#best list

[quantummechanist]

What's the best list you ever made?

if you can't do that, like, top 5

Listed conspiracy theories by plausibility once. That was fun.

[aprilthewriter]

Best books I read in 2021 (and also in the 2nd photo, 2020, bc I wanted to do this last year but forgot)--none of which were published in 2020 or 2021, haha!

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: This is one of those books where the voices (as the story is told in different first-person perspectives depending on the chapter) are so, so strong! The story follows the sisters and mother in a evangelical Baptist missionary family (there is their awful preacher father too but thankfully we never read anything from his pov) in the Belgian-occupied Congo of the early 1960s. 

An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor: Technically started reading this in Sep. 2020 when the Seattle Service Corps received it as one of our faith formation books. But since I was also reading something else at the time I set it aside and picked it up again during Lent this year. It lays out really fresh ways to think about spirituality and spiritual practices, ways of being grounded and finding God. 

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans (by the end of these lists you'll realize yes, I read every single one of RHE's works for the first time only after she passed away--before, I had just followed her on Twitter and had seen her speak at the Evolving Faith Conference): Rachel manages to poke fun at Biblical literalism while also doing seriously good Bible interpretation in her journey of exploring what the Good Book says about womanhood.

For All Who Hunger by Emily Scott: An expertly written memoir with beautiful theology embedded in each moment. It tells the story of how the church Emily helped plant, St. Lydia’s Dinner Church, came to be. It is a book about "gestation," of dreaming and trial and error, and God creating something from nothing. 

Inspired by Rachel Held Evans: If you struggle with some stories in the Bible, whether it's because they are horrific (the genocide narratives in the Hebrew Bible) or a little too far-fetched (miracle stories, or the big fish that swallowed Jonah) this book is for you. She doesn't dismiss any questions and doubts but opens up a way to view the Bible with imagination and wonder, alongside the guidance of scholarship.

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day: Although the memoirs I read are typically spiritual and deal with heavier subject matter (Felicia does talk about depression and gaming addiction, but that isn't the majority of the content), this was a nice change of pace! She is so funny and I could relate to a lot of her struggles as an artist (though she is a filmmaker/actor so the field is different than publishing).

The Face of Water by Sarah Ruden: I don't think I realized just how different Biblical Hebrew and Greek are than English before I read this book. Sarah came from a background of translating Classics (non-Christian Greek and Latin literature), and is also a Quaker, so her perspective on Bible translation is very interesting, and she even puts forth her own translations of several passages that made me think about them in a different way. It's very dense and I didn't always understand everything she was talking about, but I'm glad I read it.

Persepolis, French Edition, by Marjane Satrapi: I read Persepolis in English when I was in 9th grade. When my sister told me the original was in French and that there was also a French film adaptation, I became fascinated with all of Satrapi's work, and even did a project on her my first semester of college. I bought this big lovely French edition when I was studying abroad in Paris in 2018, and finally got to reading it a few weeks ago (got behind on my books-for-fun list when I was in college). It tells the story of Satrapi's life growing up in Iran in the late 70s/early 80s, her adolescence in Austria where her parents sent her to escape the fundamentalist regime, and her return to and young adult life in Iran in the late 80s/early 90s.

Ok, so the books from last year...

Undivided by Vicky Beeching: This tells the story of how Vicky, a prominent Christian singer/songwriter and journalist, came to terms with her lesbian identity, after years of disassociation to the point of her developing health issues. She writes so bravely about what internalized homophobia does to the mind, body, and soul of someone who is LGBTQ+, and how God led her on a journey towards affirming herself. 

A Nearly Infallible History of Christianity by Nick Page: I bought this when I was in London in 2018. This book delivers a lot of fascinating facts about the Christian church's history along with a lot of dry British humor (making fun of organ music, for example). Definitely recommend to folks who want to learn church history but don't really want to read a textbook.

Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey: I can never put anything by this woman down, period. Her style of writing is so inviting, she's just sitting beside me while we drink tea by a fireplace. She is so wise in talking about her winding spiritual journey and I especially loved the chapter "Obey the Sadness" where she states this beautiful truth: "[God's] sovereignty is redemption, it's not causation."

Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans: This is Rachel's first memoir, where she talks about the issues that first kicked off her spiritual evolution-namely, the scientific theory of evolution, and the question of the eternal destiny of the "unsaved." I will never forget how she describes seeing the execution of a Muslim woman named Zarmina on TV. And I'll never forget her metaphor about the "cosmic lottery."

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans: The experience of reading this memoir about Rachel's church experiences during a pandemic where I had not attended church in months was...interesting. I kind of got to live my greatest longings through her as I read--taking communion, being in community with others. It's so well-written. I definitely want to visit the St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, which she writes about in this and Year of Biblical Womanhood.

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr: As I face the task of expanding my senior honors thesis into a full memoir, I need all the advice I can get, and Mary Karr knows what she's talking about (has several bestselling memoirs). She offers really practical advice in how to engage more in sensory detail, how to write through a scene when takes a lot of emotional work, and how to cultivate voice (which is what a memoir lives and dies on).

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: Yes, I read a book about a post-pandemic world during the time in the pandemic where we did not yet even have vaccines. It was actually strangely comforting--their pandemic is a lot worse than ours, with a 99% death rate. And the book isn't really about a pandemic. It's about the possibility that there can be joy and art after destruction, that there is a point to creating art even if no one/not a lot of people will see it. The writing is so detailed and engaging and the characters are so well developed. There's also this interesting element of the plot where there's a cult run by a man who is fascinated by both the book of Revelation and an unpublished science fiction comic strip about a man named Doctor Eleven. I'm watching the TV adaptation of the series as it's been premiering on HBO Max.

[everyanimatedmovie]

The Best Animated Features of the 1970′s

Cleopatra: Queen of Sex (1970) - Osamu Tezuka’s second wildly esoteric adult animated movie.

The Aristocats (1970) - Disappointing for Disney, but admittedly above average.

Bennys Badekar (1971) - The only animated movie chosen to be an official part of the Danish cultural canon.

Mowgli (1973) - A Russian adaptation of the Jungle Book.

Belladonna of Sadness (1973) - A beautiful and disturbing Japanese movie.

Fantastic Planet (1973) - French-Czech co-production about domesticated humans kept as pets on an alien planet.

Heavy Traffic (1973) - The best early Ralph Bakshi movie.

Johnny Corncob (1973) - Hungarian feature about a folk hero. Looks just like Yellow Submarine.

Hugo the Hippo (1975) - Hungarian feature about a baby hippo who is imported to Zanzibar.

The Humpbacked Horse (1975) - An almost shot-for-shot remake of the 40′s movie, with slight improvements in pacing and design.

Allegro non Troppo (1976) - Like Fantasia, but mature, gritty, and Italian.

The Hobbit (1977) - Both the best Rankin/Bass movie, as well as an early Miyazaki project.

The Rescuers (1977) - The best Disney feature since The Aristocats.

Lord of the Rings (1978) - A pretty faithful adaptation of Tolkien’s novel, directed by Bakshi.

Watership Down (1978) - Extraordinarily violent and dark for an animated movie about talking rabbits.

Ringing Bell (1978) - A children’s anime about a lamb who gets revenge on the wolf who killed his mother.

Metamorphoses/Winds of Change (1979) - A beautiful adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, albeit with a remarkably irritating soundtrack.

Nutcracker Fantasy (1979) - Created by the animation studio that produced the Rankin/Bass stop motion holiday specials.

Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979) - Beautiful Chinese feature.

Honorable Mention: The Blue Bird (1970), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Pinocchio (1972), Fritz the Cat (1972), Robin Hood (1973), Dunderklumpen! (1974), Around the World with Peynet’s Lovers (1974), Coonskin (1975), Everybody Rides the Carousel (1975), The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976), Fantastic Animation Festival (1977), Gulliver’s Travels (1977), Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977), Wizards (1977), The Talking Parcel (1978), The Adventures of Sudsakorn (1979), The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner  Movie (1979), Habfurdo (1979), Galaxy Express 999 (1979), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Tatsu no ko Taro (1979),

[marredbyoverlength]

Year-End Awards 2018

2018 sucked personally, professionally, and politically. But hey, at least the movies sucked too!

Ok, there were plenty of good movies. But the bad vastly outnumbered the good, and the highlights weren’t especially high. Even my favorite filmmakers had weak years: Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers both put out some of their most mediocre films in 2018.

But no year is devoid of value, and damned if I won’t do my best to find it. Let’s dive into the only blog post I still do, the year-end awards.

(Honorable mentions, as always, are listed in no particular order.)

Best Lead Performance: Paul Giamatti & Kathryn Hahn, Private Life.

Giving this to two people is a cheap trick (and one I’ve used before), but this is my blog and I make the rules. Private Life is a powerful, painfully realistic film about a middle-aged couple, played by Hahn and Giamatti, going through IVF to get pregnant. Their relationship is at the core of the film; singling out one for praise would be a disservice to the other.

A film like this could easily be a one-dimensional tragedy about baby angst, but both lead actors go through a broad range of emotions that are at once inarticulable in words but instantly recognizable. The highs and lows of their journey and the stress it puts on them and their relationship come out in every expression, every movement of their bodies. This is the highest praise you can give actors: that they portray something that can’t be portrayed any other way.

Honorable Mentions: Olivia Cooke, Thoroughbreds; Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here; Toni Collette, Hereditary; Ryan Gosling, First Man; Viola Davis, Widows; Olivia Colman, The Favourite; Emma Stone, The Favourite; Annette Bening, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.

Best Supporting Performance: Anton Yelchin, Thoroughbreds.

Enough has been written about this already, but Anton Yelchin could easily have become one of the greatest actors of our time had he not died such a weird and sad death. His performance in Thoroughbreds is the perfect example of why I say that.

Yelchin plays a kind of guy that everyone knows, the wannabe operator who hangs out with, and deals drugs to, kids much younger than him and feels cool for doing so. He slips perfectly into that role, but what makes it better than just a caricature is how he captures the character in the scenes where he’s out of the element he’s chosen for himself: once after two high school girls violently rob him and once at the end after he sees what one of the girls has become. He is shaken and unsure, and letting that façade drop in real time is an impressive feat of acting.

Honorable Mentions: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?; Alison Pill, Vice; Oscar Isaac, Annihilation; Jason Isaacs, The Death of Stalin.

The Costner Award for Worst Actor: No Winner

Before going into more detail, I’d like to point out that I didn’t see any Gerard Butler movies this year, so take this with a grain of salt.

There were a lot of god-awful movies this year. But all those movies are awful for reasons distinct from acting. Bruce Willis was boring in Death Wish, sure, but his character was boring. Tye Sheridan was annoying in Ready Player One, but his character was annoying. Travolta was actually pretty good in Gotti, even though the movie was a total disaster.

In fact, I can’t think of any performances this year that made me angry in the same way the Kevin Costner makes me angry. Congratulations to actors, I guess? If you know of a truly heinous performance, let me know.

Nicest Surprise: Aquaman

Aquaman is a superhero movie about a very strong, very stupid dog in the shape of Jason Momoa (just look at his dumb face!). There is also a giant octopus who plays the drums. That’s about all you need to know about Aquaman.

Honorable mentions: Mission: Impossible – Fallout; Game Night.

Most Insulting Moment: “Street Weapon,” Robin Hood.

In Robin Hood (2018), Little John (Jamie Foxx) trains a fledgling Robin (Taron Egerton) in the art of hoodery. At the completion of this training, he says to Robin, “you’re going to need a street weapon.” Then he hands Robin this:

“Patrick, is that a full-sized bow with brass knuckles tied to it?” Yes, yes it is. You know, for the streets.

Honorable Mentions: Queen Saves Live Aid, Bohemian Rhapsody; Tactical Furniture, Death Wish; Pretty much all of Ready Player One.

Winter’s Tale Memorial “What the Hell Am I Watching” Award: No Winner

I almost gave this award to Gotti, a movie so widely panned that the marketing campaign explicitly told potential viewers that critics are scum. But then a friend of mine live-blogged his first viewing of The Book of Henry, the current title-holder, and I was reminded of just how gonzo bananas a movie has to be to get this award.

Sure, Gotti is an incomprehensible failure tornado that somehow had enough money for John Travolta but apparently not enough for, you know, lighting and sound guys, but it’s not bewildering like Winter’s Tale was, or like Book of Henry was. A winner should make me ask not just “what the hell is going on” and “how the hell did this get made,” but also “why the hell would anyone want to make this?”  I didn’t see anything that prompted that last question this year.

Prettiest Movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I used to give out an award for technical filmmaking, but in hindsight, I don’t know enough about filmmaking to confidently give that award. But I am an expert on the topic of “things I find visually appealing,” and since film is a visual medium (despite what the Academy would have you believe), I’m bringing the category back in this form.

Anyway, the winner is Spider-Verse, no contest. It’s the most brilliantly animated film I’ve seen in years, and easily the best-animated CGI film ever produced. In a world drowning in endless round-and-shiny Pixar clones, Spider-Verse made something entirely unique, influenced by the styles of comic books through the ages but ultimately producing something all its own. The end sequence, with manifold universes spiraling out of a black hole and bleeding into each other, will no doubt be the most impressive feat of animation for years to come.

Honorable Mentions: Mandy; Annihilation; You Were Never Really Here.

Best Picture: Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.

After seeing this beautiful film, I resigned myself to the fact that it wouldn’t receive any Oscar buzz. I was more right than I realized: not only did it not get any nominations, it didn’t even qualify for consideration. The Academy considered this a Film Stars a 2017 movie, as it was released on a very limited run on December 29, 2017. I didn’t hear the name until I saw a trailer for it in January of this year, and I didn’t get to see it in my city until February. This is the great crime of Oscar season: everybody tries to put their stuff out as late as possible, and real gems like this one get crowded out by Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a movie that gets worse every time I think about it.

I’m correcting this injustice. Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool is the only great movie of 2018. The script is heartbreaking, the acting is profoundly human, and the fluid cinematography masterfully blends past with present, creating a portrait of the last days in the life of Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening) in all her messy detail, seen from her own perspective as well as that of her former lover, the much younger Peter Turner (Jamie Bell). Where those perspective diverge is where the film is at its best, and those moments are easily the most moving of the year.

Honorable Mentions: Annihilation; The Death of Stalin; Private Life.

That’s it, that’s the whole post. Peace out.

[gchoate17]

In keeping with tradition, here’s my top ten list of best events of 2018 and worst events of 2018, vaguely ranked in the order that they most impacted my life. 

Best

I initiated a regular workout schedule with my coworkers and our corporate Wellness Coordinator, resulting in my losing 21 pounds and feeling better about my overall health. (March 29-Current)

Filled in the pool, thus putting an end to a source of financial and emotional stress. (March 17)

Putting Gus in daycare provided a newfound freedom for me and Liz to exist in our own lives, separate from Gus—in as much as any good parent can exist separate from their child. (June 25)

Grandpa and Tutu visited from Arizona to remodel our bathroom. (April 14-22)

We took a couple of fun family vacations—to the beach to celebrate Gus’s first birthday (June 13-June 20), and to St. Louis (and Memphis, after a scheduling mix-up) to celebrate Liz’s 30th birthday. (December 16-20)

Gus got tubes put in his ears, thus ending a relentless string of ear infections. (October 25)

I won the 2018 Spirit of Garver Award (employee of the year) at work. (October 18)

I got a legit website so I can stop telling people if they want to see more of my writing they can visit my blog that is actually a series of notes to Gus or my blog that ranks the meals I eat relative to each other. (June 28)

I went to AWP for the first time since 2011 and completely surrounded myself with writers, leading to inspiring new friendships. (March 7-10)

I got back into tennis. (February-Current)

Worst

Mum died. (September 27)

Aaron Stallmann died. (February 9)

My renters left the Goshen house in terrible condition, thus hitting me with repair costs and a second mortgage. (July 31)

Gus had a relentless string of ear infections. (July-October)

After staying home with Liz for a year, Gus had to go to daycare, which was a hard adjustment. And damned expensive. (June 25)

I ended a 19-year streak of accident-free driving when I barely even bumped a driver who slammed on her brakes after I honked at her for coming to a complete stop at a yield sign and I have no regrets about honking, but I should’ve been better prepared for such retaliation. (March 20)

I had multiple bouts with Poison Sumac, one of which left me with an eye completely swollen shut. (March-April)

Something happened and I can’t seem to get my shoulder to do what it’s supposed to do on the tennis court without hurting. (November 6)

I had to get a new truck because my old one couldn’t accommodate a carseat, something I didn’t take into account when I bought it in 2009. (May 17)

Summit was more stressful than it’s ever been. (September-October)

Previous Best/Worst Lists: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.    

[bentenharuki]

In your opinion, who are the top 10 best vball players in haikyuu?

Hi!!! Morning from the beach ^.^ interesting question and a LONG one. I have to make a premise… for me much is already established by the official stats. Then it comes the development we see from the manga. It means to me for instance the stats of let’s say karasuno or aoba johsai or dateko players have IMPROVED from the time we got them first, because all players there we have seen them evolve. It’s also that generally first years improve more than third years (logically. One of the major exceptions for me is Asahi who’s improving DRASTICALLY in the National Arc, let’s say, at a top level). All considered, though, my list includes a lot of players of Nationals right now. First (or second, depending of what comes after this place) is obviously Kageyama. He is BY STATS from the start the best. And I assume HE HAS IMPROVED a lot so he probably nw is at least 5/5 also in power. He is the most complete and fastest improving player not to mention the most talented player in the manga by canon. He’s like a little Pele or Maradona. Unquestionably the best one…Unless…Number two (or one) depending on what we don’t know yet (namely his stats) SAKUSA. The best spiker in youth volleyball, being a year younger than Ushijima. Player who can play ANY role (seen at National Camp). A player so great Lord Kags acknowledged him straight and moreover, a player who seems to be that great without even giving his best yet. I assume he can be even better or at least at the same level of genius as Lord Kags. And I BLEED to see them paired ^.^Number 3: by stats and also versatility gotta be Hoshiumi. Even though you know.. he still a midget so he can’t improve further, as power can’t be upgraded if you are a midget anyway. But so far he is at this point.Number 4: MOTOYA. Perfect stats. Total versatility. Best libero being a second year, able to set and spike. Tall. Just amazing.(No mistery all these were at camp)Number 5: Osamu : his stats are better than atsumu’s and if he would just have the same thirst his twin has, he’d be amazing.Number 6: it’s a three-way tie. Can’t switch any.They are Atsumu, Oikawa and Ushijima. All three great, with minuses which can be worked on to make them even better. What makes them champions is their thirst. Ushijima is a genius too, but his sight is limited. If he would be more creative, he’d be better.Number 9: Bokuto a perfect ace. A really smart and insightful player. He seems airheaded, but ge has a surgical mind game.Number 10: SUNA. Terrific player. Also second year to impress me even more.

In Haikyuu there are many amazing players. In Karasuno alone Tsukishima, the way he is becoming, Tanaka, Daichi are all really really great. Tsukki may become like or better than Suna. So in many other teams there are wonderfully talented players. But the way Furudate wants to appeal people simply puts light on the most irrealistic ones and so much greatness gets wasted.

Hope I answered you enough. Typing on the mobile while tanning was not easy ;) Hugs and gave a great day!!!

[therest-is-still-unwritten]