Here’s another batch of responses telling us what made the year what it was.
Elizabeth Weitz, Forces of Geek Managing Editor/Columnist
Movie: Human Centipede
Television series: Ugly Americans
Book: Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia
Album/Song: Gaslight Anthem-American Slang
Comic Book: American Vampire
Video Game: Red Dead Redemption
DVD/Blu-ray Release: The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series (fucking finally)
Viral Video: The Maccabeats version of Taio Cruz’s Dynamite
Music Video: The Left Rights-White
Favorite web site: Forces of Geek, Great White Snark, Agent M Loves Tacos
Celebrity crush: Clint Howard…Forever
Biggest disappointment of 2010? Lindsey Lohan didn’t get killed in jail.
What accomplishment were you most proud of in 2010? I am especially proud that I didn’t end up pregnant with as many times as I had drunken relations with my then boyfriend (now hubby).
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in 2011? I am not above admitting that I am seriously looking forward to the last Harry Potter movie in July.
Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Columnist, CAGMRC?
Movie: Black Swan
Television series: Boardwalk Empire
Book: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Album: “Tron: Legacy” by Daft Punk
Song: “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae
Comic Book: Clint Magazine
Video Game: Limbo
DVD/Blu-ray Release: Inception
Viral Video: Bed Intruder Song
Music Video: “The Ghost Inside” by Broken Bells
Favorite web site: www.AndroidMassacre.com
Celebrity crush: Pretty much any female in Tron: Legacy. “So…SHE’S MECHANICAL!”
Biggest disappointment of 2010? Brian Michael Bendis killing Brother Voodoo in New Avengers.
What accomplishment were you most proud of in 2010? If I finish Bamn # 3 before New Years, that would be my greatest accomplishment of 2010.
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in 2011? Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class, Sucker Punch, Green Hornet, and Cowboys and Aliens!
Joseph Gagnepain, Contributor, Forces of Geek
Movies: The Town, The Fighter, True Grit.
Television series: Men of a Certain Age, The Walking Dead, LOST
Books: The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Album/Song: “How ya like me now” The Heaters
Comic Book: Captain America Reborn
Video Game: Final Fantasy 13, DC Universe Online
DVD/Blu-ray Release: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Viral Video: Antoine Dodson
Celebrity crush: Emma Stone
Biggest disappointment of 2010? I thought about X-Men 3 and just that it was made is more of a disappointment then anything that happened this year. And everything ever shot in 3-D.
What accomplishment were you most proud of in 2010? I graduated Harvard and Got my black belt in Jiu Jitsu.
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in 2011? Probably Green Lantern, Captain America and Thor movies.
Nick Doll, Columnist, 3 Hits & A Miss/Sincerely, Movies: Inception, True Grit, Toy Story 3, The Social Network and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Television series: Community, Justified and 30 Rock
Comic Books: Kick-Ass, Kevin Smith’s The Green Hornet Volume 1: Sins of the Father
Video Games: Goldeneye for Wii, Starcraft
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: Minority Report and Saving Private Ryan Blu-Rays
Biggest disappointment of 2010? The overall quality of theatrical movie releases.
Celebrity Crush: Tina Fey
What accomplishment were you most proud of in 2010? Becoming an honest-to-god NBC Page. I may be the lowliest employee in the film/TV industry, but I’m in good company (me and Kenneth are buds…).
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in 2011? The return of Mission: Impossible and the Captain America film.
Frankie Thirteen, columnist, Ways In Which I Waste My Time
Movie: Believe it or not, I didn’t really love any movies I saw this year, though I can’t say I saw all of them. But for the sake of argument, let’s say Scott Pilgrim. I really liked it, but I feel like Edgar Wright missed some of the point.
Television series:
- Doctor Who‘s fifth season was rough going in the first few weeks, but it found its footing by the halfway mark, and the end tied everything together beautifully. And throughout the whole season, Matt Smith was an absolute joy to watch.
- The Venture Bros. 4th season was also somewhat inconsistent this year. The back half of season 4 had an unspectacular start, and I was afraid the extended break had taken a dramatic toll on the show. That was until “Everybody Comes to Hank’s,” one of the best episodes of the show’s entire run. The finale, “Operation P.R.O.M.” was just as fantastic, paying off just about every thread in satisfying fashion and making a strong case for more expanded episodes.
- The Boondocks had a great final season. I’ll miss it.
- 30 Rock is better this year than it’s been in a while. I’m digging it tremendously.
- Finally, while I wasn’t thrilled with the bulk of this season of 24, the last few episodes gave us some amazing moments, with Jack Bauer finally losing his shit, hunting and killing the ones responsible for the death of someone close to him. The ending was too pat and inconclusive, obviously meant to keep the property viable for the eventual feature film, but Jack and Chloe’s final moment was steeped in genuine emotion. I fought tears.
- And how am I forgetting Louie? Easily the best television comedy of the century so far. It’s whimsical and surreal, and yet brutal in its honesty. But most important, it’s both curious and candid in equal measure, and its near-total break with sitcom convention (and the show’s renewal because of or despite that) is a good sign for TV comedy.
Music: Kanye West and Mark Ronson put out my favorite albums of 2010. Also on the list, Girl Talk, Ben Folds, Goldfrapp, Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley (as Evelyn Evelyn), Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy, and the Bird and the Bee with their fantastic Hall & Oates tribute album.
Comic Books: Grant Morrison’s continuing Bat-epic has done the impossible–it’s put Batman on the top of my favorite superhero list. I also got a kick out of Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four, though the inconsistent art was a bit of a letdown on certain months. Finally, I couldn’t leave out Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, a worthy, winning finale to my favorite graphic novel saga.
Video Games: I barely played any console games for various reasons this year, but I did get my hands on Scott Pilgrim one day and loved the hell out of it. Also, I didn’t play the Xbox Live port, but I’m pretty sure Konami’s classic X-Men arcade game is just as good as it was 18 years ago. (For the record, I’ve been playing the old cabinet at one of our local comic shops.)
DVD/Blu-ray Release: I don’t have a favorite per se, because I relied mainly on Netflix, but I was thrilled to see the Criterion Collection finally release Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence to DVD. I’ve wanted to see that movie for years. It wasn’t quite what I’d hoped, but it was still fascinating to finally watch.
Music Video: Mark Ronson’s “Bang Bang Bang” and “The Bike Song” videos are on the top of my list, not just because the songs are brilliant, but because they’re influenced by Japanese tokusatsu, among other things.
Favorite web site: Aside from us and Facebook? I guess Comics Alliance and AV Club get the nod.
Biggest disappointment of 2010? Inception. It was very well done, but it could have been a lot looser and a bit more chaotic. Dream logic is all about the fantastic, but Christopher Nolan is so intent upon keeping everything as realistic as it can be. As a result, Inception was tight and thrilling, yet with a faint whiff of joylessness at its heart. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind retains its title as best movie about dreams EVER.
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in 2011? New music from the Go! Team and the Dears, the unfolding of Grant Morrison’s Batman Inc., and yes, Green Hornet. It might disappoint me, but what can I say? I’m a fan.
Bailee DesRocher, Actor/Comedienne, Former Columnist
Television series: Parks and Recreation is my favorite. Revisited Dick Van Dyke. Mad Men. Finally saw all of Avatar: The Last Airbender and fell in love with it so hard. Lots of Doctor Who, Eureka… watching more sci-fi and loving every second of it. Nanobots! Time jumps! Fictional science!
Books: Read all the works of Christopher Moore. Boom.
Podcasts: I love the crap out of Walking the Room, Never Not Funny, and The Nerdist. All available on iTunes. Shhhh… just go listen.
Comic Books: I discovered Comic Book Sunday this year. Everyone tosses their back issues into a giant pile and you rummage for stuff you haven’t read. It’s usually at Titmouse Animation, there’s usually beer, and there’s always nerds. Free. It’s the most best.
Music Videos: Lady Gaga. Anything she was in.
Celebrity crush: Robert. Downey. Jr.
What accomplishment were you most proud of in 2010? Becoming an aunt (no work on my part, but still proud). Learning to play ukuele and nice with others.
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in 2011? Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom. And jury duty.
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