It’s been an active year in media so far. There have been a lot of great albums, videogames, movies, books and tv shows so far in 2010 and more to come. With half the year behind us, it’s time to stop and reflect. Here are my three favorite pieces of pop culture from the first six months of 2010:
Toy Story 3
It’s hard to look past the history of the Toy Story franchise. The very first entirely computer-animated theatrical release, the original Toy Story captivated audiences fifteen years ago. It’s sequel in 1999 met with universal acclaim, a surprisingly existential family film that provoked thought and feelings in a way uncharacteristic of summer blockbusters. Toy Story 3 had started as a Disney project independent of creators Pixar, but when Toy Story 1 & 2 director John Lasseter became chief creative officer of Disney animation studios in 2006 his first duty was scrapping the entire production and putting Toy Story 3 back in the hands of Pixar to start from scratch. The result is the most emotionally poignant film I’ve seen in years. The final thirty minutes has the entire audience in a constant stream of salty tears.
Breaking Bad season 3
Bryan Cranston has won two Emmy’s for best lead actor in a drama in a row, and with good cause. The best show on television only got better in its third season as Cranston’s Walter White dug himself deeper into the dark underworld he never wanted to be a part of. Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman gets out of rehab with a new lease on life – to be “the bad guy.” Dean Norris’s Hank Schrader had a series of violent emotional breakdowns, culminating in an edge-of-your-seat showdown with two of the most brutal characters in recent television history. Anna Gunn’s Skylar White even “broke bad” herself, becoming the most actively deceptive character in the cast. The first two seasons of Breaking Bad certainly had their intense moments, but the bar was truly raised this season. It will be hard to wait a whole year to see the ramifications of the cliffhanger finale. Only time and creator Vince Gilligan will tell if these characters can cope with the decisions they’ve made along the way to breaking bad.
Starscream’s The Space Years
Future, and It Doesn’t Work was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2009. The young New York duo Starscream gave us chiptune prog rock that carried audiences on cascading waves of warbled atmosphere and crashed into the rocky cliffs of crunchy garage drums. The delayed follow-up concept EP The Space Years takes this established formula and runs as far as it can go. Fully expecting their audience to be patiently captivated, Damon Hardjowirogo masterfully builds anticipation with long shoegaze-like threads of squarewave harmonies. The relaxed playfulness is like jazz, juxtaposing well with samples of a frantic preacher lecturing about the necessity of repenting ones sins and worrying not for one’s job or Game Boy (ah, I see what you guys did there). George Stroud’s powerful drumming frees the listener from the tension of the slow climb and announces escape velocity, the point at which Starscream explode through the mesosphere. With The Space Years, Starscream have succeeded in making a musical recording that is both other-worldly and grounded, alien and human, takeoff and landing.
