¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Kaley Cuoco!

AKA Kaley Christine Cuoco.

Born November 30, 1985.

She is an American actress best known for her role as Penny on the CBS TV series The Big Bang Theory. She is not the most famous actress of her generation but she reminds me of a woman on which I once had a crush so I might as well give her some recognition. Of course, the woman in question never posed for a picture like the above photo but apart from that...

Anyway, her TV show is one of the few American sitcoms that makes me laugh on a regular basis so I have to give her (and her writers) some credit for that.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Jorge Negrete!

AKA Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno.

Born November 30, 1911. Died December 5, 1953.

He was a very famous Mexican actor and singer who was born in my father's home state of Guanajuato. He was one of my late father's favorite movie stars and his records had a recurring role on my father's stereo. He is more well-known to my father's generation of the family than to mine but he is still remembered.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mark Twain!

AKA Samuel Langhorne Clemens.

Born November 30, 1835. Died April 21, 1910.

He was a famous American writer best known for such novels as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn. He also wrote such nonfiction books like Roughing It and The Innocents Abroad. Mark Twain is also credited with not only inventing the Great American Novel but being one of the first American writers to give voice to a new American literary style that owed almost nothing to European influence, a trait which was most obvious in The Innocents Abroad.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Jonathan Swift!

Born November 30, 1667. Died October 19, 1745.

He was a famous Anglo-Irish writer best known for his novel Gulliver's Travels. Ironically, his novel is best remembered for the many wildly inaccurate movie adaptations that have been made with its title, not to mention its 1968 animated TV namesake.

Comic Book Image of the Week

I really did not expect to post another Wonder Woman image this soon -- especially since there are so many other comic book characters out there who have yet to be referenced on this blog. But in view of tomorrow's holiday, the above group of scenes from an old issue of Justice League of America seemed so appropriate.

Then again, I could have posted this image below in its place but I am still trying to figure out what type of storyline could have made this scene make sense.

Movie Quote of the Week

You know it's funny; my mother was a mean woman, too. Nasty. There wasn't a nice bone in her body. She smoked non-stop, cheated at cards and she complained every day of her life. And you know what? There's nothing I wouldn't do for a chance to spend more time with her.
--Adrian Martinez, Pieces of April (2003)

Editor's Note: For the record, my mother is not a mean woman. Nor does she smoke, cheat at cards or complain a lot. And yet if she were to die tomorrow, I would miss her very much. Just saying.

TV Quote of the Week

Every year you prepare a terrible meal and every year I criticize it. Do our traditions mean nothing to you?
--Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, "The Thanksgiving Decoupling"

¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias!

I probably will not be posting anything tomorrow or Friday so I want to take some time today to wish all my readers a happy Thanksgiving. I wish you all many blessings and I hope you all survive Black Friday. With luck, I should be posting again on Saturday but if circumstances prevent me from doing so, I hope you all enjoy a great weekend.

Whatever else you do this weekend, I hope you all don't do anything monstrous.

This Can't Be Right

Everyone knows that the one holiday most Americans associate with tamales is New Year's Eve...

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Red Dwarf: “Tikka to Ride”

Given much of the hypocritical rhetoric that has surrounded John F. Kennedy in recent years -- what with conservatives who would have hated his guts crying crocodile tears over his death and liberals who would have denounced many of JFK's policies pretending that he was a kindred spirit -- it would be nice to think that this one episode -- one of the few episodes in any science-fiction show, British or otherwise, to reference the JFK assassination -- was a refreshing piece of satire. But it is not.

Instead, it seems like one long and unfunny exercise in bad taste. Granted, the show Red Dwarf was not above employing a lot of dark humor prior to this episode. Nor did I ever object to such humor in the past. Morever, I hardly expect British writers to show the same reverence for the Kennedy Administration that most Americans of my generation do. Then again I hardly expected the show's writers to come up with a plot as awful as this episode's either.

Anyway, this episode involves protagonist Dave Lister going back in time to 1963 Dallas in order to get supplies for a good curry, only to find him and his companions inadvertently preventing the Kennedy assassination by accidentally killing would-be JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. When they return to the future, they discover that the world has been conquered by the Soviet Union as a result of Kennedy's having survived his infamous trip to Dallas. In order to change things back to the way they were originally, Lister and his pals track down the real John F. Kennedy and convince him to assassinate himself in 1963 Dallas. Along the way, Kennedy asks Lister if he will be remembered as a good man and Lister assures him that he will. Unfortunately, all that would have been a bit more convincing if Lister had not just convinced said good man to martyr himself in order to correct Lister's mistake.

I normally like Red Dwarf and this episode marked the first time that I really found myself hating the series. Not because I hate dark humor or because I consider JFK to be some sacred cow who can't be approached in a less than serious fashion but because the show's writing just did not seem to up to par and the writers' attempt to have things both ways -- playing the JFK assassination for laughes while at the same time pandering to Kennedy worshippers on both sides of the Atlantic -- really did not work. Perhaps if the writers had taken a cue from Terry Gilliam's Brazil and used this episode as a way to satirize human foibles in general, it might have worked. Then again, since the writers never quite made a convincing case that Kennedy's surviving Dallas would have been a disaster, maybe it would not.

All I know is that this episode did not work for me. And not just because my parents voted for Kennedy.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Ben Sargent!

Born November 26, 1948.

He is an American editorial cartoonist born in Texas who is most famous for winning the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1982. (And no, the above cartoon was not the one which won him that prize but it is one of the most memorable cartoons in his body of work.)

Spanish Thanksgiving Words

1. agradecido(por) -- thankful(for).
2. arándano rojo -- cranberry.
3. batata -- yam.
4. boniato -- yam.
5. budín -- pudding.
6. calabaza -- pumpkin.
7. cazuela -- casserole.
8. cena -- dinner.
9. comer -- to eat.
10. comida -- food; meal.
11. cucurbitácea -- squash.
12. Día de Acción de Gracias -- Thanksgiving.
13. familia -— family.
14. fútbol americano -- American football (not soccer).
15. festividad de la cosecha -— harvest festival.
16. gluglú gluglú —- gobble gobble (the sound a turkey makes in the Spanish-speaking world).
17. gracias —- thanks.
18. guajolote -- turkey (Mexican word).
19. indígena americano/a —- American Indian; native American.
20. indio/a -- American Indian; native American.
21. maíz —- corn.
22. mazorca de maíz —- corn on the cob.
23. noviembre -- November.
24. ñame -- yam.
25. otoño -- autumn; fall (season).
26. Padres Peregrinos -- Pilgrim Fathers.
27. panecillo —- dinner roll.
28. papa majada -- mashed potatoes (Puerto Rican words).
29. parientes -— relatives.
30. pastel de calabaza -— pumpkin pie.
31. pavo -- turkey (Castilian word).
32. pavo asado -- roast turkey.
33. peregrino -- pilgrim.
34. pionero -- pioneer; explorer.
35. pudín -- pudding.
36. puré de papas -- mashed potatoes (Argentinian words).
37. puré de patatas —- mashed potatoes (Castilian words).
38. puritano -- Puritan; puritan.
39. relleno -— stuffing; turkey dressing.
40. restos -- leftovers.
41. salsa para carne -— gravy.
42. sobras -— leftovers.
43. tarta de calabaza -- pumpkin pie.
44. verduras —- vegetables.
45. Viernes Negro -- Black Friday.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Ricardo Montalbán!

AKA Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino.

Born November 25, 1920. Died January 14, 2009.

He was one of the most famous Mexican actors on the American small screen though the fact that his title role in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan kept getting referenced by critics this past summer shows that he had made no small impact on the big screen as well.

I suspect most Americans of my generation know him more for his role as Mr. Roarke on the old ABC TV series Fantasy Island than for anything not related to Star Trek. But at least he has not been forgotten.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Lope de Vega!

AKA Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio.

Born November 25, 1562. Died August 27, 1635.

He was one of the most prolific playwrights in history and his literary reputation in Spain is second only to that of author Miguel Cervantes. He was also nicknamed "The Phoenix of Wits" and "Monster of Nature" by Cervantes due to the large amount of his work. Although Lope de Vega himself is not all that well-known in the English-speaking world, his plays were presented in England as late as the 1660s.

He is said to have written some 3,000 sonnets, 3 novels, 4 novellas, 9 epic poems, and about 1,800 plays, 80 of which have been called masterpieces. He has been even envied by the German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who once wished he could create such a vast body of work as Lope de Vega's.

Oddly enough, he is rarely mentioned nowadays save by hardcore Spanish literary buffs. But he made quite an impression on me in high school Spanish class and again when one of my local colleges staged one of his plays. Then again, we can't all be fans of that Shakespeare chap.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Boris Karloff!

Born November 23, 1887. Died February 2, 1969.

He was one of the most famous horror movie actors who ever lived and he was not so bad when he made movies outside of the horror movie genre either. He is also one of my all-time favorite actors but then you all probably guessed that.

He was not only the first -- and most famous -- actor to play the Frankenstein Monster in a non-silent movie but he was also the host of the old black-and-white horror series Thriller. He also managed to survive meeting Abbott and Costello but that is a story for another day.

Though he has been much imitated, Boris Karloff has never been equaled. And yes, he has been missed.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Manuel de Falla!

AKA Manuel María de los Dolores Falla y Matheu.

Born November 23, 1876. Died November 14, 1946.

He was one of the most famous Spanish composers of the first half of the twentieth century. He is most famous for such compositions as Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Ritual Fire Dance. If you all are like me, you all have probably heard his work many times without realizing that it was his.

Song Quote of the Week

This is the land where the Pharaoh died.
--The Doors, “The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)”

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

2 Broke Girls: “Pilot”

Oy, vey! Boy, is this an awful series. I know that star Kat Dennings is cute and that she is supposed to be the hottest thing since sliced bread, but even she can't save this show from being close to unwatchable.

The whole show revolves around two girls who end up working together as waitresses in a small Asian-owned restaurant. One girl grew up poor and is barely getting by; the other grew up rich but just recently became acquainted with poverty when her father got arrested for stealing money from his wealthy clients in a Bernie Madoff-style deal.

No doubt the show has plenty of opportunity for both jokes and social commentary but thus far it relies on jokes. Bad jokes. Really bad jokes. The type of bad jokes that even comics who specialize in bad jokes hesitate to tell. (For example, the first episode features a rape joke told by one of the show's main characters -- a joke which is not less awful because it was told by a female.) And don't get me started on the show's ethnic stereotypes -- though I suppose I should be glad that this is one of the TV sitcoms set in a restaurant which does not feature a Latino stereotype as a regular character.

I would like to pretend that this show gets better by the end of the first season but thus far I have yet to make it to the end of the show's first season. On the plus side, though, I have a hard time seeing how even this show's writers can top the first episode for awfulness. However, I sincerely hope that they don't try.

R.I.P. John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I mentioned that today was the anniversary of the day Kennedy died to a neighbor of mine today and at first said neighbor was confused. Then he realized that I was talking about John F. Kennedy and the penny finally dropped. However, it seemed obvious to me that the anniversary of Kennedy's death had not been much on his mind as of late and it probably never has been. Then again said neighbor was born decades after Kennedy's death so it would be a bit surprising if it were otherwise.

Anyway, it would be nice to say that Kennedy's death was much on the mind of my fellow Dallasites but to be quite frank, I have yet to hear anyone say anything about it apart from that one neighbor I mentioned above -- and he, of course, needed a prompt. Perhaps this is a good thing. Given Dallas's reputation as the infamous "City of Hate", it is perhaps better that I heard no comment about the late president today rather than the negative ones that were heard so often during his lifetime. Some of my fellow Catholics used to joke back in the 1990s that one was more likely to hear pro-Kennedy comments in Boston than in Dallas, so I really can't expect much to have changed in that department.

Still, it would have been nice to hear something good about JFK from someone who was not writing for a local newspaper...

Movie Song of the Week: "Theme from Carrie (1976)"

A long overdue post for a much underappreciated movie theme.

Movie Quote of the Week

They may be drinkers, Robin, but they're still human beings.
--Adam West, Batman (1966)

TV Quote of the Week

There ARE no tough turkeys, madam. Some are just less tender than others.
--Jonathan Harris, Lost in Space, "The Space Trader"

Orwellian Slang in Spanish

1. agujero de la memoria -- memory hole.
2. bienpensadamente -- goodthinkwise; of the orthodox manner.
3. buensexo -- goodsex; chastity.
4. caracrimen -- facecrime.
5. caradelito -- facecrime.
6. crimen de pensamiento -- thoughtcrime.
7. doblemásnobueno -- doubleplusungood.
8. doblepensar -- doublethink.
9. el lugar donde no hay oscuridad -- the place where there is no darkness.
10. Franja Aérea 1 -- Airstrip One; Great Britain.
11. Gran Hermano -- Big Brother.
12. Habitación 101 -- Room 101
13. ideacrimen -- thoughtcrime.
14. ideadelito -- thoughtcrime.
15. los dos minutos de odio -- two minutes hate.
16. Ministerio de la Abundancia -- Ministry of Plenty.
17. Ministerio de la Paz -- Ministry of Peace.
18. Ministerio de la Verdad -- Ministry of Truth.
19. Ministerio del Amor -- Ministry of Love.
20. neolengua -- newspeak.
21. nobueno -- ungood.
22. nuevahabla -- newspeak.
23. Oceanía -- Oceania.
24. orwelliano -- Orwellian.
25. patohabla -- duckspeak; speaking without thinking.
26. patolengua -- duckspeak.
27. Policía del Pensamiento -- Thought Police.
28. viejalengua -- oldspeak.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Joanna Pettet!

AKA Joanna Jane Salmon.

Born November 16, 1942.

She is an English actress best known for her guest roles on such TV shows as Banacek and Night Gallery. The one role for which I most remember her is that of Elaine Latimer in the old Night Gallery episode "The House", which is, of course, the source of the above image.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Bartolomé de las Casas!

Born November 16, 1484(?). Died July 18, 1566.

He was a Dominican friar and Spanish historian who went on to speak out against the many atrocities being committed by his fellow Spaniards against the native residents of the New World. He was the first person to be officially designated as "Protector of the Indians" and unfortunately, one of the first people of his time to suggest a shamefully imperfect alternative to the enslavement of Native Americans. (In his case, it was the enslavement of Africans in place of Native Americans.)

Regardless of that, he was still a part of Spanish history and ironically he symbolizes both the best and worst impulses of his time. At the very least, he deserves credit for arguing for the humanity of the native Americans at a time when that was a very unpopular viewpoint in the Spanish Empire.

Movie Quote of the Week

Toro. Sounds like a load of bull.
--Roger Moore, Octopussy (1983)

TV Quote of the Week

Now whenever I eat mashed potatoes, I for one will think of the Incas.
--Burt Ward, Batman, "Give 'em the Axe"

R.I.P. Lou Reed

American singer Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed, former member of the influential music group The Velvet Underground who later turned solo and who is most famous for writing and singing such songs as "Sweet Jane" and "Walk on the Wild Side", finished his last number on October 27, 2013, at age 71.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Hal Needham

Former stuntman turned director Hal Needham, most famous for his direction of actor Burt Reynolds in such films as Hooper and Smokey and the Bandit, completed his last project on October 25 at age 82.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Marcia Wallace

American actress Marcia Karen Wallace, most famous for her roles as Carol Kester in the 1970s TV comedy The Bob Newhart Show and as Edna Krabappel in The Simpsons, finished her last voice-over on October 25 at age 70.

She will be missed.

R.I.P. Stanley Kauffmann

American film critic Stanley Kauffmann, most famous for his work for The New Republic, finished his last review on October 9 at age 97.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. Larry Verne

American novelty song singer Larry Verne, most famous for the 1960 song "Mr. Custer", dodged his last arrow on October 8 at age 77.

He will be missed.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz!

AKA Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana.

Born November 12, 1651. Died April 17, 1695.

She was one of the the most famous writers, playwrights and poets in the history of Mexican literature as well as a key contributor to the Spanish Golden Age. She was once referred to as Mexico's tenth muse. She was also a self-taught scholar.

Unfortunately, she died after caring for fellow nuns who had been stricken by a plague.

She has been missed.

Prehispanic Animals

1. alosaurio -- allosaurus.
2. anquilosaurio -- ankylosaurus.
3. celacanto -- coelacanth.
4. dientes de sable -- sabertooth.
5. dinosaurio -- dinosaur.
6. estegosaurio -- stegosaur.
7. iguanodonte -- iguanodon.
8. mamut -- mammoth.
9. mamut lanudo -- woolly mammoth.
10. mastodonte -- mastodon.
11. perezoso terrestre -- ground sloth.
12. plesiosaurio -- plesiosaur.
13. pteranodon -- pteranodon.
14. pterodáctilo -- pterodactyl.
15. tigre de dientes de sable -- sabertooth tiger.
16. tiranosaurio -- tyrannosaurus.
17. trilobite -- trilobite.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Dorothy Day!

Born November 8, 1897. Died November 29, 1980.

She was an American journalist and social activist who was a devout Catholic convert. Due to her good works on behalf of the poor and the homeless, she has been nominated for canonization but as yet, never got further than the title of Servant of God. If more Catholics were like her, the Church would have a better image.

The woman herself was a little more sympathetic towards the Communists of her day (no pun intended) than I, the son of a woman who lit candles in support of the Polish Solidarity movement, would prefer, but given recent events involving the Church, there are many far worse failings a fellow Catholic could have.

Movie Quote of the Week

On television, Mr. President, you look much smaller.
--Peter Sellers, Being There (1979)

TV Quote of the Week

Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos.
--Dan Castellaneta, The Simpsons, "Treehouse of Horror VII"

Spanish Names for the Countries of the World

1. Afganistán -- Afghanistan.
2. Albania -- Albania.
3. Alemania -- Germany.
4. Andorra -- Andorra.
5. Arabia Saudita -- Saudi Arabia.
6. Argentina -- Argentina.
7. Armenia -- Armenia.
8. Austria -- Austria.
9. Bélgica -- Belgium.
10. Bolivia -- Bolivia.
11. Bosnia -- Bosnia.
12. Brasil -- Brazil.
13. Bulgaria -- Bulgaria.
14. Canadá -- Canada.
15. Chile -- Chile.
16. China -- China.
17. Ciudad del Vaticano -- Vatican City.
18. Colombia -- Colombia.
19. Corea del Norte -- North Korea.
20. Corea del Sur -- South Korea.
21. Cuba -- Cuba.
22. Dinamarca -- Denmark.
23. Ecuador -- Ecuador.
24. Egipto -- Egypt.
25. Escocia -- Scotland.
26. España -- Spain.
27. Filipinas -- Philippines.
28. Finlandia -- Finland.
29. Francia -- France.
30. Gales -- Wales.
31. Gran Bretaña -- Great Britain.
32. Grecia -- Greece.
33. India -- India.
34. Inglaterra -- England.
35. Irak -- Iraq.
36. Irán -- Iran.
37. Irlanda - Ireland.
38. Israel -- Israel.
39. Italia -- Italy.
40. Japón -- Japan.
41. Letonia -- Latvia.
42. Líbano -- Lebanon.
43. México -- Mexico.
44. Noruega -- Norway.
45. Países Bajos -- Low Countries.
46. Paraguay -- Paraguay.
47. Perú -- Peru.
48. Polonia -- Poland.
49. Portugal -- Portugal.
50. Rusia -- Russia.
51. Siria -- Syria.
52. Suecia -- Sweden.
53. Turquía -- Turkey.
54. Unión Soviética -- Soviet Union.
55. Uruguay -- Uruguay.
56. Venezuela -- Venezuela.

Spanish Names for the United States of America

1. Carolina del Norte -- North Carolina.
2. Carolina del Sur -- South Carolina.
3. Dakota del Norte -- North Dakota.
4. Dakota del Sur -- South Dakota.
5. Hawái -- Hawaii.
6. Luisiana -- Louisiana.
7. Míchigan -- Michigan.
8. Misisipi -- Mississippi.
9. Misuri -- Missouri.
10. Nueva Jersey -- New Jersey.
11. Nueva York -- New York.
12. Nuevo Hampshire -- New Hampshire.
13. Nuevo México -- New Mexico.
14. Oregón -- Oregon.
15. Pensilvania -- Pennsylvania.
16. Virginia Occidental -- West Virginia.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Rebecca Romijn!

AKA Rebecca Alie Romijn.

Born November 6, 1972.

She is a celebrated model and actress best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men movies and for her recurring role on the Ugly Betty series. She is also famous for her photos for Sports Illustrated, the most famous of which can be seen above.

Spanish Words for the People of American Cities

1. Angelinos -- people of Los Angeles, California.
2. Atlanteses -- people of Atlanta, Georgia.
3. Bostonianos -- people of Boston, Massachusetts.
4. Dalasitas -- people of Dallas, Texas.
5. Detroiteses -- people of Detroit, Michigan.
6. Paseños -- people of El Paso, Texas.
7. Providencianos -- people of Providence, Rhode Island.
8. Seatleitas -- people of Seattle, Washington.
9. Vegueños -- people of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Spanish Words for the People of American States

1. Alabamienses -- people of Alabama.
2. Alaskeños -- people of Alaska.
3. Arizonianos -- people of Arizona.
4. Arkansanos -- people of Arkansas.
5. Californianos -- people of California.
6. Coloradinos -- people of Colorado.
7. Conectiqueses -- people of Connecticut.
8. Delawarenses -- people of Delaware.
9. Floridanos -- people of Florida.
10. Georgianos -- people of Georgia.
11. Hawaianos -- people of Hawaii.
12. Idahoneses -- people of Idaho.
13. Ilinoisanos -- people of Illinois.
14. Indianeses -- people of Indiana.
15. Iowanos -- people of Iowa.
16. Kanseños -- people of Kansas.
17. Kentuckianos -- people of Kentucky.
18. Luisianos -- people of Louisiana.
19. Maineses -- people of Maine.
20. Marilandeses -- people of Maryland.
21. Masachusetanos -- people of Massachusetts.
22. Michiguenses -- people of Michigan.
23. Minesotanos -- people of Minnesota.
24. Misisipianos -- people of Mississippi.
25. Misurianos -- people of Missouri.
26. Montaneses -- people of Montana.
27. Nebraskeses -- people of Nebraska.
28. Neohampshireños -- people of New Hampshire.
29. Neojerseítas -- people of New Jersey.
30. Neomexicanos -- people of New Mexico.
31. Neoyorquinos -- people of New York.
32. Nevadenses -- people of Nevada.
33. Norcarolinos -- people of North Carolina.
34. Nordakotenses -- people of North Dakota.
35. Ohioanos -- people of Ohio.
36. Oklahomenses -- people of Oklahoma.
37. Oregonenses -- people of Oregon.
38. Pensilvanos -- people of Pennsylvania.
39. Rodislandeses -- people of Rhode Island.
40. Surcarolinos -- people of South Carolina.
41. Surdakotenses -- people of South Dakota.
42. Tennesianos -- people of Tennessee.
43. Texanos -- people of Texas.
44. Utaheños -- people of Utah.
45. Vermonteses -- people of Vermont.
46. Virginianos -- people of Virginia.
47. Virginianos occidentales -- people of West Virginia.
48. Washingtonianos -- people of Washington.
49. Wisconsinitas -- people of Wisconsin.
50. Wyomingneses -- people of Wyoming.

All the New Movies That I Have Seen

1. Batman Begins (2005).

Basically a Batman movie for people who don't like Batman, or to put it in a more charitable sense, a Batman movie for people who don't like comic books. It tries very hard to be more realistic than most comic book movies and it is certainly more realistic than the Tim Burton movies that dealt with the same subject but in the end, it just was not my cup of tea.

2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).

A film that proves that Tilda Swinton is an acting goddess. And the rest of the cast isn't bad either. I do kinda wish that I didn't keep confusing the older girl with Violet Baudelaire but that's a failing on my part, not the filmmakers'.

3. The Dark Knight (2008).

I actually liked this better than Batman Begins though I found attempts to interpret it as a pro-Bush parable to be pretty laughable. Of course, it helps that I have a weakness for the work of comic book writer/artist Frank Miller who was responsible for the comic book novel that inspired this movie.