Top Tens Things To Do (Satire): Watch More Sean Connery Flicks

Here is a satirical look at ten things to do for next week:

1) Read "Bright Lights, Big City" again

2) Plan 2016 trip to Bolivia where Che Guevara was executed by military forces (pict. center)

3) Watch four Sean Connery films even if you've seen them before

4) Watch aquarium video on Youtube

5) Play Dig Dug for 4.5 hours

6) Put flowers on a strangers' grave

7) Wash mom's car

8) Clean bathroom

9) Read an issue of "Wired"

10) Find a missing Yorkie

The Last Ten Films We've Seen: City Films

Among the last ten films listed here, there are two with career stand-up comedians/actors: the late Rodney Dangerfield plays a dictatorial cinema manager in "The Last Projection" and the late Richard Pryor has a cameo in "Car Wash."

Other films include the western "Winchester '73" with the late Jimmy Stewart and early film appearances from the late Rock Hudson and the late Tony Curtis (billed as Anthony Curtis), Gene Hackman reprising Popeye Doyle in "French Connection II" and Jean-Luc Godard's "Made in USA," which has only been allowed for public viewing in the USA since 2008 due to a copyright issue.

Here is the list, we got the idea from "Film Comment:"

1. "The Projectionist" 1971. dir-Harry Hurwitz

2. "French Connection II" (pictured top) 1975. dir-John Frankenheimer

3. "Winchester '73" 1950 dir-Anthony Mann #

4. "Made in USA" (France) 1966. dir-Jean-Luc Godard

5. "Car Wash" (pictured center) 1976. dir-Michael Shultz

6. "The Graduate" (pictured bottom) 1967 dir-Mike Nichols #

7. "Happymorethankyouplease" 2010. dir-Josh Radnor

8. "The Avengers" 2012. dir- Joss Whedon

9. "Bridesmaids" 2011. dir. Paul Feig

10. "The Cabin in the Woods" 2011. dir-Drew Goddard

#-Films we had previously watched before

http://www.filmcomment.com

http://www.filmlinc.com

http://www.richardpryor.com

A Random Top Ten List of English-Language Films I've Seen Multiple Times..........(except "The Godfather)

As one might expect, not too many four-hour epics like "Ben Hur," "Giant" and "Titanic" (the only one of these three films I've actually seen makes this list!).... :

1. "A Clockwork Orange" (1971)

2. "Five Easy Pieces" (pictured, 1970)

3. "The French Connection" (1971)

4. "Apocalypse Now" (1979)

5. "The Landlord" (1970, a film I had not seen until last year!)

6. "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)

7. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975)

8. "On the Waterfront" (1954)

9. "The Exorcist" (1973)

10. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962)

SIDEBAR: Earlier today, an article I wrote about the political turmoil in Turkey was published on a high volume blog based in Washington, DC:

http://www.dcmiccheck.org/2013/06/06/gezi-park/

My Top 10 Films of 2009 (so far!)

As I said when I posted this list on my Facebook, "Let the controversy begin." My favorite film of the year, which you will see here on the list was just released on dvd as was the film version of "Star Trek" (#9 here).

1. "Bruno"
2. "Cold Souls"
3. "The Hurt Locker"
4. "The Hangover"
5. "Where the Wild Things Are"
6. "Tyson"
7. "Summer Hours" (France)
8. "Food Inc"
9. "Star Trek"
10. Inglorious Basterds"

Film Comment Names "Wendy and Lucy" Best Film

My favorite cinema magazine "Film Comment" has named its top 50 films of 2008. The voters included my good friend Bilge Ebiri and many other respected film critics, including Amy Taubin, Nathan Lee, Godfrey Chesire, Wesley Morris and Mark Olsen among many others.

Here are the top ten films as chosen by "Film Comment." The critics chose "Wendy and Lucy" (pictured) as the best film. Needless to say many of these films, with the exception of "Wall-E" have not played in towns like Burlington, NC, or Danville, Va. The *s indicate films I have seen:


1. "Wendy and Lucy" (dir. Kelly Reichardt)

2. "Flight of the Red Balloon" (Taiwan/France, dir. Hou Hsia-hsien)

3. "A Christmas Tale" (France- Arnaud Desplechin)

4. "Happy-Go-Lucky" (dir. Mike Leigh)*

5. "WALL-E" (dir. Andrew Stanton)*

6. "Still Life" (China, dir. Jia Zhiang-ke)

7. "Paranoid Park" (dir. Gus Van Sant)

8. "Waltz with Bashir" (Israel, dir. Ari Folman)

9. "My Winnipeg" (Guy Maddin)

10. "Milk" (Gus Van Sant)

My Top 10 New Year's Resolutions

1. Develop Much Better Sleep-Wake Cycle

2. Actually Write a Play, Novel or Memoir









3. Don't Take Any Jobs @ Correctional Institutes

4. Drink Less Coffee

5. Drink More Wine

6. Go Out with Woman Who is 15-20 Years Younger Than Me

7. Get Out of the House, and Go To a Film Festival

8. Get Rid of at Least One Jehovah's Witness at the Door in Less Than 60 Seconds.

9. Go to Philadelphia

10. Change Zip Codes

I was going to say spend less time blogging, but I don't think that's a realistic goal!

My Friends' Top 10 Movies of the Year Lists

This is a complimentary entry to my top 10 films of the year list, which I posted on The Daily Vampire (see links).

First, I will start with the Top 10 list from my friend Joe Scott of Greensboro, NC, who hosts a radio movie show in the Gate City. He will also be presenting the vintage 1986 David Bowie flick "Labyrinth" at Carousel Cinemas in Greensboro on
Jan. 7.

I will mark the films I've seen with a star, and mark the ones that made my top 10 list with two stars.

"The Dark Knight"**
"Revolutionary Road"
"Man on Wire" (doc)
"Rachel Getting Married"*
"Let the Right One In" (Sweden)
"Milk"**
"The Wrestler"
"Doubt"**
"The Wackness"*
"Shotgun Stories"

Next, I will present the top 10 films of my friend and film blogger Phil Nugent, who lives in New York (I am jealous, but I know the rent is higher!). I wanted to see one film on his list at the Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, but couldn't because of time constraints. I will mark that film with a number sign. He presented his list in alphabetical order:

"Before I Forget" (France)
"Chop Shop"
"A Christmas Tale" (France)
"The Class" (France)
"The Dark Knight"**
"The Edge of Heaven" (Germany/Turkey)**
"The Order of Myths"
"The Secret of the Grain" (Belgium)
"Synedoche, New York"#
"Wall-E"*

Useful Links:

http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/screengrab/default.aspx

(for Phil)

http://themovieshow.blogspot.com/

(for Joe)

Top 10 Coffee Dates

Since it does NOT appear that the almighty one will grant my wish (see last entry), I have come to the conclusion that I could and should settle for coffee dates instead.

But, of course, a single guy has a Constitutional right to make a wish list of coffee dates that he would love to have even if most of the women on the list are either married or engaged or otherwise attached at the hip.

Alas, I had to cut a few names like Parker Posey and Paris Hilton from the dream list, but Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra (pictured here) and Turkish actress Nurgul Yesilcay (who is great in Fatih Akin's "The Edge of Heaven") made the list:


1. Uma Thurman

2. Scarlett Johansson

3. Jennifer Love Hewitt*

4. Natalie Portman

5. Penelope Cruz

6. Elle MacPherson**

7. Priyanka Chopra

8. Rachel Weisz

9. Sarah Silverman

10. Nurgul Yesilcay


*-I know I will get teased for this one

**-Hey, someone who is actually older than me!

Notice Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea in Roanoke, Va., on the links list. It's one of my favorite places for coffee as is the Green Bean in Greensboro, NC, but they didn't have a link!

Useful Links:

http://www.coffeegeek.com

http://www.starbucks.com

http://millmountaincoffee.com

So much for the promised six-day hiatus!

At any rate, here is my weekly top ten list, which this week is simply a to-do list:

1. Wash Car

2. Pay Rent

3. Buy Christmas gifts

4. Swim at YMCA

5. Pay Other Bills

6. Help Mom with Antiques Show

7. Write a Short Play

8. Send Christmas Cards

9. Buy Groceries

10. Don't Go Insane!

UPDATE (12/12): So far, I have managed to do all these things except stay sane and buy Christmas presents.

Last Ten Movies I've Seen (in theatres and drive-ins)

These are only the last ten films that I've seen in movie theatres or at the Eden Drive-in in Eden, NC, which is just now (as of this weekend!) closed for the season.

They are:

1. "Australia"

2."007: The Quantum of Solace"

3 "Zack and Mini Make a Porno"

4. "Rachel Getting Married"

5. "Tell No One" (French film)

6. "Christmas on Mars"*

7. "Saw V" **

8. "The Duchess"

9. "Frozen River"

10. "W"


*-Saw during a midnight screening

**- Saw "Saw V" at the drive-in.Not for the squeamish!

For a companion top ten list detailing the last ten films seen by screenwriter/director Charlie Kaufman go to our sister site "The Daily Vampire."

Top 10 Uma Thurman Films

Yes, I am well aware of the fact that UMA is about to marry some rich asshole, but she remains my favorite actress in the world as of this morning.

Here are my top 10 favorite films that she's been in.


1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

2. Tape (2001)

3. Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004)

4. Beautiful Girls (1998)

5. Prime (2005)

6. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (2003)

7. Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

8. The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen (1988)

9. Henry and June (1990)

10. The Avengers (1998).........hey, it wasn't that bad!

Top Ten Reasons to Stay Up Late.......

I must profess that my sister entry on "The Daily Vampire" might be one of my very worst entires in a long time, but I am not going to delete it. At any rate, this entry may not be much better, but here the Top Ten reasons to stay up late:


10. Scarlett Johansson might be on "Charlie Rose."

9. Uma Thurman might be on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

8. Natalie Portman might be on Conan O'Brien

7. You might find the girl of your dreams in that infommercial for a Russian bride catalog.

6. You can ask yourselves meaningless questions like "What would have happened if I dated Nicole in college?" which you will ask yourself anyway during the day.

5. You can really read that book with "Dilbert" cartoons from the library which you had no time to read under normal circumstances.

4. You can shave, do the dishes and kill cockroaches......not neccesarily in that order.

3. You can waste time blogging as you would do during the day as well.

2. You can read "Naked Lunch" for a seventh time.

1. You can actually watch an entire season of "Space 1999" before the sun comes up!