Sunday, October 23, 2011

Part 2: The Movies and Television of 2004-2005

I know it has taken me awhile to write here (thank you Grad School), and for that I do apologize. But without any further interruptions, here is my second installment in my series: 2004/2005 “My Glory Years”. Originally I intended to only focus only on movies, but then I realized if I did not include television, I would be neglecting two of my favorite television shows ever, in their prime, and I could not let that stand. So let us dive right into it then.

5. Batman Begins 2005
Before Batman Begins came out, director Christopher Nolan was not a household name, but was a very well respected director. That all began to change with the release of Batman Begins. Now everyone knows that Batman Begins is a very good movie, so I will not bore you with a review of the movie. What I remember most about seeing this movie was just the pure child like excitement my best friend Kevin Kellam and I had for this movie. We followed the production of the film online, but the biggest surprise came at the end, when Lt. Gordon handed Batman the Joker card. Kevin and I looked at each other with this HOLY SHIT expression on our faces. The freak out was on.
Click Here

4. Long Way Round 2004
I will never forget how I was introduced to this wonderful documentary. I was sitting in the old Xavierite office with my friends Gina Pantone and Kevin Shannon, when our boss Rob Quicke entered the office. He told us how he just received a DVD documentary from England that was getting tremendous buzz, and asked if we wanted to watch it. Within the first few minutes we were hooked. Long Way Round tells the story of actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman riding their motorcycles from London to New York, and the adventures they encountered along the way. Long Way Round leaves the viewer with this sense of optimism. It is truly heartwarming. It can be difficult to find now, but it is well worth your time.



3. The Sopranos 2005
Season 5. Steve Buscemi. Need I say more?



2. The West Wing 2004-2005
I think The West Wing maybe my favorite show of all time. The ideas that are discussed, the interaction between characters, and the hope that radiates from the show is infectious. It must be mentioned though that at this time The Wing was in the middle of its weakest season, season 5. However towards the end of this time period it rebounded very nicely with the second half of season 6 and the beginning of Matt Santos for President. It is actually very eerie how some of the story lines mentioned during this period on The West Wing begin to mirror the 2008 election between President Obama and Senator John McCain. Below is one of my favorite scenes from season 6.



1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
I cannot remember a time when a movie left me as speechless like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind did when I saw it for the first time. At its heart, Eternal Sunshine is nothing more than a love story. But the brilliance of the movie is how it is told. (I wish I could tell you more, but if you have not seen the movie, I will spoil the best part by writing further. If you have seen the movie, you know what I am talking about.) In addition the movie is beautiful to look at. Each scene is rich with deep colours and textures, and the acting of Jim Carey and Kate Winslet is impeccable. If you have not seen this film, you owe it to yourself to go and see it immediately. If you have already seen it, let’s go to Montauk.

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