Lists and Rankings

30 years later, ranking the 12 tracks of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’

Some people called Bruce Springsteen a sellout for delivering 12 radio-friendly hits (seven became top 10 singles) on “Born in the U.S.A.,” which hit record stores on

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‘Wish I Was Here’ and 9 other movies John wouldn’t mind seeing this summer (Commentary)

Here are 10 movies I wouldn’t mind seeing this summer (especially if they’re playing in the cheap theater), in order of release date: (more…)

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John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)

The recent return of “24” further solidifies that this is an age of shock-value TV, where the body count of main characters is more valued

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Comics, TV and movies John is looking forward to in 2014 (Commentary)

These are the comics, TV shows and movies I’m most looking forward to in the year ahead: (more…)

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John’s top 10 movies of 2013

These were my 10 favorite movies of 2013: 1. “The Way Way Back” — The title could refer to filmmakers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash looking back

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John’s top 10 TV shows of 2013

These were my 10 favorite shows of 2013: 1. “Bunheads” (Season 1, ABC Family) — I know “Bunheads” was the best show on TV in 2013 because

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All 21 episodes of ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 1 (2000-01), ranked

As fans know, “Gilmore Girls” is richer than its hook of “A mother and daughter who also happen to be best friends.” But any thorough review of

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‘Star Wars’ flashback: Ranking the 11 short stories from ‘Tales from the New Republic’ (1999) (Book review)

Thematically, “Tales from the New Republic” (1999) isn’t all that different from “Tales from the Empire” — both collections chronicle the little guy, either amid the galactic war or

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‘Star Wars’ flashback: Ranking the 10 short stories from ‘Tales from the Empire’ (1997) (Book review)

Just by paging through “The Essential Reader’s Companion,” it’s obvious that short stories make up a significant chunk of “Star Wars” fiction. Yet while the novels are

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The top 20 people responsible for the success of the ‘Star Wars’ saga (Commentary)

A great debate recently popped up at my office: Who deserves credit for the success of “Star Wars?” Well, George Lucas, of course, because he

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