Maxing Out for MAD MAX!

The most iconic image of Mad Max!

I've been burned by pre-movie hype and excitement so many times that the neurons responsible for those feelings have melted away. Movies that should have been stellar (especially based on my pre-excitement levels) like: Robocop 2, Batman Returns, Alien 3, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park thoroughly did so much damage that a "wait and see" attitude was firmly locked into place in my psyche. And now, one movie is furiously working to chip away at my emotional movie void...MAD MAX: FURY ROAD.

The poster that I had wanted for close to
25 years and finally received in 2010.

To understand my connection to this franchise you have to go back to cable TV circa 1983-1987 when The Road Warrior was pretty much on a continual late night loop on HBO and Cinemax...not to mention the VHS copy that inevitably was ruined from slo-moing the final wreckage scene just to watch the dummy of the Humungus slide over the semi's hood. Safe to say that I watched Road Warrior LOTS! It has a special fondness as well since my father and I were sitting around the living room at 9pm on a Sunday when Road Warrior premiered on HBO. Neither of us knew anything about it and there we sat totally entertained for two hours. Watching bullets and arrows flying, bodies being ripped apart and run over, cars being crushed and burned, and a 20-minute semi chase that was a marvel (and still is) to behold!  It wasn't long before I sought out the original Mad Max and then the sequel Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Then when my best friend introduced me to a role-playing game called Car Wars, I had a new avenue to channel my love for the Mad Max movies.

The most mindless RPG ever!
Nothing better than successfully performing
The Bootleg Reverse!

Even people who are not fans of the Mad Max franchise should realize how engrained these three movies are in the public conscious. Any time a movie depicts automobiles that have been decorated with various spike and weapons...people go..."Oh, that's like Mad Max." When you watch any post-apocalyptic movie and people use football and hockey pads for personal armor...Mad Max is where it started. The term "Thunderdome" gets used all the time in TV, sports announcing, and various movies and most people will immediately make the connection as to what is being implied whether they realize the origin...Mad Max.

When Internet searching "Thunderdome" here was my favorite result...

That bad-ass cage where Mel Gibson faught Master Blaster with the chainsaw and bungee cords and there where all kinds of drunken Aussies yelling, "Two men enter, One man leaves."

The "Last of the V-8 Interceptors"...?

So, as I write this creator-director George Miller as finally begun filming is oft-delayed next Mad Max movie: FURY ROAD. The movie will star Tom Hardy (fresh from his role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises) taking over the Max Rockatansky character from Mel Gibson. The movie will co-star a shit-ton of tripped out cars in spectacular chases and monstrous wrecks! As photos have begun leaking of the various vehicles, my excitement builds. As rumors circulate that there may indeed be a new restored "Last V-8 Interceptor", I find a smile creeping across my face. As I see interviews where George Miller stresses the need for practical effects instead of CGI, all I can think is "YES!" It'll be a long haul for me to wait out the release of this movie, and mixed with the excitement will also be a heavy dose of trepidation since there were probably a thousand ways this movie can go bad and only one way it can be done correctly. The three pictures below (from AICN) help keep my confidence levels high that this movie is progressing in the right direction.

I'd have to guess that this is the car of the main bad guy...
equipped with his theme music of course.

Another suped up semi!  Nothing wrong with that.

Shots like this harken back to The Road Warrior in a great way!

There's a reason I'm a true fan of the franchise. I love the character, the settings, the cars, and the high octane action that George Miller has been able to deliver. The movies don't try to deliver any social commentary or appeal to a wide demographic.  They're essentially Man with No Name Westerns but instead of horses there's healthy amounts of nitrous and turbo-chargers.  If you like action and carnage (and what American male doesn't?) then the Mad Max films are the perfect avenue for escape.  My man-cave has a framed Road Warrior poster adorning it because it's one of the most bad ass movies ever made! And MAD MAX: FURY ROAD could be one hell of a movie!

Road House and YOU! Life Lessons for Every Generation!

Recently my cable box has been aflame with showings of Road House.  The movie is like a rash on every channel akin to The Beastmaster in the 1980's.  Naturally I've watched the movie pretty much everytime it's flashed in front of my eyes.  In those hundreds of viewings it's dawned on me that there's some pretty serious life lessons that the movie is furiously working to impart upon the viewer.

One can say that Road House is a perfect primer for all father’s to show their sons (BE A MAN 101 if you will).  The movie flawlessly explores thousands of teachable moments while maintaining an outwardly appearance that it is nothing more than a simple modern day western about a “not so big” philosopher cleaning up a local watering hole.

What can your child expect to garner from sitting down and watching Road House?  Here’s just a sampling of the educational opportunities contained in this cinematic powerhouse:

1) Entrepreneurship – not everyone was made to be a CEO, some of us have to use the knuckle-busting philosophical skills that God gave us.  $5,000 down, $500 a night, and all medical expenses covered is an excellent start!

2)  Real Estate – never build your quaint farmhouse on the opposite side of the river from the town’s helicopter owning psychotic.  You and your horses are just asking for trouble.

3)  Fashion – what do you do with that old picnic tablecloth if you’re a high paid doctor?  Well turn it into a dress and then go down for some swill at the town’s worst bar…of course. (OK, not every father has a son...so this one's for the daughter's out there)

4)  Automobiles – all bouncers own BMW’s – FACT!

5)  Auto-Finance – the best day to get a loan for your new BMW is the same day the local tuffs drive a monster-truck through the auto dealership.  Commission and paperwork tend to be reduced in importance for a few hours so you should be driving off the lot with your new car and a low rate in no time.

6)  Social Etiquette – “Be nice”.  When a guy comes at you and says, “I used to &*%$ guys like you in prison!”  You have two options…one of them is obviously the throat rip.

7)  Romance – not anyone can charm a girl into removing her clothes and immediately striking a submissive position by delivering lines like, “Oh baby, you gonna be my regular Saturday night!”  But with practice and patience…it’ll happen.

8)  Ballet-Kwon-Do – a seldom practiced martial art that involves kicking and prancing with your toes straight.  Fights often explode into well choreographed encounters that both inflict damage to your opponent and keep them entertained at the same time.

9)  Home Décor – nothing spices up a riverfront property like a room filled with stuffed safari (aka poaching) kills ranging from antelopes to lions to the various body parts of people that didn’t agree with you.  The topper is always the polar bear…find yours and kill it while in your 20’s to maximize the number of years of enjoyment it will bring you.

10)  Shotguns – the best way to return a town to peace and tranquility - the pump action.

It is the civic responsibility of all people to be sure that the next generation learn these and all lessons imparted by Road House to help hone a better society.  For those interested in going the more literary route, I also recommend the books: COWARDS & BLEEDERS AND HOW TO REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR FRONT LAWN by Brad Wesley and THE TOURIST'S GUIDE TO JASPER: “OUR TOWN AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!” by Tilghman, Stroudermire, Emmett, and Webster.

Death Sports and THE HUNGER GAMES

So, The Hunger Games is the latest book to "catch fire" amongst teen readers and then spread into the must read territory for adults.  The movie is surely going to add to the fervor as well (to which movie theatres across the country are singing praises - I've never seen so many smiling faces of theatre employees in my life).  I've read the book and I've seen the movie.  Both are quite well done...but in the end they don't add anything new to the Death Sport category of science fiction.  Ok, The Hunger Games adds a Twilight-esque love triangle...but beyond that it's simple.  There's a government demanded game in which contestants kill other contestants and only the winner will survive.

My favorite book of all time is Stephen King's (writing as Richard Bachman) THE LONG WALK. It is an incredible work that plunges the reader into a harrowing death sport of long distance pace-walking. Sounds simple and dull and yet...the journey is so powerful that you can feel the agony of every bloody step and each deadly bullet right along with the 100 contestants who are forced to endure the sport of the nation. My original review on Amazon:

I find it ironic that perhaps Stephen King's greatest story is written under his pseudonym and also one of the books few people have heard about. It's arguably my favorite novel - ever - and also holds the distinction of the book I have read the most (and the only story that has made me physically ill).

The Long Walk is a superb sci-fi story that pits 100 teen boys against each other in a seemingly never-ending marathon death sport. How exciting can the act of walking be? VERY! King masterfully unfolds a story with three-dimensional characters and an intricate duality about the nature of death between the contestants and the audience who cheers every step on their march.

Fans of the genre may also like to read the Japanese cult novel BATTLE ROYALE which takes a distinctly different (and more extreme) take on child death sports. For anyone reading this novel for the first time, I'm envious...enjoy the walk.

King also mined the death sport genre for another book THE RUNNING MAN which took a similar stance of a mind-numbed society being controlled by the government's need for brutal sport.  This lead to the 1980's Schwarzennegger movie under the same title (and that's the only thing the two stories have in common).  The movie was hailed as pretty much the death of the 80's action genre, complete with an overindulgence of one liners when a villain was dispatched ("Ah, he was a real pain in the neck!").  Japanese author Koushun Takami's book BATTLE ROYALE is a take on death sports being played out amongst teenagers by a fascist government.  The novel is outstanding and delves deeply into the lives and backgrounds of the majority of teens forced to compete on a remote island.  If you haven't read or seen the movie both are now readily available in the US.  All three of the novels I mentioned stand high on the list of the deathsport genre and should be sought out by anyone who enjoys the premise of The Hunger Games.

Back to THE HUNGER GAMES, the story doesn't add anything new to the genre all of the familiar deathsport elements are present: fascist government, contestants forced to play, rules change, one survivor, violent deaths...checks all around.  I think one of the reasons the story has taken off is because for once a female has been planted into the lead role and Katniss Everdeen is a strong protagonist.  The story doesn't pull punches either...there is death...and Katniss plays a hand in the killing.  As with any book that pulls in young readers there is a camp of whiners out there jonesing to spoil the fun by chastising the violence and saying that it is not appropriate for teens.  These are the kind of "pro-readers" who only want you to read what they enjoy.  Ignore that camp!  While you won't find anything too original in the story, you will find a solid amount of entertainment.  As with all books, the novel is stronger and allows for a better overall development of situations.  The movie though comes in a close second and only has minor stumbles of pacing in the setup and in the finale, but it'll be a well earned blockbuster and I'm sure the sequel is right around the corner.

THE HUNGER GAMES (the novel) = A

THE HUNGER GAMES (the movie) = A-

ASSEMBLE! (May 4 will be EPIC!)

The years from 1980-1987 were the pinnacle of my comic book collecting.  I'd first been exposed to comics through the 1960's era Spider-Man cartoons (heavily replayed on Channel 20 as a child) and then my mother would buy me comic books like Marvel Team-Up, The Invaders, and The Avengers as I grew.  I was flipping through comic books before I could even read.  The colors, costumes, and unique heroes and superpowers thoroughly captivated my imagination.

Through middle school and high school I would discuss with other friends the various "goings on" in the titles we read and the large scope of both the Marvel and DC Universes.  From 1980-1987 the only real superhero movies of note that genre enthusiasts could appreciate were Superman the Movie (on VHS) and the release of Superman II (in the theatres).  Any other offerings didn't solidly connect with the world of comic books.  Sure, Superman II came close with a battle between Kryptonians...but let's face it...Richard Lester's ham-handed humor ruined that movie - "Huh, Superman didn't even do nothing!", guy on roller-skates, guy talking on phone during Metropolis fall, ad infinitum.  Two years beyond my key bubble in collecting Tim Burton's Batman would be released (1989) and change things forever between comic books and the cinema.

During those eight years I remember debating if and when an Avengers movie would ever be made?  Frankly, it seemed more likely that I would stumble upon Thor's Uru Hammer than actually see the comic book versions of Marvel's top tier heroes on the big screen.  And yet, in 2012 that is exactly what will happen.  As a fan three books really have always cried out to be turned into movies.

1. X-Men...I've never been a fan (although First Class was a solid apology for the first three lackluster efforts)
2. Watchmen...the greatets superhero work ever created and a perfect movie!  I know it has haters, but for me, this is always going to be #1 from comic-to-film
3.  Avengers...dare to dream...

I'm an adult and I will admit that I have watched, rewatched, and analysed the preview for Avengers far too much (at times frame-by-frame).  It seems clear that the majority of the movie will borrow much of the material from Mark Millar's Ultimates Volume II (which is an awesome read).  That storyline focused on Loki and the Skrulls (both of whom seem to appear in the new movie).  From my dissection of the preview I see the envitable Iron-Man, Captain America, Thor confrontation...no doubt perpetrated by Loki.  I see a city battle which will most likely be the first half of the movies climax (I believe the actual climax is being hidden).  There's some sort of battle between Black Widow and Hawkeye (look for the shot of her kicking...it's clearly the archer on the receiving end) which means one of them will be a Skrull for a time.  Plenty of drama with Loki and a nice verbal retort from Nick Fury "You have made me VERY desperate." And the Hulk gets to kick ass and save the team...more than once.  At the end we see some enormous spaceship (or as some fans have speculated the Midgard Dragon)...whatever it is...it looks cool.  Then there's the money shot of arguably the 7 greatest heroes to ever work as Avengers encircled and preparing to do what they do best...save the Earth!  Somewhere my childhood self is jumping for joy at the true "marvel" that is happening.  The Avengers will be on the big screen!

So basically 25 years after the peak of my collecting life, what may be viewed as the ultimate comic book movie is on the horizon.  I'm excited!  Most likely I'll be sharing some of my favorite Avengers moments in coming blogs to build up to this event.  But until then go read Ultimates Vol 1 and 2, watch the preview on my blog, and be prepared for an explosion of coolness. 

And then I'll see you at the theatres on May 4th!  AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!!

JOHN CARTER - An "I saw that" Review

This week I had the opportunity to see an advance screening of John Carter (formerly “of Mars” until Mars Needs Mom ruined the title).  It’s been ages since I managed to score attendance to any sort of early showing of a new movie.  The last two I can remember were Dawn of the Dead and Open Water.  One is one of my all time favorite horror movies and the other was a novel idea that resulted in a somewhat decent if overall bland movie.

As for John Carter…and I’ll keep this spoiler free…

I went into the movie knowing nothing of the character or the concept beyond the fact that the original stories were written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (of Tarzan fame) and centered around an Earth man who winds up on Mars.  The movie clocked in a tad over two hours and I can confidently report that I had a fun time and was treated to an original sci-fi outing.  There’s far more set-up than I was expecting as in the first fifteen minutes we planet-jump and time jump several times until we firmly begin on Earth in 1866.  Through an interesting (and not fully explained) concept a former Union soldier finds himself teleported to Mars, where thanks to the lesser gravity he is gifted with powerful limbs that allow him superior strength and the ability to leap vast distances in single bounds.  Quite quickly he finds himself mired in the war between various factions on Mars, some that look human and others that look…Martian.

The movie plays so loose with actual science that I doubt the Myth Busters will ever be called into question to disprove anything that is portrayed on screen.  While some may scoff, I find myself having a fun time and embracing the “pulpy” vibe that was unfolding in front of me.  The CGI and visuals do harken to the Star Wars prequel movies…but since the source material was written 80-100 years before Star Wars…who was paying homage to whom?  Still, John Carter has time on Mars to learn the language and customs, to attempt a return to Earth (or Vasoom), to save a princess (and she is an incredible hottie), to form alliances with an alien species, to acquire a pet, to battle giant monsters in an arena, and to play a role in some large scale sci-fi battles.

I had a fun time at the movie.  In fact, I enjoyed John Carter enough to immediately come home and purchase a collection of the stories on my Kindle.  There’s an appreciation I have for unique science fiction that isn’t grounded in reality.  Of course, not everyone shares that love.  The audience I saw the movie with seemed split.  Some were along for the ride and others had the look of, “Is this movie over yet?” and “Why am I here?”  So I can easily see John Carter failing at the box office.  Luckily, in my age, I know longer feel the need to have box office success or love of the masses to determine a good movie from a bad.  Disney certainly hasn’t helped matters with their atrocious marketing campaign so it’s easy to see John Carter eventually holding ranks on my DVD shelves next to Flash Gordon, fun under-appreciated neighbors that would make an excellent double feature!

If my blog were more heavily trafficked by the movie studios looking for quotes then mine would be...

"JOHN CARTER is MARSvelous!" - barreljumper.com

Grade = A-

eBook Goals from 2011-2012

My first ebook went on sale yesterday.  It was a process that began in February 2011.  While reading some horror stories that I had downloaded on my Kindle during a snow storm, I began to get the urge to write again.  Now, from 1988-1994 I really wanted to have a novel published.  File cabinet drawers were overflowing with ideas, notes, and drafts.  Then, life and my career (which is not in writing) interfered.

In 1995 my love for movies took over and I spent the next five or six years toiling away on several screenplays.  My proto-type script for BATMAN TRIUMPHANT (which could have been the fourth Batman movie) still reads like a blockbuster…but alas the studio went with Batman & Robin…and we know how that turned out for them.  Breaking into Hollywood as a writer is pretty damn tough when you live in the Midwest.  Eventually I felt like I was writing more for my own enjoyment, and as less spec scripts were being purchased I shelved my work and pretty much gave up on writing (unless it was checks to pay bills).

As I said, 2011 hits and thanks to the ever expanding ebook market I was exposed to writers like Michael Crane and J.A. Konrath who both showed that the days of needing a publisher were over.  Thanks to technology writers could seemingly get a good idea uploaded onto the infinite space of the Internet where it would be available forever.  Well, that sounded easy so I returned to the keyboard.  During those first three months I toiled away on numerous horror short stories that would make up a collection I planned to call SIMPLE EVIL.  I was pleased that for the most part my speed in taking ideas and putting them to word hadn’t diminished too much.  My characterization and dialogue were also strong.  Grammar and use of commas…lacking.

The plan was to write a collection of 25 horror short stories.  Then the plan changed.

While writing, I came up with a flash-fiction (or flash fright as I prefer) tale called IN 5OO WORDS which dealt with a pretty foul-tempered piece of white trash who meets the Devil.  The tale would unfold in exactly 500 words.  The first problem was that 500 words wasn’t enough so eventually it expanded to 666 words…seeming to be a natural fit.

Creativity is a tricky thing.  For me inspiration is 99% of the battle.  If I’m inspired then I work to achieve my goal.  SIMPLE EVIL eventually morphed into the much better sounding LATE NIGHT HORRORS.  And with 15 stories complete and over 200 pages written I did what any maniac would do…I set it all aside to tackle a new project.

My inspiration drew me to the story IN 500 WORDS…now titled IN 666 WORDS.  In August 2011 I decided that an entire novella could be devoted to horror short stories that each neatly fit into exactly 666 words.

One year later and my goal was complete.  IN 666 WORDS is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smash Words.  And before I return to my original project of LATE NIGHT HORRORS, there’s probably a lesson to teach regarding the important steps for anyone who wants to publish an ebook and thinks (as I did) that it will be an easy process.

That will be our next entry but until then...if you're interested in reading my first offering...links below...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077DR4PM

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1108785364

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131218

The Lost Boys - My viewings from 1987 to 2012

This month’s issue of Horror Hound magazine  (www.horrorhound.com) ran a retrospective on The Lost Boys.  Lost Boys is the 2^nd best vampire movie to come out of the 1980’s and one that held some fun memories for me.  To the best of my memory, I recall seeing the movie three times on the big screen.  The first time was in the summer of 1987 with my friend Nusbaum.  He always seemed to know more about movies than I did, kind of like the human Internet before his time, so he dragged me, his unwilling friend, to see it.  The movie blew me away!  At the time this was a fairly original take on vampires.  Gone were the traditions, and many of the myths, to be replaced by a cool look, mean attitude, and insider jokes “Holy Shit!  It’s the attack of Eddie Munster!”  Lost Boys rekindled a love of vampire lore in me that had started in 1985 when I saw Fright Night (the 80’s best vamp offering).

The second time I saw The Lost Boys was in the fall of 1987 when I decided to bring my brother and my friend Gordy, so they could share in the greatness of the film.  On the way out we got cut-off by a car of drunk rednecks which led to an exchange of curses and a seminal car chase (but that’s another story).  We did make it to the movies, and everyone had a blast!  The final time seeing Lost Boys on the big screen was the winter of 1990 while working for the Star Theatre company.  The manager scored a copy as a Christmas Party bonus and the employees enjoyed a midnight private showing.  What a fun night!

So back to 2012 when I finished the informative article, I decided that after twenty years I should probably watch the movie again in its entirety.  Thank you Comcast for providing a free HD version with your wonderful On Demand service.  Thirty seconds later I was taken back to 1987 and the wild party life of an eternal vampire.  I’m happy to report that the movie still holds up remarkably well.  The acting is solid, the pace is brisk, and there’s a good amount of violence/scares mixed with levity.

The biggest weakness of The Lost Boys is always been Corey Haim’s wardrobe (seriously even in 1987…those outfits were considered lame) and the fact that he has a poster of a scantily clad Rob Lowe hanging in his bedroom.  The other issue I have is that the vampires tend to be killed off far too easily.  This problem persists in the 2011 remake of Fright Night as well.  A vampire, a creature of eternal life and thus eternal life experiences, should not be easy to kill.  In fact, it should be such a difficult task that few people have succeeded.  The better episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer show how hard it is to kill a vampire like Spike or Angel, even for a superstrong Slayer.  Then there’s the original Fright Night where Charlie Brewster and Peter Vincent toil for almost 30 minutes of the movie battling one vampire before finding success.  That was a memorable fight.  Sadly, 3 of the 4 Lost Boys go out while awake…and far too quickly.

The strengths of The Lost Boys are many.  The action scenes work.  The knowledge of the Frog Brothers stays somewhat familiar with tradition while later accepting that some myths are just that.  Was The Lost Boys the first movie to show such an original "coffin" for the vampires to rest in?  As a teen, that reveal shocked the hell out of me.  The music also sustains being creepy and stellar, I forgot how enjoyable “Thou Shall Not Fall” is to listen to while watching.  And the overall look of the movie was original and trendsetting, before Twilight took all the bite out of what it meant to be an eternal teen vampire.  The Lost Boys gave, and continue to give, the lore of the vampire some serious bite!

TOP MOVIES OF 2011

In 2011 I saw 24 new release movies (three twice) and 2 “retro” movies at various special screenings for a total of 29 visits to the theatre..  This is an increase over the 25 times I went to the movies in 2010, and I will say that overall the quality of this years movies was a lot better.

I have to say I had the most fun at the two “retro” movies.  Jaws is my all time favorite movie (nothing else comes close).  My wife and I sat down to see a pristine copy of Jaws in a packed movie theatre that was a perfect experience for a midnight movie.  I was shocked to discover that the people in front of us had never seen Jaws before (based on their jumps)…come on.  How do we let something like this happen in this country?  Robocop has always had a fondness in my heart for the pure level of violence and extremely dark humor.  Seeing it with my brother on the big screen this summer was a truly fun time.  Hard to believe the first time I saw the movie was over 20 years ago! 

Keep in mind my comment list only includes films I saw at the theatre (home rentals do not count) as I managed to see many of these movies Trollhunter, Red State, etc...at home.

The worst movies I saw in 2011 were SUCKER PUNCH (great CGI surrounded by a lame story…and I am a huge Zack Snyder fan so it was tough to experience) and THE HANGOVER PART 2…just wasn’t very funny because they tried to be gross and merely repeat jokes that were funnier the first time, also it’s easier to be funny in Vegas than Thailand.

The best movies were incredibly difficult for me to narrow down this year.  When I began the list I thought it would be simple, then I reread my choices and spent 30 minutes just sorting and resorting.  2011 was clearly the year of the GOOD superhero movie as 4 made it onto my list.  Plenty of great action movies stepped forward this year as well which is nice to see.  If this list could have been the Top 12 then my job would have been a lot easier.

 

The TOP TEN BEST MOVIES OF 2011 (in my opinion):
 

10. A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS – Some movies just hit me the right way.  In 2011, no movie made me laugh as hard as this one!  Wafflebot, Neil Patrick Harris, riffs on claymation, A Christmas Story, and shooting Santa Claus.  This was some seriously funny stuff.  If it wasn’t so perverse and violent, I’m sure it would become a holiday classic.  Still, file it along with Bad Santa for the Adult-time Christmas Movie Festival. Remember…Waffles + Robots = AWESOME!

9. THE GREEN HORNET – Most likely this will be this year’s divisive movie on my list.  Many of my friends don’t like it, and I won’t argue the point with them.  I’ve always been a fan of the character and I do think that Seth Rogan made a funny movie that plays as a great origin movie.  Having re-watched this movie on TV, more times than I care to admit, all I know is I enjoy it every single time.

8. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 – I still think Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the best book and movie in this series, however, there really hasn’t been a bad Harry Potter movie.  Eight movies, all blockbusters and all good!  Wow!  That’s impressive and shows how good the source material was.  The battle of Hogwarts and Professor Snape’s revelation here are the defining moments and they’re perfect.  I was also impressed that the final battle between Harry and Voldemort was better in the movie than it was in the book (that rarely happens with movies).

7. SOURCE CODE – So someone took Groundhog Day and made it into a sci-fi movie…a VERY good sci-fi movie.  I had zero expectations for this movie, and it kept me glued to the screen for the entire runtime.  Just when you think you have things figured out the movie throws a new curveball at you…right up until the conclusion.  I see it’s on Netflix now…so most likely I’ll be giving it another viewing to look for clues that I may have missed the first time around.  The sign of any good sci-fi movie is the ability to talk and dissect it upon viewing, and Source Code allows for plenty of conversation.

6. THOR – I’ve never been a Thor fan.  Even as a child watching the cartoon, I found the premise somewhat silly.  The Thor comics…bore-fest.  So, I wasn’t too excited for the movie.  But, when my wife showed an interest in this movie I decided to give it a chance.  Wow, glad I did.  Kenneth Branaugh delivers a solid movie that is a spectacle to watch.  There’s a lot of mythology to explain but it is all handled well especially when dealing with the Thor-Loki (brother vs. brother) scenario.  My only minor gripe is the lack of a truly memorable action sequence.  Still, I would never have expected a movie about the Norse God of Thunder to even make the list.

5. SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS – This was the final movie of 2011 that I saw.  I ended the year on a good note.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the original Robert Downey Holmes movie (in fact the BBC’s Sherlock made for TV movies are superior in every way) but it was satisfactory.  I ended up liking this sequel much more.  Guy Ritchie slows down the camera and much of the dialogue and delivers a cat-n-mouse chase scenario that is fun at every step.  The inclusion of Professor Moriarty (and his showdown with Holmes) is the difference maker in this sequel.  Shockingly, when the movie was over I found myself thinking, “I’d enjoy seeing another adventure with these characters.”

4. X-MEN FIRST CLASS – I pretty much hated the first three X-Men movies.  This is coming from a lifelong X-Men comic book fan.  The translation from comic to movies just rubbed me the wrong way.  They got Wolverine right and everything else wrong (especially when they let Halle Berry exercise her “creative control” on the series).  Then this movie comes along which I was hating before I sat down to watch it…and then…I LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT.  Michael Fassbender is the ultimate bad ass as Magneto.  I’d pay $10 to watch him go kill Nazis for 2 hours anytime.  I hope this movie made enough for a sequel and that it remains in the same creative hands.

3. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Somewhere there had to be a movie without action and superheroes…right?  Yeppers.  I’ve seen the original version of tGwtDT and I’ve read the book.  Both were excellent.  Still, this new version by David Fincher is even better.  The story is gripping surrounding a 40-year old mystery and the means of solving it are handled exceptionally well and quite gripping.  Still at the heart of the story is the odd partnership between journalist Blomqvist and hacker Salander and this character study keeps things constantly moving and never dull.  If you’re interested, you can’t go wrong with any version of this story.

2. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL – I’m a fan of all of the Mission Impossible movies.  None are great, but as a series they each feel quite unique.  I wasn’t even excited to see MI4 until the movie began.  Brad Bird made a stellar action movie with some of the best (and most intense) set pieces this year.  When Ethan Hunt climbs the tower in Dubai…I was on the edge of my seat.  I’ve been a huge Jeremy Renner fan since S.W.A.T. and it was great to see him enter this franchise.  Kudos to the cinematographers for filming a movie that is so fast paced, but edited in a way where I can smoothly follow every single scene.  It’s nice to leave a movie without a headache.  The MI movies are America’s answer to James Bond, and if you’ve never seen them go ahead and start with this one because you’re in for a fun ride.

1. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER – The best movie of 2011 and one of the best superhero movies ever made.  The time period is nailed perfectly.  I loved the pacing of the origin story and the use of CGI to turn wimpy Steve Rogers into human-perfection Captain America was stellar.  I smiled through this entire movie because Joe Johnston (who also did a remarkable job with The Rocketeer for the exact same reasons) molded a solid adventure story that reminded me of how fun attending a great movie can (and should) be!  It was an added bonus to see Tommy Lee Jones having as much fun on the screen as I was having in my seat.  This was also the first movie in years that had me stopping at a Best Buy to purchase the DVD on the day of release.  This movie ranks alongside Superman The Movie, The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man 2 as one of the best superhero movies ever made.

AND THE REST…

*Shark Night 3D…could have been so much more.  Still, it did have a decent grindhouse feel to it.  I wish the film makers had followed the Piranha 3D model and gone for more violence and nudity instead of the watered down PG13 which in the long run hurt the movie.

*Green Lantern…could have been epic, but wasn’t a disaster.  Warner missed a surefire franchise opportunity because they didn’t make good casting, directing, and writing choices.  Hope they learned their lesson before they make that Flash movie.

*Conan the Barbarian…see my reviews for Shark Night and Green Lantern.  This could have been the start of a new franchise…instead it felt like a made-for-TV movie.

*The Muppets…it was funny and entertaining.  My wife is the true Muppets fan, so I know it made her Top 10 list.

*Battle: Los Angeles…was there a story in this movie?  Still it was made decent enough to entertain me for two hours…but 5 minutes later I was hard pressed to remember anything that happened in it.

*Transformers: Dark of the Moon… “If I’m a giant robot, why do I need to turn into a car?”  This concept has always confused me.  I hate Shia LeBouf and Michael Bay.  And yet, there was so much eye candy that it kept me watching.  When the building collapsed…that looked cool!

*Final Destination 5…and when the bridge collapsed in this movie…that was cool too!  These “snuff” films keep being made…and me and my “Netflix Group” have to attend them all and skewer away…and we do with joyful merriment.

*Fright Night…the original Fright Night is one of my all time favorite movies.  This one didn’t have a chance.  But, it was different enough to at least not have me hating it.  I still think they wimped out at the end by not delivering a stellar battle with a bad ass vampire (see the original to experience that).

*Scream 4…I like the Scream franchise and this one did everything right.  I had no real complaints, it just wasn’t strong enough to make a run for the Top 10.

*Cowboys & Aliens…not sure why so many people turned on this movie?  It mixed sci-fi and westerns perfectly.  For a summertime popcorn movie it did its job as well.  At times it reminded me a bit of Independence Day and I think that’s why I couldn’t get it onto the Top 10 list.

*Rise of the Planet of the Apes…before I saw this movie I had it pegged as a summertime BOMB!  Wow!  I was wrong.  It was smart, entertaining, and ended up being a nice hit.  It took a long time for me to decide if it was going to make it into the Top 10.

*Fast Five…Man I SO wanted this movie to make it into the Top 10.  Then it got bumped.  But, make no mistake.  I love this movie and the entire Fast & Furious franchise.  This was a solid action movie and heist film…that delivered a great Vin Diesel vs. Rock showcase fight.  I can’t wait for Fast 6 and 7 which are in the pipeline.

My rundown of the 2011 movies I saw in the theatre and the order in which I viewed them…wow did I end the year on a strong note with some great films.  Do yourself a favor and go see some of these (or rent them) and have a few hours of fun and entertainment.

2001 at the movies…remember I saw a few more than once…

The Green Hornet
Sucker Punch
Battle: Los Angeles
Source Code
Scream 4
Fast Five
Jaws
Thor
The Hangover Part 2
X-Men First Class
Thor
Green Lantern
Robocop
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger
Cowboys & Aliens
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Final Destination 5
Fright Night
Conan the Barbarian
Shark Night 3D
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
The Muppets
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Bring on 2012…