My Top Ten TV Shows / Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, a (usually book related) topic is selected and we list our top ten choices relating to it.

This week's topic is:

My Top Ten TV Shows / Movies

I'm going to lump TV and movies together to keep things simple. If it's a dull, rainy day these are all shows or movies I might turn to.

10. Beauty and the Beast

Yes, there is a lot of criticism that can be leveled at this movie. It's definitely a film where someone can 'touch your Disney' and really pick it apart. But while I did enjoy Frozen (bought it last month) and appreciate it's message, I still feel very strongly that classic fairytales like Beauty and the Beast have their place. The Disney film is the adaptation that made Beauty and the Beast my favorite fairytale, so I feel this list would be incomplete without it.

09. The 10th Kingdom

This is a TV mini-series that is about ten hours long, and it bridges the gap between 'TV' and 'Movie" about as much as it does the gap between our world and a realm made up of fairytale kingdoms. This is one of the first works I saw that blended our world with one full of fantasy elements. This means it was probably one of the first things I saw that did this, and that it likely influenced my enjoyment of other stories that take place in multiple worlds.

08. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Great music, an interesting and quirky plot, and lots of Tim Curry. What's not to love?

07. Sailor Moon

The show that started my love of anime. This is important since when I am writing I envision most of what I am working on as if it is done in an anime style. I don't know *why*, I just *do*.

06. The Princess Bride

C'mon, who doesn't love this movie?

05. Desperate Housewives

I usually don't go for contemporary styled TV, but the characters in Desperate Housewives are so compelling, and the plotlines get so shockingly twisted, that I can't look away. This is also a personal favorite (and I'm sure I'll say this about other shows) because the characters actually grow.

04. 10 Things I Hate About You

Ah, the movie that defined my own teen years. I wanted to be Katerina Strafford so bad. *laughs, shakes head* I had a heck of a time choosing between this, She's All That, Bring It On and Save The Last Dance. Legally Blonde was also a contender, though that wasn't a thing until my first year of University.

03. Avatar: The Last Airbender 

I think what makes Avatar stand out for me is the fact that it has such fantastic depth of character while using animation rather than live action. I mean, seriously... Zoko has more depth than most antagonists in any artistic medium--he even receives redemption. If Sailor Moon fostered my love of animated entertainment that can tell an awesome story, Avatar proves that me aging has not taken away from the fact that it is possible for animation to do this time and again.

02. Mortal Kombat

I saw this movie for the first time when I was in 7th grade, and it has fueled my imagination as a writer ever since. I love the balance between various things like action, exploration, romance, and even humor. I was already invested in the characters and their plight since I played the games. And this, to me, is one of the (extremely rare!) video game movies that does not suck. In fact, (again, to me) this is one of my favorite movies of all time.

01. Farscape

If you like science fiction, fantasy and romance you owe it to yourself to check out Farscape. I've praised other things on this list for character development and continuity, but Farscape takes things one step further. Farscape is, of all TV series I've watched, the only one I've seen that truly feel like it has book quality storytelling. Plus (get this!) if Farscape was a book, it would likely be classified as romantic science fiction. (The only other thing I can think of that comes close is Lexx, and that gets all buggered up.) Science fiction and romance generally do not mix in the TV world, so for those who would like to watch some, and watch it done well, Farscape is a true gem.

So, what are your favorite movies and TV shows? Feel free to leave a comment or link me to your top ten Tuesday post. :)