Favorites of 2006, or, Me Trying Desperately to Legitimize Myself

Something I always look forward to at the end of a given year is sitting down and discussing with my friends what we all think are the best movies, albums, etc. of said year. And, with my introduction to this wonderful little tool we call the "blog," I have had, for the last 2 years, the ability to actually publish a list of these things for the world to see.

However, a question came up in my mind recently--why do I do this? Why do I feel the need to order these things into a definitive list--why can't I just allow each of them to affect me and leave it at that? And, moreover, how much arrogance do I have to have in order to think that my opinions are worth posting on the internet let alone reading? It seems to me that there is a level of self-importance (how much, I'm not sure) that must exist in a person before he/she deems it neccessary to write a blog. Even worse with this type of blog--one that attempts to tell other people which pieces of art are better. Is this whole thing just an attempt to make myself look smart or cultured or artistic, etc.? Is this whole thing just an attempt to give myself the appearance of being more literate than the next guy? I think so.

Now, realizing this, why am I still going to post these lists? Would this not make me the worst kind of pretentious blogger--the one who realizes his faults yet continues to dwell in them? Yeah, I guess it would. BUT, after thinking about this I realized another thing: I like to read other people's top 10 lists, mostly because they can inform me of films and albums that I may have otherwise never heard of. And the only times that I don't like to read them are when those people try to say that their list is definitive--as if their list represents anything more than just their own opinion. I think there is a key difference in saying 1) These are the 10 BEST films of the year, and 2) These are MY 10 FAVORITE films of the year. I never want to be the type of person who would try to state something like 1).

So, here they are, my favorite pieces of entertainment from the year 2006. Not the best, just my favorite. If you know me and are moved by similar things and have not seen/heard/played any of these--then this list is my recommendation if you are interested. I hope you had a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and are filled with a joy that never leaves you.

Movies

1. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
2. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris)
3. The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky)
4. The Prestige (Christopher Nolan)
5. Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster)
6. Superman Returns (Brian Singer)
7. V for Vendetta (James McTeigue)

Music

1. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
2. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
4. Camera Obscura - Lets Get Out of this Country
5. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
6. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
7. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
8. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
9. Islands - Return to the Sea
10. Cat Power - The Greatest

Games

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
2. Shadow of the Colossus (Sony) (2005, but oh well--I discovered it in '06)
3. NCAA Football 2007 (EA)
4. Wii Sports (Nintendo)
5. Call of Duty 3 (Activision)

TV

1. Arrested Development Season 3
2. The Office Season 3
3. Austin City Limits
...I don't think I watched anything else on TV, but those were all very good


Cameron

*EDIT* 1/5/07 - I just saw Children of Men (which originally opened in December 2006 but just saw a wide release) and it blew me away. I haven't had much time to process it, but my gut reaction is that it was the best movie I saw in '06. Fantastic.