Films:
Didn't see a ton of films this year. What I saw and liked included:
The Dark Knight: Fantastic story, Heath Ledger shows his genius, great film.
Tropic Thunder: Throw actors into "the shit", hilarity ensues.
Zack and Miri make a Porno: Kevin Smith's best film since Chasing Amy
Pineapple Express: I just seem to love everything Seth Rogen does.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Came out of left field and really impressed.
Iron Man: Most fun super hero movie ever.
I'm probably missing some stuff but this is what sticks out.
Games:
Great games of the year include:
Grand Theft Auto IV: It's pretty much what I was hoping for, no 10, but best GTA story yet, and amazing attention to detail in the city. Mechanics are sort of weak and the plot does meander towards the end. I still had a blast.
Fallout 3: I really got into this game. Way more than I expected.
Metal Gear Solid IV: Totally loved this game despite never having played any MGS more than a couple of hours before. Amazing technical achievement, incredible cinematics, and a story I could somehow just barely follow.
Sim City iPhone: Whiled away MANY an hour with this version of Sim City.
Warhammer Online: First MMORPG I legitemately got into.
There are a few others that I enjoyed but wouldn't say were great games of the year, including Fable 2, Mirror's Edge, and Little Big Planet.
Books:
I read a LOT of books this year, but not a lot of them are coming to mind. These are the standouts:
Toll The Hounds: Erikson continues his amazing series, perhaps not the best in the series but still good.
Return of the Crimosn Guard: Best I've seen from Esselmont and a welcome edition to the Malazan Lore.
The Name of the Wind: Patrick Rothfuss weaves a deft and imaginative tale. Highly recommended.
I read a couple of books on wine, including a book about the french resistance hiding wine from the Nazis, and the famous wine tasting of '76 where the French were beaten by American wines, but neither book was particularly good.
Wine:
This is probably my biggest wine year EVER with so many amazing wines tasted this year. Here are the standouts:
The Prisoner ('05 and '06): The '07 seems to need more time, but the '05 and '06 are absolutely fantastic, with the '05 barely edging out the '06. Sweet, with tons of berry, this is probably my favorite wine. Fantastic Zinfandel blend.
Head Honcho ('06): This is a Syrah that is bursting with fruit, and a touch rough around the edges with a bit of alcohol. Spicy and big and sexy, just a wonderful expression of Syrah.
Papillon ('05): This a sophisticated Bordeaux style blend from the guys that brought us prisoner. Less bold than prisoner, but more complex, all in all a wonderful blend.
Porque No: This is my 'go to' wine at Napa Valley Grille. Fruity and sweet, yet able to maintain some of the complexity of the cabernet, another great Napa blend.
Breggo Pinot Noir: Needs a long decant, but you'll be rewarded with a sweet and fruity pinot noir that has an extremely long finish.
Cycle Gladiator and Ravenswood deserve nods for providing cheap yet delicious wines. Bishop's Peak also fits into this category. Talley Pinot Noir remains great, but I didn't drink a ton of it this year.
In other news, the game's still not done, but it's looking strong for this year. I never want to be on one project so long again, it has turns of being very disheartening. Overall not the greatest year in many ways. I've seen my EA stock options go from being a smallish down payment on a condo to being completely worthless. I've seen my golden handcuffs turn to lead, and I've had many friends and family lose their jobs. Meanwhile the L.A. Real estate market refuses to fall enough for me to have a real chance at getting anything, a frustrating and disappointing year, to be sure. Hopefully '09 will either bring an economy turnaround, or the Los Angeles home prices will drop for real. We'll see.
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