Top Ten - The Eights

I didn't realise how hard this process was going to be until I brought it up with my wife and she asked about the movies she knows I love. So now she has opened a can of worms and after The Ones I might have call and apologise to some people. I will be more frequent with my entries but for now here are the eights.

Top Ten - The Eights

Movies
Shawshank redemption Do you trust your wife?

This is a case of an exceptional novella being adapted into an exceptional script and filmed by exceptional cast and crew. I saw this at the cinemas in 1995 with two close friends and we were the only people in the cinema. After word of mouth reserved for movie experiences like Sixth Sense and Sideways a few more people saw it at the cinemas however not enough. Then it was nominated for 7 oscars and people started to take notice. After building up steam people started to hire the movie out and the rest as we say in the biz is history. #1 movie of all-time in many lists including www.imdb.com and Empire.

Sure this movie is better than most of my movies in the top 7 but I’m a sucker for mass acceptance and more of a fan of lesser known pieces of art. Silly but it’s me!

Song
Twilight time - Platters
Heavenly shades of night are falling /It's twilight time / Out of the mist your voice is calling / It's twilight time /When purple colored curtains/ Mark the end of the day / I hear you my dear at twilight time

If you have ever been in love, and I’ve been lucky enough to feel it once, then you WILL understand this song. Sure you wouldn’t want to mosh to it but you need a repertoire of songs for ALL of the different emotions and situations you might find yourself on. This is my sitting at home having a candle lit dinner with my wife song, and I love it!

It also doesn’t hurt that I’m a big fan of the Platters, this is another hark back to my childhood and the music my parents listened to.

In a nut shell this song is cooler than the other side of a pillow.

T.V Series
Ned and Stacey - Smoke up the house Ezy-E

This breaks the rule of longevity but not through the fault of Ned Dorsey (Thomas Haden Church) and his crazy antics. Not only did he have to put up with Stacey Colbert (Debra Messing) he also got to play with partner in crime Rico (Greg Germann). Every episode is tried and tested and Ned does NOT come up wanting!

This had to be in my top ten however longevity and other quality shows has it representing the Eight.

Book
Phantom Tollbooth - The Demon of Insincerity

With out a doubt one of the ‘wittiest’ books I have ever read. Short of writing a 1500 word thesis I’ll try to pay tribute and spell it out for you.
Milo finds a package in his bedroom containing a miniature purple tollbooth and a map of the Kingdom of Wisdom. He drives in his toy car, and is instantly transported to Wisdom. Enjoying the ride, he pays no attention to his route and soon becomes lost in the Doldrums, a colorless place where thinking and laughing are not allowed. However, he is found there and rescued by Tock, a watchdog with the body of an alarm clock, who joins him on his journey.
First stop is Dictionopolis, one of two capital cities of Wisdom. They visit the word marketplace, where all the world's words are bought and sold. After an altercation between the Spelling Bee and the blustering Humbug, Milo and Tock are imprisoned by the very short Officer Shrift. In the prison, Milo learns the history of Wisdom. Its two rulers, King Azaz the Unabridged and the Mathemagician, had two adopted younger sisters, Rhyme and Reason, who had settled all disputes in the kingdom. Everyone lived in harmony until the rulers disagreed with the princesses' decision that letters and numbers were equally important. They banished the princesses to the Castle in the Air, and since then, the kingdom has been plagued with discord and disharmony.
Milo and Tock leave the dungeon and attend a banquet given by King Azaz, where the participants literally eat their words. King Azaz allows Milo and the Humbug to talk themselves into a quest to rescue the princesses. Azaz appoints the Humbug as a guide, and he, Milo and Tock set off for the Mathemagician's capital of Digitopolis to get his approval for their quest.
Along the way they meet fantastic characters like Alec Bings, a little boy who sees through things and grows until he reaches the ground, and have adventures like watching Chroma conduct his orchestra in playing the colors of the sunset.
In Digitopolis, their first stop is the mine where numbers are dug out and precious stones are thrown away. They eat subtraction stew, which makes the diner hungrier. The Mathemagician erases the mine with his magic pencil eraser, he and Milo discuss Infinity, and Milo proves to the Mathemagician that he must allow them to rescue the princesses.
In the Mountains of Ignorance, the three intrepid journeyers contend with lurking, obstructionist demons like the Terrible Trivium and the Senses Taker. Milo thwarts them from stopping his quest by using gifts he has received in Wisdom. After overcoming all obstacles and their own fears, the questers reach the Castle in the Air. The two princesses welcome Milo and agree to return to Wisdom. When the group leaves, Tock carries them through the sky, because, after all, time flies. The armies of Wisdom welcome the princesses home, King Azaz and the Mathemagician are reconciled, and all enjoy a three-day celebration of the return of Rhyme and Reason.
This is something I wish I had the talent to write!!

I hope you enjoyed the list! I certainly did!

Until then leanr to use soap!