'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.