Bulletin Board of the Brain

The List 2011

Kj — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:30:13 +0000

It’s my annual list of films & shows I watched! For ye who have not read the lists from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010, here’s a lil rundown. My lists are based only on what I watched in 2011, which accounts for the presence of 2010 films I didn’t see in the theatre until 2011 and the absence of spectacular films from 2011 that I’ve yet to see. My “Favorites” are based on the overall experience of the film- what impacted or enchanted me, not always objectively on what I think were the most quality films. My “Disappointments” have to do with unmet expectations, which is why bad movies I knew would be bad aren’t on the list. Brackets [ ] mean films seen in the theatre.

New: This year I logged the hours of all films and non-first-run TV shows I watched. If I didn’t finish a film or series, I didn’t count it, nor did I count currently-airing shows I watch weekly on Hulu. Rather than just list the hours as a big, fat number, I calculated the sum as 40 hours-a-week, since watching stuff is basically my fourth part-time job. Not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed by the “work week” total of my viewings, but it satisfies my enjoyment of statistics.

Enjoy! Tell me some of your Faves & Dissapointments

Favorites of 2011
The Muppets
Tangled
Thor
Jane Eyre
The King’s Speech

Most Disappointing of 2011
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Super 8
Hanna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Tempest

Favorite TV-on-DVD Discoveries
Lark Rise to Candleford
Misfits
The IT Crowd
Garrow’s Law
Being Human (BBC) *And yes, ALL of these are BBC shows

Total Films: 267

Total Television Series: 69

Films Viewed in Theatre: 34

Harry Potter film viewings: 22 (.42 per week)

Watched 3 Times
Harry Potter: Order of The Phoenix
Tangled
Thor
Nanny McPhee
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

Watched 4 Times
Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 1

Most Watched Film of 2011 (5 times)
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2

Repeat in-Theatre Viewings
Thor (2)
X-Men: First Class (2)
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2 (4)

“Work Weeks” spent viewing: 26.9 = Half a year

The List 2011: Films

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
LOTR: The Two Towers
LOTR: The Return of the King
Holiday (1938)
Secret of the Kells
Harold and Maude
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Persuasion (1995)
The Muppet Movie
The Great Muppet Caper
[ ] Tangled
[ ] The Tempest
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day
Sense & Sensibility
Atonement
[ ] Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 1
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Version
MST3K: The Final Sacrifice
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Evening Primrose (1966)
In and Out
Marx Brothers: The Big Store
Becoming Jane
The Last Station
Bright Young Things
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Young Victoria
Star Trek (2009)
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth
[ ] Somewhere
The Pillars of the Earth
Mrs. Brown
The Two Towers: Extended Edition
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
The Princess and the Frog
Annie Hall
[ ] The King’s Speech
Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Castor Et Pollux (2008)
Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince
Fantasia
An Ideal Husband
Peter Pan (1953)
The Way We Live Now
The Color of Magic
Chariots of Fire
Gosford Park
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Fairy Tale: A True Story
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Wuthering Heights (2009)
The Last Unicorn
The Return of the King: Extended Edition
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Return to Oz
Practical Magic
Please Give
The Virgin Queen
Agora
The World According to Sesame Street
Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition
Galaxy Quest
Lord of the Rings (1978)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Friends with Money
Nanny McPhee Returns
[ ] Red Riding Hood
The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Trouble With Angels
To the Ends of the Earth
[ ] The Adjustment Bureau
Never Let Me Go
How to Train Your Dragon
Billy Elliot
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day
Peter Pan (2003)
Boy A
The Social Network
L.A. Story
The Sword in the Stone
[ ] Jane Eyre (2011)
Jane Eyre (2006)
Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake”
Jane Eyre (1997)
[ ] Sucker Punch
Ballet Shoes
Les Miserables (1998)
When Harry Met Sally
Swan Lake (ABT 2005)
Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
Wild Target
[ ] Modern Times (1936)
Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet (Bolshoi 1989)
Tron (1982)
Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor -
- Atomic
[ ] Hanna
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Nanny McPhee
Country Strong
Paper Heart
Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About
Bright Star
Whip It
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Easy A
Black Swan
The Breakfast Club
Tout Près Des Étoiles
Center Stage
Youth in Revolt
Dancer’s Dream–The Great Ballets of Rudolf Nureyev: Sleeping Beauty
Paul Taylor: Dancemaker
Ballerina
In the Shadow of the Stars
Every Little Step
[ ] Thor
Blood on the Flat Track: Rise of the Rat City Rollergirls
Tron: Legacy
Anywhere But Here
[ ] Thor
Gnomeo & Juliet
Monsters Inc.
[ ] Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Jesus Christ Superstar
Peter Pan (2003)
Scoop
City Island
[ ] X-Men: First Class
Gulliver’s Travels
Nanny McPhee
Born to Be Wild: The Leading Men of ABT
Marie Antoinette
Tangled
Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 1
[ ] Super 8
17 Again
[ ] Company (2011)
Shakespeare Retold: Macbeth
Shakespeare Retold: Much Ado About-
- Nothing
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning
- Thief
Star Trek (2009)
The Narnia Code
Cloverfield
Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire
Cranford
Ru Guo · Ai
The Karate Kid
The Notebook
The Princess Diaries
Letters to Juliet
Under the Tuscan Sun
Imagine Me & You
Leap Year
Someone Like You
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
[ ] X-Men: First Class
Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets
Ella Enchanted
Mean Girls
The Island
Paper Heart
No Strings Attached
The Incredibles
[ ] Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2
Chéri
Snow White (1937)
Walt & El Grupo
[ ] Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Pirate Radio
Nanny McPhee
A Single Man
The Kids Are All Right
Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
Push
[ ] Crazy, Stupid, Love
[ ] Captain America: The First Avenger
[ ] Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2
Dr. Strangelove
Transamerica
District 9
Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban
Adventureland
Nora
[ ] Cowboys & Aliens
I Am Number Four
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 1
The Eagle
Sleepless in Seattle
French Kiss
You’ve Got Mail
Kate & Leopold
Twilight
Sunshine (2007)
Beastly
The Beaver
[ ] Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2
Jane Eyre (1943)
Hamlet (RSC 2008)
Funny People
South Riding
[ ] Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Other Woman
John Adams
Catfish
Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets
Space Camp
Back to the Future
Back to the Future 2
Inception
Cry-Baby
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
The Swan Princess
The Chipmunk Adventure
[ ] 50/50
[ ] The Royal Tennenbaums
The Adjustment Bureau
[ ] Anonymous
Labyrinth
The Last Starfighter
Pete’s Dragon
[ ] In Time
Back to the Future III
My Boy Jack
Tootsie
X-Men
Sleeping Beauty
Jane Eyre (2011)
Blue Valentine
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Thor
Monster’s Inc.
[ ] The Dark Crystal
Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince
Breakfast with Scot
Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban
Låt Den Rätte Komma In
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Le Hussard Sur Le Toit
The Pixar Story
[ ] Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1
Bridesmaids
[ ] Hugo
Harry Potter: Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 1
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Elf
[ ] Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
The Help
Harry Potter: Half-Blood Prince
Love Actually
Tangled
A Christmas Story
Santa Claus: The Movie
Rory O’Shea Was Here
Beginners
Nativity!
Sherlock Holmes
White Christmas
Little Women
[ ] The Muppets

The List 2011: Television Series

Dae Jang Geum: 3
Community:1
Shameless (BBC): 1
Vicar of Dibley: 2
The Catherine Tate Show: 2
Miranda: 1
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: 2
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: 1
Parks & Recreation: 1
The Big Bang Theory: 2
Kings: 1
Vicar of Dibley: 3
Lark Rise to Candleford: 1
Dr Who: The Daleks (1963)
Dr Who: The Edge of Destruction (1963)
Dr Who: Genesis of the Daleks (1974)
Lark Rise to Candlford: 2
Dr Who: The Caves of Androzani (1984)
Parks & Recreation: 2
In Treatment: 2
Clatterford: 1
Clatterford: 2
Clatterford: 3
Vicar of Dibley: Anniversary Specials
Ballykissangel: 1
Being Human (BBC): 1
Planet Earth: 1
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: 3
Monday, Monday: 1
Ballykissangel: 2
Mad Men: 3
The IT Crowd: 1
Miranda: 2
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: 4
Slings & Arrows: 1
The IT Crowd: 2
Lark Rise to Candleford: 3
Slings & Arrows: 2
Torchwood: 2
The IT Crowd: 3
The IT Crowd: 4
The Forsyte Saga: 1
Long Way Down: 1
Slings & Arrows: 3
Lark Rise to Candleford: 4
Misfits: 1
Star Trek The Next Generation: 1
True Blood: 3
Being Human(BBC): 2
Big Love: 4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 3
Garrow’s Law: 1
Deadwood: 2
Grandma’s House: 1
Star Trek The Next Generation: 2
Desperate Romantics: 1
Deadwood: 3
Fringe: 3
Misfits: 2
The West Wing: 2
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: 5
Star Trek: The Next Generation: 3
Bored to Death: 2
Northern Exposure: 6
The West Wing: 3
Garrow’s Law: 2
The Comeback: 1
Star Trek the Next Generation: 4

“What Yankee Candle Means to Me” Episode 14: East Coast Edition

Kj — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:56:17 +0000

You love it. You don’t miss my real blog posts, admit it! (I promise I’ll write something again, someday)

“What Yankee Candle Means to Me” Episode 13- The Musical

Kj — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:58:47 +0000

More! More! More! This episode features gift giving, dogs, jewels, guessing games and singing! Why? Because of candles, people. Candles.

“What Yankee Candle Means to Me” Part 12: First-Time Candle Ownership & The Madness It Brings!

Kj — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:03:57 +0000

They’re coming fast and furious this Holiday season, another episode. It’s a long one, but people, watch to the end. It goes places these videos have not gone before!!
Enjoy.

My Birthday Movies

Kj — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:19:52 +0000

A tradition began my first fall living in New York City. I’d forgotten that much of the east coast still gives Columbus Day as a holiday, and I found myself with a free day to myself. I’m pretty sure that’s when I went to see my first movie in NYC. It was Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation.” It entrenched itself so deeply and atmospherically in my soul, that not only did I start eating almost exclusively from Japanese restaurants and spent tons of money in Asian markets, I of course went to see it three times. At least one of those times was right around my birthday.

From that year on, once October hit, I started subconsciously then consciously paying attention to what movie might be coming out right around my birthday. Generally, they were quiet, character rather than plot-driven, aesthetically creative, independent films. Every year I await the next in my series of…

Birthday Movies

Here’s my list. There’s only one year that I had to break my pattern.
Can you tell which?

2003 Lost in Translation
Written & Directed by Sofia Coppola

2004 I Heart Huckabees
Written & Directed by David O. Russel

2005 Everything is Illuminated
Written & Directed by Liev Schreiber, Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s book

2006 Marie Antoinette
Written & Directed by Sofia Coppola

2007 The Darjeeling Limited
Written & Directed by Wes Anderson

2008 The Duchess
Written by Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, Directed by Saul Dibb

2009 Where the Wild Things Are
Written & Directed by Spike Jonze, Based on Maurice Sendak’s book

2010 Nowhere Boy
Written by Matt Greenhalgh, Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood

2011 50/50
Written by Will Reiser, Directed by Jonathan Levine

“What Yankee Candle Means to Me” Ep 11: Just Say No to Cherries On Snow

Kj — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:32:18 +0000

Drink More Books

Kj — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:29:47 +0000

I recently did a guest post for my friend Erin Blakemore, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her book The Heroine’s Bookshelf. Hermeneutically speaking, I love bringing a literary lens to my cocktails.

Enjoy The Heroine’s Barshelf.

Me!

Kj — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:30:52 +0000

Sounds of Synethesia: The Nostalgic Season

Kj — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:07:38 +0000

The start of Fall marks a full year of chronicling my ever-intensifying method of seasonalizing my music by color and feel [Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer]. The only season missing is Christmas (coming in December) which won’t be quite so synesthetic, as most Christmas music sounds red, green and white to everyone, but I’ll post it anyway.

Fall is the season I first began to notice the rhythm of types I music I chose, as well as the evocative colors that helped me choose. I’ve also learned over the years that Fall is when I listen to a lot of historical and global folk music. I get nostalgic about American history, and that “back to school” feeling as well, which I think in large part explains the FIVE Harry Potter albums in the mix. (Also, perhaps that I’m re-reading the books). And NOTHING is more nostalgic to me in the world than George Winston’s album “Autumn.” But perhaps most notable in Fall, is nostalgia for the 1990′s. For some reason, most 90′s rock sounds yellowish-brown to me (no piss assocaitions that I know of…). So this year, I welcome Nirvana into my “Gold Leaf Radio” Playlist. And new to “Autumn Hearth” this year, Chet Baker, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti, and many more. Oh, and for those wondering, the two playlist are each over 24 hours long and always on shuffle. That’s how I roll.

You know you’re in The Cottage if you can smell Yankee Candle Harvest & Apple Cider and can hear:

George Winston: Autumn

Neil Young: After the Goldrush, Live at Massey Hall

Nirvana: Nevermind

Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison, American Man IV

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out

Chet Baker: In Paris, Best of Chet baker Sings

Floyd Collins: Original Off-Broadway Sountrack

Erik Friedlander: Block Ice & Propane

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain

Dixie Chicks: Home

Dolly Parton: The Grass is Blue, Little Sparrow, Trio, Trio II

Harry Chapin: Greatest Stories Live

Zabe I Babe: Drumovi

Ralph Stanley& Kim Lauderdale: Sweethearts, Lost in the Lonesome Pines

Everything is Illuminated: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Joshua Bell: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Songs of the Civil War: Various Artists

Water: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Handel: Concerti Grossi & Water Music

Evan & Guy Carawan: Appalachian & Irish Tunes on Hammer Dulcimer

Yo-Yo Ma: Simply Baroque

Mozart: Marriage of Figaro, Serenades & Divertimenti

Kitka: Voices on the Eastern Wind

Alison Kraus: Lonely Runs Both Ways

Counting Crows: Augustu and Everything After

Csokolom: Dog Daze, May I Kiss Your Hand

Harry Potter Original Film Soundtracks: Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Death Hallows Part 1, and City of Prague Philharmonic’s Essential Harry Potter Film Music Collection

With Tracks by: Tom Waits, Fela Kuti, Blind Melon, The Cranberries, Gillian Welch, Lisa Ekdahl, Old Crow Medicine Show, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, and the Jesus Christ Superstar Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

“What Yankee Candle Means to Me” Part 10. ‘Time to start bringing in the warmth’

Kj — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:30:40 +0000