the best American city in '08.

1. Badass leaders - While New York's governor was in a hotel room with a call girl and Illinois' governor doing every short of putting Obama's Senate seat on Craigslist, D.C. is a city where you can be proud of true American local leadership. Mayor Adrian Fenty is pushing his agenda forward with schools at the top and he has Chancellor Michelle Rhee to credit for being tireless in her efforts to actually do something to help D.C. kids learn and make something of themselves.

2. What recession? - Sure, D.C.'s housing market isn't stellar and the job market is fierce, but people still get jobs here - if they know the right people and know how to market themselves - and D.C. remains one of the last places where what happens on Wall Street will significantly impact the economy here because there's this street called Pennsylvania Avenue that has a money-making system of its own.

If you agree with my assertion that the choice of best city of the year is between Chicago and D.C., then you should also agree with my selection of D.C. as America's Best City in '08.

Why? Because it's probably the only city that would ever uproot the Obama Family from Chicago.

How do you create culture in America's cities?

It's a question I've been asking myself for awhile and I'm not sure if anyone out there is prepared to give a good answer. I mean the urban planners think they know how to create culture in places like H Street, Washington or Park Slope. Brooklyn, and rappers think they can re-create culture by owning fashion lines and fashion designers try to drive culture with their offerings, but none of these attempts succeed at answering my question.

It's an important question to ask because with a White House Office of Urban Policy in the works and America's cities in dire need for new infrastructure, from bridges and housing to schools and green space, we'll need people to think not just about what stuff we need, but what types of communities we'll want.

And communities are the foundation of culture. So the question within the question becomes, if you build it (city), will they come (culture)?

I'll have more on this after the break...

Best of '08 - TV Shows

I don't think TV is anywhere near as good as it was when I was younger - SNL is a shell of itself, Grey's Anatomy is nowhere near Clooney's ER and there isn't a show close to Martin on the air right now. But that won't stop me from appointing my best of '08 TV shows. And, as any TV critic should expect, HBO gets top honors.

The Wire, what many critics have called the best television show possibly ever, ended in grand style this year. I literally cried when the show was over because I'd gotten so used to hanging out with Snoop, Jimmy and Bubs every Sunday, not to mention falling in love with West Baltimore in a cinematography kinda way.

Sure there's Lost - which had an incredible season itself in '08 - and The Office is damn funny, but The Wire was hands down the best show on TV for the last few years because of its ambition, its incredible ensemble of underrated actors, and it's ability to connect with people, even non-Black people who grew up in upper-class neighborhoods.

And when The Wire ended for good, HBO's current flagship show Entourage came around and had its best season yet. Not because it was more glamorous and funnier, but because it was the opposite. The main criticism of Entourage in its first few seasons was that it was too fluffy, but this season re-wrote that story because of the way the writers doubled down on character development this year.

Without giving it all away, I'll just say that the way they gave Ari a big career decision, Vince a big career hiccup all while making E a better manager, Turtle a cooler sidekick and Drama a better big bro...it was just about flawless. Even if you think the ending is too good to be true, you have to admit that Adrian Grenier did his best acting job on the show thusfar because he made you believe he was Vince, the vulnerable, insecure, now struggling actor. Hell, even Bow Wow made a great impression on me in his role.

And I would be liable for fraud as a blogger if I didn't end it where it should be, which is right on the doorstep of Tony Soprano. The final episode of Sopranos, alone, puts the entire series up there with M.A.S.H. and Cheers in terms of shows that really will resonate for at least another generation.

I can't even begin to describe why this last season of Sopranos was great, not because I don't know how, but because you have no excuse whatsoever for having not watched it if you consider yourself someone who really knows TV from a critical standpoint. It'd be like telling you about the 2005 Rose Bowl (when Vince Young {not to be confused with Vince Chase from Entourage} led the Longhorns over the formerly-mighty USC Trojans) without having explained what happened during the regular season. Meaning if you haven't watched it yet, get it on Netflix and start this weekend.

And by the time '09 rolls around, you'll realize why it's not just TV, it's HBO.