TOP 10 THINGS YOU THINK YOU DON’T LIKE

OK.. so maybe you legitimately don’t like ’em.. but more often than not I am hearing “oh, I never watched that because..” and this is my top 10 list.

In No particular Order:

1) STAR WARS EPISODE 3: What started me off, someone said, I saw the first 2 and never saw the third. His loss, since it is the best since Empire and really captures that old spirit, despite some real missteps.

OK.. so maybe you legitimately don’t like ’em.. but more often than not I am hearing “oh, I never watched that because..” and this is my top 10 list.

In No particular Order:

1) STAR WARS EPISODE 3: What started me off, someone said, I saw the first 2 and never saw the third. His loss, since it is the best since Empire and really captures that old spirit, despite some real missteps.

2) STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE: Based on TNG fans who tried the first season and a half and checked out before it got REALLY good.. becoming, in my opinion, the best trek ever.

3) LOST: For 2 reasons. Half the people who tell me its not their thing think its a reality TV show. The other half checked out in the terrible first 8 eps of season 3, and missed out on it getting AMAZINGLY good.

4) BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: I was on this list. Was never gonna watch that WB crap, saw the flick, hated it, end of story. Whoops. The best show on TV, exceeded only maybe by…

5) ANGEL: See DS9. People didn’t dig the 1st season, so they checked out. It is a darker, richer show, and one that I fnd casual viewers like more. Season 5 is a MUST SEE.

6) TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES: Just the idea turned people off.. it seemed like a dumb ripoff.. it would be so easy to be bad. Its not. Its very good, and I look forward to it every week.

7) ARMY OF DARKNESS: Evil Dead 3. Looks like your typical zombie movie, right? Wrong. Classic comedy with Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi at their finest. I show this to people against their will, and they thank me for it.

8) THE ABYSS: SPECIAL EDITION: People walked out of the Abyss scratching their heads saying “What was the point?” – Well, the point is in the 40 minutes of cut footage.. watch the Sec. Ed, and suddently the movie takes on an entirely different, and better tone.

9) THE HOWARD STERN SHOW: Yup. He’s crass, and sometimes asks women to take off their tops. BUT.. more often its a frank, funny, soap opera that follows the lives of the cast. When its good (see: Artie’s blowup) its worth buying a Sirius subscription for.

10) BARENAKED LADIES: Their fans are rampant, but to most, they are the “One Week” band. That is not their only, or best song. Not every album is perfect, but there are gems like “Born On a Pirate Ship” and “Everything to Everyone” that REALLY shine.. and “Gordon”, their first album back in 1988, is Seargeant Pepper’s Good.

(EXTRA CREDIT: The Beatles: People think they don’t like them based on their early work, and when they hear the later stuff, they change their tune.. Do NOT underestimate this band. they’re themost respected for a reason.)

One thought on “TOP 10 THINGS YOU THINK YOU DON’T LIKE”

  1. My ten things…

    Let’s see, these aren’t exactly the “top” ten, but they’re certainly in there in no particular order. And they may be things I actually hate.

    1. Fringe. Sorry, BORING! Plots are predictable, and even a talented cast is having trouble building drama with this stinker. Maybe the writers will find their legs and get better later in the season, but after watching the first two episodes, I just say “meh”.
    2. The Simpsons. Perhaps my bar is set too high, but the jokes are lame, the show is stale, and its widely-imitated style is just ready to be retired. The movie had a few laughs for me, but aside from one brilliant moment — the skateboard scene — the rest of it had me chuckling occasionally but checking my watch.
    3. South Park. OK, this is one I actually love. I thought I would hate it, but I watched a few episodes and they were OK. Then late one night, Justin showed me the movie. I fell asleep halfway through because I’d had a hugely stressful and very long day, but the first half of the movie had me in stitches. Certain scenes, like the classroom “F-word” scene, still make me bust a gut every time.
    4. Numb3rs. I thought it was yet another cop show with some random element thrown in: the psychic, the forensic anthropologist, the magician detective. Well, sure, it follows that formula, and in this case he’s a mathematician… but the show has a lot of heart, great chemistry among the leads, and knows to not take itself too seriously.
    5. Firefly. Thought I’d hate it, ended up liking it.
    6. Compiz. This is a compositing window manager for X-Windows on Linux. I thought “what useless flash” for all the nifty GUI effects. Who needs transparent windows, visuals that “burn” windows you close them, or a virtual desktop that rotates like a cube? Well, it turns out that I do. Alt-tabbing (in my case, Super-Tabbing) through applications using the scrolling 3D roll plugin makes it much easier to get back to the right window, fade effects provide useful feedback when a program is slow responding, and although I still think transparent windows are of dubious value, it’s useful for background windows to be transparent so you can see the applications behind them. And now that Compiz is stable, I can use it on a daily basis. Still wish it didn’t conflict with Google Earth.
    7. Google Earth. I thought it was dumb to put a mapping application on a PC. Boy, was I wrong. Just try it and placemark a few points of interest. You’ll find uses for it you didn’t imagine… I use it all the time to scope out various areas, plan routes, and send location links to friends.
    8. Beer. I thought I hated beer, and it turned out I didn’t like it just because I’d never been willing to try a few to find one I did like. For those who have never had a beer, I liken it to trying only Shasta Cola and deciding you hate all soda because of that. Well, I apparently really dislike the hoppy and weak taste of many American beers. Put a pint of Guinness fresh off the tap in my hand, and for a few moments I think Benjamin Franklin was inspired when he said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”.

    OK, so this is only eight. Unfortunately, I have to get to work.

    —
    Matthew P. Barnson

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