200 Word Fiction Project

I fancy myself an amateur writer (amateur because no one has ever felt compelled to pay me for anything I've written). One of my biggest obstacles to ever getting anywhere with my writing is that I find trouble finishing things. I've got more unfinished ideas lying around than I know what to do with. I've decided to take one of these ideas and use it to set a challenge for myself (and help provide content for my blog). Starting tomorrow, and every Friday after that, I'm going to put up a 200 word chunk of a short story (why 200 words? I only wanted to put up small, bite-sized chunks to make it easier to keep up with consistently, 200 is just the arbitrary number I chose). I don't know how well I'll keep up with it (my record with the haiku of the day doesn't inspire a lot of confidence), but I'll at least try.

Random Video featuring "W."

As great as "Platoon" and "Wall Street" are, and as much as I enjoyed "JFK", I can't really call myself an Oliver Stone fan. I think it was "Nixon" where I learned to be a bit wary of him. I'll admit to some curiosity about this film, but I'm afraid it'll just be a hatchet job, and how interesting is that? To be honest, I tend to think that some time needs to pass before there's enough historical perspective to make a truly interesting film about the President.

"You Think Batman's Who?"

So, this is a few days old, but I can't let it pass without comment.

Batman in "The Dark Knight" is like George W. Bush. Uh-huh. Did Klavan and I watch the same movie? Was there something in the IMAX version that wasn't in the regular version? The onetime use of an intrusive survailence system doesn't seem to be quite enough to make the parallel.

For one thing, in all his incarnations (with the possible exception of the '60's TV show), Batman has always been depicted as being supremely competent. Now, I don't subscribe to the W=stupid school of thought, but his administration has made enough blunders that I think I can safely say the Bush is no Batman.

More to the point of Klavan's opinion piece, in talking of what heroes have to do to confront evil, he says:

And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised -- then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.

He completely misses the point. Batman, ultimately, is heroic because he won't compromise the values he champions. He could kill the Joker at the end, but he does not. Batman could ensure that the Joker never takes another life, but to do that he'd have to cross the line that he has sworn never to cross. How is this comparable to a President who has shown a willingness to compromise on many of the values central to this country?

I suppose there are one or two items in the piece that I'd agree with, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Overall I'd say Klavan provides a fairly shallow reading of the moral tone of "The Dark Knight."

Proust Questionnaire

I'm away from home and my usual collection of distractions and find myself between social obligations and a bit bored. To aleviate that boredom a take a page from the most fun group of people I can think of, the wealthy English of the nineteenth century. It was a fad at the time to answer lists of questions to reveal something about the person's personality. This set of questions was popularized by Marcel Proust because he was apparently exceptionally clever in his answers. I make no claim to cleverness, I'll be pleased enough to discover that I do, in fact, have a personality.

The principal aspect of my personality
Crippling insecurity.

The quality that I desire in a man.
Whoa, buddy, what are you trying to say? I don't swing that way, 'kay. More to the point, I'm not nearly secure enough in my masculinity (see the first question) to want to answer this. That said, I suppose loyalty and good humor are good qualities in anyone.

The quality that I desire in a woman.
A willingness to put up with me.

What I appreciate most about my friends.
The ways in which they are different from me.

My main fault
I can only pick one? Indecisiveness, definitely. Or maybe laziness, that's a good one, too.

My favorite occupation.
Assuming we're using occupation to mean "thing with which to occupy myself", I'll say reading. If we're talking jobs, then what's that one where you get paid to sit around and do nothing? That one, I like that one.

My dream of happiness.

Inspiration, flowing freely and continuously without interruption.

What would be my greatest misfortune?

To lose my family and friends.

What I should like to be.

To be funny. Everything else will take care of itself as long as I can laugh.

The country where I should like to live.

I've got a pretty strong affinity to my country of origin. For all it's faults and all the times it fails to live up to its ideals, there's something special about a country built around an idea rather than ethnic identity or geographical necessity.

My favourite colour.

Blue. Not sure why, though I think I remember reading somewhere that it's the color picked most often as favorite. Not sure what that means. And I only think I remember reading it, so maybe I'm just making it up.

The flower that I like.

Hm. Flowers are nice, I suppose. Can't say I'm enough of a coinissuer to have a favorite.

My favorite prose authors.

Hey, "authors" plural, that's nice of them to not make me choose one. Douglas Adams, Mark Twain, Neil Gaiman, Terry Prachett, Raymond Chandler, and probably one or two others I'm forgetting.

My favorite poets.

Sad to say, I'm not really enough of a poetry buff to pick a favorite.

My heroes in fiction.
Arthur Dent, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern, and yes, I'm picking a comic book superhero, if you have a problem with it you can bite me), Indiana Jones, Atticus Finch, the Doctor. Oh, and of course, Jack Knight (Starman, yes another superhero...again, bite me).

My favorite heroines in fiction.

Hmm. Strong female characters. Is it wrong that I'm having a hard time coming up with one. Oh, wait, there's Buffy, of course. Oh, and Francine Peters and Katchoo from Strangers In Paradise. Who else. Okay, in my defense, the whole of fiction (movies, television, books, comics, etc.) is pretty big and I can't be expected to remember it all, so I'm sure I'm missing some obvious choices. I still feel like I should at least be able to get someone from a novel, though.

My favorite composers.

I suppose I could pretend I was knowledgeable enough about composers to answer this and then just crib someone else's answers, but I won't. Instead, I'm changing it to favorite musicians. That would be U2, Elvis Costello, the Pixies, and Men At Work.

My favorite painters.

Da Vinci, though that's largely on the basis of him just being a really facsinating person more than his work. Again, not a huge art expert, but I'm kind of fond of Monet.

My heroes in real life.
Franklin Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Douglas Adams

My heroines in history.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Queen Elizabeth I

My favorite names
I've always liked Gwendolyn for some reason, though I've never met anyone with that name.

What I hate most of all.
Wilfull stupidity.

Historical figures that I despise the most.
I could think of any number of awful acts people have commited that I hate, but I tend to think hating individual people is a waste of time and energy.

The military event that I admire most.
The Normandy invasion (D-Day).

The reform which I admire the most.
Universal sufferage

The gift of nature that I would like to have.
I wish I were musical. Deep down inside I have the frustrated soul of a rock star.

How I want to die.
Peacefully, in my sleep, at a startlingly old age. Unless living forever is an option, I might have to consider that one. Well, maybe not forever; it'd be awfully lonely, not to mention boring if I outlived the universe.

My present state of mind.
Reflective with a touch of sillyness thrown in.

Faults for which I have the most indulgence.
I'll echo Proust's answer on this one, "Those that I understand."

My motto.
Never really thought of a motto before. Not sure I can sum myself up in a single memorable phrase. Not sure I'm clever enough to come up with a good one anyway. How about we just say "Watch This Space" and leave it at that.

But How Does He Feel About Skrull Marriage?

So, a bit of controversy has arisen surrounding this year's Comic Con. Apparently the owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego gave a large donation in support of an anti-gay marriage initiative, and now there are calls to boycott the hotel (or at least the hotel bar) in response. I'm not sure a boycott is a great strategy here; it's got a pretty good chance of backfiring if the effect is minimal (that would suggest that those in opposition to the owners position are in the minority), and I don't particularly like the idea of trying to punish someone simply because he holds a different political position (even if his position is stupid). Augie De Blieck had an amusing take on boycotting in his CBR column this week.

That's the real thing, I've never understood the argument of those opposed to gay marriage. What possible effect could it have on them if two men or two women want to get married. Do the opponents love their spouses a tiny bit less every time a same-sex couple marries? Are they afraid that gay marriage will make homosexuality look like so much fun that everyone will decide to be gay, ending human reproduction and dooming the species? Why do they care? You have a religious objection to it, fine, your church doesn't have to perform or recognize gay marriages, but why should that have any bearing on government policy?

It's a bit of a puzzler.

Kirkman!

So, I was reading this article in the New York Times about Robert Kirkman becoming a partner at Image. It's certainly well earned with the success of Invincible and The Walking Dead, both consistently great reads. The thing that really struck me from the article was the fact that Kirkman's 29. That's two years younger than me! I don't know why I had assumed he was older from his writing, but I had. Now I just feel a bit old and jealous that he's so good at such a young age.

This Just In . . .

From a story on news.com.au:

Octopus sex man avoids jail

A TASMANIAN man caught downloading images of sexual acts with an octopus has avoided a jail term.

An octopus?

How can . . .?

What do . . .?

Where does the . . .?

You know what, never mind, I really don't want to know.

Review: Franklin and Lucy by Joseph E. Persico

I've always found Franklin Roosevelt to be the most interesting of our former presidents. He presided over not one, but two national crises (the Depression and World War II), was elected to an unprecedented four terms, was a powerful and inspiring speaker, and he did all of this while concealing the fact that he was crippled as a result of a bout with polio. In Franklin and Lucy, Joseph Parsico looks at FDR's relationships with the women in his life. This, of course, includes his mother, his wife, and his eldest daughter, Anna, but equally important to him it seems was Lucy Rutherford. Persico, through the use of letters and other documents, that theirs was clearly an affair of the heart even if it is unclear if there was every any physical infidelity. It would be easy to judge Roosevelt harshly for the long term relationship he had with Lucy, and certainly the hurt he caused Eleanor was unconscionable, but Persico doesn't offer us any villains in this story, just human beings with the regular compliment of needs and foibles. It just so happens that two of these human beings, Franklin and Eleanor, were major historical figures. That's really the strength of this book, the way it depicts the Roosevelts, for all their power and influence and greatness, as people and not the icons they've become. I'm left wondering, if Eleanor had found happiness in her marriage, would she have been half as accomplished a person as she ultimately was? What of Franklin? Persico does a fair job exploring why FDR needed the other women in his life, that Eleanor, while being an ideal match intellectually, was incapable of providing him with the emotional nourishment that he needed, but for as much genuine affection as he shows to Lucy and others such as Missy LeHand (sometimes called his "surrogate spouse), there's also a selfishness to it all, he doesn't seem to be able to give all that much back. Does he get a pass, as some quoted in the book seem willing to give him, because of the suffering he endured or the great pressure he was under? It's not for me to judge, but it was certainly interesting to read about.

An Open Letter to Zack Snyder

RE: Watchmen trailer

I admit, I wasn't sure what to think when I heard you had signed on to direct a film adaptation of "Watchmen". The conventional wisdom has long held that Watchmen is unfilmable; at the very least it would be challenging to get right. I haven't seen any of your work (300 didn't look my cup of tea, so I skipped it...I may have to reconsider that now), so I didn't have any basis to judge your ability to handle the challenge. Then, last Thursday, the trailer started appearing on the internet. I checked it out like everyone else, but I still had my doubts.

Then I saw it on the big screen in front of The Dark Knight. You've got me, I'm sold. The trailer alone is an impressive bit of filmmaking, so I'm ready now. I now have hope that this film will be as good as it deserves to be. I'm eager to see what you've come up with.

Please don't screw it up.

Dr. Horrible

The last part of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog is up. They'll only be up until midnight tomorrow, so I encourage everyone to check it out. It's really fun, though I'm not sure what to make of the ending. Whatever it means, it's certainly a major tonal shift in the piece.

Anyway, check it out. It's a supervillain musical, so what's not to like?

Celebrate

I got my Praxis scores in the mail today and I actually passed! I'll officially be a licensed teacher in the fall. Now if I could just be a licensed teacher with a job I'd be all set.

Help me celebrate, Bender.

Random Video featuring Dr. Dugong

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

As the end credits began to roll and the house lights came up, I stood up to make my way out of the theater and I was shaking. This movie was that good. Quite frankly, I'm not sure any world that can produce a Batman movie as bad as 1997's Batman & Robin deserves one this good, but fortunately we've been blessed with it anyway. The old guard from Batman Begins is back and have upped their already considerable game. Christian Bale once again does a fine job as Bruce Wayne, at this point I'd have a hard time accepting anyone else in the role. Michael Caine is once again amazing, capturing the essence of Alfred: unflinching loyalty and a biting wit. Morgan Freeman is still a great Lucius Fox. There's a moment at the end where we see Lucius reacting to something he's seeing (I won't spoil it) and he flashes one of those great Morgan Freeman smiles and I was right there with him, part of me wanted to stand up and cheer. You'll know the moment when you see it. Then there's Gary Oldman. Words cannot do justice to how much I love Gary Oldman in this role. He is Jim Gordon straight from the comics page. The look, the voice, the attitude, this is the man who cleans up the Gotham PD.

The newcomers do good, too. Maggie Gyllenhaal steps into Katie Holmes's thankless role from the first film and really makes it her own. Nothing against Holmes's performance, but I think Gyllenhaal does a much better job with world weary. Aaron Eckhart is perfect as Harvey Dent. I totally believed in him as Gotham's white knight, but from the beginning the seeds of his fall were clearly planted. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the Batman mythos knows where Harvey ends up, but the cruel inevitability of it doesn't make it any less devastating to watch.

That brings us to the Joker. The only word that can describe this film's depiction of the Joker is "perfection." I always liked Tim Burton's Batman, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to watch it after this. Nicholson's Joker was a gangster with a skin condition. Yes, he was crazy, but amid the craziness were understandable human motives, money, power, recognition. Heath Ledger's Joker is a force of nature. Money? Who cares. Power? Eh. Recognition? Not the point. As Alfred puts it: "Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." The Joker in The Dark Knight is truly scary, not because he's insane, though he clearly is, but because he's the smartest, most ruthless guy in the room. Every second he is on screen is filled with tension. There's a moment early on where the Joker does a "magic trick" and the audience will laugh when it happens. It's not an "Oh, isn't that funny" laugh, it's a shocked laugh, the sound of the tension being involuntarily released. It's sad that Heath Ledger didn't live to see the reception that his performance in this film, because this is probably some of the best work of his career.

The central question of the film is a particularly relevant one: If you're faced with an evil that can't be contained, that you can't intimidate or reason with, then what do you have to become, what compromises do you have to make, what lines will you have to cross in order to stop it? It's really always been the central dilemma in the Batman/Joker relationship. It's a conflict Batman can't win, he can only minimize his losses. Batman can catch the Joker, but the Joker will eventually escape (it's what he does) and go right back to causing death and destruction. If Batman kills the Joker, the Joker still wins because Batman will have compromised himself. The Joker will have proven his point, that rules don't matter, that when the chips are down, morality is the first thing out the window.

Christopher Nolan has raised the bar with this film. It'll be tough to match the level of quality here.

I feel like I should say something about the Watchmen trailer that played before the movie, but I'm still chewing on The Dark Knight, so I'll have to save that topic for a later date.

Random Video featuring Batmonkey

In honor of The Dark Knight opening today:

Movie Review: WALL-E

I liked WALL-E, but I didn't love it. Saying that makes me feel like I just walked in a room and kicked a puppy. The love for this movie among critics and friends is overwhelming, I'm just waiting for someone to ask, "Jonathan, why do you hate love?" It's a good movie, a very good movie; Pixar's perfect record remains intact, but I just wasn't able to connect with it enough to really love it.

The visuals in the film are spectacular, in fact, I'd say this might be the best looking Pixar movie yet. The characters of WALL-E and EVE were great characters, and I find I came away with a special affection for MO, the cleaning robot. The character problem I had was with the humans. I really just didn't care about any of them and the screen time spent with them felt like a waste; time I'd rather be spending on the robots' story. The story itself was fun, but I felt like I was two minutes ahead of the plot at every twist and turn, no surprises whatever. That made it hard for me to fully engage with the story. That's not to say it's a bad story, I thought the love story between WALL-E and EVE was very sweet and charming, and the basic story form here is a classic one for a reason, but there was nothing to really wow me. In the end, the movie just didn't feel complete to me, like there was more to the story to tell and that I'd just gotten the Cliff's Notes version. Like a snack when I was looking for a meal; it was very enjoyable, but not completely satisfying.

I must reiterate, I did like the movie; how could anyone with a heart not like it? I'm just not as over-the-moon for it as everyone else seems to be and the above negativity was just me trying to explore why. If I'd hated the movie I doubt I'd spend this much time thinking about it.

The movie was preceded by a short "Presto". That, I did love. A great bit of slapstick goodness more in line with the old Warner Bros. tradition than Disney.

What's Wrong With Fishnets?

Blog@Newsarama has a story about a religious group objecting to an upcoming Barbie doll dressed as the DC Comics superheroine Black Canary. The complaint is:

"Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far,” the Christian Voice is quoted as saying by the tabloid The Sun. “A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible — it’s filth.”

The line of superheroine Barbies will also include a Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Catwoman. How is this costume any more suggestive than the others. It certainly covers more than Wonder Woman's. It's the use of fishnets and leather, isn't it. They don't automatically equal fetish wear, you know (well, anymore than all superhero costumes are a kind of fetish wear). At the risk of damning it with faint praise, I'd say the Canary's costume is one of the more tasteful superheroine costumes in comics. It's certainly one of the cooler ones.

I'm A Sucker

I was at a store earlier today and I saw a new edition of Batman Begins on DVD. Naturally, I went over and picked it up to see if it's any better than the version I own. As it turns out, the DVD content is exactly the same as the DVDs I own. The only difference is the box (which looks a lot cooler), and a few extra, useless gee-gaws included in the package that would only end up taking up space in my apartment. Recognizing all these things, I was still sorely tempted to buy it (I didn't, but I was tempted). So, what have we learned today . . . first, that I'm a sucker who can be manipulated into spending money on any dumb thing if it's sufficiently shiny (but, really, we all already knew that, didn't we?), and second that the folks at Warner Home Video are marketing geniuses. Kudos, gentlemen, you almost had me.

Movie Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I confess, I've never read a Hellboy comic (except for the Hellboy/Starman/Batman mini-series years and years ago). It's not from lack of interest, the premise of a demon working for a covert organization charged with dealing with supernatural threats is right up my alley. I've just never gotten around to picking up any of the trade collections to read. I did, however, see the first Hellboy film and liked it a great deal. So, when I saw that a sequel was coming this summer, I knew I'd be going to see it.

In Hellboy II: The Golden Army creatures of myth, such as elves, trolls, even tooth faeries, are tired of humans controlling most of the world and plan to go to war against humanity using an indestructible Golden Army. Hellboy and his comrades at the B.P.R.D. are charged with stopping them. It should come as no shock that a movie by Guillermo del Toro is spectacular to look at. The visual style and imagination on display is truly impressive. Interestingly, the first Hellboy film was on TV over the weekend and I ended up watching it. I couldn't help but notice how different the color pallets of the two movies are (isn't that a really geeky thing to notice? I'm kind of proud of that). Now, some of that might be attributable to the difference in quality between a TV screen and a movie theater screen, but I do think that there is a real difference and I think it was a very clever choice. In the first movie, the story revolves around a Lovecraft inspired mythology and the movie looks very dark, lots of blacks and grays and dark blues. Hellboy II is dealing with creatures of European mythology, an earthier, more nature-based mythology. Appropriately enough, there are lots of browns and greens in the sequel. The tonal difference in color seems to mirror a difference in the emotional tone of the films as well. The first movie felt a little heavier, a little darker. Hellboy II seemed to have lightened up a bit. That's not to say that the movie is light-weight, not at all, there's plenty of action and drama to keep things interesting and exciting.

So, did I enjoy Hellboy II? Absolutely, I had a lot of fun and, if the applause I heard at the end was any indication, so did the rest of the audience.

Random Video featuring "Priceless"

The Vast Wasteland

So, it was 3 am the other night (or morning, whatever) and I was still awake, my mind still winding down from the day. I wasn't quite ready to go to sleep, but I wasn't up to start working on anything productive that would keep me up until dawn either. That left me with one option...TV. However, at 3 am I found my choices severely limited. Unless I wanted to watch an infomercial for "male enhancement" products (same infomercial on six different channels, I hope someone's alerted the CDC about this apparent epidemic of need for "enhancement", sounds like a public health disaster in the making), my only choices were a soul-killing dating show on MTV or an author discussing his new book on the Bush administration on C-SPAN. Naturally, I picked the dating show.

After a couple of minutes, though, I could feel my brain cells committing suicide in protest, so I switched back to C-SPAN. The book in question is titled "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder." Cheery title, eh? The author, a former prosecutor, suggests that President Bush can be tried for the murders of all the American troops that have died in Iraq. You can find more information at the book's website here.

He makes a novel argument, but ultimately trying to suggest that the President is guilty of murder for exercising his power as Commander in Chief is foolish and unhelpful. Admittedly, the current administration has used the role of Commander in Chief as a justification to ignore any laws or conventions that it finds inconvenient, but that's precisely why the overblown rhetoric of a book like this drives me up the wall. There is plenty to criticize with how this administration went to war, but an accusation of murder is overreaching and distracts from legitimate criticism. It just seems like more of the trend of politics as bloodsport, and that doesn't do anything to make the country better, it just drags us all down into the dirt.

Admittedly, putting the word "Murder" in the title is certainly sexier than a more reasonable title involving words like "Misled" or "Incompetent", so I'm sure it will sell well to the angry left.

Happy Bastille Day

I just realized today was Bastille Day for our French friends. I'm a little amazed at myself for knowing that, self-absorbed American that I am. Next thing you know I'll be remembering Guy Fawkes Day. Anyway, here's an appropriate display of French patriotism from Casablanca:

Review: Y the Last Man vol. 10 - Whys and Wherefores

I discovered Y the Last Man in trades, so when the series ended a few months ago I knew I'd have a bit of a wait before I could read the grand finale. The wait was excruciating. At last, the final trade was released, was it worth the wait? I'd say yes and no (way to be ambiguous, eh?)

For the uninitiated, Y tells the story of what happens when a plague kills every mammal with a Y chromosome except for Yorick Brown and his monkey, Ampersand. The series followed Yorick's adventures as he and his companions searched for answers about the plague and attempted to reunite him with his girlfriend who was on the other side of the globe when the plague struck. The tenth trade collects the final six issues of the series and does a pretty good job of wrapping up all of the loose plot threads. Beth, the girlfriend, and Yorick are reunited and we get to check in with all the important characters that have come and gone throughout the course of the series. We even get to jump ahead and time 60 years to see what becomes of the world. All the bases are covered, and overall it's an enjoyable read, but I was left feeling a tiny bit unsatisfied. Something's missing and I'm not sure what. I think part of it might be that there wasn't enough of a wind down to the story, I could have used an issue to decompress between the end of the main story and the epilogue. Part of it also has to do with the fact that it would be hard for any ending to live up to the build up we've had over the past nine trades (or 54 issues).

Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra (along with the rest of the creative team) have done really good work producing 60 solid issues of comic goodness. I'm sad that it's over; I got to really love Yorick, 355, Dr. Mann and the rest and I'm going to miss them now that their story is done.

Random Video featuring Early Muppets

I was looking through this livejournal community dedicated to vintage advertisements and I found this one featuring some very early muppets.



Wow, those muppets sure get violent when they're shilling coffee, don't they?

Take a look at the Vintage Sexist Ads that Valerie D'Orazio at Occasional Superheroine found.

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part X: Epic

At last, the final Top 10 list from AFI. Apparently the AFI was saving the biggest for last, as this list is for the Epics.

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Ben-Hur
3. Schindler's List
4. Gone With the Wind
5. Spartacus
6. Titanic
7. All Quiet On the Western Front
8. Saving Private Ryan
9. Reds
10. The Ten Commandments

So, apparently we're defining Epic as long since length seems to be the only thing these movies have in common. I'm not sure I like that definition, as I tend to think the term "epic" suggests a grandeur of scope or a spectacle of some kind. Certainly, most of these films would fit that definition as well, the one problem inclusion is Schindler's List. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic movie and I'm glad to see it on a list, but, while it is a long movie, it doesn't feel as "big" as the other movies on the list. I can't quite put my finger on why that is so; maybe it's the emotional temperature of the movie, much colder, much darker than the others. Maybe it's the weightiness of the subject matter that makes the film feel more contained. Whatever it is, it just feels strange to call it an epic.

Lawrence of Arabia, on the other hand, I couldn't agree with more. My answer to the question "What's your favorite movie?" fluctuates depending on my mood, but Lawrence of Arabia is a frequent answer. The story of Western meddling in the Middle East is particularly interesting given recent history.

There's a part of me that wants to object to Titanic being included on the list. However, I think that's just my pretentious cinephile showing through, a reaction to the movie being too popular in the culture and a little over exposed. For the most part though, I did like the film (though it falls in the category of "Movies I will only see once"), and it certainly qualifies as epic. So, I'll just tell that part of me to lighten up.

Saving Private Ryan is the other inclusion that I'm particularly pleased with. I loved this movie, even have a poster up on my wall.

The only other comment I have on this list is more a reflection on the fact that I have never seen The Ten Commandments. This despite the fact that it's on television every Easter. I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually.

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part IX: Courtroom Drama

We're up to list number nine of AFI's 10 Top 10 lists. Here are the top ten courtroom dramas:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird
2. 12 Angry Men
3. Kramer Vs Kramer
4. The Verdict
5. A Few Good Men
6. Witness For the Prosecution
7. Anatomy of a Murder
8. In Cold Blood
9. A Cry in the Dark
10. Judgement At Nuremberg

My biggest complaint about this list is how much it challenged me to try and remember which words you're not supposed to capitalize in titles. Sure, I've got a copy of Elements of Style sitting on my bookshelf, not three feet away, but that would require me to get up.

Seriously, it's hard for me to have a problem with any top 10 list that starts off with To Kill A Mockingbird. It's such an amazingly successful adaptation of a fantastic novel, probably one of the best examples of adaptation out there. Also, it's one of my favorite movies ever.

In truth, I've only seen five of the movies (To Kill A Mockingbird, 12 Angry Men, A Few Good Men, Anatomy of a Murder, and Judgement At Nuremberg) and only remember four of those (I can't for the life of me remember anything about Anatomy of a Murder). But, there's nothing here I'm unhappy with. I'm racking my brain trying to come up with any other courtroom dramas that should be on the list, but I just can't think of anything. I guess that means I've got to give the AFI folks kudos for this list; no glaring omissions this time.

Good Cause

A friend of mine sent out a call for help this morning and I figured I'd post it up here. It's not like I get a huge amount of traffic here, so I'm not sure how much this will help, but I figure it couldn't hurt. Anyway, here's how she describes the project:

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT:
The local Water, Sanitation and Development Association representing four communities is requesting assistance to construct 16 household compost latrines. For a population of 5,000 there are only two communal latrines and 36 household latrines. Therefore the majority of the community members defecate free range in and around the community. Because of this, the community dams are contaminated, the children play in fields of feces and there is a high rate of diarrhea-related diseases in the community. In fact, diarrhea is the second most reported illness at the local clinic, only after malaria. This need for latrines caused the community members to organize in water and sanitation committees and with donor assistance to implement phases one and two of the compost latrine program, through which 28 household compost latrine were built. During the course of implementing this project the four water and sanitation committees worked very well together and decided to register as a single community based organization. This third phase of the Program was suggested by the organization’s executives, who are continually approached by members of the community asking when the project will continue. (Please send an email if you would like the complete proposal/budget).

The proposal is part of the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), a program which collects funding completely through donations made by the volunteer’s friends/family.

SO HERE’S WHERE YOU COME IN! The cost of each latrine is around $530. Each household requesting a latrine will be donating 40% of that cost ($212), so we are requesting $318 per latrine, plus other logistic expenses. The total amount being requested for 16 household latrines is $5,312.08. Any donation is accepted!

TO DONATE: On the Peace Corps webpage (www.peacecorps.gov), go to “Donate now” on the left-hand side of the screen. Then choose “Donate to Volunteer Project.” A new page will come up that asks for specific project information. The easiest way to find the project is to simply type the project number, 641 246, in the "Keyword Search" box.

Here is the other specific information for my community’s project:
Project Title: Compost Latrine Program
Volunteer: Lee S.
Region: Africa
Country: Ghana
Home State: GA
Project Number: 641 246
Amount Requested: $5,312.08 (it may be misquoted as $8,811.80 online, but this includes the 40% the community will contribute)

Any donation, big or small, will go a long way to improving the health and lives of people in my community.

So, if you can contribute or know anyone else who might, I'm sure all help will be appreciated.

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part VIII: Gangster

The eighth of AFI's 10 top 10 lists is ranking films in the gangster genre. Here's the list:

1. The Godfather
2. Goodfellas
3. The Godfather, Part II
4. White Heat
5. Bonnie and Clyde
6. Scarface: The Shame of a Nation
7. Pulp Fiction
8. The Public Enemy
9. Little Caesar
10. Scarface

At first glance, I'm tempted to object to two Godfather movies taking up space on the list, but both films are at the top of the genre in terms of quality, so I guess they both belong. Pulp Fiction is the other inclusion I'm not crazy about. Is it really a gangster movie? Sure, organized crime is an element, but it just doesn't feel like a gangster movie. Maybe I'm just being cranky because I don't particularly like the movie. I seem to be the only one, however, as everyone else wants to sing its praises. That can kind of grate on my nerves a bit and causes me to overreact to things like it showing up on a top 10 list.

There are three glaring omissions on this list. First, there's The Untouchables. Sure you can argue it's not, strictly speaking, a gangster movie as the cops are clearly the heroes, but c'mon it's about the takedown of the biggest gangster of all, Al Capone. Besides, if they can put Pulp Fiction on, I can put The Untouchables, dammit! (Sorry, still cranky) Second is Miller's Crossing, which is most definitely a gangster movie, and a Cohen brothers film to boot. It's a great movie, and besides, the Irish mob is woefully underrepresented on this list. And what about Road to Perdition, sure it's more about a father/son relationship than the actual crime, but it takes place in the world of organized crime so I think it fits.

It Is Too A Word!

So, the folks at Merriam-Webster have added a passel of new words to the dictionary. I'm pleased to see fanboy is now an official word. My other favorite from the list is pescatarian, which is vegetarian who eats fish. Is there really a need for a word for this? Aren't vegetarians who eat fish simply not vegetarians?

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part VII: Sci-Fi

Here we are at the seventh of AFI's 10 Top 10 lists, this one for Sci-Fi films. Here's the list:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
3. E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial
4. A Clockwork Orange
5. The Day the Earth Stood Still
6. Blade Runner
7. Alien
8. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
10. Back to the Future

Not a bad list. I'll take them one at a time.

2001: A Space Odyssey - I understand why it's on the list, but I have to admit, I've never quite gotten this film. The middle of the movie is a great story, it's the beginning, with the apes and the monolith, and the end, with the starchild, that I find puzzling and a bit boring. Maybe I'm just too thick for this one.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - Yay Star Wars! It goes without saying that I would have been upset not to see one of the original Star Wars trilogy on the list. That said, I always felt the Empire Strikes Back was the better film, but I suppose I can accept the original Star Wars taking the slot on the list on the grounds of historical significance.

E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial - What a wonderful movie. It's all about the relationship between Elliot and his alien friend and it manages to hit all the right emotional buttons. Very glad to see it on the list.

A Clockwork Orange - You know, I wouldn't have thought of this as a Science Fiction film. But, of course, speculative fiction, which this certainly is, has always been a branch of science fiction, so it certainly belongs. I'm definitely glad to see it on one of these lists as it's my favorite Kubrick film. And, c'mon, how great is Malcolm McDowell?

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Did you know they were remaking (actually, I think they've already finished shooting it) this movie? With Keanu Reeves as Klaatu no less. There's even a trailer already up here. I only have one question. Why? It's not that the original isn't a good movie, to the contrary, the fact that it is good is reason enough to leave it alone. What is there to add in a remake?

Blade Runner - Got to love an old fashioned detective story set in a sci-fi landscape. Apparently Ridley Scott, the director, and Harrison Ford disagree over whether or not Deckard was a replicant. I never quite understood the reading of the film that said he was, but as I indicated above, I can be a bit thick sometimes so maybe I'm missing some obvious clues.

Alien - So, Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick really made out well on this list with two films each. Deservedly so, even if I don't completely get 2001. I do get, and love Alien though. I remember seeing this when I was a kid, it scared the hell out of me. It still holds up for me as one of the most truly scary movies ever. It might seem greedy to want two related films on the same list, bit I think the sequel, Aliens, deserves a spot on the list as well. It's just as good, but in a completely different way. Whereas Alien is a sci-fi/horror film, Aliens is a Sci-Fi/War film.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day - Why Terminator 2, a fine movie in its own right, and not the original Terminator? I feel that the original has the superior story even if the sequel is more notable for its effects achievements.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - A classic sci-fi allegory from the paranoid days of the Cold War. Glad it made the list.

Back to the Future - And who doesn't love Back to the Future. This is one of those cultural touchstone movies that everyone of a certain age knows and loves. I'm certainly of the right age, so I'm happy to have it on the list.

Movie Review: Hancock

So, my summer of superhero movies continues as I went to see Hancock. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. The premise sounded like a promising one, and Will Smith is always entertaining, but the review have been a bit mixed. Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 37% on its Tomatometer, meaning that the majority of the critics were not kind to the film.

After seeing the film, I have to admit that my own feelings on it are mixed as well. I'll say upfront that, overall, I enjoyed the film, I just felt it wasn't as good as it could have been. The movie starts off well with Hancock the drunk screw-up of a superhero we've all seen in the ads. And as he starts down the road to redemption with he help of the Jason Bateman character everything is humming along smoothly. I thought the scenes in jail worked pretty well, other than some questionable physics in how Hancock deals with a pair of hostile fellow inmates. Then, after Hancock has his first adventure as a proper superhero, the wheels start to come off. There's a revelation at this point about Hancock's origins and nature, which I won't spoil here, that just was not particularly satisfying and relied a little too much on coincidence. And so, through the middle of the film, I started getting a bit restless. The narrative was losing me, and that was a shame as there was a lot of talent up on that screen. Then we got into the third act, and the movie started to win me over again. Yes, they were still dealing with the ramifications of the earlier revelations, but I didn't care anymore. The stakes had been raised and the movie seemed to be moving forward with a purpose again. I was once again entertained.

So, the movie began well; it ended well; it just got a little muddled in the middle. Overall I'd say that there was more of it that I enjoyed than there was that I didn't, still it was a mixed bag.

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part VI: Fantasy

Next up of AFI's Top 10 lists is the Top 10 Fantasy Films:

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
3. It's A Wonderful Life
4. King Kong
5. Miracle on 34th Street
6. Field of Dreams
7. Harvey
8. Groundhog Day
9. The Thief of Bagdad
10. Big

Oh, so that's where Field of Dreams went to. I still think it belongs with the sports movies. Once again, I'm forced to ask, "How are we defining Fantasy for this list?" Let's take them one at a time.

The Wizard of Oz - Okay, this one I get as fantasy, a trip through an alternate realm with munchkins and witches and flying monkeys. It's also a great film and a recognized classic. It's a good call.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Glad to see one of the Lord of the Rings movies on the list. I question choosing Fellowship of the Ring over The Return of the King, though, as I thought the last movie was a little better than the first. Of course, it's hard to pick just one of the three movies as they are all parts of the same big story. They probably could have gotten away with cheating on this one and calling the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy one big movie for the purposes of the list (Entertainment Weekly certainly did on their recent list).

It's A Wonderful Life - Call me a sap, but I love this movie. It's got such an optimistic outlook on human nature, not to mention a great cast and story. It would not have occurred to me to label it a fantasy film, though. I suppose we are dealing with angels and alternate realities, so the label is probably a fair one.

King Kong - The classic version of King Kong is still great fun as a movie, even if the effects aren't as super-sophisticated as those available today (they're still plenty impressive, though).

Miracle on 34th Street - Haven't seen, though I have to question, does the fact that the film posits the existence of Santa Claus really qualify it as a fantasy film?

Field of Dreams - I suppose phantom voices, ghostly baseball players, and a little bit of time travel can justify calling this a fantasy film, but I still think it falls more comfortably in the sports category. Still, I'm glad to see it make it on a list.

Harvey - Haven't seen.

Groundhog Day - Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! This is a great movie due in equal parts to a genius premise and Bill Murray being a comedy god. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't like Groundhog Day?

The Thief of Bagdad - Haven't seen, but didn't they misspell Baghdad?

Big - You know, I liked Big back when I first saw it, but I saw it again recently on TV and I'm not sure it really holds up. It's a good movie, but I'm not sure it quite deserves to make the cut on this list. So, what to put in its place? How about Superman? There's a noticeable absence of any superhero movies on any of the lists, so why not throw me a bone and put Superman on here, huh? Or what about Big Fish or Edward Scissorhands? They'd both fit comfortably in this category and I think they both rank higher than Big. So, there's my main quibble with this particular list.

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part V: Mystery

We're at the halfway point of the ten lists! And what a list this one is:

1. Vertigo
2. Chinatown
3. Rear Window
4. Laura
5. The Third Man
6. The Maltese Falcon
7. North By Northwest
8. Blue Velvet
9. Dial M for Murder
10. The Usual Suspects

Hitchcock certainly dominates this list, taking up four of the slots. This is, of course, as it should be. This is a top ten list to be proud of, I've got no complaints.

Vertigo and Rear Window are two of my all time favorite movies, so I'm glad to see them ranked so high.

Chinatown and The Maltese Falcon are undisputed classics of the genre, so they belong on the list.

I haven't seen Laura or Blue Velvet, but given the quality of the rest of the list, I feel encouraed to check them out soon.

Seeing The Third Man on the list has made me realize that it's been quite some time since I've seen it and the details have faded a bit in my mind. I remember being very impressed by it, but the rest is a bit hazy. Time to re-watch it, I think.

North By Northwest and Dial M for Murder, two more Hitchcock classics on the list. All I can say is, Yay!

And last, but certainly not least, we've got The Usual Suspects. I remember seeing this movie in the theater while I was in college and it just blew me away. That ending is a killer on the first viewing. Then, on repeated viewings, you get to marvel at just how well constructed the whole story is. Not to mention an unbeliveable cast.

Kudos for this list. I'm in full agreement.

Happy Fourth of July

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part IV: Sports

I'm onto the AFI's fourth list of their 10 Top 10. This time, it's Sports movies.

1. Raging Bull
2. Rocky
3. The Pride of the Yankees
4. Hoosiers
5. Bull Durham
6. The Hustler
7. Caddyshack
8. Breaking Away
9. National Velvet
10. Jerry Maguire

So, how are we defining Sports movies for this list? Jerry Maguire, I'm looking at you. Yes, the title character was a sports agent and the movie took place in the world of professional sports, but none of that was central to the story which was more about Jerry's character growth. It seems to me that a movie on a 10 Best Sports Movie list should be more centrally focused on the sports. But maybe I'm just being picky.

I'm very pleased to see Hoosiers and The Hustler on here. Great movies, glad to see them on the list. I'm a little curious as to where Field of Dreams is, though. For me, it is THE baseball movie, so it's absence is really felt. I also would have liked to have seen Friday Night Lights on here. That was a fabulous movie, and if I, who does not particularly like football, loved the movie that has to say something about the quality.

Because Everything's Cooler When You Use Lasers . . .

Want a tattoo but prefer the smell of burning flesh to needles? Thank god for the internet, 'cause you can find instructions for using a laser cutter to brand yourself.

Greater Minds

After my little rant about Robin yesterday, I was pleased to see smarter guy and better writer than I, Jeph Loeb leap to the Boy Wonder's defense.

From the MTV Movies Blog:

In the events of Loeb’s “The Long Halloween,” which preceded “Dark Victory” and served as a partial inspiration for “The Dark Knight,” the main characters are all left alienated and alone, bereft of even a little hope. It’s Robin’s presence that can change that for Bruce, Loeb argues, creating a father/son dynamic that can mirror Wayne’s relationship with his own dad. In short, Robin can teach Bruce how to be more human, Loeb insisted.

“It’s all about building the relationship between Bruce and Dick. Dick hates Bruce. He doesn’t understand why it is that he needs to do this and Bruce doesn’t understand why he’s doing it either because he’s not a parent. He doesn’t know how to be a parent,” Loeb said. “And together, they make each other better people. So that for me would be the next step.”

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part III: Westerns

Ah, thank you AFI for giving me so many days worth of material. Here's the Top 10 Westerns list:

1. The Searchers
2. High Noon
3. Shane
4. Unforgiven
5. Red River
6. The Wild Bunch
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
9. Stagecoach
10. Cat Ballou

I'm very fond of the Western genre, so it's a little embarrassing for me to admit that I've seen very few of these movies. Once again, I don't have any real complaints on inclusions or exclusions, except to ask, "Where is 'The Magnificent Seven'?" As to the films on the list, let's take them one at a time:

The Searchers - haven't seen

High Noon - Of course High Noon is on the list. I don't think any list of the ten best Westerns that did not include High Noon could be taken at all seriously. It's the classic western theme of one man alone against the bad guys.

Shane - haven't seen

Unforgiven - Another one that had to be included. This is the film that really updated the genre for more modern sensibilities.

Red River - haven't seen

The Wild Bunch - haven't seen

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - This one I've not only seen, I've read the screenplay (included in William Goldman's great book "Adventures in the Screen Trade"). I can attest that it is a brilliantly written film, but it would only be a shadow of what it is without the chemistry between Redford and Newman and the great performances they both give in the film.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Stagecoach, and Cat Ballou - haven't seen

I've only seen three of the ten. I feel like such a failure. More fodder for the Netflix queue, I suppose.

In Defense of the Boy Wonder

Blog@Newsarama had a post today responding to what the writer terms "Robin Panic", the fear of Robin turning up in future installments of the Batman movie franchise. The argument: Robin, as a character, doesn't work, particularly in a movie and that the idea of the kid sidekick detracts from the cool, Dark Knight image of Batman and is more appropriate to the campy TV show or the god-awful Joel Schumacher Batman movies (never mind the fact that Frank Miller felt compelled to include a Robin in his "The Dark Knight Returns", which might as well be the Ur text for the grim-and-gritty Batman).

I'll admit that Robin is a harder sell in a movie where a real kid will be in the costume, and you see the kid in dangerous situations. It's a little easier in comic books where Batman & Robin is enough of an established institution that readers tend to just go with it. But I still feel the character can work, and I think Robin serves a vital roll in the Batman mythos.

I've always liked Robin. The idea if not always the execution. Robin is the balancing force in Batman's life. Bruce Wayne lives in a dark and twisted world, and that has to take a toll on his psyche. Batman's war on crime is one that he can never really win, it would be easy for him to give in to hopelessness. Robin is the ray of hope. He's the reminder to Bruce of why Batman exists. I think a lot of people mistake Batman's mission as one of revenge, but that's not how I interpret it. Batman isn't out there trying to hurt criminals as payback for what happened to his parents, he's out there trying to stop what happened to him from happening to anyone else. That's why the knight part of The Dark Knight is appropriate, is mission is not a self-indulgent one, it's noble and self-sacrificing. In Dick Grayson, Bruce sees a reflection of himself, another child who watched his parents murder. Bringing Dick on board the war on crime is really a sort of therapy for the kid. It's a way for Dick to work through the pain and anger that drove Bruce to dedicate his life to becoming the Batman to the exclusion of all else. In a way, Bruce is trying to make sure that Dick grows up to be a bit more well-adjusted that he is. You can question how rational that course of action is, but is it any more irrational than dressing up as a bat and beating the tar out of criminals?

The best Robin story I've read is from the Dark Victory mini-series. I don't remember which issue, but it tells the story of Dick Grayson's first night at Wayne Manor and parallels that story with flashbacks to young Bruce's first night after his parents' murder. It was a touching story and I thought it did a very good job in showing what Bruce saw in this young boy and why he'd bring Dick into his life. It also did a good job showcasing Alfred in his roll as father figure to both boys.

Bottom line, I like Robin. Not a fan of the short-pants look of the original Robin costume though. That most definitely wouldn't work on film.

Review: Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days

I'm a little late to the party when it comes to Ex Machina. The series flew completely under my radar when it first came out in issues. Since that time, I've frequently heard good things about it and thought, "Hm, I should really pick that up," but with all the other titles I follow regularly, I just never got around to it. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I had a Borders gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket and there it was, sitting on the shelf, the first trade. I bought it, and now I've read it and I'm hungry for more.

The story of Ex Machina is about a super-hero, calling himself The Great Machine, who decided to give up the costumed life and run for mayor of New York. And he won! Now he's mayor and forced to deal with problems ranging from the murders of city workers to an offensive art exhibit. Interestingly, the super-hero aspect of the story takes a back seat to the political angle. It's a fantastic decision, and makes for a very compelling story. Meanwhile, the hints of our protagonist's career as The Great Machine is given to us in drips and drabs in flashback, small bits to whet our appetite without distracting from the main story (in fact the flashbacks work in service to the main story). What's really impressive is how much the politics in the story is steeped in the real world politics of New York City. It serves to place this story in an almost real world setting.

Random Video featuring The Colbert Report

Speaking of politics and religion:

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part II: Romantic Comedies

Continuing my look at AFI's ten Top 10 lists. Here's the list of the Top 10 Romantic Comedies:

1. City Lights
2. Annie Hall
3. It Happened One Night
4. Roman Holiday
5. The Philadelphia Story
6. When Harry Met Sally
7. Adam's Rib
8. Moonstruck
9. Harold and Maude
10. Sleepless in Seattle

I have to admit, I don't have too many thoughts on this list. No egregious omissions that I can think of and nothing on the list that I don't think belongs there. I'll admit, I've never been a fan of "Annie Hall" (sacrilege, I know). It's all part of my general inability to enjoy any of Woody Allen's films, just not my cup of tea. However, I do recognize the film's importance and influence, so I've got to begrudgingly grant it its spot on the list.

To be honest, there are quite a few films on this list that I just have not seen. That, I suppose, is part of the fun of lists like this; to find suggestions for movies to add to a "To See" list (which in my case looks an awful lot like a Netflix queue).

Random Video featuring Hellboy

Who doesn't like Inside the Actor's Studio!

AFI's 10 Top 10 Part I: Animation

AFI continues to make lists. This time they've made 10 top 10 lists, one list for each of 10 different genres. I've said in the past how list like this tend to be bullshit, but they can still be fun to look at and talk about. And after looking at AFI's lists, I had a few things to talk about. I'm going to start with the Animation Top 10 list:

1. Snow White
2. Pinocchio
3. Bambi
4. The Lion King
5. Fantasia
6. Toy Story
7. Beauty and the Beast
8. Shrek
9. Cinderella
10. Finding Nemo

My first question upon reading this list was, "What does the AFI have against Brad Bird?" There are two films missing from this list that should be here and both happen to be the work of Brad Bird, "The Iron Giant" and "The Incredibles".

"The Iron Giant" remains, if not my absolute favorite, one of my favorite animated films. It's a shame it's largely been forgotten in the age of digital animation. Based on the children's book by Ted Hughes, it's the story of a boy and his giant robot friend. More importantly it's about self-determination vs. pre-ordained fate; the Giant is a weapon by design, but does he have to be if he doesn't want to be? I've seen this movie a number of times now, and I still get a little choked up at the ending.

"The Incredibles" is much better remembered than "The Iron Giant" as it had the benefit of being a Pixar film. It's a super-hero story that's really about family (which is why a lot of people like to say it's the best movie version of the Fantastic Four).

So, that begs the question, if I were to put these two films into the list, which two should come out (got to stay a top 10 list after all). "Shrek" is an easy pick for one. Don't get me wrong, I loved "Shrek", but I look at the company it's in with this list and it just feels a bit out of place. "Shrek" feels a bit too much of the now, not timeless enough to quite make the top 10. Second pick is a little harder. Some of the films are safe. The historical significance of "Snow White" keeps it on the list, as does the innovation of "Fantasia" and "Toy Story". "Beauty and the Beast"'s achievement of getting an Oscar nomination for best picture earns it a spot. So, I'm left with "Bambi", "The Lion King", "Cinderella", and "Finding Nemo". "Finding Nemo" I'd leave on the list, just as a matter of personal preference (I'm quite fond of that movie). Of the remaining three? I'm not sure, again, my only basis would be personal preference. On that basis, I'd probably have to go with "Bambi", it's the one that I have the least connection with, I suppose.

Edit: I accidentally left #5, Fantasia, off the list. I'm kicking myself for that, because I love Fantasia, definitely worthy of being on this list.