By CJ Tiernan Have you ever heard someone’s name and thought: oh, that’s delicious! Well, I have and I did something about it. I made this list. I went through all the celebs I could think of and weeded out the ones with animal names (see that Top 11 List here) or location names (like America Ferrera, A’ja Wilson, and Diamond Dallas Page) or vacation option names (like Lake Bell, Tom Cruise, and The Beach Boys) and was left with this sweet and savory list. Here are my Top 1

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 Jim Carrey is one of the funniest actors to ever grace the silver screen. His comedy chops are unmatched by absolutely everyone in history (with the possible exception of Robin Williams). As such, he has amassed an impressive filmography over the last 35 or 40 years. His signature move is an elastic face coupled with a Gumby body. He moves as though he is made of rubberbands and Jell-O brand gelatin and his comedy is better for it. Below is a list of the Top 1

By CJ Tiernan With acting, as with most professions, there is typically a ramp-up period. You don’t hit the ground running, and you don’t expect to. You slowly learn and grow to reach your destiny of greatness over time. This is a list designed to honor the exception to the rule. For whatever reason, the following humans managed to blow us out of the water right off the bat (Yikes! That sentence was one idiom short of a Bingo). This is the list of my Top 11 Debuts by Actors

By CJ Tiernan Fun fact: You can actually do a countdown from 11 to 1 using movie titles as the numbers (you can actually go all the way through number 146, but I won't waste your time). Please enjoy as I demonstrate: Ocean’s Eleven (2001) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) District 9 (2009) 8 Mile (2002) Seven (1995) Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) Fantastic Four (2005) ¡Three Amigos! (1986) Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) One Flew Over the

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 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 The Coen Brothers, comprised of actual brothers Joel and Ethan, have created an untouchably eclectic oeuvre. They can go broad and slapstick or dark and understated. They have a very unique sense of humor that helps to cut their often violent films' tension to pieces with a wood chipper. They can just as easily pull the rug out from under you. Apart from recurring cast members, you never really know what you're in for when you plop down on the sofa to watch one