My Top Ten Movie Theme Songs
The other night we went to see the IMAX version of Eagle Eye. One of the great features of IMAX movies is that they don’t have 20+ minutes of previews even before the previews. Instead we were sitting there staring at a blank screen. However while the screen was blank the room was far from silent because they had a delightful compilation of movie scores playing.
I love movie soundtracks and often hear them playing in my head while performing different everyday tasks.
Have you ever run to the theme from “chariots of fire“, or heard the ominous “da-da, da-da” of Jaws while swimming? Of course you have, and so have I.
So as I sat and enjoyed the miscellaneous themes I was inspired to consider my own top-ten list of movie sound tracks and to post them for all of my faithful readers. Before you get all bent out of shape regarding my selections allow me to break down the criteria I used for this list. First consideration goes to the title track; the main theme of each film. Is it instantly identifiable with the film? Secondly I excluded all musicals. Third, they did not have to be original compositions for the film (3 are not), but if they are not they have to be MORE identifiable with the film than with their original purpose. Fourth, does the song play in my mind on a semi-regular basis for no particular reason? And finally if the movie had a bonus of an amazing soundtrack this helped to compensate for title score deficiencies. Read the rest of this entry »
Terrible Times… (not a baseball post)
If you are anything like me you get really excited and really interested whenever something local makes national headlines.
Lately it seems that I’ve had a lot to be excited about and interested in.
First it was the shark attack at Solana Beach. I’m interested in that because I swim in those waters (well maybe not that far north, but close enough to scare the crap out of me).
Then it was the pipe bomb at the federal building downtown. This is interesting to me because I had passed by that exact location almost daily for a month while on jury duty.
This week though things got really close to home when last week it wouldn’t have really been that big of a deal to me. Read the rest of this entry »
The 5 Best and the 5 Worst Christmas Decorations EVER
Now that we’ve been fully saturated in Holiday festivality with the Christmas songs an Christmas movies posts it is about time we move on to a slightly less discussed version of the Christmas season.
Christmas decorations. When it comes to songs and movies most people are pretty quick to know their favorite. But have you ever tried asking someone what their favorite Christmas decoration is? Usually the 10 seconds of blank staring is finished off with, “uhh a Christmas tree?”
I find it very interesting that with the myriad of different decorations we employ to “make the season bright” we don’t often take time to consider which are actually our favorite.
If you don’t take the time to determine which is your favorite and least favorite of something than it’s quite likely that you are taking the things in question for granted. For instance a person who doesn’t like baseball certainly isn’t going to have a true “favorite” team, nor will he have a “least favorite” team. So while we all claim to enjoy Christmas decorations do we really appreciate them enough to classify which ones we like the best?
I do. That’s why I’ve made this list. Read the rest of this entry »
The Top Ten Christmas Movies EVER
I got a lot less controversy than expected with my Top Ten Christmas Songs EVER post. It seems as though most of my loyal readers are becoming more and more like me in taste. As Bill Parcells says in those Coors beer commercials, “That’s a good thing; not a bad thing.”
Well come along now my little 70% mini-me’s and let me now inform you as to the greatest Christmas Movies ever… Read the rest of this entry »
The Top Ten Christmas Songs EVER
How about some leftovers? I am re-posting this from last year just in case you became a fan of the Den some time in 2008!
I love Christmas music. I’m sure you do as well. I like to blast it out my car windows when I roll up next to some fender rattling bass thumper at the Poway and Community road intersection. I thoroughly enjoy that special genre of music that transforms our sunny Southern Californian mindsets into nostalgic winter-wonderland-wanter’s.
Christmas music is so peculiar. It makes us long for things we might have never even experienced. Does anyone else ever shiver when they hear “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”? Has anyone ever actually seen chestnuts roasting on an open fire?
For your reading pleasure I give you a nice little den diversion dedicated to the songs that make the season. Read the rest of this entry »
Isn’t it iconic… don’t you think? A little too iconic… Yeah I really do think.
An icon is something that is larger than life, something or someone who defines a culture. An icon is a symbol that unfolds a rich tapestry of significance, value, and history. Read the rest of this entry »
We will never forget… 1993
Today, September 11th, 2007 marks the 6th anniversary of the worst attack of terrorism to ever strike the Untied States. Throughout the day you may read, hear or see a number or tributes, memorials and specials dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives that day. The phrase you will hear accompanying each media special is inevitably, “we will never forget.”
Will we really never forget?
Have we actually learned anything from those events that would qualify as worth a lifetime of remembrance?
Haven’t we already forgotten about 1993? Read the rest of this entry »
Do you know what your problem is?
If you don’t just pick up a magazine, turn on the TV or listen to the radio and within 10 minutes you will know exactly what is wrong with you, and even more, you’ll know exactly which drug to tell your doctor to prescribe for you. Read the rest of this entry »
swimming up stream (a controversial opinion on the crimes of Ron Mexico)
In our chaotic, media-driven, politically-correct, pop culture world certain opinions are simply unacceptable. It seems that within a matter of just a few hours one opinion can become fact. I guess the rise of blogs is the natural counter balance to try and keep common sense afloat but it just seems too difficult. The topic of this particular blog comes from a tremendous sense of duty. I feel obligated to promote common sense and justice even though I know it is an opinion that goes so strongly against the grain that it may invoke personal attacks and persecutions. In fact I may loose all of my potential readers after this post, but come what may, I must.
We’re talking dog fighting. Read the rest of this entry »
Bonus Post: Fast Food Wars
I was totally satisfied with my “fav-5″ post as being enough blog fodder for this week until I saw this story that Carl’s Jr is suing Jack in the Box for their commercials.
I find this so ironic because I went on a 2-year boycott of Carl’s Jr because of the inappropriateness of their commercials (the one with Paris Hilton washing a car) and I laughed out loud at the Jack in the Box ones (where they make fun of the name “angus”).
It’s sad to see the denigration of our society where you are allowed to treat women as pieces of meat but get sued for making fun of cows as pieces of meat.
