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 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 is

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

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 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

By CJ Tiernan When you think of parodies, you think SNL on TV, Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker for movies (Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Hot Shots!) and "Weird Al" Yankovic for music. He has managed to lampoon the hit music of the day for preposterously long time. Listening to "Weird Al" is a joy, a delight, and fun for the whole family. Here is a list of my 11 favorite studio albums by "Weird Al." Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/lice

By CJ Tiernan Suave. Debonair. Handsome. This actor oozes charisma and charm. He also happens to have starred in some great motion pictures. The following is a list of my Top 11 favorite movies featuring George Clooney and the dulcet tones of his deep voice. 1. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Why You Should Watch It: This is the greatest stop-motion animation film I've ever seen. It proved to be the perfect canvas for director Wes Anderson's unique color palette. From anthropomorph