Top Ten Fantasy Movies
I’ve been thinking about how much attention I have paid to science fiction in the last year (or more) and it dawned on me that I should really do a top ten list of what I consider to be the best fantasy movies. I’ve done a top ten for science fiction and for series (even splitting the latter into the best, the overrated, and the worst). So without further procrastination, here’s the list (in no particular order): Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson)This should be an automatic addition to any fantasy movies list. I’m treating the trilogy as one movie here primarily because the books were original one book and only when pressed by the publisher did Tolkien relinquish his hold on the massive single-story concept. These films were stunning not just for the computer animation or the story, but the sheer dedication of the film crew, the actors, and the creators (the costumers, the bigature folks, etc.). And then there’s Peter Jackson and his writing crew, who pulled this masterpiece together. LegendFew people know about this film and it’s honestly quite astonishing that it has stayed below the radar so long. It desperately needs a cult following. This film starred a young Tom Cruise and a typically creepy Tim Curry (who played the demon). It’s one of those films that was probably seen as absurdly childish and “cliché” when it first came out, but when you look back you can really see some larger things playing out. Or, at least, I think so. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlTo make it clear, I’m only talking about the first movie, not the ones following it. The first PotC film had a lot going for it: good graphics, good acting, good story, and humor. Whenever I think of PotC I think of the first scene where we meet Jack Sparrow. I laughed so hard in the theatre when his ship sank and he stepped off onto the dock. So, this is a must have on this list. The Wizard of OzBecause it’s a classic, it still holds up despite its age, and it’s arguably one of the best musicals of all time. You don’t even have to have seen the original Wizard of Oz to know something about it. Just like PotC and 300, it has become one of those culture-influencing films that changes the world at large, even if the world isn’t aware of it. The only way you don’t know something about the Wizard of Oz is if you’ve been living in a box or you’re too young to know what the heck all the dancing, singing things on the TV are. Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime)Some will probably disagree with me on this. I think this is one of Miyazaki’s best films. I liked Spirited Away quite a bit, but it didn’t stick with me nearly as much as Princess Mononoke. Perhaps I liked the message the film was sending because of how rooted in Japanese mythology it was, or because of how powerful the story was without having to resort to cheap tactics. It’s a stunning film with a surprisingly good English-dub cast. Toy StoryThe first Toy Story was mind-bogglingly amazing when I first saw it. Hilarious, poignant, and imaginative, this film set the stage for what Pixar was to do for the rest of its existence. A cute film for kids that appealed, surprisingly, to all ages. I can still watch Toy Story and enjoy it as a 25-year-old man. Why? Because it’s ageless. The Princess BrideHeading up the sadly tiny genre of comedic fantasy, The Princess Bride was and still is one of my favorite movies of all time. My sister brought it to my attention and to this day it is one of my favorites. How can you not like this movie? It puts together all the ridiculous clichés of the genre while giving you a cast containing a mixed bag of fantastic actors (who didn’t love Andre the giant?). Classic, timeless, and still one of the best films of all time hands down. The Neverending StoryI’m putting this on this list not because I have watched it as much as the others, but because it did something to me as a youngling that few films meant for kids was capable of doing: it terrified the hell out of me. Literally. I could never watch it all the way through as a kid. Not only was the wolf freaking scary (even though it was just a puppet), but the Nothing freaked me out. In a way, the whole film was a dark fantasy that awoke all my childhood fears. I love the film, but it’s hard for me to watch. Some of the darkness in my writing comes from this brilliant Wolfgang Peterson flick. WillowI know I’m going to get ripped on for this, but Willow is still one of my favorite films. It’s cliché, I know, and I actually have a strange phobia of little people, but something about Willow is charming. Maybe it’s because Ron Howard was involved, or maybe it’s just because it’s a cute story. Either way, the film takes a silly cliché and twists is around to provide a fantasy adventure. True, it seems like a rip-off of LOTR, what with the main cast being little people from a faraway place where regular men (us) don’t hang out, but I think what Willow did that LOTR failed to do was make a story that was more believable. After all, there are no silly moments in the end where you go “wait, couldn’t they have just taken a giant eagle to the volcano instead of wasting all those months nearly dying of starvation?” Alice in WonderlandChoosing the final item for this list was difficult. I realize that I had placed a lot of children’s movies on this list, but it seems somewhat funny that the vast majority of good fantasy happens to be made for kids. In
2008 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Announced
I think I may have mentioned all this before, but it seems that there was an email glitch that prevented the official news from getting out there from the GSAs. So, I’m here to tell you that the official winners have been announced (make sure to click the link so you get the shortlisted works too): Best NovelWicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale Best Short Fiction“Ever So Much More than Twenty” by Joshua Lewis There’s a huge list of other works that are shortlisted that are certainly worth checking out. Of course, I’m excited because I was a judge in 2008 and found it to be an incredible experience. Wicked Gentlemen was certainly one of the best novels I read for the GSAs. Hopefully I’ll get to do it again! Anywho! If you liked this post, please stumble it, digg it, or buzz it.
John Christopher’s Tripod Trilogy Off to the Movies
As the title says, apparently John Christopher’s Tripod Trilogy is being adapted to the big screen (by Touchstone Pictures). I’ve never read the books, but I’m entirely cool with more science fiction novels being turned into movies. The more the merrier. Any thoughts from folks who have read the series? Or are those of us in the U.S. mostly ignorant of Christopher? If you liked this post, please stumble it, digg it, or buzz it.