13List

The 13 List:
Thirteen things to read, watch, and do this month.

Since we've been away for a few months, we're avoiding a list theme and just present 13 things that have gotten us through the winter doldrums. They aren't recent things, necessarily, but we hope at least a few will be new to you.

1- Best New Show: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles- Based on the movie series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a (sometimes killer) cyborg from the future sent to alter the destinies of Sarah Connor and her son, John, who will become a leader of humanity and ultimately destroy the cyborg race. Arnold doesn't appear in the series, nor any of the other actors from the films, but the recasting takes nothing away from the story, which involves the Connor family trying to survive long enough to change the future and John growing from sullen child to leader of humanity. The series is on break now, but you can download episodes at the Fox website:

2- Most Useful Website: Wikipedia- Yes, this site has been around for awhile now, but this past year it came to dominance as the go-to site for anything you could possibly want to know. Who directed Deliverance? How many episodes did they make of Danger Mouse? What legislation has Barack Obama sponsored in Congress? What is a cravat, exactly, and what does it look like? All of these questions have been answered in the past week here at the Patient Creatures crypt by checking Wikipedia. Of course, Wikipedia has taken criticism on its reliability, but they address that [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia ]

3- Favorite Film Nominated for Best Picture: Juno- We admit, this film charmed us. The story of Juno, a pregnant high-schooler who decides to place her child for adoption sounds like an after-school special, but this film, like life, is more complicated than that. Newcomer Ellen Page is terrific as Juno, but also the supporting cast, mostly television veterans including J.K. Simmons (Oz), Allison Janney (The West Wing), Jason Bateman and Michael Cera (both of Arrested Development), and especially Jennifer Garner (Alias), who gave a nuanced and touching performance as adoptive mom Vanessa. The film comes out on DVD April 15th.

4- Favorite Cult Show (current): Dexter- The second season of this Showtime (cable) series just ended in December, and fans are clambering for its release to iTunes and DVD. It stars Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under) as Dexter Morgan, a psychopathic serial killer who only kills other serial killers while hiding his double life from his sister, who works the homicide division of the police force, and his girlfriend, a domestic-abuse victim. It sounds a little crazy, and it is, but Hall makes it work in an unblinking performance that never makes excuses. Recently CBS has been running truncated versions of the first season to fill programming left vacant by the writers' strike, so if you aren't sure it's for you, this isn't a bad place to start.

5- Favorite Cult Show (future): Breaking Bad- Mark our words, when this show comes out on DVD, everyone will start mobbing the IMDB.com boards demanding to know when new episodes will be available. Created by X-Files co-producer Vince Gilligan, this black comedy-drama stars Bryan Cranston (the dad from Malcolm in the Middle) in a darkly dramatic turn as a high-school chemistry teacher who turns to producing high grade meth after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. Did we say it was black comedy? Readers, it's practically ultraviolet. It's been compared to the Coen Brothers (Fargo; No Country for Old Men) and we agree. And our Mad Scientist buddy Julio Gordito tells us the chemistry is dead on, too. Catch it now and be ahead of the trend.

6- Favorite Public Appearance: Blobfest- We were at the very first one in 2001, which consisted of a screening of the film at the Colonial Theater, and it's since grown to weekend-long event with live music, a short film contest, and hundreds of attendees. It may not be the biggest, it may not have the best stars, but it's a great family day out, which is why we love it the best.

7- Best Shopping Site: Etsy.com- This site was started as a way for people who sew, paint, concoct, or otherwise create handmade items to sell their goods online. If you're looking to outfit your home (or yourself) with truly unique items at surprisingly affordable prices, check this site out. Or, if you're a crafter yourself, get inspired by some of the thousands of items.

8- Best Documentary of 2007: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters- An unassuming little film about the little-known world of competitive video gaming, this ends up being a fascinating profile of two of the top competitors in the 80s video game classic, Donkey Kong. Even if you know nothing about the subject, the film is eminently watchable, mostly due to the compelling personalities of its two subjects. Rumor has it there's a fictional version of the story in the works, but the documentary is amazing on its own. Rent it now and be convinced.

9- Best Show to Catch on DVD: Doctor Who (2005-present series)- Okay, imagine this: You have a show you loved as a kid. Watched every episode you could find, loved everything about it. It ran a long time, but was eventually cancelled. Videos slowly become available, but as you get older, the show isn't holding up as well for you. You realize it really was a kids' show, and though it still has the power to charm, it's more of a nostalgia trip. Then, the show is revived. As a series for adults. With cool special effects and faster-paced storylines. And suddenly it's totally awesome all over again. That's the experience of Doctor Who fans, who have seen their beloved Doctor launch his TARDIS into time and space once again. The show does run sporadically on BBC America and the Sci-Fi Channel, but DVD is the best way to catch every episode. Even if you weren't a fan back in the day, it's easy to get back to speed.

10- Favorite Podcast: The Greatest Movie Ever- Hosted by Paul Chapman (aka The Almighty Gooberzilla) who is joined by a rotating roster of co-hosts which include long-time friends, other podcasters, and occasionally his mother, features a different movie each week and tries to make the case for why it is the "Greatest." Of course, he means that ironically most of the time, but that's the fun of it. This podcast reminds us of our own conversations with geek-minded friends about movies we love and love to hate, and why even utter dreck has the occasional redeeming scene. The episodes range over several decade, from new classics (The Karate Kid) to recent cult films (D-War) but presented in such a chatty way that even if you aren't familiar with the film, the podcast is still fun. Also available free at iTunes.

11- Best Comic Book: Fables- Here's the basic story: Fairy tales are real, and the characters in them live in magical lands not far from our own. A few hundred years ago, one of their own began to conquer these lands, forcing hundreds of these "fables" to flee their homelands and become refugees in our world. Now they live in a New York City neighborhood called Fabletown, where Old King Cole is mayor, Snow White is deputy mayor, and the Big Bad Wolf (who can take human form) is the sheriff. Currently running 75 issues, the first 59 of which are compiled into graphic novels, the story has become a rich and complex commentary on modern politics and society.

12- Best Advice: Thou Shalt Always Kill by Dan le Sac vs. Scroobious Pip- "Kill" in this song refers to killing on stage, or performing amazingly well. But the single also offers other valuable tips, such as "thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they've become popular" and "thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me." And most importantly, "thou shalt think for yourselves." See the video on YouTube.

13- Charity You Need to Support Right Now: RIF- President Bush wants to eliminate funding to this organization, which gives away books to at-risk youth. Read Sparks to find out more and how you can write to your congressman and show your support.

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If you'd like to make your own suggestions, please email us at 13List@CreaturesEast.com, and maybe we'll include it in a future edition.