Sufficient Cynic

If you haven't caught up with Fringe, through the episode entitled "A Better Human Being" please do so and then come back and take a look at this entry.



I had been slightly worried about this fourth season of Fringe.  It took a precarious leap at the end of last season, with the disappearance of Peter Bishop, and the collision of two universes.  It did, indeed resolve the story line of the season in a neat way, in a way I had almost predicted, but my heart sank in the last moment.  "There's a catch" I reassured myself.  And for four months I got my parents hooked on the series, re-watched every episode and then gave up trying to figure out where in the world the writers would go with this twist.  When the first couple of episodes started, seeming eerily similar to some first season episodes, seeming to stand alone with creatures/powers/impossibilities of the week, with only mere glimpses of the characters I had invested in for 3 seasons I started to worry …

It's hard to ignore Valentine's Day.  If you struggle against it, you just seem foolish and sad, another member on Team Bitterness.  Ultimately whether you have a Valentine or not, it's easier to just go with the flow, acknowledge the holiday and recognize that, for at least one day a year, you can believe in the fake kind of love that books and movies promote.  As I usually choose to live in an imaginary world where that kind of love is possible, I went ahead and compiled a list of my favorite fictional characters, who I'd totally date, and what they would probably give me on the Hallmarkiest holiday of them all.  Best enjoyed while chewing one of those Russell Stover caramel chocolates for like 25 minutes, or until you just decide to give up and swallow the caramel glob whole.

11. Marty McFly 
Why:  Because he has a time machine people.  A time machine!  Plus the coolest Nike kicks to ever be worn, he could totally rock an orange vest, does everything to save the peo…

I hope I'm not the only person who feels this way, but I'm going to come right out and say it:  2011 was a rough one at the movies.  I was underwhelmed more often than not, and even the movies I liked, when I thought about them in comparison to other years, were not always entirely awesome.  That being said, I did make a Top 10 list, despite not even having finished and posted reviews for all of them.  But I figure it'll be good to have it in print, just for reference.  So here, in all of its glorious mediocrity is the official top 10 of 2011...as voted on by me:

1. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 - I'll admit it, this is entirely an emotional pick.  There are other, perhaps, "better" movies, if you believe the Academy, but as a fan of the gigantic machine that is the Potter franchise, I couldn't have been happier with the final installment of this series.  The seventh book has always been my favorite, and it just seems as if everyone involv…