MOVIES
10. Nicholas Nickleby (2002). Pitch-perfect Dickens, a very rare thing.
9. A Knight's Tale (2001). No, the medieval jousting-match audience chanting Queen songs makes no sense, and that oddball creativity is why it's a favorite. Also, this was Heath Ledger at his dreamiest.
8. Spider-Man 2 (2004). Everything a superhero movie should be, even if it is... Marvel.
7. Road to Perdition (2002). The Hanks/Newman gangster flick, and the most beautifully shot movie ever. This was made by some master craftsmen. Every frame is art.
6. Star Trek (2009). I was staunchly against this movie until I saw the trailer, then I happily ate my hat each of the five times I saw it in the theater.
5. Twilight (2008). You may have heard of it.
4. Brokeback Mountain (2005). Not one of my favorite movies, but sometimes movies are bigger than themselves, and that's why this one's on my list.
3. Superman Returns (2006). A gigantic missed opportunity that resulted in a mediocre movie. But what can I say? I love it anyway. The production design is gorgeous, Brandon Routh is a worthy successor to Christopher Reeve, and the plane-rescue scene is thrilling.
2. Wonder Boys (2000). My favorite movie about writers and writing; after watching this the first time, I literally went in the other room and started writing my novel. Also, an early stepping stone on Robert Downey Jr.'s very-welcome road to professional redemption.
1. The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003). Easy. It wasn't just a movie but a three-year event. Peter Jackson & Co. did everything right -- the casting, the music, the humor and the heartbreak were all just dead-on. This is everything I want from movies. This is probably the movie of my lifetime.
MUSIC
10. Original Pirate Material - The Streets (2002). Josh and I just about burned out this CD that year.
9. A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Coldplay (2002). C'mon, you know you like them too.
8. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Bright Eyes (2005). Conor Oberst is one of my favorite lyricists and he was on a roll on this album. "The sun came up with no conclusions."
7. Life In Cartoon Motion - Mika (2007). Gay gay gay!
6. Hot Fuss - The Killers (2004).
5. Only By The Night - Kings of Leon (2008). My most-listened-to album of 2009.
4. The Rising - Springsteen (2002).
3. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - U2 (2004).
2. No Line On The Horizon - U2 (2009).
1. All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2 (2000). My desert-island album.
BOOKS
Surprisingly, this category was the hardest because I'm not as up on recent books as I should be.
10. From A Buick 8 - Stephen King (2003). A slow-boiling thriller and a rebuke to anyone who, like me, suspected Stephen King's glory days ended with his coke habit.
9. War Boy - Kief Hillsbery (2002). Narrated by a deaf-mute, gay, anarchist teenager. Need I say more?
8. A Death In Brazil: A Book of Omissions - Peter Robb (2005). A memoir disguised as the entire history of a nation, from discovery to modern politics. And a page-turner, to boot!
7. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (2007). Truth be told, this probably should be higher up.
6. Chasm City - Alastair Reynolds (2002). Mystery wrapped in sci-fi wrapped in holy-shit! wrapped in awesome.
5. The Road - Cormac McCarthy (2006). Gut-wrenching. With punchy dialogue!
4. Dogwalker: Stories - Arthur Bradford (2002). Why is this the only book you've ever published, Arthur?
3. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers (2001). Read this memoir to make your own life feel boring and unromantic in comparison.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz (2007). Expanded my notion of what a novel could be and do. Deserving of every ounce of his Pulitzer.
1. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon (2001). A sprawling epic loosely based on the creators of Superman, set in Depression-era New York. The book I most wish I could've written myself.
