Beth's review - "I thought this movie was amazing. I'd recommend everyone to download it, it's only $5.99 on DirecTV. It's hard to put this movie in a genre, but unlike "Enemy" last week, I really thought every character in this movie was interesting and well acted. This movie reminds me a lot of "Drive," the 2011 film starring Ryan Gosling, where you really like the main character even though you know you shouldn't. It had a great feel, great music, and was overall one of the best movies of the year. 9 out of 10."
Brent's review - "The Guest is about a grieving family that is visited by an army friend of their deceased son, and I really don't want to give away much more than that. The film has a very retro feel to it, from the fonts used to the over the top action scenes. In addition to "Drive," it also reminded me of the best stuff John Carpenter's done. I think I laughed more during this movie than during most comedies we saw this year, but also enjoyed the suspenseful parts/action scenes better than some of the big budget films we saw in the theater. This was an awesome film, one I'm sure we'll rewatch again sometime in the future. 10 out of 10."
As with albums, we wanted to mention our methodology as well as a few honorable mentions. Much less scientific, we each picked our top ten comics of the year. At that point, we combined our list, and the ones placing highest on each list were awarded the top spot, and so forth on down. As a tie breaker, whichever book placed the highest on either person's list was awarded the higher spot.
A few series that made it one of our lists but not the other, included Savage Dragon, Astro City, and Mega Man. Savage Dragon was in particular disadvantaged because Beth is still reading the back issues and could not therefore vote for this year's issues. For those of you (most of you) who have zero interest in this, perhaps at least this will be educational, and you can learn about some great stories that don't all include people wearing spandex (though some certainly do).
10.
Beth's thoughts - "This is not one of those comics that addresses big issues, has an important impact on the DC universe, or was even very popular as it's since been cancelled. However I enjoyed this comic every time it was released. It was fun, it told a good story and had fun characters. Sometimes that's just all you need in life is a good, fun comic."
Brent's thoughts - "This was a good year for comics if you prefer your pages to harken back to the days that these were known as 'funny books.' Larfleeze, along with Valiant series 'Archer and Armstrong' and 'Quantum and Woody' was written with a main character that is a bit more exaggerated and cartoony than most of the other books put out by the big two comic companies (Marvel and DC). It tells the story of a 'hero' that is only a hero because he is the greediest individual in the universe, and some of the things he really wants belong to villains, or at least individuals with worse character than himself."
9.
Brent's thoughts - "Wayward shares a lot of similarities to an all-time great TV series, 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.' This is the story of a girl that moves to a new school, and ends up fighting demons (now that I wrote that down, I guess it's a LOT like Buffy). Unlike Buffy however, this story takes place entirely in Japan and is steeped in actual Japanese folklore. One of the best things about the comic is the back of each issue features essays about Japanese culture and explanations about where various characters or storylines originate from."
Beth's thoughts - "It seems that comic fandom is dominated by men and women tend to not give it much of a chance. I think our top ten list shows that there are amazing comics put out each year that are not heavy busted women in spandex saving the world (even though I myself still enjoy a lot of those). This is a comic that even if you're not a comic fan you can enjoy. It's an adventure story with a teenage girl at the center."
8.
Beth's thoughts - "I warned you in the last one that I like some of the big busted women in spandex (or in this case, chain mail) saving the world. This book is so different from a lot of the stuff we read. It follows Red Sonja around on her adventures. It made my top ten list because one particular storyline in which she was sent out to find the best 'masters' at a number of professions, including Chefs, animal tamers, star gazers, and even a prostitute."
Brent's thoughts - "This series follows around a lady that knows how to fight, but isn't the best at diplomacy. I really enjoy the setting in this series. If' you're a fan of fantasy writing, or Game of Thrones, a lot of the best elements of that are present here as well. Once again, this is another book we enjoyed this year that also featured a lot of great humorous moments. Also, I think Jenny Frisson's covers are some of the best in the industry."
7.
Brent's thoughts - "This title seemed very gimmicky to me from the start. The plot is as follows: the mutants of the world are fighting amongst themselves and things are dire, so one of them uses time travel to bring the earliest generation of the X-Men (the 1960's group) to the present to inspire the current generation. Things go haywire and the group ends up stuck in the present. Surprisingly, this book has been the best title in a large line of X books, featuring tons of great character moments as different characters coming to grips with what sort of people they become and make decisions about whether to follow the same paths that their older selves have done."
Beth's thoughts - "What makes me enjoy this book is how the original X-Men are written. They have the definite feel of the 1960's comics, which is a nice change of pace from some of the drama that current mutants deal with."
6.
Beth's thoughts - "To me, this comic is about Peter Quill of the Guardians of the Galaxy, dating Kitty Pryde. If you know me at all, you know I love the Guardians of the Galaxy, I love Kitty Pryde, and I love when comic characters date or get married. That is all I have to say about that. As an added bonus, Lockheed also shows up from time to time."
Brent's thoughts - "With the popularity of the Guardians of the Galaxy film, what once was a low selling title about our favorite group of space heroes has been split into (at this writing) five different ongoing series about this cast of characters. Surprisingly, Star-Lord's solo title has emerged to be both of our favorites, but for different reasons (sorry honey). I'm a huge fan of the expanded Marvel cosmic universe, and this title has become the second best place to read about it. It has a very Indiana Jones meets Star Wars feel to it, and tons of great cameos from other characters."
5..
Brent's thoughts - "The Valiant comics line is very strong right now. All the books fit together in a shared world, but have very different settings/styles. Harbinger is the book I think of however, when I think of the Valiant world. People with powers tend to either work for the biggest corporations, or are on the run from those same corporations. The younger characters act like teenagers and make stupid decisions, and there are tons of moments where people react to seeing something amazing much the same as I would in a similar situation (I'm guessing, I haven't yet seen somebody move stuff with their mind). Also, because Valiant characters don't have big movies supporting them, when they do kill a character it's been final, which adds to the stakes while reading."
Beth's thoughts - "I agree completely with Brent on how strong Valiant comics were in 2014. This is my favorite valiant comic because it has the characters that I like the best in it. As Brent said it's a group of teenagers with powers, that act like teenagers, so it puts them in interesting situations."
4.
Beth's thoughts - "This comic is a mystery adventure where a high school, and everyone in it is transported to a different world. Each issue is a great mixture where you find out a little bit more about the world they're in, and why they were transported there, mixed with the adventure of high schoolers roaming the woods filled with alien creatures. The main kids all of their own dynamics and motivations, so it keeps it interesting no matter who the story is focusing on."
Brent's thoughts - "From reading Beth's thoughts above, you're likely thinking this sounds like a "Lost" ripoff, but this book feels completely different from that tv series. Some of my favorite moments are the jockeying for power between various cliques at the school, as well as the adults (such as the gym teacher trying to use football players to gain power). The new world is much more out of Arthur Conan Doyle than dealing with polar bears in the tropics, and the consistent art of Dialynas gives the book great continuity in its feel."
Beth's thoughts (again) - "This book is much better than "Lost," I gave up on that show because it was slow, which this book is not."
3.
Brent's thoughts - "This is a joint list, but I will admit this book was my pick for the best title of 2014. The Silver Surfer has always been one of my favorite characters; he has been as much interested in discovery and philosophy as in action. This series is essentially the story of him doing his normal space activities with an Earth girl for a companion. It sounds simple enough, but the execution is flawless. Each issue has great laughs, and Mike Allred is one of the all-time great comic artists. If you enjoy pop art that you'd see in a museum (Lichtenstein, Warhol, etc.) then this guy's work is right up your alley."
Beth's thoughts - "Brent hit the nail right on the head with his review. As you will soon see from our top three comics, I love comics that follow the story of great male and female protagonists. The interaction between the Silver Surfer and Dawn Greenwood is just done perfectly. I'd like to note that I don't think this book would be as great without Mike Allred's fantastic art."
2.
Beth's thoughts - "Every time I try to tell someone what this book is about, I always get a skeptical response. This book is about Alex, whose grandmother sends him a companion robot for his birthday, but Alex doesn't want to "use her" for companion purposes, so he unlocks her artificial intelligence to allow her to think for herself. The book deals with both characters trying to navigate normal life situations that are complicated by Ada being a robot. When this book comes out every month, it is always one that I will make time to read that Wednesday."
Brent's thoughts - "Along with our number one book on this list, this is a title I like to loan to friends in order to show what sorts of stories are being told in comics, beyond the standard 'dudes in capes.' The books that place highest for us tend to have characters that are so well defined that you grow attached to them. The world of Alex + Ada, where robots with artificial intelligence are outlawed, also adds some great suspense to the later issues."
1.
Brent's thoughts - "If you were to now know anything about us, except that we liked the previous nine books, you'd probably be able to pick Saga as a book we love. It's got all the things that made other series our favorites, including laugh out loud moments, well defined characters, and a science fiction setting. Saga is the story of two aliens from different planets that are at war, who are on the run with their child. Brian K. Vaughan has been the most reliable writer in comics for several years now in terms of crafting excellent stories with shocking moments. Fiona Staples is great at creating truly alien life forms and depicting all the nasty stuff Brian K. Vaughan can think of."
Beth's thoughts - "If you have listened to me at all for the last year, I have never doubted in myself in telling everyone that this is the best comic book being sold right now. I can't explain how much I love everything about this book. It even has a giant cat that can tell if you're lying in it. This is the one comic I won't let Brent read before me, even if it's his week to put them in order. I am always so excited to read the book, even though I know there's a huge chance that Brian K. Vaughan will make the last place something I'm going to cry about (even before I was pregnant, and didn't cry so easy). Not only is the story and art such high quality, but I actually like reading the letters page at the end of the book, more than I even like reading some of the books on our top ten list."
This week, the Jazz went 1-3, as predicted. However, the team surprised us by winning their one game on the road by blowing out a tough Chicago Bulls team by twenty. Even more impressive, was Trevor Booker's shot against Oklahoma City this week. The situation was the Jazz were inbounding the ball with .2 seconds on the shot clock (enough to tip a shot in, but not to make a full shooting motion).
This week, the Jazz will have a tough schedule, by playing the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers, and the Spurs in San Antonio. Beth predicts the Jazz will only beat the Lakers, but does not believe the Warriors or Spurs will win by more than 10 points. Brent likes what he's been seeing from this young team, and is predicting a shocking upset over the Warriors in a revenge game from earlier this season, as well as a win over the pitiful, no good, very bad Lakers team. This week's winner will get movie picking rights next weekend.