Every moron with a blog feels the need to do a “best of the year” list, so here’s mine, for what it’s worth.
Book: C by Tom McCarthy is absolutely the novel of the year, and I believe the literary world will come to agree in time and give it more credit. I mean, yes, it got rave reviews all along (except for a strangely brutal, inept Kakutani review), but it ended up getting no major awards (yet). When C first came out, everyone predicted it would be all over the awards. It was nominated for the Booker, then made the shortlist, and was such a heavy favorite that Ladbrokes stopped taking bets on the title, becoming alarmed with how many people were putting their money on McCarthy.
And then it didn’t win. And it didn’t even make the NYTBR’s list of 2010’s 10 best books, and not even the top 100 either. A shock. My only guess as to what has turned some people off is that the book is very sciencey and technical. But that is its delight; not only does McCarthy deliver an enthralling story but you’re also learning as you read; learning perhaps more than you ever wanted or needed to know about wireless radio, signals, and Egypt, but whatever. I know this sounds like an overly enthusiastic, thumbs-up, wide-grinned plug that you might see on Reading Rainbow, but I really can’t praise the book enough. It’s not The Secret History, but it’s very, very good.
Honorable mentions: Madame Bovary (Lydia Davis translation), To the End of the Land by David Grossman
Movie: The best movie I saw this year has got to be Toy Story 3. I don’t care that it’s animated, it’s a conceptually perfect film—smart, moving, funny and important. At turns hilarious and adult, at (most) turns heartbreaking, the funniest and most surprising thing about it is that it’s basically a jailbreak movie. But, as with the other Toy Story movies, it has replay appeal, characters that will stay with you, and a heartfelt message that is as Freudian as any: our childhood meant something, our toys matter, and nostalgia is more than just a kitschy feeling, it’s our past, our memories, our love of play.
As you watch the little girl play with her new toys, and you see Andy play with them for the last time, it feels like you, too, have aged inexorably. In that way, Toy Story 3 is anything but a children’s movie.
Honorable mentions: The Ghost Writer, Inception, The Social Network, The Town, The Fighter
Daniel B. Roberts 
jasoncgutierrez
January 6, 2011
Re: Kanye’s album, you can’t use the, ‘separate the artist from his art’ rebuttal when the album is so much about the artist himself. using personal experiences to speak about larger issues is one thing, but this is something else completely. this is self-deprecation as a form of self-agrandizement and to me it sounds totally fake. like i said, i don’t hate the album, but i don’t love it. it doesn’t inspire compulsive listens like The College Dropout or even Graduation did. The production is alienating and favors multiple layers of instrumental nuance. Parts of it do incite those compulsive listens. The back end is great, and the first minute of the album is the honest-to-God transcendence that the rest of this album is sold as. I’m not saying that this album is overrated because I think he’s an asshole, in fact I was very careful to convey my complete and total indifference to him. To me it sounds like he swung for the fences and ended up with a ground rule double.
jasoncgutierrez
January 6, 2011
Sorry, that should say, “favors multiple layers in lieu of instrumental nuance,” just to clarify a little.
but, that being said, when there is nuance to the instrumentation, like on “Runaway,” the album is really amazing.
DBR
January 6, 2011
I think I didn’t read this comment closely enough when I responded on fbook. Very good point about how the album is all about him, so it’s not the same situation as with the other examples I gave of asshole artists whose work needs to stand for itself.
But I do think the album does “incite compulsive listens” (I certainly am not sick of it), and also, I don’t think it’s “self-deprecation” at all, I think it’s self-congratulating (except for Blame Game and Runaway) and that this is okay and normal in rap today; you’re supposed to rap about how you’re the shit. And the songs aren’t just that, anyway, but go further and tell stories or at least use clever wordplay.
shae roberts
January 6, 2011
The thing i love about top ten lists is finding out what other people are loving and what not. The fact alone that somebody other then me thinks that Kanye’s ‘Christmas In Harlem’ was the best song of the year makes me happy to read. I’ve never read C by Tom McCarthy but it will now be on my list of new reads in 2011. i like the fact you can put a song like “Beamer Benz or Bentley” on your memorable mentions list along side Katy Perry. it shows a great taste in music. if you get a chance, take a listen to The Like ‘Release Me’ cd produced by Mark Ronson. it’s my choice for best cd of 2010. as for the Kanye boner you talk about having over his new cd…well then the world must be having a major hard on because i am too hard all over it. it’s epic. cheers to this top ten list my name sake..-shae
Ethan
January 6, 2011
a) I don’t have an opinion on the books.
b) shirley you can’t be serious. even the cameo-lifesupported Entourage gets a mention? You can’t just be watching HBO dude. You need two categories for premium cable and tv. They are two different things. Modern Family, Terriers? I’d make a case for Community, The League, and 30 Rock too. Don’t be like the academy and shit on comedy. Didn’t anyone learn anything from Wodehouse and Wilde?
c) You should be ashamed of yourself and your family for putting The Ghost Writer on the list. It wasn’t bad, but that makes me think you’ve watched nothing at all.
d) even though you have such a hard on for West, I’ll give you this. It wouldn’t be my fav, but I’d give it a mention.
e) If you’re going for mainstream factory made diarrhea playing on Z100, you’ve made a list that I wouldn’t bother disagreeing with. Because aside from the Kanye top spot, you got it pretty much, except the Gaga snub. She can sing unlike Perry. Props for no Kesha. But you should branch past just the ‘stream.
f) I don’t care. Franzen seems cool.
g) I don’t how you didn’t put the suburbs from arcade fire dir: spike jonze. if you go ‘stream, in my head, derulo. light tunnel…
h) right on. sitch/fatbristol.
i) No. Terrible justification as well.
j) TC is great.
DBR
January 6, 2011
You’re hilarious Ethan. So harsh! If people didn’t know we were buds they’d read your comment and say, ‘Oooooh SHIT!’ Anyway:
a) This means you need to read more current fiction.
b) You’re right– I should have included non-cable stuff, and actually I really do love Modern Fam and watch every episode, and I also do think it’s been even better in the second season. I literally just didn’t think of it, which I guess shows that even though I enjoy it, it didn’t leave half as much the impression on me in 2010 that Boardwalk and Big Love did. But I added it up there, and don’t feel like a phony for putting it late. Never seen Community tho, and in fact, other than those HBO shows and Modern Fam, Office, and 30 Rock on Hulu (the latter two have not been so amazing), I don’t watch any other shows regularly. Weird huh.
c) Huh?! The Ghost Writer was incredible! I stand by that. The critics agreed… And what do you mean putting that means I watched nothing? I saw allll the big movies yo. Didn’t you like the others I put? I refuse to believe that just because a movie was mainstream means it can’t also be among the best of the year; that “indie” has to automatically mean more artistic merit or whatever. That’s bullshit. And anyway, the truth is I think Ghost Writer actually is a bit of an ‘off the beaten track’ choice
d) Word
e) Gaga snub? Pssssh. You know, you’re right, I guess all my shit is pretty mainstream, but maybe without realizing it I’m just not as into finding ‘alternative’ music nowadays. Maybe it has to do with getting older, I dunno. There are def a few bands I’ve been super into this yr like Edward Sharpe and Vetiver, but their album weren’t 2010. Also, funny you’d say z100 because a lot of my experience with singles in 2010 was from driving around reporting in the Bronx, listening to Hot97 and other radio.
f) Word
g) Haven’t seen The Suburbs video, I’ll check it out. Great album tho. If I could do it again I’d add J Cole’s video for Who Dat.
h) Word
i) Who then?
j) Word