Powershot

My Top 100 Favorite Movies

2010-01-29T10:40:00.002-05:00

It's that time again! Time for another Top 100. This list is a dedication to all of the movies I have seen that have really inspired me. There are so many other classic movies I haven't seen yet, so it isn't a comprehensive list, but it is still a very good one:

100. Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery
99. Field Of Dreams
98. The Da Vinci Code
97. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial
96. Spiderman
95. Signs
94. National Treasure
93. Walk The Line
92. The Sound Of Music
91. Freddy Vs. Jason
90. Queen Of The Damned
89. West Side Story
88. Joy Ride
87. Rocky 4
86. Rocky 3
85. Grease
84. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
83. Spirited Away
82. Blade Runner
81. Silence Of The Lambs
80. Alien
79. The Green Mile
78. Juno
77. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (the original, with Gene Wilder)
76. National Treasure 2
75. Underworld: Evolution
74. 300
73. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
72. Carrie (the original, with Sissy Spacek)
71. My Fair Lady
70. Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones
69. Rocky 2
68. Scary Movie 2
67. Austin Powers: Goldmember
66. Troy
65. The Patriot
64. Dances With Wolves
63. Annie Hall
62. The 6th Sense
61. American Splendor
60. Citizen Kane
59. Lolita
58. Star Wars Episode 5: Empire Strikes Back
57. Saw 3
56. Final Destination 2
55. Scary Movie
54. Rocky
53. Death Note 2
52. Red Dragon
51. Monty Python's Life Of Brian
50. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
49. Saw 2
48. Gladiator
47. Underworld
46. The Natural
45. The Stand
44. Star Wars Episode 6: Return Of The Jedi
43. Koyaanisqatsi
42. Remember The Titans
41. Scary Movie 3
40. Schindler's List
39. The Passion Of The Christ
38. Final Destination
37. Aeon Flux
36. Gone With The Wind
35. Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith
34. Scary Movie 4
33. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Love The Atomic Bomb
32. Indiana Jones: Raiders Of The Lost Ark
31. Napoleon Dynamite
30. The Ring 2
29. Kung Pow!: Enter The Fist
28. Minority Report
27. Final Destination 3
26. Titanic
25. Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
24. The Shining
23. William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet (with Leo DiCaprio)
22. Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope
21. Interview With The Vampire
20. Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
19. Chicago
18. Butterfly Effect
17. Batman: The Dark Knight
16. Soylent Green
15. Saw
14. Phone Booth
13. The Ring
12. Donnie Darko
11. Spaceballs
10. Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King
9. Across The Universe
8. Rent
7. Moulin Rouge
6. Forrest Gump
5. Videodrome
4. Memento
3. V For Vendetta
2. Kill Bill, Volume 2
1. Kill Bill, Volume 1

Well, the top 10 says it all: I like musicals...horror flicks that make you think...political statement films....but you really can't do any better than the excellent filmmaking of Quentin Tarrantino matched up with the greatest Femme Fatale that the world has ever known: Uma Thurman.

My Top 100 Favorite Books of All-Time

2010-01-29T09:56:00.002-05:00

Here are the 100 Books that have deeply affected me the most...those which I will always remember for as long as I live... the author is listed first, followed by book title. In the case of books that are actually graphic novels, American creations will simply be called graphic novels, while Japanese creations are referred to as Manga.

100. Plato- The Republic
99. Ira Levin- Rosemary's Baby
98. Harper Lee- To Kill A Mockingbird
97. Anne Frank- The Diary Of Anne Frank
96. L.J. Smith- The Vampire Diaries
95. Karen Marie Moning- Darkfever
94. Edgar Allan Poe- The Cask Of Amontillado
93. Stephen King- The Green Mile
92. Charles Dickens- David Copperfield
91. Shizuru Hayashiya- Onegai Teacher (Manga)
90. Margaret Mitchell- Gone With The Wind
89. Stephenie Meyer- Twilight
88. Jules Verne- 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
87. Agatha Christie- Appointment With Death
86. Edgar Allan Poe- The Pit And The Pendulum
85. J.R.R. Tolkien- The Lord Of The Rings
84. Ayn Rand- Anthem
83. Stephen King- Different Seasons
82. David Lehman & Charles Simic- Best American Poetry 1992
81. David Lehman & Rita Dove- Best American Poetry 2000
80. Kurt Vonnegut- Cat's Cradle
79. Douglas Adams- Hitchhikers' Guide To The Galaxy
78. Aleksei Mitrofanov- T.A.T.U. Come Back
77. Charles Dickens- A Tale Of Two Cities
76. Sally Bedell Smith- Diana In Search Of Herself: A Troubled Princess
75. John Grisham- The Pelican Brief
74. Edgar Allan Poe- Fall Of The House Of Usher
73. Ellen Hopkins- Burned
72. Alexandre Dumas- The Three Musketeers
71. Arthur Miller- The Crucible
70. David Lehman & Jorie Graham- Best American Poetry 1990
69. Stephen King- Christine
68. Haruki Murakami- Hard Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World
67. Karen Marie Moning- Bloodfever
66. Dan Brown- The Da Vinci Code
65. Craig Thompson- Blankets (graphic novel)
64. Art Spiegelman- Maus (graphic novel)
63. Ken Akamatsu- Love Hina (manga)
62. Homer- The Odyssey
61. Ellen Hopkins- Impulse
60. Joyce Carol Oates- Foxfire
59. Stephen King- Gerald's Game
58. David Lehman & James Tate- Best American Poetry 1997
57. Haruki Murakami- After Dark
56. Yoshio Sawai- BoBoBo Bo-BoBoBo (manga)
55. Bernhard Schlink- The Reader
54. Dante Aligheri- Inferno
53. Karen Marie Moning- Faefever
52. Suzanne Collins- Catching Fire
51. Agatha Christie- Sad Cypress
50. Stephen King- Misery
49. Vladimir Nabokov- Lolita
48. Kurt Vonnegut- Breakfast Of Champions
47. Margaret Atwood- The Handmaid's Tale
46. Stephen King- The Shining
45. Harvey Pekar- American Splendor (graphic novel)
44. Deborah Layton- Seductive Poison
43. Anne Rice- Queen Of The Damned
42. Tsugumi Ohba- Death Note (manga)
41. Agatha Christie- And Then There Were None
40. Ali Smith- The Accidental
39. Ray Bradbury- Fahrenheit 451
38. Rebecca Brown- Annie Oakley's Girl
37. Kurt Vonnegut- Slaughterhouse Five
36. David Lehman & Charles Wright- Best American Poetry 2008
35. David Lehman & David Wagoner- Best American Poetry 2009
34. David Lehman & Louise Gluck- Best American Poetry 1993
33. David Lehman & A.R. Ammons- Best American Poetry 1994
32. Tom Perrotta- Election
31. Alan Moore- V For Vendetta (graphic novel)
30. Vincent Bugliosi- Helter Skelter
29. Jess Bravin- Squeaky: The Life And Times Of Lynette Fromme
28. Suzanne Collins- The Hunger Games
27. William Shakespeare- Romeo And Juliet
26. Jenny Downham- Before I Die
25. Stephenie Meyer- Host
24. Gabriel Garcia Marquez- Memories Of My Melancholy Whores
23. Edgar Allan Poe- Ligeia
22. Ellen Hopkins- Glass
21. Masashi Kishimoto- Naruto (manga)
20. Stephen King- The Stand
19. Stephen King- Carrie
18. Allen Ginsberg- Collected Poems 1947-1980
17. Kurt Vonnegut- Jailbird
16. Ellen Hopkins- Crank
15. Marge Piercy- Selected Poems
14. Sylvia Plath- Plath: Poems
13. Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)- Rage
12. Kurt Vonnegut- Galapagos
11. Kurt Vonnegut- Timequake
10. Neil Gaiman- American Gods
9. Daniel Handler- Adverbs
8. Joyce Carol Oates- My Sister, My Love
7. Haruki Murakami- Kafka On The Shore
6. George Orwell- 1984
5. Ellen Hopkins- Identical
4. Jay Asher- Thirteen Reasons Why
3. Adam Rapp- Year Of Endless Sorrows
2. Gabriel Garcia Marquez- One Hundred Years Of Solitude
1. Haruki Murakami- Wind Up Bird Chronicle

...So there you have it! What an odd group of writers in my top ten, eh? Anyway, if you haven't read these books near the top of the list, please do so immediately! I promise, they will change the way you view the world around you.

My Top 100 Favorite Songs of All-Time

2010-01-27T10:11:00.008-05:00

Here is a list of my Top 100 Favorite Songs of All-Time. As you can see, most of the tunes are either Pop or Rock, with a fairly big bias in favor of one-hit wonders from the '80's. I wonder if there is anyone out there who agrees with this list?

100. T.A.T.U.- Gomanassai

99. Journey- Don't Stop Believin'

98. Michael W. Smith- Place In This World

97. Heart- Alone

96. T.A.T.U.- Craving

95. Pearl Jam- Even Flow

94. Beatles- Penny Lane

93. Beatles- Here Comes The Sun

92. The Who- Pinball Wizard

91. Janis Joplin- Piece Of My Heart

90. Beatles- Oh! Darling

89. Sting- Fields Of Gold

88. Indigo Girls- Galileo

87. Mr. Mister- Kyrie

86. Beatles- Here, There, And Everywhere

85. Stevie Nicks- Edge of Seventeen

84. Panic! At The Disco- There's A Good Reason Why These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet

83. Garth Brooks- The Dance

82. Pink Floyd- Shine On You, Crazy Diamond

81. Beatles- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

80. Blue Oyster Cult- Don't Fear The Reaper

79. Gladys Knight- Midnight Train To Georgia

78. Amy Grant- That's What Love Is For

77. Flyleaf- The Kind

76. Matchbox 20- If You're Gone

75. Sweet- Ballroom Blitz

74. Eminem- Real Slim Shady

73. Michael Jackson- Man In The Mirror

72. Guns N' Roses- Civil War

71. Bob Dylan- Knockin' On Heaven's Door

70. The Police- Don't Stand So Close To Me

69. Beatles- Fool On The Hill

68. The Police- Walking On The Moon

67. U2- Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

66. Journey- Open Arms

65. Michael Jackson- Beat It

64. Ray Charles- Georgia On My Mind

63. Queen- We Are The Champions

62. Eagles- Hotel California

61. Leonard Cohen- Dress Rehearsal Rag

60. Celine Dion- My Heart Will Go On

59. Bryan Adams- Heaven

58. The Police- Can't Stand Losing You

57. The Police- Message In A Bottle

56. Ringo Starr- It Don't Come Easy

55. Pink Floyd- Money

54. Beatles- Dear Prudence

53. Amy Grant- I Will Remember You

52. Pink Floyd- Us And Them

51. Wings- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

50. Delain- No Compliance

49. Five For Fighting- Superman (It's Not Easy)

48. Survivor- Eye Of The Tiger

47. Michael Jackson- Thriller

46. My Chemical Romance- Cancer

45. U2- Until The End Of The World

44. Sarah McLachlan- Angel

43. Nirvana- Heart Shaped Box

42. Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody

41. Beatles- Norwegian Wood

40. Lee Greenwood- God Bless The USA

39. Michael Jackson- Billie Jean

38. Lady Gaga- Paparazzi

37. Beatles- With A Little Help From My Friends

36. Rolling Stones- Paint It Black

35. Journey- Faithfully

34. Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit

33. Leonard Cohen- Death Of A Ladies' Man

32. Fergie- Big Girls Don't Cry

31. Bob Carlisle- Butterfly Kisses

30. Indigo Girls- Soon Be To Nothing

29. John Lennon- Imagine

28. Beatles- Happiness Is A Warm Gun

27. When In Rome- The Promise

26. Lady Gaga- Bad Romance

25. George Harrison- My Sweet Lord

24. Human League- Don't You Want Me?

23. Alphaville- Forever Young

22. Michael Jackson- P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

21. Coldplay- Viva La Vida

20. Beatles- Hey Jude

19. Bangles- Walk Like An Egyptian

18. Alannah Myles- Black Velvet

17. Nickleback- Photograph

16. Indigo Girls- Ghost

15. Sting- Seven Days

14. Leonard Cohen- Story Of Isaac

13. Led Zeppelin- Stairway To Heaven

12. Beatles- Let It Be

11. Pink Floyd- Hey You

10. Bonnie Tyler- Total Eclipse Of The Heart

9. The Police- Every Breath You Take

8. Pink Floyd- Time

7. Beatles- Across The Universe

6. Wings- Band On The Run

5. Leonard Cohen- Hallelujah

4. David Bowie- Changes

3. Rod Stewart- Downtown Train

2. Queen- Somebody To Love

1. Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb

...In the end, it was a tough decision between Downtown Train, Somebody To Love, and Comfortably Numb. The aspect that pushes Pink Floyd to the top is purely aesthetics. Rod Stewart and Freddy Mercury could both sing a good pop song, but no one sets a mood like Pink Floyd does.

By the way, in the future, my lists will have more features (possibly some pictures and links), and will be split up into multiple posts. The reason that I have chosen to display these songs in one large list is because there's not much to be done with them.)

Welcome to Powershot!

2010-01-26T17:17:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Powershot, the creative world of A. James Robin! In the upcoming weeks, I will be posting such items as my original poetry and short stories, as well as the occasional opinionated post. But my favorite feature of this blog will be the Top 100 lists, chronicling what I think are the 100 best in books, songs, cds, movies, tv moments, etc. I'm sure that as time goes by, it will become quite apparent that I'm addicted to lists.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering: 'Why did you call it Powershot'?
Well, there are three reasons why:

1. On the video game Megaman 8, it's what Megaman yells as he's charging up his laser....that's where I first heard the reference.

2. More importantly, it's the name of one of my best and most successful poems.

3. As they say, 'knowledge is power', and I'm hoping that my Top 100 lists will give readers the power to know what is excellent in the realm of the arts, and beyond.

So, welcome to my corner of the web...I hope you enjoy it!