A New Millenia of Cinema!

According to the American Film Institute, in 1998, a film had to meet seven critical requirements to be considered cinematic gold.

1. Feature-length: Narrative format, at least 40 minutes long.
2. American film: English language, with significant creative and/or financial production elements of the United States.
3. Critical Recognition: Formal commendation in print.
4. Major Award Winner
5. Popularity Over Time
6. Historical Significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving image through technical innovation, visionary narrative devices, or other groundbreaking achievements.
7. Cultural Impact

As the World daringly steps into the new Millenia, fresh criteria should be added to this list, to make what I would consider the perfect rubric for rating and assigning status among the movies which were released in the Year 2000 onward. In addition, I feel that the first four criteria are less important than the final three. Number five especially, Popularity Over Time, does not apply as much in respect to the Year 2010.

My list will focus more on the comedy, fantasy, and even science fiction genres, as I feel they are important in capturing the essence of the Era which has begun. We are now living in a time which novelists once dreamed of as fantastic and terrible. The modern world must embrace this Age of Discovery with an open mind, spirit, and heart.

The proverb which states, "Laughter is the best medicine," has proven itself true innummerable times. If one viewed the world without a trace of positive perspective we would live in an even darker world than we do now. Therefore, the first criteria for my list shall be-

1. A film's ability to make the audience laugh, no matter age, gender, status, or race.

2. A film should inspire wonder in the audience, whether it be due to storyline, dynamic characters, plot twists, and/or stunning visual effects.

3. A film must leave its viewers with something meaningful, something which they may take away with them, and apply to their own lives. Expanding on this, a film may qualify due to its ability to protray historical significancies with a totally new or alien perspective.

4. The film must have the capacity to unite people across cultural and societal boundaries.

5. Film Length is important: I would say at least an hour is needed to establish a narrative story. However, short computer-generated cartoons as one sees before a Pixar film, qualify for recognition if viewed as a collection of shorter stories.

6. Finally, Directors and Actors play a huge role in a film's failure or success. So, big name or new name, the people involved in the production of the film are crucial to it's success as a movie.

I don't care if the movie is computer animated, stop-motion, or utitilzes the traditional acting of the past decades. Any movie is eligible to attain a spot on this list. It also does not hurt if the movie contains the actor Will Ferrell, or any person who has participated in the American Television Show Saturday Night Live. My list will include movies not made in America.

The 50 Greatest Movies of the 21st Century!


1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2. Avatar
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Precious
5. Star Trek
6. District Nine
7. The Blind Side
8. The Hurt Locker
9. Superbad
10. Pineapple Express
11. Anchorman
12. Knocked Up
13. Gladiator
14. Meet the Parents
16. Me, Myself, and Irene
17. Monsters, Inc.
18. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
22. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
23. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
24. How to Train Your Dragon
25. Up
26. Shrek
27. Finding Nemo
28. Bruce Almighty
29. Baby Mama
30. The Passion of the Christ
31. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
32. King Kong
33. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
34. The Dark Knight
35. Hitch
36. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
37. Ice Age
38. Happy Feet
39. Transformers
40. 300
41. Wall-E
42. The Hangover
43. Alice in Wonderland
44. Tropic Thunder
45. Snakes on a Plane
46. Pan's Labyrinth
47. United 93
48. The Incredibles
49. Pride and Prejudice
50. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Blog Project Post Number 4

The New England Journal of Medicine posted the results of a few studies that were done to view the relationship between sodas and diabetes. "Three prospective, observational studies — one involving nurses in the United States, one involving Finnish men and women, and one involving black women — each showed positive associations between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and the risk of type 2 diabetes.13,20,21 Among the 91,249 women in the Nurses' Health Study II who were followed for 8 years, the risk of diabetes among women who consumed one or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day was nearly double the risk among women who consumed less than one serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per month13; about half the excess risk was accounted for by greater body weight." That's a lot to think about!

The rate of diabetes and obesity in America is much too high. By having soda machines in school we put our children at risk for these diseases. But, by imposing a small tax on these drinks their consumption could be decreased significantly. Then, the empty calories those drinks are made of would be consumed less and less. Diabetes is a serious disease that shortens your life while making it very uncomfortable. You can be your own advocate. Support the taxes being passed on sodas. Exercise, and eat a healthy diet. A healthy body is a happy body.
Plus, the benefits of a tax on sugary soft drinks are more than just good health. The money raised from the pennies extra you pay can go towards things like healthcare and public works projects. So, while you're losing weight, a new park might be erected in your neighborhood.

"Coke Will Turn Green". Aurum3 Newtech. March 6, 2010 .

Massachusett's Medical Society, "The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages". The New England Journal of Medicine. March 2, 2010 .