TOP TEN Lists - This Week: Arnold Schwarzenegger movies

I can't pick 10 because it's too hard to omit some, so in no particular order:

Bedazzled – the original with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

All the Monty Python movies: MP and The Holy Grail, The Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life

The Blues Brothers

Shaun of the Dead

Young Frankenstein

Blazing Saddles

The Producers

National Lampoon’s Animal House

The Naked Gun

Flying High (also known as Aeroplane)

This is Spinal Tap

 

Another one I've been waiting a long time for...

1. Johnny English: Easily the best parody of James Bond around, Rowan Atkinson is the secret agent trying to stop John Malkovich's French tycoon from taking the British throne and turning our green and pleasant land into a giant prison for all the world's convicts. The genius of this is how while much of the time Johnny English is hopeless and bumbles about, sometimes his plans suddenly work out for the better... before something he does mucks it up again. In this way the comedy manages to avoid being predictable, and anyone who's a fan of Bond or Mr Bean (or both ) will love how it mixes the two together in pure comedy gold.
2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: The classic rip-off of Camelot that was the Monty Python team's big-screen debut. King Arthur looks like a king "because he hasn't got shit all over him", the Black Knight is 'scratched' numerous times but cares not, the animator dies of a heart attack, a French knight farts in your general direction and the Rabbit of Caerbannog should not be underestimated.
3. Run Fatboy Run: One Simon Pegg comedy I didn't include on any of the previous lists because it's one with no other genre, unlike the other big names. Starring Pegg as a loser much like Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, who wins his girlfriend and son back by driving himself to complete the London Marathon. Also stars Dylan Moran (who also appears in Shaun of the Dead as David) as his equally n'er-do-well friend and Hank Azaria (Kahmunrah and other parts in Night at the Museum 2) as his arrogant, successful American love rival. Middle-Earth fans will respect his son's obsession with The Lord of the Rings.
4. Johnny English Reborn: A worthy sequel to the first, Johnny English, 8 years after failing miserably to protect the new President of Mozambique from assassination, tries to stop the same thing happening to the Chinese Premier in between piloting a helicopter to a hospital, evading a killer Chinese cleaning lady and infiltrating an impregnable Swiss fortress in a body bag. You have met your matchstick!
5. School of Rock: Watched this only recently but my goodness it's funny! The inimitable Jack Black gets to unleash his inner rocker as the slobbish Dewey Finn, who uses his friend and ex-bandmate's name to get a job at an elite school so he can the kids to be rockers to resurrect his chances of reaching stardom. Joan Cusack (Jessie from Toy Story 2 onwards) is also good as the headteacher who bonds with him both in his teacher disguise and afterwards when his scheme unravels.
   
6. Ghostbusters: I ain't afraid of no ghost... What can I say? A perfect comedy classic with an incredibly catchy theme song, with Bill Murray and his gang of associates launching their own ghost-catching business, Rick Moranis hopelessly in love with Sigourney Weaver and both being possessed by demonic halves of a malevolent god.
7. Beverley Hills Cop: I missed this off my Action and Adventure list, but that means I can give it a solid placement in my Comedy list, because, let's face it, it's just as much of a comedy as an Action film. Eddie Murphy is hilarious as Axel Foley as he causes pandemonium in the swanky district of Beverley Hills trying to hunt down the villains who killed his pal, and the by-the-book policemen having to keep up with him are also good characters. Apparently Sylvester Stallone was originally intended to play Axel, but to be honest I think he would have made it a po-faced affair - Eddie on the other hand, with his corny laugh, his fast-and-loose-talking and his faster-and-looser attitude to policing really makes this film.
   
8. The Life of Brian: "He's not the Messiah, he's just a very naughty boy!" - The other big-screen masterpiece of the Monty Python crew that remains their most controversial outing, charting the life of hapless Brian as he is confused with somebody else. Jews debate what the Romans did for them, join such varied political groups as the People's Front of Judea, Judean People's Front, the Judean People's Popular Front, the Campaign for a Free Galilee and the Popular Front of Judea and encourage you to 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' while being crucified.
9. Shallow Hal: Jack Black strays into romcoms with what is quite a thought-provoking and funny film. Fed up with women rejecting him for being shallow, Hal meets a dating coach who hypnotises him to see women as they are on the inside. He thinks his luck his in when he meets a gorgeous Gwyneth Paltrow, but not knowing he is hypnotised, he doesn't realise how larger-than-life she actually is...
10. Crocodile Dundee: Paul Hogan's Outback hero takes Linda Kozlowski on an adventure across Oz, fending off poachers, taming buffaloes and brawling in the bar, and she then takes him back to her urban jungle home of New York, where he faces down street thugs, crossdressers and worse. I agree that the double fish-out-of-water story is something that really makes this stand out, plus I think it's quite amusing how though Dundee is definitely someone you'd want to have around in the Outback, even he can't fully let go of the comforts of civilisation (such as when he claims he has hunted down, killed and skinned the meat he's cooking, while hiding the tins he got it out of).

Honourable Mentions: The film adaptations of Dad's Army (1971), Bless this House (1972), Man About the House (1974) and George and Mildred (1980), Tower Heist, Bridget Jones' Diary, Paint Your Wagon, Crocodile Dundee II, Beverley Hills Cop II, Johnny English Strikes Again, Nacho Libre, Ghostbusters II, Keeping Mum, Mrs Doubtfire

Unfortunately I've already included Back to the Future, Night at the Museum 1 and 2, the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy and Paul in other lists, but without a doubt they would either have made the list or at the very least been an honourable mention.

 

This category is harder than I thought. Like most of us say each week, there are too many good choices.
*Back to the Future I-III probably falls more into this list than my sci-fi list, but I've already used it. If I did rank it, it would be my #2.

Ghostbusters: I can sit down and watch this movie anytime, quoting my way through virtually all of it. I ain't afraid of no ghost. A classic to me.
The Princess Bride: Has it got any sports in it? Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles... Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try to stay awake. I was saving this movie for a possible "Fantasy" category, but it's really a comedy. There's so much charm, adventure and humor in this movie. Every character is memorable, as are many of the lines/scenes. I love it.
Raising Arizona: My favorite Cohen bros movies. Nicholas Cage & Holly Hunter are terrific and the rest of the bizarre cast is just as good. It ain't Ozzie and Harriet, but it's one heck of a crazy, funny ride.
Young Frankenstein: A Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks classic. Probably my favorite Brooks movie? The spoof of old horror movies is spot on. Wilder, Feldman, Boyle, Kahn, Garr and Leachman are gold.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off: I am a child of the 80's and this is a fun 80's "coming of age" movie. The fantasy of "let's totally blow off boring school and have fun in the city" is compelling. Lots of memorable lines, fun scenes, a little bit of growing up, and a lot of getting away with it.
School of Rock: Aside from Kung-fu Panda, this is my probably my favorite Jack Black movie. He's at his "enthusiastic wannabe-Rocker" best in this movie. Lovable loser becomes a lovable teacher... sort of. What are they teaching kids these days?
40-Year-Old Virgin: More crude humor-wise, but still a funny, and surprisingly sweet, movie. I've liked Steve Carell since The (American) Office.
Coming to America: Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall steal every scene in this movie, and they're in virtually every scene.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: That escalated quickly! I'm not always a fan of Wil Ferrell movies, but this one (and Elf) are my favorites. A goofy, satirical movie with lots of fun performances.
National Lampoons: Christmas Vacation/Vacation: I think both of these movies are great, but Christmas Vacation edges out the original. Not only is it funny, but it also develops the characters a bit more, and has some very sweet moments.

Honorable mentions. There are so many good movies that deserve to be on a top 10 list. Again, I know I've missed some good ones I really liked:
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Classic Jim Carrey. Allrighty, then!)
Airplane!
Army of Darkness (Groovy)
Beetlejuice
Big
Big Trouble in Little China (Love it!)
Blazing Saddles (My second favorite Brooks movie)
Clue (Such a good cast. A fun movie.)
Crocodile Dundee (I liked this movie back in the day, but I guess I kind of forgot how much I enjoyed it. I should go back and watch it. It launched a huge Aussie craze in the US. G'day!)
Dodgeball (If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball)
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
Legally Blonde
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I was only a casual Monty Python fan, but I did enjoy this movie. Such a great satire and outright silliness. A classic.)
Mr. Mom (220, 221... whatever it takes)
Mrs. Doubtfire
Peewee's Big Adventure (I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel.)
Spaceballs (third favorite Brooks movie)
The Royal Tennanbaums (I was really tempted to put this in either drama or in comedy, and I settled on comedy. An odd but interesting movie and my favorite Wes Anderson film. All of the cast is good, but Hackman is great, like usual)
The Three Amigos (So many good lines and scenes... maybe it should be on my list)
Twins (Arnold can be funny, too)
Zombieland (A fun zombie spoof movie. It's time to nut up or shut up.)

 

Oh yeah. I both remember and really enjoyed this movie as a kid, too. Good times!

 

I'm going to assume that this was a purposeful pun based on the repeating premise of the film...

 

Ha ha. It was indeed.

 

Topic #6 - Top Ten Fantasy movies.

Same rules as before:

Genres will always have a bit of wiggle room. Many movies will fall into multiple genres. You can google the genre of a movie as a quick guide (it is okay to deviate from this if you feel the movie belongs in a different genre). This is what I did for the most part, and then slotted the movie into the genre that felt best for me. Use your best judgment and a remember that is your subjective list. The only hard fast rule is that if you list a movie under one genre, don't list that movie under a different genre in a future weeks list. For example, if you put Rocky in your Action list, don't also list it in your Drama list a few weeks down the line. Choose the genre for the movie that feels right for you.

You can condense a movie series into one single selection if you want to (i.e. Rocky series or Rocky I-IV, etc) or choose a specific movie out of a series (i.e. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ) as you see fit. It's your choice for each of your entries.

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - a very easy number one. Not contest. I suspect many of you will have this as your first pick.
2. Conan the Barbarian - Arnie as Conan is an absolute classic. I even own the Atlantean sword! "Conan, what is best in life?"
3. Ghost - this is quite a bit different from my other selections. It's just a very well executed movie. Both funny and heart warming in equal measure.
4. Reign of Fire - Dragons!! Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale and Gerard Bulter team up in this often lesser appreciated flick. A different take on a dragon story.
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) - a little bit of childhood nostalgia coming through here. I was a huge TMNT fan as a kid and this was the best TMNT content of the day. I still enjoy it today. Leo was my favourite turtle!
6. The Goonies - more childhood nostalgia. I love movies revolving around a good treasure hunt! This fits the bill.
7. Avatar - Yes, the story is simple, but it is fun anyways. It is a an absolute feast when it comes to visuals (who doesn't like seeing our terradons/ripperdactyls in action?) and the cast is solid. Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch is probably my favorite character in the film (I like villains). The movie gets shit on a lot, but I suspect that is simply a product of its own success (like Titanic).
8. Ghostbusters - Classic movie with classic characters and a superb theme song.
9. Conan the Destroyer - A very far cry from Conan the Barbarian, but still good enough to sneak onto the list. It doesn't have any of the "seriousness" of the original, but can be enjoyed as a simple swashbuckling adventure fantasy.
10. Pirates of the Caribbean - Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow... period. (the theme song is pretty great too).

Honourable mentions: The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter

 

Ahh, sweet Fantasy genre. Most of these movies will have less to do with rational choices of quality, but how much I enjoy them and often the connection to my childhood.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy: This movie was a feat of modern movie-making. In fact, I think I enjoy watching the making of the movies almost as much as the movies themselves. So many aspects of the movies seemed passionately done; acting, sets, costumes, cinematography, landscapes, music, and effects. It was like Jackson's, Walsh's, & Boyen's love letter to the countryside of New Zealand (of which I think Tolkien would approve). Like John Williams and Star Wars, I cannot overemphasize the impact of the Howard Shore's music for LotR. It is another one of those scores where I can play out scenes just by listening to the music. Although I do wish Jackson had stuck closer to Tolkien's story in certain parts, overall it translates the spirit of LotR very well to the big screen. Fellowship is still my favorite, but this trilogy is epic.
Conan the Barbarian: There are some actors that seem to be made for certain roles. Arnold, as Conan, is one of those actors and roles for me. In his later films, I can understand Arnold probably wanted to speak more than be just a silent hulk, but you can't deny his physical presence as Conan (and the T100). Again, the score by Basil Poledouris captures so well the feel this movie. Bonus for casting James Earl Jones as the charismatic cult leader Thulsa Doom. This is possibly one of those movies where unfamiliarity with the source material actually helped its appeal for me. Having later listened to some of the actual Robert E. Howard stories (which I enjoy as well), the movie is not quite as "pulp adventure" or "Lovecrafian." Barbarian has more of a philosophical tone, with aspects of Nietzsche and bushido. But it delivers a great lone-warrior, sword & sorcery classic that is one of my favorites.
Harry Potter series: I am a fan of the books and the movies. It's more modern fantasy, meaning less "sword and sorcery" like many of my other picks, but it has had a big impact. The movies are full of such great actors and terrific visuals. The stories and exciting, charming and dramatic in turns. Once again, the music of John Williams adds just the right touch to this series. My top movies in the series are Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone (I do enjoy a good intro movie) and Order of the Phoenix. I won't lie, the series is this high mostly due to the impact and quality of all of the movies.
Dark Crystal: I fell in love with puppets and puppetry through Henson. I know this is a simple story, but it's another classic fantasy movie for me. The characters, costumes and immersive sets are a feast for the eyes. It has an exciting and sweet story that has to be Henson's best fantasy movie. Again, the making of this movie is almost as good as the movie.
Dragonslayer: This may not be the most amazing fantasy movie, but I have a real soft spot for it. I love the movie's dark fantasy tone and the more "Dark Ages" setting. Phil Tippet's puppetry work is amazing. Vermithrax has to be on of the great movie dragons.
Highlander: Rock & roll fantasy. In fact, I think the director had only done music videos before this movie. Still, this is great and cool modern-day (for the time) fantasy movie. An interesting story that spawned some bad sequels. But that first movie is a lot of fun.
Neverending Story: I loved this movie as a kid and still enjoy it. Another immersive and imaginative world and sets. The whimsical characters are contrasted by the dark, scary Nothing, and its wolf servant. I cried for Artax in the swamp and wanted to be Atreyu/Bastian riding on the back of Falkor. Plus, it has a very memorable main song.
Krull: This is such an fun and exciting fantasy movie from my childhood. Cool art direction, costumes and sets. It has an interesting (albeit simple) story set up that was trying to duplicate the Star Wars model. The evil minions are creepy and the big bad was scary looking as heck to me, back in the day. The Glaive is cool regardless of making sense. Plus, Krull & Excalibur were some of Liam Neeson's first "big" movies.
Labyrinth: Another classic Henson fantasy movie. The design and art direction from Brian Found really help make this movie for me. Again, it's whimsical and imaginative with beautifully interactive sets. It's a modern take on Alice in Wonderland, or a live action fairy tale. David Bowe is surprisingly good as the Goblin King (meaning I didn't think of him as an actor back then). Like most of Henson's stories, there is a real sweetness to this movie. This has been missing since he passed.
Legend: Maybe not the greatest fantasy movie, but I really enjoyed it as a kid. Surprisingly, I don't think Tom Cruise is really the stand out. I think Mia Sara was the better of the two, in this movie. But, the real reason to watch this is for Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness. Curry so perfectly plays that role over the top, it's a classic performance. His evil laugh alone is enough give you chills. Plus, I loved the fantasy sets and all the fey characters (the dwarves, the elf and creepy goblins). The dreamy and haunting Tangerine Dream soundtrack really adds to the mood.

There are two other movies that I have to include in my official list
Excalibur: What a weird movie. In some ways, it almost makes not sense, but I still enjoy the Arthurian legends. Fun performances; especially Nicol Williamson and as Merlin and Helen Mirren as Morgan. To a kid this was more, shall we say, "grown up" fantasy movie with blood and (ahem) boobs.
The Hobbit (animated): This is the movie that started it all for me. I saw this cartoon as a child and it sparked my love of fantasy. To quote Tolkein: "Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick."

Honorable Mentions
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Chronicles of Narnia
Clash of the Titans (80s)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Fire & Ice (animated)
Flash Gordon (80s)
Heavy Metal
How to Train Your Dragon
Reign of Fire
Willow
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

 

Let's not forget Subotai... thief and archer!

 

He's just dinner for wolves...

But that's fair.

 

Fantasy, lets not forget

 

1. Harry Potter series - Landmark series that celebrates a catalogue of contemporary and legacy British acting talent.
2. The Hobbit trilogy - I know people shit on it, but it captured the whole of the book’s story, and some of the extra added elements adapt additional elements of Tolkien’s lore and help blend the trilogy better with Lord of the Rings. Bilbo, Gandalf, Smaug and Thorin were excellently portrayed, and Azog was good as a convincing bigger bad to cover all the areas of the story where Smaug is absent. I also really love seeing the Dwarves and Elves in their prime and the humans being relegated to the sidelines, which is why I rate this above Lord of the Rings.
3. The Lord of the Rings trilogy - I don’t like seeing the increasing obsession with humanity as the trilogy goes on (a problem I have with the story in general, not just the films), but nonetheless an excellent trilogy that is deserving of its high ranking on my list.
4. Sinbad trilogy - Easily the best showcase of the stop-motion king that was Ray Harryhausen, this forgotten trilogy - The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger - are fun adventure films and deliver what Clash of the Titans failed to do - awesome monster-on-monster brawls.
5. The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy - It was great to see some Middle-Earth spectacle applied to C.S Lewis’ fantasy world, what a shame they never got beyond the third book in the series. To see all the books made into films of this calibre would have been great.
6. Clash of the Titans (2010) - Better than the original I feel because I really didn’t like the sea-gorilla ‘Kraken’ in the old one and the new one has a lot more interesting monsters and creatures to fight, and I prefer how Perseus has a team of allies to work with here, unlike in the original where he was dealing with the few sparse enemies pretty easily on his own. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes add gravitas as Zeus and Hades.
7. Wrath of the Titans - A solid sequel that takes the battle to Kronos himself.
8. Season of the Witch - A dark Medieval fantasy that, I’d wager, also has a horror element to it.
9. Solomon Kane - A 17th Century Privateer fights demons and devils in a similar style to Season of the Witch.
10. Jason and the Argonauts - Another solid Ray Harryhausen work, though no monster-on-monster fights ranks it lower down my list.

Honourable Mentions: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, The Mysterious Island (1961), Clash of the Titans (1982), The Lost World (1960), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959), The Valley of Gwangi

 

I never knew that you like Harry Potter so much.

Just like with Star Wars, you're a LOTR prequel guy!

 

Topic #7 - Top Ten Western movies.

Same rules as before:

Genres will always have a bit of wiggle room. Many movies will fall into multiple genres. You can google the genre of a movie as a quick guide (it is okay to deviate from this if you feel the movie belongs in a different genre). This is what I did for the most part, and then slotted the movie into the genre that felt best for me. Use your best judgment and a remember that is your subjective list. The only hard fast rule is that if you list a movie under one genre, don't list that movie under a different genre in a future weeks list. For example, if you put Rocky in your Action list, don't also list it in your Drama list a few weeks down the line. Choose the genre for the movie that feels right for you.

You can condense a movie series into one single selection if you want to (i.e. Rocky series or Rocky I-IV, etc) or choose a specific movie out of a series (i.e. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ) as you see fit. It's your choice for each of your entries.



I'll probably get around to posting my list tomorrow, but in the meantime, this week's genre is Westerns. This is one of my least favorite genres, but I'm curious to see if you guys feel otherwise. My list will be short!