By CJ Tiernan A mockumentary is a film that is crafted like a documentary in almost every way. It is telling a story with talking heads, wherein the characters are interviewed. They may break the fourth wall and the camera work will often utilize techniques like “shaky cam” that mimic a handheld, improvisational style. The difference is, the story and the characters (almost always) aren’t real. It is a small, but important difference, allowing what is otherwise an often sto

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 You know that feeling you get when you’re watching a movie and your empathy senses are triggered to such a degree that you feel a visceral response? The hairs on the nape of the neck stand on end and feel flushed, full of adrenaline and flooded with energy. Those are aesthetic chills and man alive can they feel powerful. I often find that if a movie triggers that response in me, I like the movie a lot and weigh it heavily in my rankings. Below is a cultivated

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 Over the years, my vernacular has become heavily populated with movie lines. There are certain circumstances that arise that you can more or less set your timepiece to me delivering a line from a movie, like Woody with a pull string. Off the dome, I’m remembering “Reach for the sky,” “This town ain’t big enough for the two of us,” “There’s a snake in my boot,” and “Somebody poisoned the waterhole.” In that sense, I'm a walking if-then statement. One’s youth is

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 Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. If you're in the midwest like me, you experience cold, snowy days imploring you to while away your hours indoors by the fire with a mug of cocoa in hand watching Christmas movies. Nearly every Christmas movie has its foundation built from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . One of the main characters has a change of heart at the end and discovers the true meaning of Christmas and basic human decency. My dad like

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 First off, I want to clarify that this list covers movies that contain extra-terrestrial beings, whether in space or on Earth. It is not limited exclusively to the Xenomorph-littered series that began with Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver back in the '70s. Both Alien and Aliens are in my Top 400 Movies of all time (but unfortunately don't make the cut for this list), but I haven't seen all of the Alien movies and I'm not even sure there are 11 to create an enti

By CJ Tiernan Laughter is famously the very best medicine. It adds some levity and perspective to life. Life is too short to push through day in and day out without stopping to laugh at the absurd things all around us. In my opinion, stand-up comedy is best when the comedian taps into something we all see and experience and subverts it or looks at in a way that none of us have thought about. It is a satisfying thing to hear because not only are we Rolling On The Floor Laughin

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 Why do we love game shows? We all do. Whether we have a certain one or two that we try to catch every week or we just throw on Game Show Network and let the fates decide, we've all sat down and watched a game show on TV. In fact, now that we've reached the zenith of on-demand entertainment, we can pick and choose which ones we watch and conjure them at the snap of a finger. I believe that we love them for two main reasons. First, we like to play along. If it is

By CJ Tiernan Celebrating a Holiday with family and friends is one of the best things you get to do all year. We all bring our own traditions and practices to a Holiday celebration. It can be fun to watch someone else celebrate a holiday, especially when they bring something different to the table. We've all seen the Christmas episode with someone who is a little too into their traditions or the Halloween episode where a character has a singular focus on scaring someone else

By CJ Tiernan Every now and again you hear a song in a movie and it sticks with you. It becomes an ear worm you want to hear again, well after the movie is over. While a lot of the most memorable music in a film is either a pre-existing song or it is part of a musical, sometimes there is a song that is written for a movie that stands all on its own. Below is a list of my Top 11 songs that were written for a movie that wasn't a musical. 1. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. - Gho

By CJ Tiernan High School is one of the most formative runs of your life. Some people live it up and it's the best time of their lives while others keep their heads down and can't wait to get out. You develop or strengthen friendships that can run through the rest of your days and create a pathway to your future. But, High School is really hard. There is a lot to balance in your life all while hormones course unbridled through your system. It can be isolating, which is why it

By CJ Tiernan When creating a sequel to a movie, often the deciding factor is whether or not the first one was successful. For that reason, a sequel (or prequel or remake) has a lot to live up to. So when a sequel is able to surpass the greatness of the original, it is worthy of standing up and taking notice. Below is a list of my 11 favorite sequels to movies I've ever seen that I felt were even better than the original. 1. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (200

By CJ Tiernan I'm writing this one on Halloween so, 'tis the season. The horror movie genre definitely isn't as inextricably linked to the calendar as Christmas movies, but they certainly get a bump this time of year. I know that some people aren't huge fans of the horror genre and I don't blame them. I go to a movie to be entertained but often it's more than just that. In a comedy, you want to be friends with the funny people. In an adventure, you want to be on that adventur

By CJ Tiernan When you first learn to read as a child, it opens up world of possibilities. You can pick up a book and read it all on your own (Awesome!). You can explore a world or learn and grow. It creates your first real moment of autonomy as a human being. Below is a list of my 11 favorite books that I read as a child. I read these over and over and over again. 1. Harold and the Purple Crayon Written and Illustrated by Crockett Johnson Published in 1955 This book, about a