Showing posts with label Top 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top 10. Show all posts

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The latest

So I'm sitting here watching Flight of the Concords and I felt like writing a TV blog. We'll start with my list of my top 10 favourite TV shows.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Battlestar Galactica
3. Angel
4. Firefly
5. Avatar: The Last Airbender
6. Scrubs
7. How I Met Your Mother
8. Bleach
9. Friends
10. 24
I must say, TV is on a downward spiral but there some quite entertaining shows. Flight of the Concords might be the most original. Battlestar Galactica is the smartest and best written. I'll be sad when it ends in a few episodes but it sure is going out with a bang. 24 is still as intense as ever and keeps the suspense ripe. Heroes and Lost are pissing me off, as they continue to recapture the flames they had from season one. I haven't seen Mad Men yet, but I hear wonderful things about it. How I Met Your Mother is steady by slipping on occasion, but Big Band Theory is on fire, along with 30 Rock and The Office. I must say that I've been into Smallville and Supernatural lately too. I acknowledge the tween nature of these shows but have that they both have grown with their audiences. Supernatural is rather dark and has a great storyline right now, involving angels, breaking seals, and the end of days. Smallville got rid of most of the teen drama and is focusing on Clark Kent fighting foes like Doomsday and Braniac. Bleach is still my anime of choice; 200 plus episodes in and always getting better. Cable TV also has two gems, Entourage and Dexter. A show about an actor and his buddies, great. A show about a likable serial killer who kills other serial killers, even better. BBC TV also has some good ones, Torchwood is one of the best sci fi shows of recent years and the short-lived Primeval had some fun moments.

I will say that I don't care much about many new shows, but I am intrigued by a few. Dollhouse marks creator Joss Whedon's return to TV since Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Kings also looks wonderful. Francis Lawrence, director of Constantine and I am Legend, has created a modern-day retelling of the story of King Saul and King David. Should be pretty interesting.

Welp, that's my TV rant. I end by saying I am sad Avatar is over and acknowledge that I watch more TV shows than most people...I'm okay with it.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Top 10 update

This is the time of year where my taste in movies changes. I live with many people that don't share my enjoyment of foreign or obscure films, so the rest of the year I wait for said films to come out on video. But Oscar season allows me, and those around me, the excuse to check out the hype of any kind of film. On Saturday night I saw Slumdog Millionaire and I was blown away. It's up there as one of the best love stories I've seen since Moulin Rouge. Last week I saw Che. It won't get many nominations but it is easily Best Picture worthy...far more than the incredibly overrated and rather disappointing Benjamin Button. Anyways, I still have a few more films to go from 2008 before the Top 10 list can be official, but here is an updated version. As expected, Wanted and Quantum of Solace got pumped.

I know some may wonder how they were there to begin with and the answer is quite simple. First, Wanted is hysterical. It's A Purpose Driven Life with guns. It's quite telling to see the American rhetoric of destiny and individualism exposed for the bloody mess it is. The film was clever and a good shoot 'em up. Any good top 10 list will acknowledge that entertainment and escapism is important as well films with a critical edge. As for Quantum of Solace. I love what they're doing with James Bond. He's no longer a glamorized alcoholic womanizer. He's a flawed man. Post 9/11 tension finally made it's way to the Bond films and after decades of the same old thing, it's nice to see a one-dimensional character get some layers. Yes, there was far too much action but Daniel Craig is the best Bond ever (I'll argue anyone on that point) and the film gave me great hope for the future of the franchise.

Now there's also the issue of why Cloverfield is on my list. First off, I'm not alone as several other critics put this postmodern monster movie on their list as well. I loved this film. I took the ideas of The Blair Witch Project to the extreme. It was brave enough to tell a story people might not want from a blockbuster. And it had some great cinematography. I felt like I was on a 3D ride and I enjoyed it all. The characters were decent and the storyline was ambiguous. Sometimes closure is overrated.

Well, w/o further ado, here's the update list in order, pre The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, Rachel Getting Married, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader (if any of the finalists make the cut, Wall-E will be the first to go).

1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Let the Right One In
4. Iron Man
5. Milk
6. Cloverfield
7. Che
8. Tropic Thunder
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. Wall-E

Friday, December 26, 2008

The End is Nigh

So it's almost the new year and I'm getting closer to deciding on my top 10 films of the year. I just saw Australia and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and, while I enjoyed both, neither will make the cut. I still need to see a few more key films to make my decision: Che, The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Reader. I say Revolutionary Road but, honestly, it's a Sam Mendes film (he did American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Jarhead), so while one of those three films might be great, the others were mediocre. Thus, I don't care about his latest film--even if Leo and Kate are back together. Well, here's the list so far (in no particular order).

10. Wall-E
9. Wanted
8. Quantum of Solace
7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
6. Tropic Thunder
5. Cloverfield
4. Milk.
3. Let the Right One In
2. Iron Man
1. The Dark Knight

While this list may change, I don't think the worst films of the year will. Granted this list is incomplete since I doubt I've seen all the worst films of the year.

10. Burn After Reading
9. The Punisher: War Zone
8. Max Payne
7. Mamma Mia
6. Blindness
5. 10,000 B.C.
4. Jumper
3. The Happening
2. Don't Mess with the Zohan
1. Miracle at St. Anna

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Upcoming movies to be stoked about

So the summer is basically over and with it, all the big movies are done. But there's still a lot I'm looking forward to this year and in the coming years. So here's a list of what I'm most excited about.

2008
James Bong 007: Quantum of Solace
Casino Royale may not have been the best James Bond flick, but Daniel Craig proved to be possibly the best Bong yet. Finally we're seeing the character have a soul. No more sleeping around and cocktails for the hell of it. This Bond is all about the mission and does what he has to, which may mean blowing off the girl rather than sticking around. He's emotional and emotionless, and with Marc Forster, director of Stranger Than Fiction and Finding Neverland, this film should be great.

Burn After Reading
The Coen brothers are returning to comedy after their evil tangent with No Country for Old Men. Brad Pit, George Clooney, and Tilda Swinton together, awesome.

Twilight
Hey, vampires are always awesome.

The Punisher: War Zone
I actually liked the first Punisher film. Even though the sequel has a different actor in the lead, it still looks to be a good time, super dark. After the first trailer hit the big screen, director Lexi Anderson said she was surprised they found enough action footage without gore. Colour me intrigued.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher directed Alien 3 before doing thrillers, serial killer stories, and Fight Club. His next film looks completely different. It's nice to see him returning to films that could never happen. It looks like a Tim Burton film, but twice as smart.

2009
Watchmen
The director of 300 is back with another graphic novel adaptation...actually, the graphic novel adaptation. It looks amazing. This film more than any other has me freaking out. It's the mid '80s. Richard Nixon is still the president. Superheroes, while common in culture, have been made illegal. A lot of people wanna hate on 300, but it was a faithful adaptation, thus I have faith in director Zack Snyder (he also did the Dawn of the Dead remake, which was pretty good).

Wolverine
I didn't know what to think of this one until I saw a bootleg trailer that premiered at Comic Con. Now I'm stoked. Wolverine is a great character and using the Weapon X storyline to introduce a grip of new characters is a great idea.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This one should've come out this year, but they pushed it back eight months, so annoying. Especially since the preview is to good. I love these movies and The Order of the Phoenix was great. We''ll see if they can keep it up.

Terminator Salvation
Christian Bale is one of new favourite actors, and attaching him to one of the most interesting sci-fi concepts is brilliant. Ever since the first Terminator movie, I've wanted to see the human/robot war. Finally, it's happening, and John Connor is Bale. Sweet!

Star Trek
I grew up on the Star Trek movies and shows, so this one makes me all nostalgic. But reminiscing about my youth isn't the only reason I'm gonna see this one. Creator of Lost and Cloverfield, J.J. Abrams is helming this, so it'll be interesting to see what fresh eyes can do for a very old franchise.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
I enjoyed Transformers, but it definitely took way too long to introduce Optimus Prime, luckily all the characters are established, so the explosions can just begin. Here's to badassness.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
I grew up on this cartoon, so the idea of seeing Snakes Eyes in live action gives me nothing but good feelings all over. It's gonna be mindless and thoroughly entertaining.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Top 50 Villains

So a bunch of film sites have been posting their favorite cinematic villains, and I just had to chime in. This is my list, so film history takes a backseat to my personal preference. Don't hold me to the order after like 15. I've also got a top TV villains list here too.

Top 50 Film Villains
Jack the Ripper, Iam Holmes, From Hell
Dracula, Gary Oldman, Dracula
Lady Deathstrike, Kelly Hu, X2
The crawlers, The Descent
Alonzo, Denzel Washington, Training Day
Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund, A Nightmare on Elm Street
Samara Morgan, Daveigh Chase, The Ring
The shark, Jaws
Zero Wolf, Raoul Trujillo, Apocalypto
Queen Bavmorda, Jean Marsh, Willow
The Joker, Jack Nicholson, Batman
Hans Gruber, Alan Rickman, Die Hard
The Fratellis, Anne Ramsey, Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi, The Goonies
Jigsaw, Tobin Bell, Saw
Jennifer Carpenter, Emily Rose (when possessed), The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Hayley Stark, Ellen Page, Hard Candy
The Operative, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Serenity
Prince Nuada/Nomak, Luke Goss, Hellboy II/Blade II
Zorg, Gary Oldman, The Fifth Element
Lord Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter
Ursula, Pat Carroll (voice), The Little Mermaid
Hannibal Lector, Silence of the Lambs
The Cloverfield monster, Cloverfield
Woo-jin, Yu ji-Tae, Oldboy
The Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz
The Witch, Lucille La Verne, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Satan, Rosalinda Celentano, The Passion of the Christ
Ommadon, James Earl Jones, The Flight of the Dragons
Mr. White, Harvey Keitel, Reservoir Dogs
Kevin, Elijah Wood, Sin City
Mr. Glass, Samuel L. Jackson, Unbreakable
Agent Smith, Hugo Weaving, The Matrix
The Emperor, Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars
Roy Batty, Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner
T-1000, Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Evil Ash, Bruce Campbell, Army of Darkness
The Predator, Kevin Peter Hall, Predator
The alien, Alien
The White Witch, Tilda Swinton, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Captain Hook, Dustin Hoffman, Hook
Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
'Verbal' Kint, Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects
Ringwraiths, The Lord of the Rings
Doc Ock, Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2
G'mork, Alan Oppenheimer (voice), The Neverending Story
Darth Vader, David Prowse & James Earl Jones (voice), Star Wars
The infected, 28 Days Later
Captain Vidal, Sergi Lopez, Pan's Labyrinth
The Joker, Heath Leger, The Dark Knight

Top 10 TV Villains
Captain Aizen, Kyle Hebert (voice), Bleach
Lucy Butler, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Millennium
Cancer Man, William B. Davis, The X-Files
Princess Azula, Grey DeLisle (voice), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Benjamen Linus, Michael Emerson, Lost
Sylar, Zachery Quinto, Heroes
The cylons, Battlestar Galactica
Caleb, Nathan Fillion, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angeles, David Boreanaz, Angel
The Shredder, James Avery (voice), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

10 Things I learned in New York

10. New York is a very humid place (right now, worse than Florida)
9. Hegemony comes from the root word "hegemon," having something to do with imperical rule. :)
8. When your mouth is dry, beer isn't the cure.
7. People from Australia are cool.
6. It is possible to go a few days without meat and still have good meals.
5. "How I Met Your Mother" will always be a great show.
4. This city still gives me anxiety.
3. Even in New York, $80 is too much for a cab.
2. I wish there were more cities that stayed up this late.
1. Opera in the park, who really pays attention.

Good times.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Top 10 Fantasy Films

So I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night, and I quite enjoyed it. Way better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Darker and even had a rather bleak ending. They added some stuff that wasn't in the book and it worked really well. Funny, dark, and epic battles. It's inspired me to create my new fantasy top 10 list.

10. Hook
9. Spirited Away
8. The Neverending Story
7. CON: Prince Caspian
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix
5. LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
4. Princess Mononoke
3. Pan's Labyrinth
2. LOTR: The Return of the King
1. LOTR: Two Tower

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Top 10 Comic Book Movies

So I've been inspired to create my top 10 superhero movies list, since I just looked at one that was ridiculously stupid. Sorry, this ain't an opinion, the guy was a dumbass for his list. Oh well, not everyone can be right. (keep in mind, there's a lot of superhero movies coming out, so this list could easily change)

10. Batman
9. Superman
8. The Incredibles
7. Blade II
6. Unbreakable
5. V for Vendetta
4. Batman Begins
3. Iron Man
2. X2
1. Spider-Man 2

Friday, February 29, 2008

Top 10 Films of 2007

I've finally caught up on all the films I wanted to see from 2007, with the exception of Into the Wild, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Persepolis, and Lars and the Real Girl. So my top 10 list may change, but here it is as of now.
1. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2. Once
3. The Orphanage
4. Across the Universe
5. Ratatouille
6. The Savages
7. 28 Weeks Later
8. What Would Jesus Buy?
9. Superbad
10. 300
Honorable Mention:
Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, Knocked Up, Lust, Caution, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 30 Days of Night, and Sicko.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

TV series checklist

I hate regularly scheduled televison, but when shows come out on video, I'm quit the fan of marathons. I thought it would be fun to create a list of all the TV serieses I've watched.
Completely Viewed:
Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Heroes
24
Scrubs
Arrested Development
House
Friends
Firefly
The Office
Babylon 5
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Samurai Champloo
Undeclared
Seen most of:
Supernatural
The Boondocks
Family Guy
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
30 Rock
Mellenium
The X-Files
The OC
Getting into:
Bleach
Naruto
Entourage
Rome

P.S. 30 Days of Night was a pretty damn solid movie. The critics said that it did for vampires what 28 Days Later did for zombies and what Saw did for serial killers, and I rather agree. These were not the cliche vampires that enjoy the night life because of their twisted sexual desires. These were smart vampires that acted more like the ultimate hunter. The blood hunger of children of the night with movements similar to a werewolf. S.O.B., I really love vampire films. This one did it right, so fuck what a lot of the other critics said.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Top 10 Films of 2006

Pan's Labyrinth
Children of Men
The Fountain
V for Vendetta
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You for Smoking
A Scanner Darkly
Blood Diamond
The Prestige
Half Nelson