Fan Boy Friday with Captain Dan (12-30-10) MY FAVORITE THINGS OF 2010

By Captain Dan

Bye Bye 2010, HELLOOO 2011!

2010 is coming to a close and as on sit here on my family’s annual vacation to Lake Tahoe, taking a break from the Snow activities and Mickey’s Playhouse, HOT DOG HOT DOG HOT DIGGITY DOG, anyone who has a child 5 years or less younger in their family and has the Disney channel, know what I’m talking about. It’s time to run down my favorite things from 2010 and what I most look forward to in the world of entertainment for 2011.
Cinema 2010 had some WOWS, some ehhhs its alright, and some flat out HOLY CRAP CAN YOU REFUND MY LAST 2 HOURS.

The WOWS for me are easy. Christopher Nolan continues on his consistent pace of dazzling me. It started with MEMENTO and just when I thought he hit my ceiling with THE DARK KNIGHT, he blows me away with INCEPTION. I have enjoyed every one of his movies including the under-watched THE PRESTIEGE and INSOMNIA. INCEPTION is his masterpiece…so far.

“Stop you’re making me blush.”

I look forward to everything he touches in the future, not only BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RISES but his take on SUPERMAN. I know he is not directing, but his style is going to be all over that flick. Just as long as SNYDER keeps Supes muscles non-cg.
BLACK SWAN was my early favorite for best actress for PORTMAN, but after seeing TRUE GRIT, My best movie has changed.

“Much Obliged.”

Still loving the SWAN but TRUE GRIT was TRUE AWESOME!!! I’m also pretty sold on Colin Firth from KING’S SPEECH for best Actor, I would be happy with Mark Wahlberg from THE FIGHTER, James Franco 127 HOURS, Jeff Bridges TRUE GRIT, Jesse Eisenberg SOCIAL NETWORK. With best Actress, It’s Portman hands down, however Helena Bonham Carter from KINGS SPEECH was pretty close second.

Best Supporting Actor is also a toss up for me. Christian Bale THE FIGHTER, Matt Damon TRUE GRIT, Geoffrey Rush KING’S SPEECH, Joseph Gordon Levitt INCEPTION. Those are four of my favorite actors and they all rocked it! Jeremy Renner from THE TOWN was pretty terrific as well.

Supporting Actress is also a tough one for me to pick a favorite. It goes like this, Hailee Steinfeld TRUE GRIT, Mila Kunis in BLACK SWAN, Amy Adams in THE FIGHTER, Ellen Page in INCEPTION, and my dark horse the Nic Cage’s KICK-ASS little daughter, CHOLE MORETZ.

Best Directors for me would be Cohen Bros TRUE GRIT, Nolan INCEPTION, Darren Aronofsky BLACK SWAN, David O. Russell THE FIGHTER, and Ben Affleck THE TOWN. Yep that Ben Affleck. THE TOWN was a beautiful movie with atmosphere, tension, superb ensemble acting. Affleck can quit acting now, because if the TOWN and GONE BABY GONE are good as proof as any that his future is brightest behind the lens.

“Thanks Cap, we worked wickahd hawd on this pic.”

Pretty easy to spot my best pics there: TRUE GRIT, BLACK SWAN, INCEPTION, THE FIGHTER, KING’S SPEECH. But I would also love if TOY STORY 3 snuck in there. I know it’s going to win best Animated Pic, but I would be eternally grateful if the academy would recognize the achievement that is TOY STORY saga. Each movie was equal to it’s predecessor. I’m not saying it should win, but a best Pic nom would be a nice tip of the cap ala RETURN OF THE KING winning to reward Peter Jackson for his epic trilogy.

You got a friend in me…

I wanted to throw in three that won’t win any of the big Oscars this year, well one won’t get nom’d in anything, HARRY POTTER 7, TRON: LEGACY and MACHETE. TRON wasn’t the home run I was looking for, but it was very pretty and expanded much more on the small story it began with. I would not be opposed to seeing at least one more. Plus having Bridges talk like he was still in the 80’s was far out, man.

MACHETE was the unsung hero of 2010. Danny Trejo finally got his first lead role of his nearly 30 year career and over 200 film and TV appearances. Plus Lohan finally got to play herself, a coked up spoiled little girl who likes to show her boobs and have a threesome with Danny Trejo and her mother….

“Don’t look so surprised.”

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS pt. 1 was everything the book was, slow with a lot of story and camping. It’s the perfect build up to what comes next, but more on that later.

On the Small screen, very little new things impressed me, but some old friends kept me watching and I discovered two excellent shows that are new to me but not new to 2010. BOARDWALK EMPIRE was above and beyond the best new show of the year. Steve Buscemi is brilliant as we’ve come to expect from him and more so. Kelly Mcdonald is a discovery, the mixture of shrewdness and innocence she blends is nothing short of masterful. Michael Pitt is a re-discovery. I knew him to be a decent actor on the indie scene, but he was always playing outcasts and weirdoes. In EMPIRE he shows he was born to play Irish Gangster Jimmy Darmody. Tough as nails, cold hearted when needed, tender when it comes to the people he cares for in his life.

“You saying I’m weird? Weird how?”

2010 will also be year we said good-bye to LOST. The more and more I think about the ending the more I liken LOST to a road trip. It’s all about the journey. I was ready for it to end, yet felt little sad it was gone.

“Still don’t know who I am.”

I also discovered two shows that premiered a couple of years back, GLEE and PHINEAS AND FERB. You’ve already heard me gush about GLEE here, so I won’t bother you with more gushing. PHINEAS AND FERB is a cartoon I discovered while watching the Disney Channel with my little cousins. They were more into HANNAH and SUITE LIFE but Disney sandwiched FERB between the two. I couldn’t help myself, I was laughing out loud more than my cousins. Why did I like this kids show so much? Oh here’s why, it was created by two writers (Jeff Marsh and Dan Povenmire) who came from FAMILY GUY. This show is the FAMILY GUY for kids, the same pop culture love and the same randomness FAMILY GUY fans have come to love.

Same writers. Different target. Same Laughs.

Two old friends continued to be just that, comfort. SMALLVILLE is the middle of it’s tenth and final season, and this season has been absolutely brilliant. Superman fan’s wet dream. DC Heroes and villains, hot women, superpowers. All setting up for the day Tom Wellig finally puts on that suit, takes flight and becomes the hero of generations past, present and future.

They did it, I don’t know how, but they did it. Eric Kripke, creator of SUPERNATURAL, took a step back in Season 6 of the CW hit. He had a five year plan, much like LOST creators DAMON LINDELOF and CARLTON CUSE, and the 5th season ended where he wanted it too. Without the General, how would this work? Well work it did. This season has been the best season episode for episode since the beginning. I can’t wait til last weekend in JAN when these two shows come back.

“Apocalypse?! Been there done that, what’s next.”

2011 is the year of the HERO. GREEN HORNET, THOR, GREEN LANTERN, X-MEN FIRST CLASS, and my fellow and the original Cap, CAPTAIN AMERICA.

Well, he looks the part.

Superheroes, check. How about classic Heroes, CONAN and SHERLOCK HOLMES are here for that. Anti-heroes, Captain Jack is back and he is joined by the a new anti-hero, the Daniel Craig from COWBOYS AND ALIENS.

My childhood heroes the TRANSFOMERS return for a 3rd subpar adventures as well as those little blue communists the SMURFS. My filmmaker heroes Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson team up for TIN TIN. There are new heroes crashing the party Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in the Alien comedy PAUL, The lovely ladies of SUCKER PUNCH and Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman in YOUR HIGHNESS.

Trailer for Your Highness(Don’t watch this one around younglings)

For the Tube, I look forward to the second halves of SMALLVILLE, SUPERNATURAL and GLEE, but there are two new shows that have me intrigued. There are way too many cop shows but the new one from SHIELD creator Shawn Ryan’s CHICAGO CODE, this looks tough!

Then there is the HBO Fantasy GAME OF THRONES based on the FIRE AND ICE book series by George R.R. Martin. I finally read this book after many years of my friends telling me I should, and I’m sorry I took so long. This is a very rich world with very deep and developed characters. In fact the book is all about it’s characters. Each chapter alternates from a different character’s point of view. He doesn’t spend 10 pages describing the landscape and another 5 pages describing a specific tree like some of his colleagues. His dialogue is somehow a combination of high fantasy and our own modern tongue. This is very adult fantasy. I don’t mean porno adult, but I do mean very sexual and very violent, stuff Only HBO can get away with it.

Trailer for Game of Thrones

Now its time for some more Mickey’s Playhouse with my Goddaughter, Olivia and then once she is asleep, off to the casinos.

Cap Out.

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Fan Boy Friday with Captain Dan (12-30-10) MY FAVORITE THINGS OF 2010, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating