You know there's nothing I love more than a good top 10 list---so a top 100 really gets me going.
Especially when its something as subjective as who the greatest singer of alltime is. I mean, are we talking strictly about who has the best voice? It leaves things very open to interpretation.
Let's take a look at the top 10 to get things going, as tabulated by Rolling Stone magazine:
1) Aretha Franklin--amazing set of pipes, even if she is as big as a house.
2) Ray Charles
3) Elvis Presley
4) Sam Cooke
5) John Lennon--I've always thought of Lennon as more of a writer than a singer personally.
6) Marvin Gaye
7) Bob Dylan--again, I think of him more as a writer. And man do I hate his voice.
8) Otis Redding
9) Stevie Wonder
10) James Brown
I would say at first glance that probably the only complaints I would have regarding the list at first glance is that Lennon & Dylan don't belong in the top 10, and Elvis should have been #2.
I'm not sure Wonder belongs quite this high either.
Now let's take a look at the remaining members of the top 20.
11) Paul McCartney--probably more of a singer than Lennon (certainly more successful and prolific), but is probably too high here.
12) Little Richard
13) Roy Orbison
14) Al Green
15) Robert Plant--I have to believe that Plant needs to be higher.
16) Mick Jagger
17) Tina Turner
18) Freddie Mercury--definitely should be rated higher.
19) Bob Marley
20) Smokey Robinson
Seems like there are a few here that are rated high because of their abilities as "performers" more than as "singers". I think Little Richard, Jagger & Turner are tremendous as performers, but I'm not sure strictly as singers they should be that highly rated---which of course does not mean that I don't think they are great singers. Remember, the list is entirely subjective.
For the remainder of the list....go to:The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time : Rolling Stone
So who's your choice?
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Ya know, I really have to finish this post about the top 500 movies of alltime
Okay, try and keep up with me here folks as we return to the list from EMPIRE magazine of the 500 greatest movies of alltime---and some of my thoughts.
395) Casino: I don't know, is it me...or should this film be a lot higher? This was one hell of a great movie and to think that there are 394 movies BETTER than this just doesn't seem right.
336) Titanic: Now here ya have a movie that is either loved or really hated. Say what you will, but this is pretty epic filmmaking. And for what its worth, I think Kate Winslet is smoking hot.
302) Best Years of Our Lives: Now this is one of the great "veterans returning from war" movies, and although it comes off as a little bit dated, its still quite excellent.
280) The Road Warrior--obviously my #2 film of alltime was grossly under appreciated here!
258) The Blues Brothers---I mean, I've seen the movie like 25 times, but even with that much love for a movie, I can't believe that it was rated higher than films like American Graffiti & Field of Dreams. Maybe the people deciding were on a mission from God....
234) The Bourne Ultimatium--there was a fine sense of appreciation for the Bourne films, and I have to believe that in the years to come people will see them for being this generation's version of the James Bond films.
206) The Exorcist: Seems a little low for the scariest film of alltime, doesn't it?
168) Tootsie: Very funny movie that is ridiculously too high on this list.
113) Anchorman--The Legend of Ron Burgundy: I laughed my ass off at this movie. And I totally loved it--but c'mon, you're going to rank this movie above stuff like Double Indemnity, The Sting, Silence of the Lambs, Miller's Crossing, Rio Bravo & The Conversation?? Uh....no.
96) American Beauty--wow, what a great movie. Just outside my personal top 10.
61) The Usual Suspects--another one, just missing my top 10. Who is Keyser Soze?
54) Lord of the Rings II--The Two Towers: For what its worth, the Lord of the Rings trio finished at #54, #34 (part 3) and #24 (Part 1).
43) The Big Lebowski: One spot ahead of Schlinder's List. Wow, that's some cult following.
20) Blade Runner: My personal #1 comes in here....I can live with that.
9) Pulp Fiction: All those stories, tieing together at the end. Oh, and Zed? Zed's dead.
5) Jaws: Should be on the list just because of the scene with the 3 men discussing their scars, and Quint's recollection of the night the USS Indianapolis went to the bottom of the sea. Chilling.
1) The Godfather-Part 1: Well, I can't argue with this one. At least the got #1 correct.
395) Casino: I don't know, is it me...or should this film be a lot higher? This was one hell of a great movie and to think that there are 394 movies BETTER than this just doesn't seem right.
336) Titanic: Now here ya have a movie that is either loved or really hated. Say what you will, but this is pretty epic filmmaking. And for what its worth, I think Kate Winslet is smoking hot.
302) Best Years of Our Lives: Now this is one of the great "veterans returning from war" movies, and although it comes off as a little bit dated, its still quite excellent.
280) The Road Warrior--obviously my #2 film of alltime was grossly under appreciated here!
258) The Blues Brothers---I mean, I've seen the movie like 25 times, but even with that much love for a movie, I can't believe that it was rated higher than films like American Graffiti & Field of Dreams. Maybe the people deciding were on a mission from God....
234) The Bourne Ultimatium--there was a fine sense of appreciation for the Bourne films, and I have to believe that in the years to come people will see them for being this generation's version of the James Bond films.
206) The Exorcist: Seems a little low for the scariest film of alltime, doesn't it?
168) Tootsie: Very funny movie that is ridiculously too high on this list.
113) Anchorman--The Legend of Ron Burgundy: I laughed my ass off at this movie. And I totally loved it--but c'mon, you're going to rank this movie above stuff like Double Indemnity, The Sting, Silence of the Lambs, Miller's Crossing, Rio Bravo & The Conversation?? Uh....no.
96) American Beauty--wow, what a great movie. Just outside my personal top 10.
61) The Usual Suspects--another one, just missing my top 10. Who is Keyser Soze?
54) Lord of the Rings II--The Two Towers: For what its worth, the Lord of the Rings trio finished at #54, #34 (part 3) and #24 (Part 1).
43) The Big Lebowski: One spot ahead of Schlinder's List. Wow, that's some cult following.
20) Blade Runner: My personal #1 comes in here....I can live with that.
9) Pulp Fiction: All those stories, tieing together at the end. Oh, and Zed? Zed's dead.
5) Jaws: Should be on the list just because of the scene with the 3 men discussing their scars, and Quint's recollection of the night the USS Indianapolis went to the bottom of the sea. Chilling.
1) The Godfather-Part 1: Well, I can't argue with this one. At least the got #1 correct.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Folks....we lost to SYRACUSE. Our national nightmare is continuing.....
So pretty much ever since Lou Holtz retired I've been waiting and praying for my beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish to finally get back to where they were....to get back to playing the kind of football that they played under former head coach Lou Holtz. Oh, there was that 9-1 start in 1998 under coach Bob Davie, you remember....the one that hit the skids because Bob in his infinite wisdom decided that with 5 seconds left on the clock it would be a really good idea to have his QB, Jarious Jackson, to sprint towards his own endzone and take a safety while running out the clock rather than....um...punt the ball away. Now, ordinarily this probably wouldn't be a big deal, but....its Bob Davie we're talking about, and naturally Jackson got tackled from behind and blew out his knee---effectively ending our season at that point, since our entire offense was pretty much..."Uh, Jarious, drop back to pass....run around a little....if no one is open, run like hell". I wish that joke didn't have some semblence of truth, because that really was pretty much our offense that year. And then we had 2000, when Bob's QB Arnaz Battle broke his wrist and we spent the entire season with a TE (Gary Godsey) and a freshman (Matt Lovecchio) who they were afraid to have throw the ball. Amazingly, we managed to go 9-2 AND beat USC. Of course, because it was Bob Davie....we got smoked by Oregon State in the bowl game. Those fighting Beavers. And then of course, there was the "legendary" (just ask ESPN) 2002 "Return to Glory" campaign of Ty "0-11 and counting this season" Willingham. Great start to the season, tremendous effort by the defense....and one truly horrid offense. But I digress. We continued to hope when Charlie Weis brought his "New Jersey tough" approach to South Bend back in early 2005. He was fresh off of a Super Bowl win as the offensive coordinater of the New England Patriots. We were riding high as a kite as this guy made all sort of promises. And, truthfully, 2005 was one terrific year. The offense was positively insane, so much so that we chose to ignore the fact that the defense was horrible. It was like the reverse of 2002. But we went to a BCS bowl game and even though we lost (naturally), you sort of felt like if a couple of plays had gone our way, we might have been able to sneak past Ohio State. 2006 came, and we started the season ranked #2 in the country, and it looked like.....(deep breath)...we might be back.
Not so fast my friend. We went up to Michigan and pretty much got our asses kicked. And later in the season USC pretty much crushed us....and then we got waxed by a far superior LSU team.
And ya know, during the season....those teams we were supposed to crush sure seemed like they gave us a tougher time than they were supposed too. Now guys like Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzja were gone, and 2007 was going to be the year that we really struggled because Ty was such a horrible recruiter and all those upper classmen that he left that were worth a damn were going to be gone. Prophetic words, because we were awful, going 3-9. But we gave old Chuck a pass, because we had expected it, and he was going gangbusters in recruiting, amazingly bringing in the #1 class in the country....2008 was going to be the year when the improvement was pretty much evident. And it was.....until just after halftime in the North Carolina game.
We had managed to take a lead against a pretty good UNC team AT their place, and on the first play of the 2nd half, QB Jimmy Clausen threw a pick six. The other way. And since then folks, its been all downhill. We somehow managed to beat Navy (onside kicks aside), but other than that, we completely failed to show up against Boston College (only our 2nd most hated rival), and then....the other night.....we lost to Syracuse. The Orange. Let me give you some details about those fighting Oranges. They fired their head coach the Monday of game week. He was 9-35 since he got there, and this season their defense was like #110 in the country....and the offense was ranked #115 in the country. If ever there was a game where the Irish should walk into the stadium (and on senior night of all things) and just kick the living beejezus (did I just write "beejezus"?) out of an opponent, this was it. And so, in keeping with a tradition that I had begun earlier in the season after a horrible opening performance against San Diego State, I taped the game and figured I would watch it later. My thought process? If I watch the thing, I would spend 3 hours or so cursing at the television, and eventually even my wife---who has the patience of a saint--would get weary of it. So I'll tape the game, if they win, I'll watch it afterwards with the understanding that....no matter what happens, I know that they've won.
And I watched the LSU-Ole Miss game on CBS, and I'm watching the crawler underneath that is showing the scores....and maybe once in awhile I'll sneak a peek at how the game is going.
And I see Jimmy C throw a couple of t.d. passes to Golden Tate and the Irish eventually take a 23-10 lead in the 3rd quarter. One more score I figure...than I can pretty much wrap up the win, even though I'm not happy that they are not completely spanking the Orange, who are really much, much worse than ND. And then I see that the score is now 23-17 early in the 4th, and I'm thinking to myself that it is a really, really bad idea to allow a huge underdog to hang with you this long, because all you as the favorite are doing is to give the other team the idea that they can.....gasp....win the damn game. And so I'm back to Ole Miss upsetting LSU.
And awhile goes by and I flip back to the ND game to see if its over....and their playing the alma mater. And I look at the faces on the players and on Charlie Weis. And I look over at my wife and say:
"Honey, they lost to Syracuse."
"How do you know that?"
"Are you kidding? Look at their faces! Those are not the faces of winners."
And indeed, they had lost. Luckily, for my own sanity and probably for the good of my television set that I didn't put a brick through, I didn't watch the end of the game and see that the Orange had thrown the game winning pass with like 45 seconds left on the clock. Or that the guy who threw the pass was the son of probably the greatest basketball player in the history of.....um....Notre Dame. Or that even after that, our team would hit a miracle long pass that put us, amazingly, in field goal position with a chance to win the game. Or, that our kicker, who struggled so mightly all season before turning it around a few games back to become our most consistent offensive weapon, suddenly was given the opportunity to make a kick that would make him a Notre Dame legend. Or, that when given the chance, his missed....by about a foot.
And then I thought that all those things weren't necessary. Because it was against SYRACUSE.
And it should have never gotten to that point. But it had. And so I began to suspect that, for the first time, Charlie Weis---Notre Dame grad, and New Jersey tough guy---wasn't the man who was going to lead Notre Dame back afterall.
Which was probably the saddest realization of them all.
Later,
Jeff
Not so fast my friend. We went up to Michigan and pretty much got our asses kicked. And later in the season USC pretty much crushed us....and then we got waxed by a far superior LSU team.
And ya know, during the season....those teams we were supposed to crush sure seemed like they gave us a tougher time than they were supposed too. Now guys like Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzja were gone, and 2007 was going to be the year that we really struggled because Ty was such a horrible recruiter and all those upper classmen that he left that were worth a damn were going to be gone. Prophetic words, because we were awful, going 3-9. But we gave old Chuck a pass, because we had expected it, and he was going gangbusters in recruiting, amazingly bringing in the #1 class in the country....2008 was going to be the year when the improvement was pretty much evident. And it was.....until just after halftime in the North Carolina game.
We had managed to take a lead against a pretty good UNC team AT their place, and on the first play of the 2nd half, QB Jimmy Clausen threw a pick six. The other way. And since then folks, its been all downhill. We somehow managed to beat Navy (onside kicks aside), but other than that, we completely failed to show up against Boston College (only our 2nd most hated rival), and then....the other night.....we lost to Syracuse. The Orange. Let me give you some details about those fighting Oranges. They fired their head coach the Monday of game week. He was 9-35 since he got there, and this season their defense was like #110 in the country....and the offense was ranked #115 in the country. If ever there was a game where the Irish should walk into the stadium (and on senior night of all things) and just kick the living beejezus (did I just write "beejezus"?) out of an opponent, this was it. And so, in keeping with a tradition that I had begun earlier in the season after a horrible opening performance against San Diego State, I taped the game and figured I would watch it later. My thought process? If I watch the thing, I would spend 3 hours or so cursing at the television, and eventually even my wife---who has the patience of a saint--would get weary of it. So I'll tape the game, if they win, I'll watch it afterwards with the understanding that....no matter what happens, I know that they've won.
And I watched the LSU-Ole Miss game on CBS, and I'm watching the crawler underneath that is showing the scores....and maybe once in awhile I'll sneak a peek at how the game is going.
And I see Jimmy C throw a couple of t.d. passes to Golden Tate and the Irish eventually take a 23-10 lead in the 3rd quarter. One more score I figure...than I can pretty much wrap up the win, even though I'm not happy that they are not completely spanking the Orange, who are really much, much worse than ND. And then I see that the score is now 23-17 early in the 4th, and I'm thinking to myself that it is a really, really bad idea to allow a huge underdog to hang with you this long, because all you as the favorite are doing is to give the other team the idea that they can.....gasp....win the damn game. And so I'm back to Ole Miss upsetting LSU.
And awhile goes by and I flip back to the ND game to see if its over....and their playing the alma mater. And I look at the faces on the players and on Charlie Weis. And I look over at my wife and say:
"Honey, they lost to Syracuse."
"How do you know that?"
"Are you kidding? Look at their faces! Those are not the faces of winners."
And indeed, they had lost. Luckily, for my own sanity and probably for the good of my television set that I didn't put a brick through, I didn't watch the end of the game and see that the Orange had thrown the game winning pass with like 45 seconds left on the clock. Or that the guy who threw the pass was the son of probably the greatest basketball player in the history of.....um....Notre Dame. Or that even after that, our team would hit a miracle long pass that put us, amazingly, in field goal position with a chance to win the game. Or, that our kicker, who struggled so mightly all season before turning it around a few games back to become our most consistent offensive weapon, suddenly was given the opportunity to make a kick that would make him a Notre Dame legend. Or, that when given the chance, his missed....by about a foot.
And then I thought that all those things weren't necessary. Because it was against SYRACUSE.
And it should have never gotten to that point. But it had. And so I began to suspect that, for the first time, Charlie Weis---Notre Dame grad, and New Jersey tough guy---wasn't the man who was going to lead Notre Dame back afterall.
Which was probably the saddest realization of them all.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, November 15, 2008
More of the top 500 movies of alltime
So maybe your asking yourself what was the top 10 on this rather vast listing of cinema classics?
Well here ya go....EMPIRE magazine's list of the top 10 movie of alltime---again, keep in mind that this list was compiled by fans, critics and "Hollywood finest" (whatever that means).
10) Fight Club (this movie has been wildly overrated by the magazine, in my opinion)
9) Pulp Fiction (you get no arguement from me on this one, although I can tell you that my parents won't be sitting and watching it on a Saturday night)
8) Singin in the Rain (eh, personally I would have it in the top 10 MUSICALS of alltime, no problem--top ten movies? Not so much)
7) Apocalypse Now (just a completely mind blowing film in so many ways. I know its one of those "like it or hate it" kind of films....but there are so many awesome scenes in it...I really don't have a problem with it being in the top 10)
6) Goodfellas (yep, it belongs. So many great and memorable moments--only dispute would be whether its a better Scorsese film than Raging Bull--which came it at #11 for what its worth)
5) Jaws (well obviously since it is in my own top 10 I can't have a problem with it being rated this high. Spectacular popcorn movie--plus tremendous filmmaking equals an alltime classic)
4) The Shawshank Redemption (again, a movie in my personal top 10....here's a movie that can be shown in any film class in a high school or college and take up a solid week's worth of discussion. For example, discuss the character of Andy Dufrene as a Christ-like figure.
That's a day's worth right there)
3) The Empire Strikes Back (again, tremendous popcorn movie---3rd best film ever? Wellllll)
2) Raiders of the Lost Ark (quite possibly the greatest popcorn movie of alltime---tremendous fun and excitement---I'm just not sure its the 2nd greatest film of alltime)
1) The Godfather Part I (and just for the record, Part II comes in at #19--feel free to begin arguing. Seriously I'm not sure many would argue with this film at #1)
Now, since some of you are no doubt wondering where your favorite films might have ended up, let me throw a few notables out at you.
491) Ben Hur (more Academy Awards than any movie--am I right about that?)
487) Superbad (hey, I laughed my ass off too--I'm must not sure its one of the 500 greatest movies of alltime--left me sort of thinking that it got a mention because its the one that everyone is thinking about right now. No Caddyshack? No Slapshot? )
486) Breakfast at Tiffany's (sort of seems a little low for a classic like this)
467) The Deerhunter (hey, its in my own personal top 10--but I also understand that its a very polarizing film. You either love it or completely hate it)
457) Full Metal Jacket (The first hour of the film might have been the most terrifying and hilarious--not an easy combo there folks--movie ever. I'll never understand R. Lee Ermey's drill sargeant not even getting a nomination for best supporting actor.)
430) Big Trouble in Little China (okay, great example. I absolutely LOVED this movie. A total and complete popcorn movie that is completely ridiculous. And you mean to tell me that its a better movie than Full Metal Jacket?)
417) Lords of Dogtown (a decent movie that is unquestionably inferior to the documentary that inspired it--Dogtown and Z-Boys---the lack of documentary's in the list was very noticeable)
More film related commentary tomorrow---hey folks, its late.
Later,
Jeff
Well here ya go....EMPIRE magazine's list of the top 10 movie of alltime---again, keep in mind that this list was compiled by fans, critics and "Hollywood finest" (whatever that means).
10) Fight Club (this movie has been wildly overrated by the magazine, in my opinion)
9) Pulp Fiction (you get no arguement from me on this one, although I can tell you that my parents won't be sitting and watching it on a Saturday night)
8) Singin in the Rain (eh, personally I would have it in the top 10 MUSICALS of alltime, no problem--top ten movies? Not so much)
7) Apocalypse Now (just a completely mind blowing film in so many ways. I know its one of those "like it or hate it" kind of films....but there are so many awesome scenes in it...I really don't have a problem with it being in the top 10)
6) Goodfellas (yep, it belongs. So many great and memorable moments--only dispute would be whether its a better Scorsese film than Raging Bull--which came it at #11 for what its worth)
5) Jaws (well obviously since it is in my own top 10 I can't have a problem with it being rated this high. Spectacular popcorn movie--plus tremendous filmmaking equals an alltime classic)
4) The Shawshank Redemption (again, a movie in my personal top 10....here's a movie that can be shown in any film class in a high school or college and take up a solid week's worth of discussion. For example, discuss the character of Andy Dufrene as a Christ-like figure.
That's a day's worth right there)
3) The Empire Strikes Back (again, tremendous popcorn movie---3rd best film ever? Wellllll)
2) Raiders of the Lost Ark (quite possibly the greatest popcorn movie of alltime---tremendous fun and excitement---I'm just not sure its the 2nd greatest film of alltime)
1) The Godfather Part I (and just for the record, Part II comes in at #19--feel free to begin arguing. Seriously I'm not sure many would argue with this film at #1)
Now, since some of you are no doubt wondering where your favorite films might have ended up, let me throw a few notables out at you.
491) Ben Hur (more Academy Awards than any movie--am I right about that?)
487) Superbad (hey, I laughed my ass off too--I'm must not sure its one of the 500 greatest movies of alltime--left me sort of thinking that it got a mention because its the one that everyone is thinking about right now. No Caddyshack? No Slapshot? )
486) Breakfast at Tiffany's (sort of seems a little low for a classic like this)
467) The Deerhunter (hey, its in my own personal top 10--but I also understand that its a very polarizing film. You either love it or completely hate it)
457) Full Metal Jacket (The first hour of the film might have been the most terrifying and hilarious--not an easy combo there folks--movie ever. I'll never understand R. Lee Ermey's drill sargeant not even getting a nomination for best supporting actor.)
430) Big Trouble in Little China (okay, great example. I absolutely LOVED this movie. A total and complete popcorn movie that is completely ridiculous. And you mean to tell me that its a better movie than Full Metal Jacket?)
417) Lords of Dogtown (a decent movie that is unquestionably inferior to the documentary that inspired it--Dogtown and Z-Boys---the lack of documentary's in the list was very noticeable)
More film related commentary tomorrow---hey folks, its late.
Later,
Jeff
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Greatest movie of alltime???
So the other day, I picked up a copy of one of my favorite magazines.....Empire. Its a magazine from England that is dedicated primarily to new DVD and movie releases...and also to movie history. Its a little pricey (around $9 or $10 an issue), but I almost always get something out of it. This issue they took on a pretty heavy issue, which was:
What were the 500 greatest movies of alltime. Empire: Features
Wow, that's a pretty daunting task. Its also one that you just know will be ripe for discussion and debate. I've been a film buff since I was in college and took a class in Film as Literature.
Its one of those classes that really had a pretty profound impact on my life, because I went from just being a movie fan to becoming a film buff. What's the difference? Actually I think quite a bit. A movie fan enjoys all the latest stuff that comes out into the theatre or on DVD, and can enjoy a movie for what it is---whether its a serious story or something silly that you'll forget about 30 minutes after its over. A film buff is someone who can appreciate a movie for its art form, for its content, for its acting and can go back and watch something again and again. Its someone who can watch a movie with subtitles, that can enjoy a foreign film, that can enjoy a classic from the 30's or 40's as much as something that was released the previous weekend.
And a film buff has a personal top 10 list in his head....and is flexible enough to change it whenever needed. Here's mine:
10) Rear Window
9) The Shawshank Redemption
8) The Outlaw Josey Wales
7) The Godfather I & II
6) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
5) Unforgiven
4) The Deerhunter
3) Jaws
2) The Road Warrior
1) Blade Runner
I'm happy to say that all ten of my own selections were included in EMPIRE's list. And yes, I realized that I cheated just a little bit by making two of my selections either a trilogy and a part 1 & 2. I just feel you sort of have to in those instances. Now, quite frankly, do I think that The Road Warrior or Blade Runner is a better film than The Godfather? Well, actually no. But my own list works on two levels---personal enjoyment and appreciation of film. The Godfather is an incredible piece of art that also happens to be a great enough movie that you can enjoy it on both levels. The Road Warrior is a tremendous "movie", but even I understand that its not the "film" that The Godfather is. I just happen to enjoy it that much....I suppose that's the best explaination I can offer up.
I looked at the EMPIRE list a little bit closer than your average fan. I started breaking it down into certain catergories.....like which decade was featured most prominently. The decade of 2008 back to 2000 featured 102 movies. 1990 to 1999 was next with 92 films. The 80's were next with 89, and then the 70's had 70 (sort of ironic, huh?). The 60's had 50 films and the 50's had 38 (are you noticing a trend here?). The 40's had 35 & the 30's had 14. Films before 1930's were mentioned 7 times. That sure seemed like some classic movies were forgotten about.
It also seemed like the 2000's were probably given a lot more credit than they might have deserved. Then I looked at some of the movies that just looked like they didn't belong.
Ones that stood out immediately were:
499) Saw--this was a troubling beginning to the list, I gotta be honest with you.
459) Top Gun--I know it was incredibly popular, but it never struck me as one of the greatest movies ever made.
453) Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull---just because the rest of a franchise is great doesn't mean that all the sequels belong. I'm talking to you Godfather III.
449) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace--amazing. When this movie came out everyone I know talked about what a horrible movie it was. All of a sudden its an alltime classic?
445) Dumb & Dumber---did I laugh? Yes I did. But an alltime classic? Nope.
405) Dirty Dancing--someone should have left this movie in the corner with Baby.
401) Batman Returns--okay, now you're just being ridiculous.
378) The Goonies--seriously, THE GOONIES????
337) 300--another one that sort of had me question the validity of the entire list.
284) Scarface--the original with Paul Muni, yep. The remake with the alltime overacting job by Al Pacino? Ugh. I hated it.
282) The Godfather III--ahem, I think I've made my point earlier.
281) Interview with a Vampire--Tom Cruise with blond hair. This made the list and Mission: Impossible didn't???
253) First Blood--that it's on the list is pretty amazing. That its this high is absurd.
240) Forrest Gump--I know some people that think its a really fine movie....and then there are some people that its a great soundtrack surrounding one really lousy movie.
162) Nightmare on Elm Street--hey, its not because its a horror movie. I like horror movies.
But this makes the list and The Omen doesn't???
Those are just a few examples of movies that made the list that didn't belong, in my opinion.
Then there are the films that somehow did NOT make the list. Movies such as:
Dark City--one of the alltime great sci/fi futurisitc films.
White Heat--they did not have a single James Cagney movie on the list. Enough said.
Hard Boiled--not only the best John Woo film ever, quite possibly the greatest action film ever.
Red River--John Wayne & Montgomery Clift go on a cattle drive that is a cinema classic.
Thunderball & From Russia with Love--there were only two James Bond movies on the list.
More to come later.
Later,
Jeff
What were the 500 greatest movies of alltime. Empire: Features
Wow, that's a pretty daunting task. Its also one that you just know will be ripe for discussion and debate. I've been a film buff since I was in college and took a class in Film as Literature.
Its one of those classes that really had a pretty profound impact on my life, because I went from just being a movie fan to becoming a film buff. What's the difference? Actually I think quite a bit. A movie fan enjoys all the latest stuff that comes out into the theatre or on DVD, and can enjoy a movie for what it is---whether its a serious story or something silly that you'll forget about 30 minutes after its over. A film buff is someone who can appreciate a movie for its art form, for its content, for its acting and can go back and watch something again and again. Its someone who can watch a movie with subtitles, that can enjoy a foreign film, that can enjoy a classic from the 30's or 40's as much as something that was released the previous weekend.
And a film buff has a personal top 10 list in his head....and is flexible enough to change it whenever needed. Here's mine:
10) Rear Window
9) The Shawshank Redemption
8) The Outlaw Josey Wales
7) The Godfather I & II
6) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
5) Unforgiven
4) The Deerhunter
3) Jaws
2) The Road Warrior
1) Blade Runner
I'm happy to say that all ten of my own selections were included in EMPIRE's list. And yes, I realized that I cheated just a little bit by making two of my selections either a trilogy and a part 1 & 2. I just feel you sort of have to in those instances. Now, quite frankly, do I think that The Road Warrior or Blade Runner is a better film than The Godfather? Well, actually no. But my own list works on two levels---personal enjoyment and appreciation of film. The Godfather is an incredible piece of art that also happens to be a great enough movie that you can enjoy it on both levels. The Road Warrior is a tremendous "movie", but even I understand that its not the "film" that The Godfather is. I just happen to enjoy it that much....I suppose that's the best explaination I can offer up.
I looked at the EMPIRE list a little bit closer than your average fan. I started breaking it down into certain catergories.....like which decade was featured most prominently. The decade of 2008 back to 2000 featured 102 movies. 1990 to 1999 was next with 92 films. The 80's were next with 89, and then the 70's had 70 (sort of ironic, huh?). The 60's had 50 films and the 50's had 38 (are you noticing a trend here?). The 40's had 35 & the 30's had 14. Films before 1930's were mentioned 7 times. That sure seemed like some classic movies were forgotten about.
It also seemed like the 2000's were probably given a lot more credit than they might have deserved. Then I looked at some of the movies that just looked like they didn't belong.
Ones that stood out immediately were:
499) Saw--this was a troubling beginning to the list, I gotta be honest with you.
459) Top Gun--I know it was incredibly popular, but it never struck me as one of the greatest movies ever made.
453) Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull---just because the rest of a franchise is great doesn't mean that all the sequels belong. I'm talking to you Godfather III.
449) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace--amazing. When this movie came out everyone I know talked about what a horrible movie it was. All of a sudden its an alltime classic?
445) Dumb & Dumber---did I laugh? Yes I did. But an alltime classic? Nope.
405) Dirty Dancing--someone should have left this movie in the corner with Baby.
401) Batman Returns--okay, now you're just being ridiculous.
378) The Goonies--seriously, THE GOONIES????
337) 300--another one that sort of had me question the validity of the entire list.
284) Scarface--the original with Paul Muni, yep. The remake with the alltime overacting job by Al Pacino? Ugh. I hated it.
282) The Godfather III--ahem, I think I've made my point earlier.
281) Interview with a Vampire--Tom Cruise with blond hair. This made the list and Mission: Impossible didn't???
253) First Blood--that it's on the list is pretty amazing. That its this high is absurd.
240) Forrest Gump--I know some people that think its a really fine movie....and then there are some people that its a great soundtrack surrounding one really lousy movie.
162) Nightmare on Elm Street--hey, its not because its a horror movie. I like horror movies.
But this makes the list and The Omen doesn't???
Those are just a few examples of movies that made the list that didn't belong, in my opinion.
Then there are the films that somehow did NOT make the list. Movies such as:
Dark City--one of the alltime great sci/fi futurisitc films.
White Heat--they did not have a single James Cagney movie on the list. Enough said.
Hard Boiled--not only the best John Woo film ever, quite possibly the greatest action film ever.
Red River--John Wayne & Montgomery Clift go on a cattle drive that is a cinema classic.
Thunderball & From Russia with Love--there were only two James Bond movies on the list.
More to come later.
Later,
Jeff
Monday, November 10, 2008
Introducing even more of my family.....the "other dog"
Ya see that photo over there? You'll notice that there are two....count 'em TWO....dogs in that picture.
Pay no attention to the black dog in the background, because...quite frankly, he's the hero of our story.
Nope, today we will talk about the one in the foreground, the white one with the tan trimmings and the ears that make you go....
"Holy crap! What's up with them ears!"
Those belong to our 3rd dog....Jazz. She was a hurricane rescue a couple of years ago. There had been a big storm somewhere else in the country and we started reading the stories about how dogs from the hurricane site were being relocated to Ft Lauderdale with the hope that they would find good homes in this area. And so the plotting by my daughter and I began in earnest. My wife had already put up the "no more dogs!" sign and made it clear that the last thing we were getting was another dog.
Somehow, in all our weaselyness, my daughter and I convinced Kim to go to the Humane Society, ya know, just to "look around". If only I put the sort of effort involved in this situation into one that would make money, I'd be far better off than I am today! Anyway, so we took a trip down to the Humane Society, and after looking around and finding about 27 dogs that we liked, we settled on two. Now, it was important that the dog we were going to get be "cat friendly", because, to my everloving shame.....I also have two cats. Or should I say, the FAMILY has two cats. Me? I'm a dog guy. So the first dog was just a bit "cat aggresive", where as the other dog, the one that the volunteers were trying so hard to get us to adopt, was said to be "cat friendly". Famous last words.
We get the new dog, "Jazz" (what a horrible name), home and we go through all the steps as recommended by the local dog people--ya know---introducing the new dog to the other dogs OUTSIDE the home so the other dogs don't feel "threatened". Letting the other dogs walk into the house first so she isn't seen as "invading their territory". When did all this kind of stuff start? When did we begin to worry whether or not Fido was psychologically traumatized by a new guest at his home? Puh-leeze. So she walks into the house, sees the cats.....and immediately begins chasing them all over the house. So much for "cat friendly". I thought out cats were going to stroke out.
So let me tell you some other fascinating facts about our little Jazz. That's her name, but her other nicknames include: Jazzy, Snazzy, Mooch (the dog is ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS around when someone is in the kitchen---its like she feels its her God given right to be there) and "pretty girl"---obviously that is not MY name for her...that's what the wife calls her. Oh, and besides the whole mooching thing...here's something else.
She farts. A lot. And I mean to tell you....they are d-e-a-d-l-y. We'll be watching t.v., and there she is, just laying on the floor in front of us and all of a sudden....
"Oh God! Did something die in here? Did.....oh! JAZZ!!!"
And she'll give you this look like she has no idea what's going on. But don't kid yourself. She knows.
Oh, and the wife? The one person in the family who didn't want another dog? Jazz is now "her dog".
Women....they always stick together.
Later,
Jeff
Pay no attention to the black dog in the background, because...quite frankly, he's the hero of our story.
Nope, today we will talk about the one in the foreground, the white one with the tan trimmings and the ears that make you go....
"Holy crap! What's up with them ears!"
Those belong to our 3rd dog....Jazz. She was a hurricane rescue a couple of years ago. There had been a big storm somewhere else in the country and we started reading the stories about how dogs from the hurricane site were being relocated to Ft Lauderdale with the hope that they would find good homes in this area. And so the plotting by my daughter and I began in earnest. My wife had already put up the "no more dogs!" sign and made it clear that the last thing we were getting was another dog.
Somehow, in all our weaselyness, my daughter and I convinced Kim to go to the Humane Society, ya know, just to "look around". If only I put the sort of effort involved in this situation into one that would make money, I'd be far better off than I am today! Anyway, so we took a trip down to the Humane Society, and after looking around and finding about 27 dogs that we liked, we settled on two. Now, it was important that the dog we were going to get be "cat friendly", because, to my everloving shame.....I also have two cats. Or should I say, the FAMILY has two cats. Me? I'm a dog guy. So the first dog was just a bit "cat aggresive", where as the other dog, the one that the volunteers were trying so hard to get us to adopt, was said to be "cat friendly". Famous last words.
We get the new dog, "Jazz" (what a horrible name), home and we go through all the steps as recommended by the local dog people--ya know---introducing the new dog to the other dogs OUTSIDE the home so the other dogs don't feel "threatened". Letting the other dogs walk into the house first so she isn't seen as "invading their territory". When did all this kind of stuff start? When did we begin to worry whether or not Fido was psychologically traumatized by a new guest at his home? Puh-leeze. So she walks into the house, sees the cats.....and immediately begins chasing them all over the house. So much for "cat friendly". I thought out cats were going to stroke out.
So let me tell you some other fascinating facts about our little Jazz. That's her name, but her other nicknames include: Jazzy, Snazzy, Mooch (the dog is ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS around when someone is in the kitchen---its like she feels its her God given right to be there) and "pretty girl"---obviously that is not MY name for her...that's what the wife calls her. Oh, and besides the whole mooching thing...here's something else.
She farts. A lot. And I mean to tell you....they are d-e-a-d-l-y. We'll be watching t.v., and there she is, just laying on the floor in front of us and all of a sudden....
"Oh God! Did something die in here? Did.....oh! JAZZ!!!"
And she'll give you this look like she has no idea what's going on. But don't kid yourself. She knows.
Oh, and the wife? The one person in the family who didn't want another dog? Jazz is now "her dog".
Women....they always stick together.
Later,
Jeff
Monday, November 3, 2008
One of the "3-timers" is gone
It was a very sad day last week when I received the news from my Dad that his longtime friend and shipmate Jim Seminara had passed away two weeks after suffering a stroke.
His death reminded me of a day in my life a little over 5 years ago. I had just married my wife Kim, and as we were standing outside the reception hall, waiting to be introduced, I told my best man Steve Guerra that I had an idea.
It was time for the best man's toast. Steve spoke into the microphone and asked if, before he gave his toast, he could have the following people please stand up to be recognized.
"David & Peggy Little." They stood, somewhat confused.
"Mr. & Mrs. Seminara." They stood and waved.
"My wife, Colleen Guerra." She stood up, not sure what was going on.
Steve then asked the people at the reception to take a good look at the people standing up.
"Take a look at 'em folks. These are what we call the "3-timers".......they've been to all 3 of Jeff's weddings."
It was a funny joke and it lead to a great evening. But the Seminara's HAD been to every one of my weddings.
I've literally known them and their whole family my whole life. They were stationed in Japan with my father when I showed up all the way back in 1961 (eek!). My father had known "Big Jim" since around 1949. Heck, he knew him before he met my mother! They were, to quote an old song: "Twin sons of different mothers".
They were as close as brothers and their respective family's were also.
And so this past weekend, I made my way up to Orlando along with my brother and sister to pay our final respects to Big Jim. They had a very nice Catholic mass for him, and afterwards there was a burial befitting a former Naval officer complete with a 21 gun salute and the presentation of the American flag to his widow. I watched and listened as his three sons tried bravely not to show how sad they were. I watched and listened as my parents struggled to keep their composure. I know it was particularly hard on my father to say goodbye to his best friend of almost 60 years. It was very moving and emotional. And afterwards, his family invited everyone back to the Elks Lodge for a party...a tribute to their father and husband. I guess because that's what he would've wanted. Food and drinks flowed as everyone recalled their favorite story about Big Jim. I recalled a story he told me at my parent's 50th wedding anniversary about how he & my father used to have a friendly wager whenever they golfed.
It was a good time. Just like Jim would've wanted. And near the end of the day, his seven grandchildren went outside with their grandmother and made a circle around her. And then those seven grandchildren each released a balloon into the air and all shouted out:
"Goodbye Grandpa! We love you!"
And I suppose a man couldn't have asked for a better sendoff than that. You see, "Big Jim" wasn't called that because he was a tall man or a large man.....he was called that because everyone could see what a big, big heart he had.
Big Jim....we'll miss ya.
Later,
Jeff
His death reminded me of a day in my life a little over 5 years ago. I had just married my wife Kim, and as we were standing outside the reception hall, waiting to be introduced, I told my best man Steve Guerra that I had an idea.
It was time for the best man's toast. Steve spoke into the microphone and asked if, before he gave his toast, he could have the following people please stand up to be recognized.
"David & Peggy Little." They stood, somewhat confused.
"Mr. & Mrs. Seminara." They stood and waved.
"My wife, Colleen Guerra." She stood up, not sure what was going on.
Steve then asked the people at the reception to take a good look at the people standing up.
"Take a look at 'em folks. These are what we call the "3-timers".......they've been to all 3 of Jeff's weddings."
It was a funny joke and it lead to a great evening. But the Seminara's HAD been to every one of my weddings.
I've literally known them and their whole family my whole life. They were stationed in Japan with my father when I showed up all the way back in 1961 (eek!). My father had known "Big Jim" since around 1949. Heck, he knew him before he met my mother! They were, to quote an old song: "Twin sons of different mothers".
They were as close as brothers and their respective family's were also.
And so this past weekend, I made my way up to Orlando along with my brother and sister to pay our final respects to Big Jim. They had a very nice Catholic mass for him, and afterwards there was a burial befitting a former Naval officer complete with a 21 gun salute and the presentation of the American flag to his widow. I watched and listened as his three sons tried bravely not to show how sad they were. I watched and listened as my parents struggled to keep their composure. I know it was particularly hard on my father to say goodbye to his best friend of almost 60 years. It was very moving and emotional. And afterwards, his family invited everyone back to the Elks Lodge for a party...a tribute to their father and husband. I guess because that's what he would've wanted. Food and drinks flowed as everyone recalled their favorite story about Big Jim. I recalled a story he told me at my parent's 50th wedding anniversary about how he & my father used to have a friendly wager whenever they golfed.
It was a good time. Just like Jim would've wanted. And near the end of the day, his seven grandchildren went outside with their grandmother and made a circle around her. And then those seven grandchildren each released a balloon into the air and all shouted out:
"Goodbye Grandpa! We love you!"
And I suppose a man couldn't have asked for a better sendoff than that. You see, "Big Jim" wasn't called that because he was a tall man or a large man.....he was called that because everyone could see what a big, big heart he had.
Big Jim....we'll miss ya.
Later,
Jeff
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