218. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

217. Because I could not stop for Death

Because I could not stop for Death
He kindly stopped for me.
I'd like to give the world a Coke
And keep it company.

No, wait, that's not it.

216. The Theme Song to Gilligan's Island

I heard an interview with Sherwood Schwartz (creator of Gilligan's Island) the other day. He said that when he pitched Gilligan's Island, the network executives were concerned that new viewers would need a lot of exposition at the beginning of every episode or else they'd be confused about who these people were and why they couldn't just leave. Given that the only other real option was a "Previously on LOST..."-style introduction, this was a much more elegant solution.

As a bonus, it's sung to the always-catchy tune of Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop For Death."

215. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Historical fiction about how magic would have changed the course of the Napoleonic Wars. It's also a parable about natural talent versus talent derived through hard work. At nearly 800 pages long, it can be forgiven for having some diverse themes.

214. The Kiss

213. Jurassic Park

The movie that taught us all that dinosaurs don't want to be our friends.

212. Göbekli Tepe

The world's oldest temple. Humans 12000 years ago apparently had some impressive accomplishments.

211. Liebestraum

Listen.

210. Gargantua and Pantagruel

Remember in The Music Man when the townsladies are up in arms about the fact that Marian's library has Chaucer, Rabelais, and Balzac? Well, here's the Rabelais they were probably concerned about. A baudy, crude series of comedies about a pair of giants. What an odd thing to have become a literary classic.

209. Sinnerman

American spiritual revivals certainly had good music going for them.

208. The Silence of the Lambs

Horror can be art, too. This one won Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Adapted Screenplay. It's quite a film. Creepy as hell, though.

207. The Highwayman

Just an excellent use of rhythm.

206. A Haiku

A small hungry child
Told to grind rice, instead
Gazes on moonlight.

-Basho

205. That scene in It's a Wonderful Life where Jane won't stop playing the piano

Must she keep playing that? The acting from James Stewart is just phenomenal.

204. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

I know it's not Christmastime, but it's inexplicably stuck in my head.

203. Radetzky March

It always amazes me how much classical music there is that you couldn't name but you recognize when you hear it. This is Johann Strauss's Radetzky March, which has been making crowds of Austrians rowdily clap to the beat ever since its debut in 1848.

202. Proud Mary

The "rolling on the river" theme of this and the previous post is unintentional.

201. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Ah, America.

200. Aida

I was going to inform you that Aida was commissioned for the opening of the Suez Canal, but apparently that's not true. It was apparently commissioned by Isma'il Pasha (Egypt's answer to Hedonism Bot), just because, hey, why not.

199. Juno

Yes, it was hilarious, and you should see it if you haven't. And Aaron, if you're doubting its artistic merits, I'd like to point out that it did win an Oscar for best original screenplay.

198. The Waste Land

"April is the cruellest month", followed by 433 more lines you probably don't remember.

197. American Pie (the song)

Yes, definitely the song. Not the movie. (Not that I've ever seen the movie.)

196. The Man in the Well

A short story about children cruelly ignoring a man who has fallen down a well. I couldn't find the complete text online, but you can read the first page here or listen to the whole thing here.

195. Watership Down

It pretends to be about rabbits, but really it's about fascism.

194. Okami

A beautiful Japanese video game where you play as a wolf god with a magic paintbrush, restoring prosperity to Japan.

193. Virtual Insanity (the music video)

You know, that one with the funky dance moves and the moving room.

192. The Nazca Lines

Ancient people sure managed to do some impressive things.

191. Born in the USA (the song)

It turns out that if you haven't listened closely (or aren't a native English speaker) it's hard to tell that this song isn't exactly patriotic. Give it a listen.

190. At the Mountains of Madness

H. P. Lovecraft's classic of moody, unsettling atmosphere and eldritch horrors.

189. The Mistress Witch from McClure

(Or, the Mind That Knows Itself)

188. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

Another David Mitchell book. Historical fiction about the Dutch trade in Japan at the end of the 18th century. Of course, since it's David Mitchell, he can't stick to just one writing style or genre. My personal favorite touch was the one-sentence haiku-like interludes used to establish the atmosphere for each scene.