Per Dan's suggestion, the next topic will be Top Ten YouTube (Internet Sensation) Videos.
Just some clarifications on how this should go down...I think Kevin was correct in suggesting a uniform layout. I think you guys all thought alike, and I'll follow suit. Why don't we do a reverse countdown with brief explanation of the merits of each choice, followed by a brief summation paragraph (with honorable mentions or other thoughts). Also, I was thinking we'd all use gamer tags for this list, but if no one else is cool enough to develop one, that's fine with me.
'Til list day - Hula Boy Out
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Dan's Quick Picks
I don't have a lot of time right now for comments, so I am just going to list my favs and include a choice quote from the film. I will add comments later!
10. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
"You’re in love. Have a beer. "
9. X2: X-Men United
6. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
4. V for Vendetta
“Bollocks. Whatchya gonna do, huh? We've swept this place. You've got nothing. Nothing but your bloody knives and your fancy karate gimmicks. We have guns.”
3. Spider-Man 2
2. The Incredibles
"How about a magic trick?"
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10. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
"You’re in love. Have a beer. "
9. X2: X-Men United
“What's your real name, John?”
“I'm Batman!"
7. Iron Man“Good God, you're a woman! I honestly, I couldn't have called that. I mean, I would apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first.”
6. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
“You're harder to kill than a cockroach on steroids.”
5. Unbreakable“Do you see any Teletubbies in here? Do you see a slender plastic tag clipped to my shirt with my name printed on it? Do you see a little Asian child with a blank expression on his face sitting outside on a mechanical helicopter that shakes when you put quarters in it? No? Well, that's what you see at a toy store. And you must think you're in a toy store, because you're here shopping for an infant named Jeb.”
4. V for Vendetta
“Bollocks. Whatchya gonna do, huh? We've swept this place. You've got nothing. Nothing but your bloody knives and your fancy karate gimmicks. We have guns.”
3. Spider-Man 2
“If promises were crackers, my daughter would be fat.”
2. The Incredibles
“Every time they run, we take a shot!”
1. The Dark Knight"How about a magic trick?"
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Josh's Top 10 Superhero Movies
10. Captain America
I realize this is a nontraditional choice. However, as the only movie about an iconic American character, I think it belongs on the list. Captain America is a difficult character to write about. His costume is slightly cornier than most, and the respect the character gets automatically in most comics does not play well on screen, since he is the only hero in the movie. Nonetheless, this movie was made before the current craze for comic book adaptations, and deserves some credit, even if it is a bit cheesy.
9. The Incredibles
This movie, as many have said, is what The Fantastic Four should have been. All over a great time, and a visual masterpiece, I don't think this title requires much more explanation.
8. Blade 2
I enjoy this one much more than the first one for no particular reason. I think the idea of the Blade character is very cool, and I think Wesley Snipes plays him well.
7. Sky High
Wow, what a great movie. This combines the typical coming of age movie, with superpowers. Terrific. I think this is a more light-hearted take on the now popular realistic, gritty superhero movie. It was fun from start to finish, and I wish they made a sequel.
6. X-Men 2
While I enjoyed the first X-Men, I remember enjoying this one more. It's been a while since I've seen either, so I don't really have much more to add.
5. Spiderman 2
The Spiderman movies have really helped other comic book adaptations, especially in the Marvel universe, get green lit. I enjoyed the second Spiderman because he has come into his powers, and now he is being pushed to his limits. Also, Doc Oc is obviously a much better villain than the Goblin.
4. Hellboy 2
I really really really enjoyed this movie. Not only were the action scenes fun, but the comedy parts were hillarious. Some said this film lacked feeling, but I cared about Selma Blair's character. Also, I enjoyed Seth McFarlan's character immensely.
3. Unbreakable
Wow. Talk about the ultimate realistic superhero movie. Willis and Jackson are fantastic in this. I also enjoy how Mr. Glass is not only his opposite physically, but ends up being a bad guy. Proves you don't need capes and cowls to make a great Superman movie.
2. Superman
My love for this property weighed heavily in my determination. I ranked Superman belowe Superman 2 mainly for the end. While I don't approve of the end of Superman 2 either, I though the end of the first movie was very unSuperman like. For those who don't remember, he flies around the world to reverse time and save Lois. While an interesting idea, I think it was completely out of character, and unplausible.
1. Superman 2: Richard Donner Cut
Again, my love for the property. The Richard Donner cut takes out a lot of silliness from the original release, but leaves in some pretty cool (for the time) powers on powers battles. I loved that Superman not only has to make a choice, but when he does he regrets it and has to end up making the harder choice in the end. One of my favorite overall moments in movie history is when Kal-El kneels before Zod, takes his hand and breaks it as the Superman music begins to rise.
Honorable mention on my list is Watchmen. That movie looks amazing, and from what I've been reading on Twitter of SDCC coverage, the footage they show there is just as good as the trailer.
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I realize this is a nontraditional choice. However, as the only movie about an iconic American character, I think it belongs on the list. Captain America is a difficult character to write about. His costume is slightly cornier than most, and the respect the character gets automatically in most comics does not play well on screen, since he is the only hero in the movie. Nonetheless, this movie was made before the current craze for comic book adaptations, and deserves some credit, even if it is a bit cheesy.
9. The Incredibles
This movie, as many have said, is what The Fantastic Four should have been. All over a great time, and a visual masterpiece, I don't think this title requires much more explanation.
8. Blade 2
I enjoy this one much more than the first one for no particular reason. I think the idea of the Blade character is very cool, and I think Wesley Snipes plays him well.
7. Sky High
Wow, what a great movie. This combines the typical coming of age movie, with superpowers. Terrific. I think this is a more light-hearted take on the now popular realistic, gritty superhero movie. It was fun from start to finish, and I wish they made a sequel.
6. X-Men 2
While I enjoyed the first X-Men, I remember enjoying this one more. It's been a while since I've seen either, so I don't really have much more to add.
5. Spiderman 2
The Spiderman movies have really helped other comic book adaptations, especially in the Marvel universe, get green lit. I enjoyed the second Spiderman because he has come into his powers, and now he is being pushed to his limits. Also, Doc Oc is obviously a much better villain than the Goblin.
4. Hellboy 2
I really really really enjoyed this movie. Not only were the action scenes fun, but the comedy parts were hillarious. Some said this film lacked feeling, but I cared about Selma Blair's character. Also, I enjoyed Seth McFarlan's character immensely.
3. Unbreakable
Wow. Talk about the ultimate realistic superhero movie. Willis and Jackson are fantastic in this. I also enjoy how Mr. Glass is not only his opposite physically, but ends up being a bad guy. Proves you don't need capes and cowls to make a great Superman movie.
2. Superman
My love for this property weighed heavily in my determination. I ranked Superman belowe Superman 2 mainly for the end. While I don't approve of the end of Superman 2 either, I though the end of the first movie was very unSuperman like. For those who don't remember, he flies around the world to reverse time and save Lois. While an interesting idea, I think it was completely out of character, and unplausible.
1. Superman 2: Richard Donner Cut
Again, my love for the property. The Richard Donner cut takes out a lot of silliness from the original release, but leaves in some pretty cool (for the time) powers on powers battles. I loved that Superman not only has to make a choice, but when he does he regrets it and has to end up making the harder choice in the end. One of my favorite overall moments in movie history is when Kal-El kneels before Zod, takes his hand and breaks it as the Superman music begins to rise.
Honorable mention on my list is Watchmen. That movie looks amazing, and from what I've been reading on Twitter of SDCC coverage, the footage they show there is just as good as the trailer.
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Kevin's Top Ten Superhero Movies
10. Judge Dredd – I realize there might be debate over whether Judge Dredd actually qualifies as a superhero versus a mere comic book adaptation, but I think that since 3 of us are law students we are aware of the superpower that is inherent in a man that is judge, jury and executioner.
9. Swamp Thing – If anyone remembers watching Swamp Thing reruns on the SciFi channel when they were little, then you know that Swamp Thing should be enjoying a revival in our ever more eco-conscious world.
8. Unbreakable – I almost want to punish M. Night Shyamalan for all of the other crap he constantly puts out, but I really enjoyed the new take on the superman film, and anything with Samuel L. Jackson gets an immediate bump. Also, we all want to believe that we are superheroes and just don’t know it.
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – It would be a betrayal to leave this off my list after years of devotion in my youth. I imagine that most of us were Donatello fans beings geeks and what not, but hopefully no one made the mistake of choosing lame Rafael. Donatello and Leonardo are the obvious choices and Michelangelo acceptable if second rate.
6. Superman – How can you ignore this one? It is now timeless, but not good enough to break the top five. To do that you need a little more je ne sais quoi.
5. Blade – If there is a man who will give you more je ne sais quoi than any other it would have to be Wesley Snipes. He not only defeats vampires but also dodges serious IRS charges, all while being a half-vampire (I wonder if he is also half IRS agent). This is the movie, more than any other that made me really desire a samurai sword, until I saw Kill Bill.
4. X2: X-Men United – It was tough deciding which X-Men movie to include in this list. I like them all, and they are perfect cinematic candy, but the second one has the coolest title and arguably the best ratio of plot progression to superhero excellence.
2. Batman Begins – I think that ties are probably not allowed, but I couldn’t avoid doing this, especially since I have yet to see the new Batman movie. The only thing keeping this movie from climbing higher is how much I truly hate Katie Holmes (Tom Cruise by extension). Also, despite my deep respect for Bale’s ability to gain and lose weight (essentially a superpower in and of itself) he is also out on bail for allegedly beating his mother in London.
2. Iron Man – This is probably not as good a movie as a number two spot would indicate, but I think Robert Downey Jr. is amazing. Everyone wants to be a rich playboy who could care less what the world thinks. He is the ideal. It is too bad that none of us are that brilliant or that likely to inherit a multinational arms conglomerate. Also Samuel L. Jackson makes an appearance.
1. The Incredibles – What can I say? I really like this movie. It is able to be exciting without terrible violence and it entertains throughout without even needing seriously dark undertones. The superheroes being outlawed/sued into hiding theme has been explored in comics, but this movie really makes good use of the motif without becoming depressing. Samuel L. Jackson also makes an appearance.
I purposely left off the Spiderman franchise because I don't like Tobey Maguire. Darkman is good, I was considering it, but it got left off especially for movies that were funnier to include.
-Kevin
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Hula Boy's Top Ten Superhero Movies
10. The Incredible Hulk
9. Batman Begins
8. Spider-Man
7. Unbreakable
6. Darkman
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
4. X2: X-Men United
3. Spider-Man 2
2. Iron Man
1. The Dark Knight
So there's my list. I expect to take some flack for the end of my list. I'm sure others will have Batman Begins much higher, but after trying to rewatch that recently, I feel like it isn't as fun as a lot of these other superhero movies. And I know The Incredible Hulk was not the most well liked movie, but dammit, I thought it was an enjoyable movie, maybe that has more to do with the improvement on the first attempt though. What else to say about my list... I doubt anyone else will have Darkman on their list, but I hope it gets some recognition, and it has some foreshadowing to later superhero greatness. I mean Liam Neeson (later as the Batman Begins villian who I will assuradly misspell without looking it up, Raj Al Ghul) and Sam Raimi (later director of the Spider-Man trilogy) in a independently created superhero movie. With the top of my list, I expect to see quite a bit of similarity between the x3, as those are far and away the best the superhero genre has had to offer. I usually get a lot of flack for putting too much weight on newer movies, but I feel like this genre is young enough where newer does correlate with better. Some last minute tidbits... The toughest movie to leave off this list was actually Daredevil, a wonderously stupid movie that I enjoyed quite a bit. The easiest movie to leave off this list was Hancock, what crap, and that's coming from a Jason Bateman fan. And the questionable movie that I considered for this list was The Crow, but I wasn't sure if he'd be classified as a superhero. Oh, and if I had seen it, maybe The Incredibles would be on this list, as I expect to see it on others.
'Til next time - Hula Boy Out.
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9. Batman Begins
8. Spider-Man
7. Unbreakable
6. Darkman
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
4. X2: X-Men United
3. Spider-Man 2
2. Iron Man
1. The Dark Knight
So there's my list. I expect to take some flack for the end of my list. I'm sure others will have Batman Begins much higher, but after trying to rewatch that recently, I feel like it isn't as fun as a lot of these other superhero movies. And I know The Incredible Hulk was not the most well liked movie, but dammit, I thought it was an enjoyable movie, maybe that has more to do with the improvement on the first attempt though. What else to say about my list... I doubt anyone else will have Darkman on their list, but I hope it gets some recognition, and it has some foreshadowing to later superhero greatness. I mean Liam Neeson (later as the Batman Begins villian who I will assuradly misspell without looking it up, Raj Al Ghul) and Sam Raimi (later director of the Spider-Man trilogy) in a independently created superhero movie. With the top of my list, I expect to see quite a bit of similarity between the x3, as those are far and away the best the superhero genre has had to offer. I usually get a lot of flack for putting too much weight on newer movies, but I feel like this genre is young enough where newer does correlate with better. Some last minute tidbits... The toughest movie to leave off this list was actually Daredevil, a wonderously stupid movie that I enjoyed quite a bit. The easiest movie to leave off this list was Hancock, what crap, and that's coming from a Jason Bateman fan. And the questionable movie that I considered for this list was The Crow, but I wasn't sure if he'd be classified as a superhero. Oh, and if I had seen it, maybe The Incredibles would be on this list, as I expect to see it on others.
'Til next time - Hula Boy Out.
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Formed A Blog, We Formed A Blog
So, here's the idea, each week, the four of us will post a list of top ten things within a certain category. We'll post our lists each week on Fridays with the intent of not looking at others lists before coming up with our own. Start each post with a blogger name (mine will be Hula Boy obviously) then countdown your list (starting at #10, your worst, to #1, your best). You can post a brief paragraph after your countdown supporting your list. And then check back and make posts dissing or propping each other's lists. This should be fun, even in weeks when you aren't too familiar with the topic. I'd look forward to naming my Top Ten Star Wars Characters.
Any theme should work, some with a small set to work with (Top Ten Nicolas Cage movies) could make for interesting and tight arguments, while others with a larger set (Top Ten Songs) could make for epic debates. Also, we shouldn't limit ourselves to just movies, but all things pop culture.
So anyways, let's start this off. I'll come up with the first theme, and we'll progress alphabetically by our first (real) names. Let's go with the theme of Top Ten Superhero Movies, since there have been too many to count released this summer. Also, note this is not 'graphic novels adapted to movies', so movies like 300 don't count. Post your answers on Friday, and we'll see how we compare.
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Any theme should work, some with a small set to work with (Top Ten Nicolas Cage movies) could make for interesting and tight arguments, while others with a larger set (Top Ten Songs) could make for epic debates. Also, we shouldn't limit ourselves to just movies, but all things pop culture.
So anyways, let's start this off. I'll come up with the first theme, and we'll progress alphabetically by our first (real) names. Let's go with the theme of Top Ten Superhero Movies, since there have been too many to count released this summer. Also, note this is not 'graphic novels adapted to movies', so movies like 300 don't count. Post your answers on Friday, and we'll see how we compare.
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