--Of the movies I saw:
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8lcR9UMCI/AAAAAAAACS8/RdxBCwZTles/s400/2.jpg)
Christopher Nolan made me very happy with this decidedly literal take on the psychological thriller.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR81rQ9YKqI/AAAAAAAACTM/yy8mjurjZmU/s400/3.jpg)
Evocative, imaginative and unsettling animation from Mamoru Oshii.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8vFs5EOZI/AAAAAAAACTE/PDMpGRH1NQw/s400/imhere2.jpg)
Spike Jonze's thirty minute short is weird, bittersweet and extremely memorable. You can watch it online here.
--Of the books I read:
Winged Victory - V.M. Yeates
An unflinchingly honest portrayal of young men ruined physically and psychologically by wartime flying in the newly founded R.A.F.
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
A wonderfully atmospheric story of poison gas, zombies and steampunk.
---Comics and manga:
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8e4UdNl1I/AAAAAAAACSs/jOq9Gp04o28/s400/20thcboys.jpg)
If you haven't already seen me raving about this fantastic series, you can't have been paying attention. A sprawling, genre-defying epic told at a personal scale.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8dOeFxS4I/AAAAAAAACSk/dAtW7OdyKyM/s400/biomega_vol3_scaled.jpg)
All your transhuman zombie bio/cyberpunk needs in one gothic, M.C. Escher-esque setting. With added talking grizzly bear.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8hfLI96VI/AAAAAAAACS0/2oS_4LMOXkE/s400/umbrella_ac_dallas_five.jpg)
The continuation of the most imaginative superhero comic you'll ever read, which still never loses its human touch.
---Of the TV shows I watched:
Baccano!
Essentially the animated, prohibition-era, supernatural, ultraviolent The Wire.
Downton Abbey
You mean a period drama can be about progress instead of pining nostalgically for eras when everyone knew their place? And the whole thing is gorgeous and brilliantly written? More please.
Avatar: The Legend of Aang
I finally saw the first season of the acclaimed cartoon this year. It's not perfect, but the setting and characters are wonderfully realised.
---Of the games I played:
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8aPO8ndmI/AAAAAAAACSU/HhJuggyhXBM/s400/tali_boshtet.jpg)
Delivering on the promise of modern, mainstream, big-budget games, Mass Effect 2 places you in a sci-fi epic overflowing with cinematic action and life-or-death decisions. Also: Tali.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8THLotNqI/AAAAAAAACSE/lNzTQwt3xP0/s400/digitallovestory2.png)
Simple. Minimalist. Heartbreaking.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20151026181403im_/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YcJN5ZAyGRg/TR8ZhZP4MxI/AAAAAAAACSM/kyvLAKI6QYs/s400/harry.jpg)
You may not experience the same visceral emotional response that this game gave me, but even without it, this demonstrates an important other way in interactive storytelling - rather than letting the player decide what happens, this game tries to get in your head and tell you the story it thinks suits you best.
--Of the New Years I had:
I wish you a very happy one. May 2011 be a year where good things happen for you.