Zangz's Best of '08!

Happy frackin' New Year, folks! I hope all of you were able to bring 2009 in with lots of fun, frollick and safety.

My New Years Eve was a real treat. I was invited over to Roberto and Iris' place along with a couple of other good friends where a wonderful feast of tenderloin, Bloody Mary's. buttery mashed potatoes were followed by a game of Munchkin and then some Karaoke themed video games (It's odd how a virtual Paula Abdul acts just as heavily medicated as she does on American Idol!). Before we knew it the new year was upon us, then the next thing we know it is 2 AM. We had such a good New Year's festivus that time really flew by.


Now that 2008 is over, it is time to reflect on my Best Of 2008. I have never done this on my blog before so bear with me here. Let's touch upon movies first....

Best Movie of '08.

#3. Iron Man - Robert Downey Jr. nailed the role of Tony Stark while director, John Favreau brought in a lot of the the Iron Man mythos into the movie. There was real care to put this comic book up onto the big screen.

#2. Quantum of Solace - This bad boy almost made it to #1, but a loss of plot and characterization that was so prevalent in it's predecessor, Casino Royale, knocked it down by a nose hair of a nano-point. Otherwise, this non stop James Bond thrill ride was indeed one of the biggest entertainment highlights for me all year!

And my NUMBER ONE movie of 2008..........

#1. The Dark Knight - Comic book movie, crime thriller, action flick and thespian playground. This Batman movie had it all, dark as dark can be. And of course the late Heath Ledger's Joker is among the top movie villains of all time! My mouth was agape the whole flick. But, again, this movie barely skooched ahead by a simple nose hair. Quantum gave it a nasty run for it's money. But, after some meditation and sole searching I had to give Dark Knight a slightly higher enjoyment level.

Honorable mentions....

- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Not the best Indiana Jones movie, but far better than what is being written by a lot of the silly internet nay-sayers who want to bash anything sequel or prequel-esqe that has anything to do with George Lucas. A fun pulp romp, period.

- Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - A fun, pulp, action packed romp through a mythical fantasy world. I'm really hoping for a 3rd instalment of the Hellboy series.

Best Comedy of '08 goes to.....

Stepbrothers - Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly can do man-child like no others. It's out for rental right now, so if you need a good laugh and missed it in the theaters, go out and check it out!

Best Album I Listened to in 2008....

Nightwish's "Dark Passion Play" - Even though this came out towards the end of 2007, I picked up my copy in the fall of '07 and found myself listening to it well into and throughout 2008. Orchestral power metal at its finest.

Best restaurant dinner I crammed down my face in '08.

The Chop House's Fillet Mingone - I was taken there for my 40th birthday and have fondly thought of the dinner ever since. It truly melted in my mouth with each bite.

Best party attended in '08.

It's going to have to go to my 40th surprise party. It was a James Bond themed extravaganza that was the best time I had all year.

An honorable mention should go out to Hope and Mario's Halloween party.

Best Video Game of '08.

Fallout 3! Open sandbox gameplay in post apocalyptic Washington DC. Very addictive gameplay also helps this game skim past GTA4. Mass Effect should get an honorable mention for it's grand sci-fi story telling and addictive game play.

Best Haunted Attraction attended in '08.

Hands down the Hartford JC's Haunted House pretty much stole the show out form under our usual fave, Terror on Rural Street.

Best Book Read in '08.

James Patterson's "The Big Bad Wolf". Another fast paced Alex Cross thriller. I blew through three of them this summer and Big Bad Wolf was the best of the three.

I think that will be about it for my Best Of 2008 wrap up. Here's hoping that 2009 doesn't suck as much as 2008 did for you.

Until next blog, stay vertical!

Zangz.