| I love making lists. It is inexplicable, and perhaps a little odd, but I really do love it. Thus, when I viewed the film "High Fidelity" (starring John Cusack and Jack Black!), the most indelible effect the movie had on me was how the primary characters often shared their "top fives" on any subject imaginable. The plot itself was primarily focused on Rob Gordon's (Cusack's) Top Five All-Time Break-Ups. I enjoyed this so much that it has inspired me to create my own special edition Ramblings column, featuring a few of my top five lists. This, part one, will cover only music and movies, while tomorrow's will be more of a grab-bag of lists. So, without further ado, in my opinion, the top five... |
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| Best movies of the '90's |
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| 5. Being John Malkovich |
| 4. The Silence of the Lambs |
| 3. Twelve Monkeys |
| 2. The Usual Suspects |
| 1. L.A. Confidential |
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 Kevin Spacey starred in the top two movies in the 90's |
It really pains me to leave films like The Insider, Se7en, and Pulp Fiction off of this list, but there can be only five. L.A. Confidential absolutely blew me away. The Usual Suspects led everyone in entirely the wrong direction before throwing viewers for a loop with its conclusion. It makes me a little sad to put a Bruce Willis movie on this list, but that also says a lot about good Twelve Monkeys really was. The Silence of the Lambs is a modern-day classic. Being John Malkovich is just so off-the-wall and quirky that I had to fit it in somewhere. All of these films come highly recommended. |
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| Best movies since 2000 |
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| 5. Traffic |
| 4. The Royal Tenenbaums |
| 3. Almost Famous |
| 2. High Fidelity |
| 1. Memento |
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 Memento |
I don't know if there simply hasn't been many good movies since 2000, or if I just have not seen them. It is probably a combination of both. Traffic should not be fifth on this list, but something had to put there. The other four are well-deserving -- Memento could be my favourite movie ever, and the rest are great comedies. |
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| CD's that are infinitely better in the dark |
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| 5. A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corners of Our Rooms |
| 4. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun |
| 3. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - f#a#oo |
| 2. Radiohead - Kid A |
| 1. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon |
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| This category could practically double as "Best CD Names". There are just some albums that sound boring and uninspired when it is mid-afternoon and sunny. Not that any of these CD's sounds uninspired, but you cannot get a true sense of each tiny nuance included in the songs until it is late at night, silent, and you have a good pair of headphones on. |
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| "I Can't Believe They're Popular" bands |
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| 5. The Calling |
| 4. Linkin Park |
| 3. Default |
| 2. Swollen Members |
| 1. Puddle of Mudd |
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 They're about to break! |
Puddle of Mudd looks like they just crawled out of one. But, hey, Fred Durst "discovered" them and he is is certainly an authority when it comes to recognizing talent. Would the Swollen Members be at all popular if it weren't for their name? Default, thanks for coming out. It's a shame you sound like every other manufactured commercial rock band out there. Linkin Park is going closer to the edge, and could very well fall off if more angsty teenage boys don't buy more of their albums. I don't really know anything about The Calling at all. In fact, I thought they were Creed until someone informed that no, that was not "With Arms Wide Open" getting popular again, but actually a different song ("Wherever You Will Go") by an entirely different band. |
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| Radiohead songs |
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| 5. Optimistic |
| 4. Exit Music (For a Film) |
| 3. Pyramid Song |
| 2. Street Spirit (Fade Out) |
| 1. Paranoid Android |
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| Paranoid Android is one of my top five favourite songs by any band. Street Spirit (Fade Out), Pyramid Song, and Exit Music (for a Film) are all extremely powerful and haunting, while Optimistic is Kid A's best track, as well as its most traditional "rock" song. |
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| Most overrated movies |
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| 5. Scary Movie |
| 4. Magnolia |
| 3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail |
| 2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
| 1. Goodfellas |
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| I love this category because, invariably, there will be at least one movie on the list that you, the reader, likes, in which case you will have no choice but to take exception and perhaps track me down and confront me physically. But, come on, let's face the facts here. None of these films were anywhere near as good as advertised. |
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| Best singers |
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| 5. Thom Yorke (Radiohead) |
| 4. Lou Reed (Velvet Underground) |
| 3. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) |
| 2. Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) |
| 1. Jeff Buckley |
|
 Buckley |
Jeff Buckley has one of the most perfect voices you will ever hear. I am dead serious about this (uh, no pun intended; rest in peace, Jeff). Cornell has one of the more impressive vocal ranges out there, while Thom Yorke's falsetto is unparalleled. As for Reed and Casablancas, rock and roll voices just don't come much better. |
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| Best-looking singers |
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| 5. Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) |
| 4. Jennifer Lopez |
| 3. Shakira |
| 2. Beyoncé Knowles (Destiny's Child) |
| 1. Rachel Stevens (S Club) |
|
 Stevens |
I think this section is pretty self-explanatory, other than perhaps the somewhat baffling inclusion of Gwen Stefani over, for example, Britney Spears. Let's just say that I am not a big Britney fan and leave it at that. Rachel Stevens, on the other hand, is my choice for Most Attractive Woman in the WORLD. I feel very strongly about this. |
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| Catchiest guitar riffs |
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| 5. Stone Temple Pilots - Down |
| 4. Collective Soul - Heavy |
| 3. Weezer - Burndt Jamb |
| 2. Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused |
| 1. Foo Fighters - Hey! Johnny Park |
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| This is the category that gave me the most trouble. When you have listened to literally thousands of songs over the course of your lifetime, which most people have, it is very difficult to pull out five guitar riffs and label them as the "best ever". I am not entirely satisfied with my choices here, and get the feeling that I am leaving some better ones out, but so be it. These ones are still pretty good. |
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| Coming tomorrow: Part II, Television and more. |
