Do you have a sledgehammer in your heart? Because I have a sledgehammer in my heart.

Hi there. Hello there.

This weeks blog will showcase a very talented artist and, though it's mid January, I'll be listing some things I enjoyed during 2008. I know all of the "Best of 2008" lists have already been made by everybody but this really is more of a "Things I enjoyed in 2008" since I didn't see nearly enough movies or listen to enough music to make such bold statements.

I'll start with the artist for this week, Amanda Finn. The term "artist' is fairly broad. I use it to describe anyone that creates, whether it be music, films, illustrations, fashion, photography, poems, stories etc. Amanda does a number of those things. I met Amanda in college after being very intrigued by one of her screenplays. She is a filmmaker, writer and also does amazing work in Fiber Arts.
































Her website www.AmandaFinn.com is, at the moment, only focused on her films. There are 5 films you can watch and they are all pretty great. I especially recommend "Dear Polly" and "Nocturna". Enjoy!

So I was lucky enough to see and hear some good stuff in 2008 and I would like to list only a few of those things...I also have a terrible memory and so I'm sure there were things I really liked but forgot or just don't feel like listing.

Films:

Ballast: I'm starting with this movie because I think it serves as my main inspiration for "Nobody Has To Stay". And I don't mean I was inspired by the content but really the process that the filmmaker went through and the style in which it was done. I don't know if I loved this movie but i do know that I'm glad someone made it and that people took the time to see it. There was something very poetic about this film. The cinematography was really wonderful and the location was perfect and was the main reason Lance Hammer made this movie. He had such a connection to this particular town that he knew he had to express it in someway and he chose film as his medium. I was lucky enough to see a Q & A with him and that was even more inspirational then the film. I really recommend it.

Snow Angels: David Gordon Green can shit in a box and I'll love it. It's why I'm also choosing Pineapple Express.

Cloverfield: This seems like one of those movies that are really made for the theater and so I'm glad I got to see it in one. It was just an hour and 1/2 of fun. Also, because of LOST, I'll see anything that involves J.J. Abrams.

The Wackness: This movie isn't for everyone. The New Yorker gave it a review, trying to put a "Little Miss Sunshine" label on it and claiming Ben Kingsley's role is "fake and vain, a shameless play for an Oscar nod" and said "This Sundance prize-winner, made on the cheap, is as formulaic and calculated as the most banal big-studio productions." Like I said, not for everyone but the New Yorker's review is way off. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and enjoyed the soundtrack even more. You don't get to catch many movies where the soundtrack is dominated by 90's hip hop. Plus, any movie that takes place in New York in the 90's is a lot of fun. And Josh Peck's transformation from Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh to this role is unreal.

BOY A: I don't know a lot of people that saw this but it was pretty great but incredibly sad. Andrew Garfield is perfect in this role and it really makes you think.

Burn After Reading: I dug it even though I've talked to a lot of people who didn't. I was even Chad Feldheimer for Halloween.

Religulous: Bill Maher + Larry Charles + Religion, pretty much equals the perfect documentary for me.

Dear Zachary: I watched this Documentary one night with my roommate after she recorded it on our DVR. I cried like a little baby and declare it the saddest doc i've ever seen. I almost don't want to recommend it but it was really good.

Doubt: Saw it in 2009 but still an 08 movie. It's one thing to have great acting but it's way more satisfying to have great acting when the scenes last so long. That's the case in this film. Probably top 5 of this year along with...

Slumdog Millionaire: Obvs.

Role Models: Surprisingly funny.

Music:

Dr. Dog - "Fate" - I really like this band and am so glad I was introduced to them a couple of years ago.

Okkervil River - "The Stand Ins" - Similar to David Gordon Green, shit in a box and I'll love it. The first time I heard this band was from Amanda Finn ( This weeks artist) on a cassette tape of "Down the River of Golden Dreams". I really liked it then and am fortunate to have kept up on then. They are easily my favorite band. Stand Ins was the second half of "The Stage Names" that was supposed to be released as a double album, so even though there are 11 tracks, there are only 8 full songs on it. Still, those 8 tracks are pretty amazing. I also really enjoy this video.



Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing: Good Hip Hop and Seinfeld? How is this a combination? It's like Religulous. I feel like someone went in my head and took out my favorite things and managed to put them together. Listen to "The Kramer" (Below) for something profound, and listen to "The Vacation From Ourselves " for something less heavy but still great. If you're a Seinfeld fan, you'll appreciate the fact that there are Audio Clips from the show and each track follows the series' naming conventions for episodes, formatting each title with the definitive article "The". And Julia Louis Dreyfus even makes a guest appearance!



"Nobody Has To Stay" is going well. Next week I'll have some important updates on the film. Don't forget you can Donate! and please, take a second and look at our store!