Wacky Fun Toys

Got this from a pal's blog:


You're a Speak & Spell!! You nerd, you. Just
because you were disguised as a toy doesn't
mean you weren't educational, you sneaky
bastard.


What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Now, I have to call to confirm for another friends' wedding, and take a little time off from this thang.

It's Complete!

Yes, even after several delays, and in the midst of a bad upper respiratory thang, I am here to announce





That's right - I took the Nanowrimo challenge, and wrote a novel, the results of which can be read on this blog.

Some things I learned on the way:

1. Do a little every day - this might have gone much better had I not taken a vacation from it for awhile while I was in Chicago, but persistence pays off.
2. I'm actually, like, talented at this stuff
3. Edit, edit, edit.
4. I need to save some pennies towards a laptop
5. There's no such thing as a bad idea.
6. I am definitely a much better writer than some people out there, and they know who they are.

Let me know if you think I should "publish" it as a PDF file to download. (I do have the capabilities). At the very least, I can say that I did it. (And I'll update the graphics and stuff later this week).

Thank You, Friends!

Taking a page from my pal Brian, well-known blogger/trivia enthusiast/all-around tough guy, I thought I would list all the things I am thankful for today, since this weekend may be not very blogworthy.

In the words of Jackie Gleason, and a-way-y-y-y we go!

• I get to leave work at 4:00 pm today, and avoid the yucky traffic.
• My friends, whom I correspond with on a semi-regular basis, and whom I take for granted all too frequently
• Dax, my cat, because as temperamental as she is, nothing says unconditional acceptance like a cat's purr
• Logan, my godson, who is a Jedi in training, and who (according to my family) knows who lives in a pineapple under the sea
• The blogs on my blogroll below, for providing some really cool writing (especially the greatest comics blog in the multiverse)
• National Novel Writing Month, which has provided me an outlet for this idea I've had since grad school (and I'm 75% completed)
• DVDs, which have allowed me to engage my fanboyish desires on a budget
• The Marx Brothers, because without them, I wouldn't be here
• My family, because as crazy as they get, they're, well, family, and
• Salma Hayek, my once and future ex-wife.

So, folks, there you have it. Have a wonderful holiday, and remember - only during this time of year is it a good thing to say, "Get stuffed!"

Happy Birthday Doctor Who!

41 Years of Sci-Fi Fun

Plight of the Fabricated American

Fox, as a network, is a mixed bag - for every hit, there's a show that they've either neglected, never understood, or even nurtured. The list of the latter is too numerous - Get a Life, Firefly, Family Guy, the live action The Tick, and my personal favorite...Greg the Bunny.

From the start, this show began differently, as the theme song stated:

"Well, we sing and dance,
And we don't wear pants,
See we're just like you...
We got regular jobs,
Just with low door knobs,
And we're just like you"

It was a show that was, according to the creators, supposed to be "Larry Sanders with puppets" - what it turned into was a surreal comedy that attempted to place characterization over gags.

The show centered around a bunny named Greg, who lived with his best friend Jimmy (Seth Green, who should get an Oscar just for existing), and who managed (in the pilot) to land a job at Sweetknuckle Junction, a show produced by Jimmy's father Gil (Eugene Levy, former SCTV castmember and now American Pie Guy). Greg finds himself working with several strange characters, including Count Blah (imagine Sesame Street's count with Bela Lugosi's past), the egotistical Warren Demontague (an ape with an almost Shatnerian ego), the spacey Dottie (Dina Waters, aka my future ex-wife), Tardy Turtle ("Crayons taste like purple") and the slightly scary Junction Jack (Bob Gunton).

Unlike many comedies, this show was daring in a way that not even the Muppets were able to get away with. Now, with a two-DVD collection of the entire series, you can see the mixture of typical sitcom set-up-and-punch with the unique atmosphere. In this world, a large blue monster can be named "Susan" and hit on humans; where nobody questions an ape having a human ex-wife; but where there are some completely silly, off-the-wall moments. This was a show that, by all accounts, was fresh, edgy, and had some pretty strong writing behind it. It was also the kind of show that could only happen on television - film might be a little too realistic, and remove some of the surrealistic edge; comics would just deaden the tone. Puppets help add an extra layer - a puppet can say things that a human being can't, and can act in ways which are acceptible yet outside-the-box.

(It was also, as per the special features, a character with a past - Greg was featured in a cable access show, then on the Independent Film Channel, and if they had not hooked up with a producer from Just Shoot Me - yes, you heard that right - it would never have happened).

For all of its claim to edginess, Fox Network seems, at best, like the dodgy uncle who uses out-of-date slang to prove he's hip. (Gee, I wonder why I don't watch tv much anymore?) You owe it to yourself to see this show, which was one of the truly original shows on television. Plus, it makes a great Xmas gift.

Reading Recommendations

First, saw Kinsey at the Film Festival last night - dude, you got to see this movie! It's a really moving piece of filmmaking that covers a lot of bases. It's also very mature, and definitely not for the under 18 set.

Ok, enough of that...now, onto this week's comics:

Spider-Man: India - What brand of crack do you have to smoke to write something this lame? I'm sure someone at Marvel is pointing to this book to show their commitment to "diversity" (Me, sarcastic? Nah)

JLA # 108 - After a "typical-day-before-it-goes-to-pot" introduction, this issue sets up the world of the antimatter universe (aka "Earth 3"). It gives us a quick-and-dirty introduction to the Crime Syndikate, as well as reintroduced the Weaponers of Qward. Looking to be a great arc

JSA: Strange Adventures # 4 - after thinking that this story was going in one direction, it appears to be heading into another, more interesting direction. I sure didn't see that ending coming.

Teen Titans # 18 - More wacky alternate universe hijinks! Actually, this is pretty much standard things-got-dark-so-we-got-dark plotting...after finishing this arc, probably will not finish out.

Ex Machina # 6 - Well deserves the praise and attention it's getting. Great book.

Superman/Batman # 14 - Interesting use of long-dead (and out of continuity) characters to create a twist on the "changing the past" storyline. Definitely have to follow this arc through.

If you're into well-written mysteries, I suggest Blacklist by Sara Paretsky. It's your typical well-written VI Warshawski novel - complex plotting, smart dialogue, atmospheric descriptions...could not put it down. (Of course, this kind of writing almost demands someone attempt to adapt her work into graphic novel form)

Finally, a few blogs and websites that you might want to check out - there's the gentleman whose blog title is so long I refer to him as Former Fire Guy. (Any guy who can name check Brave & Bold # 182, or "Time, See What's Become of Me" with Hawk & Dove, is cool in my book).

The other blog of note is Jamie Weiman's Something Old, Nothing New, with its focus on popular (and unpopular) culture of times past. He writes with clarity, insight, and perspective on various matters ranging from television to Broadway musicals. And he does so seemingly easily. You have to read this blog.

I was hoping for "I, the Jury"...

Got this from Michelle's Blog


Shakespeare: Sonnets. Everyone has heard of you,
and almost everybody can find something
touching in you. You are calm and control
yourself, even though your wisdom and your
messages are no lesser than those of others.

Which literature classic are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Halfway There

Since the last time I posted about the Nanowrimo novel I'm writing, Jack of Diamonds - even after goofing off in Chicago - I'm halfway done, and the ol' creativity is kicking into overdrive.

Now comes the tough part - my goal is to try for 4,000 words a day, effectively doubling my rate.

Please feel free to read it by clicking on the title above, and please leave comments. It's an experience, that's for sure.

SLIFF Thoughts

I'm a movie geek, probably as much (if not more) than I am a pop culture geek. So much so that, when the request came for volunteers for the St. Louis International Film Festival, I jumped at the chance. Oh, sure, I would get a discount anyway, being a member of Cinema St. Louis, but volunteers get free passes.

That's right - free. Better than $7/movie, all for working 5 hour shifts. Mostly at the Tivoli - although that and the Hi-Pointe are both nearby and really cool. I just dig 1920's-style theaters over 1950's style, the same way people might appreciate late-1970s, darker Batman over 1950s, science-fiction Batman.

Monday was my first night - unfortunately, visiting Mom in Chicago meant that I had to miss the first few days of the festival, but Monday more than made up for it. Most of my time was spent on my feet, checking tickets, carrying stuff, but I was able to get in to see Tosuma, a movie from Senegal about an old soldier trying to get his pension. If this movie were American made, it would probably be seen as trite, cliche, and with the plot twists coming a mile away; however, this ended up being one of the most good-hearted movies I have ever seen in my life.

Last night, I didn't get the chance to sneak in last night, but had a blast anyway. First, thanks to an "Ask Amy" clipping int the window of Star Clipper Comics, women are encouraged to meet guys at comic shops, meaning that I may actually end up on a date before I'm 64.

Anyway, most of last night was spent on my feet - handing out programs, distributing ballots, but had a total blast taking tickets at the front of Tivoli.

(For my STL homies - that's right, I took tickets at the Tivoli. Even met John, the guy who does it on a regular basis outside of the fim festival. How cool is that? Especially since I had always wanted to work at a theater, but sadly grew up in the early days of the mulitplex/dying days of the single movie theater. The Brighton theater in Chicago - where I snuck in to many an R - rated, second run film - is now an empty lot. But I digress)

Quote of the day - one of the venue captains (and next year, I'm definitely volunteering to be in charge) said, "There are too many weird films....too many films about landmines...there's nothing with a mainstream approach..."

Just a few thoughts:

• Can you ever have too many films about landmines?
• I thought the whole point of a festival was to show films that maybe were a little quirky?
• I can only imagine a comic book reader saying, "That Ex Machina book is just too weird - we need more books with bad writing and Liefeldian art."

Speaking of Liefeldian, I am really looking forward to Saturday night - LolliLove (a mockumentary), Guardians of the Realm (babes battle demons!), and the midnight show? Inbred Redneck Alien Invasions.

Compared to that, Sunday's showing of Kinsey will seem anticlimactic, in every sense of the word.

911 Emergency

Would you want mouth-to-mouth from this guy?

Doctor Who: Lost in Time

Imagine, if you will, a network that decided to erase several episodes of a television show...simply because they assumed that copies could be found elsewhere. Stories from a long-running show's early years, stories which might not have had importance, but which were, in their own way, indicative of the early direction.

Welcome, my friends, to Doctor Who: Lost in Time, the first Doctor Who DVD that has been released simultaneously in the US, UK, and Canada. It is available either as a three DVD set, or as a single William Hartnell era DVD and separate two disc Patrick Troughton set. The Hartnell disc contains two recently "rediscovered" episodes - The Crusade: The Lion and Dalek Master Plan: Day of Armageddon. The Troughton disc contains a reedited Missing Years (first released on the Edge of Destruction VHS set). Both sets contain episodes from complete stories, some four part stories "completed" with audio episodes, and plenty of film clips. (Click here for a full breakdown of each disc)

Admittedly, this set is a mixed bag - Doctor Who in the 1960s was at its most "comic-book-y" (is that even a word - Mike? Laura? Dorian? Ian? Tom the Dog?), moving at a good pace, not tied into "continuity", and just being a Saturday afternoon adventure show with science fiction trappings. Part of the fault is the quality of the episodes - even after the care and diligence of the BBC Restoration Team, the video still has a grainy quality, but considering the source material (usually 35 mm film right off the television screen), that's to be expected. It's like faulting 1960s comics because they were printed on cheap paper.

Storywise, 1960s Doctor Who was...a mixed bag. Luckily, on the Hartnell disc, we have a "complete" version of The Crusades (which now, 40 years on, seems eerily timely), as well as several episodes of The Dalek Master Plan (which appears to be just a flat-out adventure straight out of movie serials), and even clips of the Hartnell/Troughton switch (it would not be until 1975 when it was referred to as "regeneration"). However, the final episode of The Celestial Toymaker leaves you saying...huh?

It's the Troughton disc that is really revelatory - in the episodes that are available on this disc, The Web of Fear and (especially) Fury from the Deep demonstrate that their reputation is deserved. (Look at the one-minute clip from Fury and tell me that you don't wish it was rediscovered just like Tomb of the Cybermen). However, the Troughton disc also shows that he had some really bad episodes - Underwater Menace and Space Pirates seem to out-camp Adam West.

Much of the blame (as it were) has to go to the production team at the time of each episode - some producers seem to have a casual disregard for the show. Some of the single episode commentaries are revelatory (although be warned - on episode one of Web of Fear, someone forgot to tell Deborah Watling to sit by the microphone).
All in all, however, this is a great Christmas gift for the hardcore Doctor Who fan...as well as a great reminder about about retaining a sense of history.

Sojourn in Chicago, Part Two

After reading my normal comics stash, couldn't sleep - tried to make my way through the first few chapters of Blacklist, by Sara Paretsky, who does for Chicago (in my opinion) what Raymond Chandler did for LA...although with a stronger social conscience. Half-awake, unable to trudge through the prose (not her fault - mine), turned on the television, caught Letterman (with a very sexy cook named Nigella Lawson), then Conan (with Selma Hayek, my current unattainable woman)...then drifted to sleep.

Seizing the opportunity, drove through Chicago, visiting old haunts and trying to revive childhood memories. Luckily, much of current Chicago pop culture - Svengoolie, the Empire Carpet Guy - is still thriving. However, much of the changes have saddened me - the smoke shop where I was first introduced to comics is now a Walgreen's; Kroozin' Music, my first "real" record store, is now an annex to Kelly High School; and Chaos in Print (a great name for a comics shop) is now an Internet cafe.

Much of yesterday was spent reconnecting with family - my cousin, my godson, my uncle. (I will have to see if I can blog a photo of Logan, my godson - he's cute). Living in St. Louis is great, but I do miss Chicago - not enough to actually move back, but it's great to be in familiar territory.

Right now, part of me feels very guilty - I'm falling behind on my online novel for Nanowrimo (but hey, I can always catch up later); I have a strategic planning survey to complete for work; but I needed this break. I needed time away, time to reconnect, recharge, and just get some rest.

(Plus, I burned through several more chapters of Sara Paretsky's Blacklist, and Mom just bequethed me her copy of Sue Grafton's R is for Richochet. Sometimes, though, it makes me feel like Burgess Meredith in that classic Twilight Zone episode.

Until next time, kids...

Sojourn In Chicago, Part One

I'm sitting in my mom's home office, typing this blog on her brand new mega-cool computer with plasma screen...and I'm in Chicago.

Thanks to some real last-minute upsets, I ended up dead last getting on the plane, dealing with some drunken yuppie frat boys (hey, here's a clue - when the flight attendants ask you to turn off your cell phone, and you don't do it, you deserve to be called a term that rhymes with brass mole...but I digress.

Got in last night, got my car, and I can heartily recommend staying at Extended Stay America - you get a little kitchen area, the rooms are immaculate, and it's relatively no-frills. Read some of my comics stash, which I had picked up from my favorite comics place; pretty much a mixed bag:

• JSA # 67: I'm glad I read this first; it's one of the few cross-overs that actually *gasp* reflects on the main book. Great "use" of Power Girl, both thematically and contextually. (Read: she realizes her past is just as "screwed up" as her continuity). Great lead-in to the "JSA/JSA" crossover. (Will we see the Starman of 1951...and I don't mean Ted Knight?). Only quibble - Dr. Mid-Nite looks a little too much like Nite-Owl for my tastes, but since Dave Gibbons is doing the art, I can forgive it.
• Avengers Finale - You mean to tell me trees were cut down to publish this travesty? "Let's all sit down and reminisce before the obvious we-loved-you-anyway-money-shot". Worthless. No wonder I rarely read Marvel.
• Green Arrow # 44 - Winick lays it on a little too thick here. He has experience with this, and...well, this is no Pedro and Me, that's for sure.
• Flash 215 (backordered from last week) - another cool Identity Crisis crossover, but with a great twist on the main theme. I won't spoil it for you - find this book. Hunt down whomever to get it. It's that good.
• Identity Crisis # 6 - I'm one of the few people in the middle on this book - it's well-crafted, but I don't think it's Watchmen quality, nor do I feel it's garbage. (I think those who hold the latter view are more upset about their childhood memories being tarnished than on the story's merit). Well, bad news is that it proves my past speculation wrong. Even though it has an interesting, didn't-see-it-coming moment, the hints toward the killer strongly imply some of the mind-switching stuff from issue 1. Good thing it's only 7 issues long.
  

Have only been in town almost twelve hours, so I'm splitting this post in two.

Writing for the Trades

If there's one thing the hip kids want in their comics, it's trade paperbacks. That's right - gone are the days of the 28 page story with a beginning and end - now, it's beginning, tons of middle, and end.

OK, OK, I'm being a crotchety old comics fan...but trades are cool, especially when they print stuff that's either out-of-print or deserves the treatment. Which comics, you ask?

Just my suggestions - your mileage may vary. There was a similar thread on Howling Curmudgeons; I couldn't find the direct link the specific thread. (Plus, the majority of these are DC related)

Sugar and Spike: I think this was discussed on Mike's blog; granted, they may deserve the DC Archive treatment, but a trade would make it more family-friendly, and affordable.

Inferior Five - Granted, they were only popular in the late 60s for a handful of issues (click here for more comprehensive history), but satire in comics isn't all that popular, unless the comics in question are done by John Byrne. (OK, cheap shot). This is another group that may "deserve" Archive treatment, but is probably best served with a trade.

Doc Savage (Marvel & Millenium runs) & Doc Savage/Shadow: Conflagration Man - Both Doc Savage and The Shadow are pulp archetypes (and both published by Conde Nast) who have had great influence on comics. Marvel, in the mid-1970s, had a short run of Doc Savage comics (including a team-up with The Whing!) . In addition, DC had both comics based on both characters, and Conflagration Man was their crossover. Finally, the short-lived Millenium Comics had "done Doc right"- any of these runs would be worthy of collection.

America Vs. The JSA - I'm a sucker for DC's Golden Age characters; this is a pre-Crisis story that takes place on Earth-2, but is also an excellent "summary" of the JSA's history. (Roy Thomas really did his homework on this one). If DC can publish pre-Crisis stories in their Crisis on Multiple Earths collections, they can do this one as well. Slap an Elseworlds label on it - we won't care.

I'm sure all of you out there in blogland have your own suggestions - chime right in!

Batman We Hardly Knew Ye

One of my guilty pleasures...I love the old Adam West Batman tv show.

What's there not to like - the over-the-top dialogue; West's performance, which straddles the camp line; the outlandish sets...it worked on both a childish and adult level. Watching the Holy Batmania documentary on DVD (for a more detailed review, check out Digitally Obsessed) was a pleasant reminder - just view West & Ward's (then Gervis') versus the "alternate" take with Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell. One hits quite the right spot; the other comes off as wooden and campy in the wrong way. If anything, the television Batman came off as a little stiff, taking himself a little too seriously, but as someone who seemed, well, OK.

Of course, it didn't help that I also had just read JLA: Classified # 1 and Superman/Batman # 13 and realized...why is Batman such a frickin' grouch?

Ok, I get it - his parents were killed, his back was broken, his underaged companion was beaten by his worst enemy - he's not going to be the most pleasant guy. It makes me glad that I haven't checked out the Batbooks lately, because he seems patently unlikeable. He's a guy who is so driven that everyone else is pushed out. His "family" is there for convenience, not as support.

Batman, as a character, is a dichotomy that fits - a self-trained man fighting the demons of early loss; a loner who is attempting to "rebuild" a family; a detective who finds himself in some unique situations. However, it seems that the character is slowly, but surely, turning into Travis Bickle.

Reading Batman in the Eighties (which may not necessarily be a "golden age" for Batman), it appeares that even if the character wasn't his darkest, he was stable - a man who, at his core (according to Kingdom Come) is someone who doesn't want to see anyone die, who wants others to avoid the deep tragedy he himself has experienced. (Ironically, Batman is probably the most "sensitive" character - Superman acts out of a strict moral code; Batman acts out of a deep emotional one).

That might be why the television Batman is remembered, whereas the movie franchise gradually disintegrated - Burton and Schumaker forgot that, behind the cowl was a man, a man deeply hurt, a man wanting to not relive his pain. Now, the character just seems to hurt for no reason.

War Games or no, there's a good reason nobody's reading those books.

Twenty-One Percent Completed

When I took the NaNoWriMo challenge (click on the flower guy on the right), I honestly didn't think I would get far. Luckily, thanks to a goal of one hour a day writing, I'm 21 percent finished on my novel!

It's a little tome I like to call Jack of Diamonds - in ten words or less, think Jim Thompson writes the Green Hornet.

It's updated daily, so give it a chance. It'll never be on Oprah's book club, but as a pulp pastiche, I think it's clever.

Post Election Feelings

Two post-election thoughts:

this post, which someone else had written, but describes my feelings perfectly; and

a quote from Monty Python:

"...and now, we have more years of silly government to look forward to."

Cue the Vikings!

In Pythonesque news...

Movie Meme

I got the idea from this site - it's basically similar to the 100 books meme: you bold what movies you've seen, and add three.

And now, the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies of All Time:

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23 THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

I count 68, and the three I add are

101. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964)
102. NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE (1978)
103. WAR OF THE WORLDS (1954)

It's Begun

For a daily dose of National Novel Writing Month, be sure to check out

Jack of Diamonds

(Hopefully, I will put in some coding to allow people to just click a link and head there).