Top Ten - The Twos

It's been a long time!! So long I've had to rearrange a whole section.

Here are MY top TWOS!

Top Ten - The Twos

Movies

The Empire Strikes Back – I know!

I was a huge Star Wars fan as a kid. I have fond memories of shopping with my Nan and her buying me a star wars figurine every week. I had a relatively impressive collection and around the time of the digital remasters circa 1994ish I wondered where my old star wars figures were and my now ex-step-father arrogantly let me know he chucked them out a year or so before as I wasn’t using them. That is a story for later use in the yet undeveloped ‘Hedwig’ site.

Back in the golden age of VHS we had about a rotation of 20 and the original trilogy were a mainstay on 2-3 cassettes. I still remember being a shocked wide eyed kid looking at my older brother and asking if Vader was tricking or was he really Luke’s father (spoiler alert!!) The for the ‘father’ to then cut off his sons hand is hardcore. There were themes running through this the 5th episode that went over my head then and have resonated for the older a little less wide eyed James now. Han Solo being the epitome of cool was not one of them. With all the cool characters who possessed knowledge and power of the force my favourite was the scoundrel space-pirate who made vests and walking hairball companions cool.

The Set pieces are another draw card. (I’ll try to put these in order of preference rather than chronological) The Dagobah system. Yoda’s crib is important to the progression of the story but it’s more like Bangladesh (during their wet season obviously) than a cool planet. Bespin (Cloud City)- There’s a lot to like about Bespin, it’s the place Han is frozen in carbonite and utters the iconic “I know” in response to Leia’s declaration. It’s also where Vader’s equally important declaration to Luke. I pretty cool light saber duel and a severed off hand. Asteroid field – The Millennium Falcon shows of her (female pronoun for ships and planes?) wares and lands inside a space worm.

I’ve left the best till last. Planet Hoth – This opening set piece really held my imagination. Firstly the tauntauns. They weren’t that awesome but Han slicing ones guts open and sticking Luke in truly tickled my fancy. There are a few different types stormtroopers and the snow ones are my favourites. I enjoyed them on the screen and I really liked them as figurines in my bed under a white doona reenacting. Then hold it there’s more!!!! AT-AT’s These huge walking behemoths tearing the place up. And just to add a spice to it, it has Han being followed around my Leia who I knew didn’t want him to leave.

Finally, I also dug and still dig the fact it ended on a downer. Even as a kid I knew that was different and a part of me enjoys the fact that it didn’t end up all rosy tied up in a fancy ribbon.

Book

Scar Tissue – Anthony Kiedis

I like me a good autobiography and it’s usually movie stars/directors or sporting dudes. But I found this biography of the auto kind to be the most insightful and entertaining. Anthony opens up his life warts and all and doesn’t gloss over the not so bright parts. In fact he tends to dwell on the rough patches and wears these patches with pride of where he has come from and why he is there. It doesn’t hurt that Kiedis is my all-time favourite Band (Seen them live twice) and a lot of the book looks at the escapades of the quartet (including Hillel and the drummers before Chad Smith. If you like yourself an autobiography get this a go, even if the RHCP aren’t your thing!

Song

Miss Misery – Elliott Smith

I liked this song from the first time I heard it. During the credits of ‘Good Will Hunting’ as Matt Damon ‘badly’ drives down a road to his Skylar. It’s no secret I loved the movie and this version of this song was a killer way to cap it off. I have since become more of an aficionado in Elliott’s music and currently have 84 of his songs in my iTunes bank. I love the tone of the song, the lyrics of the song and the over mood of the song.

I'll fake it through the day
with some help from Johnny Walker red
Send the poisoned rain down the drain
to put bad thoughts in my head
Two tickets torn in half
and a lot of nothing to do
Do you miss me--
Miss Misery--
like you say you do?
A man in the park
read the lines in my hand
told me I'm strong,
hardly ever wrong
I said man you mean
You had plans for both of us
that involved a trip out of town
to a place I've seen in a magazine
that you left lying around
I don't have you with me
but I keep a good attitude
Do you miss me--
Miss Misery--
like you say you do?
I know you'd rather see me gone
than to see me the way that I am
but I am in your life, anyway
Next door TVs flashing
blueframes on the wall
It's a comedy of errors,
you see; it's about taking a fall
to vanish into oblivion
it's easy to do
and I try to be
but you know me
I come back when you want me to
Do you miss me--
Miss Misery--
like you say you do?

T.V Series

Weeds / Arrested Development

The problem with taking so long to lock down a top ten is you find new gems or old ones lose their luster. I would like to make an adjustment with acknowledgement that it will probably change by the end of the year.

I would officially like to move Two guys a girl and pizza place into joint tenth place with the Twilight Zone ( I’m aware it’s a cop out bad luck it’s my top ten!) Ned and Stacey into 9th, My name is Earl into 8th, My wife and kids into 7th, Scrubs into 6th, Weeds into 5th, Entourage stays at 4th, The Office (US version) stays in 3rd and Arrested Development leap frogs into 2nd and 1st place is??? You’ll have to wait!

Okay for the reasons. The Scrubs move is basically because it has lost a little of its luster. Sorry but on a Sunday when I’m choosing a series to have on while I plan/mark slack off Scrubs has taken a real back seat. I originally had it in 2nd before I had ‘found’ Weeds, Entourage and Arrested Dev. 2 guys shares 10th with Twilight because I didn’t want to bump off either. Weeds is one that might lose it’s luster but I found it 4 days before Benjamin was born and really dug the writing and acting. Very different from the homogenized TV. shows I’ve been watching. Arrested Development leap frogs based on my 2nd viewing of the entire series. It is so bloody clever it deserves 2nd and will be a hard one to knock off!!!

Hope that clears things up!

Until then hail to the force!