End Of Year @ MindSay

I'm gonna do this in two parts, mainly because it's easier. So without further ado, here goes:

Best Film

There's been some cracking films over the past year, that's for sure. For me, the year started off on a high with Smokin' Aces, and then continued onwards with Sunshine, Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, The Simpsons Movie, Transformers etc etc.

However, my favourite movie of the year, and one which I feel is very deserving of the title "Best Film of 2007", is 300. After watching Sin City, and then hearing that 300 was being adapted, I started to get very interested in the film, and thankfully it didn't disappoint in the slightest, though it could've done with being a bit less bronzed. Regardless, it's one of those films which should win an Oscar, but won't.

Best Game

Again, this catagory's been jam packed. Guitar Hero III, Halo 3, Forza 2, God of War 2, Final Fantasy XII, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and lots more. In fact, I could possibly write an entire blog entry about this catagory alone, but I won't.

At the end of the day, my decision is pretty much tied between two simply fantastic games: Super Mario Galaxy on Wii, and BioShock on Xbox 360, and as I can't decide between the two, they're both winning it as a joint award. Super Mario Galaxy wins it because it is quite easily the best platforming game I have ever played, and successfully got me hooked onto Mario platformers (I was always a Sonic kid prior to Galaxy). BioShock..well..it's just very atmospheric, and a game that I'm not wanting to touch again until I get my HD telly. After playing it downstairs in the summer, I don't want to go back to crappy Standard Definition :(

Best Gig

Muse, no question. OK, so the supports were 2/3 good (The Streets being the only exception), but when Muse hit the stage, it was undoubtedly brilliant. What made it even better was that Mena came with me to see them, and I even managed to get my Dad into them, if only for a day.

2007 wasn't a great year for gigging (I only saw three bands, excluding supports), but out of those three, Muse @ Wembley wins by a colossal cake walk.

Best Album

Now this one's going to be a killer. Trying to remember albums that were released in a specific year is something I don't do very well, but I'm going to give this a go.

If I was going to award this based on debut albums alone, I'd go with Take to the Skies by Enter Shikari, but I'm not, mainly because that would be unfair on other bands, and there have been some good albums this year. Allow me to quickly list a few:

Funeral for a Friend - Tales Don't Tell Themselves
Hard-Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
InMe - Daydream Anonymous
Atreyu - Lead Sails Paper Anchor
Newton Faulkner -  Hand Built by Robots

The list could go on for some time, but I'm here to mention the best album of 2007, and it's this: The Shadow Line, by Story One. It sucks that the album never charted, as it rightfully should've done, and it sucks further that their record label went bust after the album came out, but it doesn't change the fact that The Shadow Line is the best album I've heard all year, and was well worth the wait, in my opinion.

Key tracks are Trebuchet, Done and Dusted, AM 180, and Uncharted, but every track on the album is a killer, and there's not a dull track on the album. As if you don't need enough reasons to buy it, it's also very cheap, with most places selling it around the £7 mark. Buy it, play it, love it.

Come back tomorrow, when I'll be naming and shaming, with The Worst of 2007.
-=Gavvie=-

Both the joyous and the tragic
If the truth is to be told
We are all pursuing magic
And the magic that we seek
As we're sure you have discovered
Can be found in certain places
Far more easily than others...

And soon we shall face the dawn of a new year, just one of many during the long march to the end - so many years I have seen on my personal journey. And another year will come and go and then another followed by another and so on 'til the end of times. And this is what we face as we close out this year...

And I will soon be celebrating Christmas and I may be visited by many ghosts on the eve of this most holy of holidays. I wonder who will appear before me to warn me of the coming of these spirits who will show me where I have been, where I am and where I am going. And I will question the ghosts as to where I chose incorrectly the direction of my journey and what I can do to change the fate they will show me. And I wonder if the Spirit of Christmas in my heart throughout my days. And there is so much to ponder on this journey and this is the time of year to do so, and so I shall...

I wonder where my journey will take me this year. Last year I had no idea the twists and turns my life would go through to make it to this point in the year - so much has changed, so many new directions to take, so many new adventures in my humble existence. What changes will be thrust upon me from sources beyond my control? What will I do when confronted with these new challenges? There are so many mysteries that will be revealed and so many new mysteries that the answers to will remain just buried beneath the surface -- hidden from view - and yet if one had the proper implements of destruction one could free them from the earth for all the world to see...

And here's a little Christmas cheer from my hometown. I haven't been able to track down who wrote it to give them proper credit...

A Very Pittsburgh Christmas

Yinz better wahtch aht,
Yinz better not paht,
Yinz better not cry,
I’m tellin yinz hauscome,
Santa Clause is commin’ dahntahn.
He’s makin’ a list,
He’s checkin’ it aht,
He’s gowen find aht who’s nebby an ‘at,
Santa Clause is commin’ dahntahn.
He knows if yinzes a jaggoff,
He can see inside your haus,
He knows if you’ve been workin’ hard,
Or sittin’ on your caach.
Yinz better wahtch aht,
Yinz better not paht,
Yinz better not cry,
I’m tellin yinz hauscome.
Santa Clause is commin’ dahntahn!
GO STILLERS!

And I shall wish one and all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...

This is the Word of the AntiCrust...

Praise be ye who Read the Word for ye are Blessed amongst humans...

This is going in my demoreel for the end of the year, I haveto show it to the rest of my class at a meeting tomorrow. I'm quite proud of it really. There's soem touching up to do, but it should work out nicely.

  

 

-- Lory

Today the yearbooks were distributed, and it came with mixed emotions. I wont be returning to my school for my senior year because a new high school will open closer to my house. Signing year books today, god, i did really well, i wrote moderately long entries one or 2 ancedotes have a great summer ya know the usual, audreys was a challenge because i didnt want it to be too personal but i didnt want it to be eensy weensy either. she signed mine in 2 seconds flat "Lauren is GAY, but its ok because you play rugby, i cant wait for fall season and you freaking out about your hair, with meager amounts of love, audrey" mine was like a page long in her book. and sam i wrote like a page in hers aswell, what did i get "hey lady hope you have a great summer, nothing else to say, sam" like the people that really should have wrote something special didnt. it made me a little sad, in 50 years im going to look back and i dont know i would like something else to be there besides well the eensy weensy comments. audreys was cute i though but still, i dont know. i shouldnt freak out about this though.