So… I wrote something up.  Took me hours/days.  Then Firefox bugged out and I had to force quit and lost everything since it didn’t save.  Write it up again?  Screw that.  Here you go:

BEST REISSUE OF THE YEAR

The SMiLE Sessions - The Beach Boys

BEST CONCERT OF THE YEAR

See A Little Light: A Celebration Of The Music And Legacy Of Bob Mould at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

BEST COVER SONG OF THE YEAR

I Wanted To Tell Her - Holy Ghost! featuring Nancy Whang and John McLean (Ministry cover)

BEST SONGS OF THE YEAR

10.)  Novacane - Frank Ocean

9.)  Future Crimes - Wild Flag

8.)  Midnight City - M83

7.)  ep - Junior Boys

6.)  We Bros - WU LYF

5.)  House Of Balloons-Glass Table Girls - The Weeknd

4.)  Weather Of A Killing Kind - The Tallest Man On Earth

3.)  Far Away - Washed Out

2.)  I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li

1.)  Life’s Half Price - MEN

BEST ALBUMS OF 2011

10.)  Watch The Throne - Jay-Z & Kanye West

9.)  Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

8.)  Eye Contact - Gang Gang Dance

7.)  David Comes To Life - Fucked Up

6.)  Smoke Ring For My Halo - Kurt Vile

5.)  Within And Without - Washed Out

4.)  Let England Shake - PJ Harvey

3.)  Strange Mercy - St. Vincent

2.)  Kaputt - Destroyer

1.)  House Of Balloons - The Weekend

GOODBYE

R.E.M., The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, Grinderman, Thurston & Kim (and possibly Sonic Youth).  That hurt to write.

At present time I’ve seen most of the movies I hoped to see, minus many documentaries and foreign films, to which I’ve seen so few, such as The Interrupters or A Separation, to name a few. For now, here is my list, beginning with some honorable mentions:

Honorable mentions:

• Attack The Block - Witty and fun, the kind of movie you see and wish you had thought of it first.
• Beginners - A sweet, semi-autobiographical work from director Mike Mills with an excellent turn by Christopher Plummer
• Bridesmaids - A bit overlong but still a welcome surprise and huge win for everyone involved.
• Cedar Rapids - Maybe its because I know Iowa but Ed Helms and his cast (John C. Reilly, always good) nailed the small town feel in this comedy.
• Fright Night - Though it disappeared overnight, this remake of the 1985 film was one of the most fun movies of the year.
• The Help - Controversy be damned, this was a classically styled film made great by the ensembles performances.
• Melancholia - Everything I wanted Tree Of Life to be.
• Paul - What Super 8 was for others, this was for me, thanks to the knowing references of actors/writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
• X-Men: First Class - A welcome reboot that genuinely surprised me and gave Michael Fassbender a great Hollywood role.
• Young Adult - I envied this film, wishing I had made it myself. Theron’s character is fantastic.

10. Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

I cannot believe that this one is one my list, for one thing. First, this was a series I thought very little of (MI1: enh. MI2: a film about douches made by douches for douches). Secondly, by their third movie (MI3: enjoyed) series are supposed to be bad, right? This fourth installment is the best thus far made so by the live-action debut by assured director Brad Bird. Incredible, and special mention to Simon Pegg for stealing most of his scenes.

9. The Artist

At it’s best moments it felt as though I was actually watching a movie from the past and that’s the highest compliment I could possibly extend this film. Leads Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo had such photogenic, star-making performances that I want to see them working again and again. A bold experiment that paid off in spades.

8. The Descendants

Alexander Payne and George Clooney are reliable in their own right so it was a no-brainer that the two coming together would generate some good results. Unfortunately their statuses allowed The Descendants to seem “overrated” when they didn’t make a flat-out supernova of a film, but this is nonetheless a very satisfying, steady story that cannot be denied. I adored many moments of it.

7. Midnight In Paris

Woody Allen in top form, and not only one of his best in a long time but one of his best period. Owen Wilson seemed an odd fit but proves to be the best Woody-composite actor yet as the struggling author who finds himself transported back to a time he missed but idolized. I empathized with it thematically and I loved it cinematically. A genuine delight.

6. Win Win

There’s some filmmakers that on name alone I know I am likely to love their movie before I even enter the theatre. At the top of my list presently is Tom McCarthy, director of The Station Agent and The Visitor. Win Win may be my favorite of his projects so far, and sadly it appears to have gotten lost in the awards shuffle due to it’s earlier release. Giamatti is good as always and newcomer Alex Shaffer proves a naturalist. Fantastic.

5. Warrior

The most underrated film of the bunch, this was a drama that just happened to have ultimate fighting in it. Joel Edgarton, Tom Hardy, and Nick Nolte are all ferocious in their own individual ways. This one had me on my edge of my seat like no film in a while and gutted me emotionally along the way. You likely missed it when it was out, the recent video release is your first order of business to catch up.

4. Take Shelter

Michael Shannon has always been one of those actors I’ll follow into Jonestown and this may be his finest performance yet. A careful study about questioning whether a man is having premonitions of a big storm coming or is just going crazy, Take Shelter was taut with tension throughout. Further props go to Jessica Chastain (MVP this year for The Help and Tree Of Life, among others) as the frustrated but faithful wife.

3. Shame

I’ve said it before, I’m a sucker for any film in which I watch a person emotionally damaged fall apart before my eyes. This was that film for me this year. Michael Fassbender reunites with Steve McQueen, his wonderful director of excellent The Hunger, for this character-study of a man addicted to sex as a way to feel anything. It left me numb.

2. Crazy, Stupid, Love.

This was one I avoided seeing initially because of my trepidation toward the trailer. But then I saw it, and loved it, and it stayed with me, to a point that I was shocked to admit it would rate so high on my list. A romantic comedy for anyone, man or woman, who felt starved for a good one, this turned the genre on its ear while making nods toward the cliches it was adopting. A terrific cast all around with Steve Carrell never having been so better. I loved this movie.

1. Drive

A bona-fide classic with bled with an assured-vision at every moment. Nicolas Winding Refn won Best Director deservedly from Cannes for the slow-burn story of a stunt/getaway driver. What felt like a 70’s B-movie directed by 1980’s era Michael Mann, Drive blew-me away. Albert Brooks took a welcome change of pace from his comedies to play the villain surrounded by an excellent supporting cast including Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman. And Ryan Gosling? With this, Crazy, Stupid, Love. and my last year’s #1 Blue Valentine I think I’m in the throes of a deep cinematic crush.

While in most lists I will go the usual route of 10, for TV I have only gathered 6.  Why?  Because this year, after a recent move, I chose not to renew my cable subscription and in turn limited myself to what I could access on Hulu, Netflix, or iTunes.  It was one good decision, protecting myself from unwanted distraction, and when it came time to watch anything I had to seek out the things I truly wanted to see.  So this is my list, with a disclaimer of No, I haven’t seen Downtown Abbey or Game Of Thrones yet.

6.)  The Killing

In my opinion, the finale of The Killing’s debut season was taken far too seriously (SPOILER ALERT) when they didn’t discover the murderer of Rosie Larson.  We find out, then show’s over.  In fairness I didn’t begin watching until after the first season had aired, knowing she wasn’t discovered but regardless I was sucked in.  Tonally the show felt spot-on and the unconventional leads of Mireille Eros and Joel Kinnaman had me transfixed.  I can’t wait for this one to return.

5.)  Raising Hope

A criminally underrated show that deserves to be spoken of in the same breath with the comedies referenced below, Raising Hope may be the most accessible of the bunch while being able to appeal to multiple generations.  Special shout-out to Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt who steal the show as the grandparents to baby Hope.  It’s some of the best comedy acting on TV today.

4.)  Community

Another third solid season (thus far) of knowing references and inspired writing, Community hasn’t missed a beat (okay, that Glee episode was both late and excruciating).  Shame on NBC for benching it for the first part of the mid-season.  Six seasons and a movie, please!

3.)  Parks And Recreation

Ron Swanson is awesome, sure, but if you noticed Parks & Recreation has some of the most heart I’ve seen on television in a while.  Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope has a lack of cynicism that feels original and refreshing compared to most comedies these days (well, good ones).  Also, it has the best ensemble on television today.  Who ISN’T funny on this show?

2.)  Louie

This show is insane.  I’ve tried describing it as Curb Your Enthusiasm where the main character DOESN’T deserve what’s happening to him but it’s so much more.  Following no continuing narrative, Louie is like watching a different short film each week, with subjects ranging from Dane Cook’s joke stealing to masturbation.  Comedy or even drama gets this honest or funny.  A true ground breaker.

1.)  Breaking Bad

I’ve said it myself and now hear others saying it “The best show on TV since The Wire” and its more than true.  The show  about “Mr. Chips becoming Scarface” created a slow-build this season, with a more than worthy adversary in Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus.  Aaron Paul turned his best work yet as Jesse while Bryan Cranston may be one of my favorite actors working today.  The show never lost site of its theme and the season finale, while not a cliffhanger, was one of the most stunning works of filmmaking I’ve witnessed this year.  One of the best TV shows of all time.