MUSIC
I don’t need to oversell y’all on music, so here’s my Top 10 plus a good representative song.

1. David Bazan, Curse Your Branches – "Bless This Mess"
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OR @ eMusic
2. Japandroids, Post-Nothing – "Crazy/Forever"
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3. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone – "This Tornado Loves You"
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OR @ eMusic
4. Passion Pit, Manners – "Little Secrets"
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OR @ eMusic
5. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – "1901"
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6. Baroness, Blue Record – "A Horse Called Golgotha"
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OR @ eMusic
7. Owen, New Leaves – "Never Been Born"
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OR @ eMusic
8. White Rabbits, It’s Frightening – "Percussion Gun"
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OR @ eMusic
9. Future of The Left, Travels With Myself and Another – "Lapsed Catholics"
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OR @ eMusic
10. We Were Promised Jetpacks, These Four Walls – "It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning"
MOVIES
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1. Up – It’s a testament to Pixar’s prowess that they lead off with the most soul-crushingly sad opening to a film, yet have you chuckling ten minutes later. My current favorite movie studio pitching perhaps their hardest sell next of Cars, Up(really trying to resist the flying metaphors here) functions (ahh) at a lofty level (gah) due to its resplendent emotional core and a talking dog whose voice I now use for all my pets.
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2. Inglourious Basterds – Polar opposite film from what the trailer led me to believe, and thank God for that. After that one-act of an opening scene, I quickly cast off my Tarantino uncertainties and genuinely loved his most
mature film yet.
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3. The Hurt Locker – Reckless idiot adrenaline-junkie defuses bombs for the U.S Army. Stupid on paper, works refreshingly well thanks to its creative staff.
Where the Wild Things Are
4. Where The Wild Things Are – In words and in imagery, the best adult-wistful representation of childhood without the crutch of a pandering tone. And my sister says the kid reminds her of me when I got upset as a child, and that makes me happy/sad.
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5. In The Loop – Snappy gut-laugh writing and a plot populated by lovable jerks, this is a fine example why the UK will always own everyone else in comedy.
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6. Adventureland – Plotted much like his first film (Superbad) stripped away of its Apatow-isms, Greg Mottola puts the audience into a very specific time and place to present a story that only makes sense when remembered from that perspective.
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7. Funny People> – High expectations and deeply mixed responses, yet this may be the Apatow film that becomes his career hallmark. A love letter to stand-up comedy, this movie’s heart and earnestness makes it shine despite its nearly three-hour runtime.
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8. Moon – Basically "The Sam Rockwell Show", directed by Duncan Jones aka Zowie Bowie. Besides that pithy summary, it’s fantastic straight sci-fi anchored by lovely direction and one (two?) stellar performances.
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9. The Brothers Bloom – Sophomore slump for Brick director Rian Johnson? I disagree. More Wes Anderson than his previous film and occasionally quite gimmicky, it’s carried throughout by his twisting and self-aware script sold by some great comical performances.
Avatar @ amazon
10. Avatar – Come for the visuals (the main reason this film made my Top 10), turn off your brain for the plot. Summed up to me by a friend as FernGully meets 10 Things I Hate About You, which makes it sound more enthralling than it actually is.
LOVE DESERVED, LIST RESTRICTED:
Sugar
A Perfect Getaway
GAMES
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1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) – Best reason to own a PS3 to date, and the most thrill-a-minute game I’ve ever played. Luscious set pieces give way to tense action lead up to snappy dialogue performed by top-shelf voice acting, so on etc. GOTY for good reason.
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2. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) – Shakes off the stigma of "licensed comic-book game" to deliver the best new IP (outside of the next game on the list) of 2009. A rock-solid combat system in a expertly crafted single-player environment plays as fan service love.
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3. Borderlands (X360) – Bringing the Diablo II loot/RPG mechanic to the FPS console market? Setting it in a post-apocalyptic Mad Max universe? Filling it with hilarious characters and co-op-supported campaigns? Gearbox Software you magnificent bastards, you just ate fifty hours of my life!
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4. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3) – Hugely entertaining and tons of fun to play, the R&C series repositions itself on the PS3 as one of the best looking games out there.
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5. Assassin’s Creed II (X360) – Depth of character, repaired gameplay mechanics and the detailed settings of Renaissance Italy make this sequel everything the first game should’ve been and more. And you can assassinate dudes by stabbing them through the eye! Keen!
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6. The Beatles: Rock Band (PS3) – Beatles songs. In Rock Band. And if that’s not enough, they packed in all degrees of loving minutiae (studio banter, stories) to fully remind everyone how awesome the Beatles are. And that they rewrote pop music in TEN YEARS.
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7. Infamous (PS3) – Best comic book-like plot of the year, though lacking the high notes that makes Batman so stellar. Still, the morality-based leveling system and environment navigation make this game a winner and a sequel to watch for in the coming years.
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8. Red Faction: Guerilla (PS3) – Beautifully summed up by the Idle Thumbs podcast as "Space Asshole," RF:G gets your ass to Mars to take down buildings and punch people through concrete walls with one swing of your sledgehammer. Man, what a dick!
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9. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) – You twist the stylus to hot-wire cars
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10. flower (PS3) – Zen Meditation: The Game. A simple control scheme meandering through lush environs. Basically a gaming palate cleanser, yet much more.
LOVE DESERVED, LIST RESTRICTED:
Dragon Age: Origins (X360)
Rhythm Heaven (DS)
Happy 2010, everyone! Here’s to more POOPs!
Patrick Kennedy