"Listen for me, I’ll be shouting; we’re gonna make it all the way to the light, but you know I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight!" - Bono
Click For Part Three: HERE
#31: Life
Synopsis: Life told the layered story of how, after serving twelve years in prison for a double homicide that he didn't commit, Charlie Crews (played memorably by Damian Lewis) re-conformed to the very same society that ironically abandoned and moved on without him while he served time. Meanwhile, after being reinstated into the LAPD as a promoted detective, Crews ultimately bonds with his reluctant new partner Dani Reese (played most impressively by Sarah Shahi) as the two solve some of the most bizarre crimes - day in and day out - that take place within the sunny confines of the Californian metropolis; all the while, as Charlie (sometimes with the help of his best friend Ted Earley) uses his newfound wealth of fifty million dollars of settlement money from the city, in order to secretly investigate the in-department conspiracy that helped put him away over a decade ago.
Why It's On The List: This series, without much effort, proved to be something of a special sort from the time it premiered in late September of 2007, all the way to it's very satisfying conclusion in early April of 2009. One of the very few elite shows of the past decade that were written with such intelligence: Life was a story of revelation, acceptance, hope, and the evolution of the human spirit - all themes of which have been very hard to find on television for my generation so far. More importantly, I feel as though, in about ten years from now - when some lucky staff writer for a television-oriented website gets the assignment to write a piece about the very best television shows of the 2000's - he or she will probably have this series on their list for sure. But, like with anything else: Only time will tell.
Episodes That I Recommend: "Merit Badge" (1x01), "Let Her Go" (1x03), "The Fallen Woman" (1x05), "Powerless" (1x06), "Farthingale" (1x08), "Dig a Hole" (1x10), "Fill It Up" (1x11), "Find Your Happy Place" (2x01), "The Business of Miracles" (2x03), "Did You Feel That?" (2x06), "Black Friday" (2x08), "Canyon Flowers" (2x11), "Trapdoor" (2x12), "Re-Entry" (2x13), "Hit Me Baby" (2x16), "Shelf Life" (2x17), "3 Women" (2x18), "5 Quarts" (2x19), "Initiative 38" (2x20), and *"One" (2x21)
#32: Children of Men
Synopsis: Imagine a world where women - the world across - have been infertile for over two decades, not a single baby has been born in years, and the youngest person in the world has recently been killed. Can't? Well, neither could I before this apocalyptic modern masterpiece came along. Simply taking place in fascist 2027 England - the last surviving superpower in the world after a mysterious worldwide catastrophe occurs - a man named Theo Faron finds himself protecting and insuring the survival of a young refugee girl named Kee who is revealed to be pregnant with the first child in well over a decade. Spanning over an hour and a half, the film takes it's audience through a remarkable theatric journey of loss, violence, persecution, rekindled and bittersweet love, and ultimately: Hope.
Why It's On The List: Featuring an impressive ensemble cast comprised of Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine (cheers for a last name that's similar to my own!), and Chiwetel Ejiofor: Children of Men still stands out (to me atleast) as one of the most well-written, well-directed, well-acted, well-edited, and well-scored films I've ever seen in my entire life so far. Much in the vain of older classics in it's genre, farther or nearer, like "Logan's Run" and "eXistenZ" - "Children of Men" does much to make it's viewers actually think about it's themes and topics, particularly in a way that few films have been able to in this day and age. A modern classic, for sure, Children of Men asks a bunch of thought-provoking questions in reference to the future of mankind, for which my generation - in particular - is solely responisbile for answering.
#33: D.C. Sniper Shootings of 2002
Synopsis: For three weeks, the country was in terror once again. This time, it wasn't islamic extremists crashing planes into buildings as it were little over a year before these events took place, but rather coldly, just two men shooting down everyday civilians for no good reason. Leaving behind a tarot card at the site of each brutal shooting along with a grim message, the mysterious killers were at one point believed to be a sole entity murdering from the likes of an infamous "white van", but after twenty-three days, ten dead, six wounded, and an entire nation frozen in fear, the mysterious "DC Sniper" was revealed to be the duo of John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo.
Why It's On The List: Probably the largest and most recent reminder that evil walks right beside us every single day on the common streets, not necessarily in a foreign country or held by a foreign power of some sort, the beyond-evil actions of Muhammed and Malvo proved to be one of the first of the many tragic lessons that my generation had to learn quickly: Evil is alive and well in the world we've inherited. It doesn't discriminate, it doesn't hold back in any way.... evil is relentless. For a generation that thought they were safe up until then, the sniper shootings of 2002 opened our eyes forever to a new world of senseless danger and ruthlessness.
#34: True Blood
Synopsis: Admittedly, this is a very overrated series that clearly thrives on shock value, if anything else, BUT it is an alright show - one of which my generation seems to absolutely adore (perhaps too much?), so it makes it onto the list sorta by default. With that being said, let's get down to business! Taking place in the fictional small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, "True Blood" tells the story of the town's inhabitants and how their lives, at large, are changed when the vampire population of the country reveal themselves to be real actual beings who've been living (lustfully) among us as an invisible master race since the beginning of humankind. More to the center of the show's focus: The story and life of series protagonist Sookie Stackhouse is chronicled, while in the meantime her romantic relationship with 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton causes friction between herself, her closest friends and family, and at times, even with Bill's fellow supernatural associates like the thousand-year-old anti-heroic Eric Northman.
Why It's On The List: Striking a chord with those my age for some weird reason, "True Blood" has become a mainstay in our popular culture for the past two years. Like few shows in the past ten or eleven years have been able to accomplish, "True Blood' is known partially for keeping it's viewers entertained while having them come back for more every week thanks to the series' unique format of storytelling (ending each episode with a cliffhanger and then picking up the next episode at the exact same moment the last one left off at). Right alongside it's few other horror/sci-fi siblings which have been found in recent television listings like "Supernatural", "Smallville", "Saving Grace", "Ghost Whisperer", "The Dead Zone", and "Reaper" - True Blood helps, very much I'll admit, to fill the big shoes left behind by the trailblazers of Generation X's now-gone-but-still-legendary sci-fi dramas like "The X-Files", "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", and "Charmed".
Particular Episodes That I Recommend (Because the series is written as one very long episode): "Strange Love" (1x01), "The First Taste" (1x02), "Escape From Dragon House" (1x04), "Cold Ground" (1x06), "Plaisir d'Amour" (1x09), "I Don't Wanna Know" (1x10), "You'll Be the Death of Me" (1x12), "Nothing But the Blood" (2x01), "Scratches" (2x03), "Shake and Fingerpop" (2x04), "Hard-Hearted Hannah" (2x06), "Timebomb" (2x08), "I Will Rise Up" (2x09), "Frenzy" (2x11), *"Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" (2x12), "Bad Blood" (3x01), "Beautifully Broken" (3x02), "9 Crimes" (3x04), "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" (3x06), "Hitting the Ground" (3x07), "Everything is Broken" (3x09), and "Fresh Blood" (3x11)
#35: Year Zero
Synopsis: One of Nine Inch Nails' final outings in the music community before Trent Reznor retired, 2007's concept album "Year Zero" ended up becoming one of the best musical projects of the decade. Lyrically taking place in yet another fascist future, this time in 2022, Reznor's then-latest album was one filled with warnings against greed, warnings about racism, warnings about the world's largest superpower gaining too much power across the board, the destruction of rightful privacy, and the downfall of world economics. Highly stylized and structurally different than any other Nine Inch Nails album before it, due to this album being the first ever that didn't use Reznor's personal life as the primary fuel for it's engine, "Year Zero" was an immense success in many more ways than only one. Further reinvigorating the industrial brainchild of Reznor's for a younger audience after the previous success of 2005's six-year-long hiatus-breaking "With Teeth" (my favorite Nine Inch Nails album by far), Year Zero quite honestly could be compared to the likes of The Beatles' "White Album" in the sense that it was probably THE most defining album for a younger generation than those who actually made the music.
Why It's On The List: Featuring mainstayed Nine Inch Nails classics such as "Capital G", "Survivalism", "The Good Soldier", "The Beginning of The End", and "In This Twilight" - the sixth studio album of Nine Inch Nails' discography is definitley one of the gems made in the formidable years of my young generation. Continuing the fight alongside the likes of Muse, The White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Staind, Coldplay, and U2 - among others - for the resurgence of quality music in an era of junk-pop brought on by the likes of Brittany Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, Linkin Park, Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, and The Jonas Brothers, this particular musical release of Trent Reznor's continues to fight the good fight (in the memorable words of the great song by Triumph) to bring my generation actual music instead of the popcorn "Twilight"-era of which the music industry has currently found itself in today. A true gem indeed, Year Zero is a high ten on a mere list of one to four stars....
#36: Watchmen (2009)
Synopsis: Just like the original comic book mini-series, Zach Snyder's very faithful adaption of the original 1986 books, has since become regarded as one of the very best comic book movies ever to be made. Keeping in mind nearly every detail, the film version of the comic book masterpiece follows the masterful tale down to it's very core: Taking place in an alternate 1985 where Richard Nixon was elected for four terms of the U.S presidency and the world was extremely close to the brink of nuclear war, Eddie Blake - the man who was once infamously known to the underworld as The Comedian - is killed by a mysterious intruder one night at his luxurious Manhattan apartment. Immediately afterwards, a fellow masked vigilante named Rorschach investigates the murder of his now-deceased ally. Drumming up the possibility that someone (perhaps an old enemy of the now-outlawed superhero group formerly known as the Watchmen) might be setting out to take revenge against the retired heroes, Rorschach - without a second wasted - sets out to warn, one by one, each member of the former team: Starting first with his former partner Daniel Dreiberg, the man who once donned the gimmick of the Night Owl; then moving on to Jon Osterman and Laurie Jupiter - the former heroes once known as Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre, respectively, but to no avail. It isn't long, however, before the ink-faced hero is proven right, when suspicious (and convenient) attacks and ambushes all occur within a small window of each other against each and every one of the former heroes that he tried to warn beforehand - up to and including Rorschach himself - who finds himself framed, unmasked, and in prison before long.
Why It's On The List: With the director's cut (the most full-fledged version of the film) running over three and a half hours long and being the most superior adaptation of the comics, the "Watchmen" movie - in any sense: director's cut or not - proved from the very first time that I watched the adaptation on the big screen, to be visual storytelling at it's very best. Probably one of the top ten best films, in general, of the year of it's release - Snyder's "Watchmen" film, to me, has become probably the only comic-book-rooted film which can truly lay claim to rival the likes of 2008's sequel to Batman Begins: "The Dark Knight". With an outstanding soundtrack to highlight great direction, superb acting, and on-spot writing: the Watchmen movie is definitely something that I think my generation will remember and hold on to for a very long time to come, much in the way that Generation X holds 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back" or 1982's "Blade Runner". All in all, where Generation X got the Watchmen comic, Generation Y got the Watchmen movie - both equally impressive projects with one similar outcome: One hell of a story. But, the thing that makes this movie so unique to Generation Y? It's the fact that what was started as a magnum-opus for Generation X, finally got finished as one of the most faithful and detailed screen adaptations ever made for Generation Y.
#37: 300 (2007)
Synopsis: Doing his best to avoid the overthrow of his kingdom, famed King Leonidas of Sparta leaves his beautiful wife Gorgo and their young son in order to ambush and defeat the Persian military forces which are spreading and conquering all in their path like wildfire. Taking along with him three-hundred of the toughest and most well-trained soldiers of his massive army (which has been forbidden to enter into battle with the Persians due to the greed-influenced decisions made by several corrupt higher-ups in the Spartan chain of command) Leonidas sets off into the legendary Battle of Thermopylae in preparation for his inaugural campaign against the approaching opposing army lead by self-proclaimed "God"-king Xerxes.
Why It's On The List: Resulting in breakthroughs for chroma-key technology while being faithful to the comic book which was illustrated and written by Frank Miller (who based his book loosely on the actual Battle of Thermopylae), the film version of this story was the first of it's kind. In some ways, a predecessor to Snyder's next film "Watchmen", this highly detailed adaptation of the famous story does much to please it's audience and doesn't fall short of it's attempts to do so. Stylized, original in the way that it was filmed, emotionally gripping, and ultimately satisfying: Zack Snyder's vision of Frank Miller's comic book masterpiece has already become a worldwide favorite of international audiences the whole world over, but most importantly, one of the favorites of Generation Y.
#38: The Punisher: Born
Synopsis: Telling the previously untold bloody story of Frank Castle's very last tour in the Vietnam War, Punisher: Born reveals the further origins of how Frank Castle became the Punisher - both from an obvious standpoint, and further, from a possibly supernatural point of view. Opening in 1971 Vietnam, Castle is already an experienced and keen Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, and also primarily in charge of his own reconnaissance platoon. Taking place over the course of his final tour's four most crucial days, the mini-series is told from the point of view of doomed Private First-Class Stevie Goodwin - a young man who is deeply admiring of Castle: The man who will one day, soon after the events of the book, become the grim reaper of New York City's dark underbelly. Written with wily skill from the likes of comics superstar Garth Ennis, drawn in extraordinary detail by artist Darick Robertson, and inked to near-perfection by Tom Palmer, Born is the go-to mini-series for anyone interested in any part of the character - especially those more interested in the popular character's origins.
Why It's On The List: To be honest, this series is just plain outstanding! But most importantly: It's dedication to the character himself, and the chronological forthcoming events in the character's timeline, are remarkable. If I had to pick only five of the best comic book story arcs that have been written in my generation's most formative years, the series would be somewhere in the top three without any hesitation. One of the gems of my generation, this series isn't only good judging by today's standards, I'm sure, but it's pretty good for any era's list of literary expectations.
Best Issue Of The Series: Punisher: Born #4 - The Big Battle at Firebase Valley Forge/The Birth of The Punisher
#39: The Mummy (1999)
Synopsis: Primarily taking place in 1926, thousands of years after high priest Imhotep failed to resurrect his forbidden lover Anck-su-Namun from her death (and he, himself, was subsequently put to death and then mummified), the world nearly falls into a biblical apocalypse when somewhat-clumsy librarian Evy Carnahan and experienced adventurer Rick O'Connell (played to absolute PERFECTION by Brenden Fraser) irresponsibly read from the Book of the Dead and unwittingly summon the long-dead high priest back to life. Trying hard throughout the course of the film to lay the resurrected mummy back to rest at any costs: Rick, Evy, Evy's older brother Jonathan, and one of the leaders of the Medjei tribe named Ardeth Bay, race against time to stop Imhotep from resurrecting Anck-su-Namun (through a ritual that would require Evy to be sacrificed) and from destroying the world at large. Meanwhile, the movie leaves a whole lot of room for smart wholesome fun and highly-adrenalated action by using Rick, in particular, to do battle with countless numbers of mummifed minions in order to save Evy from Imhotep's ritual.
Why It's On The List: Made much in homage to the action serials of the 1930's and 1940's, 1999's "Mummy" was to my generation what the original "Star Wars" film was for Generation X: A fun movie with a load of new experiences. An obvious modern-day classic, the contemporary version of "The Mummy" has proven itself to be one of the most fun and entertaining films from my generation's childhood ever since it was released over eleven years ago. Spawning two more sequels in the years that followed, 1999's "Mummy" was one of the last big box office hits of the twentieth century, as well as one of the stepping stones for the subsequent decade filled with special effects-glazed summer blockbusters that subsequently followed in it's footsteps.
#40: American Gods
Synopsis: Probably the very best novel written by novelist Neil Gaiman, "American Gods" has influenced the likes of such television shows as "Supernatural" (Check out episode 5x19: "Hammer of the Gods") and "Saving Grace" (Check out episode 3x15: "So Help You God"). In this novel, Gods are real, the source of their powers are symbiotic to the amount of people that believe in them, and they only exist according to if they're believed in or not; Put simpler: The more people that believe in a specific god, the stronger and more real that that particular God can become. The plot follows a man named Shadow right after his early release from prison due to his unfaithful wife's recent death. After recieving an emissary type of job from Mr. Wednsday (Odin), Shadow travels throughout the country locating and recruiting all of the oldest gods in creation, with the intent to prepare for a huge battle against the newer gods (who've come into existance thanks to the technological advances of society and entertainment) - a blowout, in fact, which has been brewing up between the two opposing groups for quite a while.
Why It's On The List: Delivering what was one of the best fantasy novels of the 2000's, "American Gods" has influenced more mediums, genres, and other works of literature, like only a select few others in it's specific field have even attempted to. Something which has affected many countless things that have gone unnoticed or uncredited in other works of fiction ever since it's initial release, this great work of fiction written by Neil Gaiman (creator of the "Sandman" comic book universe, "Beowulf" and "Stardust") offers a payload of above-average literary expertise, clever plotting, and a thought-provoking moral to it's very own storyline which will leave you stunned if you read it with the appropriate mindset. A great book written and geared towards Generation Y, "American Gods" - I'm sure - will be on lists like this one for a very long time to come.
Continued Next Week....
Click For Part Three: HERE
#31: Life
Synopsis: Life told the layered story of how, after serving twelve years in prison for a double homicide that he didn't commit, Charlie Crews (played memorably by Damian Lewis) re-conformed to the very same society that ironically abandoned and moved on without him while he served time. Meanwhile, after being reinstated into the LAPD as a promoted detective, Crews ultimately bonds with his reluctant new partner Dani Reese (played most impressively by Sarah Shahi) as the two solve some of the most bizarre crimes - day in and day out - that take place within the sunny confines of the Californian metropolis; all the while, as Charlie (sometimes with the help of his best friend Ted Earley) uses his newfound wealth of fifty million dollars of settlement money from the city, in order to secretly investigate the in-department conspiracy that helped put him away over a decade ago.
Why It's On The List: This series, without much effort, proved to be something of a special sort from the time it premiered in late September of 2007, all the way to it's very satisfying conclusion in early April of 2009. One of the very few elite shows of the past decade that were written with such intelligence: Life was a story of revelation, acceptance, hope, and the evolution of the human spirit - all themes of which have been very hard to find on television for my generation so far. More importantly, I feel as though, in about ten years from now - when some lucky staff writer for a television-oriented website gets the assignment to write a piece about the very best television shows of the 2000's - he or she will probably have this series on their list for sure. But, like with anything else: Only time will tell.
Episodes That I Recommend: "Merit Badge" (1x01), "Let Her Go" (1x03), "The Fallen Woman" (1x05), "Powerless" (1x06), "Farthingale" (1x08), "Dig a Hole" (1x10), "Fill It Up" (1x11), "Find Your Happy Place" (2x01), "The Business of Miracles" (2x03), "Did You Feel That?" (2x06), "Black Friday" (2x08), "Canyon Flowers" (2x11), "Trapdoor" (2x12), "Re-Entry" (2x13), "Hit Me Baby" (2x16), "Shelf Life" (2x17), "3 Women" (2x18), "5 Quarts" (2x19), "Initiative 38" (2x20), and *"One" (2x21)
#32: Children of Men
Synopsis: Imagine a world where women - the world across - have been infertile for over two decades, not a single baby has been born in years, and the youngest person in the world has recently been killed. Can't? Well, neither could I before this apocalyptic modern masterpiece came along. Simply taking place in fascist 2027 England - the last surviving superpower in the world after a mysterious worldwide catastrophe occurs - a man named Theo Faron finds himself protecting and insuring the survival of a young refugee girl named Kee who is revealed to be pregnant with the first child in well over a decade. Spanning over an hour and a half, the film takes it's audience through a remarkable theatric journey of loss, violence, persecution, rekindled and bittersweet love, and ultimately: Hope.
Why It's On The List: Featuring an impressive ensemble cast comprised of Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine (cheers for a last name that's similar to my own!), and Chiwetel Ejiofor: Children of Men still stands out (to me atleast) as one of the most well-written, well-directed, well-acted, well-edited, and well-scored films I've ever seen in my entire life so far. Much in the vain of older classics in it's genre, farther or nearer, like "Logan's Run" and "eXistenZ" - "Children of Men" does much to make it's viewers actually think about it's themes and topics, particularly in a way that few films have been able to in this day and age. A modern classic, for sure, Children of Men asks a bunch of thought-provoking questions in reference to the future of mankind, for which my generation - in particular - is solely responisbile for answering.
#33: D.C. Sniper Shootings of 2002
Synopsis: For three weeks, the country was in terror once again. This time, it wasn't islamic extremists crashing planes into buildings as it were little over a year before these events took place, but rather coldly, just two men shooting down everyday civilians for no good reason. Leaving behind a tarot card at the site of each brutal shooting along with a grim message, the mysterious killers were at one point believed to be a sole entity murdering from the likes of an infamous "white van", but after twenty-three days, ten dead, six wounded, and an entire nation frozen in fear, the mysterious "DC Sniper" was revealed to be the duo of John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo.
Why It's On The List: Probably the largest and most recent reminder that evil walks right beside us every single day on the common streets, not necessarily in a foreign country or held by a foreign power of some sort, the beyond-evil actions of Muhammed and Malvo proved to be one of the first of the many tragic lessons that my generation had to learn quickly: Evil is alive and well in the world we've inherited. It doesn't discriminate, it doesn't hold back in any way.... evil is relentless. For a generation that thought they were safe up until then, the sniper shootings of 2002 opened our eyes forever to a new world of senseless danger and ruthlessness.
#34: True Blood
Synopsis: Admittedly, this is a very overrated series that clearly thrives on shock value, if anything else, BUT it is an alright show - one of which my generation seems to absolutely adore (perhaps too much?), so it makes it onto the list sorta by default. With that being said, let's get down to business! Taking place in the fictional small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, "True Blood" tells the story of the town's inhabitants and how their lives, at large, are changed when the vampire population of the country reveal themselves to be real actual beings who've been living (lustfully) among us as an invisible master race since the beginning of humankind. More to the center of the show's focus: The story and life of series protagonist Sookie Stackhouse is chronicled, while in the meantime her romantic relationship with 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton causes friction between herself, her closest friends and family, and at times, even with Bill's fellow supernatural associates like the thousand-year-old anti-heroic Eric Northman.
Why It's On The List: Striking a chord with those my age for some weird reason, "True Blood" has become a mainstay in our popular culture for the past two years. Like few shows in the past ten or eleven years have been able to accomplish, "True Blood' is known partially for keeping it's viewers entertained while having them come back for more every week thanks to the series' unique format of storytelling (ending each episode with a cliffhanger and then picking up the next episode at the exact same moment the last one left off at). Right alongside it's few other horror/sci-fi siblings which have been found in recent television listings like "Supernatural", "Smallville", "Saving Grace", "Ghost Whisperer", "The Dead Zone", and "Reaper" - True Blood helps, very much I'll admit, to fill the big shoes left behind by the trailblazers of Generation X's now-gone-but-still-legendary sci-fi dramas like "The X-Files", "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", and "Charmed".
Particular Episodes That I Recommend (Because the series is written as one very long episode): "Strange Love" (1x01), "The First Taste" (1x02), "Escape From Dragon House" (1x04), "Cold Ground" (1x06), "Plaisir d'Amour" (1x09), "I Don't Wanna Know" (1x10), "You'll Be the Death of Me" (1x12), "Nothing But the Blood" (2x01), "Scratches" (2x03), "Shake and Fingerpop" (2x04), "Hard-Hearted Hannah" (2x06), "Timebomb" (2x08), "I Will Rise Up" (2x09), "Frenzy" (2x11), *"Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" (2x12), "Bad Blood" (3x01), "Beautifully Broken" (3x02), "9 Crimes" (3x04), "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" (3x06), "Hitting the Ground" (3x07), "Everything is Broken" (3x09), and "Fresh Blood" (3x11)
#35: Year Zero
Synopsis: One of Nine Inch Nails' final outings in the music community before Trent Reznor retired, 2007's concept album "Year Zero" ended up becoming one of the best musical projects of the decade. Lyrically taking place in yet another fascist future, this time in 2022, Reznor's then-latest album was one filled with warnings against greed, warnings about racism, warnings about the world's largest superpower gaining too much power across the board, the destruction of rightful privacy, and the downfall of world economics. Highly stylized and structurally different than any other Nine Inch Nails album before it, due to this album being the first ever that didn't use Reznor's personal life as the primary fuel for it's engine, "Year Zero" was an immense success in many more ways than only one. Further reinvigorating the industrial brainchild of Reznor's for a younger audience after the previous success of 2005's six-year-long hiatus-breaking "With Teeth" (my favorite Nine Inch Nails album by far), Year Zero quite honestly could be compared to the likes of The Beatles' "White Album" in the sense that it was probably THE most defining album for a younger generation than those who actually made the music.
Why It's On The List: Featuring mainstayed Nine Inch Nails classics such as "Capital G", "Survivalism", "The Good Soldier", "The Beginning of The End", and "In This Twilight" - the sixth studio album of Nine Inch Nails' discography is definitley one of the gems made in the formidable years of my young generation. Continuing the fight alongside the likes of Muse, The White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Staind, Coldplay, and U2 - among others - for the resurgence of quality music in an era of junk-pop brought on by the likes of Brittany Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, Linkin Park, Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, and The Jonas Brothers, this particular musical release of Trent Reznor's continues to fight the good fight (in the memorable words of the great song by Triumph) to bring my generation actual music instead of the popcorn "Twilight"-era of which the music industry has currently found itself in today. A true gem indeed, Year Zero is a high ten on a mere list of one to four stars....
#36: Watchmen (2009)
Synopsis: Just like the original comic book mini-series, Zach Snyder's very faithful adaption of the original 1986 books, has since become regarded as one of the very best comic book movies ever to be made. Keeping in mind nearly every detail, the film version of the comic book masterpiece follows the masterful tale down to it's very core: Taking place in an alternate 1985 where Richard Nixon was elected for four terms of the U.S presidency and the world was extremely close to the brink of nuclear war, Eddie Blake - the man who was once infamously known to the underworld as The Comedian - is killed by a mysterious intruder one night at his luxurious Manhattan apartment. Immediately afterwards, a fellow masked vigilante named Rorschach investigates the murder of his now-deceased ally. Drumming up the possibility that someone (perhaps an old enemy of the now-outlawed superhero group formerly known as the Watchmen) might be setting out to take revenge against the retired heroes, Rorschach - without a second wasted - sets out to warn, one by one, each member of the former team: Starting first with his former partner Daniel Dreiberg, the man who once donned the gimmick of the Night Owl; then moving on to Jon Osterman and Laurie Jupiter - the former heroes once known as Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre, respectively, but to no avail. It isn't long, however, before the ink-faced hero is proven right, when suspicious (and convenient) attacks and ambushes all occur within a small window of each other against each and every one of the former heroes that he tried to warn beforehand - up to and including Rorschach himself - who finds himself framed, unmasked, and in prison before long.
Why It's On The List: With the director's cut (the most full-fledged version of the film) running over three and a half hours long and being the most superior adaptation of the comics, the "Watchmen" movie - in any sense: director's cut or not - proved from the very first time that I watched the adaptation on the big screen, to be visual storytelling at it's very best. Probably one of the top ten best films, in general, of the year of it's release - Snyder's "Watchmen" film, to me, has become probably the only comic-book-rooted film which can truly lay claim to rival the likes of 2008's sequel to Batman Begins: "The Dark Knight". With an outstanding soundtrack to highlight great direction, superb acting, and on-spot writing: the Watchmen movie is definitely something that I think my generation will remember and hold on to for a very long time to come, much in the way that Generation X holds 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back" or 1982's "Blade Runner". All in all, where Generation X got the Watchmen comic, Generation Y got the Watchmen movie - both equally impressive projects with one similar outcome: One hell of a story. But, the thing that makes this movie so unique to Generation Y? It's the fact that what was started as a magnum-opus for Generation X, finally got finished as one of the most faithful and detailed screen adaptations ever made for Generation Y.
#37: 300 (2007)
Synopsis: Doing his best to avoid the overthrow of his kingdom, famed King Leonidas of Sparta leaves his beautiful wife Gorgo and their young son in order to ambush and defeat the Persian military forces which are spreading and conquering all in their path like wildfire. Taking along with him three-hundred of the toughest and most well-trained soldiers of his massive army (which has been forbidden to enter into battle with the Persians due to the greed-influenced decisions made by several corrupt higher-ups in the Spartan chain of command) Leonidas sets off into the legendary Battle of Thermopylae in preparation for his inaugural campaign against the approaching opposing army lead by self-proclaimed "God"-king Xerxes.
Why It's On The List: Resulting in breakthroughs for chroma-key technology while being faithful to the comic book which was illustrated and written by Frank Miller (who based his book loosely on the actual Battle of Thermopylae), the film version of this story was the first of it's kind. In some ways, a predecessor to Snyder's next film "Watchmen", this highly detailed adaptation of the famous story does much to please it's audience and doesn't fall short of it's attempts to do so. Stylized, original in the way that it was filmed, emotionally gripping, and ultimately satisfying: Zack Snyder's vision of Frank Miller's comic book masterpiece has already become a worldwide favorite of international audiences the whole world over, but most importantly, one of the favorites of Generation Y.
#38: The Punisher: Born
Synopsis: Telling the previously untold bloody story of Frank Castle's very last tour in the Vietnam War, Punisher: Born reveals the further origins of how Frank Castle became the Punisher - both from an obvious standpoint, and further, from a possibly supernatural point of view. Opening in 1971 Vietnam, Castle is already an experienced and keen Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, and also primarily in charge of his own reconnaissance platoon. Taking place over the course of his final tour's four most crucial days, the mini-series is told from the point of view of doomed Private First-Class Stevie Goodwin - a young man who is deeply admiring of Castle: The man who will one day, soon after the events of the book, become the grim reaper of New York City's dark underbelly. Written with wily skill from the likes of comics superstar Garth Ennis, drawn in extraordinary detail by artist Darick Robertson, and inked to near-perfection by Tom Palmer, Born is the go-to mini-series for anyone interested in any part of the character - especially those more interested in the popular character's origins.
Why It's On The List: To be honest, this series is just plain outstanding! But most importantly: It's dedication to the character himself, and the chronological forthcoming events in the character's timeline, are remarkable. If I had to pick only five of the best comic book story arcs that have been written in my generation's most formative years, the series would be somewhere in the top three without any hesitation. One of the gems of my generation, this series isn't only good judging by today's standards, I'm sure, but it's pretty good for any era's list of literary expectations.
Best Issue Of The Series: Punisher: Born #4 - The Big Battle at Firebase Valley Forge/The Birth of The Punisher
#39: The Mummy (1999)
Synopsis: Primarily taking place in 1926, thousands of years after high priest Imhotep failed to resurrect his forbidden lover Anck-su-Namun from her death (and he, himself, was subsequently put to death and then mummified), the world nearly falls into a biblical apocalypse when somewhat-clumsy librarian Evy Carnahan and experienced adventurer Rick O'Connell (played to absolute PERFECTION by Brenden Fraser) irresponsibly read from the Book of the Dead and unwittingly summon the long-dead high priest back to life. Trying hard throughout the course of the film to lay the resurrected mummy back to rest at any costs: Rick, Evy, Evy's older brother Jonathan, and one of the leaders of the Medjei tribe named Ardeth Bay, race against time to stop Imhotep from resurrecting Anck-su-Namun (through a ritual that would require Evy to be sacrificed) and from destroying the world at large. Meanwhile, the movie leaves a whole lot of room for smart wholesome fun and highly-adrenalated action by using Rick, in particular, to do battle with countless numbers of mummifed minions in order to save Evy from Imhotep's ritual.
Why It's On The List: Made much in homage to the action serials of the 1930's and 1940's, 1999's "Mummy" was to my generation what the original "Star Wars" film was for Generation X: A fun movie with a load of new experiences. An obvious modern-day classic, the contemporary version of "The Mummy" has proven itself to be one of the most fun and entertaining films from my generation's childhood ever since it was released over eleven years ago. Spawning two more sequels in the years that followed, 1999's "Mummy" was one of the last big box office hits of the twentieth century, as well as one of the stepping stones for the subsequent decade filled with special effects-glazed summer blockbusters that subsequently followed in it's footsteps.
#40: American Gods
Synopsis: Probably the very best novel written by novelist Neil Gaiman, "American Gods" has influenced the likes of such television shows as "Supernatural" (Check out episode 5x19: "Hammer of the Gods") and "Saving Grace" (Check out episode 3x15: "So Help You God"). In this novel, Gods are real, the source of their powers are symbiotic to the amount of people that believe in them, and they only exist according to if they're believed in or not; Put simpler: The more people that believe in a specific god, the stronger and more real that that particular God can become. The plot follows a man named Shadow right after his early release from prison due to his unfaithful wife's recent death. After recieving an emissary type of job from Mr. Wednsday (Odin), Shadow travels throughout the country locating and recruiting all of the oldest gods in creation, with the intent to prepare for a huge battle against the newer gods (who've come into existance thanks to the technological advances of society and entertainment) - a blowout, in fact, which has been brewing up between the two opposing groups for quite a while.
Why It's On The List: Delivering what was one of the best fantasy novels of the 2000's, "American Gods" has influenced more mediums, genres, and other works of literature, like only a select few others in it's specific field have even attempted to. Something which has affected many countless things that have gone unnoticed or uncredited in other works of fiction ever since it's initial release, this great work of fiction written by Neil Gaiman (creator of the "Sandman" comic book universe, "Beowulf" and "Stardust") offers a payload of above-average literary expertise, clever plotting, and a thought-provoking moral to it's very own storyline which will leave you stunned if you read it with the appropriate mindset. A great book written and geared towards Generation Y, "American Gods" - I'm sure - will be on lists like this one for a very long time to come.
Continued Next Week....
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