By CJ Tiernan What does Captain mean to you? In the military, they rank pretty high. On board a ship (sea or air), they are in control of your fate. In gym class, they pick teams. I think we can all agree those are three equally important jobs. Yes, the Captain is in charge of making important decisions. It is with that understanding I acknowledge the gravity of the following list. Below is my Top 11 List of my Favorite Captains throughout media (and one real life character

By CJ Tiernan Jay Dixit, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Character actor is the term often used for people that make a career playing supporting roles rather than starring as your typical leading man or leading lady. When you call J.K. Simmons one of the most prolific character actors to ever grace the silver screen, you pay him great compliment. He has earned it. Simmons has worked alongside countless stars and held his

By CJ Tiernan In the immortal words of John Mulaney, “We’re all on board. We all love mom.” Our moms are almost universally meaningful to us. Caring, nurturing, steeped in unconditional love, the mother is the quintessential symbol of familial love. All that said, it’s fun to watch a show that plays on the troupe by showing the other side of motherhood or taking love and adoration too far. Below is a list of my Top 11 Favorite TV Show Moms I’ve ever seen and, as you will no

By CJ Tiernan Nicknames of historical figures are curious. Did all of the members of his cabinet refer to Abraham Lincoln as “Honest Abe?” Did he even like that nickname? Did they just whisper it in halls of the parliament building or whatever it is or did they say it to his face? Did that nickname even exist or was it manufactured after he, so to speak, bit the bullet? I don’t know whether some of these nicknames were crafted by contemporaries or issued by historical arbit

By CJ Tiernan Canada has exported an incredible number of actors. Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, Keanu Reeves, John Candy, both Ryans Gosling and Reynolds, and Donald Sutherland are some of the laundry list of Canadian actors we've had the pleasure of being entertained by. Rachel McAdams belongs on the list. She has been nominated for an Academy Award and has starred in some of the best movies of the last two-plus decades. Below is a list of my Top 11 Favorite Movies

By CJ Tiernan A song has the power to hit you in the face; to bowl you over. It can strike an emotional chord that plucks your heartstrings like a harp. Or, sometimes it’s just really funny. Either way, when you hear a song like that, you will often seek that song out to discover more songs by the artist. Unfortunately, sometimes that song is by an artist that doesn’t exist. They have no sprawling oeuvre because they are simply a character in a TV Show or Movie. Alas, you can

By CJ Tiernan The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was one of the largest undertakings a studio has ever taken. At the time of my publishing this list, there are 37 movies that have been released so far, earning more than 32 billion dollars at the box office (Achoo! Sorry, that number is nothing to sneeze at). It is kind of big deal. This particular list is focused on the beginning stages of the MCU (Phases 1 through 3), ranging from the first movie (Iron Man) to the epic conc

By CJ Tiernan When you watch the Pilot episode of a TV Show, you get to see the foundation. You are given some sense of who the players are and where the story is headed. However, many shows have their characters evolve and grow as the show goes on. This leads to the need for new characters. Anytime a TV Show can introduce a new member into the established cast in a manner that is additive is impressive. It requires great writing to establish a need for the character and grea

By CJ Tiernan Will Ferrell burst on the comedy scene in the mid-'90s on Saturday Night Live. He was fearless in his commitment to the bit. It seemed as though he was willing to push the audio/visual medium as far as possible for a laugh. He quickly became the star there. He walked away in '02 to pursue a film career full time. I reckon I'm not the only one to feel this was a good decision. He was an absolute staple in comedy movies throughout the 2000s. Below is a list of my

By CJ Tiernan Adages, Idioms, Axioms and Proverbs. These are phrases that we use, some almost daily, to convey our thoughts and our meanings. They're often things we've heard from others over and over again and they serve as a shortcut (our brain is always down to clown with a shortcut) to deliver our message or an opportunity to avoid answering the truly daunting questions like "How are you" and "How have you been?" I am always positively smitten when I encounter a character

By CJ Tiernan Flying. There are few super powers quite as fantastic as flying. Humans have yet to achieve this power outside of a flying machine. When will The Jetsons become a reality? I want my future with a side of being able to fold up my space ship and carry it as a briefcase. Or, you know, just magic. Can we invent magic and fly that way? That'd be sick. Anyway, I compiled a list of my favorite characters that take flight in movies and these are my Top 11 Flying movie c

By CJ Tiernan Although called names like geeks, dweebs, dorks, or bookworms, the studious character of the movie is often a fan-favorite. Whether they are helping the main character save the day, or accomplishing something great themselves, we love the movie nerd. This is my love letter to the nerds of the world. Below is a list of my 11 favorite characters in movies that exhibit the nerd qualities we've all come to know and love. 1. Doc Brown - Christopher Lloyd Back to the

By CJ Tiernan When watching a movie, in pursuit of entertainment I often try to get lost in the world of the film. Sometimes the acting is so compelling it's almost hard to fathom. An opinions gets lost in the character and absorbed by the plot and it's tough to decipher where the actor ends and the character begins. If that happens, you can feel it while watching the movie and it's incredible. Below is a list of the 11 acting performances that were so captivating and unexpec

By CJ Tiernan Saturday Night Live (SNL) has just entered its 51st season. That is an impressive run in a genre that is ever-evolving: comedy. It is a show that has been on for so long, it has touched and shaped the comedic sensibilities of generations. I've seen clips of some of the shows that came out before I as born, but with one or two exceptions, my list is comprised of people that were on the show when I was old enough to watch. Below is a list of my 11 favorite comedia

By CJ Tiernan Phineas and Ferb is one of my very favorite shows of all time. If you've ever watched the show, you know that there is a small list of boxes that get checked every single episode. The boys are going to invent something great, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is going to invent something that is thwarted by Perry the Platypus, Candice is going to fail to bust Phineas and Ferb, and there is going to be a musical number. I have created a list of my 11 favorite songs from the show

By CJ Tiernan Whether written for adults or kids, there are certain movies and stories that follow groups of children. It can be a difficult task for a film production for several reasons. One is simply that there are child labor laws that limit how much a child actor can work in a day, limiting your window to film a scene. Another reason is that it is hard to find a great child actor. They lack the experience to draw on to always be able to create and embody a character. How

By CJ Tiernan Characters are such an important part of a TV Show. Because the story unfurls over such a long period of time, you get to spend so much more time with a character. If you can't stand a character, or don't understand where they're coming from, you might just jump ship on the show altogether. When you get two characters, who are either friends or partners, that can play off one another, especially for comedic effect, it's the best. I highly enjoy watching characte

Robin Williams was a remarkable actor. He brought an unrivaled energy and enthusiasm to his performances. While rightly remembered for his comedic chops, he was so good at bringing a tenderness and humanity to his characters. Robin Williams is one of my very favorite actors of all time. Below are my 11 favorite Robin Williams movies of all time. John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 1

By CJ Tiernan Movies that cram the whole 2 hours into one day hold a special level of charm. It is a subset of a genre that, when done right, you may not even realize that you've just watched events unfold in near real time. There are comedies, action flicks, and thrillers on this list. You can very easily feel the urgency that leads to a movie transpiring over a very thin slice of life. Below is a list of my very favorite movies that take place in a single day or 24 hour per

By CJ Tiernan TV shows are so much fun to watch and rewatch. You get an opportunity to really spend time with the characters and become immersed in the world. It can be pretty devastating when you come to find that your time in that world is cut short or the peril your favorite characters were placed in never gets resolved. This is a list of my favorite TV shows that never made it to season 3. 1. Better Off Ted (2009-2010) Breaking the fourth wall is one of my favorite tropes