TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2013

2013 was an interesting year for movies.  I went to the movies 30 times this year (several repeat viewings).  Overall there weren’t tons of stellar movies, but there were many good-decent movies.  I thought compiling the list would be easier than it was until I had seven choices and then had six movies left for the final three spots.  The Top 4 choices also kept shuffling around over and over. 


 Below I’ll give a brief summary of my Top 10 favorite movies from this year and then recap some of the various other offerings I saw.  Reminder that my Top 10 is solely based on movies I saw at the theatre and I kept it to original movies only and not retro movies or repeat viewings from previous years (i.e. Jurassic Park 3D or Avengers)

Sorry Khan haters.  This is the best movie of 2013 and one of the strongest Trek films ever.

1. Star Trek Into Darkness – For me, this was the best movie of the year.  I loved the storyline which stayed faithful to changes that have taken place in the Star Trek universe timelines thanks to the events in the 2009 Star Trek reboot.  There’s two outstanding villains and at a key point in the movie when a villain reveal was made (on opening weekend) a startled audience member loudly said, “OH-MY-GOD!” which had my brother and I in tears.  The movie is frenetic in a good way and by the time things end you're glad to see Kirk in the captain's chair and the crew settling in for their five year mission.  I couldn't be happier with this franchise.  Boldy going on and on!  Best time I had at one movie all year.

"Giant robot, use your lasers!"

2. Pacific Rim – This was the movie I expected to me my #1 movie of the year.  It was a good movie but not as great as I had hoped.  I wanted an epic but instead was treated to a solid action movie.  Seeing it in IMAX 3D added quite a bit to the experience as well.  My wife (always a fan of giant monsters) needed to be dragged to the first showing but then willingly went back for a second viewing (something she rarely does at the theatre).  The movie delivers some excellent giant monsters vs. giant robots battles but then suffers by delivering far too much of Charlie Day’s annoying comic relief character.  I hope there’s a sequel that makes the needed improvements to epic level.

"More like Ass Kicked." - Big Daddy (Kick Ass)

3. Kick Ass 2 – Speaking of sequels that made improvements.  I loved Kick Ass 2!  This sequel amps things up nicely and develops the characters of Kick Ass and Hit Girl in believable ways all while presenting a stronger cadre of villains with a great deal of violence and humor spread throughout.  While I missed Nicholas Cage’s Adam West-style hero from the original, I did not miss the out of place rocket pack used in the original’s ending.  The climax of this movie is very fun and believable and makes me eager to see if a Kick Ass 3 will ever be seen.

4. Man of Steel – People seem to be all up in arms about the amount of damage done by the attacking Kryptonians in Man of Steel.  My reply – If Superman hadn’t been on Earth to stop them, and then the entire planet would be destroyed, so feel lucky that the damage was as small as it was.  The other whining point of people is that Superman does in fact kill someone in this movie.  Fine, if you go back and watch the ending to Superman 2 (which people seem to conveniently forget) you’ll see Superman crush General Zod’s hand before tossing him against an ice wall and watching him sink into the frigid arctic waters to his death.  In comparison, a neck snap isn’t all that bad.  Those points aside, this is a good (if not epic) origin story for Superman.  I loved all the flashbacks to growing up in Smallville and how his parents molded him into the hero he becomes.  The fights in the last hour may seem a bit long, but after the bore fest that was the previous movie Superman Returns, I think the producers were afraid to not deliver enough action.  I liked the movie and am excited to see if the DC Universe can successfully build off of it.

"You are my son." - Kevin Costner

5. The Wolf of Wall Street – This movie is taking some serious knocks from it’s over use of the F-word, to its 3 hour run time, to the fact that the unrepentant Wall Street thieves basically go unpunished.  Upon seeing the movie I felt similarly, however in researching some of the back-story I saw that in essence this is what happened in real life…they were not fittingly punished.  So what remains is a long movie of 80’s greed.  But make no mistake; there are some laugh out loud hilarious moments in this movie.  The Quaalude scene alone is worth the price of admission. Of all the Scorsese-DiCaprio collaborations, I think I enjoyed this one the most.

6. Riddick – Thank God this movie was made!  I love the character of Riddick.  I was a huge fan of Pitch Black but felt like the ending to Chronicles of Riddick left the character in an odd role that I did not accept at all.  This movie corrects that mistake in the first ten minutes and then gives us an entertaining sci-fi desolate world monster movie on top of it.  I had a fun time seeing this and was thrilled that even if they never make another Riddick movie, the mistakes of the second entry were rectified so I can actual enjoy the entire trilogy as it currently exists.

7. Fast & Furious 6 – Wow more Vin Diesel!  I looked back my list from 2011 and was stunned that Fast Five did not make the Top 10 for that year.  Big mistake on my part!  Fast Five is a better movie than F&F 6, but this one is still damn fun.  Very fast paced with some real stakes in play, and so much fun that I was even able to accept “The Jump” moment, and an ending that had me very pumped up for Part 7.  Sadly Paul Walker’s death in real-life may have shrouded the series for me, so this may be the final entry I watch since I enjoyed the brotherly bonding between Toretto and O’Connor the most in this series.



Let's toss some midgets!

8. Gravity – Gravity is the kind of movie that will lose a great deal on a TV screen and will eventually have people saying, “What was the big deal?”  To understand the big deal you had to experience this on an IMAX screen.  While the heavy on symbolism story of “rebirth” didn’t always impress me, the visuals did.  I’ve never seen an outer space movie like this one and it kept my eyes glued to the screen the entire time.

9. The Wolverine – I’m not a fan of the X-Men movies.  I loved X-Men First Class and hated all the rest.  I didn’t expect much from Wolverine but I had a hell of a lot of fun watching it.  The movie is quite serious with the out of place killing machine character trying to fit into Japanese societal drama.  When there is action, it is justly deserved.  The battle atop the bullet train was great (but not as good as Tom Cruise’ in the original Mission Impossible) and there’s also a neat scene where Wolverine has to perform self surgery on his heart.  The biggest stumbling point for this movie is in the climax which seems very routine and comic-booky considering the mostly adult drama we’d been presented with for the previous two hours.

10. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – This was the final movie I saw for the 2013 season.  I had not read the book so I went into the movie knowing nothing.  For the second film in a trilogy (quadrilogy) I felt they did a nice job of raising the stakes and building a larger scaled universe.  The game scenes were intense and did not feel repetitive from the first movie.  I’ll need to read the book and Mockingjay before I tackle the next movie in the fall of 2014.

And the rest of the movies I saw this year that missed out of Top 10 status…

Thank you for saving this series!

*Enter the Dragon (retro midnight movie) – I love going to these summer midnight movies in my area.  There’s always great crowds and it’s my only chance to see movies of my youth on the big screen.  This Bruce Lee classic was a hell of a fun time to watch in a crowded theatre.

*Escape from New York (retro midnight movie) – One of the seminal movies from my cable-watching youth.  Escape from New York stands alongside The Road Warrior and Excalibur as R-rated movies that I watched repeatedly growing up.  To finally have the chance to see this movie on the big screen…a smile was plastered across my face the entire time.  One of the all time sci-fi antihero best movies!

*Oz the Great and Powerful – I enjoyed this movie more than I expected.  Sam Raimi played fair as far as connecting this to the original Wizard of Oz; however Mila Kunis was badly miscast as the Wicked Witch and not frightening enough.

*G.I. Joe: Retaliation – I am not a G.I. Joe fan but my brother is.  He tolerates seeing the Fast and the Furious movies with me and this is the trade-off.  The martial arts moments with Snake Eyes were fun but I don’t feel there was much fan loyalty connecting this movie to the original one, and poor Channing Tatum.

*Evil Dead – I loved the pure violence on display in this movie.  It was nice to see very little CGI and mostly practical effects.  It was a tense gross out, but lacked any sense of fun or legitimate scares.  This was a missed opportunity for sparking a new franchise.

*Jurassic Park 3D – I just saw Jurassic Park a year ago at a midnight movie, and it’s playing pretty much 24-7 in our house because it is Mrs. Jumper’s favorite movie of all time.  So this year she dragged me back to see this in 3D on IMAX.  Still totally worth it!

I will miss you Paul Walker.

*Iron Man 3 – This was a nice improvement from Iron Man 2 (which I feel is the weakest of all the Marvel movies) but there were plenty of areas that could have been improved.  I’m in the minority of people who enjoyed The Mandarin twist, but all the action at the end felt like there was no real danger in play, mere spectacle.

*This is the End – There are many laugh out loud moments in this movie!  I love that each of the leads plays extreme caricatures of themselves amped up to ‘11’.  If My Top 10 list was Top 11…this would have the final spot.

*World War Z – I’m not a fan of Max Brooks highly praised book.  It was OK but not the game-changer that so many people praise when they’re not boring me to death with examples of George Romero’s “social commentary” in his zombie movies.  Zombies are what they are, the end.  This movie could have been a blast, but they missed the mark by focusing too much on one character (Brad Pitt) when they could have gone with an old school disaster flick style movie and a bunch of B-list actors in various roles.  I enjoyed the scenes in Jerusalem and on the plane, and found the ending dull and anti-climatic.

*Despicable Me 2 – My wife loves all the Pixar and animated movies.  I try to avoid them whenever possible.  The two Despicable Me movies are the easiest ones for me to sit through.  It was fun.

*The Conjuring – There’s an awesome creep factor to this movie.  The set-up is dynamite and it doesn’t resort to cheap jump moments.  The first 2/3 of the movie were A+ material but the ending felt a but over-inflated and “been there done that”.  I love the cast though and enjoyed reading about some of the real-life cases of The Warrens, so I hope they make a sequel.

*Machete Kills – I was a huge fan of the original Machete movie.  I felt Robert Rodriguez perfectly captured the grind house-action feel.  This one though goes way off into left field and turns everything into so much of a joke that you can’t really take anything seriously.  One of the bigger disappoints for me in 2013.

*Thor the Dark World – The original Thor movie was OK.  I’m not the biggest Thor fan but I did enjoy Loki.  What I didn’t like was Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings.  Sadly both of them return for the sequel, albeit in smaller roles.  Loki is given stronger dialogue and scenes and he dominates this movie to great effect.  I hope the third movie is simply scenes with Thor and Loki because when those two share screen time I am glued to every minute.  This movie was a nice improvement from the first Thor, but the Dark Elves were dull villains, so there’s still plenty of room to improve.

*Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – I’m not a huge fan of Will Ferrell’s original Anchorman movie.  It was OK.  I’m a bigger fan of his work in Step Brothers or Talladega Nights.  Comedy is a tricky genre though because what causes one person to laugh causes another person to grumble “that was stupid”.  There are some solid gut-busting moments in this movie.  They had me with the opening two minutes and I enjoyed the entire movie.  This was a nice step up from the original one.

Overall 2013 was a decent year.  While some movies left me disappointed, I didn’t thoroughly hate any of them.  My money was well spent and even though there are not too many offerings that will make their way into my permanent collection, it was an enjoyable time at the movies and based on early previews I don’t see as much in 2014 to make me think it will top 2013 for total offerings.

Chronologically my visits to movie theatres in 2013…

 

Oz the Great and Powerful

G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Evil Dead
Jurassic Park 3D
Iron Man 3
Star Trek Into Darkness
Enter the Dragon (retro midnight viewing)
Fast & Furious 6
This is the End
Man of Steel
World War Z
Despicable Me 2
Pacific Rim
Escape from New York (retro midnight viewing)
The Conjuring
The Wolverine
Kick Ass 2
Riddick
Gravity
Machete Kills
THOR MARATHON: Thor, Avengers, and Thor the Dark World
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Hunger Game: Catching Fire

See you at the movies in 2014 and remember to save me the aisle seat.

SUPERHERO MOVIES - TOP 10 COUNTDOWN - PART 7

ASSEMBLE!

The #1 movie superhero movie of all time!  If your list differs, then you are wrong!

#1 –  AVENGERS (a.k.a. Marvel’s The Avengers)

When I was a child my friend and I used to sit around watching movies and discussing how awesome it would be if one day there was an Avengers movie with all the heavy hitters: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Hawkeye and maybe they would even fight the Hulk.  That was in the 1980s.  2013 and Joss Whedon and Marvel delivered exactly what I wanted and needed in a superhero movie.

I have seen Avengers eight times at the movies in IMAX, in 3D, attached to a Thor 1 & 2 marathon, and in the company of numerous friends (heck my wife even saw it twice in the theatre, unheard of for her).  Each and every time it was a memorable moment and an absolute fun experience.  So let’s look at ten (and there could be more) key reasons why Avengers succeeds for me as a superhero fan where so many other superhero movies before and since have stumbled.

1) THE LOOK!  If you look at a comic book of the Avengers (especially Ultimates’ version) and then look at this movie, there is no doubt what characters you are following.  Even though Captain America has some mask issues, the movie owns it and explains that Agent Coulson designed the suit, so sure maybe it’s not 100% perfect.  “Aren’t the stars and stripes a bit outdated?”  There are no bat-nipples or unnecessary suits of armor-mesh or dark tones.  Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury is exactly as Ultimates’ writer Mark Millar always envisioned him.  Loki’s horned antler helmet is straight out of 1960s comic books, and kudos for that where other studios would have balked and requested that the look of the helmet be changed.

2)  THE CAST!  Sure Robert Downey Jr. owns every scene he is in, but this movie allows everyone to shine.  This is not Iron Man & The Avengers (as every X-Men movie with Wolverine turned into).  There are some stellar casting choices I especially love Chris Evans remaining stoic and yet out-of-time with his Steve Rogers but once the costume is on he is all patriotic hero and commander.  Mark Ruffalo (who I was not eager about the casting choice) brings a nice awkward touch to Bruce Banner and then his Hulk manages to take over the spotlight of the entire movie (seriously when people talk about this movie do they NOT talk about Hulk first?).  Even Jeremy Renner who is tragically underused is a great casting choice for Hawkeye.  “I suppose if I shoot an arrow into Loki’s eye I’ll feel better.”  Nobody can do cocky and funny like Renner so I’m hopeful that future movies can do him and the character justice (go watch the movie S.W.A.T. and see Renner as the pompous bad guy…that’s pure Hawkeye).

3)  THE BAD GUY!  “I am Loki, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”  The first issue of the Avengers comic book featured Loki as the villain.  Kudos for the movie to follow suit…and boy did they.  The Loki present in this movie is NOT the weak-kneed unsure Loki from the Thor movie.  From his first appearance Loki is a powerful threat in this movie and it is clear a team will be needed to stop him.  His dialogue is excellent whether he his trading quips with his brother Thor or Tony Stark, being pummeled by Hulk, tricked by Black Widow, or killing S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, when Loki is on screen you have no choice but to follow his every action and wait with anticipation for the team to form and battle him.  Tom Hiddleston owns this character and continued to win fans over with his appearance at SDCC in 2013 as well as stealing every moment in Thor the Dark World.

4)  HERO VS. HERO!  Who would win in a fight between Thor and Iron Man?  Can Captain America’s shield stop Thor’s hammer?  Is the Hulk strong enough to lift Thor’s hammer?  These are fan boy questions over the years and Joss Whedon made sure that each of these questions and more would be presented and answered during the course of the movie.  Origin stories can be a dull affair, but with a superteam there is always the necessity of having the good guys battle each other in some manner.  “I have a plan.  Attack.” and with those words Iron Man engages in a battle with Thor that had fans of the comics and movies eager to witness.

5)  “And HULK…SMASH!”  I am a fan of the movie The Incredible Hulk and I was glad that at the least mentions of it were included to be sure it was treated as canon for this cinematic   I thought Edward Norton did a solid job and the Hulk’s ending battle with the Abomination was great.  Then the Avengers reintroduced the Bruce Banner and the Hulk and upped the game to an incredible (no pun intended) new level.  It was a masterstroke to sit on Hulk’s reveal until late into the 2^nd act of the movie.  By this point, everyone knew what to expect but Joss Whedon still managed to create a level of suspense as Hulk chased Black Widow through the lower levels of the SHIELD helicarrier.  When Thor makes the save, there’s a great moment where even he wonders if he has bit off more than he can chew.  In the climax when Hulk is turned loose by Captain America to wreck havoc on the Chitauri invasion…you almost feel sorry for the aliens because they don’t have a chance.
universe.

6)  UNIVERSALLY PLAYING FAIR!  In many sequels or sagas there’s always the need to cheat things a bit to help get everyone exactly where they need to be.  In the Avengers Joss Whedon stays 100% true to all of the previous movies and characters that have already been put into play.  Whether it is a few seconds of flashback as Captain America thinks back on his adventures in WWII or Bruce Banner saying, “The last time I was in New York, I sort of broke…Harlem.”  These moments are faithful to movies made by other writers and directors and Whedon does not try and alter things.  This shows you how deft Joss Whedon is as both writer and director because not only did he not have a hand in these earlier movies, but he builds on each character’s storylines throughout the course of the movie.

7)  CHARACTER MOMENTS!  There are a ton of characters in this movie and each of them have their moments to shine in dialogue and exchanges.  Loki and Thor have two short moments that speak volumes both atop a lonely mountain and at Stark Tower when the battle is starting.  It is clear Thor still loves his brother and is desperate for Loki to return to the side of good.  When Captain America first meets Bruce Banner and respectfully explains that the only word he cares about is Banner’s expertise with locating gamma radiation.  This short moment is the whole reason the Hulk later shows respect for Captain America.  Black Widow’s ability to toy with a Russian general and a god of Asgard with such ease that even the audience is caught off guard.  Tony Stark’s lack of respect for SHIELD, “That man is playing Galaga,” slowly changes as he learns to grow and become a team player.

8)  ACTION PACKED FINALE!  If you are going to make a superhero movie, there has to be an action packed finale.  The Avengers creates a 30 minute war on and above New York City that sets the bar high for any movies that follow.  Throughout the course of the action we are provided with moments of levity in dialogue, “You and I remember Budapest very differently,” and in action when Hulk sucker punches Thor.  There are explosions, nukes, space, monsters, and the rescue of innocent bystanders, “Captain America saved my life.”  All six members of the Avengers have numerous moments to shine as equals.  You believe that this is a team.

9)  THE SEQUEL!  Avengers concludes by playing the groundwork for this super team while allowing each character to travel their separate ways into other movies.  There’s a simple teaser shot of Thanos to remind us that there is a much larger universe in play, "To challenge them is to court death."  But a movie truly succeeds  After Avengers, Iron Man 3 and Thor The Dark World both delivered larger box office totals than the previous films in each of their respective franchises.  This is because fans want more.  Viewers want to experience that rush of excitement that comes with a stellar movie like Avengers.  Marvel was wise to acknowledge this and be sure that Joss Whedon was brought back with control as both writer and director for the sequel.  We know it will be called Avengers: Age of Ultron, and I cannot wait to see this sequel repeatedly in the summer of 2015!

is when the audience wants to spend more time with these characters and their adventures.

10)  THE ICONIC SHOT!  I have the poster for Avengers framed in my man cave.  Not because it is a great poster, in fact I think it’s a fairly weak Photoshop effort.  The poster is framed because in that one moment you see all of the key characters working together, standing heroic in a war torn NYC.  At the start of the Chitauri inv  There is no dialogue needed nor action.  The heroes merely stand poised and ready for combat to defend our planet.  Here they are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.  In a movie with nothing but greatness, that stands out as my favorite shot of the movie.  Early into the invasion, there is one scene where the camera swoops in and does a 360 spiral around the Avengers and that moment almost brings a tear to my eye and definitely brings a smile to my face.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
How did that line not make it into this movie?

 

This wraps up my personal Top 10 countdown of superhero movies.  While my opinion may change over time, over the past 12 months (far too long for me to write this list…sorry but I was working and writing books at the same time) my views on these entries has not changed…although Kick Ass 2 and The Wolverine tried very hard to crack into the Top 10…but I’ll cover that when I look back at the best movies of 2013.  Next time.

SUPERHERO MOVIES – TOP 10 COUNTDOWN – PART 6

The #2 movie and best comic book adaptation ever made – creates a stronger loving world while asking

WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?

 

 #2  – WATCHMEN 

Watchmen is the seminal work of comic book superheroes, one that clearly crosses boundaries into the literary realm and that has achieved world wide critical fame.  The premise holds such an important place for me as a fan that I have put off writing this entry because I knew I could never do it justice nor fully showcase what makes this such a monumental movie for the superhero genre.  This is not just masks and capes but an intense character study surrounded by a complex realistic world that dares to ask, what if superheroes were real?

 

My first exposure to Watchmen came in 1987 as issue #10 was on the new rack.  Something about the cover called to me and without even looking inside I purchased the book and spent months tracking down issues 1-9 and buying 11 and 12.  Mind you I had not read nor even glanced on the inside of any issue.  Somehow I knew this series was something special.  When I finally immersed myself into the world that Alan Moore (he of the great mind but reclusive smoky pub nature) and Dave Gibbons (artist extraordinaire and hell of a nice guy) created I was blown away.




The classic Rorschach entrance...comic to film comparison.



Ozymandius Antarctic HQ...comic to film comparison.

I have been a fan of superhero comics since 1975 when my mother purchased me my first issue of Marvel Team-Up while we were on vacation in Ohio (yeah Sea World!).  Masked champions battling the forces of super powered evil is a genre I hold near and dear and by 1987 I was confident nothing could jolt the proud and heroic world of comic books and my imagination.  Then Watchmen destroyed every comfortable corner of the genre.  There was rape, betrayal, failure, impotence, insanity, violence, Nietzsche, global destruction, black humor, time travel, and Richard Nixon all swirling through a complex story and world unlike anything that has ever been created.


Watchmen is the only comic book storyline I have read yearly (if not several times a year) since my initial purchase.  I own three trade paperback versions as well as the limited edition hardcover.  I have two framed original lithographs of the characters (one adorning my living room in the prime real estate over my TV and the other in my office).  Back in the 1990’s I proudly wore a Comedian button before the masses had any clue what it even meant.  I cherished Watchmen and was confident that it would never be translated into a movie.  And if it was, I was doubly confident the movie would fail (much like the early Sam Hamm screenplay which I read).




In 2009 Zack Snyder proved me wrong by delivering an incredible movie that paid such faithful homage to the comics that inspired it that scenes were taken directly from the book and placed onto the screen.  I saw Watchmen three times at the movies, and the IMAX version took me to an entirely new level of appreciation.  Obviously new items were added to my household collection including all of the deluxe books documenting the journey from page to screen and the coup de grace an autographed poster from Zack Snyder himself (Mrs. Jumper has connections via Snyder’s producing friend Wesley Collier).

The iconic photo of the Minutemen. 
When you see this photo and the attention to the costumes,
you know this movie takes pride in the source material to an unheard of level.

All this writing and you can see I’ve barely commented on the movie.  How can I possibly do justice to a book and movie that excel so high in the genre?  Fans are too brutal with the movie and it is vastly underappreciated.  Some comment that it is merely the story lifted from the comic.  Others complain that the 3^rd act veers to far from the source material.  I agree with both views…but as a positive.  Watchmen is essentially the comic book on the screen, but why is this a bad thing?  That’s what people want to see!  They want the characters and situations that made Moore’s original work so breathtaking.  As for the ending, it is different but that is because it’s a noticeable improvement.  For all of my love of the comic books, the ending has many problems (including the Magoffin alien monster which never felt right).  The movie wisely transfers the threat to Dr. Manhattan in a logical way that feels right in every aspect.

Does Watchmen have problems?  A few.  The only real issue I have deal with Silk Spectre’s initial scene where you can see actress Malin Ackermann must have been on her first day of shooting because her delivery is stiff and unbelievable (but she improves over the course of the film).  The only other issue I have is with the casting of Ozymandius.  Matthew Goode is a solid actor but completely wrong for the role and never delivers the sense of single-minded intense intelligence that is necessary for the role to be accepted.

Nite Owl and Silk Spectre got to be
bad ass heroes a few times in the movie!

Luckily the movie makes up for these areas by delivering three outstanding performances from Patrick Wilson (Nite Owl), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian), and especially Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach, who is a make or break the movie character).  The CGI and time-travel essence of Dr. Manhattan is also a great asset (and they went full nude, props for the bravery when the film makers knew a blue penis would cause the juvenile members of the audience to laugh).  The three hour run time flies by and hits every area of the comics that you would expect.  The flashbacks to the Minutemen are superb, the action moments are solid, and the effects and costumes do justice to the property.  Although some people mock the “wire fu” combat at the conclusion when Nite Owl and Rorschach battle Ozymandius, I enjoyed the fact that they were at least allowed to be heroes who battle for the human lives at stake (a step up from the pathetic one page pummeling they took under Moore’s script).

I would be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge the best five minute opening segment in history that encapsulates the entire world over three decades and allows the viewer to fully understand what is taking place on this "Earth".  The soundtrack choice of Bob Dylan's "The times they are a changing" is perfect as we are treated to an amazing visual display where words are not necessary.

As great as the movie Watchmen is, the director’s cut DVD with commentary is even better.  Both comic and movie are important to me on many levels.  I would have thought they would both be #1 on my list for all time, but then in 2012 Joss Whedon delivered Avengers which captured a different aspect of the superhero genre that is more welcoming to a general audience and thus we arrive at movie #1…

SUPERHERO MOVIES – TOP 10 COUNTDOWN – PART 5

The #3 movie and best superhero sequel ever made – IS AMAZING!

#3 - SPIDER-MAN 2

I love the original Spider-Man trilogy helmed by Sam Raimi…and in case you are wondering I hated the new Amazing Spider-Man movie (but that is a different blog entry). With three attempts, Raimi delivered a superior product by taking not just Spider-Man but the world he inhabited in the comic books and heroically displayed them on the big screen! And unlike the inferior newer version, audiences turned out in massive amounts making billions of dollars over the course of the trilogy.

The superior (haha) moment of Raimi’s efforts has to be Spider-Man 2 which accomplishes every job that the original (and every other superhero sequel) missed the mark on. The original Spider-Man movie told an excellent origin, had a great cast, delivered memorable action scenes, but still displayed some flaws. So when it was time for a follow-up Raimi could have stayed the course but instead he decided to fix those problems and improve upon the other areas.

What were those improvements?


Start off by looking no farther than the villain of Dr. Octopus and the action that ensues. Unlike the original Power Ranger Green Goblin that looked nothing like the comic book character, this version of Doc Ock is a dead ringer, and through the magic of movies and CGI his tentacles become a great character unto themselves. The scene where the tentacles “awaken” in the hospital room is pure Raimi channeling his best Evil Dead-era camera work. Ock starts off as a good character who then becomes a great villain with several memorable battles with Spider-Man. Doc Ock moves like he does in the comics and even with powers the battles between he and Spider-Man show just how difficult fighting a man with four armored tentacles can become. The movie wisely builds to a perfectly sequenced battle atop a NYC elevated train. The action is flawless here with Spider-Man acting exactly like he does in the comic book; webs shooting, sense tingling, saving people, dodging and flipping at unbelievable angles, and looking at every moment like the true superhero the audience expects. Spider-Man’s saving of the runaway train and subsequent being saved by the citizens of New York is a great topper to the single best action moment in superhero cinema. It’s a heartfelt moment that feels genuine (unlike the ham-handed crane sequence of the newer Amazing Spider-Man movie).


Another area of improvement is with the recurring characters and the overall world that Spider-Man inhabits. One of the best parts of Marvel’s comic book series is the soap opera elements that unfold issue-by-issue; this is a world with people’s lives and the trials that each one encounters. Spider-Man 2 wisely spends a good amount of time showing how Peter Parker’s life is not perfect. He is still dealing with his feelings of Mary Jane (and she likewise is allowed her own dilemma) and at the same time he faces Aunt May’s financial worries, his dreams of being a scientist, his shortcomings as a college student, his daily struggles with money and paying the rent, and a lingering doubt that creates a self-induced loss of powers. Read an issue of Amazing Spider-Man and then watch Spider-Man 2 and you’ll see how expertly the world of one merges with the world portrayed on the big screen.

On that note, Peter Parker’s life is never one that invites a happy ending. Spider-Man 2 delivers on this time honored tradition with excellent cliffhanger plot threads involving his former friend Harry learning both Peter’s identity and the lair of his own father’s Green Goblin devices. Just like an issue of Spider-Man is meant to deliver excitement for the consumer to purchase the continuation of the story, the movie builds and leaves the audience waiting for more adventures.


I love Spider-Man 2.

I know many people who have commented that at points it is slow paced and feels overly long but, for me, that is the type of movie I enjoy the most. A movie that takes it’s time to tell a story while building a sense of excitement and awe in me (the fan) so much so that I do not want my time with these characters to end. No other superhero sequel has managed to pull off what Spider-Man 2 does. It improved on every area of the original while delivering a drama-action storyline that made the fanboy in me cheer for more!
At the time of release, I thought that I had seen the pinnacle of what a superhero movie could successfully offer. Spider-Man 2 was my #1 favorite superhero movie of all time…until…

…movies #2 and #1 did everything that Spider-Man 2 succeeded with and took things to a higher level…but they came years later…and required groups of superheroes to supplant Spidey from the top of my list!

SUPERHERO MOVIES – TOP 10 COUNTDOWN – PART 4

AND HERE WE GO...

Faster than a speeding bullet we’re back to the countdown with the best theatrical offerings that DC Comics have ever produced!

#5 – SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE

In today’s era of multiple superhero movies each year, it’s hard to remember back to 1978 which gave us SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE…then the eleven years before Tim Burton’s first Batman offering.  Two superhero movies in spanning all that time.  Yes, I know there were three Superman sequels…but they all suck.  

People who have fond memories of Superman II should rewatch it to realize that it doesn’t hold up.  Richard Lester’s ham-handed comedic directing (with fired director Richard Donner’s material) doesn’t work for anyone over 10 years old.  The special effects are weak…seriously who can’t tell that those are flying dolls traveling through a miniaturized set?  And the climactic fight(s)?  Well, one of them involves Superman introducing a bunch of new hokey powers: cartoon throwaway shield, zero-gravity hand ray, and the power of illusion!  Then of course the earlier fight in the city of Metropolis which involves the most over extended sequence wear the citizens of Metropolis, all of whom are so annoying that I was routing for their subjugation to Zod, are being blown around town and laughing and having a meery good time.  What a horrendous movie.  And for all its hype, the Richard Donner cut…suffers as well for other reasons.  Of course, both versions of Superman II don’t have Richard Pryor or Nuclear Man…so in that regard they are successes.

However, two years before all the horrible Superman sequels, 1978 brought us an incredible superhero movie that truly made audiences believe that a man could fly.  And wow did flying look fun!  The casting of every character in Superman: The Movie is perfect!  I’ll argue that no other superhero movie has succeeded so solidly in both casting, costumes, and general sets appearance.  Metropolis is New York City!  Luthor is a fiendish villain with a great plan!  And Superman is…SUPER!

Considering how much material Richard Donner needs to cover, the pacing of this movie is fantastic.  The first hour gives us the destruction of Krypton, Jor-El’s reasoning for sending his only son to Earth, the villains of the Phantom Zone, young Kal-El’s landing on Earth, life in Smallville, the death of Pa Kent and his message (thank you Glenn Ford for 10 minutes of a movie that still resonate with such power decades later), the construction of the Fortress of Solitude, and the introduction of Metropolis!  Wow!  Amazing!  I know people are holding out hope for Zac Snyder’s Man of Steel…but man, that’s a lot of work to live up to. 

Superman: The Movie also delivers a 10-minute sequence that still rocks today.  Superman’s first night in Metropolis: saving Lois Lane, catching a helicopter, thwarting a jewel thief, stopping a bank robbery, saving a cat, and rescuing a crashing Air Force One.  Great cinematic stuff!  If I’m ever channel surfing and this segment is even close to airing, I always stop to watch and am never disappointed.

#4 – THE DARK KNIGHT

Watch the movie HEAT with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, and then watch The Dark Knight!  Both are the top films of the cop-criminal and hero-villain genres…and I’d argue that the one with the masks and capes is a better effort and I love HEAT.

Christopher Nolan knocks an utter grand slam with his second dive into the world of Batman.  The studios were so confident with Nolan that the movie didn’t even need to have Batman’s name in the title!  There are so many levels taking place in The Dark Knight that it’s easy to lose sight of the social and political commentary and just focus on Batman chasing the Joker and Two-Face.  But go back and rewatch the movie and you’ll see it’s filled to the brim with topics for discussion.

Anyone who hopes to write or a direct a superhero movie needs to watch and learn how Nolan manages to succeed in handling two supervillains (and never loses site of his hero).  So many other films have tried and failed when it comes to the use of multiple enemies for the hero, The Dark Knight is the primer for great implementation.  First, the Joker is shown simply as a force of nature.  He’s the shark from Jaws.  You don’t know why he arrived and why he does the things he does.  You don’t need that information.  All you need to know is when he is on screen really bad things are going to happen – and you’ll be captivated the entire time.  His persona is summed up perfectly as Alfred explains to Bruce Wayne, “Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." Then there’s Harvey Dent’s fall from grace and emergence as Two-Face.   Powerful stuff with incredibly gross CGI that is too realistic for its own good.  With these two villains, you fear for Batman and every single person in Gotham City.

The success of The Dark Knight is that it stays down to Earth on such a grim and gritty level that while watching a movie where people wear costumes, you can actually find yourself thinking, “If superheroes exist, this is what it would be like.”  At times it’s almost too dark.  Often people I talk to say the reason they don’t like The Dark Knight is because they want their Batman more family friendly and cartoony.  This is why I love The Dark Knight.  Because we’ve already had umpteen versions of Batman as a comic book character from comics, to cartoons, to the 1960’s TV show, to the Burton movies.  It’s easy to lose site that Chris Nolan is the first one to give us a truly grim visage of what life behind a mask can do to both a person and the city is strives to protect.  It’s not pretty but it’s damn original and entertaining!

There’s far too much for me to cover as to why I love The Dark Knight.  For my tastes, it’s the single best example of Batman in any genre ever!  Batman sums it up nicely with, “Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded...”

The Dark Knight is one helluva reward!

Had my Top 10 list been written three years ago, Superman: The Movie and The Dark Knight would have been ranked #3 and #2 respectively.  Just shows that in the last few years a couple of movies have come out that really shined a powerful light on the superhero genre from comics to movies.

The NEW Movies #3 and #2…are just around the corner…

SUPERHERO MOVIES – TOP 10 COUNTDOWN – PART 3

CRASH!                 WHAM!

Let’s keep things rolling along with my personal selections of the best superhero from comic book to big screen Hollywood offerings.

I’m not a huge fan of origin stories.  For me, the origin comic book is the most boring read ever.  There’s too much set-up…Who is this person?  How did they get their powers?  How did they develop their costume and identity?  What will their initial adventure (and pitfalls) be like?  Blah Blah Blah!  As a comic book reader you normally have to wait until issues 3-5 to truly get a firm grasp on how successful a concept and characters are going to be.

 

Superhero origin movies are much the same (and once you see my full list you’ll chuckle that picks #5-#10 are all origins) but they have the benefit of being able to cram more into a two hour movie than a mere 25-page comic book.  For me, I’m never nervous that a movie can successfully pull off an origin story because there have been so many good ones.  The real shock is when the superhero franchise can pull off a thrilling second or even third adventure (there should be a lot more Spider-Man 2's than Iron-Man 2's).

It really shouldn’t be this hard.  I mean James Bond didn’t have an origin story (until 2006’s Casino Royale in a sense) and look at how many adventures he went on that were perfectly delivered in movies.  So, why then did I have to sit through Batman & Robin, Spider-Man 3, Superman IV:The Quest for Peace…etc.  If you can tell a good origin...then the rest of the stories should be the more exciting adventures!

Here are two origin stories/movies that get a whole lot right (and then follow it up with better offerings)!

 

#7 – BATMAN BEGINS

Batman and Robin may be the worst superhero movie ever!  This movie worked so tirelessly to destroy the Batman franchise from the casting of George Clooney, to the horrendous dialogue (every line from Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy is riddled with cringe worthy moments), to the nipple costumes and neon-lit Gotham City, and of course to the fact that Batman was once again reduced to having such a ridiculous amount of gadgets and costumes (and thank God he had those bat-hook lines which seemed to be the only thing that could save his life…over and over…).  Watch the movie and you’ll see two hours of director Joel Schumacher exclaiming, “THIS IS HOW YOU KILL A BATMAN FRANCHISE!”

Then amazingly director Christopher Nolan came around years later and said, “This is how you save the Batman franchise.  You tell an adult story with good characters, solid plotting, and you take the audience on an adventure.”

I saw BATMAN BEGINS on opening weekend (an opening weekend that financially paled in comparison to the first four Batman movies) and I remember leaving the movie with a smile on my face but fearfully thinking, “Wow, I pray people forget Batman & Robin and go and see this movie because this is how Batman is meant to be showcased on the big screen.”

The movie solidly delivers Bruce Wayne’s origin and motivation, his training, the explanation behind his use of the bat-motif and his gadgets, and sends viewers along on a roller coaster as Batman learns the ropes while forging a partnership with Lt. Gordon and battling the Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Ghul.  I think that’s worth repeating, director Christopher Nolan gave people a great Batman movie and his choice of villains were Ra’s Al Ghul and the Scarecrow!  You know the majority of people were thinking, “Where’s Joker, Riddler, Robin, and Catwoman…?”

I love the look of Gotham City in this movie.  I love the casting of Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, the under-appreciated Rutger Hauer, and Gary Oldman (so much that I’ll overlook Katie Holmes and that annoying Joffrey from Game of Thrones too).  I love that Batman uses detective skills as well as darkness, gadgets, and fighting ninja-like abilities to battle the forces of evil.

Batman Begins is the second best Batman movie ever produced.  If you haven’t seen it recently, go check it out…it holds up spectacularly.

 

 

#6 – CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

A Word War II superhero movie that has to bridge the path between blockbuster movies Iron-Man and the upcoming team-up The Avengers.  Captain America had every reason to fail and yet, it’s a grand slam!  Marvel Studios were spot-on in their choice of director Joe Johnston (or Rocketeer fame) to recreate the origins of the “first” Avenger and then manage to weave a tale that helps delivers him from the 1940’s to present day.

Next to Spider-Man, Captain America may be my favorite superhero.  What’s not to love?  He’s patriotic, a natural leader, a fighter, a strategist, and he throws a shield!  AWESOME!  As a child in the 70's I remember watching two horrendous made-for-TV Captain America movies - seriously am I the only one who remembers CAPTAIN AMERICA: DEATH TOO SOON...?  A disastorous movie where Cap (played by Reb Brown - whose acting chops were so bad he might as well have been performing Othello at a senior citizens home) had a motorcycle that he burst out of his "rockin'" 70's van (YES a VAN) to battle Christopher Lee and generic thug villains who looked like they stumbled right out of a Six Million Dollar Man episode.  Captain America's plastic shield was so poor and wobbly it looked like a strong breeze would veer it off course.  I watched these movies...over and over and smiled thinking, "Captain America is so cool!"  That's how cool his superhero factor is!  Captain America can strive beyond Reb Brown's "acting".

If you’ve ever read any of Captain America’s comic books (especially the early WWII stories) then what you see on the screen are those very same stories.  I loved the look of the shield(s), the Nazi-esque HYDRA agents, and the villainous Red Skull.  The montages tell enough of the story while cleverly leaving gaps for future sequels to plug in additional back storylines.  Bonus points for the use of Bucky and his “disappearance” to set up 2014’s Winter Soldier.

For a movie that came out in 2011, Captain America feels like a solid 70’s era-blockbuster.  It had me smiling the entire time I saw it.  The use of CGI to make Steve Rogers a weak human with a heart of gold is exactly how special effects should always be used...to add to a movie, not to serve solely as the movie.  The best scene in the movie is when Dr. Erskin sits with skinny little Steve and he tells him what is important on the inside...and how it will never change no matter what happens to the outside.  This is a great parallel when viewed with the film's villain the Red Skull.  Cap’s finale battle aboard (and in the sky around) the Red Skull’s plane had me on the edge of my seat.  His ditching of the plane into the frozen waters…and subsequent “death” almost had me in tears.  This is a strong movie, and if you watch it back-to-back with The Avengers (which is really a Captain America movie) then you can see a solid story arc of a truly great American superhero.

Movies #5 and #4…sooner than you’d expect…