Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but as many of you know, this blog coincides with a class I am taking, and we have taken a break from blog posts. But I'm back. First I'd like to address some of the comments that were written on various posts because there really isn't another way I can respond. First, a couple of people have asked for me to back up my opinions with other points of view or statistics. That's an interesting idea, but I like my opinions and that is what this blog is about. Most of what I write here is strictly opinion, unless stated otherwise, and I don't care one way or the other if people agree with me. As far as giving myself credibility, I would rather someone here what I have to say, because it is not always going to be the same thing that more credible sources have to say. 

Other posts have respectfully disagreed with what I have said, and that is totally cool with me. These lists that I am creating should, if nothing else, create discussion for you guys who are reading it. And if you want to take these lists and bring the arguments to your friends, then I will consider any reaction a success. 

Lastly I want to thank everyone for posting comments on what I have to say and want to encourage you to keep doing so. It probably won't change my opinions, but it creates discussion and that's kick ass.

OKAY! Back to this week's post. I decided to do something special during spring break. Something epic. Something monumental. It took a lot of time to do this, and I had to make an amendment to the original format, but it is my blog and I can do whatever I want. In other words, because of the magnitude of this list, I had to change the format from 10 to 25. So without further delay, here is my list for my top 25 FAVORITE (as opposed to what I think are the greatest; there is a difference) movies of all time.

25. The Adventures of Robin Hood: This is of course the version from the '30s. It kicks serious ass. Lots of action, good story, epic scale.

24. V for Vendetta: One of the greatest stories of revenge ever told.

23. Wag the dog: This is a hilarious political commentary that actually became quite timely when it came out.

22. Terminator 2. This is my favorite pure action movie. Good story, good acting and an incredible villain that never quits. It's awesome.

21. Ratatouille: I know I said No Country for Old Men was better in a previous post, but time changes things and this movie is easier to watch multiple times, which counts for something.

20. A Few Good Men. "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

19. Saving Private Ryan: So many war movies try and miss the mark. Others try and make it look extremely real. Saving Private Ryan makes you feel like you are actually in a war, and that isn't even the best part of the movie.

18. Forrest Gump: Something about this movie just sticks with everyone who watches it. It could be the countless quotes, or the unforgettable characters, or Tom Hanks, but I will never forget the scene where he is running across the states. It's beautiful.

17. Dumb and Dumber: Non-stop roll over laughing comedy.

16. It's a Wonderful Life: I cry during this movie every Christmas.

15. Wedding Crashers: "Let's go shoot some bird, I'm psyched."

14. The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring: How could something so nerdy be so bad ass at the same time.

 

13. Back to the Future: "When this baby hits 88mph, you're gonna see some serious shit."

12. Raiders of the Lost Arc: One of the most ultimate bad asses of all time. This is a classic among classics.

11. Casablanca: "Of all the gin joints in all the world," "Here's looking at you kid," "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

10. Finding Nemo. My favorite animated movie ever. It is just incredible.

9. Batman Begins: Hands down the best superhero movie. It's better than the original Batman, though they were different styles. This summer's Dark Knight might have something to say about it.

8. Unforgiven: Scary good. I'm completely intrigued by the old west, and this movie hits it closest to the mark in my opinion. It seems the most real.

7. Jaws: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

6. The Big Lebowski: "That carpet really tied the room together, Dude."

5. Cinderella Man: Possibly the most underrated movie of all time.

4. Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: You know, Darth Vador never says "Luke, I am your father." He just says "No, I am your father." The most famous movie quote of all time has been misquoted all this time.

3. E.T. : The greatest last fifteen minutes of any movie.

2. The Shawshank Redemption. One of two movies that I consider to be flawless.

1. The Godfather: This is the other. "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." "I believe in America." " Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

Just missed it:

Schindler's List: Too intense to be one of my favorites. That doesn't mean it isn't great, though.

Lonesome Dove: It isn't technically a movie, but a four part mini series about the old west. It's based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, which is also my favorite book ever.

To Kill A Mockingbird: "Jean Louise. Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."

Welcome back everyone. I took a little break last week because I was a little busy with school and work. It happens. Regardless, we are moving on to the new top ten list. I have focused most of my efforts into a movie list one way or the other, which is a trend that will continue, but this week I decided to give you a little taste of what kind of music I listen to. Most of my favorite music is pretty rocking. I'm not saying that I only listen to metal or that I need distortion on the guitars in order to like what I hear. I just like rock n' roll in all forms. Old or new, mainstream or underground, it just has to be good. Obviously I can't give you a full overview in just one list, but I shall do my best. So without further delay, this week's list is:

Top Ten Albums of the '90s.

10. Sublime by Sublime. I like Sublime. Who doesn't? Well my roommate doesn't, come to think of it, but that is besides the point. The point is, whether or not you love the music of Sublime or not, or whether or not you think they had a huge impact on the music scene of the nineties, there is no denying that whenever a crowd of people here's a Sublime song come on the radio, everyone sings. Everyone knows the words and has fun singing along to "What I Got," or "Santaria" or whatever the tune might be. They know how to play their instruments well, the late greate Brad has a beautiful voice for the ladies, and they can rock. Even my roommate knows the words and he hates Sublime.

9. Smash by the Offspring. I remember the day I bought this CD. I was in the eighth grade on my field trip to Sacramento, which was okay, but the highlight of the trip was this album. It's rocking from cover to cover and has a shit load of songs that get stuck in your head. That can be viewed as both good and bad, but in this sense, I view it as a positive.

8. Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind. I know what you're thinking; you're thinking that Third Eye Blind is a pretty pussy band for me to put on a top ten list, and I would agree with you. But despite there later lameness, Third Eye Blind the album, not the band, is very good. The songs are catchy and they flow extremely well with each other up and down the album. It's a good album to relax to.

7. The Colour and Shape by the Foo Fighters. "Hero." "Everlong." "Monkey Wrench." Awesome. This is just a kick ass record all around. Dave Grohl is a man among boys being on this list in two different bands, among other reasons. Fun Fact: The Foo Fighters got their name from a WWII era word for UFOs.

6. And Out Come The Wolves by Rancid. Let me start off by saying that I am not really a rancid fan. I have another album of theirs, but don't like it and rarely listen to it. I have seen them live, and though they play a good show, I did not know many of the songs or like the ones that I heard for the first time. Having said that, let me also note that it is very rare for an album, especially albums with the amount of songs (19) that you can listen to without skipping a track. It is even more rare when you don't like the band. "And Out Come the Wolves" is one of these albums. If you like rock n' roll or punk rock, go buy this album.

5. Dookie by Green Day. During the time when grunge artists were singing of depression and heroin addictions, Green Day came along, lightened the mood, and reminded us that there are more important things to sing about... like masturbation. Green Day made rock music fun again with their most acclaimed album of the nineties.

4. Nevermind by Nirvana. Arguably the most influential album of the decade, "Nevermind" made music important again. Before Nirvana changed things, rock n' roll was all about growing the longest hair and getting the most girls, even though all the artists looked more feminine than the girls they were hooking up with. But along comes Nirvana and changes all of that. Nirvana is one of the few grunge bands that I actually like. Most of them were no better than the hair metal bands except they didn't wash their hair, which is why the arrival of Green Day was so refreshing. But Nirvana did it right and "Nevermind" is a great album.

3. Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer. This is one of the catchiest albums of all time in my opinion. It just makes me happy. The first seven songs on the CD are totally awesome and just flow right through each other. Plus it doesn't take itself too seriously and just kicks ass.

2. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. Not to many double discs exist in the CD era, and what ones do exist usually aren't very good. This one is one of my favorite albums of all time. I can listen to the whole thing all the way through. I just saw them live almost a year ago when they got back together and played at the Fillmore. It was a great show. They played for three hours without a break. The band took a short break but Billy did an acoustic set during that time so we still got music. It was totally awesome. I took my brother for his sixteenth birthday.

1. Nimrod by Green Day. This is my favorite album of all time. It kicks serious ass but at the same time is diverse enough to not sound monotone. I can't believe it doesn't get more respect when Dookie and American Idiot do. The first of those, as I have mentioned, is great, the second is pretty good too, but Nimrod is far and away Green Day's best album. If you haven't heard it before, I feel sorry for you and if you have and don't like it then you probably shouldn't be reading this blog. It's the best of the best in my opinion and should be to everyone else.

Just missed it:

Odelay by Beck. Great album. Innovative, creative, never disappointing, Beck can do it all.

Californication by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Better than "Blood Sugar Sex Magik."

Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against the Machine. Rage!