Tag: Top Ten Tuesday

TOP TEN TUESDAY: BEST VIDEO GAME MOVIES

We all love video games. It only makes sense to take some of our favorite digital characters and/or stories, and put them on the big screen. With the release of RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE in 3D, we here at WAMG are celebrating with our favorite movies based off of video games. They might not all be Oscar Winners, but they have certainly entertained us at one time or another… plus, who doesn’t like ass-kickin chicks! (Relax… This is a girl writing this! I can say chick!)

We are going to start this off a little differently. There are a ton of really bad video game based movies, so instead of an HONORABLE MENTION, we are going to dive into our list with a…

DISHONORABLE MENTION: MAX PAYNE

Oh… Mark Wahlberg, as much as I like you, this movie was a big bust! This film had the potential to be awesome, but instead it was tedious and boring. Their first mistake was rating a violent video game based movie PG-13 rather than spicing it up and going for an R rating. Plus, they didn’t even follow basic plot lines from the games. They basically borrowed scenery and a title. BARF!

10. SUPER MARIO BROS.

Is it award winning? No. Is it entertaining, fun and incredibly cheesy? Hell-to-the-YES! Bob Hoskins John Leguizamo play the classic NES Kings Mario and Luigi who are on a mission to save the Princess from King Koopa. Sure, it’s not the most believable movie ever made, but neither is the video game. Two plumbers fighting mushroom looking guys and killer turtles to save a princess??? Don’t think I’ve heard this on the local news in a while! Take it for what it’s worth… a comical flick made about a nostalgic game.

09. POKEMON THE FIRST MOVIE

Aka MewTwo’s Counterattack, POKEMON THE FIRST MOVIE was the first theatrical release in the POKEMON franchise. Pokemon was unbelievably popular when the film was released in 1999 and it was a box office hit worldwide. Any parent of a kid at the time can attest to this phenomenon seeing as we had Pokemon trading cards, games, and anime videos all over the place. Pikachu along with the Pokémon – Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Pidgeotto, Geodude, Onix, Vulpix, Zubat, Staryu, Goldeen, Psyduck, and Togepi – and their human trainers, Ash Ketchum, Misty and Brock brave a storm while enroute to an island to battle for the title of “World’s Greatest Pokémon Master.” First released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, kids and adults alike were enamoured by the magical powers of the Poke-balls and battles of the Pokemon vs the villains.

08. LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE

Angelina Jolie is back as the vixen of video games in the second installment of the Tomb Raider franchise. I cannot think of a single actress that could have fulfilled the idolized role of Lara Croft better. Let’s face it, Lara Croft is a gamers wet dream! In the search for Pandora’s Box, which is found to really exist in this installment, Croft is on a mission to keep a billionaire villain from obtaining the container, which could wipe out civilization as we know it. That’s a big job… which means a ton of action and adventure!

07. DOOM

Dwayne Johnson is just plain likeable. Although this film has been dubbed by gamers as “Resident Evil in space”, this film has plenty of action and adventure to go around. They could have taken a little more of a horror angle rather than just action, but the film still lives up to the shooting game. Plus, they included the zombies. I like zombies.

06. RESIDENT EVIL

Alice is the reason that we are all here, on this fun filled Top Ten journey. The first of four films, Milla Jovovich dives in as the heroine Alice, who is turned into an experiment after “the virus” takes over. Jovovich is mesmerizing in this film, and certainly takes charge with her action scenes.I really enjoyed watching her fight off the evil dogs… and man, does red dress sees some serious bloodshed!

05. MORTAL KOMBAT

I was actually quite shocked to hear that they were making a Mortal Kombat movie back in the day, but I think they did a pretty good job of taking a standard fighting game with no real story line and turning it into a movie. It’s not a fantastic movie, but we are comparing it strictly against other video game movies, and this one does a decent job. For an arcade game turned movie, they made an entertaining adaptation.

04. RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION

Alice is back, in my favorite to date installment of the Resident Evil franchise. She is on her own, but joins other survivors in the Nevada desert to takt down the Umbrella Corporation. The scenery and colors in this film are stunning. Although I think I would cry if Las Vegas was actually destroyed, it was a cool backdrop for the action. Alice kicks some serious “undead” ass!

03. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRIT WITHIN

This is the only one on our list that is not live-action. Although this movie failed at the box office, the film itself is a futuristic adventure. This was not exactly what die-hard FF fans were looking for, but it did well with sci-fi fans. Plus, the animation is stunning.

02. SILENT HILL

If you like crazy creatures, than this is the film for you. Silent Hill is jam packed with gore and some pretty impressive animation. Sure, some parts are a little drawn out, but the scenes and creatures were almost identical to the ones in the game. This is probably the closest movie made in comparison to the video game that is is based on. They even get the weird camera angles right!

01. LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER

And WAMG crowns as their #1 Best Video Game Movie none other than Angelina Jolie’s high-flying LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER. From 2001, video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in the movie where she races against time to recover powerful ancient artifacts before the bad guys can. With Jolie as the mythic Croft, this hardcore fighter literally comes alive on the screen and this exciting adaptation is definitely aligned to the Tomb Raider video game series. While some critics thought it silly goofiness, we gamers didn’t think so and TOMB RAIDER became a huge box office success.

So readers, what film did we leave off the list? Any beefs on who we included? We can take it, so have at it and please leave your pithy quips below.

Top Ten Tuesday: Schmucks in the Movies

Who doesn’t like Steve Carell, or Paul Rudd, for that matter? Two of the coolest guys in comedy are back this Friday, July 30th in a new movie called DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, directed by Jay Roach. The movie also stars Zack Galafinakis, who’s also cool, in his own “wolf pack of one” sort of way. Not heard of it? Schmuck! But, no… seriously, the movie looks incredibly funny. So, we’ve decided to honor the cinematic schmucks, the best of them have made our Top Ten Tuesday list this week.

Honorable Mention: Kent Dorfman – ANIMAL HOUSE

The story is simple enough… A freshman in college seeks to join a fraternity. The stumble upon the Delta Tau Chi house, and the rest is history! Nicknamed “Flounder”, Kent is clumsy, idiotic, and quite frankly… a big lug! Put him in a house with the rest of the Delta Tau Chi’s and YOU HAVE A PARTY!

10. Al the Toy Collector – TOY STORY 2

Near the beginning of TOY STORY, an overzealous toy collector named Big Al (voiced by Wayne Knight) steals Woody from under the nose of Andy’s mom during a yard sale. When Woody arrives at the home of Big Al, he learns that he is a rare and valuable toy based on a media icon of the Fifties, a cowboy puppet show called “Woody’s Roundup”. I’ve had a side business selling vintage toys myself for over twenty years and if you took every antique toy dealer I’ve ever met and put them in a blender, the result would be the pudgy, balding Big Al, who wants to sell Woody to a Japanese toy museum. Like the comic book store guy on The Simpsons, Al is the perfect satire of the obsessive, yet greedy collector nerd.

09. “Nuke” Laloosh – BULL DURHAM

An important part of the romantic triangle at the heart of 1988’s BULL DURHAM is the cocky, dim-witted, hot pitching prospect, “Nuke” LaLoosh played by Tim Robbins. He’s such an out-of -control doofus that it takes both ‘Crash’ Davis (Kevin Costner) and Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) to straighten him out. The team owners know that “Nuke” can take the team all the way if Davis can mentor him. LaLoosh’s behavior earns a special nickname from Davis (‘Meat’) and almost wrecks his romance with Annie. By the end of the film, ‘Nuke’ has taken their lessons to heart and is invited to the show(the major leagues) leaving ‘Crash’ and Annie behind to mentor the next young baseball phenom. In the world of sports themed movies,”Nuke” may be the most annoying, over-confident, thick-headed, schmuck of all time.

08. Mayor Vaughn – JAWS

In Steven Spielberg’s JAWS, Amity Chief of Police Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) starts to close the beaches after a young girl is killed in a shark attack. Before he can do so, he is intercepted and overruled by town schmuck and mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton). Vaughn is concerned that reports of a shark attack will ruin the summer tourist season, especially the upcoming Fourth of July celebration, as it is the town’s major source of income. “Martin, it’s all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, “Huh? What?” You yell shark, we’ve got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July. Vaughn instead throws around some major bullshit that the victim was killed in a boating accident. So everyone unknowingly goes back into the water to serve as chum, including poor little Alex Kitner. He and his raft are munched. Brody and scientist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) try to persuade Vaughn to keep the beached closed again. But this schmuck knows better. I mean c’mon, the mayor is only trying to save Amity. “It’s a summer town. We need summer dollars. Now, if the people can’t swim here, they’ll be glad to swim at the beaches of Cape Cod, the Hamptons, Long Island…” Even the chief says, “That doesn’t mean we have to serve them up as smorgasbord.” Oi! After much back and forth, even Hooper realizes the futility of reasoning with a schmuck and says, “I’m not going to waste my time arguing with a man who’s lining up to be a hot lunch.”

Still unwilling to take off those blinders, the mayor proudly says, “I’m pleased and happy to repeat the news that we have, in fact, caught and killed a large predator that supposedly injured some bathers. But, as you see, it’s a beautiful day, the beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time.” Amity, as you know, means “friendship”. Supposedly. This guy is borderline moron. It’s only after a final killing by the great white in the estuary, along with his own kids being on the beach too, does the Mayor hire Quint to kill the shark.

07. Alan Garner – THE HANGOVER

If I were a dude about to be married, I would MAKE SURE that Alan Garner was invited to the bachelor party! He brings such memorable lines to the party, such as “Nobody’s gonna fuck on you! I’m on your side! I hate Godzilla! I hate him too! I hate him! He destroys cities! *Please*! This isn’t your fault. I’ll get you some pants!” I mean, come on… how THOUGHTFUL! He took care of Carlos, he looks like Fat Jesus, he knows life saving facts such as “Tigers love pepper… they hate cinnamon”, and he even drugs your drink so that YOU can have a better time… He screams BEST FRIEND FOR LIFE!

06. Richard Thornburg – DIE HARD

I’m not sure why William Atherton has been relegated to so many schmuck roles. Perhaps he has one of those faces you love to hate. In GHOSTBUSTERS he played the ‘dickless’ government stooge Walter Peck, (Bill Murray: “Yes it’s true. This man has no dick”) but his schmuckiest role was that of Richard Thornberg, the obnoxious reporter in the original DIE HARD. Thornberg was a real jerk, obsessively trying to cover the action at hand and inadvertently endangering the lives of everyone involved and Atherton played him suitably slimy.

05. Darryl Jenks – COMING TO AMERICA

Darryl Jenks… what a class act! Heir to the ‘Soul Glo’ empire, he cruises around town like he doesn’t have a care in the world! When he’s not busy leaving his greasy sheen on couches, he’s hanging out at McDowell’s. So here’s to you, oh sultan of sheen and shine… JUST LET YOUR SOUL GLO, FEELING OH SO SILKY SMOOTH… JUST LET IT SHINE THROUGH!

04. Lloyd Christmas – DUMB AND DUMBER

Lloyd: You know, I don’t really recall. Starts with an S! Let’s see. Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson?
Harry: Maybe it’s on the briefcase.
Lloyd: Oh, yeah! It’s right here.
[He reads the manufacturer’s name, which is Samsonite]
Lloyd: Samsonite! I was way off! I knew it started with an S, though.

Oh, Lloyd Christmas… you certainly know the way to a girls heart! Jim Carrey brought the “special” qualities of this character to life in the 1994 comedy ‘Dumb and Dumber’. Lloyd might not have landed the girl of his dreams, but he certainly gained notoriety in any room that he entered! Did I mention that he made driving around in a car decorated to look like a dog look good?

03. Principal Rooney – FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF

Who liked their high school principal? Exactly! So, for Principal Ed Rooney to be so hated — yet, so loved by fans of the movie — is sorta common sense, but the truth is that actor Jeffrey Jones is REALLY good at portraying a schmuck… maybe, even too good, given his real life antics, but that’s a whole other story. Rooney is an arrogant, egotistical, power-hungry schmuck who thinks he can rule his students through fear, but his biggest mistake was believing he could outsmart Ferris Bueller. Bad move, Mr. Ed!

“I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind.” — The wisdom of Ed Rooney

02. Louis Tully – GHOSTBUSTERS

Louis Tully as played by Rick Moranis in 1984’s GHOSTBUSTERS veers into the nerd or dweeb area, but is still a classic movie schmuck. Dressed in his Hef-hipster swinger threads, Louis believes himself to be quite the happenin’ ladies man when he invites his neighbor, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) to a party at his bachelor pad. She’s able to resists his charms even when he displays his impressive accounting skills. Later at his big shindig demonic forces attack him and after a chase thru the city, Louis becomes Vinz Clortho, key master. He then finally connects with Dana, now possessed by the demon. Dozer. Luckily Louis and Dana (and the Big Apple) are saved by the Ghostbusters. In the sequel, Louis, becomes the team’s accountant and has a sweet romance with Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts). Not bad for a devil dog pursued little schmuck.

01. Carter Burke – Aliens

“I’m Burke. Carter Burke. I work for the company. But don’t let that fool you, I’m really an okay guy.” Uh-huh. That “I’m on your side” statement right there points to a corporate schmuck if ever there was one. In ALIENS, Burke (Paul Reiser) sets up everyone for certain doom by protecting the alien race, then tries to kill off anyone, including whole families, who get in his way. At the beginning, this snake poses no obvious threat as he convinces Lt. Ripley and the Colonial Marines to make a hellish trip to rescue a group of families who’ve established a “a shake’n’bake colony” on LV-426. In the 1st of many bad moves, this company-man endears himself to the liberators by refering to them as “grunts.” Makin’ friends real fast Carter.

In his 2nd bad movie, and all for a “fucking percentage” in the Weyland-Yutani Company, Burke pretty much tells Ripley that he intends to bring an Alien back to Earth secretly through ICC quarantine for the bio-weapons division. After Ripley discovers its Burke who told the now-dead colonists where to find the derelict ship and eggs (from the first movie ALIEN), he goes after Ripley with plans to infect her and Newt with alien embryos.

In his 3rd bad move, Burke attempts to get them impregnated by locking them in a room with a pair of facehuggers and plans of sabotaging the cryo-chambers in order to kill the marines are thwarted and they plan to “grease this rat-fuck sonofabitch” Schmuck. But if one dances, one must pay the piper and this backstabber sure does when he’s greeted by one of the monsters after the remaining survivors are met head on by an Alien horde. There is an infamous deleted scene, known to ALIENS aficionados, where Ripley sees him in the hive, cocooned, and Burke tells her that he can feel an alien moving inside him and pleads for a gun to end it all. She gives the schmuck a grenade instead.

Top Ten Tuesday: Fierce Females in Film

Angelina Jolie is one of modern cinema’s best actors to portray a strong, fierce female character on the big screen, which is why she’s appearing as the dangerously fierce super spy in SALT, a new action-packed film opening this Friday. Keeping with that theme, this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is devotes to strong female characters as we give you our list of the ten best Fierce Females in Film!

10. Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau) in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

While Maggie may not have had a huge role in John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, it was an integral role. Adrienne barbeau exemplifies the strong female character common in Carpenter’s films, playing the part with a combination of fierceness and feminimity, without cheaping the role. Maggie has to be tough, being Snake’s girlfriend, but she’s also smart. While ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was Snake’s film, Maggie was anything but a back seat to her man.

09. Varla (Tura Satana) in FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL, KILL!

Not many ladies can become cult icons, but Tura Satana has managed to become a cult icon with her role as Varla in FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! For a film released in 1965, Varla was quite a shocking character. She was violent and sexual, something you didn’t see too terribly much of in mainstream film. She is an icon for some good, clean female violence in cinema!

08. Celie Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg) in THE COLOR PURPLE

Whoopi Goldberg goes through hell and back in Steven Spielberg’s THE COLOR PURPLE. She portrays Celie Johnson, living in the 1930’s, who’s raped and impregnated twice by her stepfather only to have the two babies taken away from her. Then she’s handed over to a husband Mister (DANNY GLOVER) who physically and verbally abuses her, while trying to molest her younger sister who’s been living with them. After a lifetime of this horror, Celie gets her girl power on when she finally stands up for herself and finds real love with a woman called Shug. In the end, Celie finally finds her inner strength to leave Mister and is happily reunited with her 2 grown children and beloved sister. Talk about fierce!

07. Helen Parr/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) in THE INCREDIBLES

Though she tries to hide her family’s abilities, Helen Parr becomes one of the screen’s most formidable super heroines when the dangerous Syndrome threatens. Voiced by the excellent Holly Hunter, Helen uses all her courage and powers to protect her teenage daughter, Violet, pre-teen son, Dash, and baby , Jack Jack, while trying to find out just what her hubby, Bob (Mr. Incredible) is up to. She uses her amazing stretching powers to knock out the bad guys, infiltrate their headquarters(while taking a glance at that annoying middle age spread), and even turns into a parachute and boat to rescue her kids. Her abilities and heart make The Incredible a family that’s unstoppable and unforgettable.

06. Evey (Natalie Portman) in V FOR VENDETTA

Natalie Portman invokes a little bit of Sigourney Weaver tough-woman from within, portraying the once innocent Evey in V FOR VENDETTA. The long, curly-haired young woman is drawn into the mysterious underworld of a rebellious hero after this mysterious masked man saves her from a couple of corrupt government enforcers. Once exposed to the hero’s lair, she has involuntarily left her old life behind, but eventually comes around as she learns the true nature and intent of the enigmatic man known as V. Evey converts her philosophy and commits to the cause. She is a changed woman, especially after being captured, shaved, beaten and interrogated by the government. Evey embodies a strong woman with a cause, undeterred by any obstacle, diligent and unwilling to submit, except to her cause. Portman branches out, making this role her own and shines, leaving behind — at least temporarily — her otherwise commonly cute acting persona.

05. Barbarella (Jane Fonda) in BARBARELLA

“Decrucify my angel immediately!” Jane Fonda and her long legs played the titular space adventurer in the wonderfully dated, politically incorrect BARBARELLA in 1968. Jane Fonda, then at the peak of her sex kitten period (before her political activism hardened her), opens the film with a memorable anti-gravity strip tease as the titles come tumbling out of her suit and across the screen. Barbarella travels from one wonderful tripped-out fantasy planet to the next as she fights warriors and handles her psychedelic business of saving the universe. I wish someone would have put Jane Fonda in a time capsule in 1968 and kept her there.

04. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter is the character from SILENCE OF THE LAMBS everyone talked about but Jodie Foster had about four times as much screen time and carried the film. The mental battles between her inexperienced FBI-agent Clarice Starling and the convicted, but basically omnipotent, cannibal psychiatrist, are the heart the film. Clarice is one of the great, smart feminine icons of the movies. Her brains are what propel her investigation into the case and her desire to unearth the truth is stronger than her male counterparts. Clarice’s vulnerability gives way to hardened and steely resolve during the cat and mouse climax. Foster is a physically small actress who took on a big, confident role and ended up sharing the stage with Hopkins on Oscar night.

03. Beatrix Kiddo/The Bride (Uma Thurman) in KILL BILL vol.1-2

Has there ever been a movie heroine to see as much action over the course of two movies than this character created by Quentin Tarantino for his muse, Uma Thurman? In the first scenes of volume one we find out the reason for the film’s title. She’s the former pupil — and lover — of Bill (David Carradine) who decides to walk away from him and his team of assassins and live a normal life. She finds out the hard way that there’s no quitting this crew. As Beatrix is about to be wed, the crew sweeps in and kills everyone at the ceremony. As a parting gesture Bill shoots her in the head and leaves the pregnant bride to die. After several years in a coma, she kills her hospital tormentors and quickly begins her mission of revenge. The first of Bill’s crew, Vernita, loses one of the best fight sequences ever. Perhaps her most impressive feat is the sword battle in Japan with scores of yakuza serving Oren Ishii (including the unforgettable Gogo). They keep coming and she keeps slaying them! Later Bea uses her skill and determination to escape from a coffin after being shot in the chest and buried alive by her ex-teammate, Bud. You can’t help but root for her as she finally catches up to the dastardly Bill. These two films may be Tarantino’s ultimate grind house action epic and the unstoppable Beatrix Kiddo is one of the greatest female action characters ever on screen.

02. Sarah Connors (Linda Hamilton) in THE TERMINATOR

The first time I saw Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in THE TERMINATOR, I knew she was a tough cookie. When I saw her doing pull ups in her state hospital cell in TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, I knew that Sarah Connor was unstoppable. Anyone that can take on robots is OK in my book, and not someone that I would mess with!

01. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in ALIEN Saga

Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley in ALIENS is the template for the modern action heroine. In the first ALIEN sequel Ripley was all business, helping a team of Marines to return to the now-colonized planet of walking nightmares. Weaver again played the role realistically, never a damsel in distress yet not quite the kick-ass unbelievable “Take you all on” heroine. Weaver also plays Ripley’s kind, loving side during the scenes with Carrie Henn’s Newt, with the kind of warmth you’d expect from somebody who’s lost everything and has been classified as “unstable”. Sigourney Weaver also manages to look sexy in her tank top while swinging heavy artillery. She’s the kind of heroine a man can root for.

Top Ten Tuesday: Evil Henchmen

Why is it the evil mastermind always gets all the glory? It’s the little bad guys of evil that do all the work, getting their hands dirty but never get any respect. Well, the movie geeks decided to change that. With the ongoing box office success of DESPICABLE ME, and considering the little yellow Minions had a lot to do with the fun encountered on screen in that film, we’ve pooled our collective diabolical Movie Geek minds and have come up with a master plan of list making domination… the top ten best evil henchmen.

Honorable Mention: Nick Nack – THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN

He may be small, but don’t underestimate Nick Nack in his ability to get his evil duties done. As the quiet and subtle sidekick to Fransisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) he serves his boss on many levels. Herve Villechaize portrays this character, who might be considered kind of “cute” if not for his criminal tendencies. His role in the James Bond film THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN led to his long-running role as Tattoo in the TV series FANTASY ISLAND.

10. Mr. Joshua – LETHAL WEAPON

In LETHAL WEAPON, Ex-mercenary, Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey), is psychotically loyal to his current boss, the head of Shadow Co. and heroin dealer – General Peter McAllister. For example, this albino dude is such a freak of nature that he’ll even hold his bare arm to a lit cigarette lighter when ordered by his boss as an example to a possible client. Being a henchman with some finesse, he assassinates the mole in the operation with a sniper rifle from a hovering helicopter. What a showoff! A total psychopath, Mr. Joshua seethingly tells Sgt. Riggs (Mel Gibson), who’s being tortured with a car battery, Endo here has forgotten more about dispensing pain than you and I will never know. Guy clearly loves his job. At the end of LETHAL WEAPON, Mr. Joshua apparently meets his demise after a Jiu-Jitsu tango with Riggs, until he rises with a gun in hand and is finally put down like the dog he is, by a double whammy from Riggs and partner cop, Sgt. Murtaugh (Danny Glover). Henchman to the last.

09. Taggart – BLAZING SADDLES

One of the many hilarious characters in Mel Brooks’ 1974 comedy classic BLAZING SADDLES is Hedy (That’s Hedley!) Lamarr’s henchman, Taggart, played by the unforgettable Slim Pickens. We first meet him as supervisor of the railroad construction crew in the desert. He arrives just as his redneck co-workers are trying to teach the Africa American track-layers how to properly sing and dance to “Camptown Ladies.” Taggart screams, “What in the Wide, wide, world of Sports is-a-goin’ on here?” (the first of many great lines) He soon reveals his true nature by sending two of the crewmen out to check the track for quicksand. Taggart is soon rewarded with a shovel to the head. We soon see him with his boss, Hedley, who needs a way to get the residents of Rock Ridge out of the way of the new railroad. Taggart helps out with the suggestion that he and his men give the town a number six! He then shows his softer side when comforted by his boss after being startled by the sound of a man and his horse being hung at the nearby gallows. Presently Taggart and his men on horseback storm through Rock Ridge and brutalize its citizens. The next time we see him, Taggart welcomes a suggestion from one of his men and sends Mongo out to destroy the town’s new sheriff, Bart. After that fails he’s shocked to learn that Sheriff Bart is the same worker that smacked him with the shovel. Thanks to the quick draw of the Waco Kid, Bart is saved from an ambush by Taggart’s crew. Later we see Taggart compliment his boss, Hedley, on his oratory skills (“You use your mouth purtier than a twenty dollar whore!”) and helps in the search for his beloved Froggy. After helping Hedley recruit an army to wipe out the town, Taggart is prominent in the melee that spills out into other sets on the Warner Brothers lot. Prior to his last scene with the commissary cashier, Taggart erupts with this memorable last line of dialogue before gut-punching musical director Dom DeLuise (“P**s on you! Ah work fe’ Mel Brooks!”). While may film fans may remember Slim Pickens most as Major Kong riding a nuclear bomb in DR. STRANGELOVE, I’ll always see him as the brutal, dim, racist henchmen to Harvey Korman in BLAZING SADDLES.

08. Luca Brasi – THE GODFATHER

Luca Brasi was taught at the Mafia School he’d always have job security with THE GODFATHER. This henchman makes quite the speech when he pledges his undying loyalty to Don Corleone. Bumbles and fumbles is more like it. “Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter… ‘s wedding… on the day of your daughter’s wedding. And I hope their first child… be a masculine child. I pledge my ever… ending… loyalty.” Good God Man just spit it out. Brasi is Don Corleone’s hired hitman – Brasi once held a gun to a record producer’s head to get him to sign a contract for the Don’s Godson by telling him either your brains or your signature will be on that contract. Good enough for me, where do I sign? Brasi winds up dying at the hands of a rival family by having his hand (wince) stabbed to a bar as he’s strangled from behind. Corleone receives his henchman’s bullet-proof vest and a fish – “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.” So endeth the lesson.

07. Grover Dill – A CHRISTMAS STORY

Grover Dill, better known as “Toadie” the right-hand runt to Skut Farkus, was a mean little bully to the Parker boys in Bob Clark’s 1983 classic A CHRISTMAS STORY. Played by Yano Anaya, Grover Dill served more as the “mouth” of the two-bully team that ruled the alley ways and playgrounds of 1940’s Hammond, Indiana. While Skut was taller and more physically aggressive, Grover provided the psychological terror of the two, taunting the boys with his green teeth. Grover was a formidable henchmen to face, but combined with Skut they had no equal… that is, of course, until Ralphie totally lost it Christian Bale style and pounded the pulp out of Skut, leaving Grover standing to the side, whimpering like a frightened little dog.

06. Fritz – FRANKENSTEIN

When we think of mad doctors and scientists, we always usually imagine a lowly, smaller sidekick with him.  While in later incarnations, that henchman would be named “Igor”, in the original Frankenstein that character’s name was Fritz.  Fritz was played by Dwight Frye, who will show up higher on this list as well. Everything about Frye’s look and acting laid the groundwork and character shell for all mad assistants in future film.  Down the hunchback and to the quiet, yet creepy, style of speaking, Fritz is one of the definitive henchmen that has been copied from to this day.

“Yeessssss Master.”

05. Igor – HOUSE OF WAX

Charles Bronson received only ninth billing in the popular 1953 thriller HOUSE OF WAX (the first color feature presented in 3-D), but his background role was as colorfully sinister as it was menacing. As Igor, the deaf-mute assistant to Vincent Price, Bronson was an impressive figure with his close-cropped Neanderthal appearance, slit-eyed stony mask of a face, and muscular physique. Whether murdering intruders behind the scenes of the museum, or carrying out the depraved orders of his suave employer, Bronson made a lasting impression. Unforgettable was the sequence where he stalks Phyllis Kirk through the deserted museum, exploiting his primitive features by posing among a shelf-full of wax heads, making for a wonderful visual joke.

04. Jaws – THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

Many have attempted to duplicate the greatness that was Richard Kiel’s “Jaws” in the James Bond films, but none have captured the essence of the towering 7’2″ giant henchman with razor sharp steel teeth. Kiel gave us a preview of this character in 1976’s SILVER STREAK as Reace… he even had a version of the “teeth,” but it was Jaws that truly put him on the map. Having only appeared in two films of the 007 series — THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER — the character has left an unmistakable mark on our movie memory. How does James Bond, an average-sized guy, contend in a fight to the death with such a large, seemingly indestructible force of sheer brute strength. I mean, he survived an extreme electrocution at the hands of James Bond. Of all the great Bond villains, few had the presence of Jaws.

03. Renfield – DRACULA

“Flies? Flies? Poor puny things! Who wants to eat flies when I can get nice fat spiders!” Character actor Dwight Frye specialized in the portrayal of mentally deranged characters but his signature role was that of the madman Renfield opposite Bela Lugosi in Tod Browning’s original DRACULA in 1931. Frye begins the film as a mild-mannered real-estate agent greeting Dracula on the steps of his castle, but is soon camping it up as the vampire’s wild-eyed slave, spouting quotable dialog about preferring juicy spiders over flies. The character of Renfield has been portrayed by many, most notably Klaus Kinski in Jess Franco’s COUNT DRACULA (1971) and Tom Waits in BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1991) but it is Frye’s interpretation with that fiendish, stark-raving madness that is the longest lasting.

02. Flying Monkeys – THE WIZARD OF OZ

In the original Oz novels, these were just what the name implies: intelligent monkeys with wings. They were controlled by a golden hat, initially worn by the Wicked Witch of the West who used it to set the monkeys upon Dorothy and her friends. At one point they destroy the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman entirely, leaving them scattered across the landscape. In return, the Wicked Witch is allowed 3 wishes that leave her entirely responsible for any mishaps or misconceptions.

In the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the monkeys are apparently intelligent enough to obey commands, but do not speak, as in the book. This makes them seem considerably more “animalistic” and less benign. They kidnap Dorothy and dismantle the Scarecrow, but do nothing to the Tin Man or the Cowardly Lion, leaving them free to put the Scarecrow back together and rescue Dorothy.

In the film version of The Wiz, the African-American rock adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, the Flying Monkeys are a motorcycle gang, whose leader is named Cheetah, after the Tarzan character. Their metal wings are part of their motorcycles, but these apparently dissolved with the witch’s other magic, as they are absent when carrying Dorothy and her friends back to the Emerald City.

01. Oddjob – GOLDFINGER

Of all the deadly henchmen that gentleman spy James Bond has encountered in his decades of cinema missions none may be as memorable (and nearly unstoppable) as the mute Korean assassin, Oddjob. Played by Hawaiian wrestler, Harold Sakata, Oddjob is the driver, caddy and main enforcer for Auric Goldfinger in the third (and to many fans the best) Bond film from 1964 Goldfinger. Our first glimpse of Oddjob is his thick hand coming to frame to administer a knockout karate chop to Mr. Bond. Soon we see his hulking shadow on the hotel room wall. Bond awakes later to view Oddjob’s handiwork, Jill Masterson’s corpse covered in gold paint. Next we see him in the role of Auric Goldfinger’s caddy in a high stakes round of golf with Bond. He then helps his boss cheat by producing a golf ball thru a hole in his trousers and utters one of his two lines (“Ahh! Ahh!”). After the game, the victorious Mr. Bond is given a demonstration of Oddjob’s non-golf caddying talents. He removes his bowler-like hat and decapitates one of the golf course sculptures. The rim of the hat is steel tipped! As they drive away Oddjob flashes a sinister smile at Bond as he crushes a golf ball with one hand. James is clearly disturbed by the sight. The next time he meets up with Oddjob is at Auric’s factory when Tilly (Jill Masterson’s revenge seeking sister) is struck down by his deadly hat. Later, after Bond is taken to Goldfinger’s Kentucky horse breeding stables, Oddjob is given the task of driving a gangster back to the airport. The man wanted no part of Auric’s assault on Fort Knox. Odd job takes a side road from the airport and shoots the gangster point blank while coldly smiling. He then drives to a junkyard where the auto is compacted and crushed with the corpse inside! On the day of the assault (Operation: Grandslam) Oddjob arrives at Fort Knox handcuffed to Bond. After the nuclear device is activated and the countdown begins, Bond(now cuffed to the bomb), Oddjob, and one of Gold- finger’s scientists are locked in the gold vault. When the scientist tries to get out, Oddjob mercilessly tosses him off one the upper levels. His body lands close enough to Bond that he retrieves the handcuff key. The loyal henchman is not concerned about being in the bomb’s blast and pummels Bond as he tries to get at the bomb. Although he’s a head shorter than 007, nothing that Bond does can faze him. With each blow Oddjob merely smiles then proceeds to toss the agent about like a rag doll. It’s not until Bond grabs his steel-rimmed hat that Oddjob look concerned. Bond misses him with the hat and it lodges between the steel bars of vault. As Oddjob goes to retrieve it, Bond touches a severed electrical to the bars, and the unstoppable assassin is felled by the current almost like a classic movie monster. His fighting skills useless, James Bond had to use his brain to triumph over Oddjob.

Although the movie is named for him, Auric Goldfinger took a backseat to his henchman, Oddjob, in the just beginning era of movie merchandising. Several toys came out with the film most with either the image of Sean Connery as James Bond or Harold Sakata as Oddjob. There were Gilbert action figures and both were Aurora model kits(the company best known for their best selling classic movie monsters). Oddjob was such a memorable character that Sakata played variations of him for the rest of his life. A popular cough syrup commercial featured him(wearing that famous hat) destroying a whole neighborhood while at the mercy of a nasty cough. Later he appeared on the Tonight Show parodying the ad while he demolished Johnny Carson’s set. Although he was almost without dialogue , Oddjob was one of the most memorable henchman in Bond and film history.

Top Ten Tuesday: M. Night Shyamalan Movie Characters

m night shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan is a filmmaker who has not only conjured up a breed of filmmaking all his own, but a breed of controversy and debate amongst movie geeks matched only that of Joel Schumacher and Brett Ratner. Shyamalan has his fans and his nay-sayers, but in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, we’ve decided to focus on what we like about the boy fascinated by film who became a man realizing his dreams.

With the opening of Shyamalan’s newest film, THE LAST AIRBENDER, we took a look back to determine our favorite characters created by M. Night Shyamalan.

Honorable Mention: STUART LITTLE

stuart little

STUART LITTLE is a movie Shyamalan is rarely remembered for, but as a kid’s flick, it was quite enjoyable both for children and adults that may get stuck watching it with them. For that matter, its not a half bad movie to watch as an adult just for fun… as a way to escape in a light-hearted humorous way. Now, the tiny talking mouse Stuart Little may not have only been written by M. Night – the film was directed by Rob Minkoff – but he’s got a big personality. Voiced by Michael J. Fox, the little white, furry dude has a subtle streak of Ferris Bueller in him, combined with the smart and funny writing, the character provides a family-friendly character that’s entertaining and not dumbed down.

10. Merril Hess (Joaquin Phoenix) in SIGNS

joaquin-phoenix

SIGNS is another example of Shyamalan’s motto: “There are no coincidences.” Since leaving his former life as a record-setting baseball player, Merrill Hess has been staying with his recently widowed brother Graham and his family. “It felt wrong not to swing,” he says of being let go by the team and has been wandering aimlessly through life until crop circles appear in the fields of their Pennsylvania farm. After the beginning of an apparent alien invasion, Merrill truly believes that they will not be harmed by these hand-over-your-mouth scary events because a higher power will take care of them in the end. Joaquin Phoenix’s dramatic facial expression during SIGNS are what give the film its human quality and amusingly helps turn down the stress level. In one of the funnier parts of the movie, Graham discovers that his son and daughter, along with Merrill, have fashioned goofy, cone-head hats out of tin-foil to protect them against alien mind probing. In the thrilling finale to SIGNS, Merrill realizes that his inner passion with a baseball bat was warranted when he’s told by Graham to “swing away” at the alien whose invaded their living room and is holding one of the kids hostage. It’s a battle for the ages. This mantra of “Everything happens for a reason” was the underlying theme throughout SIGNS making Merrill Hess the embodiment of Night’s running idea.

09. Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) in THE HAPPENING

the happening

THE HAPPENING is easily the worst movie I’ve seen in the past decade and I mean that as high praise. It’s the type of delirious masterpiece where every star aligned to form the perfect terrible movie and I can’t get enough of it. Shyamalan claimed (after the nasty reviews started pouring in) that Mark Wahlberg’s overly mannered performance was a deliberate throwback to the B-movies movies of yesteryear; to everyone else it just felt like bad acting. I wish I could have been on the set when M Night directed Marky Mark singing The Doobie Brother ‘Black Water’ through a door to show that he was normal (!). And as for Walhberg’s scene talking to a plastic houseplant: “Hello? My name is Elliot Moore. Just want to talk in a very positive manner, giving off good vibes. We’re just here to use the bathroom, and then we’re just going to leave. I hope that’s OK.” – God save us! THE HAPPENING rules!

08. Rev. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) in SIGNS

signs

Reverend Graham Hess… What a fitting role for everyone’s favorite controversial Aussie actor, Mel Gibson. The “man of the cloth” has his doubts, but that’s not gonna stop him from protecting his family from whatever mysterious, lurking danger awaits them outside their home. Terrorized by unknown intruders on their family farm, Graham Hess struggles to protect his family as he toils internally with his faith and what “it” all means. What’s outside? Where’d “they” come from? Do the events that unfold in Shyamalan’s SIGNS have a greater meaning, a double entendre of science and religion? Gibson’s performance is riveting, as much as it is thought-provoking and even a bit humorous at times, despite the subject matter. As always, audiences were split 50/50 with SIGNS, but one thing Shyamalan always does is offer viewers an array of interesting characters full of quirks and conundrums.

07. Reggie (Freddy Rodriguez) in LADY IN THE WATER

lady_in_the_water_2006_1024x768_840217

Freddy Rodriguez plays Reggie in Shyamalan’s under-appreciated, fairy tale LADY IN THE WATER. He’s just another unassuming tenant at the apartment complex, ‘The Cove,’ introduced to the audience by custodian Mr. Heep. Reggie’s a guy whose strict regimen consists of an science experiment of working on only the right side of his body. He proudly claims, “there’s is a 4 1/2 inch difference” between his left and right biceps. Reggie’s harmless and, like so many others, simply wants to find his special place in the universe and boy does he ever when he unexpectedly finds himself “The Guardian” of Story, the lady in the water. Unaware of it at the time, there’s a hidden reason for all that working out that wouldn’t be realized until the exciting climax of the film. James Newton Howard’s rousing score adds to Reggie’s edge-of-your-seat mano y mano battle with LITW’s nemesis, the “scrunt,” and helps him to protect and save the Narf. Turns out his daily idiosyncracy was no coincidence and makes Reggie one of Night’s most relatable characters.

06. Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) in THE SIXTH SENSE

the-sixth-sense-560

In 1999 M. Night Shyamalan coaxed from Bruce Willis one of his very best performances in THE SIXTH SENSE. Willis played Malcolm Crowe, a child psychiatrist who’s lost faith in his talents due to a failure to help a long-ago patient. Willis was (and still is) primarily a physical actor and he at first seemed miscast in the role, but he let the child star, Haley Joel Osment, play off his quiet charisma in a way a more emotive actor couldn’t and the result was perfection.  When Shyamalan made the cover of Newsweek magazine in 2002, underneath his picture the caption read; “The Next Spielberg”. Several creatively questionable films later, that caption could not be further from the truth, but at least we’ll always have THE SIXTH SENSE.

05. Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) in THE SIXTH SENSE

the sixth sense

Cole Sear (Hayley Joel Osment) … Imagine being a child that can “see dead people.” Cole Sear is one of those children. He is a psychic who can both see and talk to the dead. Cole’s psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, has a responsibility to help Cole, especially after he failed a child much like him years before. This role was a huge building block in Osment’s career, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

04. Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) in LADY IN THE WATER

2006_lady_in_the_water_001

At first glance we see an unassuming shlub of a man that manages the apartment building in LADY IN THE WATER. But upon closer inspection, we realize that Mr. Heep is a very kind and sensitive, but sad man. Unable to save his wife and children from an assailant years before, he is primed for redemption when he meets Story, a mythical creature from another world that needs to be saved. Something deep inside tells him that he must rally the other residents of the apartment complex to save Story, having no idea the profound effects this will not only have on his own life, but the on the future of mankind.

03. Lynn Sear (Toni Collette) in THE SIXTH SENSE

toni collette

Lynn Sear (Toni Collette): Lynn Sear is the mother of Cole Sear (See his listing on our top 10). He confesses to her that he can see and talk to dead people. He then goes on to tell her her own mother once went to view her dance recital as a child, but she stood in the back so that Lynn couldn’t see her. He also gives her an answer to a question that she asks alone at her mothers grave. SPOOKY! Sear is a crucial role because she not only has to find help for her son, but has to pretend not to be creeped out by him!

02. David Dunn (Bruce Willis) in UNBREAKABLE

bruce willis in unbreakable

While David is the hero of UNBREAKABLE, he enters the film as a melancholy middle-aged man staring vacantly ahead on a commuter train. Soon he catches the sight of a young woman’s bare tattooed torso and quickly removes his wedding band. After being rebuffed by the woman after a clumsy pass he earns the disapproving look of a tot in a seat nearby (and probably most of the audience). All in all, not very heroic behavior. David is soon jolted out his stupor when he becomes the sole survivor of a horrific train crash. In the aftermath of the accident, David is confused when he wakes up in a hospital. His good health should be cause for celebration for his family, but we see David and his wife, Audrey, unclasping hands after they are brought together by their young son. We learn that David wakes every day with a heavy sadness which may contribute to the strain on the marriage. Shortly his mind is opened up to new possibilities after a talk with Elijah Price. David realizes he may be meant for things beyond his job as a college football stadium security guard.

M. Night does a great job in showing how this character reacts to these new ideas. After initially dismissing and denying his discovered abilities, David decides to embrace them and take action. Even after learning of his weakness (or as Elijah puts it, his “kryptonite”) David becomes a fighter for justice. Like Tony Stark, he overcomes his flaws and triumphs. But as the ending reveals, his awakening has come at a terrible price. I hope that perhaps one day an enterprising publisher can bring us more tales of David Dunn. It would be interesting to see what’s become of David (or, is he now The Protector or Sentry-Man?).

01. Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) in UNBREAKABLE

Samuel_L_Jackson_Unbreakable

Every good story of a hero needs a great villain and M. Night provides us with a memorable one in UNBREAKABLE’s Elijah Price (aka, Mr. Glass). As with the later Spider-Man films, this villain has a personal connection to the hero, David Dunn, and a back story full of tragedy. The film opens with a flashback to the birth of Price at a department store. There we learn of his condition (brittle bones that break on the slightest impact). Flash ahead a few years and we see a lonely boy sitting alone in front of a blank TV screen, his arm in a sling. He tells his mother of the schoolyard taunts (“They call me Mister Glass!”). His mother is finally able to coax him outside with the promise of a gift… the newest issue of Active Comics. We jump ahead to adulthood and Price has found a way to make a living with his love of heroic fantasy as the owner of a comic book art gallery called Limited Edition. This is where he meets David Dunn after leaving a note on his car during a church service for the train crash victims. It’s then that we finally see him happy at the possibility of discovering a real life super-hero.

What could have been a one note villain becomes a very sympathetic character as we witness his frustrations in dealing with his medical condition. A climb down subway stairs becomes a frightening trek down a mountain top. UNBREAKABLE is one of the few DVD’s that has a terrific deleted scene. We see Elijah again as a pre-teen sneaking away from Mom to a street fair and a ride on a Tilt-A-Whirl. It’s a shame M. Night had to leave it out of the final film, the scene shocks you then tears your heart out. It really shows us what a sad life he’s lived and adds to the horror of that final scene. Elijah Price also benefits from a great restrained performance from Samuel L. Jackson.

Top Ten Tuesday: Finest Film Franchises!

We all know what goes into making a movie franchise… more than one sequel, sometimes desired by the masses, sometimes, not so much. Generally speaking, these are big budget blockbuster films, but the genre varies slightly from action to horror to comedy and even fantasy. But, the more pertinent question on the minds of the Movie Geeks is… What makes a movie franchise great? In this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, we attempt to answer that question by compiling our own list of the ten greatest movie franchises of all-time!

Honorable Mention: INDIANA JONES

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008)

In the 80’s, the Indiana Jones franchise was on an epic, legendary role. I have met few people in the world who have had anything bad to say about the first three films. Yes, you would be correct in correcting me on there being four films. I’m getting to that… While Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had it’s redeeming moments — in fact, I quite enjoyed the first half or so, prior to the “alien/UFO” reveal — the fact is it was sub-par compared to it’s predecessors. Raiders of the Lost Ark is quite simply a masterpiece of cinematic adventure. This movie introduced the thrill-seeking anthropologist (Harrison Ford) to audiences and we fell in love! Ford combined the reckless charisma of Han Solo with the intellectual charm that would dominate his later roles. How better to exemplify this than to reference the scene when Indie faces a local thug with a sword… someone apparently never told him not to bring a knife to a gunfight, but Indie taught him his lesson. And when it comes to iconic moments in movie history, the infamous “boulder” scene with Indie escaping the deadly cave with the golden idol is unforgettable.

As for Temple of Doom, some (with good reason) call it cheesy… I call it classic Indie fun! Yeah, it’s a tad cheesier than ROTLA, but then again, the melting Nazis at the end of the first film gave me nightmares as a kid… for a bit, then I got over it and loved the movie even more. TOD is just filled with old school adventure and gross-out fun. I classify TOD as roughly the same type of sub-genre film as Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, including the “romance”. Finally, The Last Crusade (my 2nd fave behind Raiders) is a brilliant example of where a [trilogy] franchise “should” end. Introducing Sean Connery as Indie’s father was brilliant, and he nearly stole the film. TLC proved to have all the elements that made Raiders classic, even giving the film a very subtle, slightly Bond-ish subtext. For my money, Indiana Jones is and always will be one of the best cinematic franchises of all-time, despite it’s illegitimate step-brother from outer space.

10. BACK TO THE FUTURE

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (1989)
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)

Quite possibly one of the most under-rated (perhaps even forgotten on some level) movie franchises, BACK TO THE FUTURE solidly holds it’s place in pop culture. Director Robert Zemeckis had just come off directing the huge hit Romancing the Stone (1984) and was comfortable in the action/comedy genre. Michael J. Fox was a huge television star at the time (Family Ties) and was looking to make the jump to becoming a movie star. Due to scheduling conflicts, Fox had to turn down the iconic role and Eric Stolz (Mask, Some Kind of Wonderful) was cast as Marty McFly… and shooting began.

After deciding Stolz wasn’t right for the part (no, really?), Zemeckis persuaded NBC to let Fox shoot Back to The Future at night while taping Family Ties during the day. (That explains why so much of the first film takes place at night.) The decision ultimately paid off — Back To The Future was the top grossing movie of 1985. It was nominated for four Academy Awards and won an Oscar for sound editing. The movie also generated a #1 album on the Billboard charts, thanks to the extremely popular-at-the-time Huey Lewis and The News. The two subsequent sequels weren’t as big, but fans flocked to see Michael J. Fox reprise his role as the lovable Marty McFly, alongside the difficult to resist bumbling mad scientist Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd.

09. PLANET OF THE APES

“You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!” — George Taylor

PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES (1970)
ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (1971)
CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (1972)
BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (1973)

The original five PLANET OF THE APES films (1968-1973) chronicled the fall of humankind and the rise of intelligent apes through the points of view of astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston), the ape Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), and his ape-son Caesar (also played by McDowall). They were all box office hits with their winning combination of intelligent science-fiction concepts for adults and talking chimps and action for the kids. I’ve always found it extremely clever how the final three films are at the same time both sequels and prequels to the first two. The PLANET OF THE APES films inspired a TV show, an animated cartoon and a huge industry of APES merchandise. Tim Burton’s 2001 reboot was poorly received but a prequel to that is rumored to be on its way so maybe they’ll get it right.

08. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST (2006)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (2007)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (in the works)

A movie made from a ride at a theme park? You’re kidding, right? But of course this wasn’t just any ride at just any theme park. This is the iconic Pirates of The Caribbean ride made famous at Disney Land (California) and Walt Disney World (Florida), probably one of the most popular attractions of all theme parks. Everyone remembers going there as a kid and what fun it was to ride in the boat and see all the animatronic pirates running around to the crazy pirate music. And that’s what Disney was betting on when they came up with the idea for the movies. But it was a risky move. The concept seemed a little cheesy to most, and it didn’t help that director Gore Verbinski didn’t have an especially successful track record (Mousehunt… Really?) But then you add the stroke of genius that is Johnny Depp and it worked brilliantly. Throw in Orlando Bloom, who himself is no stranger to franchise success (Lord of the Rings trilogy), Keira Knightley, and Geoffrey Rush and you have a very wide audience appeal.

Verbinski was smart enough to know that these should be fun, action, comedic, summer popcorn movies. And he was right. All three movies ruled the box office when they were released, and Depp even scored himself a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his charming scallywag, Captain Jack Sparrow. And we’re not done just yet. 2011 will bring Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and it looks like it will be as successful as the first three. Oh and that ride at that theme park? It now has an animatronic Captain Jack Sparrow, voiced by Johnny Depp himself. Seriously, the happiest place on earth.

07. HARRY POTTER

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE (2001)
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002)
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004)
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007)
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009)
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (in the works)

The Harry Potter saga is, ironically enough, not one to be taken lightly. The first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, struck that rare compromise between cinematic vision and literary loyalty. Every film since has leaned one way or the other but it seems none have jumped the shark just yet. Of particular note is the third film, directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron; he brought a distinctively darker and more subtle touch to the series, a theme that current director David Yates re-established in the fifth film. As a franchise, Harry Potter has surprised many critics by maturing with its audience and displaying a surprising cinematic ambition, thanks mainly to the unorthodox directors at helm. The final film has been, thankfully, divvied into two parts, the first of which is due holiday time this year.

06. ROCKY

“No, maybe I can’t win. Maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he’s got. But to beat me, he’s going to have to kill me. And to kill me, he’s gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me.” — Rocky

ROCKY (1976)
ROCKY II (1979)		 ROCKY III (1982)
ROCKY IV (1985)		 ROCKY V (1990)
ROCKY BALBOA (2006)

OK, so here’s the thing… while Sylvester Stallone has admittedly become as much of a punch-line as a revered pop-culture icon over the years, you cannot dismiss the genius of the character of Rocky Balboa. Let’s not forget that Rocky was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay that Stallone wrote, and won 3, including Best Picture and Best Director. Rocky stole the heart of America and reminded us why we should always root for the underdog. So of course, there would be sequels. And although all six movies were written by Stallone, they weren’t all gems.

One was fair (Rocky II — a sort of boring continuation of Rocky), one was downright awful (Rocky V — retired Rocky trains young fighter Tommy Gunn… seriously?). But the two in the middle (Rocky III and IV) brought us back to the feeling we had after seeing Rocky. Not only were these movies hugely successful, they also launched the careers of another pop culture icon, Mr. T (Clubber Lang), and Dolph Lundgren whose Ivan Drago is arguably one of the most popular franchise characters (Rocky IV was the biggest box-office hit of the franchise, grossing over $300 million worldwide). The franchise spanned 30 years, when in 2006, Stallone decided to give fans a final farewell with Rocky Balboa. The title alone is enough to put a lump in even the hardest throat. For me, this is one of the all-time great franchises of all time, hands down.

05. ALIEN(s)

ALIEN (1979) ALIENS (1986) ALIEN3 (1992) ALIEN: RESURRECTION (1997)

Lt. Ellen Ripley and fellow Nostromo crew members were sound asleep in space where “no one can hear you scream” when they’re woken up to a bogus S.O.S. signal. Next thing you know, people’s chests are either bursting or they’re becoming the main course for a nasty bugger — thus beginning the fantastic sci-fi/horror franchise from 20th Century Fox — ALIEN. All ends well in Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking 1st installment (and Ripley goes to sleep for 60 yrs), that’s is till James Cameron comes along and this time “its fargin war.” A groggy Ripley and the Colonial Marines meet up with a hoard of nasty buggars when they’re sent in on a rescue mission to save a colony and pretty much get their asses kicked. Cool thinking Ellen Ripley goes mano y mano with the Queen of the Buggers in a “Clash of the Titans” type battle for the ages and saves the day. (Fans cheered when Sigourney Weaver became the 1st actor/actress to receive an Oscar nomination in a science-fiction film for her performance in ALIENS.)

In ALIEN 3, just as Ripley is finally getting some shut-eye, her ship pulls a five o’clock charlie and crashes — along with, what else, one little buggar on board and another !gulp! inside Ripley. What’s a girl gotta do to catch a break… and some sleep? SPOILER ALERT for those who’ve been living in a cave, Ripley dies only to be woken up again, 200 years later, as an Alien-hybrid clone in ALIEN RESURRECTION. People have been fascinated since 1979 by H.R. Giger’s horrifying design of the Alien with its defense mechanism acid for blood and double jaw and those nasty eggs filled with exploding face-huggers. The same holds true for Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis’ nightmarish creation of the Queen Alien complete with egg sack and spiked teeth. The ALIEN franchise is far from over. Ridley and Tony Scott are prepping for 2 prequels, sans Ripley, to be released in theaters either by the end of 2011 or in 2012.

04. THE LORD OF THE RINGS

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)

Technically speaking, The Lord of the Rings isn’t a “true” franchise and wasn’t even made so much with that in mind, considering all three films were shot simultaneously then released consecutively over a three-year period. Some purists would even call this one films in three-parts… but, semantics aside, we have three separate films that connect into one very long epic that has reached the standard definition of franchise success. Peter Jackson clearly had a vision, but one has to wonder if he ever truly realized how massive the project would become and how massive a success the film adaptations (despite the flaws, you literary fanatics) would prove to be.

Working with the New Zealand special effects group Weta Workshop, Jackson brought the fantasy creatures and characters to life in vivid detail and realism. The action was spellbinding and the story took form due in great part to the magnificent cast put into place, including Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Christopher Lee as Saruman and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, just to name a few. Perhaps one of the most memorable performances in the trilogy came from an actor who never even had an on screen appearance… Andy Serkis quickly became an audience favorite as the ugly, conflicted Golem, even earning himself several nominations and awards for the performance that sparked groundbreaking Academy Awards buzz, which unfortunately did not lead him to the Oscar. Stunning cinematography, beautiful scores and fantasy battle scenes of an epic proportion never before seen on the big screen, The Lord of the Rings earns it’s place in movie history as a franchise that sort of ended when it should, even if The Hobbit is being developed into a two-picture event, we’ll gladly welcome it into our arms with adoring fandom.

03. JAMES BOND 007

Sorry, but with 22 official entries into the franchise, a 23rd on the way and one “unofficial” interloper from Woody Allen… there’s just too many too list. Instead, check out the James Bond Films Wiki page.

Who wouldn’t want to be James Bond? He’s a suave secret agent with a license to kill. He’s tough as nails and makes love to deliciously gorgeous women with names like Pussy Galore, Honey Ryder, and Holly Goodhead. He drinks his martinis “shaken, not stirred” and never seems to lose when he gambles. The 007 films are the most successful and longest running film franchise ever to reach the silver screen.

It’s success lies in its combination of style and action; attractive men and women, exotic locations, desirable cars, boats, helicopters, etc that create a fantasy lifestyle that secretly most of us would like to live. The men want to be Bond and the women want to sleep with Bond. I love all the Bond films (and have seen them all at the theatre beginning with DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER in 1971) and they all have good points — even the bloated Roger Moore films and the grim Timothy Dalton editions. Hopefully there will be much more 007 to come.

02. THE GODFATHER

THE GODFATHER, PART I (1972)
THE GODFATHER, PART II (1974)
THE GODFATHER, PART III (1990)

“Do you renounce Satan?” asks a priest near the end of THE GODFATHER (1972) as he’s baptizing Michael Corleone’s son. “I do” replies Michael just before director Francis Ford Coppola ironically cuts to a montage of the bloody murders of the five rival family heads. It’s one of the most powerful, influential, and brilliantly edited sequences in cinema and perfectly paved the way for a second chapter adapted from Mario Puzo’s novel about crime, corruption, and family.

Some feel THE GODFATHER PART II (1974) is actually a better film than the original and it’s only sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The sequel expanded the scope of the saga and offered Coppola a chance to go to a broader horizon but overall, the original is preferred because it breathed life into the gangster genre and gave crime films dramatic respectability. THE GODFATHER is cited as the very favorite by more men of a certain age I know than any other film. THE GODFATHER PART III came out in 1990 to far lesser acclaim and many fans of the first two, including myself, have never given it a second visit. Perhaps it’s aged well and deserves rediscovery.

01. STAR WARS

STAR WARS, EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (1977)
STAR WARS, EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
STAR WARS, EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)
STAR WARS, EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)
STAR WARS, EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002)
STAR WARS, EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005)

So, I figure the audience is gonna be split 50/50 on this one… so, here goes our reasoning for why STAR WARS is the #1 greatest movie franchise of all-time: Ca$h Money! Well, not entirely, but that is one element of a successful movie franchise… How much can this property bank? And, as we’ve all known for years now… George Lucas is really good and lining his pockets with this franchise property.

Putting the “green” aside, STAR WARS has it’s merits. Besides, millions of devoted fans can’t be wrong, especially when many have now forsaken their false idol but remained loyal to the films. On that note, STAR WARS has conventions all it’s own. What other franchise can claim that? not even Harry Potter has his own conventions… yet. And, the toys? Don’t get me started! STAR WARS is loaded with memorable characters, sci-tech creations and really, when it boils right down to it… can you get any cooler than a light sabre?

Half of you are probably pleased and delighted to see STAR WARS having topped our list, perhaps even relieved that you didn’t have to scold us for not voting it #1, but the other half of you are probably somewhere between “couldn’t care less” and “are you effing nuts!” For those of you… kudos for having your opinion and sticking to it. See, this is a big part of what makes STAR WARS great… the pop culture love/hate relationship. Love it, hate it, or indifferent… STAR WARS inspires conversation, debate and creatively critical thinking unlike any other franchise, including STAR TREK. (No, endless discussions of alien cultures and sci-fi tech that doesn’t exist isn’t enough.)

As for the films themselves, I think it goes without saying that most people have mixed feeling, even the fans. The very first film — which is of course Episode IV — is a stellar, landmark technological and artistic achievement. Personally, it can be a bit slow in parts, but nonetheless is amazing. For my money, it simply doesn’t get any better than “THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Episode V) which coincidentally, was directed by Irvin Kerschner, not George Lucas. Hmm… I’ll refrain from opening that can of worms… again!

Then comes RETURN OF THE JEDI… and to be quite honest, was a lot of fun, even if the Ewoks were a little too cute. When you think about it, Episode VI was sort of an early heads up warning of what to expect in the pre-quilogy of Episodes I-III. (Honestly, I’m not sure any of us were properly prepared for Jar Jar Binks, but several therapy sessions later I have moved on and can enjoy the finer aspects of the lesser trilogy in the STAR WARS franchise… my favorite being Darth maul.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Westerns (Not Motels)

Six-shooters and horses, brothels and saloons… the western film is as American as apple pie. Back in the early days, the hero and the villain was always clearly defined, the good guy always won and got the gal, and nobody ever bled when they got shot. Oh, have things have changed over the years. In the sixties and seventies, all that changed when filmmakers such as Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone decided the genre needed a reality check, stepping up the violence and pursuing more authentic westerns. In the last 20-30 years, the western has suffered a slow decline, but it’s not dead yet. Today, the western is as diverse as the American culture, and albeit a rare treat, the genre has become a creative playground for talented filmmakers to experiment and honor the classics at the same time, resulting in some very unique films including Jim Jarmusch’s DEAD MAN and Takashi Miike’s SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO. Another unique vision of the western genre, adapted from the popular DC Comics title JONAH HEX, opens in theaters nationwide this Friday, June 18th and stars Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich. In keeping with the mood, we’ve compiled our top ten list of the best westerns.

Honorable Mention: PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID

When it comes to westerns and war flicks, no one really captured them the same way as director Sam Peckinpah realized his stories in a unique light unlike any other. PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID is a great example of that unusual combination of gritty reality and poignant sentimentalism that Peckinpah embodied. The film tells the story of an aging Pat Garrett, played by James Coburn, who is hired as a lawman to track down his old friend and outlaw Billy the Kid, played by Kris Kristofferson. This isn’t your typical western, especially since Bob Dylan not only plays a nearly speechless supporting role and provides the non-traditional but extremely effective soundtrack.

10. TOMBSTONE

When it comes to westerns, some of the most memorable films are those that address a real-life legend. Wyatt Earp is one of those legends, a lawman of the old west and one not to be tussled with. Of the numerous films that depict his story, none are quite as entertaining and successful as 1993’s TOMBSTONE. Directed by George P. Cosmatos, this dramatic albeit Hollywood style western captures the essence of the legend, more than the man himself. Kurt Russell protrays Wyatt Earp, accompanied by his posse that included Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) Earp and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer). The cast as a whole was fabulous, but Kilmer was especially engaging as the enigmatic, somewhat unstable Doc Holliday. The supporting cast also deserves praise, featuring Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Jason Priestly, Thomas Haden Church and Charlton Heston.

09. THE PROPOSITION

While it is the most recent western of this list, DO NOT negate this film. It takes the Good vs. Bad story skeleton and put a small twist on it. Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his younger brother, Mike, have been captured by lawman in Australia by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Stanley gives a proposition to Charlie to find his older brother, Arthur (Danny Huston), and kill him in order to stop the havoc that Arthur and his family gang are causing. What unfolds is a harsh landscape that doesn’t mimic Leone but definitely feels like a film Leone would do today. Gritty, unapologetic and accompanied by a score from Nick Cave, THE PROPOSITION should be a film that every Western film fan should check out.

08. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER

The barbershop scene near the beginning of HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER sets the tone for the entire film. Clint Eastwood takes on the role of “The Stranger” — a crack shot who’s capable of taking out the trash, but not totally a good guy and we never know his reasons as to why this mysterious gunfighter rode into town. Throughout, the usual dead-eye shooting “Stranger” does the dirty work for a town of gutless pansies (with blood on their hands) and kills all the bad-asses. Directed by Eastwood, it’s only at the end of the film that you realize what you’ve been watching — an old western ghost story.

07. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

We could simply tell you that THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) is one of our favorites because it’s a western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI, but that’s merely part of the brilliance of this classic. The film, directed by John Sturges, holds water in it’s own right, filled with action, suspense in the classic western tradition and iconic acting. Having curiously become a sort of transition film between the old school western of the 50’s and the new school of the spaghetti western which would arrive in the 60’s, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN boasts a star-studded cast including Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, James Coburn and Robert Vaughn. For newbies to the western genre, this is a great starter film that melds the old with the new, provides and interesting story at an engaging pace!

06. HIGH NOON

HIGH NOON is the quintessential Western saturated with a landscape of nervous townspeople, a former girlfriend, a loving wife, and a scared deputy. Gary Cooper’s “Sheriff Kane” (for which he won the Oscar) is the archetypal American hero, bound by duty and honor, to make a solo stand against a gang of outlaws arriving on the Noon train looking to gun him down. Effectively making the audience anxious, the film happens in real time and the ever-present town’s clock serves as the harbinger of the sheriff’s destiny. Devoid of any gunfights until the conclusion of the film, the lack of action and virtuous script is nonetheless engrossing. In 90 minutes, director Fred Zinnemann transforms the once frightened Kane into a marshal who’s through taking everyone’s crap. As Kane says, “I’m tired of being shoved.”

05. THE WILD BUNCH

Dying in a hail of bullets whilst taking out scores of people never looked so cool as it did in Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH (1968). Peckinpah was an expert in violence. It was his medium. In a classic western like SHANE, violence is viewed as a necessary evil only to be employed as a last resort, and killing is depicted as fast and pure. In THE WILD BUNCH violence is presented with applause, and the killing is prolonged, tormented, and bloody. Appropriately, THE WILD BUNCH is about the passing of one generation who kill for honor to another generation who murder for fun and games.

04. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID is still as fresh today as it was when it came out 41 years ago. Paul Newman and Robert Redford look as though they are having a great time and their interaction is a key factor in the movies success. It’s always been a lightweight romp with just enough action and violent to add grit but it’s also a real product of its time. The fading glory of Butch and Sundance and the end of their outlaw era nicely mirrors the end of the wild sixties. The scene where Butch and Sundance, although mortally wounded still find the courage to dare to dream about a future is really what fine writing and performing is all about.

03. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

“The Man With No Name” — The trilogy that started it all, bringing the spaghetti western to the forefront of cinema, didn’t begin but ended with THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY. The third and final film in the trilogy starring Clint Eastwood is commonly considered the best, the crescendo of the three-part epic. Eastwood’s calm, collect performance as the fast draw gunslinger whose most deadly weapon is his cunning to outsmart both sides of a quarrel to his own benefit. Superbly directed by Sergio Leone, the film moves abruptly away from the shyness to violence of the typical Hollywood western of the 50’s and is accompanied by an absolutely brilliant, genius original score by Ennio Morricone, which has forever immortalized Leone’s trilogy beyond any other single element of the production.

02. UNFORGIVEN

After Sheriff Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) is gunned down by William Munny (Clint Eastwood) at the climax of UNFORGIVEN his dying words are “I don’t deserve this. To die like this. I was building a house.” In his last western, Eastwood turned genre conventions profoundly upside down. The old Hollywood westerns would end with John Wayne killing the outlaw, getting the girl and then building a church or building a house. What Daggett was really saying was: “I’m the Sheriff. You’re the outlaw. I’m supposed to shoot you. This isn’t how westerns are supposed to end” After UNFORGIVEN, Clint turned his back on the genre with good reason. It’s the final word on westerns. “I was building a house.”

01. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

While the majority of western fans and Leone fans praise THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY as the best western of all time, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST seems more epic than the former. From a story co-written by Italian horror director Dario Argento, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST stars Jason Robards, Henry Fonda, and an un-mustached Charles Bronson. The opening scene will grip viewers in a very tense standoff that will make you realize you are watching a scene that could only be pulled off by Leone. Bronson plays a character named “Harmonica” who ends up protecting a woman named Jill (Claudia Cardinale) from Fonda’s Frank who is trying to get to her first to kill her and take over land that a railroad tycoon is interested in.

Top Ten Tuesday: Calling All Parodies!

Two new parodies open in theaters this weekend on Friday, May 21… MACGRUBER and SHREK FOREVER AFTER. Just as these two films are very different from each other, as are movie parodies, ranging in style and format, poking fun at anything and everything. In keeping with this week’s box office theme, We Are Movie Geeks has formulated our own list of the ten best parody movies. The films we’ve selected broadly encompass the widely varying genre of parodies, and while we certainly left out some good ones, it gives an idea of what we think of as being the exemplary examples.

Honorable Mention: UHF (1989)

I’ll admit, Weird Al Yankovic’s parody of public access television is not everyone’s cup-o-tea, but for truly devoted Movies Geeks, this is a modern classic of ridiculous comedy. Yankovic has already established himself as an international music star, which is saying a lot given he’s devoted his career to a less-than-mainstream genre, selling countless records of song parodies. So, it seems only natural that he took that stardom and translated it into a movie. From the Wheel of Fish to Philo’s Secrets of the Universe, from spoofs of well-known movies like INDIANA JONES and RAMBO to TV commercials for businesses like Spatula City, UHF has endless amounts of off-the-wall fun. The film featured a cast of comedians including Victoria Jackson and Fran Drescher, but also kicked off the career of Michael Richards, prior to his meteoric rise as Cosmos Kramer on SEINFELD and his catastrophic fall as a loose-lipped, short-tempered stand-up comic. UHF is often cheesy, often bizarre, bit always a good time!

10. HOT SHOTS! (1991)

HOT SHOTS took on the macho fly-boy genre, especially TOP GUN, but also FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER and NAVY SEALS (not to mention DANCES WITH WOLVES) in 1991. Charlie Sheen played the chiseled hero Topper Harley and he’s hilarious, always stern and stone-faced despite the outright daftness of everything going on around him. A favorite sequence has Sheen erotically feeding Valeria Golino grapes 9½ WEEKS-style and, in escalating passion, ends up cooking breakfast on her sizzling stomach. Sheen is great and he never breaks character or smirks to the camera to let us all know he’s in on the joke. Lloyd Bridges steals the show in every single scene he is in and I love the scene where he puts the cloth through his ears. HOT SHOTS primarily works on the basis that if it lobs enough of its jokes at us, at least some are going to stick and while the percentage that score isn’t quite at the level of AIRPLANE or THE NAKED GUN, HOT SHOTS is still a great parody.

09. SCARY MOVIE (2000)

An AIRPLANE-style parody of the ’90s resurgence of slasher movies, few spoofs are funnier or outrageously ballsy as SCARY MOVIE, the 2000 comedy directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It starts as a scene-for-scene lampoon of the original SCREAM then borrows and skewers major plot points from I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, THE MATRIX and more. Watching SCARY MOVIE is akin to getting five jokes, puns, and one-liners, thrown at you per minute and most of them work. Kudos to Wayans for having the courage to present such un-PC, offensive material. No bodily function or substance was too disgusting to portray in SCARY MOVIE for the purpose of getting laughs and it’s surprising the MPAA was able to give him even an R rating (the three sequels have all been neutered at PG-13). SCARY MOVIE was the first starring role for Anna Faris and where she first honed her winning clueless persona. It’s Ms. Faris who’s the chief comedic virtue of the very funny SCARY MOVIE series.

08. THE NAKED GUN (1988)

THE NAKED GUN is all Leslie Nielsen’s show: with an unaccountable flair for the needlessly dramatic, his dunderheaded Lieutenant Frank Drebin holds all the absurdity together by treating everything as if it were a matter of life or death. Bingo! Based on characters from their short-lived television series “Police Squad!” THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD! (1988) was the first comedy franchise from brothers David and Jerry Zucker, spawning two sequels. THE NAKED GUN was a rapid-fire laugh machine full of corny gags, innuendos, tons of verbal jokes (“nice beaver”), O.J. Simpson, and Reggie Jackson trying to kill Queen Elizabeth (who stands up and does the wave at a California Angels fan). The endless jokes are mostly tasteless and juvenile but they come at such breakneck speed there’s barely time to catch your breath.

07. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)

Your first thought may be that this isn’t a parody, but the truth is THE PRINCESS BRIDE is actually a parody of romantic fairy tales. Here’s the catch… the movie ended up being so darn good it works as a straight comedy, often overshadowing the element of parody. Director Rob Reiner’s tale of true love, written by William Goldman and based upon his own book, follows poor farm hand Wesley (Cary Elwes) as he returns as the “Man in Black” to reclaim his Buttercup (Robin Wright) before she is forced to marry the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). THE PRINCESS BRIDE is an epic story, filled with fun, adventure and plenty of unforgettable laughs. The cast consists of an enormous line-up of talent featuring Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane and Andre the Giant. Easily one of the most quotable films of all time, THE PRINCESS BRIDE is a light-hearted and humorous love story that guys and gals can enjoy alike.

06. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)

“We’re knights of the Round Table, we dance whene’er we’re able. We do routines and chorus scenes with footwork impec-cable, We dine well here in Camelot, we eat ham and jam and Spam a lot.” This toe-tapping, musical interlude is just one example of the genius that is found in MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. It’s the medieval send-up of Arthur “King of the Britons,” along with his Knights of the Round Table, quest for the Holy Grail. All the knights run into various perils such as the Knights Who Say “Ni!,” the 3-headed giant, and Tim the Enchanter. The heroes are lured to the Castle Anthrax by a faux grail beacon, followed by a battle to the death with the Rabbit of Caerbannog with the Holy Hand Grenade. Written by Python alum Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, this cult favorite is a cheeky bookend to 1981’s EXCALIBUR…” On second thought, let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.”

05. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)

So what would you do if your job sucked, your girlfriend just left you, and… oh yeah, the world has just been overrun by zombies? (If this sounds terribly familiar, assume this isn’t already your life.) If you’re Shaun, you do the obvious: grab a cricket bat and go to town on some old-fashioned, slow-moving zombies with your loyal yet ill-mannered best friend Ed, all in the name of saving the day and getting your girl back. Described as a “rom-zom-com,” or a “romantic comedy with zombies,” SHAUN OF THE DEAD pays tribute to the Romero classics, but adds it’s own light-hearted spin to the undead genre.

04. AIRPLANE! (1980)

“Does anyone here speak jive?” If not, don’t fret… there’s surely an elderly white woman on your plane that can translate, right? This is merely the beginning of the absurdly ridiculous comedy that occurs aboard AIRPLANE! The movie was co-written and co-directed by Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and has become one of the original classics of the parody genre. Featuring a cast of big names, including Lloyd bridges, Robert Stack and even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, surely this film can be taken seriously. But, of course it can’t, it’s a silly comedy. And, don’t call me Shirley! That’s right. It also stars Leslie Nielsen as Dr. Rumack, the man who gave birth to the quote eligible for the most abundantly overused award. AIRPLANE! Is a comedy that relies heavily on wordplay and puns, but the cast presents this low-brow style of comedy with such straight-faced seriousness that the humor becomes that much more hilarious. From confused pilots to passengers with drinking problems, AIRPLANE! Will have you laughing hysterically, and it’s not due to a lack of oxygen.

03. BLAZING SADDLES (1974)

Never has the wild, wild west seen such satire as Mel Brooks’ shoot’em up BLAZING SADDLES. The newly appointed black sheriff of Rock Ridge, much to the disconcerting Johnson townsfolk, is trying to stop the “bad guys” from driving a railroad right through their frontier town. Once in charge, Sheriff Bart faces the evil politician Hedy, “no, that’s Hedley” Lamaar who sends his henchman and gang of cowboys to Rock Ridge to “go a-ridin’ into town, a-whompin’ and a-whumpin’ every livin’ thing that moves within an inch of its life.” A lampoon of a Randolph Scott Western, BLAZING SADDLES is strewn with horses, Indians, barroom brawls, and an infamous “too much beans” farting scene around the campfire. Of course, Bart finds an ally in former gunslinger and current drunk, Jim, aka “The Waco Kid” and falls for the German assassin Lili von Shtupp who tries to seduce the sheriff with her, harrumph, schnitzengruben. From a time where screenplays, filled with racial slurs, didn’t know something called “political correctness,” Brooks made sure that every nationality was fair game to be made a mockery of and nothing raunchy was out of bounds. Good thing Brooks had final cut.

02. SPACEBALLS (1987)

Mel Brooks’ 1987 parody of science fiction flicks is remembered not necessarily as his best, but it certainly is one of his goofiest parodies, and one of his smartest. Besides lovingly ripping off the Star Wars franchise and a slew of other classic sci-fi movies (STAR TREK, ALIEN, 2001, PLANET OF THE APES), Brooks also takes a few well-deserved potshots at Hollywood’s fondness for unnecessary sequels and shameless merchandising. Dweeby Rick Moranis was comedy gold as Darth Vader wannabe Dark Helmet, while Bill Pullman camped it up as Lone Starr, a combination of the Luke Skywalker and Han Solo archetypes. With John Candy, Joan Rivers, and Brooks himself rounding out the cast, the “schwartz” was truly with this film, taking it from funny to hilarious at “ludicrous speed!”

01. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)

Here’s the formula for comedic success in the 70’s… put Mel Brooks in the director’s chair and cast Gene Wilder. That’s it! No wonder Mel Brooks did this more than once, but his best collaboration with Gene Wilder has to be YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frankenstein, oh… sorry, Dr. Fronkensteen. My mistake. He’s a scientist, but denies his lineage to the infamous scientist who created a monster, until he realizes he may be able to succeed where his predecessor failed. Assisted by Inga (Teri Garr) and Igor (Marty Feldman) he pursues his renewed calling. What results is a new Monster, played brilliantly by Peter Boyle, but the monster is far from perfect, thanks to the “Abby Normal” brain acquired by Igor. Brooks’ writing and the comedic timing of the cast is perfect throughout the film, yet another of the most quotable movies of all-time. Shot in black and white for mood, Brooks’ captures the visual essence of the early Universal monster flicks, giving the genre a hefty dose of comedy, delivered intravenously for sustained laughter.

Top Ten Tuesday: Sensational Sword Fights

Ridley Scott’s newest epic, his own take on ROBIN HOOD starring Russell Crowe, opens in theaters Friday, May 14. While the classical lore of Robin Hood has him stealing from rich to give to the poor… the trailer suggests Scott has turned the Robin Hood tale into one helluva GLADIATOR-sized period action flick complete with sword fights. So, anticipating quite an awe-inspiring onscreen display of steel blade clashing, we’ve compiled our top ten list of the best sword fights captured on film.

Reader’s Choice: THE PRINCESS BRIDE – In an effort to show we value our reader’s opinions, we’ve included a Reader’s Choice selection this week.

In response to the overwhelming reaction to this film somehow shamefully slipping through the fingers of the Movie Geeks on this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, THE PRINCESS BRIDE has been added as a Reader’s Choice pick. The film is a favorite of virtually all movie geeks and the sword fight between the Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes) and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) is not only fun but very well staged. The duel is exciting, smart and witty, embedding itself into our minds among many memorable scenes from this modern classic.

Honorable Mention: STAR WARS, EP. V – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

While some of you hardcore purists may scoff at this honorary selection, STAR WARS fans and the less-strict cinematic philosophers will surely consider the epic light saber battle between the Jedi Luke Skywalker and his soon-to-be-revealed father Darth Vader one of the most exhilarating and intensely dramatic “sword” fights of movie history. The emotion, the clashing of dark and light, the young versus the old, the variation of styles and discipline… all the makings of a brilliant duel are there. Who cares if the weapons are sticks of glowing light instead of cold, hard steel… when you think about it, its a nice change of pace.

10. CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935)

Billed as THE MOST MAGNIFICENT & THRILLING SEA ADVENTURE EVER FILMED, 1935’s CAPTAIN BLOOD was the movie that catapulted Errol Flynn to the ranks of Hollywood Star. Along with the dazzling sea-battles, director Michael Curtiz rousing tale of imprisoned doctor, Peter Blood, turned slave and then pirate is an exhilarating swashbuckling film. Captain Blood and his crew of fellow slaves become buccaneers, commandeer a ship, and go onto protect the Caribbean from Spanish galleons. The hero does find time, while plundering the seas, to fall in love with the beautiful Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland). It was the first time that the movie-going audiences would see a sword fight between Errol Flynn’s Blood and Basil Rathbone’s Levasseur. The ensuing duel on the beach between the English pirate and French pirate is the epitome of brilliant choreography in footwork and timing, all accompanied by the melodramatic music of composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold. After the final, piercing death blow, no one could die better than Rathbone, as was later seen in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD.

09. HERO (2002)

Before we even get into it, clearly there are those who do not subscribe to the fantastical Asian wire-work style of storytelling. All I have to say to that is… “to each their own.” I won’t go into how this is a cultural storytelling style that is used primarily in films dealing with myths and legends, stories of incredible feats and heroes. Thus, a period film called HERO about one of a culture’s most famed and beloved warriors who single-handily defeated three assassins bent on murdering the most powerful warlord of pre-unified China. His actions were pure of intent and focused on protecting his leader at all costs. He acted on principle, with honor. Jet Li’s performance was stellar in this beautifully shot and carefully crafted story. HERO combines amazing fight and wire choreography with a powerful story, containing amongst other treats one of the coolest semi-sword fighting duels in martial arts film history between jet Li and Donnie Yen.

08. BRAVEHEART

The battle scenes in Mel Gibson’s Academy Award winning epic are pretty much the heart of this movie, thus its place on this list. However the “sword fighting” in this movie is not your classic, refined, and dignified “fencing” that you see in say, Captain Blood or Pirates of the Caribbean. The weapons here are huge, sharp, heavy, take-your-head-off-with-one-swing Louisville Sluggers – very different than the shiny, pretty, clink-together silver of traditional fencing. The type of hand-to-hand combat in Braveheart showed a grim reality of sword fighting, and it ain’t pretty. Even if you survive, you end up covered in the blood and guts of your enemy. Again, one of the things that made this movie so good was the realism of battle. It’s bloody, its gory and its exhausting!

07. GLADIATOR

Are you not entertained?!?! That line became the rallying cry this time ten years ago when Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe teamed up for the first time. What an awesome collaboration it was, too. GLADIATOR trampled its way into theaters, keeping so many of us on the edges of our seats with its harrowing action scenes and gripping moments of drama. It was a film that made a star of Crowe, who was just beginning his growth in the film world, and it was a film that solidified Scott once again as a director not to be underestimated. For the few years before, Scott had been taking it easy in the directing world having not had a film out since 1997’s GI JANE. However, with the opening battle sequence of GLADIATOR, we knew the man who had brought us ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER was back with a fury, and the second leg of the talented director’s career had begun. GLADIATOR is a film about spectacle, both in that it honors the gladiatorial events of history and it draws on them with an unrivaled intensity. When Crowe cried out his pivotal line, we sat up, nodded our heads, and locked our eyes on screen. We were entertained.

06. SHOGUN ASSASSIN

SHOGUN ASSASSIN is a film that was created in 1980 to bring the six part Japanese LONE WOLF AND CUB saga, about an executioner framed for treason on the road to revenge with his toddler son, to American audiences who didn’t have access to the original films. The first two Lone Wolf films were re-edited to 86 minutes, re-scored and dubbed into English by Roger Corman’s New World pictures and the result was the eye-popping SHOGUN ASSASSIN. Narration was provided by 5-year old Cub, an unintentionally humorous device perhaps necessary to follow the movie’s many plot points. The dubbing was even worse than the Kung-Fu movies from the 70’s (at times characters are talking when their lips aren’t even moving) but it’s the comic-strip savagery of the swordplay that American viewers were unprepared for. Fountains of blood spurt like a hose from decapitations, severed body parts, cleaved heads, sliced necks, and cut limbs. The original LONE WOLF AND CUB films are accessible now but it’s this wacky re-edit that’s more likely to appeal to fans that like things fast and furious.

05. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

2002. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember hearing about Disney’s plans to turn their popular Pirates of the Caribbean ride into a feature film. I remember thinking this was the worst idea I had ever heard. Boy, was I wrong. Once July 9th, 2003 rolled around, many of us were left holding our tongues, as the swashbuckling adventure Gore Verbinski, Jerry Bruckheimer and crew unfolded before us was epic, engaging, but, most importantly, it was a whole lot of fun. With an eccentric Johnny Depp and an honorable straight-man in Orlando Bloom leading the charge, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL quickly became a phenomenon and deservedly so. While the sword fighting carries throughout the rest of the trilogy (who can ever forget the amazing fight on the rolling mill wheel?), it was this first adventure that brought it all to light for many of us. The first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN film is truly an adventure for the whole family, and one that proved to all of us that Disney knows precisely what they are doing when it comes to these decisions.

04. ROB ROY (1995)

While HIGHLANDER didn’t make our list, we do have another film representing the Scotts… ROB ROY tells the tale of a man in 1700’s Scottish Highlands trying to make a better life for his small village, but when the money he borrowed to carry out his good deeds is stolen he finds himself forced into a Robin hood type of life by way of his principles and the need to protect his family. Liam Neeson delivers an outstanding performance as Robert Roy MacGregor, the title character, while Tim Roth is equally effective as his very unlikable nemesis Archibald Cunningham, with whom Rob Roy duels without quarter later in the film. This duel more than anything, is what set ROB ROY apart and landed it on this list. Suspenseful, dramatic and very well choreographed, this showdown of two men –very different in class, training and personality– creates a gripping scene of good versus evil. ROB ROY also features great performances from Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Brian Cox and Eric Stoltz.

03. 300

When it comes to movies specifically designed to showcase the extremes of artistically glorified violence, 300 is the first movie that comes to mind, especially if we’re talking old school swords and shields. Zack Snyder’s motion picture interpretation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel is just that… graphic. No drop of blood is wasted, no gore is spared, no ab is left un(air)brushed. From beginning to end, 300 shows off what fight choreography can look like with combined with modern FX technology, adding an entirely new depth of sword-slashing, butt-kicking cinematic battles of the ancient times that weren’t possible from the sword and sandal flicks of the 50’s and 60’s or the swashbuckler flicks from Errol Flynn.

02. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)

Longbows, continual sword fights, and archery tournaments are some of the marvelous colors painted throughout the canvas of director Michael Curtiz’s THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. Who can forget, “Welcome to Sherwood, my lady. What Sir Guy, no greeting from you?” The dramatic entrance and line by Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn) is, to this day, still unrivaled. The 1938 action film is further enhanced by the rich score of Oscar-winner Erich Wolfgang Korngold. One of the best in all filmdom, it’s #11 on AFI’s 100 Years of Film Scores list. The exciting sword fights between the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest and the Sheriff of Nottingham and his knights are made more colorful by the Academy Award winning editing of Ralph Dawson. Just as Flynn’s Robin Hood embodies the hero’s modus operandi of “stealing from the rich to give to the poor”, so does Claude Rains portrayal of the smarmy, villainous Prince John and his oppression of the Saxon people. Curtiz and cinematographers Tony Gaudio and Sol Polito’s thrilling use of shadows can be seen during the infamous and lengthy duel of Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone) and Robin Hood emblazoned on the walls of the castle during the final act. For a film that epitomizes whirling sword fights all for the love of king and country look no further than THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD.

01. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973)

Director Richard Lester romped through Alexander Dumas’ novel in 1973 and came up with a hugely entertaining swashbuckler that was both revival and send up. No expense was spared, and THE THREE MUSKETEERS was a visually extravagant film with fabulous costumes and an A-list cast including Michael York, Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed, Fay Dunaway, and Charlton Heston. Everyone I’ve known with an interest in the sport of fencing invariably cites this version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS as home to their favorite sword-fighting sequences and there are many, quite different in scope and choreography, from a thrilling two-man battle in nighttime woods to an all out war at the base of a windmill The swordplay had never been equaled until the next year when Lester’s second half of the story was issued separately as THE FOUR MUSKETEERS, and it’s the sequel where Christopher Lee, as the villain Rochefort, best shows off his own accomplished sword fighting skills.

Top Ten Tuesday: The Best of Robert Downey, Jr.

What is arguably the best super-hero movie ever made is finally about to unveil it’s sequel, which is looking just as awesome! IRON MAN 2 opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, May 7 starring Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell as Tony Stark’s enemies. Returning to the role of brilliant billionaire Tony Stark is Robert Downey, Jr. An actor without any formal training, RDJ has made quite an impressive career for himself with numerous memorable roles. So, this week the Movie Geeks have compiled our favorite performances from Robert Downey, Jr.

Honorable Mention: WEIRD SCIENCE

This classic 80s-era John Hughes flick, inspired by the 1950’s era comic of the same title, hilariously captures the wonder and wild imagination of growing up boys, and not necessarily the coolest, most popular boys either. Granted, Robert Downey, Jr. plays Ian, one of the more popular kids, his somewhat limited role in WEIRD SCIENCE (1985) is still memorable and perhaps his first recognizable role, one year after playing Stewart in John Sayles’ BABY IT’S YOU.

10. KISS KISS BANG BANG

“My name is Harry Lockhart, and I’ll be your narrator,” Robert Downey, Jr says at the beginning of KISS KISS BANG BANG, “I don’t see another God damn narrator, so pipe down!”. The plot of KISS KISS BANG BANG has something to do with the murder of the estranged daughter of a tycoon, but plot here takes a backseat to style and a playful script that is complex and full of surprises. With its self-conscious satire, Writer-director Shane Black works the same side of the street as Tarantino, but clings tighter to hard-boiled noir narrative. Black tweaks the buddy cop formula he once owned (LETHAL WEAPON, etc) with creative flair (one guy’s gay, the other’s not even a cop) and KISS KISS BANG BANG was one of the best films of 2005. As for Downey, he is the most dexterous actor in American movies and the reports of his 90’s off screen screw-ups (which almost destroyed him but now seem like ancient history) seem to feed his life onscreen. Harry Lockhart is a sad and twitchy failed thief and the fact that he becomes an actor without realizing, or knowing why, or even particularly wanting to be an actor, is an ironic comment on Downey’s earlier predicaments.

09. BACK TO SCHOOL

How can you not completely love a movie where Robert Downey Jr. gets to play a weird, smart mouthed college kid named Derek that hangs out with Rodney Danger field! This movie is an all time classic! Although Downey Jr. is not the lead actor, he adds to the laugh factor of the movie with his crazy hair and snappy one liners.For example, when talking about a pep rally, Derek says “Violent ground acquisition games such as football is in fact a crypto-fascist metaphor for nuclear war.”… I think I like this guy! I think it’s a great example of where Downey Jr. came from, and how much he has accomplished!

08. NATURAL BORN KILLERS

Robert Downey, Jr. maintains his unique tongue and personality in Oliver Stone’s ultra-violent crime spree film NATURAL BORN KILLERS, based on a screenplay from Quentin Tarantino, but in this role he’s not in control. Downey plays Wayne Gale, an Australian reporter who hosts a sensationalist show called American Maniacs. His show profiles murderers, so Gale is all over following Mickey and Mallory, the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, with full intent of publicizing them to the fullest extent of his own benefit. Gale is a weasle of a man, manipulative and cunning, but ultimately blinded by his need for fame and fortune. Downey manages to show a slightly different side of his abilities in NBK, eventually becoming a victim like any other, his own game of manipulation turned against himself in the end. Downey embodied the media shark we all love to hate.

07. CHARLIE BARTLETT

Charlie Bartlett is the story of a rich kid who was thrown out of his wealthy, private school and forced to attend public school. While at his new public school, Bartlett meets Principle Nathan Gardner (Downey Jr.), an alcoholic who really hates Bartlett. Downey Jr. plays the part of a concerned father, who is fighting with his inner demons rather well… especially when Bartlett starts dating his daughter. Downey Jr. is a great asset to this film and the young actors in it!

06. ZODIAC

While ZODIAC, David Fincher 2 ½ hour true crime epic, has its terrifying moments, it’s less a thriller than a thoroughly engrossing police procedural. It’s also a meticulous re-creation of the early ‘70’s, an era that Hollywood almost always gets wrong. Robert Downey Jr. played Paul Avery, a cynical and self-destructive star crime reporter who was one of three men who doggedly pursued the Zodiac killer for many years (Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo round out the trio). With his affected mannerisms, goatee, and scarves, Downey plays Avery as a dapper inquisitor, a dark forerunner to the Sherlock Holmes he would play over two years later. An arrogant boozer, Avery was clearly a difficult personality to work with and Downey skillfully shows how the grind of the Zodiac investigation unraveled him and drove him to an early grave. ZODIAC doesn’t have the neatly resolved ending required of Hollywood movies for, as in real life, the Zodiac case remains unsolved.

05. SHERLOCK HOLMES

Robert Downey, Jr. can’t play a Brit.  Surprisingly enough, this was an argument we weren’t hearing too much about in the month leading up to SHERLOCK HOLMES’ release late last year.  It probably had something to do with Downey’s incredible performance in TROPIC THUNDER the year before (see #4 for a little more on that).  Doubters or not, everyone was convinced once the film was released, and another, successful franchise had begun for the man who was persona non grata in Hollywood not all that long ago.  He brought an overpowering sense of cool to the Holmes character, but the sophistication and intelligence of the man was never in question.  To that end, Downey was the perfect choice for a Sherlock Holmes that was more adventurous than elementary.  Of course, the elementary didn’t seem to take a backseat on this one, either.  SHERLOCK HOLMES was an extremely enjoyable film, and, accent or not, it featured the perfect man for the job.

04. TROPIC THUNDER

“I know what dude I am. I’m the dude playin’ the dude, disguised as another dude!” That quote pretty much says it all. TROPIC THUNDER was a hilarious comedy with tons of great dialogue across the board, but Robert Downey, jr. stole the show… well, him and Tom Cruise (of all people) as Les Grossman. Robert Downey, Jr. takes a chance playing a white actor, playing a black actor in a movie about making an action-war movie. once you get that all untangled, let me know… or, you could just enjoy it. Downey was so good, he managed to pull off the seemingly impossible and earned himself an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, despite the historical snubbing of comedic actors.

03. LESS THAN ZERO

Of Robert Downey, Jr.’s performance, Roger Ebert remarked, “flawless… Robert Downey, Jr’s acting here is so real, so subtle and so observant that it’s scary…” This was the performance that really made Hollywood stand up and take notice of just how good an actor he was. Pretty amazing, considering his 3 previous movies at the time were silly comedies, AND he had just been fired from the cast of Saturday Night Live. And sadly eerie that it was practically foreshadowing his own drug addiction in the years that followed. If for some reason you have never seen this movie, I got one word for you: Netflix.

02. CHAPLIN

His star turning performances in CHANCES ARE, AIR AMERICA and the hilarious SOAPDISH are what led to his leading role in the biopic CHAPLIN. As the title character, Downey’s portrayal of the Little Tramp is told through flashbacks. While the movie plays like an Access Hollywood story, it’s the small nuances of Downey’s performances that are striking. His uncanny performance was so impressionable that director Richard Attenborough added footage to the end of the film of the real Chaplin himself. Downey’s performance won rave reviews across the board and he received an Academy Award nod for Best Actor. Unfortunately, he lost the Oscar to Al Pacino, but won the BAFTA for Best Actor.

01. IRON MAN

Given IRON MAN 2 opens in theaters a mere three days from now, it may seem trendy to position IRON MAN in the #1 spot, but truth be told… Robert Downey, Jr. earned this spot. A great deal of the film’s success is owed to Downey and a great deal of Downey’s success in this role is owed to the fact that he was the perfect casting choice. It’s almost as though, when the Tony Stark character was created, the writers and artists traveled to the future, met Robert Downey, Jr. and said… HIM! That’s the guy! That IS Tony Stark! Perhaps they knew it would one day become a motion picture? Anyway, Downey’s uncanny natural coolness and cocky swagger is fully embodied in Tony Stark, making the role and the film incredibly enjoyable. Downey manages to nail that fine line between an egotistical, arrogant jerk that people hate and a brilliant, adventurous good guy we can’t help but love. As if struck from a mold sculpted decades before… could anyone else have possibly pulled off this role so perfectly?