Best of the rest

Tomorrow's episode (as we have been talking about now forever) will rank our top ten films of the decade. We each spent a lot of time researching, arguing and making some tough choices to get the list down to ten.

Stephanie already posted her 20-11, now here is my list of the films that JUST missed making my top ten films of the 2000s.

In no particular order:

"The Wrestler" - Which Stephanie still hasn't seen...
"X2" - The Phoenix scene was out of the blue and the audience gasped, great moment.
"Garden State"
"I, Robot"
"Along Came a Spider"
"Batman Begins"
"The Prestige"
"The King of Kong"
"In Bruges"

A bit of a bragging note, four of these films are also in the IMDB.com top 250.

Not too shabby.

Ew, yuck, nasty etc.

During our best of the decade show we'll also mention the picks for two of the worst movies of the decade.

Much like Stephanie's list yesterday, here is a list of some other really horrible movies of the 2000s.

10. Time Machine - Remake starring Guy Pierce
9. The Ladies Man
8. Vicky Christina Barcelona
7. Lady in the Water
6. The Box - Hint, hint for 2009
5. The Goods - Hint, hint for 2009
4. Say It Isn’t So - Walked out of this one with no refund.
3. Sin City - Walked out of this one WITH a refund.

Check back Friday for the top picks!

The Best of the Decade: Movies 11-20

Later in the week we'll post our special best of the decade edition of "Inscaped." To get ready for that, I thought I'd let you in on the first part of my list for the best movies of the decade.

11. "Hot Fuzz"

12. "The Queen"

13. "Monster's Ball"

14. "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"

15. "Finding Nemo"

16. "The Bourne Identity"

17. "The Incredibles"

18. "Catch Me If You Can"

19. "Kingdom of Heaven"

20. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

I tried to show a broad range on this list, but you'll notice there are a few British films and two Pixar movies mixed in with a couple of huge blockbusters. However, you can't make everyone happy and I'm sure Tim will let me know what I've missed.

Get it together Time Warner, FOX

Time Warner and FOX are locked in the middle of a bloody battle over 50 cents and it needs to stop right now.

Apparently FOX wants subscribers to pay one dollar a month for their channel and Time Warner wants customers to pay 50 cents. If only there was some sort of middle ground, like say 75 cents.

Lately both sides have taken to the airwaves to argue their respective points, making me feel like a child trapped between two bickering parents.

The ridiculousness of this is that they're both trying to say that they're standing up for the little guy and are sticking to their principals. Well I've got news for you, it's the average TV watcher who's going to suffer when you take away their programming.

Look, at this point I don't care who's right I just want them to settle this before the new year, because if I can't watch "American Idol," "24," "Glee" or the series finale of "Dollhouse" there will be hell to pay.

I mean it, last time I got this mad...well let's just say there's a reason I'm not allowed at Knott's Scary Farm anymore.

Happy holidays everyone

Stephanie and I decided to close down the International Inscaped HQ for the next few days to give everyone a well deserved break. And a little Christmas cheer. The non-alcoholic kind of Christmas cheer.

Next week we will return with a look at the best and the worst of the decade.

New episode up...

Have yourself a very Boreanaz Christmas

Today Stephanie and I taped back-to-back Inscaped shows. Next week's episode is the special "End of the Decade" show that we keep blogging about.

But, before we started taping we exchanged gifts. And apparently we both had David Boreanaz on our minds (Not in that way, sicko).

I got Stephanie some "Angel" related items, while she got me "Bones" stuff.

Thankfully no one got a copy of that crappy "Crow" movie he did, gag.

And we also surprised our super producer and behind the scenes genius Emile his very own copy of "Iron Man." Yes, he never saw it. Slowly, but surely we are going to bring him over to the nerd side.

Look for the new show to be posted tomorrow sometime, then we are taking a few days off from blogging to enjoy some peace and quiet... or at least try.

Happy Holidays peeps.

Great, great Christmas movie

Christmas is almost here and the holiday themed movies have been attacking the airwaves. You can't turn to Lifetime or the Hallmark channel without seeing one.

I actually even watched "A Pacman Christmas" the other day.

But, there is one movie that tops them all. Not counting the all-time classics of course.


"Scrooged"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjhx9WfpofE

Watch it, love it.

Death and entertainment

I was at Disneyland Sunday when my sister called to say Brittney Murphy had died.

My first reaction was “Oh, that’s too bad.” Then the journalist in me kicked in and wanted to know more. But, in this TMZ world, true facts don’t always make themselves known right away.

Rampant speculation on the other hand, runs wild.

Stephanie and I are both big believers in journalistic integrity. We detest TMZ, Access Hollywood and the like. Sitting there in New Orleans Square I decided that I would wait and watch it on CNN before I came to any conclusions.

The Internet on the other hand, already knew that Murphy died because of an eating disorder or cocaine use. The fact is that no one knows what really happened and won’t for a few weeks.

We’ll talk more about this during the news segment of the next “Inscaped” which we are shooting Wednesday morning.

New episode up...

'Iron Man 2' already owns 2010

With 2009 coming to an end, its time to start talking about 2010 and what treasures it will bring us. Without a doubt the most anticipated film of the year has to be "Iron Man 2."

The trailer showed us our first glimpses of Don Cheadle as Rhodes, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, the continuing relationship between Tony Stark and Nick Fury and of course, War Machine.

While there are plenty of other high profile releases coming up including "Prince of Persia," "Shrek 4," "The A-Team" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." "Iron Man 2" is definitely the film everyone is waiting for.

Since the first film Robert Downey Jr. has reclaimed his a-list status and once again cemented himself as one of the most talented actors working today. With both Gwenyth Paltrow and Jon Favreau returning it looks like the filmmakers are giving fans exactly what they want.

Let's hope they avoid all the ususal sequel traps and make a film that not only surpasses the first one, but also helps set up Marvel's entire franchise which includes "Thor," "Captain America" and "The Avengers."

The End of an Era: Roy E. Disney 1930-2009

Sad news broke today when it was announced that Roy E. Disney lost his battle with stomach cancer at the age of 79.

For those of us who are faithful fans of the Disney brand and tradition, this news signals the end of the Walt Disney era of the company.

Roy was perhaps the last connection to the original ideals that Walt started the company with.

In the eighties when Michael Eisner was running the company into the ground, Roy resigned from the company with his family's name on it and led a groundswell of support for Eisner's ousting.

Roy is known as the man who saved Disney.

When he rejoined the company as the head of animation he helped bring to life classics like "Aladdin," "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King."

Roy never stopped entertaining audiences, most recently producing the documentary "Morning Light."

An icon to Disney fans the world over, Roy is survived by his wife Leslie, his ex-wife Patty, daughters Abigail and Susan, sons Roy Patrick and Tim and his 16 grandchildren.

The Best of the Decade: 'American Idol'

Whether you love it or hate it no one can deny the cultural impact of "American Idol" on the last ten years.

This FOX singing competition debuted in June 2002 and as they say the rest was history. The show is the American version of the British program "Pop Idol." However, it is safe to say that it has far surpassed the original.

The instant buzz started when word got out about brutally honest judge Simon Cowell. Not one to mince words, Simon lets contestants know exactly what he thinks of them. If they're great he tells them, but if they're god awful he tells them that too. It is his razor sharp insults that originally propelled the show to icon status.

However, it was the talent and ability of the competitors that kept viewers entertained. The first winner Kelly Clarkson went on to chart-topping success. Her most recent hit "My Life Would Suck Without You" is one of Billboard's biggest songs of the year.

In the seasons that followed, the show's ratings hit astronomical proportions causing the competition to schedule around its premieres and finales.

The show has become such an industry juggernaut finalists like Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson have been just as (and sometimes more) successful as winners like Fantasia, Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks.

The show has also become a great breeding ground for Broadway with several of the finalists starring in shows like "Rent," "Hairspray" and "The Color Purple." Season four finalist Constantine Maroulis was even nominated for a Tony Award earlier this year.

Undoubtedly the contest for most successful "Idol" alumni is between Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

While Underwood has sold about 300,000 more albums than Clarkson. Kelly is the original American Idol and she set a very high standard for all those who followed her.

No discussion of the best of the 2000s would be complete without "American Idol" because let's face it, at some point we have all belted out a song in the car or the shower and wondered what Simon's reaction would be.

Box Office Monday

So Tim and I drastically overestimated the weekend box office. While we were both correct in calling "The Princess and the Frog" the No. 1 movie of the week, it made $25 million, which was a lot less than we had predicted.

Though it is a strong opening by normal standards, animated Disney films traditionally have much better openings. This film ranks right up there with all the Disney classics, so this lackluster opening can only be blamed on the massive storm that hit large parts of the country.

"The Blind Side" continued its impressive run with a $15 million second place and only a 22 percent drop off in its fourth week. As we get further into award season it will be interesting to see if the buzz translates into nominations for Sandra Bullock.

"Invictus" was third with $9 million and "New Moon" and "A Christmas Carol" rounded out the top five.

In the next few weeks a lot of big name movies are opening so it will be interesting to see how the box office shapes up as it competes with the distraction of the holidays.

New episode up and some TV thoughts

Quick thoughts on the "Monk" finale. Overall I liked the episode, it wrapped everything up in a nice little bow (maybe too nice of an ending). Every character got a little moment, which was nice. That Randy Newman song at the end though, man, it was a downer. Hours after the show I was still bummed out.

Funny thing was that Monk had the answer all along, but never wanted to open the present to find out. Kind of silly, but given the show's premise it fits.

The Best of the Decade: JJ Abrams

JJ Abrams has been driving me crazy for nine years. Since he got me hooked on "Alias" and the many mysteries it created, he has been driving me crazy with questions.

From "Alias" to "Lost" to "Fringe," in the 2000s Abrams established himself as the go to guy for mysteries and secrets.

"Alias" was one of my favorite shows of the last ten years and has continued to thrive on DVD. "Lost" is about to end its six year run and will hopefully answer all of the questions it has inspired. And though, it's not one of my favorite shows the creativity and addictively shocking nature of "Fringe" can't be denied.

The genius of Abrams is that with all of his shows once you watch one episode, you're hooked.

The success of his TV shows helped boost his film career, leading to "Mission Impossible III," "Cloverfield" and of course, "Star Trek."

Looking ahead to next decade, Abrams is already working on the "Star Trek" sequel, "Mission Impossible IV" and "Morning Glory" with Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams.

Being the geeks that we are, we couldn't have a best of the decade list without the man who gave us Oceanic flight 815, the Rambaldi Prophecy and the pattern.

The Best of the Decade: Joss Whedon

There is no doubt that the 2000s became the decade of the geek, and leading that revolution was Joss Whedon. For the uninitiated, Whedon is the creator and producer of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Firefly" and "Dollhouse."

All of these shows are among the best of the decade and considered cult classics. Whedon has a very loyal fanbase called Whedonites that makes anything he touches successful. While their support couldn't save "Firefly" from cancellation it did lead to monstrous DVD sales and a feature film.

His current series "Dollhouse" is on the verge of cancellation but that hasn't stopped Whedon from producing quality TV every week. He also decided to tackle the Internet with his hugely successful musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog." It was of course an instant web sensation that won Whedon an Emmy.

One of the great things about Whedon's projects is that he likes to work with the same group of actors in a lot of his projects. People like Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres and Eliza Dushku have appeared in several Whedon shows. Their success in his projects has led to more high profile jobs where the Whedonites have continued to follow them.

We have been extremely vocal about our love for all things Whedon, so it seemed only natural that he would appear on our list of the best of the decade. We can only hope that in the next decade he continues to give us the same thrills, adventure and comedy that we have come to love.

Best of the 90s: Stephanie's edition

Since Tim gave everyone his top ten of the 90s, I thought I'd play along and offer my favorites.

1. "The Shawshank Redemption"
2. "Dances with Wolves"
3. "LA Confidential"
4. "Titanic"
5. "Forrest Gump"
6. "Silence of the Lambs"
7. "Good Will Hunting"
8. "Apollo 13"
9. "The Usual Suspects"
10. "The Matrix"

Honorable Mentions: "American History X," "Galaxy Quest," "The Lion King," "Philadelphia" and "Clerks."

Best of the Decade - '90s

In a few weeks Stephanie and I will be presenting our Best Films of the Decade, but as a tease to that here are my picks of the Best and Worst films of the '90s.


Best

10. “Galaxy Quest”
9. “American History X”
8. “Ed Wood”
7. “Toy Story”
6. “LA Confidential”
5. “Pulp Fiction”
4. “Good Will Hunting”
3. “The Truman Show”
2. “A Time to Kill”
1. “Jurassic Park”


Worst:

1. “Nothing But Trouble”

New episode up... and an editor's note

This is blog entry No. 300!

Wow, 300 is a lot.

National Board of Review's Best of 2009

Now here's an award to be excited about!

The National Board of Review, a respected movie group, just announced it's Best Picture pic and the other top 10 films of the year.

Normally known for being first out of the gate during awards season, NBR also loves to throw curveballs. And in the movie awards world, curveballs usually mean popular movies that everyone love.

And this list is no different. My comments next to the films in italics. The films after No. 1 are unranked:

Best Film: Up In The Air - Want to see.

Ten Best Films:
AN EDUCATION - Eh.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER - On my Netflix queue.
THE HURT LOCKER - On my Netflix queue.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Didn't love, a little long.
INVICTUS - Want to see.
THE MESSENGER - No interest.
A SERIOUS MAN - No interest.
STAR TREK - YAY! WOOT! My favorite film so far this year.
UP - Always a great thing when an animated film gets chosen.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - Great, great choice. Wonderful film.

I am in a good mood right now.

The Grammys! OR... yawn

So the Grammy awards were announced and wow, same old same old.

Beyonce, again.

U2, again.

Do these people even get surprised anymore? Or do they come to expect it?

And if the same old, same old people don't get nominated, then it's the flashy new thing of the year. Lady GaGa, Kings of Leon?

People say the Oscars are lame because the same types of movies get nominated over and over, well, what about the Grammys?

They are the worst offenders. The only real surprise was "I'm On a Boat" got nominated for Best Rap Collaboration. Of course, it will lose because "Run This Town" is nominated too.

You couldn't turn your head without hearing that song in the last few months.

Stephanie might be the better person to gush about this, but I am a cynical music person.

Full list here: http://www.grammy.com/grammy_Awards/52nd_show/list.aspx

Putting the show in showboat

Going to Disneyland is like entering the magical world of Disney films.

And with the upcoming release of the new Disney animated film “The Princess and the Frog,” being a part of the magic is even easier.

Now through Jan. 3 at Disneyland a daily float/parade-show hybrid, “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” brings some southern fun to the Mark Twain Riverboat and New Orleans Square.

And Disneyland is looking for some park guests to be an active participant in the show. And here’s the scoop to get you on the boat and show. Before the first show starts at 11:15 a.m. each day, some performers in Mardi Gras, colorful outfits will walk around the area from the Haunted Mansion to the Mark Twain Riverboat dock. Look for them to be carrying small clipboards.

On a recent trip I encountered the performers at 11 a.m., but they have come out earlier. They’ll be wearing colorful and flashy outfits, you can’t miss them. All you have to do is stop them, ask to be in the show and get a special ticket. That’s it, easy as that. There does seem to be a height requirement, as guests must be able to see and reach over the railings on the Mark Twain.

The ticket directs guests to the dock. It’s there that instructions are given on what will happen and what each guest will do. The show starts with a parade procession of a full band, dancers and characters from the film including Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, making their way from New Orleans Square to the dock.

The song from the film, “Down in New Orleans” is performed as beads as tossed to guests along the route. When the procession gets on the boat the song “Gonna Take You There” is performed. The guests on the boat wave around multicolored handkerchiefs to the music while the boat makes its way to the front of where “Fantasmic!” is performed.

Tiana performs the song “Almost There,” while the guests on the boat receive instructions and get ready for the next number “When I’m Human.” That song is performed by Louis, the jazz playing alligator.

What’s a Disney film without a talking animal?

During that number, the guests are given big musical notes to wave around. This adds to the fun and gets you into the song. The villain of the film, Dr. Facilier, then makes an appearance and performs the song “Friends on the Other Side.” The dancers and professional performers on the boat wave around scary ghost-like flags and banners to show that yes, the song is being done by a villain.

After the heroes get rid of Dr. Facilier, it’s time for the big finale “Dig a Little Deeper.” The guests are given tambourines and costumes to wear, a sequined yellow and purple robe that made me feel like a Lakers fan as an extra of the film “Sister Act.”

As the last number ends, the Mark Twain starts to make its way along the Rivers of America while the song “Gonna Take You There” plays again. Performers and guests continue to shake the tambourines and dance along for the people by Splash Mountain and Critter Country.

After the show guests are able to meet with Louis, Tiana and Naveen. Tiana and Naveen are great with each guest; they both spent a few minutes talking with my niece, which made her day.

She also said she loved Louis, because “he was so soft.” Special “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” beads are given out for guests to take home. Overall it is a unique experience for Disney fans and children alike. My niece really enjoyed being a part of it.

The songs are infectious and you’ll find yourself humming along to them throughout the day. One complaint was that her arms were getting tired of waving around the big music note and tambourine. The show runs about 20 minutes, longer if you are a participant.