Those who know me, know I'm an entertainment junkie.  Sure I like the occasional thought provoking film or TV show, but overall, I tend to be wowed more by an amazing visual over good dialog.  That's not to say that I'll watch a movie no matter how bad the dialog is.  Hell...the only reason I sat through Speed II was to make fun of it, and it was free.  Below are some of the random movies/TV shows that really strike my fancy.

Star Wars:  Quite simply, one of the best movie series ever to be released.  Lucas has created an entire universe, with interesting characters (well, most of 'em, anyways) and has revolutionized special effects.  Sure, Phantom Menace had nowhere near the excellent writing that the originals had, but DAMN if it didn't have the coolest lightsabre battles of any of the movies.  And yes, Jar Jar was annoying, but I went in with the lowest of expectations for him, so I was actually somewhat happy with him in the movie.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off:  I love this movie.  I love its message.  No, not the "Ditch school at every opportunity" message...the other one.  The one that says "Enjoy every moment you have.  Live life."  And, it's just a damn funny movie.

Gladiator:  Just saw this last Friday.  DAMN that was a cool movie.  Excellent action sequences, tastefully done decapitations and body halvings, magnificent acting, and absolutely amazing visual effects.  Worth full admission several times over.  If you don't go see this, there's just something wrong with you.

John Woo:  The dude just makes a kickass action movie.  My fave so far has been Face/Off, with Hard Boiled a close second.  I'm eagerly awaiting his Mission: Impossible movie...I just hope the studios give him free reign with it.  Another wonderful flick...not directed by Woo, but he did produce it, was The Replacement Killers.  Just a damn good action movie, with dark lighting (I'm a sucker for that stuff.  See my next entry)

The Iron Giant:  One of the best movies last year.  I am extremely disappointed it didn't do better, and wasn't recognized as much as it should have been...Warner Brothers needs to do more animated films like this one...I feel it far surpassed much of what Disney is doing nowadays.  The movie actually brought a tear to my eye...and not many cartoons do that.

Dark City:  A very good noir sci-fi movie.  Very imaginitive, with impressive visuals.  And that battle at the end...THAT'S how a Telekinesis battle should look.

The Matrix:  Where the hell did this movie come from?  It just kinda sprung outta nowhere.  Now there are two more Matrix movies in the works, and I hope they both recieve the same success that the first one did.  It was wonderful to see such a visually impressive movie also have a strong story to it, with decent dialog ("I know kung fu").  Others are ranting about the biblical references in it, but I could care less about that...I just loved the whole premise.  I shall now see anything the Wachowski's ever release.

City of Lost Children:  Yes, it's French. Yes, it's subtitled.  Yes, it kicks ass.  Same crew that gave us Alien: Ressurrection first gave us City of Lost Children (with some of the same actors, to boot).  If you liked the visuals of Dark City, you'd probably like this.  It's a very retro-like sci-fi films.  The settings and characters are all very 1920's, but there are also cyborgs, mutants, and clones.  A VERY surreal movie.  I loved every second of it.

Luc Besson:  Yes, another French item on my list, but damn, I have yet to see a movie by him I didn't like.  All y'all who love the La Femme Nikita TV show have him to thank for creating the original.  Then we have The Professional, which was just a damn good all-around movie.  Fifth Element was quite a change from his previous work, but was also very enjoyable.

The X Files:  I've been watchin' since the beginning, and lovin' almost every episode.  This last season is very different from the previous, but still good.  I think they've decided to take more creative liberties this season, and that accounts for the change in style.  This past season hasn't been quite as strong as previous years, but it's still a good watch every now and again.

Roughnecks: The Starship Trooper Chronicles:  One of the best CGI shows I've ever seen.  Show your support for the show.

The Simpsons and Futurama:  Both brainchildren of Matt Groening.  Both highly entertaining.  Simpsons, however, has just a bit more oomph to it.  Perhaps just because they've had so long to hone their style, whereas Futurama's brand spankin' new.  Anyhow...they're both worth a look.

That 70's Show:  One of the funniest shows out there.  Well acted (Kurtwood Smith has found a starring role perfect for his "Father Knows Best" type of character).  Well worth a look.

Malcolm In the Middle:  Yep...Fox has all the winners this year.  Malcolm is kinda like a live-action Simpsons, but the family is more dysfunctional.  Always a good laugh.

Titus:  Another winner.  After watching this show, I'd really love to see one of Christopher Titus' stage performances.  This dude is hysterical.  And Stacy Keach, I've never been a fan of his until now.  "Don't be a wussy!"

The Sopranos:  I love HBO now.  This show is well deserving of the Emmys it has won, as well as all the positive buzz about it.  When I saw the ads for it, I didn't think it looked all that interesting...but I started watching it with the beginning of season II, and I've been hooked.  You really find yourself feeling sorry for a lot of these folks who in real life we'd label criminals of the highest sort.  Oh, and might I add...Furio kicks arse, and needs to be on that show more often!!!  Should you watch it on Monday nights, I might suggest staying tuned for Oz immediately afterwards...the Sopranos stole a lot of its attention, but it is still one of the better shows being broadcast.

Home Movies:  I believe they cancelled this after the first season, which is unfortunate.  Darn good show.  I hear that the Cartoon Network may pick it up, though.  Hope they do...it's quality programming.  This show is frickin' nuts.  It's about an extremely creative kid around an odd group of people, and he loves makin' B-movies on his home video camera ("I'm gonna bite you all and make you crispy!!!")  Those who like Dr. Katz might like this, as it's from the same group.