#129 Ong Bak

Muay Thai fighter Tony Jaa (aka Panom Yeerum) makes his film debut in Ong Bak, a thrilling actioner that injects the martial arts genre with a much needed elbow to the head. The story is a simple one. Jaa stars as a country boy, who must travel to Bangkok to recover the head of Ong Bak, the Buddhist statue that looks over his village. The plot is nothing new. But the movie's back-to-basics approach, eschewing wire work and digital effects for real-time bone crunching, brings a long-overdue visceral punch back to cinemas.

The cut currently playing in the U.S. underwent fine tuning from French director Luc Besson (who is rapidly becoming patron saint of the martial arts movie). Much controversy has spawned over the edits and musical changes that were made, but the debate is moot since the original cut is readily available on an all region DVD from many sources.

Not surprisingly, Tony Jaa has already been tapped to star in an American movie, the upcoming Die Hard 4. I pray that Jaa stays in Thailand to make at least a couple more home-grown films before succumbing to the same dull American impulses that nearly tamed Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

#128 Look Around You

Ever since The Office took hold state-side BBC America has been getting better about airing Britain's best and most off-beat comedies. Look Around You, surely the strangest of the bunch, is a retro-styled educational program meant to ape the UK's old-school equivalents to low-budget, American science programming like Cable in the Classroom and 3-2-1 Contact.

The twist here is that the science presented is almost always fabulously and hilariously wrong. As far as I've been able to figure Look Around You takes place in is a surreal alternate universe in which germs come from Germany, ghost ectoplasm tastes like pig's milk (pilk) and the contraction for, "thanks, ants." is "thants."

Sharp eyes will notice one of the show's scientists as Peter Serafinowicz of Shaun of the Dead. Sharper and nerdier ears will recognise the actor's voice from elsewhere. Many of Serafinowicz' comedy cronies guess star on the show, including Shaun director Edgar Wright as well as stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Much like Adult Swim's better original shows, Look Around You comes in short, easy to consume 15-minute bursts, the ideal serving size for senseless laughs.

#127 The Mars Volta

At first I was a bit cool on The Mars Volta. I appreciated their first full-length, De-Loused in the Comatorium, but wasn't wowed. I saw them play at All Tomorrow's Parties and wasn't completely convinced either. Their drawn-out, improvadelic jams didn't click with me for some reason. Then my wife discovered the band, and as she fell in love with De-Loused, I too became enamored with its tape-loop segues, impenetrable lyrics and epic prog-rock crescendos. And then Frances the Mute hit the scene. Their new full-length, which hits stores next Tuesday, is more experimental than the last. The Widow, the first single from the record, is deceptively straight-forward and one of the best rock ballads I've heard in years. The rest of the record is a stunning mix of Latin beats, Sun-Ra flavored excursions and sweet, sweet bombast. I listen to The Mars Volta loud and often and recommend you do the same.

#126 World of Warcraft

If there's one culprit to blame for my neglect of this site it would have to be my latest MMO addiction, World of Warcraft. And if there were ever a game that deserved such undivided attention, this is it. It's no exaggeration to say that Blizzard has created the greatest virtual world since Ultima Online. They've all but removed the "grind" that has made most other games in this genre (Everquest, Final Fantasy 11, etc.) feel so tedious. Hundreds of varied quests make progression from level to level much more colorful. And grouping with other players, though frequently useful, isn't the end-all-be-all of the game. In essence, they've made this kind of online gaming fun again by giving players freedom to play the game the way they see fit.

I've never experienced "endgame" -- the change in gameplay that occurs when you can no longer level up (World of Warcraft characters max out at Level 60). Until recently, tasting such power was the domain of only the most hard-core. Several of my friends are nearing the peak already, and I'm not terrible far behind.

So, if you can't reach me via email or telephone, give a whisper to Tura on the Silver Hand server.