The 2008 Yakkie Awards

On this day, the final of a sometimes abysmal, sometime wondrous 2008, we present our very special, often narrow-minded best-of awards. It's time for the 2008 Yakkies!!!

[Keep in mind that in order for something to qualify for a Yakkie, it must have been released in 2008, as well as be something I own, saw, or read. Which means lots of great stuff will not be on the list. Don't be sending me caustic emails. Sorry, I didn't see it yet, so get over it. On with the show...]

Best Film

The Dark Knight

Okay, so it's not the most original of choices, but it's really hard to argue against it. Bonus points to this film for actually living up to my bloated expectations. Rather than bombard you with praise for this movie, I will actually discuss something negative. The only major problem I had with this film is all Tom Cruise's fault. That's right, if it wasn't for Little Lord Xenu, the formerly hot Katie Holmes would have been able to reprise her role as Rachael Dawes, but no, we get stuck with Jake Gyllenhaal in drag. That was my only major beef. Great film. Better then Batman Begins, which I also loved.


Runner-up:

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

I'm sorry, did you hipsters out there in Hipsteria want something a little more obscure than The Dark Knight? Well, bitches, you got it. This dandy little indie gem (and various other cutesy modifiers) is about a lonely dude who just moved from Austin to L.A. His buddy talks him into putting an ad on Craigslist for a NYE date, and he ends up stuck for the evening with a girl who is at once annoying, conceited, kinda plain, hot, psychotic, and undeniably fascinating. Harkens back to the golden age of Indie Film - the early '90s. Try finding this one on video at your local Blockbuster.

Honorable Mention: The Foot Fist Way. If you like people getting kicked in the face, stupidly quotable humor, or Danny McBride, then you have to see this movie. Especially for the scene where they go to the party at Chuck 'the Truck' Wallace's hotel room.



Best New Album

Dig, Lazarus, Dig by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

I'll be honest. I was not a big fan of the Grinderman project that Nick Cave came out with. So I had absolutely no interest in this album until I happened to hear it in Rachael Craft's car. And I was blown away. It's just a great album all the way through. But my favorite track has to be "We Call Upon the Author."





Runner-up:

Third by Portishead

The long-awaited return of these British trip-hoppers didn't have the most original title (see if you can guess what it means), but it did have pretty much everything else. One of THOSE albums, that takes more than a couple listens to really get, Third is a challenging blend of sexiness, heaviness, and obscureness (not a word?). I like this CD more every single time I listen to it.




Others receiving votes: LP3 by Ratatat, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Rós, Attack and Release by The Black Keys, and Oracular Spectacular by MGMT


Best Video Game

Braid

With a retro 2D platform style, revolutionary time control mechanics, lush watercolor graphics, a haunting score, and a story and ending that many have compared to David Lynch at his best, this downloadable indie game for the XBOX 360 is the best argument yet in the Video Games-as-Art debate. This game will haunt you for weeks after you finish it.



Runner-up:

Fallout 3

When people ask me what my favorite video game is, I usually say "Either Oblivion or Half-Life 2." Well, guess what. Fallout 3 is like a combination of the two - an engrossing action RPG with shooter elements set in a post-apocalyptic version of Washington D.C. I just got this one for Christmas, so I am less than 5 hours into the more than 20-hour long main quest (not counting the dozens of side quests), but I can already tell this is going to be my new all-time favorite game.





Others receiving votes: Mario Kart Wii, Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Grand Theft Auto IV


Best Book

The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac

The boys at Freedarko (see link on top right of my page) have garnered all their forces to create the definitive thinking-man's guide to today's NBA. It's not really an almanac, so much as a collection of philosophical musings on the styles of some of their favorite players in today's game. Ever wonder which player's career stats most closely align with the numbers of the Fibonacci Sequence? Well, now you can find out. Super millions of bonus points for fantastic design and Big Baby Belafonte's amazing illustrations.

[In a year that was heavy on reading, even for me, it seems that I did not read a single piece of regular fiction that was actually released this year. Spent a lot of time reading older works that I've been meaning to get to. Hence a "Basketball Almanac" as your winner, but don't get me wrong - this book is still fantastic.]


Runner-up:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

If you love old-school comic strips, then you absolutely have to check this series out. This is the second book in the series, wherein our hero spends an entire school year being tormented and blackmailed by his older brother Rodrick, he of the garage metal band Loded Diaper. Laugh-out loud funny and a quick light read, for those of you out there who can only handle that sort of thing.











Honorable Mention: Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. Haven't actually got around to reading this yet, but I did buy it, and I loved the first two, so I am sure I will like this one. It's on the short list of to-reads. I swear.