10. Kyle Hobbes (Charles Mesure) on V

By the end of season 1, I would've put Father Jack Landry from V in this spot.  As season 2 progressed, I found myself enjoying Hobbes more than Jack.  The great thing about Hobbes is that he's the resident bad@$$ of Erica's faction of the Fifth Column.  On top of that, he's got ties to Marcus of the visitors, and that makes things more complicated for him.

9. Blake Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek) on The Event

Sterling is the Director of National Intelligence, but more importantly, President Martinez's most trusted asset.  He didn't really register on my radar until an episode that found him fighting almost alone against the non-terrestrials during their escape from their holding compound, Inostranka.  From there on out Sterling became a more compelling character in my eyes.  He eventually would play a pivotal role in stopping the non-terrestrials from releasing a virus that would wipe out the human population.

8. Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins) on Sanctuary

Though I do enjoy Will and Biggie on Sanctuary, I think Henry entertains me the most.  He is the sanctuary's tech geek, and he is an abnormal himself (sort of like a werewolf, but can control when he transforms).  He provides a lot of comic relief, but he is also prone to saving the day with his tech abilities.

7. Master Seargent Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) on Stargate: Univserse

I did not like Greer at first, but he became more likable as the series went on.  Greer is the most loyal soldier, and would do anything to help his people.  We learned a bit about a troubled past as a  boy, giving Greer some emotional depth that was not noticed originally.  He is the number one guy you'd want by your side when going into battle.

6. Colonel Everett Young (Louis Ferreira) on Stargate: Universe

Colonel Young was not meant to be the leader of an across the universe expedition, he was forced into the role due to unforseen events.  As a military leader, he knows how to handle the troops.  Unfortunately the expedition is full of not just an unprepared leader, but an unprepared crew as well.  Made up of more civilians and scientists than he'd like, Young had to learn how to lead people who aren't used to military rule.  Young grew as a leader as the series went on, and though still flawed, he proved to be more than adequate.

4. Josh (Sam Huntington) on Being Human

In a house full of monsters, Josh is the most human of the three of them.  Though Sally (ghost) and Aidan (vampire) are monsters full time, Josh only has to deal with being a werewolf once a month.  Unfortunately that still forced him to run away from home and leave behind everything he loved for fear of harming them.  Now Josh does his best to keep sanity and humanity within the three-monster group.

3. Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) on The Event

In a show full of instability (especially among the characters), Sean was the one character you could get behind from the very beginning and follow to the end.  Sean started as an ordinary young man who was getting ready to propose to his girlfriend, then suddenly was dropped right in the middle of a major conspiracy.  While the President and a small group within the government faced the alien dilemma head on, Sean was learning things behind the scenes that the government didn't even have access to.  He was committed to his girlfriend Leila and always did everything he could to help her.  This meant a lot, considering she was kidnapped, then discovered to be half alien (paternally), then used by her own people to test a virus.  Near the end of the season, Sean worked with Director of National Intelligence Blake Sterling, rogue alien Simon Lee, and assassin Vicky Roberts to stop the release of a population-destroying virus.  I know, pretty ridiculous...but entertaining.

1. Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) on Game of Thrones

I almost think the definition of "honor" should just show Stark's image...with one caution.  He did father a child with a woman other than his wife, but that is long in the past.  He has ruled with honor as the Lord of Winterfell, and is a close friend to King Robert.  The Starks are now clashing with the Queen's family, the Lannisters, and things are becoming quite messy for Lord Stark.  I look forward to seeing how he handles it. 

Runner Ups: Simon Lee (The Event), Dr. Will Zimmerman (Sanctuary), Big Foot (Sanctuary)

Trying to group up all of the shows I watch into relatable categories was a bit difficult.  I ended up breaking it down into four categories: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama/Procedurals, Comedy and Reality.  For the three non-reality groups, I went through and ranked my favorite male and female characters, as well as shows.  This installment is of my favorite female characters in science-fiction and fantasy shows.

10. Orwell (Summer Glau) on The Cape

It's a shame with the cancellation of The Cape that we won't get to learn more about Orwell's mysterious past.  What we do know is that she is the daughter of villain Peter Fleming, but works as an underground liaison to hero Vince Faraday/The Cape.

8. Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) on V

Daughter of Anna (leader of the visitors), Lisa was tasked to lure in human Tyler for big plans to take over Earth.  Lisa grew feelings for Tyler however, and this led to her helping the resistance group The Fifth Column in order to try taking down her mother.

7. Sophia Maguire (Laura Innes) on The Event

Sophia is the leader of extraterrestrial people that crashed on Earth in the 1940s.  She emerged early in The Event as someone who wanted peace between her people and the humans.  However, a series of unfortunate events (but not THE event) led to her turning on the humans and ultimately wanting to wipe them out.  Her character changed so much throughout the series, but by the end it could be seen that she still had some sympathy deep down.

6. Sally Malik (Meaghan Rath) on Being Human

Sally is a ghost who was surprised to find out the two men who just moved into her house could see her.  That's cause like her, they are monsters (a werewolf and a vampire).  Thanks to them, she starts to understand herself and learns to "live" with the fact that she's dead.  She started out not being able to leave her house, and ended up learning how to leave, move things and even possess people (which she only did to get back at her killer).

5. Zoe Greystone (Alessandra Torresani) on Caprica

Zoe Greystone is daughter of Daniel Greystone, head of Greystone Industries and creator of the first cylon (for you BSG fans).  Zoe dies in a terrorist attack early in the series, but her avatar lives on in the first cylon.  Zoe eventually becomes much more powerful and has major influence on the events that would lead up to the timeline of Battlestar Galactica.











Oh yeah, and I met her...

Runner Ups: Catelyn Stark (Game of Thrones), Lt Tamara Johansen (Stargate: Universe), Vicky Roberts (The Event)

Though I took a total of six classes over the past fall and spring, I was able to keep up on a lot of shows.  One factor is having a roommate who is interested in watching several of the same shows that I like.  Another is requiring breaks from extensive schoolwork and using those breaks to watch an episode or two of something.  I also made sure to watch at least one episode of many shows just to see if I may like it or not.  Some shows never made it past an episode or two for me, while others kept my attention for an entire season.

I always enjoy reading recaps and "best of" lists at the end of each season.  It's fun to see if others feel the same way as I do about certain shows, characters, episodes and moments.  With that I've decided to write my own series of lists and such based on this past television series.  Of course this is completely opinionated, and it will only reflect the shows that I watched.  No doubt there is quality television out there I'm not watching.  Let's face it, I don't have THAT much free time.

In the coming days, I will be talking about many different categories.  Categories such as favorite shows, favorite characters in comedy/drama/sci-fi, best finales, favorite new shows, most disappointed cancellations and so on.  I will as always encourage people to chime in as it's always fun to hear what other people are watching.

I will start today by discussing this past season's new shows.  Every year many new pilots are presented to each network.  Some get picked up for a season and some don't.  Then, the ones that get picked up debut.  Sometimes a show won't make it past the first couple of episodes (Lonestar, Paul Reiser Show), while others quickly become big hits (The Walking Dead).  Some manage to hang on through a full season just in time to hear they aren't getting renewed ($#@! My Dad Says, Outsourced) while others get renewed based on consistent, solid ratings (Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods).  New shows are always hoping to be the next Friends or Lost, but statistically that is very unlikely.  It is hard to appeal to a large enough audience while providing a quality show.  Granted some shows appeal to large audiences without having an ounce of quality (Two and a Half Men, American Idol), but television audiences will watch what they choose to watch regardless of what me or others think.

Here are my top 10 new shows of this past season.

1. Game of Thrones
I have not been drawn back to HBO in the last few years since the cancellations of Rome and Deadwood, though I had enjoyed the short-lived Flight of the Conchords on DVD.  This past television season that changed with two new shows (Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones).  I will talk about Boardwalk further down the list.  Game of Thrones is based on a series of fantasy novels called A Song of Ice and Fire.  Though there are still a few episodes left of the season at the time I write this, this has been my favorite new show this year.  It’s got fantasy and adventure, all while incorporating the big budget of HBO.  It hasn’t surpassed Rome and Deadwood for me yet, but it is certainly off to a good start.

2. Being Human
Americans sure love remaking foreign things into American products.  It happens in both tv and film.  This most recent example is Being Human, an American remake of British show Being Human.  The show is centered around three roommates (a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost) who are all trying to lead normal lives.  I haven’t seen the original series yet, but decided to give this a shot.  SyFy has been angering me a lot lately (cancelling Stargate: Universe and Caprica while moving towards more reality shows), but this calms me down a bit.  I really enjoyed the first season of Being Human.  The casting was well done, and the main antagonist was a vampire played by none other than Mark Pellegrino (Jacob from Lost).  Thank you SyFy for keeping some hope alive in me.

3. Walking Dead
AMC has been producing some award-winning television the last few years (Mad Men, Breaking Bad), but Walking Dead is my first exposure to the network.  Walking Dead is based on the graphic novel of the same name about a zombie apocalypse and the people struggling to survive.  This could easily be number one on my list, but there were only six episodes to base it on.  I do fear Walking Dead making zombies a bit too mainstream, but the fact is the topic works great as a television show.

4. Portlandia
A sketch comedy featuring an SNL cast member and a musician about the people of a particular city might not sound like the most exciting show out there, but Portlandia is a rare gem that many people don't know about.  Located on the Independent Film Channel (IFC), Portlandia was created by, written by and stars Fred Armisen of SNL and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney.  The two of them have put together an array of Portland-centric characters that can be enjoyed by anyone, even if you’re not familiar with Portland.  Portlandia celebrates the city and culture of Portland, Oregon, which includes hippies, musicians, vegans, cyclists, free spirits and so on.  There were only six episodes in the first season, but it has been renewed for a ten episode second season.  Guest stars in season one included Selma Blair, Heather Graham, Steve Buscemi, Audrey Plaza, Sarah McLachlan, Jason Sudeikis and Kyle McLachlan as the mayor of Portland.

5. An Idiot Abroad
An Idiot Abroad is a project thought up by friends Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.  They have another friend named Karl Pilkington, and the three of them have had a radio show on BBC for a while.  Recently they turned recordings from the radio show into an animated show called The Ricky Gervais Show on HBO.  This is not that, however.  An Idiot Abroad is a travel show of sorts.  Ricky and Steve decided it would be fun to send their bumbling friend Karl to see seven world wonders.  Karl does not like to travel, so this takes him out of his comfort zone.  Ricky sees it as the biggest practical joke he’s ever done.  Karl travels to India (Taj Mahal), China (Great Wall), Jordan (Petra), Egypt (Pyramids), Mexico (Chichen Itza), Brazil (Christ the Redeemer) and Peru (Machu Picchu), but doesn’t just see the wonders.  Ricky and Steve make plans to have him take part in local cultures and experience things that Karl is very reluctant to do.  It is a very funny show, and a great spin on travel shows.  They are working on a second season called An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List where Karl will be experiencing things that are generally on people’s bucket lists.  An Idiot Abroad can be found on the Science Channel (affiliate of Discovery Channel), which also is now the home of Firefly reruns!  If you haven’t watched the Science Channel, please check it out.  There is some great programming there.

6. Blue Bloods
The mustache is back on television!  Tom Selleck stars as the New York City police commissioner in the new police drama Blue Bloods on CBS.  The show is centered around the Reagan family, which includes Frank (Selleck) and his children, detective Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), assistant district attorney Erin (Bridget Moynahan) and recent Harvard Law grad and rookie police officer Jamie (Will Estes).  I’ve never really been into procedurals, as I don’t watch any of the several Law and Orders or CSI’s, but I have become a fan of Blue Bloods.  The cast and characters are very watchable (especially Selleck and Wahlberg), and there is a continuous storyline involving the questionable death of Frank’s other son and former officer Joseph.

7. Boardwalk Empire
HBO certainly loves period pieces.  The newest one takes place in 1920’s Atlantic City amidst prohibition.  Though slow at times, I found Boardwalk to be a quality show.  Steve Buscemi stars as Nucky Thompson, a political figure in Atlantic City who also dabbles in illegal activities.  The supporting cast is very strong, with Nucky’s protégé Jimmy (Michael Pitt), Nucky’s love interest Margaret Schroeder (Kelly MacDonald) and Federal Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon) highlighting the cast.

8. The Event
What exactly is the event?  The marketing campaign for The Event centered around what isn’t “the event”, and tries to pull you in by saying there will be some major event that takes place.  It turns out this so-called event wasn’t mentioned until the final moments of the season (and series) finale, and takes place in future unseen events.  Going into the show, I had no idea what the show was going to be about, but the mystery intrigued me.  The storyline follows a group of aliens, though they look just like humans, who landed on Earth in the 40’s somewhere in Alaska.  They had been detained for sixty-plus years with only a select group of people knowing about it.  The aliens don’t age the same as humans, so the survivors from the crash still look the same today.  The show is full of conspiracies and mythology.  The Event was a bit silly and over the top, but it was consistent throughout.  The show was purely entertainment, and it was fun unraveling the “truth” of everything as the season progressed.  The creator has openly stated that although the show was cancelled, they would be releasing more info as time goes on.  This way the story will continue, unlike most shows that get cancelled before they can properly finish their story.  For that reason I say it’s worth watching The Event, being able to get a complete story.  This was one of two new Monday night shows on NBC I watched, the other being...

9. The Cape
Another NBC show that was cancelled after its first season was superhero show The Cape.  The Cape was about detective Vince Faraday who is framed as the villain Chess.  Thought to be dead, Vince goes underground thanks to a group of circus thieves called The Carnival of Crime.  Their ring leader, Max Malini introduces Vince to a special cape that when used properly can do magnificent things.  Vince is trained and becomes The Cape, a super hero looking to fight crime and restore his name.  He targets the real Chess, who is actually Peter Fleming, the head of major corporation Ark Industries.  Vince also is helped out by underground investigator Orwell (Summer Glau).  The Cape clearly wasn’t going to be the best show on television, but I like comic book movies and enjoyed this series.  It’s too bad it didn’t have much of a chance. 

10. Face Off
I was disappointed to hear SyFy was bringing in more reality programs.  However, there was one new one that caught my attention.  Face Off is a competition reality show in the same vain as Top Chef or Project Runway, except for special effects artists.  Each week the artists would have to create something from scratch using the given theme and a model to work with.  Themes included aliens, zombies and fairy tales.  It was incredible watching what these aspiring artists came up with.  Plus, most themes fell right into my favorite genres of film (science fiction, horror and fantasy).  Face Off was renewed and I plan on watching it again.  I’m still mad at you though SyFy.









HONORABLE MENTION: The Defenders, Perfect Couples, Outsourced, Harry's Law, Chaos

I noticed that the last two entries in the weekly photo list were of some characters I have lying around the house.  Why not keep the trend going for one more week with a character who usually hides in the shadows...Blade from the movie series Puppet Master.

Finally, my top 5 favorite films I've seen at the Guild.

5. Super (2010)

The Guild hosted a great event for the premiere of Super.  There was a superhero costume contest that took place before the film started.  The contestants all got up on stage and presented their costumes, and winners were determined based on audience applause.  The two runner-ups received three-day passes to the upcoming Albuquerque Comic Book Expo.  The grand prize winner received a Super movie script autographed by the cast of the film.  I was fortunate enough to be that grand prize winner, with my reused Comic Con costume Quail Man!  Anyway, Super is about a man named Frank (played by Rainn Wilson) whose wife (played by Liv Tyler) leaves him to be with a drug lord (played by Kevin Bacon).  One night, Frank has a vision of God and television superhero The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) basically telling him to go out and fight for good.  Frank soon becomes a super hero called The Crimson Bolt, and with the help of sidekick Boltie (Ellen Page), they try fight crime and save his wife.  Super is written and directed by Troma product James Gunn (Slither), so you can bet you’ll see some fun gore.  Overall, this is one of the more realistic takes on the super hero genre and a refreshing one at that.

4. Necroville (2007)

The last of the three New Mexico independent films on this list, Necroville is about the fictional town of Necroville where humans live in conjunction with zombies, werewolves, vampires and other monsters.  Two friends, Zach and Alex (played by the film’s writers Billy Garberina and Adam Jarmon Brown) get a job working for Zom-B-Gone, a sort of monster extermination company.   Besides the duo’s side adventures fighting monsters, the other plot revolves around Zach and his girlfriend Penny, whose relationship is going through some troubling times.  Penny’s ex Clark (played by the always funny Mark Chavez) returns to town, and just so happens to be the master of a coven of vampires.  This leads to an awesome rooftop showdown between the duo and Clark, leading to one of the most unique deaths ever captured on film.  Kurly Tlapoyawa of Burning Paradise Video makes a small appearance as the former sensei of Zach and Clark.

3. Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

Before I describe this, please note this film is NOT Repo Men starring Jude Law.  In fact, a quick history, creator Darren Smith came up with the concept in 1996.  It was originally created as a stage show, but later conceptualized as a film.  Repo Men is based on a book (Repossession Mambo) written in 2003.  Anyway, Repo! takes place in a future where an epidemic of organ failures has occurred.  A company, GeneCo, devised an industry in which people could lease organs.  If they fail to make a payment, then the repo man comes and removes the organ, thus killing the person.  Repo! is about 90% singing and the soundtrack is mainly a mix of opera and industrial rock.  The film stars Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects), opera singer Sarah Brightman and a surprisingly watchable Paris Hilton.  Repo! is now a cult favorite that has inspired theater viewings with shadowcasts throughout the country (much like Rocky Horror Picture Show).  Of course, if you don’t like actors singing in films, or lots of blood, then this one probably isn’t for you.

2. Fido (2006)

I had anticipated this film before the Guild announced it would be showing Fido, so I had high expectations going in.  That can usually hurt a film’s chances to be ultimately loved by me, but Fido did not disappoint.  Fido takes place in a post-zombie apocalypse 1950’s-like time in which humankind ultimately won a war with the undead.  Now communities are fenced in away from the danger zone so life can continue normally.  Well, normally is a bit of an overstatement.  A company named Zomcon has developed a collar that renders zombies calm and servant-like.  The main story revolves around the Robinson family, including father Bill (Dylan Baker), mother Helen (Carrie-Anne Moss) and son Timmy (Kesun Loder).  Timmy doesn’t really have any friends so Bill gets him a pet zombie which Timmy names Fido (played perfectly by Billy Connolly).  Of course things don’t go quite smoothly and a combination of violence and hilarity ensues.  Fido also co-stars Tim Blake Nelson as the Robinson’s neighbor.

1. Black Dynamite (2009)

It is really hard for me to put together all of the awesomeness of this film into a few sentences.  Black Dynamite is sort of a spoof (but more of a comedic homage) to 70’s blaxploitation films.  Every part of this film would have you believe this film was actually made in the 70’s with a low budget.  The quality of the film looks like it belongs, and there are even site gags and “mistakes” to make it feel like you’re watching one of those films.  Black Dynamite centers around a former CIA agent named Black Dynamite (played by Spawn…I mean Michael Jai White) who must now avenge his brother’s death.  The story goes all over the place, from black militants, to orphanages filled with crack-addicted children, to Kung-Fu Island (home of the fiendish Dr. Wu) and even to the White House.   This has quickly become one of my favorite films to quote (“Your knowledge of scientific biological transmogrification is only outmatched by your zest for kung-fu treachery!”).  You may or may not think you’re interested in this film, but so far it has surpassed expectations of everyone I’ve watched it with.

We've made it to the top 10.  This is where the list starts including films that rank high on my all-time lists.  I very much like each of these films, and all for different reasons.  Unless you truly are not interested in they type of movie, please do yourself a favor and check all of these out.

10. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)

Poultrygeist is a typical Troma film, with offensive and gross scenes starting right out the gate and continuing all the way to the end.  This film is part musical, part horror, part romance and part comedy.  It is quite an arrangement.  The main premise is a boy leaves for college and returns after one semester to find his girlfriend is now a lesbian activist fighting against a fast food mega-conglomerate.  The fast food chain, American Chicken Bunker, just built a new restaurant on an old Indian burial ground.  This leads to the employees and main characters having to fight off chicken-possessed zombie demons, as well as some other strange occurrences.  The names of the characters are all restaurant references (i.e. Arby, Wendy, Micki, Denny, Paco Bell, Carl Jr and Jared).  The musical numbers are quite amusing too.  Of course with it being a Troma film, Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman has a small roll.  Poultrygeist is easily one of the craziest and grossest films you’ll ever see, but it truly is a fun time if you have an open mind and a strong stomach.  Look for the Ron Jeremy cameo too, as Crazy Ron.

9. Serenity (2005)

”I aim to misbehave.”  If you know that quote, then chances are you know what a “browncoat” is and have seen this film.  Serenity is a film follow-up to the short-lived television series Firefly.  Firefly was a space western created by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse).  Though only eleven episodes were originally aired (out of 14 created) before it was cancelled, Firefly became a cult hit and garnered fans all over the geek world.  Thanks to the support, a film was made a couple years later.  Some hoped this would be the rejuvenation the franchise needed to get the show back on the air, but that still hasn’t happened.  Serenity takes place after the events of the television series, bringing the crew of the Serenity on a new adventure.  Though Serenity is obviously a great thing for fans of Firefly, it works as a standalone film and can be enjoyed by anyone.  The film gives enough info to follow the story without needing to know the background of the series.  I would love to see Captain Mal and his crew again, but some major players have gone on to bigger things.  Nathan Fillion is starring in Castle, Adam Baldwin is the magnificent John Casey in Chuck and Summer Glau is continuing to get every show cancelled that she costars in (Firefly, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse, The Cape).

8. Romeo and Juliet vs The Living Dead (2009)

The streets of Verona have never looked so…New Mexican.  R&JvTLD is an independent film created in and around Albuquerque.  The story is just like the classic Shakespeare tale except for one fact, the Montagues are zombies.  Juliet falls in love with the zombie Romeo, and their love is forbidden.  This is a fresh and entertaining take on the classic, and was created before the Jane Austen classic/zombie mashup Pride and Prejudice and Zombies became a big hit.  Mark Chavez (of the Pajama Men) is featured as a very amusing Mercutio.  Sadly this film has not gotten dvd distribution yet, but you can purchase and download it at Amazon.  I would very much recommend it, as I would of course recommend all the top films on this list.

7. House (1977)

When people think of Japanese horror, they think of films like Ringu and Ju-On, both remade into American films The Ring and The Grudge respectively.  However, back in the seventies a Japanese film was released that to this day is unlike any other.  Only recently becoming available in the United States, House (or Hausu in Japan) is about a group of school girls who go on vacation to one of the girls’ aunt’s house.  What they don’t know is that the aunt is evil and wants to “eat” the young girls to help her look young again.  This appears to be done by the house itself actually attacking the girls.  House is very unconventional in its cinematography.  The director, who had previously only done commercials, used his creative mind to apply various experimental techniques.  The result is an amusing yet strangely beautiful-looking film.  The girls are named for their personality traits (i.e. Gorgeous, Melody, Prof, Kung Fu, Mac, Sweet and Fantasy).  There are some really strange things in this film, but it is truly a sight to behold.  Watch this to experience a film that is hard to describe and can’t really be compared to anything else.  It is a treat to be able to watch House.

6. Moon (2009)

Moon is the directorial debut of Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie.  The film is mostly a one-man show, resting on the shoulders of Sam Rockwell in a powerful performance.  Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, an employee for a company that is mining on the moon.  Sam lives and works alone, though he does have a robot named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) who keeps him company and helps him out.  All Sam has to do is oversee a mostly automated operation during a three year contract.  At the start of the film, Sam is near the end of his contract.  He has been keeping in touch with his pregnant wife by recorded communications, but other than that his only other human contact is during brief communications with his employer.  Two weeks before he can go home, Sam hallucinates while on the surface in a rover and crashes his vehicle.  He wakes up in the infirmary not remembering the accident.  Soon after that, a series of events takes place that leads to a mind-blowing discovery for Sam.  Moon is purely a character-driven science-fiction film, something that rarely exists anymore.  With science-fiction relying on big budgets and ridiculous special effects these days, it is refreshing to find such a smart film that is both entertaining and through-provoking.  It is the type of film you want to discuss with others afterwards.

That only leaves the top 5, the best of the best.  Check back (hopefully tomorrow) to see my favorite films seen at the Guild.

13. Take a random photo once a week for a year and make a photobook at the end (19/52)

I would like everyone to meet my new Muppet.  He doesn't have a name yet, but he's already making himself at home.

Continuing the countdown of films I've seen at the Guild, here are numbers 15-11.

15. Gimme Skelter (2007)

My first exposure to the New Mexico independent film landscape was late in 2007 with a little film called Gimme Skelter.  I saw an ad for the premiere at the Guild.  The big draw was the fact that Gunnar Hansen, the original Leatherface, would be at the premiere since he is in the film.  It turns out I enjoyed the very low budget film and would go on to enjoy all the films done by the same group of people.  Anyway, Gimme Skelter is about a guy who thinks he’s Charlie Manson’s son and wants to live up to his name.  He gets a group of people together to go to a small town in New Mexico in order to kill everyone in the town in the course of the night.  Of course things don’t quite go the way they plan and some of the locals fight back.  This was my first exposure to now favorite local actors Billy Garberina, Mark Chavez (one half of local comedy duo the Pajama Men) and Kurly Tlapoyawa (owner of Burning Paradise Video).  Between the three of them, someone has a hand in each of the local films I’ve come to enjoy.  Some of which show up higher in this list. 

14. [REC]2 (2009)

The action of 2007’s Spanish horror film [REC] continues right where it left off in the sequel [REC]2.  In the first film, a reporter is following some firefighters one night and they become quarantined in a building after responding to a call there.  It turns out a virus is infecting the tenants and turning them into zombie-like creatures (think 28 Days Later).  When one of the infected attacks someone and bites or cuts them, the person slowly dies and almost immediately comes back to life as a rabid mindless creature.  The entire film was seen through the lens of the reporter’s camera.  In the sequel, a SWAT team and medical officer are sent into the building to help control the situation.  Continuing with the camera-style of the first film, the SWAT team is equipped with cameras on their helmets, and that is what the viewer sees.  [REC]2is just as exhilarating as the first film, and definitely worth experiencing as a horror or zombie fan.

13. Dead Snow (2009)

Before Black Ops brought Nazi zombies to the first-person shooter world, a little film from Norway brought them to the film world.  Dead Snow takes place somewhere in the Norwegian wilderness.  A group of young adults goes out to a cabin in the middle of nowhere for some young adult fun.  Think Evil Dead except they are surrounded by deep snow and a former Nazi platoon that was trapped and frozen to death during World War II.  This film definitely doesn’t take itself seriously, and thanks to that it is a gruesome fun time.

12. The Muppet Movie (1979)

A couple years into the 5-year run of The Muppet Show, Jim Henson brought everyone’s favorite Muppets to the big screen for the first time.  The Muppet Movie is a movie within a movie.  The beginning shows the various colorful characters in a screening room.  Kermit says this “film” is loosely based on how the Muppets all got together.  The story of the film is about how Kermit went from his swamp to Hollywood, and how he met all of his friends in between.  Like every Muppet film there are various guest appearances.  There are also several musical numbers, including the Oscar-nominated Rainbow Connection.  Opinions vary on the several Muppet films, but I’m willing to bet every Muppet fan believes The Muppet Movie is a classic.

11. Let the Right One In (2008)

In 2008, the first of a series of films was released ruining the image of vampires.  Twilight became very popular and turned vampires into a fad among tweeny-boppers.  However, unbeknownst to most people, another vampire film was released that same year.  It came from Sweden, and told the tale of a boy who befriends a neighborhood girl.  It turns out, however that the girl is a vampire.  The imagery is like a Swedish winter, cold and dark.  The boy and girl take turns saving each other, and this leads to an unbreakable bond.  Let the Right One In would make true vampires proud.  They don’t glitter and swoon over each other.  There is no team so-and-so versus team so-and-so.  The only real downside to how great this film was is that it took less than two years to have an American remake released in the United States.

Check back for the start of the top 10, including the grossest film on the list (via Troma), a classic story/zombie mash-up that doesn't have to do with Jane Austen, the wackiest house on the block and two films that take place in space.

Continuing the countdown ranking movies I've seen at the Guild.

20. Return of the Living Dead (1985)

After writing Night of the Living Dead, screenwriter John Russo parted ways with George Romero, but retained the rights to titles including Living Dead.  That is why Romero’s sequels are Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and so on.  Return of the Living Dead changes many of the aspects of Romero’s Night.  For instance Return had elements of comedy and dark humor, and the zombies were fast and could talk, unlike in Night.  This film takes place over the course of one evening, when two warehouse workers accidentally release a virus and reanimated corpse from a military storage unit.  The film then proceeds with the warehouse employees, warehouse owner, mortician next door and some teenage punks running from the zombies.  

There is some amusing dialogue, but the best actually comes from zombies.  Examples include “Braaaaiiiiiins!” and “Send more cops!” and “I love you, and that’s why you have to let me eat your braaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiins!”  Return of the Living Dead is one of the most fun zombie films out there.

19. Black Sheep (2006)

Though this film shares the same name as a Chris Farley/David Spade comedy from 1996, this is in no way like it.  Black Sheep takes place in New Zealand on a sheep ranch.  Some scientists have been experimenting on sheep, trying to turn them from vegetarians into carnivores.  The sheep mutate into killers, and when bitten, humans turn into a half-human, half-sheep monster.  It’s a crazy little film with rolling green hills and rabid white sheep. 

18. Metropolis (1927)

By far the oldest film on the list, Metropolis is widely considered one of the most important and influential science-fiction films of all time.  Metropolis was a German silent film, and the most expensive silent film ever made.  The film takes place in an urban dystopian future where society is separated by two major classes, the wealthy socialites who live above ground and the workers who live in an underground city and keep the above metropolis powered.  The actual plot involves the son of the city’s creator discovering the truth of the underworld and wants to be a mediator between the two societies.  There’s also a scientist who creates a machine man to resemble a leader of the underworld that he wants to use for his own benefits.  The sets and visuals are stunning with beautiful architecture in the style of art deco and contemporary art.  For decades it was thought that much of the film was lost, but in 2008 an original copy was found in some museum archives in Buenos Aires.  Eventually this led to a re-release of the intended version that no one had seen in several decades.  This is worth watching whether you’ve seen it before or not.  Metropolis was a pioneer and continues to influence science fiction today.

17. Alien Vs Ninja (2010)

Last year at Comic-Con, I went to a panel for a new Japanese film company.  They talked about some of their upcoming movies and told us they’d be premiering Alien Vs Ninja the next night at Comic-Con.  In the afternoon the next day I found the two lead actors doing autographs and photos, so I did that.  Then that evening I went to the premiere.  The actors were directly behind me during the movie, and it was a fun time had by all.  On my birthday this year, AvN played at the Guild.  So after celebrating for a while beforehand, a bunch of us went to see it.  I believe everyone enjoyed the film, which includes ninjas and a guy in a rubber suit as the alien.  It’s certainly meant to be funny, not scary, though there is a bit of gore.  If you love ninjas and you love aliens, then you’ll love seeing them fight each other in Alien Vs Ninja.

16. Teeth (2007)

To keep this clean, I will simply say this film is about a girl who has teeth in a place where one shouldn’t have teeth.  And those teeth do not like it when anyone (or anything) comes close to them.  It is especially deadly to men, and please note that just thinking about how it is deadly to men makes me shutter.

Check back tomorrow for #15-11, including three European films involving the undead, a New Mexico local film and a 1979 classic starring everyone's favorite frog.

This entry of five movies contains three in a row from the 70's and two very new ones, filmed in 2010.

25. Last House On The Left (1972)

“To avoid fainting, keep repeating, ‘It’s only a movie, it’s only a movie.’”  The tagline for this film amazingly still holds up today.  By far one of the most disturbing and intense films on this list, Last House on the Left was Wes Craven’s (Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) writing and directorial debut.  The film starts off with two rural girls going to the city for a concert.  Then they get abducted by a group of recently-escaped convicts, who throw the girls in their trunk and head out to the countryside.  Their car breaks down very close to where one of the girls lives.  The fugitives take the girls out to the woods, and a series of disturbing acts takes place before the girls are eventually killed.  The fugitives then go to the nearest house, which just so happens to be the parents of one of the girls, and pretend to be salesmen who need a place to stay overnight.  Due to certain events, the parents figure out what happened and they exact revenge on the fugitives.  This is an intense film by today’s standards, so just imagine what the reaction must have been in 1972.  As a horror and Wes Craven fan, I did enjoy the experience that this film provided.

24. Mad Max (1979)

For the second film in a row on the list, there is a heavy theme of parent gets revenge.  Mad Max takes place in a dystopian-future Australia where law is almost non-existent.  Max (pre-Hollywood actor Mel Gibson) is a cop who decides to quit after his partner is severely burned by a gang who they’ve been after.  While away with his wife and son, the gang finds them and murders Max’s wife and kid.  This sets off Max on a killing rampage, finding every member of the gang and eliminating them.  This was a very young Mel Gibson, but it’s safe to say some elements of Max may be showing in present-day Mel.

23. Rock N Roll High School (1979)

From Roger Corman, a king of low-budget cult films (Death Race 2000, Pirahna) comes this rock ‘n roll exploitation film.  Rock N Roll High School stars P.J. Soles (Halloween, Stripes) as Riff Randell, a high school student leading the rock 'n roll music craze in her school.  The new principal has vowed to outlaw music from the school.  With the help of the Ramones, who were relative unknowns at the time, the students take over the school.  There's lots of great music by the Ramones as well as other great rock 'n roll bands at the time.  The film comes to an explosive conclusion.

22. Black Death (2010)

Black Death takes place in medieval England during the times of the black plague.  A young monk leaves his monastery and joins a group of knights who are tracking down a necromancer.  The leader of these knights is played by Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones), who as far as I am concerned can play a knight anytime.  This film has elements of suspense, action and horror, though it really isn’t like any one film.  Black Death is a fresh take on the horrors of medieval times and worth checking out.

21. Rubber (2010)

I promise you this is the craziest film on the list.  Rubber is mainly about a tire named Robert who discovers he can blow things up with his “mind.”  It turns out however that this very conceptual film has more to it than that.  The film sort of breaks the fourth wall in a very unusual yet fun way.  It’s hard to talk about without giving too much away, but I guarantee that this film that prides itself on the element of “no reason” is like nothing you’ve ever seen.