Laura Continued Arch Enemy/Infernal Majesty/ Sinned/Soulscar — October 15 at The Commodore Although I am not much of an Arch Enemy fan, this show at the Commodore was definitely one ofthe best of the. year,. mostly because they played my favourite song of theirs, “Burning Angel.” But the real highlight of the night was the Vancouver death act Sinned. The new song, “Her Black Wings,” from their latest demo adds a more melodic Duncan Lorenzi Noted Cinemaphile Duncan’s shaping up to be the OP’s principal movie writer. He often describes himself as a “people person” and frequently brags about the time he ate a four-kilogram box of apples in one sitting. Mark Fisher Business Manager Mark is our steadfast and level- headed accountant, without whom this paper would descend into beer-driven bankruptcy. When he’s not contributing to the A&E section he likes to drive around town in his stock 1967 Camaro and yell insults at teenagers. ALBULMS: Tegan & Sara — The Con Making lists like this are always fun because it gives you a chance to re-listen to all the albums you bought this year. At first this element to their torrent of tunes, and it was well received. Deadriver Wasteland/Ritual Demise November 2—The Cobalt Deadriver Wasteland always kicks ass, and so does Ritual Demise. MOVIES: 300 300 was a smorgasbord of epic sexiness, and should have been renamed 300 Beefcakes. In the film, three hundred buff Spartans engage in a legendary battle CONCERTS: Blue Man Group Never having seen them before it was a joy to watch the Blue Man Group perform. The introduction began with a medley of thunderous percussion and other sounds created from the most unlikely of instruments (think PVC plumbing pipes). From that moment onwards this performance was astounding and kept me mesmerized until the end. The unique musical dexterity of these blue-faced men was incredible and the well- coordinated interaction of the group made for humorous and lively entertainment. MOVIES: Empties Josef, a retired schoolteacher, record wasn’t going to make the cut for my list, but after taking it back out and listening to it again, I just had to put it on. It’s amazing how far these two have come as songwriters since they started their duo act as teenagers. Radiohed — In Rainbows Probably the most hype- generating album of the year. So much ink has been spilled about how this album is revolutionizing the music industry that the actual quality of the songs on it has become somewhat of an afterthought. It’s kind of a shame. White Stripes — Icky Thump While Radiohead and Tegan and Sara both made great albums, I wouldn’t consider either of those albums their best. The White Stripes were the only band this year that I thought reached new heights; this is the best album they’ve ever made and probably ever will. “Icky Thump” was my favourite song of the year too. with...who cares. I may be all about epic and gore movies, but when six hundred well-defined pecs with matching perky foreign nipples are flexing as they thrust spears into enemies, I find it hard to pay attention to the storyline. Pan’s Labyrinth If the imagination is the soul’s playground, then Pan’s Labyrinth is the inspiration for the swing set. The film’s childlike aesthetic creates a rather sinister feeling, anda sense of impending disaster lurks in the shadows from start takes a job at a bottle return depot in a Prague supermarket. In his new position he is able to look out the small square window of his storage room and concoct desperate fantasies about housewives as they fill their carts with canned peaches. Playing the matchmaker, Josef toys with people’s desires in a humorous way, all the while avoiding contact with his own wife. Though the film explores themes of societal expectation and the creeping certainty of death as one ages, it does so in a charming, humorous way. The Darjeeling Limited If you want a movie that will make you laugh, check out the hilarious dysfunction of three brothers who share prescriptions and dirty secrets over curry CONCERTS: Tegan & Sara — September 22 at the Commodore This was a great year for Tegan and Sara fans: an awesome album, a DVD, and _ two nationwide tours. I missed their acoustic tour which sold out a small venue fast, but seeing them at Vancouver’s best concert venue more than made up for that. These two always put on an amazing live show. Virgin Fest — May 21 at Thunderbird Stadium While a lot of people mocked this two-day festival because My Chemical Romance was one of the headliners, where else can you enjoy over 40 bands in two days in this city? I got to enjoy great sets from Metric, Rise Against, Mute Math, A.FI. (I’m still surprised at how good they were) and Billy Talent, and get exposed to tons of new bands too. With next year’s festival already confirmed, hopefully this will become an annual tradition. to finish. Haunting, creepy and awesome are all ways to describe this masterpiece of a movie, and it is a welcome change of pace from the usual slew of action and humour fodder that fill up theatres—even if it is subtitled. Black Sheep This film has garnered a wide array of reviews, from “brilliant movie” to “worst movie of all time.” And yes, it could easily be lumped into the stagnant genre of animal zombie movies... but this film has some “shear while traveling aboard a train headed for the Himalayas in The Darjeeling Limited. Not having seen each other since their father’s funeral one year previous, the boys’ interactions with each other are extremely awkward and border on the absurd. While carrying out planned activities from an anally drawn up travel itinerary, they also do a great job of pissing off the train’s Chief Steward. Their Spiritual experience is made more intense by the fact that they constantly lie to each other. With its incredibly colorful and exquisitely-detailed culture, the country of India also showcases itself as one of the films’ richest characters. The White Stripes — Deer Lake Park As you can tell, this really was the year of The White Stripes for me (you can probably tell that I love outdoor concerts too). After Jack White’s side project The Raconteurs did so well, I thought the White Stripes may be about to wind down, but they definitely proved me wrong. This was the first show in their historic Canada-wide tour which they went on to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band, so I’m choosing this as my number one concert because I’Il be able to look back on this years from now and say “It’s cool that I got to be a part of that.” MOVIES: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End This was a great year for “fun” movies, but not a very good one for “serious” movies, as none really stood out in that category. The third Pirates film closed off the trilogy in a fittingly grand way, with lots of backstabbing, double-crossing, and a wedding terrifying” moments that put it in a class of its own. Based in the land of sheep, New Zealand, this “violence of the lambs” begins on a farm whose owners have been conducting weird experiments. But what results from these “baaaaaaad” scientists is an hour and a half-of pure “woolly horror,” which boasts a bad guy with a huge package and a flock of “sheeple.” If you have always wondered how flammable sheep are, or what-one would do if it got a hold of your wang, “ewe” will love this movie! Garbage Warrior Observe the wild antics of one rebellious architect in New Mexico as he fights the state for the right to construct houses out of garbage. Unorthodox and fiery, Michael Reynolds is not your average activist. The man walks his own walk and invites you to join in as he charges off in pursuit of some crazy ideas. His experiments with building what have been dubbed “earthships” are fascinating and thought provoking, and by the end of the film you will undoubtedly be nodding your head in agreement with some of his ideas. In fact, I just put a down payment on a nice house in New West made out of beer cans! in the middle of a fight that you can’t help but cheer for. Superbad Remember when you were a teenager and getting laid was the most important thing in the world to you? Remember how much of a dork you made out of yourself trying? This movie captures that time period, and it’s hilarious when the dork isn’t you. What makes this movie so good is that every character in it could easily be someone you knew back in High School, even McLovin. Especially McLovin. Hot Fuzz Hot Fuzz parodies big budget action films by setting the story of a serious cop in a small Scottish town where urinating teens are the biggest crime. This film is perfectly paced in a way that only British comedies are; you don’t realize it while you’ re watching the film, but they’re setting you up for a hilarious ending that comes later, one that I had to watch repeatedly because it’s so achingly funny.