"It's not a hill, it's a mountain, as you start out the climb." - Bono
Click For Part Two: HERE
#21: Spider-Man
Synopsis: Telling the memorable coming-of-age story of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man, this movie has since been held up with pride as one of the few-but-high bars of excellence for which comic book movies have since been set to the standard of. With an impressively casted group of actors, the characters from the original comic book stories are presented in a most unflawed way; With one of the highlights of the film being the infamous start of the lifelong battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin - both, in uniform and out of - this film is known to have stuck to it's comic book roots like only a select few others in it's genre have ever even attempted.
Why It's On The List: The first major comic book movie to nearly rake in a billion dollars, while being universally praised for it's dedication to the original comics, 2002's Spider-Man was the first blockbuster of it's kind, especially for Generation Y. Also one of the five most groundbreaking comic-adapted films to pave the way for the plethora of yearly comic book-related films of which have hit the silver screen every summer since it's release, Sam Raimi's first shot at the Spider-Man movie franchise changed the direction and role of it's genre's place in the film industry forever; more importantly, affecting a grand majority of the films which have been, and continually will be, made for my generation's portion of pop culture and entertainment.
#22: Killing Bono
Synopsis: Ever heard that expression "you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs"? Well, let's just say that Neil McCormick was one of the eggs that had to be broken for the sake of U2's omelette, when the now-successful band were still in their formative years during the mid-1970's. This book, written in such an impressive way where once you pick it up, you simply can't lay it down, tells the story of one of Bono's childhood friends who formed a band around the exact same time when Larry Mullen, Jr. formed U2. Quickly out-shined by "The Hype" (U2's early name), McCormick's band with his brother Ivan, and a few others, tried for over a decade - to no avail - to obtain a record deal so that they, too, might've reached rock superstardom along with their classmates. A tale of excess, ambition, weird sex, and cocaine - Killing Bono is a bittersweet tale of how one person's success is almost always another's failure.
Why It's On The List: Never before had there been such an intimate look at U2's early and most formative years, but for the first time ever, we're also provided with a detailed look at the way the band's (beyond) mega-success affected their families and childhood friends once their careers took off (a lesson of which can prove very informative for those my age or near it, as we enter deeper into adulthood). Released at a time when Generation Y was still in the early phases of finding itself, this book gives a look into how the biggest and most influential band in the world came to be, and what their early days were truly like for themselves and those around them. In a very vital way: Neil McCormick's bittersweet tale of disappointment in the shadow of his best friends' massive success, can be viewed as one for which Generation Y can take a look at where our music came from, the responsibilities that musical artists should uphold (to keep their music honest and authentic), and the special reasons behind why U2's music is here to stay.
#23: In Plain Sight
Synopsis: Telling the sometimes gritty/sometimes quirky story of U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon and the split between her personal and professional lives, "In Plain Sight" proved to be a captivating series about independence, duty, family, and the expectations thrust upon us by society, from the get-go. Set primarliy in Alburquerque, New Mexico: This series provides a detailed look into the very secretive federal witness protection program known as WitSec, and what it takes - personally, as well as professionally - to protect those who've had a target placed on their backs by the mafia, drug cartels, hoodlums, and the like.
Why It's On The List: Featuring a mature and independent lead female character who's probably the only true and authentic answer to the feminist movement of pop culture's yester-era, In Plain Sight offers a continuing payload of dramatic storyline for which my generation can aspire to. Alternate in it's approach to storytelling (particularly in the first two seasons of the show), this series provides a snarling stare at the popularity of the superficial other television shows and reality series which have taken over the small screen in overwhelming majority as of late. A true gem and silver lining in this garbage-filled television era, In Plain Sight is something of which Generation Y can pridefully hold up high on their shoulders in an era of morally-hollow television tales.
Episodes That I Recommend: "Pilot" (1x01), "Hoosier Daddy" (1x02), "Trojan Horst" (1x04), "Iris Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1x07), "To Serge With Love" (1x10), "Stan By Me" (1x11), "A Fine Meth" (1x12), "Gilted Lily" (2x01), "In My Humbolt Opinion" (2x02), "Rubble With A Cause" (2x04), "One Night Stan" (2x06), "Duplicate Bridge" (2x07), *"Who's Bugging Mary" (2x09), "Training Video" (2x12), "Once A Ponzi Scheme" (2x14), "Don't Cry For Me, Alburquerque" (2x15), "Father Goes West" (3x01), "When Mary Met Marshall" (3x02), "Fish or Cut Betta" (3x05), "No Clemency for Old Men" (3x06), "Son of Mann" (3x08), "Death Becomes Her" (3x09), and "A Priest Walks Into A Bar" (3x13)
#24: Wolverine: Old Man Logan
Synopsis: Ever wonder where the Marvel Universe would be fifty years in the future? This story provides a grim answer to that question.... and through the experienced eyes of Wolverine, no less. Set in a dysotopic possible future in which an immense majority of Marvel's heroes have been murdered, Old Man Logan is a cross-country roadtrip story using superheroes and other elements of the Marvel Universe as political undertones (much like that of Mark Millar's previous epic: "Civil War") of which the reader can interpret for himself.
One of the highlights of this story?: Figuring out who was left alive (In other words: What traits of humanity would theoretically be left intact after a world-wide catastrophy took place) after the fall of the world's superheroes.
Why It's On The List: Giving an alternate look into the future of the famed Marvel Universe, this comic book tale is a loud reminder that when a society which is content with having others fight their battles for them, eventually their worlds will come crashing down. In an era where an alarmingly increasing number of comic book writers and artists feel that their work can easily sell for itself, just for the sake of featuring popular characters, this story stands up tall and shouts to Generation Y that before the comic industry is handed over to us completely, we have to keep in mind the quality for which we must handle these modern-day legends (who quite easily could've matched that of the legends featured in Greek lore, if only our heroes had been created thousands of years earlier).
Best Issue of The Series: Wolverine #70 - Detailing The Fate of The X-Men
#25: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Synopsis: A video game about a violent man name Tommy Vercetti, who is sent to Vice City (a fictional city placed in the Florida Keys) in order to secure a drug deal. But when the deal is hijacked by the city's drug kingpin, all hell breaks loose as Tommy sets out to retrieve the missing merchandise - all the while, taking over the city by any means necessary.
Why It's On The List: Probably remembered more for the controversy it caused after it's release in 2002, more than anything else, Vice City didn't have to try too hard to keep it's massive audience entertained for the many subsequent years after it's initial release. Much like Generation X's now-simple-but-then-revolutionary game "Pong," this free-roaming entry into the Grand Theft Auto series spearheaded a new era in gaming: The increasingly hi-tech era of Generation Y. Nearly a decade after it first appeared on parental watchlists the nation across, this video game has stood the test of time with flying colors.
#26: Two Lovers
Synopsis: A story set in Brooklyn about a depressed (and closely suicidal) man who's devoted to his parents and their best interests, but is pulled in a completely different direction when he meets a beautiful-but-disturbed blonde who happens to live in the same building as he does.
Why It's On The List: One of the VERY few dramas of my generation to show the endlessly deep and, if anything else, very dark nature of love: This film, which features and enjoys extraordinary performances delivered by Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, will probably become a mainstay in certain circles of the indie/cult circuit for a very long time to come. Much like "London," this movie is a rarity for the times in which it was made.
#27: Green Lantern: Rebirth
Synopsis: Green Lantern: Rebirth tells the "will-overcomes-all" story of Hal Jordan as he re-takes his places in the Green Lantern Corps, and the wider DC Universe, by taking up the mantle of Earth's main Green Lantern once again.
Why It's On The List: Propelling Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver to superstardom in the comic book industry, Rebirth sets nearly unreachable heights goal-wise with it's story and does much to accomplish them. Reinvigerating the likes of the Green Lantern Corps by re-introducing Hal Jordan as the main Green Lantern to comicdom, this modern-age story of the emerald hero delivers an action-packed tale full of appropriate scope, ballance, continuity, and detail - all things which are becoming harder and harder to find in both the comic book and (much larger) literary world at large.
Best Issue Of The Series: Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 - The Revamp of Hal's Origin
#28: The Fountain
Synopsis: A man who is re-incarnated three times over the course of a thousand years, tries desperately to save his (also re-incarnated throughout the ages) lover in all three lives, by locating and using the tree of life to keep her away from death; mostly, so that they can live together for all eternity.
Why It's On The List: Aspiring to tell such a complex story to today's audiences isn't a thing which is seen a whole bunch in theatres nowadays, but this tale, which reminds a younger generation than those who actually made the film, to cherish the things we've been granted before they're inevitably taken away from us, and not to set unreachable standards for the things we want to most, goes to great lengths to teach it's viewers a few important lessons about life while keeping them mystified as to the intent of it's endgame. A beautifully-executed movie, The Fountain can be viewed as the answer to my generation's call for a smart drama about mortality and the acceptance of said topic.
#29: BP Oil Spill of 2010
Synopsis: Another travesty which directly affected New Orleans, in particular, only five years after being flooded by Hurricane Katrina - The BP Oil Spill of 2010 has done untold amounts of damage to the Gulf Coast. Occuring because of a wellhead blowout which took the lives of eleven of the workers who were on the deck at the time of the explosion, this oil spill has completely decimated the wildlife of the area, well among plenty of other things.
Why It's On The List: Resulting in a beyond-massive blow to the aquatic ecosystem of the greater part of the United States and Mexico, this oil spill - the biggest in human history - has only just begun to affect my generation and the many generations who've yet to be born, for what some ecologists are already projecting to be another hundred years before the Gulf Coast is returned back to normal.
#30: The Stain of Time
Synopsis: Michael Trent Reznor: A man, as well as a mystery. Where does he come from? What kind of a man is he, apart from his work? And what were the events in his past that filled his future songs with angst and an unimaginable sense of loss? This book answers all of those questions. A biography which ranges from his childhood, to his one year at college, to his time spent in Cleveland, Ohio (where he formed Nine Inch Nails), all the way up to the release of 1999's classic album "The Fragile," a follow-up, as well as an informal sequel, to his magnum-opus: "The Downward Spiral" - The Stain of Time (which takes it's title from a line in Reznor's song "Hurt") is a great book for anyone wanting to know more about the multi-instrumentalist.
Why It's On The List: The only published biography to be written about Trent Reznor (by someone under a pseudonym, believe it or not), not only chronicles Reznor's early work and early childhood, but also focuses on the musical career of my personal hero, while spending a great deal of it's time trying to provide a philosophical answer to the decisions and situations which helped shape the man into the legend we know him as today; a man who's musical influence on my generation has proven to be as vital and huge as Bob Dylan's was on the Boomers and the earliest members of Generation X.
Continued Next Week....
Click For Part Two: HERE
#21: Spider-Man
Synopsis: Telling the memorable coming-of-age story of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man, this movie has since been held up with pride as one of the few-but-high bars of excellence for which comic book movies have since been set to the standard of. With an impressively casted group of actors, the characters from the original comic book stories are presented in a most unflawed way; With one of the highlights of the film being the infamous start of the lifelong battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin - both, in uniform and out of - this film is known to have stuck to it's comic book roots like only a select few others in it's genre have ever even attempted.
Why It's On The List: The first major comic book movie to nearly rake in a billion dollars, while being universally praised for it's dedication to the original comics, 2002's Spider-Man was the first blockbuster of it's kind, especially for Generation Y. Also one of the five most groundbreaking comic-adapted films to pave the way for the plethora of yearly comic book-related films of which have hit the silver screen every summer since it's release, Sam Raimi's first shot at the Spider-Man movie franchise changed the direction and role of it's genre's place in the film industry forever; more importantly, affecting a grand majority of the films which have been, and continually will be, made for my generation's portion of pop culture and entertainment.
#22: Killing Bono
Synopsis: Ever heard that expression "you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs"? Well, let's just say that Neil McCormick was one of the eggs that had to be broken for the sake of U2's omelette, when the now-successful band were still in their formative years during the mid-1970's. This book, written in such an impressive way where once you pick it up, you simply can't lay it down, tells the story of one of Bono's childhood friends who formed a band around the exact same time when Larry Mullen, Jr. formed U2. Quickly out-shined by "The Hype" (U2's early name), McCormick's band with his brother Ivan, and a few others, tried for over a decade - to no avail - to obtain a record deal so that they, too, might've reached rock superstardom along with their classmates. A tale of excess, ambition, weird sex, and cocaine - Killing Bono is a bittersweet tale of how one person's success is almost always another's failure.
Why It's On The List: Never before had there been such an intimate look at U2's early and most formative years, but for the first time ever, we're also provided with a detailed look at the way the band's (beyond) mega-success affected their families and childhood friends once their careers took off (a lesson of which can prove very informative for those my age or near it, as we enter deeper into adulthood). Released at a time when Generation Y was still in the early phases of finding itself, this book gives a look into how the biggest and most influential band in the world came to be, and what their early days were truly like for themselves and those around them. In a very vital way: Neil McCormick's bittersweet tale of disappointment in the shadow of his best friends' massive success, can be viewed as one for which Generation Y can take a look at where our music came from, the responsibilities that musical artists should uphold (to keep their music honest and authentic), and the special reasons behind why U2's music is here to stay.
#23: In Plain Sight
Synopsis: Telling the sometimes gritty/sometimes quirky story of U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon and the split between her personal and professional lives, "In Plain Sight" proved to be a captivating series about independence, duty, family, and the expectations thrust upon us by society, from the get-go. Set primarliy in Alburquerque, New Mexico: This series provides a detailed look into the very secretive federal witness protection program known as WitSec, and what it takes - personally, as well as professionally - to protect those who've had a target placed on their backs by the mafia, drug cartels, hoodlums, and the like.
Why It's On The List: Featuring a mature and independent lead female character who's probably the only true and authentic answer to the feminist movement of pop culture's yester-era, In Plain Sight offers a continuing payload of dramatic storyline for which my generation can aspire to. Alternate in it's approach to storytelling (particularly in the first two seasons of the show), this series provides a snarling stare at the popularity of the superficial other television shows and reality series which have taken over the small screen in overwhelming majority as of late. A true gem and silver lining in this garbage-filled television era, In Plain Sight is something of which Generation Y can pridefully hold up high on their shoulders in an era of morally-hollow television tales.
Episodes That I Recommend: "Pilot" (1x01), "Hoosier Daddy" (1x02), "Trojan Horst" (1x04), "Iris Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1x07), "To Serge With Love" (1x10), "Stan By Me" (1x11), "A Fine Meth" (1x12), "Gilted Lily" (2x01), "In My Humbolt Opinion" (2x02), "Rubble With A Cause" (2x04), "One Night Stan" (2x06), "Duplicate Bridge" (2x07), *"Who's Bugging Mary" (2x09), "Training Video" (2x12), "Once A Ponzi Scheme" (2x14), "Don't Cry For Me, Alburquerque" (2x15), "Father Goes West" (3x01), "When Mary Met Marshall" (3x02), "Fish or Cut Betta" (3x05), "No Clemency for Old Men" (3x06), "Son of Mann" (3x08), "Death Becomes Her" (3x09), and "A Priest Walks Into A Bar" (3x13)
#24: Wolverine: Old Man Logan
Synopsis: Ever wonder where the Marvel Universe would be fifty years in the future? This story provides a grim answer to that question.... and through the experienced eyes of Wolverine, no less. Set in a dysotopic possible future in which an immense majority of Marvel's heroes have been murdered, Old Man Logan is a cross-country roadtrip story using superheroes and other elements of the Marvel Universe as political undertones (much like that of Mark Millar's previous epic: "Civil War") of which the reader can interpret for himself.
One of the highlights of this story?: Figuring out who was left alive (In other words: What traits of humanity would theoretically be left intact after a world-wide catastrophy took place) after the fall of the world's superheroes.
Why It's On The List: Giving an alternate look into the future of the famed Marvel Universe, this comic book tale is a loud reminder that when a society which is content with having others fight their battles for them, eventually their worlds will come crashing down. In an era where an alarmingly increasing number of comic book writers and artists feel that their work can easily sell for itself, just for the sake of featuring popular characters, this story stands up tall and shouts to Generation Y that before the comic industry is handed over to us completely, we have to keep in mind the quality for which we must handle these modern-day legends (who quite easily could've matched that of the legends featured in Greek lore, if only our heroes had been created thousands of years earlier).
Best Issue of The Series: Wolverine #70 - Detailing The Fate of The X-Men
#25: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Synopsis: A video game about a violent man name Tommy Vercetti, who is sent to Vice City (a fictional city placed in the Florida Keys) in order to secure a drug deal. But when the deal is hijacked by the city's drug kingpin, all hell breaks loose as Tommy sets out to retrieve the missing merchandise - all the while, taking over the city by any means necessary.
Why It's On The List: Probably remembered more for the controversy it caused after it's release in 2002, more than anything else, Vice City didn't have to try too hard to keep it's massive audience entertained for the many subsequent years after it's initial release. Much like Generation X's now-simple-but-then-revolutionary game "Pong," this free-roaming entry into the Grand Theft Auto series spearheaded a new era in gaming: The increasingly hi-tech era of Generation Y. Nearly a decade after it first appeared on parental watchlists the nation across, this video game has stood the test of time with flying colors.
#26: Two Lovers
Synopsis: A story set in Brooklyn about a depressed (and closely suicidal) man who's devoted to his parents and their best interests, but is pulled in a completely different direction when he meets a beautiful-but-disturbed blonde who happens to live in the same building as he does.
Why It's On The List: One of the VERY few dramas of my generation to show the endlessly deep and, if anything else, very dark nature of love: This film, which features and enjoys extraordinary performances delivered by Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, will probably become a mainstay in certain circles of the indie/cult circuit for a very long time to come. Much like "London," this movie is a rarity for the times in which it was made.
#27: Green Lantern: Rebirth
Synopsis: Green Lantern: Rebirth tells the "will-overcomes-all" story of Hal Jordan as he re-takes his places in the Green Lantern Corps, and the wider DC Universe, by taking up the mantle of Earth's main Green Lantern once again.
Why It's On The List: Propelling Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver to superstardom in the comic book industry, Rebirth sets nearly unreachable heights goal-wise with it's story and does much to accomplish them. Reinvigerating the likes of the Green Lantern Corps by re-introducing Hal Jordan as the main Green Lantern to comicdom, this modern-age story of the emerald hero delivers an action-packed tale full of appropriate scope, ballance, continuity, and detail - all things which are becoming harder and harder to find in both the comic book and (much larger) literary world at large.
Best Issue Of The Series: Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 - The Revamp of Hal's Origin
#28: The Fountain
Synopsis: A man who is re-incarnated three times over the course of a thousand years, tries desperately to save his (also re-incarnated throughout the ages) lover in all three lives, by locating and using the tree of life to keep her away from death; mostly, so that they can live together for all eternity.
Why It's On The List: Aspiring to tell such a complex story to today's audiences isn't a thing which is seen a whole bunch in theatres nowadays, but this tale, which reminds a younger generation than those who actually made the film, to cherish the things we've been granted before they're inevitably taken away from us, and not to set unreachable standards for the things we want to most, goes to great lengths to teach it's viewers a few important lessons about life while keeping them mystified as to the intent of it's endgame. A beautifully-executed movie, The Fountain can be viewed as the answer to my generation's call for a smart drama about mortality and the acceptance of said topic.
#29: BP Oil Spill of 2010
Synopsis: Another travesty which directly affected New Orleans, in particular, only five years after being flooded by Hurricane Katrina - The BP Oil Spill of 2010 has done untold amounts of damage to the Gulf Coast. Occuring because of a wellhead blowout which took the lives of eleven of the workers who were on the deck at the time of the explosion, this oil spill has completely decimated the wildlife of the area, well among plenty of other things.
Why It's On The List: Resulting in a beyond-massive blow to the aquatic ecosystem of the greater part of the United States and Mexico, this oil spill - the biggest in human history - has only just begun to affect my generation and the many generations who've yet to be born, for what some ecologists are already projecting to be another hundred years before the Gulf Coast is returned back to normal.
#30: The Stain of Time
Synopsis: Michael Trent Reznor: A man, as well as a mystery. Where does he come from? What kind of a man is he, apart from his work? And what were the events in his past that filled his future songs with angst and an unimaginable sense of loss? This book answers all of those questions. A biography which ranges from his childhood, to his one year at college, to his time spent in Cleveland, Ohio (where he formed Nine Inch Nails), all the way up to the release of 1999's classic album "The Fragile," a follow-up, as well as an informal sequel, to his magnum-opus: "The Downward Spiral" - The Stain of Time (which takes it's title from a line in Reznor's song "Hurt") is a great book for anyone wanting to know more about the multi-instrumentalist.
Why It's On The List: The only published biography to be written about Trent Reznor (by someone under a pseudonym, believe it or not), not only chronicles Reznor's early work and early childhood, but also focuses on the musical career of my personal hero, while spending a great deal of it's time trying to provide a philosophical answer to the decisions and situations which helped shape the man into the legend we know him as today; a man who's musical influence on my generation has proven to be as vital and huge as Bob Dylan's was on the Boomers and the earliest members of Generation X.
Continued Next Week....
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Montages, the artform thereof, and all subsequent works featured on this blog page are owned by DaiQuan M. Cain and are subject to copyright (#185729-V) under the U.S. Copyright Law of 1976 & the U.S. Library of Congress. Any thievery, unauthorized usage, or infringement of said work(s) and copyright(s) will result in a fine of up to $250,000 or more.