Top 10 Unbuilt Disney Themed Restaurants or Shops

We have been watching the Toy Story films and cartoons this week to prep for Toy Story 4.  In doing so, I was struck by a few things in Toy Story.  First, it's amazing how far the animation has progressed.  The film seemed so amazing when it appeared over 25 years ago, but it definitely looks cruder and rougher compared to today's computer animation, and it's very noticeable. 

Second, I was struck by a number of places I'd like to visit in those films.  As the trend in theme parks and themed design has moved to exact recreations of places from film and television, it would seem these would be a license to print money for the Disney company.  But as of yet, they have not been created anywhere.

That got me to thinking, what other restaurants or stores have been drawn or placed in Disney/Pixar/etc. films that would be wonderfully translated into real places to experience or visit?  What other examples can be named of such a missed opportunity?

So, without further ado, the Top 10 Disney restaurants or shops that need to be built as soon as possible.

1. Pizza Planet (Toy Story)- yes, Disneyland has renamed Rocket Red's Pizza Port to Alien Pizza Planet, but it is no recreation.  Why has there not been a Pizza Planet restaurant, with the exact designed exterior?  With a Whack an Alien Machine, the Alien Slime Slushes, an exact replica Alien Claw machine with the three-eyed aliens in it?  Pizza Planet Truck parked outside?  This would be amazing.
2. Al’s Toy Barn (Toy Story 2) - again, a play-set version of this has been built in Shanghai, but a real version of the Toy Barn is just begging to be implemented.  This would be the perfect place for Toy Story merchandise. And it's very surprising it has not yet been done.  
3. Poultry Palace (Small Fry, Toy Story Toon) - A fast-food, castle themed poultry place from the Toy Story Toons.  I know I want the Fry Gauntlet and the Nuggets of the Round Table advertised in the short.  This would seem to be a great opportunity for Disney to create their own kids meals for sale in their theme parks.
4. Harryhausen’s (Monsters, Inc.) - A Monster themed Japanese/sushi restaurant named for the pioneer of stop-motion monsters.  It would be such a perfect addition to a Monsters Inc./University/At Work section.
5. Cars Drive In (Cars)- The proposed addition to Cars Land that has not yet been built.  An interior drive-in style restaurant like the Sci-Fi Dine In, but with Cars style vehicles and Cars universe clips on the drive in screen.  Again, it seems like an addition that should have already been built long ago.
6. Ink & Paint Club (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) - A toon speakeasy, with the password "Walt sent me" for access.  Classic toon craziness combined with an art deco club.  Would be a perfect addition for Hollywoodland in Disney California Adventure or Sunset Boulevard in Disney Hollywood Studios.
7. Tiana’s Place (The Princess and the Frog) - A beautiful jazz kitchen from Disney's New Orleans based film.  The food and music alone would make this worth it.
8. Flynn’s Arcade (Tron) -  An epic arcade with 80s games and music blaring, especially Journey. Make this a barcade and this would be a great addition to Disney Springs.
9. Lucky Cat Cafe (Big Hero 6) - An interesting cafe with smoothies, macarons, and sandwiches, with a San Franciscan/Japanese hybrid looking fitting for San Fransokyo.  Would be a great addition to Disney California Adventure. 
10. Shawarma Palace (Avengers) - A perfect addition to a Marvel land, with the opportunity to join the Avengers in trying shawarma.  A little piece of the MCU realized in this world.

I think each of these options would be great additions to Disney's theme parks and regional entertainment centers.  Each would be a bit of themed design, each would represent a popular IP or location that Disney has created, and each would round out existing locations Disney has created.

What locations from film have you always wanted to visit? What fictional restaurants have you wanted to partake at?

Top 10 Favorite Disney Attractions

In the middle of vacation planning mode and that always gets me excited.  I'm the planner.  I look for all the things to do, all the best places to eat, the regional food that I really want to try, etc.  And when we're visiting theme parks, that means I'm researching all the rides and attractions and creating my priority list of can't miss, want to, and never rides.

With the Disney parks, I can practically create that list from memory.  I know the layout of the stateside parks by hand and know exactly what I have to ride and do.  There's always new food to try, but my favorite attractions are pretty set.

In that vein, I thought I would share today my top 10 favorite Disney attractions.  Most still operational (RIP Great Movie Ride), and most in the best version to experience them (looking at Everest sideways).  I've noted the best park to experience them at, as there are differences in the cloned rides.  Otherwise, this gives a pretty rounded experience of the variety of attractions that Disney offers.

So, without further ado, my list of my Top 10 Favorite Disney Attractions, in order of creation:

• Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland (1967) - Walt's masterpiece.  This contains everything he worked toward.  Extensive audio-animatronics.  Beautiful effects.  Fully transportive environments, especially in the siege of the fort - the simple effect leading to smoke and clouds on the night sky is so amazing.  The Disneyland location is the best stateside with the two drops to get under the train station and the collapsing building section.  
• The American Adventure, EPCOT (1982) - Disney's best audio-animatronic show.  Disney does Americana better than anyone and this is no exception.  Ben Franklin and Mark Twain telling the story of American history.  This may get bumped up a few notches just for the Voices of Liberty pre-show.
• Great Movie Ride, Disney Hollywood Studios (1989) - This one is here simply for my love of movies.  A ride through an audio-animatronic extravaganza filled with classic movies is right up my alley.  Yes, the live actors could be kind of hokey and yes, Disney did this ride no service by ignoring maintenance and broken effects.   The Wicked Witch animatronic remains one of the most impressive that Disney has ever created.  And the ride serving as a perfect thesis for the park has not been matched.  While the Mickey ride should be good, this one is missed.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney Hollywood Studios (1994) - Perhaps the best all-around attraction that Disney has ever put together. Especially the Florida version with the 5th Dimension room.  The grounds and decor are so beautifully derelict.  The nods to Twilight Zone episodes are wonderful Easter eggs.  And the experience on the ride with greater than gravity freefall is a lot of fun.
• Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Disneyland (1995) - Another top notch attraction from Disney.  The enhanced motion jeep allowing a vehicle on a flat surface to seem like it's travelling over bumps and dips is incredible.  The effects with fire, projections, set pieces, and the boulder all make this a very thrilling ride.  The music from the films just elevates that experience.  Add in one amazing queue and you have probably the best ride at Disneyland.
• Kilimanjaro Safaris, Disney Animal Kingdom (1998) - For the signature ride at Animal Kingdom, Disney Imagineers took a different approach. They finally realized Walt Disney's dream for the Jungle Cruise, by creating a ride where the guests would encounter live animals.  And they were able to engineer some pretty close encounters.  Clever rockwork and perspective hides protection gaps between the guests and the animals so you truly feel like you are on a wild safari.
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Disney Hollywood Studios (1999) - A very simple concept.  A roller coaster timed to classic rock.  And it works so effectively.  My favorite combination is "Love in an Elevator."  That song plays such that when you get to the final stop, the last bars of the song just echo off the walls.  
• Soarin' Over California, Disney California Adventure (2001) - The functionality of the ride is so simple, it's amazing.  Designed from an erector set, the ride allows you to simulate the feeling of hang gliding over locations from across California, ending at Disneyland at night.  The ride is a gentle and beautiful experience with an incredible score.
• Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (Yeti - A Mode), Disney Animal Kingdom (2006) - When everything is working, this is the best roller coaster on Disney property.  I was fortunate in my first ride to see the Yeti in A mode.  The largest and most complicated audio-animatronic Disney ever created, the Yeti at 25 feet tall would lunge out at your car and try to grab it as you pass through the final section of the coaster.  It was a terrifying sight.  The Yeti in B Mode, or "Disco Yeti," where movement is simulated through a strobe light, not so much.  It's still a fun coaster, but is excellent when it's all functional.  Hopefully, they will finally crack how to fix the mountain before too long.
• Radiator Springs Racers, Disney California Adventure (2012) - This is where all of Disney's tricks come together to make one impressive new ride. Part dark ride with large scale impressive animatronics, part thrilling race through imagineered rockwork, the ride is all fun.  Beautiful attention to detail in recreating the Cars universe, combined with the simple thrill of driving with the top down and feeling the wind on your face.  One of Disney's best recent offerings.

That's my list.  For those of you that have visited, what are your favorite attractions?

Top 10 Favorite Marvel Single Issues

As Marvel Week come to an oversized close, I wanted to go out with a bang.  And I couldn't think of a better way to end it than to share my favorite single issues of Marvel comics.  Some of these are done in one stories, some of these are pieces of a larger story, but they all contain something special that keeps me coming back to them time and time again.

And while some of them may make people's lists of the best comics ever, most are just personal favorites.  Comics with a moment or an illustration that really spoke to me.  Most are from my prime era of reading comics, though they run the gamut and are pieces of my favorite runs of all time.

So, without further ado, in order of release, my 10 favorite Marvel single issues of all time.

• Daredevil (1964) #233 - Armageddon - The end of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchulli's masterpiece Born Again.  This is the end of Miller's run and he goes out swinging.  It's Daredevil versus Nuke, a twisted super-soldier, with Hell's Kitchen in flames.  What makes this issue is Miller's use of the Avengers.  Miller's narration to describe the Avengers and their individual roles is perhaps the greatest ever put to paper.  He treats them like the pantheon they represent and it shows.
  
  
  
• Thor (1966) #502 - Putting on the Bear Shirt - Bill Messner Loebs and Mike Deodato Jr. closing out one run of Thor. This comic explores the question regarding what you would do if you knew the world was ending tomorrow.  Thor spends most of the issue trying to evoke a Viking berserker rage, or "putting on the bear shirt."  Instead, he finds his memories from his time exiled as Donald Blake are much more necessary.  A touching issue and a good finale for this run.  Just ignore the awful 90s costume.
  
  
  
• Thunderbolts (1997) #1 - Justice, Like Lightning - Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley introduce us to a new group of heroes striving to fill in the gap for the missing Avengers and Fantastic Four.  The team had been seen in a couple of cameo appearances but this was their first comic offering.  And it remains one of the best first issues ever put to print.  Busiek's knowledge of the Marvel Universe is put to full use and the twist at the end floors even the most jaded comic readers.
  
  
  
• Black Panther (1998) #2 - Invasion - Christopher Priest and Mark Texeria's run on Black Panther is phenomenal and while I love the first issue, the second issue ratchets everything up several more notches.  The intrigue, the non-linear storytelling, and most importantly the humor.  The scenes with Everett K. Ross, king of the whiteboys, and Mephisto, Marvel's devil in charge, leading to the Devil's Pants bits are hysterical.  Again, if you like Black Panther the movie, everything that made that film sing starts with Priest's Black Panther run.
  
  
  
• Daredevil (1998) #9 - Parts of a Hole Part One, Murdock's Law - David Mack and Joe Quesada's followup to the acclaimed Kevin Smith Guardian Devil run.  With Mack's influence, Quesada's art got even more abstract and I love it.  In particular, there is a page of Murdock at the piano, with the music telling the pieces of his background that is simply stunning.  A visual treat.
  
  
  
• She-Hulk (2004) #4 - Web of Lies - Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo present She-Hulk at a law firm specializing in Superhuman Law.  With this issue, Spider-man sues J. Jonah Jameson for libel and She-Hulk is there as his attorney.  Hijinks ensue with a couple of very well timed jokes.  This series as a whole was just a lot of fun and this issue in particular shines.
  
  
  
• Spectacular Spider-man (2003) #27 - The Final Curtain - A quite issue for Paul Jenkins and Mark Buckingham to close out their time on Spidey.  Their run is a masterclass in character development and emotion and it was really tough to decide between this issue and the Uncle Ben/Mets baseball issue.  This issue is Peter talking to his Uncle Ben at Uncle Ben's grave.  It's funny, it's touching, and it includes a wonderful tribute to Bill Watterson via Killer Snowmen that Uncle Ben and Peter would create.  Simply a fantastic conversation and issue that goes to the core of Spider-man.
  
  
  
• The Thing (2005) #8 - Last Hand - Dan Slott and Kieron Dwyer close out this short run on the Thing with another great character issue.  Alternating between the annual floating poker game and the Thing's Bar Mitzvah, with a little handwaving to explain why he could have one at his advanced age, the story is a perfect Marvel Universe story and an excellent exploration of Ben Grimm.  With the focus on Grimm's Judaism for the first time, Slott ties him ever more directly to his creator, Jack Kirby.
  
  
  
• FF (2010) #23 - Run - Jonathan Hickman's last issue of his magnificent Fantastic Four run.  This issue in the partner book closed out his epic entry.  Deftly penciled by Nick Dragotta, the issue turns the focus back inward, back to the themes of family.  Of childhood and the endless imagination.  And of parenthood and the deepest fear of that process - will they turn out ok? did we do a good job?  Thanks to the endless possibilities of comics, these questions get answered for the FF and start them out on new adventures.  A perfect finale.
  
  
  
• Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-man (2017) #310 - Finale - Chip Zdarsky wraps his run on Spider-man, providing the writing and the art for this issue.  Through the lens of a documentary filmmaker and his interviews, Zdarsky gives us insight into how Spider-man is viewed and why he does what he does.  There is one heartbreaking interview that boils down the essence of the character, reminding us at his core, Spider-man does what he does simply because he wants to help.  A perfect summation of "with great power, there must also come great responsibility" without ever uttering the words.
  
  
  

That's my list.  These are the ones that keep me reading.

As always, Excelsior!

* - all cover images (c) Marvel Comics.

The Twilight Zone

"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.  A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.  That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"

Rod Serling

Tonight, we should finally get to watch the first few episodes of the new Twilight Zone.  High hopes, a little tempered from the false start, but still looking forward to it.

As I said before, in my humble opinion, The Twilight Zone is the greatest scripted television show to have ever aired.  Yes, there are episodes that are just good, but there are more episodes that are simply spectacular.

With that, I thought I would post another Top 10 List, this time focusing on my favorite 10 episodes of The Twilight Zone.  This was tougher than it should have been. A few were no-brainers, but the rest moved off and on the list.  I decided to focus on the ones that moved me the most.  In doing so, I noticed that seven of the ten are written by Rod Serling himself.  That should tell you something about my preferences in the best episodes.

So, without any further ado, my list of my top 10 favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone, in order of air date.

• The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (Season 1, Episode 22) - An excellent parable for Cold War paranoia.  I read this script in American literature in high school and the episode still holds up.  Even beyond the Cold War aesthetic, it plays to all forms of prejudice and suspicion.
• Eye of the Beholder (Season 2, Episode 6) - Such a beautifully shot episode.  The lighting and the camera composition structure this in such a good way, that the twist just works.  A great commentary on beauty.
• Nick of Time (Season 2, Episode 7) - How would you respond to vague predictions?  Probably one of Shatner's best performances.  A tense bottle episode playing on fear and superstition.
• The Silence (Season 2, Episode 25) - The ultimate bet, where the stakes were never higher.  The resolution of this episode is heartbreaking.
• The Obsolete Man (Season 2, Episode 29) - Perhaps the best episode of the whole series.  A frightful dystopia where that which is declared obsolete by the State is removed.  "The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct.  He was obsolete.  But so is the State, the entity he worshiped.  Any state, entity, or ideology becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures territories, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, but convinces nobody.  When it is naked, yet puts on armor and calls it faith, while in the Eyes of God it has no faith at all. Any state, any entity, any ideology which fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of Man...that state is obsolete.  A case to be filed under 'M' for 'Mankind.'"
• The Shelter (Season 3, Episode 3) - Another parable on Cold War paranoia, now determining who will be saved in a bomb shelter.  Man's inhumanity to man and how to proceed.
• Deaths-Head Revisited (Season 3, Episode 9) - Serling's statement on the Holocaust, written in reaction to the ongoing trial of Adolf Eichmann.  Haunting and powerful.
• Kick the Can (Season 3, Episode 21) - The light and hopeful episode on this list.  A reminder that age is a state of mind.
• Number 12 Looks Just Like You (Season 5, Episode 17) - Another commentary on beauty and individuality.  Something frighteningly prescient.
• The Masks (Season 5, Episode 25) - The things we will do for wealth.  This episode is all about revealing the ugly truths we hold inside.  Directed by Ida Lupino, the only person to have acted in and directed a Twilight Zone episode and also the only woman to direct an episode.

To any other fans out there, what are your favorite episodes?

Top 10 Disney Songs

In honor of the Grammy Awards tonight, I thought I would write on my favorite Disney songs.  I thought about just selecting my top ten favorite songs or favorite artists, but that is too hard.  So, I picked a limiting factor to make the list a little easier.  Plus the Disney list had been in the back of my brain for a little while.

Disney has a bit of a history with the Grammys.  Walt Disney won the Grammy Trustee award in 1989.  The Lion King and Aida have won Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.  Aladdin, The Lion King, Woody's Roundup, and Monsters, Inc. have won Best Musical Album for Children.   Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast all won best Album for Children.  Disney has won twelve of the last 30 awards in Best Song Written for Visual Media.  The company has around six nominations this evening.

So, with no further ado, my list of my top 10 favorite Disney songs, in no particular order.

• I Wanna Be Like You, The Jungle Book - One of the Sherman Brothers best.  They are on this list a lot.  Walt's Boys wrote the best stretch of music for the Disney Company.  The combination of Louis Prima wild jazz and Phil Harris's style of scatting just works.  You can tell they had fun recording this.  It's just fun to hear and you cannot help but sing along.
• God Help the Outcasts, The Hunchback of Notre Dame - I've written about this before as an underrated song and will herald it again as one of Disney's best.  The transition of the bridge where the congregants are asking for fame, wealth, glory, etc. into the opening line of the last verse where Esmeralda says "I ask for nothing" has to be one of the best bridge/verse lyrical transitions ever.
• On the Front Porch, Summer Magic - An ode to the slow life.  Another Sherman Brothers classic, this one underrated.  Simple chords and Burl Ives at their finest.
• Our Town, Cars - James Taylor's ode to small town life and to how it is disappearing.  Haunting lyrics with a simple melody.  One of the better songs of the recent movies.
• So Close, Enchanted - What's amazing is how many levels this song works on.  The lyrics are wonderful using the so close/so far dichotomy to illustrate the relationship of the characters.  The style of the song works in how the progression of the movie has worked from old Disney songs that were integrated into the story compared to this modern song where it is sung by a pop artist over the action.  Well done.
• Feed the Birds, Mary Poppins - The thesis song of the film.  The story goes that once Walt heard this song he said, "That's it, that's the film."  Afterwards, he would then call The Boys to his office and they knew it was to play this song.  A song about charity for the sake of charity.  Beautiful and rare.
• Friend Like Me, Aladdin - This is the modern I Wanna Be Like You.  Endlessly singable.  And while Robin Williams performance in the movie is great, I love James Monroe Iglehart's version from the stage show.  Getting to see him do that was amazing.
• The Gods Love Nubia, Aida - This is a little bit of a cheat as it has only been part of Disney Theatrical so far, but it's a great song.  Elton John and Tim Rice reconnecting for a straightforward gospel number.  In my opinion, this is one of the greatest pre-intermission songs in all of musical theater.
• I Won't Say (I'm in Love), Hercules - My other favorite from the Renaissance period.  A do-wop number between Meg and the Muses regarding how she cannot admit to falling in love. Lyrically interesting and just a great melody. 
• A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Cinderella - The classic Disney song.  My favorite over When You Wish, especially as it is encouraging, to keep dreaming regardless of circumstance.  Plus a better vocal range than its more used cousin.

That covers the full range of Disney films, from Walt's classics, through the Renaissance and beyond.  From animated to live action.  Even including the stage.

For Disney fans, what's on your list?

Top 10 Underrated Disney Animated Features

After watching one of the films on this list today with Avalyn and Jude, I thought I would put together a list of the Disney animated films that don't really get any attention.  Or are at least thought of as lesser pictures.  We own the whole animated canon and have watched each of the films that comprise it.  There are still films in the list that I have a tough time getting through (The Aristocats and The Fox and the Hound move a little slow).  The films below, though, have good bones to them or good moments that should not be ignored by the true Disney fan.

So without further ado, my list of Top 10 Underrated Disney Animated Features, in no particular order.

• Bolt - This was the film up for tonight, as Avalyn had not seen it.  She felt the need to alert me to this fact several times in the beginning of the film.  This film had an odd development that left people a little wistful for what could have been, but the final product still has a good structure and story.  A dog that plays a superhero on television, who thinks the show is real life.  Worth a second look.
• Meet the Robinsons - Of the post-Disney renaissance period, this film probably has the strongest heart and message.  About the longing for family and finding family.  The families we make in particular.  Some oddball comedy, but still a great message at its core. 
• The Princess and the Frog - I adore this movie.  Beautiful hand-drawn animation.  Excellent music by Randy Newman.  Wonderful New Orleans setting.  And one of the best all around princesses in Tiana (plus the best best friend character in Charlotte).  It's a shame this didn't do better as to keep hand-drawn animation going.
• Make Mine Music - I'm a sucker for the package films and the music films in particular.  Make Mine Music has one of my favorite segments in The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met by Nelson Eddy.
• Melody Time - I love this film for similar reasons as to Make Mine Music.  Standout segments in this package film are Bumble Boogie, Little Toot by the Andrews Sisters and Pecos Bill by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.
• Treasure Planet - This is a beautifully animated and well told version of Treasure Island.  The animation of space in particular is a standout.  And Brian Murray gives one of the best performances of Long John Silver in any adaptation.
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Another men's adventure animated film that is grossly overlooked.  The animation design by comic great Mike Mignola, in particular, deserves much praise.  A great assortment of character actors and an entertaining premise.
• Home on the Range - This film gets blamed for the initial demise of hand-drawn animation, but I find it still has a few bright points to offer.  To me, the silly-ness is part of its charm.  Randy Quaid as a yodeling cow thief with his dimwitted nephews is particularly fun.
• The Sword and the Stone - One of the best post-Walt films.  It has a very episodic nature, but the interplay between Merlin, young Wart, and Archimedes is great.  One of the first Disney films to bring in anachronisms as part of the story.
• The Great Mouse Detective - A great version of a Sherlock Holmes story, with a bonus snippet of a Basil Rathbone Holmes adventure occurring simultaneously.  A film that signaled the beginnings of the Disney renaissance before the official start with The Little Mermaid.

What are your under-appreciated favorites?  What other animated classics do you feel deserve a second look?

My Top 10 Lost Austin Spots

With a family get together in Hutto, my thoughts are about Austin, my history with the location and my feelings about it now.  As much as I loved Austin and will always hold it in a special place in my heart, it's clear to me that the Austin I loved doesn't really exist anymore.  It's a vapor, relegated to memory.

In particular, this can be seen in the number of restaurants, stores, and other locations in Austin that played a big part in my time there, which no longer exist.    And from this time of reminiscing, I've derived my Top 10 Lost Austin locations.

As such, in no particular order, the places and things I miss most are:

• Threadgills on Riverside - I know the original is still there on North Lamar, but this was my location for Gospel and chicken fried steak.  It's where Jamie's folks brought the guys that helped her move out of her Austin apartment.
• Serranos in Symphony Square - Again, there are a few locations of Serranos still left, but the Symphony Square location was an integral one for my college years.  Working at the Symphony, I ate many a lunch at this location.  It just seemed synonymous with Austin and with downtown in particular.
• Frank and Angie's - A great pizza location behind Hut's, and the location of a couple of great dates with Jamie.
• Tower Records - This is more of a national item that is missed, but I definitely miss the location on the drag.  There was many an hour spent browsing through Tower records and their video section in particular between classes.
• Funny Papers at Dobie Mall - This was my comic shop during undergraduate.  It was so easy to walk to Dobie on Wednesdays, grab new books, and head upstairs to the food court to read and eat lunch. Austin Books may have grown into a favorite, but this was the first choice.
• EZs - On North Lamar.  This was a great location for a burger or pizza.  Expansive menu, but reasonably priced.  I'll have to go to San Antonio now to reminisce.  
• Texadelphia on Guadalupe - Again, multiple locations still left, but the original on the Drag seemed so iconic.  This was a great undergraduate lunch, when I was on the North part of campus.  It also holds a special place as one of my undergraduate Business School projects.
• Katz's Deli - Katz's finally klosed.  The iconic location on Sixth Street that was a staple of childhood trips to Austin and late night fare closed in 2016, after 31 years.
• A skyline no taller than the capitol - I miss the old capitol view corridor.  This one started changing shortly after I left, but it's no secret that I'm not a fan of all the towering skyscrapers that have popped up since I left.  People can argue their necessity, but the impact its had on the skyline is a negative to me.  
• Frank Erwin Center - I still cannot get over this is going away, to site to be replaced by an expansion of the Dell Medical School and a new basketball arena to be built near Memorial Stadium.   This was the place for concerts, for basketball (both UT and the state basketball championship), and for graduation.  This will be a significant change to the view on the I35 drive.

For those of you that are former Austinites, what's your lost Austin?

Top 10 Underrated Songs from My Childhood

This one almost got away from me.  We went to watch Mary Poppins Returns on Christmas Day.  And since then I've been listening to the soundtrack.  It's not the Sherman Brothers original, but I think it's getting a little overplayed in the reviews of the film that the songs are not as good.  They are different, to be sure, and there is a magic to what the Sherman Brothers write, but the new songs for the film are very well written and very smart, especially for the styles they are trying to pay homage.

This whole process got me thinking of underrated songs from my childhood.  The ones that no one else may remember, but really stuck out to me.  Not the chart toppers, but the B sides.  From there, I've put together of my Top 10 Favorite Underrated Songs of My Childhood, particularly from the movies I grew up with.

Please note, I'm using a loose definition here of my childhood, containing material written long before I was born, but that got major play in the Keeler household.  I've also included at least one song that stretches the length of my childhood a little far, but to me represents one of the most underrated Disney songs of all time.

So, with that introduction, in no particular order:

• The Girls of Rock and Roll - The Chipmunk Adventure - The Chipmunk Adventure was a favorite movie of mine (and as I would discover, a favorite of Jamie's as well).  Released at the time the Chipmunks were big on Saturday Morning Cartoons, the film had the Chipmunks and Chipettes on a world trip adventure.  The song The Girls/Boys of Rock and Roll is a great call and response where the two groups are arguing over who is greater.  I may still know too many of the lyrics to this song.
• God Help The Outcasts - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - The most underrated Disney song ever written and perhaps one of the most beautiful songs ever written in a Disney film.  It's the Feed the Birds of the Disney Renaissance.  The juxtaposition of an outcast asking for protection of others like her with those in the church asking for wealth, power, and fame will always resonate.  God help the outcasts or nobody will.
• Let's Make Music Together - All Dog's Go to Heaven - Ken Page and Burt Reynolds duet as a blues alligator and guardian angel dog in a song about making beautiful music.  Ken Page's voice is amazing and it shines through here even more than it does as Oogie Boogie.
• I Hope that Somethin' Better Comes Along - The Muppet Movie - Kermit and Rowlf commiserating their luck with women.  Surprising lyrics for a "kids movie" but very enjoyable.  "Made a monkey out of old King Kong, I hope that something better comes along."  All the more impressive that these were both characters Jim Henson voiced, so it's Jim Henson in a duet with himself.  
• Good Company - Oliver and Company - Oliver and Company is an overlooked Disney film and Good Company is an overlooked song within it.  If any song is remembered, it's usually Why Should I Worry by Billy Joel.  Good Company is a great friendship song that is accompanied by piano practice.  A lot like Scales and Arpeggios in The Aristocats.  Always in good company.
• Mother Earth and Father Time - Charlotte's Web - A Sherman Brothers classic lullaby overshadowed by Hushabye Mountain.  Debbie Reynolds sings this wonderfully, a beautiful song about time. How very special are we, indeed.
• Together Again - The Muppets Take Manhattan - Another Muppets classic, this time from an overlooked film, The Muppets Take Manhattan.  A song about reunions that was reused cleverly in Muppets Most Wanted as Together Again Again.  It's not starting over, it's just going on.
• Gratifaction - Tom Sawyer - A Sherman Brothers madeup word song.  From the version of Tom Sawyer with Johnny Whitaker and Jodi Foster.  How Tom gets the boys to paint the fence.  A deep down inside gratifying satisfaction - gratifcation. 
• The Neverending Story Theme - The Neverending Story - Released by Limahl in both English and French, this was the song for epic fantasy as we grew up.  The answer to a neverending story.
• On the Front Porch - Summer Magic - though released well before I was born, I saw this film a lot as a child.  This is the most beautiful song in the film.  An anthem to a slow life, written by the Sherman Brothers, sung by Burl Ives.  One of my favorite songs of all time.  Just a beautiful simple melody.  Oh how I long to linger here like this on the front porch with you.

What are the favorite songs of your childhood?  What other underrated masterpieces can you recommend?

My Grown Up Christmas List

When you are a kid, the Christmas wishlist and letter to Santa almost represent your shot at a Genie's wishes.  You wish for everything you want.  Price is no object, size is no matter, practicality goes out the window - you put your truest wishes to paper.

With that same spirit, I draft my grown-up Christmas wish.  The craziest and biggest wishes I could ask for.  My list of the top 10 things that I would ask Santa for.

In no particular order,

• Unlimited airline miles, with no blackout dates - to travel the world and see it all.  To have access right at our finger tips.
• Tesla Model S with dual batteries, enhanced autopilot, and home supercharging - A great car to drive locally, untethered from the large amount I pay in gas each year currently.
• Energy independent home with solar tiles and battery backup - To receive from the utility company and to put back into the grid.
• Disney Golden Pass and Tokyo Disneyland Resort Lifetime Pass, for me and my family - Access to every Disney park there is, at any time.
• Guaranteed admission and full ride scholarship for all of my children - the promise of education and the benefits it brings.
• Excellent bills of health for all family members - To be free from worry regarding health and to allow family members to enjoy their time on earth to the fullest.
• A Cadillac Insurance plan - in case something should happen.
• To be independently wealthy - Not extravagantly so, but to be sufficient without the tie to work. This one is not about the money; it's about the time.  To be able to spend all that time with my wife and kids.  To be there for all the formative steps of their development and to teach them every step of the way.  If they need to learn about Rome, let's go there, etc.  To have plenty of time to be with extended family as well.
• A classic movie theater I can program myself - to have a beautifully maintained and restored theater with plenty of film to show.

And finally, as cliched as it is

• Complete Peace on Earth - even if just for a day.  Not just freedom from war or crime, freedom from all conflict and strife.  From abuse, from neglect.  Peace.

My greatest wish for this season does not come from this list, though.  I pray for time with a healthy family, wonderful memories made together, safety in travel to get to and from, and for us to be able to gather together again soon.

And that's my greatest wish each and every year.  The rest is just a bonus.

My Favorite Things - Top 10 Places to Spend Christmas

A list of combined favorites this time, with a list of my favorite places to spend Christmas.  Over the past several years, we've becoming increasing fond of giving experiences instead of gifts.  We have all that we need and most of what we want.  And while the joy of giving and receiving gifts is still there, we really appreciate most being together over the holidays and seeking out new experiences.  Accordingly, this list includes several holiday locations that we have visited and a few that are on the top of our lists.

• Home with Family - They say there's no place like home for the holidays and they are quite true.  There is still something magical about being in Buna or in Winnsboro over the holidays.  I am very thankful we are able to travel and to spend as much time in these places as we do.
• New York City - New York is a magical city at Christmas.  The tree in Rockefeller Center.  Ice skating beneath it.  The potential for snow in Central Park. Macy's and the official Santa Claus.  Window decorations on Fifth Avenue.  And the Rockettes.  Plus all that makes New York such a vibrant city.  This was a favorite Christmas in the past and we are looking forward to doing it again.
• Rocky Mountains - There is something magical about snow at Christmas.  The mountains and skiing, sledding, and sleighing.  A warm fireplace in the cabin.  While our first experience here was not as enjoyable as it could have been thanks to extreme jet lag and altitude sickness, we hope to try this again in the future.
• Smoky Mountains - This has a lot of the same benefits of the Rocky Mountains, but has a more down home, country feel.  With everything we saw at Thanksgiving in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, this would make a wonderful place to spend Christmas.
• Disneyland - Few places do holiday celebrations like Disney.  The Christmas Parade and Fireworks.  The ride overlays.  Decorations everywhere.  The Candlelight Processional.  The abundance of holiday foods.  We've done both coasts during the holiday season and have enjoyed them both.  It's crowded, but it can be an amazing experience even if just to focus on the specific holiday offerings.
• New Orleans - The food and the music really make this special.  Reveillon dinners and caroling in Jackson Square. Christmas Fest in the convention center. Bonfires on the levees for Papa Noel.  The Celebration in the Oaks.  Again a place we are ready to try again.
• San Antonio - San Antonio is probably the most beautiful place in Texas at Christmas.  The lights on the Riverwalk and the Holiday River Parade.  The Holiday Night Market.  The Alamo Lights.  The Fiesta de Navidad with La Pastorela Folklorica and La Gran Posada.  Well worth experiencing.
• Bed and Breakfast in Connecticut/Vermont - This is an experience we want simply to recreate a holiday movie.  To capture that spirit of Christmas in Connecticut, Holiday Inn, or White Christmas.  Head to the northeast and hope for snow.
• Hawaii - We're hoping for a Mele Kalikimaka one year.  A tropical holiday for a change of scenery.  Beautiful poinsettias in bloom.  Christmas Luau.  Something different and something very fun.
• Hershey, PA - What could be better than Christmas in a town that smells like chocolate?  Christmas activities in the theme park, decorations around the town.  A light trail.  Lots and lots of chocolate.  Sounds sweet.

What are your favorite places to spend Christmas?  What would you add to this list?

My Favorite Things - Top 10 Favorite Christmas Hymns

Continuing from yesterday's post on favorite Christmas carols, I turn now to my favorite Christmas hymns.  As with the carols, the list is a little more expansive than traditional Christmas hymns and encompasses my favorite religious music of the seasons.  It touches on a lot of styles and types of artists, reflecting generally my fairly eclectic tastes in music.

With that stated, here is my list of top 10 favorite Christmas hymns, in no particular order.

• I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day by Casting Crowns - a great update of the classic song.  The minor key and the echo really help sell the message of the song.
• O Holy Night by David Phelps - One of the greatest male vocalists singing the most challenging Christmas hymn.  The C#5 at the end at full voice is one of the most impressive vocal performances I've heard.  I've seen him do this song live, followed by No More Night, and am continually astounded by his voice.
• The Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie - A great reworking of The Little Drummer Boy with the Peace on Earth counterpoint.  I'm a sucker for counterpoint and love this old and new arrangement.
• Joseph's Lullaby by MercyMe - It's amazing how your perspective on Christmas changes when you are a parent, and this is a prime example.  This song more than any other gets into Joseph's head for me in a way that humbles and comforts me.  The line "Lord I ask that He, in just this moment, simply be my child." has completely flipped the Christmas story for me, in a good way.  A beautiful song and a beautiful message.
• How Many Kings by Downhere - A song I've come around to and have really grown to appreciate.  A wonderful reminder of what the true gift of Christmas is and why we have reason to celebrate.  Plus, there is incredible lyric work in this song, particularly in the "Gold for His honor, and frankincense for His pleasure, and myrrh for the cross He'll suffer" section.
• Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy) by Chris Tomlin - A great driving and upbeat Joy to the World.  The Unspeakable Joy chorus is a nice addition to the traditional hymn, providing a great opportunity for the expansion of harmony and the sound.  Now if only to add the course from Three Dog Night and it would be perfect.
• Glory to God in the Highest by the Old Friend Quartet - a classic gospel quartet song backed by the best in gospel music via the Gaither choir.  The breakout section varying the chorus is amazing and an amazing true bass in the late George Younce.
• All is Well by Voctave - this is such a simple song, but so beautiful. I've sang this as a solo before and the simple melody is so haunting and perfect to capture the message of the angels that night.  Voctave simply is one of the best a cappella groups in existence.   Exquisite arrangements, unearthly sopranos.  Many of these vocalists are part of the Voices of Liberty at Epcot at Disney World and they bring their beautiful talents to a great variety of songs in Voctave.
• Peace on Earth/Silent Night by Dean Martin - as I said before, I'm a sucker for counterpoint and this is a beautiful variation.  The Peace on Earth melody overlaid on Silent Night enriches both songs.  Originally written for Lady in the Tramp, Dean Martin performs the definitive version.
• Ave Maria by Leslie Odom, Jr. -  I have always loved the melody of this song and Leslie Odom, Jr.'s version is simply beautiful.  Pure voice with the simplest of accompaniment.  He makes this look effortless and it is so appreciated.

What are your favorite Christmas hymns?  Have I overlooked any?

My Favorite Things - Top 10 Favorite Christmas Carols

I'm moving up My Favorite Things a day, as I need two days  for this weeks lists.  Today and tomorrow will be a two part list that need to be presented together, as I start to present my favorite Christmas music.

This is such a daunting challenge that there will be two lists - one today for favorite Christmas carols and one tomorrow for favorite Christmas hymns.  Both lists will be a little more expansive so as Christmas carols will cover my favorite non-religious Christmas music and hymns will cover my favorite religious Christmas music.  And as before with favorite music, I'm going to point you to a specific artist and version.

With that in mind, here's my list of Top 10 Favorite Christmas Carols, in no particular order.

• Winter Wonderland by Jason Mraz - Jason Mraz has the funnest version of this song.  Very simply scored, with lots of fun shout-outs in the background.  It will put a smile on your face.
• Happy Xmas (War is Over) by Maroon 5 - I love this song and Adam Levine presents a very stripped down version that can truly sell the lyrics and message of the song.  The combination of his voice and the piano is really all the song needs.  And I'm of the opinion stripping the children's choir out of the background at the end is a real benefit.
• Jingle Bells by Michael Buble with the Puppini Sisters - this is another Christmas classic that is just put into a very fun arrangement.  From the "Ready Mr. Buble" banter at the beginning to the Puppini Sisters showcasing their best Andrews' Sisters, this to me is the definitive Jingle Bells.
• White Christmas by The Drifters - This is my favorite version of White Christmas.  Bing Crosby may be iconic, but this is the most fun to listen to and sing.  Otis Redding's does come a close second, though.
• The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole - The icon for a good reason.  No one has come close yet to the smooth, pure sound of Nat King Cole's voice. This is one that makes Christmas when it is played.
• Feliz Navidad by David Crowder Band - Feliz Navidad as interpreted on a Casio electric keyboard.  I'm a huge fan of David Crowder and this is a prime example of why.
• (It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus by Harry Connick, Jr. - Harry Connick's New Orleans jazz addition to Christmas music.  Just a great, funky beat and a great, great band.
• Please Come Home for Christmas by The Eagles -  A great song, not just a great Christmas song.  From the octave bell tones at the beginning to the end, this is the Christmas blues song (sorry Elvis).  And while Charles Brown's original is good, the Eagles own this song.
• All I Want For Christmas is You by Idina Mendzel - one of the greatest modern additions to the Christmas genre interpreted by one of Broadway's best.  This to me edges out Mariah Carey's version with the ending.
• I Believe in Santa Claus by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - it was hard to decide between this and With Bells On, but I Believe in Santa Claus won out because of the message.  I'm still convinced Once Upon a Christmas by Dolly and Kenny is one of, if not the greatest Christmas album of all time, and this is my favorite song on that recording.  I may be a little biased based on years of listening to this as a kid in a I Believe in Santa Claus sweatshirt, but I'm sticking to it.

Bonus - I didn't include it on the list as it's a December song not a Christmas song, but What Are You Doing New Years Eve? is quickly rising up my list, particularly as interpreted by Seth McFarlane. I'm not a fan of his style of humor, but his voice is such a perfect throwback.

That's my list.  What are your favorite Christmas songs?  Are there any underappreciated gems that you love?

Tomorrow - favorite hymns.

Top 10 Halloween Swings

Something a little different today in the Halloween Top 10 lists - a playlist of Top 10 swinging Halloween songs.  All cultivated to fit in the singer/standard/swing feel.  On my iPod, this is my Halloween Cocktail Music playlist.  So, go ahead and take a listen.  The hyperlinks will take you to youtube versions of the specific song version.

• Grim, Grinning Ghosts by Lee Presson and the Nails - A fun instrumental arrangement of a great attraction song.
• Monster Mash by Janice Hagan - A nice singer/standard arrangement of the Monster Mash.  Something that fits in with the rest of the playlist
• I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone -  While I like Screamin' Jay Hawkins and CCR, Nina Simone takes this song and makes it haunting.  Someone whose heart has been broken.
• Spooky by The Puppini Sisters - I love arrangements by the Puppini Sisters.  As if the Andrews Sisters covered Spooky.  Just fun.
• Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra - A great light classic by Sinatra.  
• Old Devil Moon by Mel Torme - The Velvet Fog taking a song from Finian's Rainbow and showcasing the best of his voice.
• Jeepers Creepers by Louis Armstrong - It's hard not to hear Louis Armstrong's voice and not be happy. Not the most Halloween song on the list, but the turn of phrase Jeepers Creepers fits right in.
• That Old Black Magic by Sammy Davis, Jr. - Sammy Davis, Jr.  The best vocalist of the Rat Pack.  And here with an fast moving version of That Old Black Magic.  He makes it look easy.
• Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin - I think everyone forgets that Mack the Knife is written about a very dark and sinister person.  Its a very upbeat song about a lot of death.  A good fit for Halloween.  
• The Munsters Theme - A great swinging theme song.  Perfect instrumental.

What's on your Halloween playlist?

Top 10 Comic Characters I Would Like To Write

For Top 10 lists a suggestion was made to list my top 10 favorite superheroes.  Right now that list is a little too daunting for me to tackle, as like many things, it becomes a "favorite at the moment" list and requires whittling down from a very long containing more than ten entries.  So I'm taking a different approach.  Instead I'm going to focus on my favorite characters that I would love to write.  That I have a specific idea for a story or story element that I would love to see implemented.  This is a much easier list to get to ten.

It's largely Marvel as I have been primarily a Marvel Zombie for most of my life, but there are a few key DC superheroes I'd love a crack at.

• Elektra - Elektra represents probably the most pressing idea that I have.  While she is a fascinating character, and has been the subject of key exemplary stories, I feel she's largely been under served through her continued existence.  Most writers focus on her ninja background and connection to the Hand.  I think that is the least interesting aspect of her character.  There is a wealth of story potential there and in particular, a way to craft a Marvel story that has not been done before.
• Wonder Woman - Wonder Woman is one where I would love to do a lot of synthesis.  It would likely have to be an Elseworlds tale, but I would love to be able to give Wonder Woman something she's always been missing in comparison to Superman and Batman - a fictional city that is as much a character as anyone else in the book and a cool headquarters/personal retreat.  Batman and Superman each have a fictional city that reflects their character with several specific known set pieces that can be visited with their own set of supporting characters.  For Batman, Gotham City with the GCPD (rooftop in particular), the Batcave, Wayne Manor, and Wayne Enterprises.  You can add in things like Leslie Thompkin's Clinic, Crime Alley, and even new additions like the Belfry for variety.  With Superman, you have Metropolis, with the Daily Planet, LexCorp, Bibbo's, Smallville and the Kent Farm, and the Fortress of Solitude.  If you combine pieces of Wonder Woman's history, I think you can create a very interesting similar set up for the character and would like to develop it.
• Daredevil - Daredevil represents one of my true favorite characters that I would actually love to write (perhaps number one favorite character of all time).  I love the contradictions of the character and would love to do a big Hush style arc on the character touching all the major points and characters in his periphery.  Particular interest for the overlap of my law background and comics interest.
• Batman - I think it goes every writer has a Batman story in them and I think I have just one.  Would not be interested in a longer run, but have one idea for a psychology based story that would be fun to explore.  Plus  it would be great fun to use a couple of the lesser known villains like the Charlatan. 
• Moon Knight - Moon Knight is another character where the primary topic people focus on (here the dissociative identity disorder) is one of the least interesting aspects of the character.  From my reading of the early issues, it never seemed like there were supposed to be separate identities, but just aliases used (as Batman does with Matches Malone).  I would love to explore, though, the Egyptian-Jewish connection.  The son of a rabbi serving as the avatar of an Egyptian God.  That's rich for conflict and story potential.  Plus, I think there is great potential for a Times Past-style story regarding previous incarnations of Moon Knight.
• Hawkman - The recent developments in Hawkman's character open up so much story potential.  A continual warrior who reincarnates across time and space.  Everything is on the table and can be explored.  I love the Indiana Jones aspect of the characters background and the set up in the New Orleans of the DCU, St. Roch.  Add in a His Girl Friday style relationship with Hawkgirl and it's one interesting series.
• The Fantastic Four - It would just be exciting to write a big story about a happy family exploring the Marvel multiverse.  And I would want it all in.  The Future Foundation with the backup Fantastic Force.  Naming Puppy.  Wyatt Wingfoot, Alicia Masters, Willie and Billie Lumpkin.  Franklin and Valeria's new nanny (protector?).  Aunt Tara.  Crazy Uncle Doom who is sometimes supporting, sometimes antagonizing.  It really is the World's Greatest Comic Magazine.
• Black Panther - Black Panther would just be so much fun to world build.  To further define the Crocodile Tribe, the Hyena Tribe, the Rhinoceros Tribe (in addition to the established Panther Tribe and White Gorilla Tribe).  To explore the neighbors to Wakanda and to flesh out Panther's rogues gallery.  Given my affection for the Priest run, I'd have to bring back Everett K. Ross, king of the whiteboys, but to be able to do grand super-heroics and Game of Thrones style political intrigue would be so much fun.
• Shazam! - This is an idea that has been brewing since Geoff Johns introduced the Rock of Finality in opposition to the Rock of Eternity.  I stumbled across something that would make a great story regarding who sits on the Rock of Finality and how that would impact Captain Marvel and crew.  Plus,it lead to a series name that I think is particularly clever. (And no matter what they are doing now, though the book needs to be Shazam! for copyright and recognition, the character is and shall always be Captain Marvel).
• Gambit - I may be one of the few people who like Gambit out of the X-men.  I like the Tithe Collector and the pact between the Thieves and Assassins Guilds.  I like Gambit as a solo star in New Orleans and the bayous of Louisiana.  As much as I'm enjoying the Mr. and Mrs. X series with him and Rogue, my preference would be a solo Gambit nearly completely divorced from the X-men universe, getting up to a little good, a little bad, and a lot of trouble on his own.  Love-hate relationship with his ex, Belladonna, and complicated relationship with his father.  Something Southern Gothic.

That's my list, eclectic, but with some overlapping themes.  What characters most interest you and fill your fan fiction?

Top 10 Underappreciated Favorite Films of the 1990s

After a report was released in August showing the favorite 1990s movie of every state and revealing that The Lion King was the favorite 1990s movie of Texas, it got me thinking about the movies of the 1990s.  See, though I may have been born in the 1980s and be able to remember it well, the 1990s were my formative years.  These are the years that I began to set my own tastes in music, in film, in style, and in art.  The 1980s movies I watched on VHS or television.  For many of the 1990s movies, I remember being in the theater.  These are the films I chose to see.  The ones I waited for.  The ones where I then bought the DVD (or VHS still, even in college).

And with that fresh on my mind, I set out to write a list of my top 10 favorite movies from the 1990s.  And I can't do it.  It's too hard. The field is too varied and too vast.  How do you choose between Pulp Fiction, Se7en, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Fried Green Tomatoes, Scream, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, etc.  There are way too many good recommendations that it is too hard to narrow down the field.

So, instead, I've chosen a different list.  A narrower category to select from.  My list of top 10 underappreciated films from the 1990s.  Films I love that no one else might even like.  Movies that I can sit down and watch anytime they are on.  Movies I love for a particular moment, a particular scene, a particular sentiment.  Some of these might not even be called "good movies," but they are movies I thoroughly enjoy.

So, without further ado, my list of Top 10 Underappreciated Favorite Films of the 1990s, in release then alphabetical order.

• The Rocketeer (1991) - this movie ticks so many boxes for me: classic Hollywood setting, superheroes, action/comedy, and an iconic look.  That Art Deco poster was such a perfect encapsulation.  I love the source material from Dave Stevens comics to the new ones that have been released over the past few years, and I adore the film.  I may have tracked down a Zavvi exclusive UK steelcase for the Blu-ray on this one.
• Mallrats (1995) -  first exposure to Kevin Smith, first exposure to Jason Lee, and one of the greatest Stan Lee cameos of all time.  When people talk about Kevin Smith films, the discussion is usually on Clerks and Chasing Amy, and while those have been over analyzed, I love this quirky little oddball of a film.  Though it has Kevin Smith's typical humor and nowhere near family friendly, its slightly milder than his later excesses.  Jason Lee's Brodie makes the film.
• The Birdcage (1996) - In making this list and looking at my favorite films of the 1990s, I realized just how much of a part Robin Williams played through these years in particular.  And this remake of La Cage Aux Folles is one of my favorites.  A great concept that still plays well today and a superb cast.  Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, and Christine Baranski.  All at the top of their game.  The penultimate dinner scene is incredible.
• Mars Attacks! (1996) - one of my favorite Tim Burton films.  It's just so silly.  And that makes it amazing.  A truly all star cast including an unrecognizable early Jack Black.  And the inspiration references fly by throughout the film. 
• My Fellow Americans (1996) - I know Grumpy Old Men is the better film, but I love this odd little comedy.  Perhaps it's the pairing of Jack Lemmon and James Garner. It's definitely a comfort film; something to slip on when I'm not feeling well.  A ridiculous plot saved by a stellar cast. 
• Can't Hardly Wait (1998) - in the dorms at UT there was one station that cycled through about 4 or 5 movies on repeat.  This was one of them, so I saw this film a lot and grew to love it.  It has a who's who of teen actors from the 1990s and an epic party night for the plot.  A great soundtrack and a lot of fun.  
• Playing by Heart (1998) - This is probably the most random film on the list and feel needs a little more explanation.  I have a soft spot for films with large casts that tell seemingly unrelated stories that all converge at the end.  And this one has one great cast of couples.  Sean Connery and Gena Rollins, Jay Mohr and Ellen Burstyn, Gillian Anderson and John Stewart (pre-Daily Show), Ryan Philippe and Angelina Jolie, Dennis Quaid and Patricia Clarkson.  I'm not a fan of all of the plotlines (like the priest committing adultery), but there are great character moments in this movie.  I also liked the film when the title was originally Dancing About Architecture in reference to a paraphrase quote in the film: "Talking about love is like dancing about architecture."  
• Dick (1999) - If you ever wondered what was on the missing Watergate tapes, this movie has your answer.  An 18 1/2 minute long love message from a teenager lovesick over Richard Nixon.  I never knew I needed a farce surrounding the Watergate investigation, but I'm glad I've seen it.  And Dan Hedaya is a criminally underrated actor and gives a hilarious portrayal of Nixon in the film.
• Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) - a dark black comedy mockumentary about a Minnesota beauty pageant.  A biting satire with an excellent cast.  Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin, Allison Janney, Denise Richards, Amy Adams, Brittany Murphy, Kirstie Alley.  A beauty pageant crown so fought for, they kill each other for it.  I saw this with Brooke and Taylor in Austin at an art-house cinema and would have expected the crowd to be a little more connected.  Surprisingly, we seemed to be the only three laughing when the combine exploded.  I don't know what that says about us. 
• The Iron Giant (1999) - the one film on this list I know is a truly great film, just not well seen, particularly in its early release.  A hand drawn masterpiece in animation by Brad Bird.  Touching on cold war paranoia, the film celebrates the bonds of outsiders and childlike wonder.  If you don't cry at "I'm Superman," I don't know what to say.

That's my list.  Oddball picks and all.  What are some of your favorite "underappreciated" gems?

Top Ten Favorite Televisions Shows

Coming back again to a Top 10 list.  A bit of insight into my likes and my personality.  And as a child of the 1980s, television was and is a huge interest.  I've seen a lot of great television and I've seen a lot of bad television.

What follows is a list of my ten favorite television shows.  Some shows that I feel represent the best that television has to offer, and some shows that simply represent my guilty pleasures.  And I fortunately have a knack for picking brilliant but cancelled shows, so several of these did not get the full release that they should have.

So in no particular order...

• The Twilight Zone - I'll start with what I feel is one of the best examples of television ever aired.  Serling used the Twilight Zone as a morality play for the masses.  To take science fiction and address the biggest social issues of the time.  The show is a masterclass in short fiction and storytelling with some of the greatest writers ever assembled.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - One of the first shows I followed with dedication.  Every episode, as it aired.  Again, a use of genre to address much larger topics.  And several episodes that break so many conventions.  Hush, The Body, and Once More With Feeling.  It gets a little weird toward the end with the switch to UPN, but a great show with a lasting impact.
• Pushing Daisies - I love what Bryan Fuller does on television.  His vision for set design and color and how that all contributes to the mood is incredible.  And it was all incorporated so well into Pushing Daisies.  Such a unique concept, a forensic fairytale about a piemaker who can touch the dead and wake them for a minute.  Charming and whimsical, gone far too soon.
• Freaks and Geeks - Speaking of gone too soon, a one season show that really launched so many careers.  For all the shows that have mined the 1980s for nostalgia, this one got it so right.  For anyone who was not in a popular clique at the time, this really resonated.
• The Good Place - One of two current shows on the list and one of the smartest shows that I've seen in a long time.  While not the best on theology, the exploration of morality and philosophy is excellent and the premise and show is genuinely funny.  Great characters and truly charming.
• Agent Carter - While Daredevil is arguably a better Marvel show, this remains my favorite of the Marvel offerings.  A great setting for both seasons in 1940s New York and Los Angeles, and a great British Avengers set up with Jarvis and Agent Carter.  Hayley Atwell is a great lead, and again, its a shame the show did not last longer.
• Coupling - Before I knew the series name, I searched for this show.  When I first went to London and Scotland, I remember watching the episode The Girl with Two Breasts with Dad the night before we returned home and laughing harder than ever before for a television show.  The title is a reference to a misstep in translation and the episode was split into two versions, one showing the events from the English cast and then one showing the same events from the Israeli girl who was the object of Jeff's affection.  For the longest, I could never find the name of the show, but thankfully stumbled across it again on BBC America.  After watching every episode of the series and seeing such other great episodes as The Man With Two Legs, I still say, this is the funniest show I have ever seen.   A bit bluer in discussion than American television, but otherwise similar to an American sitcom.
• Sherlock - Brilliantly cast, excellently adapted to modern times, great writing by Moffat, Gattis, and Thompson.  Each episode is really a new movie.  And the fourth season really better be the last, because it ended in such a perfect way.
• Stranger Things - the first show that we had to binge the whole season once we started.  Excellent cast and another great nostalgia trip.  It captured the feel of those great "kids on a mission movies" from the 1980s.  While there are bits that feel stretched in the second season, it's still a nail-biter and we are still anxiously waiting for season three next year.

and finally...

• The Golden Girls - I don't care.  It still holds up and if I'm feeling down, there is nothing else I'd rather watch.  I want to picture Sicily in 19-whatever, be regaled with stories of Saint Olaf, and do thank you for being a friend.   I'll claim this one for a lifetime.

That's my list.  A weird and eclectic mix.  I'd love to hear some of your favorites.

The 50 Greatest Special Effects in Movies of All Time

The AV Club has published a list of the 50 greatest special effects in movies of all time.  This list is a very interesting compilation, with films dating from 1901 through today, and covering a wide variety of types of special effects.  From costuming, makeup, miniatures, and practical effects, to the seamless integration of animation, motion capture, and digital effects.  The movies listed include some of the most iconic movies ever made (The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane) and some of the most obscure (Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, anyone?).  There is a heavy focus on horror, largely because of the advancements in makeup and prosthesis, whether it is an amazing gill-man suit in the Creature from the Black Lagoon, an amazing transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London, or an iconic alien queen in Alien.

The list does include some of my favorite special effects that I've seen. A rocket hitting the face of the man in the moon in A Trip to the Moon.  The tornado in the Wizard of Oz.  Masterwork with miniatures and matte paintings in Star Wars.  The best integration of live-action and animation put to screen in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?  Dinosaurs that still hold up (better than anything in the following films) in Jurassic Park.  Photoshopping before it was a thing in Forrest Gump.  And a master class in live stunt work in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Special effects are one of the things that truly make movies special.  It's the magic of cinema that keeps audience's marveling "how'd they do that?."  Even in this day and age of overblown special effects laden action films, quality special effect work stands out.  Particularly when something truly looks real.  It is impressive to note that thirty-one of the movies in the list are there for practical effects, and that many of the digital effects in movies like Independence Day, Jurassic Park, Pan's Labyrinth, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind were used to enhance practical effects rather than replace them.

The danger is over-saturation.  With nearly every film being CGI filled, it becomes harder to identify certain stellar special effects.  Makeup is a category that can still be easily recognizable and impressive.  Gary Oldman's transformation in Darkest Hour is jaw dropping at times.  He disappeared into the role.  In other areas, the good special effects are designed not to stand out.  They are designed to not draw attention to themselves.  Like the digital recreation of San Francisco in Fincher's Zodiac.  If you did not know, you would never guess how much of the setting was digitally recreated to restore San Francisco to a time period appropriate look.

If anything, bad special effects are much more noticeable today.  It's easy to talk about movies with bad CGI.  Or perhaps, easier to identify films where the special effect is just not quite there yet.  Like the digital anti-aging makeup Marvel is so fond of using, or the digital resurrection Peter Cushing in Rogue One.  They are attempts that are still at that uncanny valley point.  Technology that is so close, but still unnerving, particularly in regard to how the mouth and eyes move.

Looking over the list, I tried to think of the last special effect that really impressed me.  The Shining sequence in Ready Player One is pretty neat.  As mentioned before, Oldman's makeup in Darkest Hour is incredible and the stunt work in Mad Max: Fury Road shows why stuntmen and women are amazing.

I'd love to hear what has impressed you.  What are your favorite special effects of all time?  What did the AV Club miss?  What have you seen recently that made you still wonder "how'd they do that?"

Top Seven Favorite Books

There's a Facebook series going around about a seven day book challenge.  To post the covers of your seven favorite books.  I'm condensing into the one list.

There's a challenge going around on FaceBook to post the covers of your seven favorite books.  I'm skipping the daily portion and condensing this in to one post.

This is a lot easier to pin down than the movie list.  While I like to read, it is easier to pin down the books that have really impacted me, the books that I will come back to, than it is film.  Perhaps due to the nature of the medium, but a great book sticks with me more than a great film.

And, to me, these are seven great books.

In no particular order:

• East of Eden, John Steinbeck - I said in no particular order, but for this one at least, it's a little different.  This is hands down my favorite novel of all time.  An epic tale of family drama.  A semi-autobiographical fiction based on Steinbeck's own family.  A midrash on faith and determinism.  This is the great American novel.  
• To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee - The quintessential Southern novel and a great courtroom drama.  A coming of age tale regarding the right questions that should be asked of Southern life.  Especially for those of us from a small town in the South, Lee wrote people you knew. Plus, Atticus Finch remains one of the greatest characters created and perhaps the role model that all attorneys strive for.  One of the books I most enjoyed from school.
• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury - This is the second book that I most enjoyed reading in school.  A science fiction novel dedicated to the importance of the written word.  I love Bradbury's use of language in general and this novel is no exception.  A reaction to McCarthyism, Bradbury highlights the need for independent thought and understanding.  It is truly amazing how many visions of the future contained in the book have come true.  Wall sized televisions that can act as communication devices, social media, 24 hour ATMs, earbuds.  And the core message is as much, if not more necessary now than when it was written.
• The Little Sister, Raymond Chandler - I've taken to reading a lot of noir.  Chandler, Hammett, Cain.  And while there are other books in this genre that I've enjoyed, this is the one that I could not put down.  Chandler's most biting critique of Hollywood and a twisting-turning mystery to boot.
• Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis - To me the best apologetic book ever written by another master of the English language.  Lewis explores the foundations of faith in deeply challenging but ultimately foundational terms.  Something I feel needs to be revisited every so often. We over-complicate a lot the world around us. We need returns to Happily Ever After, to Common Sense, and to Mere Christianity to center us.
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman - I love Neil Gaiman's use of language and story.  How he treats the importance of story.  I can listen to his voice talk about story and mechanics, and I love his comics like Sandman and short stories and novels.  And while American Gods is perhaps the more well known, I adore the Ocean at the End of the Lane.  Another semi-autobiographical novel, this time with a horror-tinged supernatural element.  Another coming of age story, but this time one that has some downright unsettling passages.  Plus, I always like it when he uses the mother, maiden, and crone triumvirate.
• The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster - My favorite book from childhood.  An love letter to learning.  Norton Juster created a version of Wonderland, Oz, or Neverland filled with wordplay and puns, celebrating language and math.  A world in which Reason and Rhyme must be restored?  Yes, please.

Top Ten Favorite Films

This post arises from conversations with Jamie.  I believe I've mentioned this before, but Jamie and I continually ask each other questions to continue to get to know each other.  They can be deep and they can be silly.  This one was a tough one.  Trying to whittle down a list of films that I would consider my favorite is a challenge.

The way I worked through this was to create a list of movies that impacted me.  Movies that speak to a specific period of my life.  Movies that I have finish if I see them on.

So without further ado, my list.  Not the best movies I've ever seen.  But a list of the movies that I would say are my favorites.  In order of release:

The Thin Man - Endlessly quotable.  Nick and Nora Charles are definitely couple goals, minus the alcoholism.  Comedy with a touch of noir.  The movie that defined gathering all the suspects in a room to identify the culprit.  I love the book and I love this movie.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - As I've wrote previously, I need this movie every once and a while.  Capra at his finest and a great representation of what our country is supposed to represent.  A standout film from the greatest year in film.

Singin' In the Rain - The greatest movie musical ever.  So many great numbers.  Make 'Em Laugh, Good Morning, Singin' in the Rain.  And Lena Lamount is one of the greatest characters ever created.

Maltese Falcon - Noir at its finest.  A wonderful collection of character actors.  Bogart, Lorre, Greenstreet, Astor.  Truly the stuff that dreams are made of.

Summer Magic - This film reminds me of my childhood.  One my mother loved.  The songs are burned in my brain.  Ugly Bug Ball, Flitterin', Beautiful Beulah.  And one of the greatest songs ever written - On the Front Porch.  An anthem to relaxing on the front porch.  To spending time with family and friends.  To unwinding.  To life.   Not the greatest movie ever made, but one always in my memory.

Monty Python and The Quest for the Holy Grail - The movie where I discovered cult classics.  One of my favorite examples of British humor.  Again, endlessly quotable.  And remarkably silly - which we always need every once and a while.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - I saw this at just the right time and it blew my mind.  All those characters together at once.  Interacting in inventive and appropriate fashions.  A touch of noir, and a lot of cartoon greatness.  Still technically impressive.

Se7en - Again one that hit at the perfect time.  It led me to following directors, particularly Fincher.  Neo noir and a incredible hook.

Bernie - Linklater is always an interesting director if nothing else and this is my favorite film that he has made.  Incredibly accurate for East Texas and a master stroke performance by Jack Black.

The Avengers - This was a moment built to that could not be ignored.  The first phase Marvel movies had already hooked me.  Iron Man, Thor, Captain America.  Since the first indication at the end of Iron Man - Nick Fury with those words, Avengers, I had been waiting for this film.  And it did not disappoint.  Great character interaction.  Heroes being heroes.  Avengers: Infinity War came close, but this built it all.

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Ask me again in a few weeks and the entire list could be different.  But these are the movies that speak to me now and have impacted me in various ways.  I'd love to hear yours.

Top 10 Marvel Comics Runs That I Have Read

After explaining why I still read comic books, I thought I would over a few of my favorite runs.  Since it is Marvel Week here, I've going to focus on Marvel Comics storylines that I would recommend as my favorites.  I've most often listed them by writer, as they are the constant.  Where appropriate, I've indicated the key artist as well.

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So, in no particular order:

Captain America by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting
This is Captain America as a political thriller.  Captain America via Three Days of the Condor.  This run does the impossible and brings back Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier.  It contains the Death of Captain America.  It's tense and taut and through it all, Captain America's core remains the same.  He is the moral center of the Marvel Universe for a reason.

The Immortal Iron Fist by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and David Aja
Kung Fu Billionaire Danny Rand.  That's a great hook.  This run includes the pulp predecessor to the Iron First and the battle of the seven capital cities of Heaven.  David Aja's art is amazing and the story expands on the Iron Fist mythos in a very genre appropriate method.

Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja
Matt Fraction takes Hawkeye and puts him in a Rockford Files-esque storyline, protecting an apartment building and its tenants that he has purchased.  David Aja takes his art to another level, experimenting with the format in ways that have not been seen before.  The deaf issue, the issue from the view point of a child, the issue from the viewpoint of the dog.  Issue after issue is consistently excellent.

Daredevil by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
This is the classic run, the one that changed Daredevil from a swashbuckling adventurer to a crime comic staple.  The run that brought an edge to Daredevil.  The Kingpin, Bullseye, Elektra.  To see a man brought to his lowest point and then restored in Born Again.  From this point on, Daredevil would have consistently good writing.

Avengers by Kurt Busiek and George Perez
This is the seminal Avengers run.  The one that respected the past and forged on to tell at least three of the top Avengers storylines of all time (Ultron Imperative, JLA/Avengers).  Kurt Busiek as a writer is able to connect to human emotion like no other.  His creator owned Astro City is one of the best comics of all time.  George Perez is the master for a reason.  His obsession with detail and crowds makes him one of the most sought after superhero artists.  He continues to strive to draw larger and larger groups of characters together. To me, when I picture superheroes, I imagine them drawn by George Perez.  Classic Avengers stories told by master artists.

Ultimate Spider-man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
Bendis and Bagley were given the unenviable task of restarting Spider-man for the new century.  And they stepped up to the plate in a major way.  I have cried with this comic.  It has one of the best gut-busting page turner laughs I have ever experienced.  I love Bendis' writing on a lot of comics from Jessica Jones to Daredevil and the Defenders, and I'm looking forward to his take on Superman.  Bagley is another of those quintessential superhero artists.  He has worked on Spider-man for so long, that when I picture Spider-man, it is always Mark Bagley.  111 consecutive issues of this team together.  For anyone who wants to get a fresh start with Spider-man stories, this is the place to go.

Loki: Agent of Asgard by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett
Al Ewing is proving one of my favorite new writers.  With Loki, Ewing was able to explore the importance of stories, as Loki, god of mischief has a chance to start again and morphs into the god of stories.  It's funny, it is moving, and it's meta.  Lee Garbett provides clean, accessible art, that services Ewing's story very well.  A short, but beautiful run.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
This title reminds us that comics are supposed to be fun.  It's not afraid to be silly, stars a very plucky and determined hero in Doreen Green, the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. It's STEM friendly with Doreen's background as a computer science student, and code has even been used to solve the  problems she faces in at least one issue very explicitly.  A major component of this title focuses on the fact that Squirrel Girl is not content to just beat the bad guy into submission.  She has helped truly turn bad guys around and looks for solutions that don't involve her fists. Highly enjoyable.

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham
Jonathan Hickman creates very interesting comics.  The story goes that when he laid out Fantastic Four, he established essentially everything that would be in his Fantastic Four, Avengers, New Avengers, and Secret War runs.  His run is expansive, adding the Future Foundation, the Universal Inhumans, and the Council of Reeds, all of which have been used to great effect. The most important part of the run is its focus on family and the characters.  Everything is character driven and grounded in true emotion.  It's Hickman's best run so far.

Black Panther by Christopher Priest and Sal Valeutto
This run introduced me to Christopher Priest.   I look forward to everything he writes because his style is so distinctive.  This book started with a Rashomon/Pulp Fiction style non-linear story, that made it stand out from everything on the stands.  Layered and complex plots with political intrigue, corporate espionage, great comic action.  Fun new characters.  Queen Divine Justice.  Everrett K. Ross, king of all white-boys.  This run defined the character for years to come.  If you like the Black Panther movie, its foundation is here.

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These runs to me represent the best Marvel has to offer.  I go back to these runs often to enjoy them fresh each time.  Each holds up.  I look forward to discovering many, many more.