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Ranked, and defended

The Top 10s

Everybody's got opinions. These are mine, ranked and committed to. Six lists, sixty picks. Each one starts at #10 on the left, so keep scrolling right to see how high it climbs, and what lands at #1.

Movies

Top 10 Movies

Starts at #10, scroll right toward #1. The top three are hidden, so guess them, then tap to reveal.

10
That Thing You Do!

That Thing You Do!

1996 · Tom Hanks

A one-hit-wonder band shoots to fame in the 1960s and just as fast comes apart.

9
Goodfellas

Goodfellas

1990 · Martin Scorsese

Three decades inside the seductive, brutal everyday world of the Mafia.

8
The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street

2013 · Martin Scorsese

The dizzying rise and fall of a fraudulent stockbroker chasing every excess money can buy.

7
I, Tonya

I, Tonya

2017 · Craig Gillespie

The stranger-than-fiction true story of figure skater Tonya Harding and the attack on a rival.

6
Moneyball

Moneyball

2011 · Bennett Miller

A cash-strapped baseball GM rebuilds his roster with statistics instead of scouts' gut feelings.

5
The Two Towers

The Two Towers

2002 · Peter Jackson

The middle chapter of Lord of the Rings, as the fellowship splits and war comes to Middle-earth.

4
Interstellar

Interstellar

2014 · Christopher Nolan

Astronauts slip through a wormhole to find humanity a new home as Earth slowly dies.

3
Armageddon

Armageddon

1998 · Michael Bay

A crew of oil drillers is trained as astronauts and sent to blow up an asteroid headed for Earth.

2
Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park

1993 · Steven Spielberg

Scientists clone dinosaurs for a theme park, and everything goes wrong the moment the power cuts out.

1
Back to the Future

Back to the Future

1985 · Robert Zemeckis

A teenager accidentally drives a DeLorean back to 1955 and has to get his parents to fall in love so he can exist.

On the bubble: I just saw Project Hail Mary and loved it. It's going to make its way onto this list soon. I just don't know where yet.

TV Shows

Top 10 TV Shows

Starts at #10, scroll right toward #1. The top three are hidden, so guess them, then tap to reveal.

10
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

2026 · HBO

A hedge knight and his young squire roam Westeros a century before the Game of Thrones.

9
The Rings of Power

The Rings of Power

2022 · Prime Video

Thousands of years before the Hobbit, the forging of the rings and the slow return of evil.

8
The Shield

The Shield

2002 · Shawn Ryan

A corrupt but effective detective runs an aggressive anti-gang unit in Los Angeles.

7
The Office

The Office

2005 · Greg Daniels

A mockumentary about the everyday absurdity of the people at a paper company.

6
1883

1883

2021 · Taylor Sheridan

A prequel following the Dutton family's brutal wagon journey west across the frontier.

5
Heroes

Heroes

2006 · Tim Kring

Ordinary people around the world wake up with extraordinary powers and a shared destiny.

4
Cosmos

Cosmos

2014 · Neil deGrasse Tyson

A sweeping, awe-struck tour of the universe and our tiny place in it.

3
Community

Community

2009 · Dan Harmon

A misfit study group at a community college turns friendship into pop-culture-soaked chaos.

2
Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones

2011 · HBO

Noble families scheme and wage war for a fantasy throne while an ancient threat gathers in the north.

1
The Sopranos

The Sopranos

1999 · David Chase

A New Jersey mob boss juggles his crime family and his actual family, with a therapist caught in the middle.

Music Videos

Top 10 Music Videos

Scroll from #10 toward #1. The top three are hidden, so guess them, then tap to reveal.

10

Childish Gambino · “This Is America”

A viral, dance-driven piece of commentary on violence and race in America.

9

Wham! · “Last Christmas”

The snowy ski-lodge holiday classic.

8

Taylor Swift · “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

A colorful one-take breakup romp with a costume band.

7

Guns N' Roses · “November Rain”

A movie-scale epic with a wedding, a funeral, and a guitar solo in the rain.

6

a-ha · “Take on Me”

The iconic pencil-sketch animation that defined early MTV.

5

DJ Snake · “Middle”

A cinematic desert story of young love and rebellion.

4

Young Thug · “Wyclef Jean”

The shoot fell apart, so they turned the making-of into the actual video.

3

Brand New · “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows”

A moody, performance-driven emo landmark.

2

Adele · “Send My Love”

A single-take performance shot to feel like a found home video.

1

Kanye West · “Runaway”

A 35-minute art film built around the album, complete with ballet and a fallen phoenix.

Albums

Top 10 Albums

Starts at #10, scroll right toward #1. The top three are hidden, so guess them, then tap to reveal.

10
The Everglow

The Everglow

Mae · 2005

Mae's cinematic, storybook concept album.

9
Futures

Futures

Jimmy Eat World · 2004

Jimmy Eat World's anthemic, big-hearted follow-up to Bleed American.

8
Doggystyle

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg · 1993

Snoop Dogg's laid-back G-funk debut.

7
Beauty Behind the Madness

Beauty Behind the Madness

The Weeknd · 2015

The Weeknd's dark, glossy pop crossover.

6
Coloring Book

Coloring Book

Chance the Rapper · 2016

Chance the Rapper's joyful, gospel-tinged mixtape.

5
Unplugged in New York

Unplugged in New York

Nirvana · 1994

Nirvana's haunting acoustic set, recorded months before Kurt Cobain's death.

4
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West · 2010

Kanye West's maximalist, operatic meditation on fame and its wreckage.

3
Something to Write Home About

Something to Write Home About

The Get Up Kids · 1999

The Get Up Kids' beloved emo classic.

2
Sparkle and Fade

Sparkle and Fade

Everclear · 1995

Everclear's raw, hook-filled '90s alt-rock breakthrough.

1
Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…

Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…

The Ataris · 1999

The Ataris' pop-punk record about heartbreak and growing up.

Commercials

Top 10 Commercials

Starts at #10, scroll right toward #1. The top three are hidden, so guess them, then tap to reveal.

10

Duracell · Plastic Characters

 

The Puttermans, a battery-powered plastic family that will not power down.

9

Flintstones Christmas

 

A vintage animated holiday spot straight out of Bedrock.

8

Roller Kingdom

2012

A gloriously low-budget local roller-rink ad that became a cult favorite.

7

Match.com · Satan & 2020

2020

Satan and the year 2020 meet on a dating app and turn out to be a perfect match.

6

Old Spice · The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

2010

A flawless single-take pitch delivered by the man your man could smell like.

5

M&M's · They Do Exist

1996

Red and Yellow bump into Santa and everyone faints when they realize the others are real.

4

Hershey's Kisses · Bells

1989

Kisses ring like handbells to a familiar Christmas carol.

3

Folgers · Peter Comes Home

1986

A brother surprises his family on Christmas morning to the smell of fresh coffee.

2

Eagle Man

1993

An oddball local-legend spot that stuck with me.

1

Cadbury Bunny Tryouts

1985

Auditions for the Cadbury bunny, where every animal shows up and tries to cluck.

Books

Top 10 Books

Starts at #10, scroll right toward #1. The top three are hidden, so guess them, then tap to reveal.

10
The Mastery of Love

The Mastery of Love

Don Miguel Ruiz · 1999

A Toltec guide to healthier, more honest, less fearful relationships.

9
The Like Switch

The Like Switch

Jack Schafer · 2015

An ex-FBI agent's playbook for getting people to like and trust you.

8
The War of Art

The War of Art

Steven Pressfield · 2002

A blunt manifesto on beating creative resistance and simply doing the work.

7
The Power of Habit

The Power of Habit

Charles Duhigg · 2012

How habits actually work, and how to change them in people and organizations.

6
Happier No Matter What

Happier No Matter What

Tal Ben-Shahar · 2021

A psychologist's framework for building resilience and well-being through hard times.

5
Sphere

Sphere

Michael Crichton · 1987

A team of scientists investigates a mysterious spacecraft on the ocean floor.

4
The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City

Erik Larson · 2003

The true story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and a killer working in its shadows.

3
Pitch Anything

Pitch Anything

Oren Klaff · 2011

A method for winning any pitch by controlling the frame of the conversation.

2
Gang Leader for a Day

Gang Leader for a Day

Sudhir Venkatesh · 2008

A sociologist embeds with a Chicago gang and documents daily life in the projects.

1
The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz · 1997

A short guide to four principles for personal freedom, drawn from Toltec wisdom.

The personal ones

Top 10 Personal Achievements

The list I'm proudest of. Starts at #10, scroll right toward #1.

10
Recording the acoustic Kanye album, as a musician.

Recording the acoustic Kanye album, as a musician.

9
Carving out a way to make money in this world, on my own terms.

Carving out a way to make money in this world, on my own terms.

8
Being a good friend.

Being a good friend.

7
Graduating college, then coming back to give the commencement address.

Graduating college, then coming back to give the commencement address.

6
Headlining the Metro with PGS.

Headlining the Metro with PGS.

5

Living with more intention in 6-week cycles for 10 years, and truly valuing my time and everyone else's.

4
Living a life with little stress.

Living a life with little stress.

3
The number of people who care about me in this world.

The number of people who care about me in this world.

2
Joe, healthy and happy, on a boat in front of a glacier

My health, emotionally and physically.

1
Being a great man to the woman I love.

Being a great man to the woman I love.

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