Twenty-two of My Favorite Things

It’s my golden birthday today; I turn 22. So I thought, what better way to celebrate than to make a list of 22 of my favorite things from television, books, comics, movies, video games, and online. Let me be clear, these are NOT necessarily my absolute favorites from each medium, just some of them. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

And the Oscar Goes to…: All Quiet on the Western Front

The video version of this review (which I made in April 2014) can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbxwMdKNv8U

There’s a difference between action and violence. Action is over-the-top stunts, outlandish fights, and things exploding, all done in an entertaining, non-gruesome way. Violence, on the other hand, can have some of the same properties but is typically bloodier and is used for a dramatic impact as opposed to an enjoyable one. That’s not to say there aren’t exceptions. Gross-out comedies occasionally use lots of blood or outrageous gore for comedic effect, but there is an underlying aspect of humor in gore anyway. Action can be used for emotional/dramatic impact but is more often than not used purely to amuse the audience.

Wings (1927) is what I would call an action film. Sure it’s dramatic and the movie’s aerial combat is shown to have consequences, but its primary point is to entertain. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) is a different type of war film. Although it touches on some similar themes as Wings, it is ultimately much darker with its messages and battle scenes.