'Spirited Away'

I'm going to be honest: I put little credence or hope in animated films and probably less in Japanese animated films. It's a prejudice that I may never, ever get over.

However, I completely enjoyed "Spirited Away." If I were to create a list of the best 10 films I've seen the last five years, "Spirited Away" would make the top six.

How is it that animators can create these extremely likable, deep, empathetic characters that 90 percent of all live-action films or TV can not do no matter how hard they try. If they made Anne Frank into a cartoon, the sympathy level for Holocaust victims would go through the roof.

Maybe the key is not having to deal with real people, who generally mess up feelings -- fake or otherwise -- no matter what. People are the worst.

'Nosferatu'

Earlier this week, I wrote about the film "Pink Flamingos."

Let me tell you something, I'll take "Nosferatu" one billion times over "Pink Flamingos."

It was 50 years before in the infancy of film making, but it is 175 times better. Everything from the acting to the production to the story to the execution to the flippin' credits.

And "Nosferatu" probably isn't anywhere near close to the top 10 movies I've seen off this list. If it's 175 times better, does "Pink Flamingos" belong?

One interesting note about "Nosferatu" is the apparent theft of the story from Bram Stoker, but then they changed all the names and places and it was OK. Then the American version comes out and they include the original Stoker names into the rolling dialogue screens. So the movie's called "Nosferatu" but the character in the American version is good ol' Count Dracula.

'Brown Sugar'

The only reason I gave D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" a lick of attention is due to a story I recently read in SPIN magazine about the former R&B superstar, who basically fell off the face of the music world.

I'm always eerily fascinated by the story of the person who is not mentally capable of doing what he or she does best. Whether it's a baseball player, singer, actor or whatever.

It's more interesting when there doesn't seem to be any drugs involved. Or when drugs really aren't the story, but are in the scene. Read Johnny Cash's autobiography or whatever. Yes, he was popping pills, but there were a ton more problems with the guy other than a hectic schedule, the high or stress.

D'Angelo may never record or release another song or album ever. Or he may release 10. Who knows? What I do know is that in the late-1990s, he was the end-all, be-all of R&B music and he released a spectacular album, which probably defines him more than any breakdown or magazine story.

'Deconstructing Harry'

While thoroughly enjoying Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry," I came to the fairly obvious conclusion: That the No. 1 guy that would get this 1,001 project would be Allen.

Imagine sitting around and drinking coffee with the director and him knowing more about film, art, music along with a neurotic take on human behavior and love and relationships. It would be electric. Plus, he might even buy the coffee, or, better yet, convince me to pick up the tab.

"Deconstructing Harry" is my favorite modern Allen film (released in 1997). There are two things I love about the film.

First, I love that Allen's character -- Harry -- is largely unlikeable (which isn't so much unlike his other characters) but is also genuinely an asshole. A not-very-good-overall-person.

You go in thinking you're supposed to like Harry and thus he becomes an anti-hero. But then at the end you know he's not a good person. Harry himself, I think, realizes this when he "blesses" the marriage between Billy Crystal and Liz Shue.

The second reason I love this film is Allen's ability to take risks and create scenarios where the art within the art is the character. Harry is post modern, but "Deconstructing Harry" isn't. But if Harry is, why wouldn't the movie be? In every film, I think we catch a glimpse of Allen's inner desires and thoughts. I believe he feels the same way about Hannah and her sisters, Annie Hall, Vickie and Cristina that Harry did about the characters in his novels, who were actually real people in his life.

Hell, maybe Harry is an anti-hero. I like him more now than I did 48 hours ago.

'Pink Flamingos'

After watching this "cult" classic I started asking people what the value of this film was.

Was it kitsch? It's so bad, it's good? It's so over the top?

I can't get a good answer. No one can tell me why this film is "important" because it sure as hell ain't good. And I'm going to go ahead and deem it not only a bad film, but an unworthy film of viewing. It has no value. It doesn't add nor does it subtract and when art does neither than it might as well spend eternity in purgatory.

I realize how I'm supposed to feel and when feelings and emotions are as contrived as that, then value lessens. I supposed to be offended or to have my provincial, puritanical mores and lifestyle rocked and questioned by this hedonistic, sick and "filthy" comment on America's underbelly of hippies, transvestites, sex fiends and rednecks.

But it's lazy. The same way an antiestablishmentarian chokes at the idea of being force fed a certain way of life, so is the other side. People -- like me -- that don't eat dog shit or fuck girls with chickens tune out when they feel they're being preached to. And, yes, this film is preaching whether the director or actors think they are or not.

With all this said, the single worst acting job in the history of film is by the pregnant girl in the pit. Rewatch her scenes and you'll be begging for more chicken sex.

'Band on the Run'

This is just really a fine album. Definitely the most popular of Paul McCartney's solo stuff and probably any other release by a former Beatle.

It's chockful of goodies like "Helen Wheels," "Jet," "Let Me Roll It" and "Band on the Run."

This album is also considered the greatest post-Beatle Beatle record. Which brings up the debate of "greatest" versus "most popular." They're not one in the same. "Ram" and "McCartney" had much better songs.

This album does have two very good purposes:

1. First, "Let Me Roll It" is an outstanding song. Can't believe it wasn't a single.

2. You finally get to look up the lyrics to "Jet" which make no sense even if you know what he's saying.

'Blade Runner'

The book -- "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" -- really ruined me from this movie.

Always considered a sci-fi classic, it definitely has its value. But you read the book and it's so much better that you re-watch the movie and feel a little cheated.

The book goes deep into the true culture of the time period especially the value of animals (fake or live) and just how important it was to not only be human (and to have empathy) but to be able to be empathetic toward another creation (an animal).

It didn't feel like a push for saving the dolphins, but animals were more of a way to prove or show that we are human.

The book, also, is asexual. Yes, he humps the android in both, but in the book it was ... robotic. It literally meant nothing and showed that no matter how much you touch, it's hard to feel anything for a computer. Ain't nothing like a good puppy dog.

And I think the film lost all of this. It lost the cuddliness. The film is dark, jagged, unloving and cold. Whereas the book seemed like a redeemable society. Plus, the film didn't go into the war plus a lot of other cool stuff.

'Get Carter'

Can you believe that Sylvester Stallone had the gall to do a remake of this fabulous film? What nerve! The audacity!

This is great. Interestingly, Jeezy and I were looking at a collage of photos from year's past at the Cannes Film Festival and came upon a photo of a young Michael Caine with birds on each arm and "ALFIE" stitched on his swim wear.

Caine was straight up pimping back then. Kind of a Daniel Craig with a little bit of class and a shitload more kickassedness.

Now, kids under the age of 19 figure he's been Alfred Pennyworth for his entire career. Little do they know that he's better than 80 percent of the people walking the Earth. Plus, he's been in space.

'What Time is it There?'

Interesting: Essentially doing a movie with the bare minimum of dialogue 80 years since they introduced the ability to have sound to go along with the film. Somewhere Thomas Edison or whoever made the talkie happen is wondering why he even tried.

It's beautiful, but it gets stuck like a cart in mud. And it takes a little pushing to get out. Maybe you've got to shoot the ox in the head.

Fun fact: Jean-Pierre Léaud, the kid from "400 Blows" cameos as the man in the Parisian cemetery.

'Blackmail' & 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'

It's amazing to witness over and over the breadth and depth of Alfred Hitchcock's work. I guess it happens all the time where we are able to see a man not only evolve as a professional in whatever work he does, but to also evolve along with the technology and capabilities of his field.

The amount of change from the 1920s to the 1960s, I think, far exceeds the changes that took place between 1960s and 1990s or even 1970s and 2000s. Arguably, pound for pound, films in the 1970s are superior to the 2000s.

For Hitchcock, it was probably night and day making a film. Ironically, I read that Hitchcock preferred his 1934 version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" over the 1956 version because it was actually more stripped down.

A problem I had with "The Man Who Knew Too Much": So, James Stewart's character had been in Northern Africa during World War II, right? So, why does he seem so uninformed and awkward in terms of the food, furniture and culture? Wouldn't he know how to eat the food and sit comfortably in the chair? Seems inconsistent. Yes, I realize I'm being nit-picky, but it's worth considering.

'Amores Perros'

This was a fantastic film. I was mesmerized by the acting, the writing, the characters and the dogs.

I think Gael Garcia Bernal is a wonderful actor and I'm making it a personal goal to watch (or rewatch) everything he is in.

I also loved how the dogs were used as a symbol for what this seemingly disconnected group of individuals had lost. Dogs were the symbol. Loss is the theme. And it's the dogs that mean everything to these people whether it's what they once had or how they plan to get it back.

And if you think dog fighting is somehow not barbarous, I dare you to sit through the first 45 or so minutes of this film.

"Rocks" & "Toys in the Attic"

My first substantial exposure to Aerosmith -- a band I had heard of and had taste tested their hits -- was the 1990s "Get A Grip" album with all those hits and Alicia Silverstone acting all hot and bothered.

I don't know what I thought about them beforehand. I think I paired them with Van Halen as kind of a 1980s party band.

When in fact, Aerosmith was a hard rock 1970s group in the same vein as Led Zeppelin, rock royalty. "Get A Grip" wasn't a radio-friendly record by a rock mainstay, but a last gasp for a band that had very little left and was finally off drugs and the juice.

What's interesting is that they released "Walk This Way" on "Toys in the Attic" but then went heavier and rockier on the their next album, "Rocks." Little did they know that they had invented a mash of rock and rap (before rap really existed). Dumb bastards.

FYI: Tom Hamilton is one of the greatest bassists in rock history.

'The Gleaners and I'

During this project, I've watched a lot of great films that I would not have given the time of day before. I've been greatly rewarded for my ambition.

Particularly, I've enjoyed the foreign films and documentaries. This French documentary, however, sucked.

The one thing I hate about the documentary is the propensity of the filmmaker to include him or herself into the actual film when I feel the film is about "documenting" something or someone else. Werner Herzog does this a lot, but I think he's too good for it to fail. Michael Moore, obviously, does this as kind of the "everyman" representative as he takes on America's conservative mindset.

This documentarian, Agnes Varda, kinda puts herself in the film for the sole reason of just getting an acting credit. Other reviews have stated that she, herself, is a gleaner as a filmmaker. Which is true, but that makes us all gleaners and, thusly, makes her documentary less interesting. I want more homeless drunks scavenging large potatoes.

'The Sweet Hereafter'

I felt like this movie was trying to convey some kind of message.

First off, was Ian Holm good or bad? Does fiscally punishing someone or some company make up for loss? If someone is legitimately at fault for an accidental death and no criminal charges are pending, doesn't it make sense to provide some kind of reprimand? I don't know the answer. I guess it can't hurt.

The film also had an odd flow. Going back and forth between characters and time, the pieces of the puzzle are slowing put into place and by the end you realize what actually has taken place. This flow takes it toll. You have to pay attention or you might as well not watch it.

I also felt a tinge of theme around the idea of money/capitalism/materialism being the great evil: A cancer that grasps onto the organ and kills it slowly. If Sarah Polley testifies one way, that cancer infects her little city, one that had been dead already.

'Gallipoli'

Honestly, the film kinda bored me even if it did include a young, handsome Mel Gibson.

What I thought was most interesting is the Australian's participation in a war that never really affected them. In fact, most wars don't except for maybe the Japanese island jumping. Even then, would the Japanese even really want Australia. It's a dump. So much that the British sent their prisoners there and didn't seem to bother to eradicate the indigenous cultures. Add in the poisonous snakes and spider, sharks and the coral reef, then you have an undesirable island.

Anyway, these Australian guys were signing up for a horrendous war probably because their countrymen were already involved, but, otherwise, I would've been hard to get up for a war that was a billion miles away.

Australia, by the way, does have a number of Outback Steakhouses.

'Dancer in the Dark'

I'm not a big fan of Bjork's music so I entered this film not expecting much. But I was overwhelming pleased with a film that is sticking with me the morning after.

This film has so many good qualities. Love the setting (1960s, Washington state) and the overall vibe of the film.

Bjork's great. So good that it's slightly surprising that she hasn't done more acting (whether that it's her choice or the choice of the filmmaker). She nails the performance and by the end of the film, at the gallows, I believe that, for all intents and purposes, that she can't see.

I also love how the musical genre was worked in. I like musicals, but I also understand why a lot of people hate musicals. Movies are unrealistic anyway. Have people suddenly jumping up to sing and dance and you're throwing all conventions out of the window.

The running theme through most musicals is the idea of happiness, hope or love. "Dancer in the Dark" is a musical that has none of the three. There's no love. All happiness is found in these make-believe song and dance routines and hope drowns once Bjork's character realizes that she can not win the deceit that takes place no matter how truthful she is.

It's a haunting movie that sticks in your crawl.

'Junkie'

Ironically, William S. Burroughs' "Junkie" is a really quick, readable work about a man who takes and struggles with hardcore drug use. Whilst Burroughs' other seminal work -- "Naked Lunch" -- is largely unreadable and makes zero sense.

The former is about drug use. The latter is drug use.

'Seven'

It's shocking that I had not seen this movie until last week. Mainly because it's right up my alley, Brad Pitt's dreamy and it was popular in a weird way when I was into movies.

But I never saw it.

Unfortunately, it fell victim of the hype that surrounded it as being a total mindfuck of a movie and it's really not. Who didn't know his wife's head was in the box?

Speaking of a guy that never really acts, Morgan Freeman is in the film.

Speaking of guys that always act great, Kevin Spacey is superb as the very intriguing killer. I just want to know where he finds all these people to kill that fit the seven deadly sins.

'The Sting'

OK. I get that I'm supposed to adore Paul Newman, and that's not to say he's not a swell guy, but what makes him such a great actor.

As part of this little project, I've watched three Paul Newman movies, and I've found that there's little difference between Gondorff, "Cool Hand" Luke" and Butch Cassidy.

I never get the feeling that he's ever acting, which makes him a cool guy, but not a great actor.

It was awesome when the chick gets shot in the head.

'Loveless'

I gave this album a re-listen after my homie Jeezy saw My Bloody Valentine in Dallas recently. Said it was the loudest concert he'd ever been to (including other MBV concerts).

However, for a band that likes to crank it and just create a gigantic Great Wall of Noise, they're still cognizant of the melody and tune. They do not rest their noisy laurels on clutter and chaos, but on what sounds good and what makes good rock music.

Are they The Beatles? No. Are they just so far out of right field that they might as well be in row 300 in the upper deck? Hardly. This is a really great album and one of my most fondest memories of listening to music as a teenager in the 1990s.

'Jagged Little Pill'

From one popular female performer, to another, a decade earlier.

I hated "Jagged Little Pill" and Alanis Morrisette in the 1990s and I still do. Her voice sounds like an unholy conglomeration of Bobcat Goldthwait and Janis Joplin. It's driven me crazy for an entire decade. Nothing has bugged me for an entire decade more or less an entire 10 minutes.

But there's little argument as to the album's appeal. It was riot grrl ethos with overproduction and an element of safeness that appealed to every stinkin' female in the English-speaking world.

It had six singles, went 16x platinum in the United States and sold 33 million copies as of 2005.

Whether or not Morrisette will admit it, the success of the album was pure luck. I don't know if the same edginess and attitudes resonate the same 10 years earlier or later. This is probably considered an angry album, when there's only one angry song on the entire album, which happens to be the biggest hit.

She truly captured lightning in a bottle and rode it for about as far as she could.

All because Uncle Joey from "Full House" dumped her.

'Come Away With Me'

There's nothing wrong with Norah Jones, per se, but it just seems so ... safe. Which is the precise reason why she was so popular.

A lot of popular music becomes cool. Therefore it sells a lot.

Jones, on the other hand, I don't think was ever cool (maybe for 40 year olds), but it was safe, comfy and warm. Her music is a sanctuary. It's the reason why Michael Bolton sold like a trillion records.

I guess my biggest problem is that she sounds (phrasing, tone, et al.) like Ray LaMontagne. He has a giant beard. I don't like associating a woman with a giant beard. It's weird.

'The Breast'

In the grand tradition of Nick Gogol's The Nose, F. Dovstoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Kafka's Metamorphosis.

There's actually another story about a guy who wakes up to find that his penis is missing. Like The Nose, the phallus is actually put in a bun as a hot dog ordered by a police officer. High jinks ensue.

Actually, Crime and Punishment doesn't fit the obvious connection of these stories (unaccounted for, arbitrary change), but I think it fits because it's an exploration of the human psyche and behavior. Except as a breast, a noseless guy or a bug.

I think there's a comment about human sexuality and relationships here. The guy that had little interest in having sex with his girlfriend (obviously, a work of fiction), but then can find his only release and pleasure as a breast in having his nipple worked over. Maybe men can't get along with women because they're all just sexual dissatisfied.

'Natural Born Killers'

I generally consider anything associated with Oliver Stone as staunch liberal masturbation: It means very little to everyone else, but it feels good for the man himself.

Stone is still being preachy (the evil sensationalistic nature of the media, guns, shitty parents), but this is a really different movie for him. In fact, it feels like a Quentin Tarantino film (he did write the screenplay) going from color film to black and white, animation and pulp.

The biggest question is this: How much illegal drugs were consumed during the filming of this movie?

It should be a record. Tom Sizemore and Robert Downey Jr. (obviously, pre-Iron Man) alone should put it in the lead. Add some Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis and that should put the record out of reach.

In addition, it'd be interesting to do a timeline of Harrelson's career. From the lovable Woody Boyd in Cheers to a serial killer and a pornographer (Larry Flynt) in a matter of years. Clearly, the guy did not want to be typecast and going for the edgiest films out there helps a lot.

'Cat and Mouse'

I really found Gunter Grass really refreshing. A voice of post-war Germany, who brought a very personal view of his homeland without swastikas, Hitler or Holocaust.

But is this a mistake? Grass makes everything so sweet and provincial. Were people in Germany just sitting around and waiting for something to happen? Maybe they were.

How many people in the United States the last eight years have ignored two wars? How many watched bad economics being played? How many watched baseball players hit a record number of home runs without fully thinking that maybe, just maybe, those weren't natural?

Yes, I just compared baseball to the Holocaust. I'd like to see you do that.