Top 5 actors

And by actors I mean males. I plan on doing a top 5 actresses post one day.

5.Bruce Campbell

Of course the first thing I saw him in was Evil Dead. But since then I had seen so many low budget horror and science fiction films with Mr Campbell. Usually he brings the right blend of seriousness and comedy to each role. Now I love Evil Dead and Evil Dead II, but my favorite film with Bruce is Bubba Ho Tep. It helps that I am a huge Joe R Lansdale fan. Plus it is such a strange idea for a film. Elvis and JFK in an east Texas nursing home. Fighting a mummy that steals souls.

4.Vincent Price

As a young kid I saw House on Haunted Hill late one Halloween night. And that started my love of Vincent Price films. Mr Price has an aura around him that could make even the cheapest cheesiest film work. Over the years I have seen at least half of the 100 films he made. And my favorite film with him is always changing. Currently it is Madhouse. A film I had never heard of until recently. Another stand out was the sadly short lived "13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo" cartoon. Where Mr Price had a starting role. Right before Halloween in 1993 Mr Price died. And not just the horror industry but the film industry lost a true legend.

3.Robert Carradine

The younger brother of David, I first saw Robert in the 80s comedy classic Revenge of the Nerds. And for a very long time that is all I knew him from. It wasn't until the early 2000s that I discovered he had done a handful of drive in classics back in the 70s. In 1976 he played the lead in the Crown International film "The Pom Pom Girls". Robert is the school's star quarterback. And spends most of the film pulling pranks on their cross town rivals. But the one film from that era that everyone should see is "Massacre at Central High". Also from 1976 this is a  strange film about various high school cliches. Robert is great as Spoony. And kind of proto-punk/hippie. Most people younger than me will best know him as the Dad on the hit Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire.

2.Michael Chiklis

Before "The Shield" all I knew Mr Chiklis from was "The Commish" and that Mel Gibson made for TV film about the 3 stooges. I didn't realized that he had played John Belushi in the film "Wired". Yes I am one of the 10 people that saw "Wired" in a theater. When "The Shield" started I wasn't going to watch it. I am just not into shows or films really about cops. But something told me to watch the first episode. And while it was good, those final 8 minutes hooked me. And from then till the show ended every Tuesday night at 9pm central I was watching it. Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey created a character that I had never seen on an American TV show. You hated him for being a piece of scum. But each week you were cheering him on and hoping that whatever scheme he was planning would work. Also he was the only good thing about those 2 horrible Fantastic Four films. Sadly since the Shield ended Mr Chiklis has had bad luck with TV shows. "No Ordinary Family" was fun but lasted one season. And just recently he was on the "Vegas". Another great show that only got one season.

1.Steve Buscemi

I know big surprise. The first thing I remember seeing Steve in was "Airheads". A average 90s comedy. But Mr Buscemi was great in it. Not that long after that I saw Reservoir Dogs. Where Steve steals the show as Mr Pink. He has been the only good parts of horrible films like Armageddon and Con Air. What I love is he is great at comedic and dramatic roles. 4 years ago he got the lead on Boardwalk Empire. As Nucky Thompson a corrupt Atlantic city political power. That show is one of the few I make a point to see. Another thing about Mr Buscemi that made me a huge fan is what he did after 9/11, Before his acting career took off, Steve was a NYC firefighter. After 9/11 he left the set of the film he was in and went back to help out his old firehouse for some weeks. Unlike some celebs after that horrible event, Steve didn't want media attention for what he was doing. He just wanted to help out. I have only seen one interview where he even talks about this. And maybe 3 pictures from this time. That right there increased my fandom and the amount of respect I have for Mr Buscemi.

Ghost World

Ghost World
2001
MGM DVD

Ghost World is a film based on a comic book written and drawn by Daniel Clowes. The comic was serialized in Clowes anthology comic Eightball.Over the course of 4 years and and 8 issues Clowes put out one of my favorite comics.

I first read the comic back in late 1997. So when I heard it was being made into a film I knew I had to see it. The film got a very limited theatrical release. So I ended up having to wait for it to hit home video before I could see it. The day it came out I bought a VHS copy.

This is the story of two long time friends. Enid and Rebecca,who have just graduated high school. They were outcasts in their school. And are very happy to escape the hell that is high school. Well Enid ends up having to take a remedial art class during the summer to actually graduate. Well her and Rebecca have been planning on getting summer jobs and renting an apartment. Rebecca quickly gets a job but Enid is a slacker. And this drives a wedge between the two friends. But while this is happening Enid strikes up a friendship with Seymour,who is played by Steve Buscemi. Seymour is a lonely record collector. And he is amazed that a young pretty female like Enid would have any interest in him. Thanks to the some help from Enid,Seymour ends up getting a girlfriend and starts to become less of a social misfit.


Before this film I had no idea who Scarlett Johansson was. And she does a great job playing Rebecca. I also really didn't know who Thora Birch,who plays Enid,was. But after seeing the film I remembered her as the younger sister from Hocus Pocus. Ghost World showed me that both ladies are really good actresses. Now Scarlett doesn't have that big a role in the film,but the scenes she is in you can see the potential she had as an actress. Now Thora Birch is amazing,she is perfect as Enid. And actually looks almost exactly like how Enid was drawn in the comic.

The DVD has a decent amount of extra features. There is some deleted and alternate takes of scenes. A kind of disappointing making of featurette. The original theatrical trailer. And finally a music video for song "Jaan Pechechaan Ho". I wish there was a commentary on the film. One with Daniel Clowes,Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi would be interesting. Ghost World gets a A.