The Jane Genie

This is the Amazing 100th Post (Yay!)
edit: actually it's not. I was counting drafts in here as well.

And This is a List of Life's Necessities and Things I For One Can't Live Without in Honour of this Special Occasion.

Broken down into the different categories of music, film, and books. Because they make me.

(None of them are in order.)

Music:

1. My First, My Last, My Everything by Barry White - I find it difficult to go a day without listening to this song because it is so amazing. As I've just said to Katie, it makes me smile, cry, remember, forget and everything in between. It is the song I will play first thing every morning when I live by myself, and I'm prancing around the place muttering about having no milk, my tights are on inside out and I have toothpaste dribbled on my face. It is played in the background of that Ally McBeal scene with RDJ dancing like the most adorable thing on two legs, and if that isn't destiny enough, I don't know what is.

2. Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies - In stark contrast to Barry White, this song is a guitar heavy, drum thumping, memorable song, which defines the feelings of anyone with half a brain. It is also the only song on my iPod that drowns out my Gma's snoring. The last line of this song is - 'Doesn't matter, I'm probably gonna get hit by a car anyway'. Perfection in 3 minutes 51 seconds.

3. Iron Man (The Soundtrack) by Ramin Djawadi - Okay, okay, so shoot me. This is an entire album. But I couldn't pick the piece I like the best. It's probably a draw between 'Merchant of Death', 'Trinkets to Kill a Prince', 'Vacation's Over', 'Mark II', 'Extra Dry, Extra Olives', 'Iron Man' and 'Arc Reaktor'. You see the problem. This soundtrack is very unlike any other I have listened to, preferring heavy guitar and drum riffs teamed with slow string sections for 'Extra Dry, Extra Olives', which is Pepper's song and I adore. Most played album on my iPod, by far.

4. Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol - For personal and private reasons, this song is very special for me and whenever I listen to it, I can't help but tear up a little because it brings everything right back. Listening to Gary Lightbody singing - 'Take my hand not your fingers through mine, and we'll walk from this dark room for the last time' - is something I don't think I will ever tire of. I can't think of anything else to say except for the fact this song is one of those ones that you can't help feeling a little bit inspired when you reach the end.

5. Talk Tonight by Oasis - A lot of people would say that 'Wonderwall' is the song by which Oasis will be remembered for their calm and caring side. I disagree, for me, 'Talk Tonight' is better. It speaks to the listener. It opens them up. The higher twangs of guitar keep the song going, and represent the hope that Mr Noel is wishing for. This song was the first I had on repeat when I got my first Oasis album, I couldn't stop listening to it, it's fantastic.

Films:

1. Shaun of the Dead - I believe this to better than Hot Fuzz. As much as I love Hot Fuzz, I think the simpleness of Shaun makes it funnier, and much more believable. Of course the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost chemistry makes the movie, but the dialogue is well written and hilarious, the supporting cast is fantastic and it is easily (in my opinion) one of the best British films ever.

2. Chaplin - I saw this a couple of months ago, and I'm still touched by the story and inspired by everything about it. I'll admit, before I saw it I was aware of Charlie Chaplin's work, and I'd done a little research, but this film really brought everything to light in a way that was totally unexpected. Yes, RDJ was Chaplin, but even so, the portrayal was so true and genuine that at the end, I was in tears for a good half hour. It's a real shame RDJ didn't win his Oscar nomination, because he bloody deserved it.

3. The Dark Knight - This film blew me away. Everything about it was brilliant; the music, the actors, the tension, the story, everything. This was not your average comic book movie, it had a darker undertone which made it instantly the movie of the summer. Of course, Heath Ledger's unfortunate death probably had some influence in people's interest in the movie, but I doubt anyone left the cinema after watching it feeling as if he could have gone out with any less of a triumph.

4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Okay, yes, three movies I know, but each was amazing for different reasons. The Fellowship had the characters established, some fantastic fight sequences, and some of the best lines in any film I've seen, including Gandalf advising Frodo after the Hobbit admits he wishes 'none of this had ever happened' - 'So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.' Which remains one of my favourite quotes of all time. The Two Towers and The Return of the King have the action, the plot development, the friendships and the incredible cinematography that we have come to expect from Peter Jackson. What a cast, what a film.

5. Iron Man - How could I not include this? You must have seen this coming. Billionaire Tony Stark, a man who when made CEO of Stark Industries installed a pole dancing pole in his private jet for his stewardesses, gets taken hostage by a bunch of terrorists and builds a suit of armour to escape, and decides to make the suit a lot less clunky and a lot more red and gold and swish, becoming Iron Man. I love the one liners, the tension between Tony and Pepper (do you hear me Mr Favreau? Do something with these two pleaseee!) and the cool flying scenes, especially against the F22 Raptors. What an awesome action sequence, I love it.

Books

1. Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis - I know I only read this last week. But it was simply unputdownable and I couldn't help but get sucked into this world of drug taking, parties and generally shenanigans. The characters are fantastically written, and although we don't get much description, the way the story is told in first person means that we don't need to know the finer details, and as a reader, I found myself wishing that Clay (the protagonist) would just get himself out of there. Nice one Bret Easton Ellis, my new favourite author.

2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - I read this for English Lit. and it opened my eyes. It is so moving, and so heartfelt that it's impossible not to have a different perspective on life after reading it. It teaches you to value friendship when you have it, as all too soon things will change and the good things will be gone. A book that made me cry like a baby, which is a rare thing for me.

3. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom - I read this on holiday in Cornwall last summer, and it was quite a short read, but very, very good. I know it's been made into a film, but I haven't seen it and I'm not sure I'd want to as the books imagery and descriptions are so clear and imaginative I don't think I'd want to change what I see the characters looking like.

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - My favourite Potter book. I love Sirius and Lupin and how everything starts being explained in this one. I like the werewolf thing, I love the dementors, and my favourite bit is when Harry goes into Honeydukes for the first time. It makes my mouth water no matter how many times I read it.

5. Skellig by David Almond - I read this in year six, and year seven, both for school projects and I still love it. A lot of people roll their eyes and say how much they hate it, but I don't believe them. It's so magic, and the way the Almond creates his characters leaves a lot open to interpretation. The first time I read the bit where Skellig is found, I was freaked out and didn't want to read on, but I'm so glad I did. A truly great book.


If you want to be picky, then point out that I've included a lot of RDJ stuff in there. But hey, can you blame me?
Do this yourself! Go on!

Happy 100th Post :)
♥