10. Spiderman 2
Genre - Action-Fantasy
Notable Cast - Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina
Synopsis - Peter Parker tries to quit in an effort to enhance his education and love life, but a mad man is created and intent on destroying the city.
What I think - Might be my favorite superhero movie of all time. I love everything from the action(especially the train sequence) to the stakes to the ending. Sets up the third movie in a great way. Molina brings it. The aunt is really annoying in this movie. Harry acts very unnatural, not in a good way.
Interesting fact - Highest one day opening, 5th highest grossing of all time, 2nd widest release of all time.
How much did this movie make - 9 thousand years of butler service
9. The Fighter
Genre - Biography-Drama
Notable Cast - Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale
Synopsis - A fighter decides it's better to train without his drug addicted brother
What I think - Great introduction to Dicky's world. There are tough moments I had real problems watching - in prison when he finds out the documentary isn't what he thought. Satisfiying and lives up the hype. The character arc is great. The acting is excellent - especially the mother.
Interesting fact - The documentary about Bale's Dicky Eklund was an actual documentary.
How much did this movie make - 1.3 battleships
8. Iron Man
Genre - Action Adventure
Notable Cast - Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges
Synopsis - After escaping from kidnappers using armor he makes in a cave, a wealthy inventor and weapons maker turns his creation into a force for good.
What I think - The ending fight is uninspiring. Jeff Bridges character goes from friendly to completely evil way too quick. But other than that a great ride. Downey brings something amazing to the role and he makes it impossible to cast another in the suit. Awesome scenes of the suit being developed. They tease the Mandarin and don't follow up (yet...) :)
Interesting fact - A fake chest was used for the arc reactor.
How much did this movie make - 11.6 million horse saddles
7. Fellowship of the Ring
Genre - Fantasy-Adventure
Notable Cast - Sean Bean, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett
Synopsis - When a hobbit ends up with the one ring of doom, he must travel to mordor to destroy it.
What I think - When I first watched this, I didn't know it was going to be three movies though I realized the ring had to be destroyed to end. So I was confused on where it was going near the end. The three hobbits motivations and relationships aren't really explored to be behaving the way they do. Sean Bean does a terrific Boromir and looking back the things that they changed made lots of sense. Remarkable introduction. The Nazgul chase and the council of Elrond are the things that stick out.
Interesting fact - 540 special effects
How much did this movie make - 695 thousand new bikes
6. The Avengers
Genre - Action Adventure
Notable Cast - Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo
Synopsis - Superheros unite to stop Loki and an alien race.
What I think - Never before has a movie brought together a cast like this - except maybe Harry Potter but that more or less had a plan(and unknown actors) going in. The action scenes obviously are top notch. The comedic elements are extraordinary. It makes it hard to go back to a Captain America movie or even Thor. I love the reveal at the end. The How I Met Your Mother woman bugs me. The best thing that they get right is the Hulk. They know how to use him here - comedic, only chunks at a time. While we get a great performance, one still wonders what Edward Norton could have brought.
Interesting fact - Edward Norton was originally set to reprise his role from The Incredible Hulk but negotiations between him and Marvel Studios broke down. Joaquin Phoenix was also rumored for the part.
How much did this movie make - 14.6 million years of Sam's Club membership
5. The Dark Knight Rises
Genre - Action-Crime
Notable Cast - Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway
Synopsis - After 8 years since Rachel dies, Bruce tries to stay out of the spotlight but gets pulled back in when Bane takes over Gotham.
What I think - Ends on a fantastic note for me. Some things don't make sense, but that doesn't hold it back from being incredible for me. Long running time that might be a problem on re-watches. I love Tom Hardy and his voice much more than most people. The action scenes - Batman doesn't show up until half way through the movie are only okay. Bane gets taken out way too easy and anti-climatically. The turn is my least favorite part as it didn't really fit nor was needed.
Interesting fact - Same setup as Goodwill Hunting
How much did this movie make - 1 and half satellites
4. Star Trek
Genre - Sci-Fi-Adventure
Notable Cast - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana
Synopsis - When a romulan goes through a time portal he finds himself in the past staring at the original crew of the enterprise.
What I think - Follows the every other movie is good mantra. They did the most important thing right - casting. You would be hard to think of many other people than the ones they did. Kirk and Spock especially are my favorites. The story is kind of strange - Nimoy makes it feel like a ST movie but almost imposes in on it. Bana's character is probably the weakest point - not a great or memorable villain and needed some more screen time.
Interesting fact - This is Leonard Nimoy's first live-action film role since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
How much did this movie make - 770,000 pairs of new tires
3. The Two Towers
Genre - Fantasy-Adventure
Notable Cast - Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin
Synopsis - When isengard and mordor attack middle earth, rohan must battle back
What I think - The battle for Helms Deep might be the greatest large action battle ever. Gandalf was a great surprise as well as Theoden. The ents were done well. Near the end they get to summarizing quite a bit. Gollum is exceptional here. It probably has the least narrative and, story progression of the three.
Interesting fact - 799 special effects
How much did this movie make - 232,000 acres of farm land
2. The Dark Knight
Genre - Action-Crime
Notable Cast - Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan(D)
Synopsis - When the mob can't stop Batman, they decide to hire the Joker who methodically tries to determine the identity of Batman.
What I think - Ledger's performance as the Joker is going to be timeless and legendary. Rachel was a surprise. The final two action scenes(boat and building) make the movie long and it almost would have been better split into another movie. The two Imax scenes are astounding - the beginning and the sky hook scenes. Two face is a great addition though gets wrapped up pretty quickly.
Interesting fact - The Joker gives a Jerry Maguire quote, "You complete me."
How much did this movie make - Funding for Obama's election
1. Return of The King
Genre - Fantasy-Adventure
Notable Cast - Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Peter Jackson (D)
Synopsis - Sam and Frodo reach mount doom. The mordor army reaches minar tirith in an attempt to destroy the world of men.
What I think - The characters come to life - Gandalf, Sam, Gollum, the steward, Aragorn. The thirty endings do get tiring. Ghosts seem out of place in this world. The Eowyn-Nazgul fight rules. Groundbreaking conclusion. The extended cut makes the movie better to me as it explains much more. The scale is huge. The spider fight is entertaining.
Interesting fact - 1488 special effects
How much did this movie make - 1.4 skyscrapers
Genre - Action-Fantasy
Notable Cast - Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina
Synopsis - Peter Parker tries to quit in an effort to enhance his education and love life, but a mad man is created and intent on destroying the city.
What I think - Might be my favorite superhero movie of all time. I love everything from the action(especially the train sequence) to the stakes to the ending. Sets up the third movie in a great way. Molina brings it. The aunt is really annoying in this movie. Harry acts very unnatural, not in a good way.
Interesting fact - Highest one day opening, 5th highest grossing of all time, 2nd widest release of all time.
How much did this movie make - 9 thousand years of butler service
9. The Fighter
Genre - Biography-Drama
Notable Cast - Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale
Synopsis - A fighter decides it's better to train without his drug addicted brother
What I think - Great introduction to Dicky's world. There are tough moments I had real problems watching - in prison when he finds out the documentary isn't what he thought. Satisfiying and lives up the hype. The character arc is great. The acting is excellent - especially the mother.
Interesting fact - The documentary about Bale's Dicky Eklund was an actual documentary.
How much did this movie make - 1.3 battleships
8. Iron Man
Genre - Action Adventure
Notable Cast - Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges
Synopsis - After escaping from kidnappers using armor he makes in a cave, a wealthy inventor and weapons maker turns his creation into a force for good.
What I think - The ending fight is uninspiring. Jeff Bridges character goes from friendly to completely evil way too quick. But other than that a great ride. Downey brings something amazing to the role and he makes it impossible to cast another in the suit. Awesome scenes of the suit being developed. They tease the Mandarin and don't follow up (yet...) :)
Interesting fact - A fake chest was used for the arc reactor.
How much did this movie make - 11.6 million horse saddles
7. Fellowship of the Ring
Genre - Fantasy-Adventure
Notable Cast - Sean Bean, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett
Synopsis - When a hobbit ends up with the one ring of doom, he must travel to mordor to destroy it.
What I think - When I first watched this, I didn't know it was going to be three movies though I realized the ring had to be destroyed to end. So I was confused on where it was going near the end. The three hobbits motivations and relationships aren't really explored to be behaving the way they do. Sean Bean does a terrific Boromir and looking back the things that they changed made lots of sense. Remarkable introduction. The Nazgul chase and the council of Elrond are the things that stick out.
Interesting fact - 540 special effects
How much did this movie make - 695 thousand new bikes
6. The Avengers
Genre - Action Adventure
Notable Cast - Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo
Synopsis - Superheros unite to stop Loki and an alien race.
What I think - Never before has a movie brought together a cast like this - except maybe Harry Potter but that more or less had a plan(and unknown actors) going in. The action scenes obviously are top notch. The comedic elements are extraordinary. It makes it hard to go back to a Captain America movie or even Thor. I love the reveal at the end. The How I Met Your Mother woman bugs me. The best thing that they get right is the Hulk. They know how to use him here - comedic, only chunks at a time. While we get a great performance, one still wonders what Edward Norton could have brought.
Interesting fact - Edward Norton was originally set to reprise his role from The Incredible Hulk but negotiations between him and Marvel Studios broke down. Joaquin Phoenix was also rumored for the part.
How much did this movie make - 14.6 million years of Sam's Club membership
5. The Dark Knight Rises
Genre - Action-Crime
Notable Cast - Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway
Synopsis - After 8 years since Rachel dies, Bruce tries to stay out of the spotlight but gets pulled back in when Bane takes over Gotham.
What I think - Ends on a fantastic note for me. Some things don't make sense, but that doesn't hold it back from being incredible for me. Long running time that might be a problem on re-watches. I love Tom Hardy and his voice much more than most people. The action scenes - Batman doesn't show up until half way through the movie are only okay. Bane gets taken out way too easy and anti-climatically. The turn is my least favorite part as it didn't really fit nor was needed.
Interesting fact - Same setup as Goodwill Hunting
How much did this movie make - 1 and half satellites
4. Star Trek
Genre - Sci-Fi-Adventure
Notable Cast - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana
Synopsis - When a romulan goes through a time portal he finds himself in the past staring at the original crew of the enterprise.
What I think - Follows the every other movie is good mantra. They did the most important thing right - casting. You would be hard to think of many other people than the ones they did. Kirk and Spock especially are my favorites. The story is kind of strange - Nimoy makes it feel like a ST movie but almost imposes in on it. Bana's character is probably the weakest point - not a great or memorable villain and needed some more screen time.
Interesting fact - This is Leonard Nimoy's first live-action film role since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
How much did this movie make - 770,000 pairs of new tires
3. The Two Towers
Genre - Fantasy-Adventure
Notable Cast - Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin
Synopsis - When isengard and mordor attack middle earth, rohan must battle back
What I think - The battle for Helms Deep might be the greatest large action battle ever. Gandalf was a great surprise as well as Theoden. The ents were done well. Near the end they get to summarizing quite a bit. Gollum is exceptional here. It probably has the least narrative and, story progression of the three.
Interesting fact - 799 special effects
How much did this movie make - 232,000 acres of farm land
2. The Dark Knight
Genre - Action-Crime
Notable Cast - Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan(D)
Synopsis - When the mob can't stop Batman, they decide to hire the Joker who methodically tries to determine the identity of Batman.
What I think - Ledger's performance as the Joker is going to be timeless and legendary. Rachel was a surprise. The final two action scenes(boat and building) make the movie long and it almost would have been better split into another movie. The two Imax scenes are astounding - the beginning and the sky hook scenes. Two face is a great addition though gets wrapped up pretty quickly.
Interesting fact - The Joker gives a Jerry Maguire quote, "You complete me."
How much did this movie make - Funding for Obama's election
1. Return of The King
Genre - Fantasy-Adventure
Notable Cast - Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Peter Jackson (D)
Synopsis - Sam and Frodo reach mount doom. The mordor army reaches minar tirith in an attempt to destroy the world of men.
What I think - The characters come to life - Gandalf, Sam, Gollum, the steward, Aragorn. The thirty endings do get tiring. Ghosts seem out of place in this world. The Eowyn-Nazgul fight rules. Groundbreaking conclusion. The extended cut makes the movie better to me as it explains much more. The scale is huge. The spider fight is entertaining.
Interesting fact - 1488 special effects
How much did this movie make - 1.4 skyscrapers
yay for movies
ReplyDeleteyes, agreed!
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