My Favorites Works of Art in (mostly) Every Medium.

For movies, I will have to go with the trilogy that changed my life. Everyone has that life changing experience that inspires them. For me watching The Lord of the Rings was that experience. Before this I had never read anything thicker then a Hardy Boy book, I'd never written anything, hell I was barely literate at all at all. But watching this movie not only made me an avid reader, it also inspired me to write my own stories. I've written several since then, and am working on a novel. So thank you Peter Jackson, without your movies my life would be completely different. Honorable mention: -Star Wars. -The Green Mile. -Saving Private Ryan.

For books I am going with Gorge Martins "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, better known today as "A Game of Thrones." I didn't put The Lord of the Rings (even though its my true favorite book series) simply because I didn't want it taking up both the book AND movie selections. But "Ice and Fire" has a lot of things going for it that are frankly better then LotR. The story is, of course, epic, the characters are fluid and three dimensional, the history almost (almost) rivals that of Tolkien, and the depth of his world is just amazing. Whereas LotR's likes to place everyone into easy roles of either good guys or bad guys (except Smegol of course), in Ice and Fire very few characters actually follow these archetypes; they can be good at times, bad at others, but overall they just have goals are are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them. Its not common in the fantasy genera, but its much appreciated. Honorable Mention. -The Lord of the Rings of course. -The Kite Runner. -1984. -The Circle Trilogy

For TV shows, I am going with Battlestar Gallactica. My dad being a huge Treki, I was raised practically on Star Trek, and though I like the movies a lot the TV shows never really interest me. A lot of goodie goodie characters running around giving up moral lessons on how uncivilized we are, and how civilized the future is. Battlestar Gallactica is the opposite of that. Instead of perfectly clean hanger bays, we have the nitty gritty Battlestar where everything is broken and out of place. Characters go unshaven, scars don't heal, oil and grease stains are everywhere, and people die. A WHOLE LOT of people. In graphic fashion. Battlestar is the ultimate Sci Fi series, a true work of art that puts any other Sci Fi to shame. Game of Thrones MIGHT manage to reach that level simply because Battlestar kind of went off the deep end mid way through season 3, but we'll have to say. For now, BSG is king of TV. Honorable Mention. Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Babylon Five, Firefly.
See the full review, "Eat your heart out Star Trek".

For comic/graphic novels I am going with The Walking Dead. Admittedly I don't have a lot of experience with comics or graphic novels, but of what I've read TWD is far and away the best. It does something no other zombie story has ever tried, and that is tell an ongoing story. This isn't like Romero's Dead series where each movie we get new characters and magically updated technology, this story sticks with its main character Rick Grimes the entire way through, and is still going to boot. The book is better then the show, so if your a fan of the TV show (and why wouldn't you be?) you owe it to yourself to read the books. Honorable Mention. V for Vendetta, Watchmen.

For anime TV, I'm going with my personal favorite Now and Then, Here and There. Sure there are other shows that are deeper, shows with better action, animation, or music, but for me I've never seen a story with such great characters (mostly) and such emotion. Now and Then is a terribly emotional story about a world much more simaler to ours then people would like to admit, where children are forced into slavery to be soldiers, or worse, for an evil king. Dark, dreary, and downright depressing at times, this isn't a show for everyone. Its a show for those who like this sort of thing. Honorable Mention. Cowboy Bebop, Gunslinger Girl, Serial Experiments Lain, Beck the Mongolian Chop Squad.

For anime movies (yes, two different categories for anime) I will have to go with Spirited Away by Miyazaki. Although he's directed many amazing films, this one gets the nod for a few reasons. First its the first anime I ever watched, and is what set me on my anime love fest for the next few years. Second is the depth of the characters involved, the simplistic yet incredible story, and the imagery. Spirited Away tells the story of a young girl thrust into the spirit world who must find a way to save her parents who've been turned into pigs. Doesn't sound interesting? Trust me, it is. Its one of the most perfect movies I've ever seen. Honorable Mention. Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Cowboy Bebop (the movie), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

For video games, Mass Effect gets the nod. There are a TON of great games coming out these days,so many its impossible to keep up with, but of all that I've played I don't think I've ever played anything so immerse, so grand, so epic, and so touching as the Mass Effect trilogy. The game mechanics better better as the series go on, though it looses some of its RPG elements along the way. Its the story, and the choices, that really got me hooked. A few hundred years in the future a sentient race of all powerful machines, the Reapers, are threatening to wipe out all life in the galaxy, and its up to you and a motley grew of aliens and humans to stop them. There is no game out there with character development as deep and meaningful as this, and the choices you make have a real effect on the story you play (except for the ending, but that's a different story). Honorable Mentions. Skyrim, Halo, Red Dead Redemption,

The Who are far and away my favorite band of all time, and far and away their best album is Who's Next. Every song on this album would make my top 100 list of songs I love (if I ever bothered to make a top 100, which I won't). From Won't Get Fooled Again (my favorite song ever) to Baba O'riely and Going Mobile, there's not a single song on this album that doesn't connect with me on some level. Its just that good. Honorable Mention. Appetite for Destruction by Guns and Roses, Master of Puppets by Metallica, Back in Black by AC/DC.