Top 25 Horror Films of All Time, according to Me

Requested by buried.com
You want my opinion?  Anytime.

1.   Psycho
2.   The Exorcist
3.   Rosemary's Baby
4.   The Birds
5.   A Tale of Two Sisters (Japan,  2003)
6.   The Shining
7.   The Haunting (1963)
8.   Jacob's Ladder
9.   The Others
10.  Nosferatu
11.  Silence of the Lambs
12.  Carrie
13.  Paranormal Activity
14.  Dawn of the Dead
15.  The Sixth Sense
16.  Poltergeist
17.  Seven
18.  Freaks (1932)
19.  Zombieland (2009)
20. Amityville Horror (1978)
21.  Halloween (1978)
22.  A Nightmare on Elm Street
23.  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
24.  Blair Witch Project
25.  Alien

The Graphics Fairy

Stumbling, bumbling my way out of my cave and trying to get inspired again to create something, anything, I happened upon this whole lovely community of imaginative and generous bloggers.  Current obsession: The Graphics Fairy (button at right), who out of the goodness of her hearts posts vintage clip art, designs, blog and web elements (on her sister site, Background Fairy).  So pretty, so inspiring.  Of course, though, my treacherous reuptake inhibitors, or whatever it is that is wrong with my brain, immediately began accusing me of not doing nearly so much to fill the world with beauty.  Which is true.  I do very little these days to inspire anyone. 
I think it might be that I have a hard time being inspired by Thanksgiving, because I dislike brown, and orange, and yellow, and especially a combination of the 3.  Unlike Christmas, you can't really just up and decide to have a Frenchie Thanksgiving, or a pink and white glitter Thanksgiving.  Well, I suppose you can, but not in my family.
Did you know that the traditional four humours (Phlegmatic, Snaguine, Choleric, and Melancholic) correspond quite nicely with the four Keirsey Temperaments? (Guardian, Artisan, Rational, Idealist) And that these in turn correspond to the dimensions of the Myers Briggs? (SJ, SP, NT, NF)  AND that the four main characters of the Wizard of Oz correspond quite nicely with them all?
To wit:

Dorothy is a Guardian Personality, dependable, traditional, longing for the security and peace of home.  She is Phelgmatic- the humor of Phelgm.  Other Guardians you may know: Mother Theresa, Harry Truman, and Joseph Corbett Clayton Beck.

The Cowardly Lion is an Artisan Personality. He is playful, not too concerned with the future, craves popularity, and is a natural leader (when he's not scared to death!) His humor is Sanguine- blood.  Some famous artisans are Ernest Hemingway, Bob Dylan, and Amelia Earhart.

The Scarecrow has a Rational Personality.  Its quite rare, actually!  He is independent, strong-willed, even-tempered, and of, course, rational.  He's a deep, analytical thinker and a problem solver. His humor is that of yellow bile: a choleric.  Other rationals who have changed the world: Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and Sophia Cleone Beck.

And the Tin Man.  The poor Tin Man is an Idealist.  Romantic, loving, empathetic, intense: a real bleeding heart.  He's always enthusiastically striving for that perfect world he knows is out there, somewhere.  His humor is black bile: Melancholy.  Eleanor Roosevelt was an Idealist, as well as Princess Diana, Lacey Coffin Greene, and Ava Clare Beck.

Now you have participated in my ice breaker from Time Management training.  I have a pretty fun job.  Sometimes.

Wow, I really screwed the pooch on that one.

This may or may not come as a shock to you, but I failed to write a novel in a month.    In fact I still have 10 days and I already have thrown in the towel.  I am ashamed to say that I did everything I could think of to avoid writing, including, but not limited to, reading every word of the Entertainment Weekly, sorting socks, searching for miniatures at Value Village, reading a very dry biography about Rasputin (how can you make Rasputin dry??? Dude succeeded.), searching for the perfect online simulation game (why aren't there any that allow you to decorate a historically accurate Victorian parlor?), watching endless episodes of BBC reality shows- How Clean Is Your House, Kitchen Nightmares, Mary Queen of Shops, sleeping when not tired, etc etc.  In the end I spit out about 6000 words of my multigenerational, part sci fi, part historical novel.  It is funny how it turns out I write just like I live- in vignettes.  And- action! Ava, wearing her floor length white nightgown, 11 years old, sits on the rug snuggling her bunny.  And- cut! Scene!  The bunny died this week, by the way, because life isn't really a series of charming vignettes.  Or maybe it is....

Onward and upward!

This is so embarassing to admit, but I am writing a novel this month.  I know, I have no time, I have no energy,  I can hardly get dressed some days, yet I am finding it necessary to write a novel.  But, friends, it is not just any novel.  It;s the thing that has been percolating in my pickled brain for months.  Here's a little teeny inkling what it's about:  a Victorian Protestant Ascendancy oldest sister named Bauxie, who grew up with Constance Markiewicz and Eva Gore-Booth and Jack and WB Yeats, and some time travel, and some spiritualism and some sorrow.  And some black cats.
50,000 words are needed, and I have almost 3000.  There is always time to write.  And draw elaborate family trees.  Even though the laundry isn't done.

Friday of Great Books Week

When you give a book as a special gift, what is it?  Why?

 

Crime and Punishment. It should be read several times by every thoughtful person. It says- there is justice. We condemn ourselves by the work of our conscience- if we let it do its work.  And that somehow puts revenge, and anger, and horror in its place: God's hands.  Not ours.  Ours is only to love.  Obviously I could go on forever, here, but what you really need to do is Read the Book.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Thursday of Great Books Week

"I hated this book when I had to read it in high school, but when I read it as an adult on my own I loved it."

Hmmm... Unlike my peers, I liked most of the books I was assigned, with the exception of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises which I have not revisited.
I do know that I didn't really appreciate reading Shakespeare,  especially the comedies, until I took a class from Michael Kirschner at North Seattle Community College.  He also made me treasure more profoundly Yeats, who I already loved, but didn't really know, especially Sailing to Byzantium.  He was a wonderful teacher.


-- Posted from my iPhone

My 10 best movie characters since 1980

I shamelessly steal blog ideas, apparently.  Maybe that's my schtick. Trying to come up with names for our Admin department's celebration of Name Your PC Day (no joke- it's Nov 20), I happened upon Film Squish, running a 10 favorite characters roundtable with other film bloggers, of which I am not one.   ( I was trying to find evil computer characters from movies- besides Hal, BTW.  Open to suggestions...)  So I started thinking, and realized I have some definite ideas about this.

Like my beloved Filmspotting boys, I have set some parameters around my 10 favorite characters:

1. The movie has to made after 1980. I just don't know enough earlier movies- maybe another time I will try it.
2. The film must be live action, not animated. Basically because all 10 would be Miyazake characters.
3.  This is a Nice List.  Maybe some time I will post a Mean List.

Okay, with those caveats in mind, ahem.

10.   Ace Ventura. (I know, I know, I just can't help it.)

Truly, I never laugh as hard as I do when these movies are on.  Look at his fricking hair?! How can you not laugh?  "Die, Devil Bird, Die!!"

9.   Dale Cooper.
 This is a cheat, because most of what I love about Agent Cooper comes from the TV series, but his confident, OCD, cherry pie lovin' self is just so delectable. 
From Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

8.   Marge Gunderson.

The single most badass pregnant cop in movie history.  That kid is so lucky to have such a mom.  From her accent to her black coffee to her awkward flirtation with an old classmate, Frances MacDormand is unbelievably good.
From Fargo.

7.   Han Solo.

The prototype for all smartass rebel scoundrels.  Or the archetype.  Or the apex.  Whatever.  

I cry every damn time he is sucked down into the carbon freezing mechanism.

6.   John McClane.

Well, really, what do you expect me to do?  Ripped out David Addison, finally able to kick some ass and be snarcky at the same time?  I'd like seconds, please.  And thirds.  And fourths. And with a vengeance.

5.  Christian (from Moulin Rouge!)

Sweet, naive Christian, taught all the hard lessons about reality in one year in Montmartre. Ewan MacGregor has never been so completely lovable.  He still makes my heart pound when he belts out "....My gift is my song...and this one's for you..." and stops Satine's antics cold.  So sweet and sincere, I just want to put him in my pocket. 

4.   Annie Savoy 

"I believe in the Church of Baseball", says the all-knowing, proud Annie at the beginning of Bull Durham.  By the time the movie ends we know Annie a little better- she's tired of the games, of her cynical way in the world, and really just wants to be.   With Crash Davis.  

Who doesn't?

From Bull Durham

3.   Venkman.

"Back off man. I'm a scientist."

What more can I add? 

From Ghostbusters.

2.   The Dude.

Because that rug really tied the room together.  Because he made me laugh in the worst days of my divorce.  Because he is quite possibly the laziest man in Los Angeles County.  Because sometimes there's a man...sometimes there's a man.

From The Big Lebowski 

1.   Marion Ravenwood.

The strong, sexy counterpart to Indy (and kind of representing him on this list, since I love them together more than any of his other stories), Marion is so adorable, and proud, and kind of foolish, and so human in a way that women are not usually in action movies.  I loved her and wanted to be her from the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, and I still do.

-- Posted from my iPhone