This week’s Top Ten Tuesday will explore the world of literature and highlight the ten books that every person should read in their lifetime. From epic poems that shaped the foundations of Western literature to contemporary classics that capture the complexities of the modern world, these books have stood the test of time and continue to inspire readers today. 10. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville This classic novel follows the journey of Captain Ahab and his quest for revenge against the elusive white whale, Moby-Dick. Filled with themes of obsession, man vs. nature, and the human condition, Moby-Dick is a literary masterpiece that deserves a place on every reader's bookshelf. 9. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Tolkien's epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, is a…
Ten years ago today, the epic conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy hit theaters with The Dark Knight Rises. We could go on all day about what made Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman virtually flawless, highlighted by a film that has a strong case for objectively the greatest movie of all-time in The Dark Knight. But this article mostly pays homage to the end of the legendary story that closed its book ten summers ago. There’s a lot more that can be touched on, but the focus is on some of the aspects that made The Dark Knight Rises a remarkable (and now very underrated) movie. The Return The film begins by setting the situation in Gotham, with Commissioner Gordon finishing his speech about Harvey Dent from the…
“I believe in America.” Fifty years ago today, those words were uttered in the very first scene of a film that changed cinema forever. It’s the 50th anniversary of the release of The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Richard S. Castellano, and Diane Keaton—among others in a deep and impressive cast. Fifty years later, The Godfather remains highly influential, with a notable impact on movies, television, Hollywood itself, and pop culture. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably seen The Godfather and Part II (the rare sequel to somehow match—or at least come close—to the standards set by the original classic) numerous times. (If you haven’t, stop reading this article and try to find…
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, a second-round receiver out of USC, is already wise beyond his years both on and off the field. Those that watched the big playmaking receiver with the Trojans knows he brings a lot of energy on the field, but he’s already turned into one of the best NFLers to follow on Twitter. Smith-Schuster can be found at the Twitter handle @TeamJuJu, and chances are you’ve seen some of his tweets if you’ve gone on the social media platform in the last month or so (he’s been by far the NFL’s most popular tweeter of the last few weeks). But things really escalated recently, as his beloved bike was stolen. It all started right before the season, when he announced he got his ride…
Halloween is just one week away, so we are going to give some 2017-relevant costume ideas for anyone that might be looking for some inspiration. This is an HBO-heavy list (mainly because of Game of Thrones), but that’s because their shows are so popular. 10. Pennywise [caption id="attachment_20824" align="alignnone" width="1500"] Photo courtesy: Warner Bros.[/caption] There will probably be a lot of people—maybe too many people—dressed as the frightening clown from It, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t if that’s what you were planning. Those who are able to get his creepy voice and mannerisms down the best would stand above the rest. 9. Man in Black [caption id="attachment_20825" align="alignnone" width="1500"] Photo courtesy: HBO[/caption] The Man in Black (portrayed by Ed Harris in Westworld) is…
You didn’t think it was over, did you? Just like The Losers, we will be drawn back to Derry in 2019 to follow up on Stephen King’s blockbuster reimagining of IT. And, just like the beleaguered teens, we will not be ready for what awaits us. The residents of Derry have never been ready for what the creature that they refer to as “IT” brings about in 27 year cycles of misery and terror. But, we are all adults here. Certainly, we will be equipped to handle the cinematic boogeyman’s second trip around the wheel in Derry, right? No, you will not. Last week, the scripted version of a scene thought to be far past the bounds of what could be reasonable expected to frighten a theater-goer…
October is all the rage for horror movies, as it’s the month that includes Halloween, and it’s right in between the end of summer and November. Before we know it, Thanksgiving and Christmas will both be here, and scary movies just aren’t as fun during that time of year. (Well, maybe The Shining is good if you’re snowed in and it’s not too close to Christmas.) You’ve probably seen countless lists from various outlets through the years, and the question is to be begged: Is Jaws a horror movie? The majority of people most definitely believe the 1975 classic from Steven Spielberg is a horror film, with many categorizing it as the greatest horror film ever made. But many just don’t buy it. Let’s go through each of…
The greatest animated series of all-time is South Park, and since they just released a video game and are in the midst of Season 21 of the show, we are going to list the top ten characters for our Top Ten Tuesday this week. 10. Mr. Mackey The tenth spot could have been any number of characters, but we give the nod to Mr. Mackey. South Park’s guidance counselor is most famous for his signature line (“mmkay”) and he’s advised the kids that “drugs are bad, mmkay,” but he’s also got a bit of a dark side, including literally throwing Cartman under a bus and flipping out on little kids for the school play not meeting his standards. 9. Towelie As the kids—and in turn show creators Trey…
In honor of Friday the 13th, I’ve gathered 13 of the best movies to watch on this October event. The next Friday the 13th in the scariest month of the year doesn’t happen until 2023! So take advantage and watch one of these films if you get a chance. Friday the 13th (1980) Naturally, the movie named after the occasion must be on the list. The setting at Camp Crystal Lake has become perhaps the most iconic of any horror movie, and Jason Voorhees is one of the most well-known evil characters ever. This cult classic did nearly $60 million at the box office in 1980. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) It’s only right to next list the movie that crossed over with the Friday the 13th…
It’s been about a couple months since news broke of a potential Joker origin film that would have legendary director Martin Scorsese on as a producer. Scorsese is no lock and nothing is official with the Joker origin film, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. wants Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio to play The Clown Prince of Crime. Jared Leto, who didn’t get enough time in Suicide Squad, is an undeniably great actor received unfair criticism at a time where hating on WB movies seems like the thing to do nowadays. While DiCaprio might not happen, the idea of a standalone Joker movie is certainly intriguing, and here are a few actors that could be suited for the part. Bill Skarsgard After his performance as Pennywise the Dancing…
Politics is impossible to avoid today. From trying to watch football games on Sunday or wanting to check out what’s happening on social media, things today seem to be filled with such hate and vitriol. I thought television was a good getaway from it all. Of course there are shows from some directors that are probably not people I agree with politically, but they typically don’t use their shows as an avenue to deliver their political agenda. That is, until I watched USA Network’s Mr. Robot last night. I was going to write a review each week for the episodes in Season 3, but after last night I will not be watching Mr. Robot anymore. It’s sad, really, because Mr. Robot had a very good first two seasons…
Fall is in full swing—though the weather might not currently indicate that in certain parts of the country—and it’ll be November and December before we know it. That means the next Star Wars movie, which releases on December 15, will be out in theaters. The official trailer for the film was released yesterday to much fanfare, with people set to buy tickets for the second installment of the newest trilogy. In the trailer, a lot of action was shown, but not enough to give any big-time spoilers away from the movie. We know Rey and Kylo Ren will meet face-to-face again, and we know characters appear to have some critical, universe-changing decisions to make. Instead of speculating on stuff that you should want to see the movie for find…
During halftime of the Monday Night Football game between the Vikings and the Bears, the trailer for the newest Star Wars movie was revealed. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY[/embed] This is a good trailer because it shows a lot of action without revealing too much about the film and it has just the right amount of cliffhanger/hype in it. One question from watching the trailer is: what exactly is this little guy with Chewbacca? We'll find out that, and a whole lot more, soon enough. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters on December 15, and tickets are on sale now.
Justice League is now under 40 days away, and another official trailer, "Official Heroes Trailer," was released. This is the second official trailer, with the first one being released six months ago. (And there was also a Comic-Con sneak peak.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI It was a good idea to put Henry Cavill (Superman) into the trailer but make it in a dream of Lois Lane, though we'll see if the Man of Steel makes a real return during the film. Not much was revealed in the trailer, which could hurt hype, but it at least will set up viewers of the film for surprises. Justice League hits theaters on November 17.
Warner Bros.' Justice League, which will bring together DC's iconic group of heroes on the big screen for the first time, is quickly approaching. The film's release is just under 45 days away and the anticipation continues to build, as five new posters for the movie were released today—one featuring each of the heroes, except Superman. They are continuing with the slogan "All In," and the Justice League members are prominently featured on the posters, with their logos lit up. These powerful posters are great for marketing the movie, as the heroes stand out from the black background and are easily recognizable to most movie fans. Also, a new trailer for Justice League will be released on Sunday, and there are now #JusticeLeague…
Photo courtesy musicisentropy For today’s Top Ten Tuesday, we are honoring legendary musician Tom Petty, who passed away yesterday at age 66. It’s impossible to narrow down Petty’s best songs to ten and list them in order, so there are a couple of honorable mentions in this non-ordered top-ten list. Commentary is not necessary for this list, but a portion of each song will be listed so you recognize it—and you can listen to the music for yourself. Rest in peace, Tom Petty. Breakdown (1976) It's alright if you love me It's alright if you don't I'm not afraid of you running away Honey, I get the feeling you won't American Girl (1976) Well she was an American girl Raised on promises She couldn't help thinkin' that…
With the superhero movie of the fall under a couple months away, Warner Bros. is starting to escalate the hype for it. They just released a video on their social media, previewing five of the posters from the movie—one featuring each of the heroes (except the currently-missing Superman). [embed]https://twitter.com/justiceleaguewb/status/913795533105328129[/embed] Despite no Superman, you might notice his logo down at the bottom of each of the prints. Warner Bros. has not yet revealed any footage of Superman in the trailers or previews, or anything really, which is probably a great idea by them so that his likely return is better accepted for fans during the film. These posters are arguably lighter and more colorful than the normal posters we've seen from DC films, but hopefully Justice League remains a…
Summer has unofficially been over for a few weeks, but now it’s official with today’s autumn equinox and the first day of fall for those living in the northern hemisphere. Like all seasons, fall has its perks. Here are the ten of the best things about the season where things start to cool down. Change After a few long summer months, it’s just good to have a change with the new season. Days in the 90°s get old by the time fall comes around, so the cooling of the weather is certainly welcome. Even if you’re not particularly a fan of fall, each season should make you appreciate your favorite that much more. Clothes Similarly, after over three months of wearing mainly hot-weather clothing, it’s nice to be…
The 21st season of South Park premieres tomorrow night at 10 PM ET on Comedy Central, and for our Top Ten Tuesday this week, we’ve chosen an impossible task: ranking the best episodes in the show’s history. Our list might be controversial, as everyone will rightly have their own opinion, but this is what we came up with. 10. Trapped in the Closet (S9E12) This episode is loaded with hilarious moments—from Tom Cruise not coming out of the closet to everyone saying they will sue Stan—but the best part is how South Park just rips Scientology by being honest and showing what they actually believe and putting on the bottom of the screen: “THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLIGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE.” 9. Make Love, Not Warcraft (S10E8) “Make Love, Not…
Television has quickly become the favorite pastime of many people in the United States and around the world. From premium channels like HBO and Showtime, to network television like FOX and NBC, to other services like Amazon Prime and Netflix, there are more than enough television shows to watch. That said, many people are looking for something to watch with their favorite summer show—whether it be Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks, or something else—to watch each week. We’re going through some of the top shows to watch this fall now that some of the summer shows are done. [NOTE: This list does not include past shows such as HBO’s The Wire or The Sopranos.] The Deuce (HBO) | Currently airing If you’re a fan of HBO shows like The…
Welcome to Derry, Maine! It has been 27 years since some of us have visited the sleepy town that exists in the Stephen King Multiverse as his own version of the real world’s Bangor, Maine. Those in the fictitious town and in our own world old and grimly-informed enough to know are eerily aware of what that means. Pennywise the Dancing Clown will return. Just as art imitates life, Pennywise will return to the big screen as he originally appeared on the small screen in the first adaptation of King’s four-pound paperback—you guessed it—27 years ago. The residents of Derry will again have to beware the shadows and distrust their sight as they witness the vanishing of neighbors and, in particular, children. We in the really-real world would…
