Penguin Movies...From Best to Worst

Oh, Penguins. They're adorable and actually quite amazing creatures. But for a few years it seemed the penguin movies would just never stop coming, and though there weren't really that many, the trend is over. Let's take a look...

1. March of the Penguins (2005) - Blame it on this one for starting the onslaught of penguin movies. But really, it was quite a beautiful film and it tells an amazing story. Put away all the animation and what you really have are some fantastic animals that live in a very hostile atmosphere.

2. The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) - The penguin movie that came before penguin movies were cool. To be honest, I haven't seen this in ages, but I grew up on this one and from what I know I loved it. It really is a cute story, and like I said, this was the first big penguin movie, and it has some redeeming factual value, so you could call it sort of definitive.

3. Surf's Up (2007) - After the whole AWWW "March of the Penguins". OOOOH "Happy Feet"! This one came along and people (or at least me) were like "EWWW, more penguins? Seriously?" But I was pleasantly surprised. This movie is actually extremely enjoyable, it's got a unique mockumentary format, the penguins are the tropical kind which is new, and it's pretty funny, too. No masterpiece, but you could do worse...(see next entry)

4. Happy Feet (2006) - Yeah, this is the worst penguin movie of all of them. It's weird, because the first time I saw it I really liked it, but then after a recent rewatch, I was extremely disappointed. I'll review it in more detail a bit later, but it's really weak. To be honest, the only really good thing about it (besides Brittany Murphy's voice) is the cuteness of the penguins. Because penguins are freaking cute!

So there you go. There really weren't THAT many penguin movies, but they came in quick succession. We don't have to worry about any more though! (That is, until Happy Feet 2 in 3D comes out in 2011. Woot.)

So did I miss any major penguin movies? Do you agree with my ranking, and how do you feel about the genre? Comment belowww!

Best Animated Film...From Best to Worst

I love this category at the Oscars for obvious reasons. Anyway, commentary to follow.

1. Spirited Away (2002)
2. Wall-E (2008)
3. Ratatouille (2007)
4. Up (2009)
5. Wallace and Gromit (2005)
6. The Incredibles (2004)
7. Finding Nemo (2003)
8. Shrek (2001)
9. Happy Feet (2006)

Obviously "Spirited Away" is first. And "Wall-E" is just beautiful.

The best year overall (nominees-wise) was by FAR 2005. "Corpse Bride", "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Wallace and Gromit" would have all been truly worthy winners. This past year was also extremely strong, even though "Up" was my favorite, I would have been extremely happy to see any of the other nominees win.

2006 was ridiculously weak. At the time, I was psyched that "Happy Feet" beat out "Cars" - but on a recent rewatch of "Happy Feet", I was extremely disappointed...it's a snooze fest. I'll review it in more depth at a later time. I'll have to rewatch "Monster House", because I didn't like "Cars" either.

And how about Pixar needs to stop dominating this category? Just kidding. In my opinion, they much deserved it every time they won (and, I'm inclined to say, every time they lost, too). However, I do believe the reign of Pixar is coming to an end (or at least a break). It should be interesting to see how "Toy Story 3" does this year with the Academy...and with critics in general. We don't have much longer to wait to find out for ourselves, now do we?

Anyway, the other three films that Pixar seems to have in production right now aren't really psyching me out that much. "Cars 2"? Ugh. I am not at all interested to see that. "Brave" sounds interesting, hopefully it's up to par. And according to Wikipedia, they're also working on "Monsters Inc. 2" which...should be...interesting! It could be really good, we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm personally getting extremely excited about "The Illusionist" though - you know, Sylvain Chomet's film. I'm actually anticipating it so badly. And, random thought..."Persepolis" was amazing, would it not be lovely to see Marjane Satrapi adapt one of her other graphic novels? ("Chicken With Plums" plz)

Anyway, comment below on whether you agree or disagree on my ranking, the Academy's choices, and your thoughts on Pixar's future and the future of animation in general!

The Glee Cast...From Best to Worst

In case you guys didn't already know, I have a sort of love-hate relationship with Glee. Even though its first season had an absolutely ridiculous and utterly annoying storyline, at least it had a storyline. Now, it feels like it's becoming a forced mess! Olivia Newton John was great, but what was the point? Thus, in order to fulfill my need to both rave and complain about glee, here's my hierarchy of the Glee cast, complete with commentary...

1. Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester (Duh. She's just amazing)

2. Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury (Her "you're a slut" monologue in the other night's episode was just brilliant, she gets better every week)

Love!!!

3. Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri Schuester (her character is horribly written but she actually was able to make me feel sorry for her. I wish she had more in this new season)

4. Heather Morris as Brittany (her lines aren't some of the funniest in the show for no reason!)

5. Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones (I like the sass, and she gives it heart)

6. Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel (He was great in the coming out episodes and he's still entertaining, though his character gets less and less to do as time goes on)

7. Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez (Her sort of snarky attitude is quite enjoyable)

8. Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray (She's inconsistent but that's the writer's fault. When she's good she's really good)

Yea for potential!

9. Mark Salling as Noah Puckerman (He's funny sometimes, but I don't really care about his character at all)

10. Lea Michele as Rachel Berry (Again, inconsistent. And, her character is so annoying. Am I supposed to like her, or what? But she definitely has some moments)

11. Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang (I loved her when she sang "I Kissed A Girl", and her angry tirade against Artie, but she's n-n-n-n-not amazing and her character barely gets anything to do)

12. Kevin McHale as Arty Abrams (I give him credit for dancing in a wheelchair but...whatever)

13. Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester (Mehhh. I dunno. His romantic scenes are cringe-worthy, his character is blah, and "Ice Ice Baby" the other night made me want to barf)

Ugh...

and finally...

14. Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson (He has two modes, whiny and angry. Maybe it's just the character, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but...for the "main" teenage character, he's just not charismatic enough!)

So there you go. That's just my opinion! I want to hear yours in the comments. Any time I watch Glee I just feel like I need to rant. But I also need to make it clear that I feel that Jane Lynch and Jayma Mays are both absolutely brilliant. Emmy noms, PLEASE!

Christopher Guest...From Best to Worst

I'm a huge fan of Christopher Guest's hilarious ensemble comedies. I'm including "Spinal Tap" on this list even though it wasn't directed by Guest, because... it still counts!!! Sort of. And I'm excluding "Almost Heroes" because...well, if you've seen it, then you'd understand.

Here's my list...

1. Waiting for Guffman
2. This is Spinal Tap
3. Best in Show
4. A Mighty Wind
5. For Your Consideration

The top two are really close, and the middle two are really close...For Your Consideration was kind of weak, minus Catherine O'Hara's brilliant performance. I love you Catherine!!!

So what are your favorite Christopher Guest mockumentaries and performances?