Creativity is King

(To see my most overrated things of 2008, go here.)

The reason I don’t have a number in the above title is that the way I am going to construct this list is by category, rather than everything separated out. So I’m not really sure what the final count of underrated things is going to be, since I am just gonna run through some stuff and see where it takes me.

First off, I’d like to say that doing an “overrated” list was much easier, simply because I am a hater. I love hating on stuff. It’s a lot of fun. So to big up something…well, that takes more work. But I am a slave to my blog-craft, so let’s get down to business.

Movies.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall. For plenty of reasons not under its control, I feel like FSM really got overshadowed by “Pineapple Express”. PE is an awesome movie, but FSM is just as good, if not better. For me personally, I thought it blended the ridiculous Apatow humor with a lot of heart. Jason Segel definitely should be able to get some more screenwriting work for himself off the strength of the script as well–well-written, interesting, out of the ordinary characters. And unlike some of the previous Apatow-produced stuff, the female characters were actually pretty believable and not raging bitches or completely nuts.

The Bank Job. When “The Bank Job” came out, I knew absolutely nothing about it. To be honest, it looked kinda like one of those lame heist movies that come out every year or so and usually have a throwaway Edward Norton role and maybe Don Cheadle mixed up in it. However, I heard good things about it, so when I finally saw it…I was fucking impressed. A thoroughly entertaining movie, starring the almost always excellent Jason Statham. (Go here to read about Patton Oswalt inserting Statham into all of the 2008 movies up for awards.) It ain’t gonna win any awards, but the whole 70s aspect and the fact that it is pretty accurately based on a true story turned this from some bootleg “Italian Job” into one of the better caper movies I’ve seen in the past few years.

Run, Fat Boy, Run. Yup, you’re seeing that correctly. This got awful reviews, came out in a couple hundred theaters, and was pretty much forgotten about ever since it hit DVD shelves. However, if you like Simon Pegg IN THE LEAST…you will find something to laugh about in this movie. Much better than it was given credit for, and David Schwimmer directed it, so you know…that’s something too.

TV.

Fringe. It’s pretty safe to say that I am a J.J. Abrams fanboy, but whatever the fuck ever…the guy makes good TV. I was pretty on the fence about this for the first few episodes, but as this season has gone on, it’s gotten WAY better. Similar to “Lost”, there are a lot of unanswered questions that get brought up every episode, but this is a really well-made show that is deserving of some props. Not only that, but the character of Walter Bishop is probably one of my favorite people on television right now. The guy is batshit crazy and totally hilarious.

Survivorman. Bear Grylls is a pussy. There. I said it. Les Stroud of “Survivorman” makes Bear Grylls look like Lance Bass. When people talk survivor shows, they always talk about “Man vs. Wild” and my boy Les gets no props. That shit has to end. What makes him 10x more badass than Grylls? He goes out into the wilderness for 7 days. BY HIMSELF. No cameramen…he films everything himself, and does it incredibly well. No nights spent in the Hilton. He’s in the Rockies, or the desert, or the Arctic totally alone. And he’s just gotta try to survive, any way he can. Shit goes wrong? There’s no safety team standing 5 feet away from him that can help him. Stroud is the man, and seeing as how 2008 saw the ending of the “Survivorman” series, I thought I would take this moment to give the guy serious, serious props. If you see this on Discovery HD, watch it for 5 minutes. I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

Music.

Girl Talk live shows. I was introduced to Girl Talk this year, and was also fortunate enough to be able to go to one of his concerts this fall. One of the greatest decisions of my life. I’ve never had more fun at a concert. And I’ve been to some pretty fucking sweet concerts. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that all you’re expecting is a guy onstage with a couple laptops or what it is, but the energy level is absolutely incredible. People are able to come up on stage and just party with guy and he doesn’t even care. You sweat your ass off, and it doesn’t matter, because everyone else is doing the same thing. I will not miss a Girl Talk show that ever comes around my way from now until the day I’m not cool enough to go to them anymore.

(You were probably expecting more in this section, but by and large, I thought a lot of shit came out this year. And the albums that didn’t suck already have gotten the props they deserve.)

Everything Else.

profootballtalk.com. 85% of everything I learned this season came from this site. Amaze your friends by knowing about anything that goes down in the NFL WAY before they do.

Google Android. Barcode scanners. Retina-scanning security software. Video capability(!?). Android got a lot of publicity this year, and it still deserved more. I don’t think we’ve even cracked the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Android is gonna be capable of. Open source FTW, and Apple can suck my nugget pouch.

Summit Winter Ale. Most of the people who read this blog are probably college kids, and thus drink shitty beer (that’s just how it is, I’m not knocking it), but once you’re out of college and you’re looking class things up a little bit…holla atcha boy. Summit’s Winter Ale is delicious (and 5.9% abv). So delicious, in fact, you may end up drinking the majority of a 12-pack at a friends’ Christmas party and forcing your girlfriend to take you home way earlier than she wanted to leave. (That happened to a…buddy of mine.) A rating of 74 on ratebeer.com?! Bullshit.

What Would Tyler Durden Do. Get the celebrity gossip and tabloid pics that you crave without sacrificing your masculinity. Which is an important thing. Almost as important as getting the celebrity gossip and tabloid pics that you crave.

Jujubees. As I sit here, simultaneously typing and seeing how many Jujubees I can fit in my mouth at one time (67), I realize that these are one of the best candies on the planet and they constantly get overshadowed by their much lamer big brother, Jujyfruit. Jujubees are superior in so many ways. They are much smaller and not as gummy, so they don’t get stuck to your teeth. They pack just as much flavor into a tiny little piece than Jujyfruit fits into a giant lime or lemon or whatever shapes those come in. Also, you can fit SO many in your mouth, resulting in just an incredible flavor explosion.

And now that I just wrote a paragraph on Jujubees…I realize it’s time to call it a list. And a good day to you, sir.