Meme, Myself & I: Farewell 2008

Best film I saw at the cinema in 2008:
WALL-E (honorable mentions: The Dark Knight, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men)
A great year for film in many respects. Any of the films in the honorable mentions could easily have been my film of the year, as all of them pretty much created a near-perfect cinematic experience for me. I chose WALL-E over the others because the other three, whilst being immense films that I find very hard to fault, can't really be described as "fun". WALL-E, as well as being pretty much flawless as a film, ignited that warm, fuzzy feeling inside me in a way that very few films have done since I was a child, and that's why it's my film of the year.

Best film I saw (for the first time) on DVD in 2008:
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Best TV show I saw (for the first time) in 2008:
Robot Chicken

Best TV show I continued to watch in 2008:
Doctor Who (honorable mention: Lost)
This was an incredibly close call. Lost continued on very well, moving itself forward by answering questions and through the use of flashforwards as well as flashbacks. The story is getting more and more intriguing as it closes in on the climax. I'm going to watch until the very end, and as the series heads to its end the last two seasons have the potential to be very very special. Doctor Who just seems to go from strength to strength however, showcasing some of the most incredible writing and fascinating plots I can remember seeing in a TV show for a very long time. For anyone who is still not convinced by Doctor Who, I would recommend you watch the two part story from the most recent series (series 4) Silence In The Library and Forest Of The Dead. The story told through those two episodes is simply fantastic, and easily rivals any feature film story. Although I'm disappointed to see David Tennant leave the role, I'm really looking forward to seeing how Matt Smith handles the role when he takes over in 2010.

Best singles of 2008:
Noisia - Cannonball
Danny Byrd - Shock Out
Pendulum - Propane Nightmares
Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
Wiley - Wearing My Rolex

Best albums of 2008:
Justice - A Cross The Universe
Chase & Status - More Than Alot
Portishead - Third

Most annoying song of 2008:
The X Factor Finalists - Hero
Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat
Adele - Chasing Pavements

Best artist I started listening to this year:
Metallica
I know, not exactly a new band, and I'd heard a few bits and pieces by them in the past, but I bought Metallica (The Black Album) this year and think it's fantastic. I've since bought their newest album, Death Magnetic, but haven't had a chance to listen to it properly. I'm pretty sure if I had it would be a candidate for one of the best albums of the year though. I look forward to exploring Metallica's back catalogue further in 2009.

Best live show I saw this year:
Bill Bailey - Tinselworm
Bill gets zanier each time I see him. It was basically like having him stand on a stage and spout a stream of consciousness at the audience, occasionally picking up an instrument and doing something both wonderful and hilarious with it. Tinselworm seemed to rely less on Bill's comedy songs and more on his comedy routines, and whilst I could sit and listen to Bill Bailey's songs all day, it was quite refreshing to see him doing something slightly different to what I've seen before. I've heard that the DVD version of this show, filmed at Wembley Arena, is in some ways overpowered by Bill's use of technological wizardry and creating spectacle, not leaving enough room for the man himself and his humour (I own the DVD, but having not watched it yet I can't comment); I saw the show with Hayley at the Gielgud Theatre, and the show was largely absent of technology, relying mainly on Bill Bailey being Bill Bailey, so I'll be interested to see what I think of the Wembley version.

Live show I wish I'd seen this year:
Pendulum playing live as a band anywhere.
I saw them as a birthday present from Hayley performing a DJ set, which I've seen them do a few times before and which was fantastic, but I've yet to see them play as a band. I've salivated over the video clips on YouTube, and I've decided that they are the band I need to see in 2009 if I possibly can.

Most time wasted this year:
Facebook (second year running)

Best webcomic I've started reading this year:
Dinosaur Comics (honorable mentions: Wondermark Lite, Left-Handed Toons)


I look forward to hopefully reading other writers' reviews of 2008. Here's to plenty more entertainment throughout 2009.