2005 in Review: Movies

Better late than never, I guess.
My top 20 DVD rentals, festival screenings and theatrical releases of 2005:

• Beyond Our Ken (Hong Kong 2004)
• The Boys of Baraka (USA 2005)
• Broken Wings (Israel 2002)
• Brothers (Denmark 2004)
• City of God (Brazil/France/USA 2002)
• Comrades: Almost a Love Story (Hong Kong 1996)
• Czech Dream (Czech Republic 2004)
• Duck Season (Mexico 2004)
• Hana & Alice (Japan 2004)
• The Holy Girl (Argentina/Italy/Netherlands/Spain 2004)
• Ikiru (Japan 1952)
• Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong 2002)
• Linda Linda Linda (Japan 2005)
• Maria Full of Grace (USA/Colombia 2004)
• Millennium Mambo (Taiwan/France 2001)
• Shake Hands with the Devil (Canada 2004)
• Tempus Fugit (Spain 2003)
• To Live (China/Hong Kong 1994)
• 20:30:40 (Taiwan 2004)
• The Twighlight Samurai (Japan 2002)
• Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (UK 2005)

2005 In Review: Music

Of my forty-odd CD purchases this year, these are my favorites. I highly recommend them all. Links will lead you to high-quality music samples courtesy of the iTunes Music Store.

Enjoy.

1. Iron & Wine: Woman King
   Only a 24-minute EP, but absolutely worth it. Check out his previous full-length as well.
2. Lali Puna: I Thought I Was Over That
   Remix albums don’t get much better than this. Lali Puna and Dntel are a match made in heaven.
3. Paul Duncan: Be Careful What You Call Home
   An outstanding release on par with the best Iron & Wine. Where would I be without Tiny Mix Tapes?
4. Stars: Set Yourself on Fire
   This is one indie release that actually lived up to the hype. Not a single disappointing track.
5. Sam Prekop: Who’s Your New Professor
   Hat tip: Almost Cool Reviews.
6. Ms. John Soda: No P. or D.
   More great music from Morr in Germany. This was on my wish list for years, and just recently became available in the U.S.
7. Books: Lost And Safe
   Wow, another solid release from these guys. Keep ‘em coming!
8. N. Lannon: Chemical Friends
   Props to Amazon for recommending this. I would not have found it otherwise. An excellent mixture of electronics and acoustics.
9. Psapp: Tiger, My Friend
   Psapp was one of several artists I discovered through Last.fm, a great (and free) service that offers recommendations based on your iTunes listening habits. This album fits perfectly into my electronic-y pop collection.
10. Styrofoam: Nothing’s Lost
    Is this what the kids call lap-pop? Sign me up for more of this.