Every month, our contributors will put together a list of ten films on certain topics. Each month will be different and will feature an alphabetical list our selections, commentary from each of us on our picks, and an itemized list showing what we each selected.
As schools begin letting out for the summer, the big studios are turning to potential blockbusters to boost their bottom lines in one of the most profitable 4-month period of the year. This wasn’t always the case. Where the term blockbuster came from and its historical application to cinema is a fascinating subject, one that’s too challenging to put into a short introductory paragraph. Here is the Wikipedia article that goes into the discussion in more depth.
Jaws began the era of summer box office hits as a means of building a studio’s slate. That was 1975. Since then, myriad films have earned the title and while studios now seem to be spreading their content across the calendar again, May through August is still a fertile ground for cinematic moneymaking. When we came up with the idea for this list, it was supposed to only highlight summer blockbusters, but after some discussion, we decided to open it up to a broader range of film: the popcorn flick.
These aren’t films that are necessarily better quality than others, but they are ones that entertain us and excite us in different ways than small dramatic films. Since each of us developed our own criteria for these selections, we’ve each come up with a short introductory paragraph to explain our reasons for these selections.
Before we get to those, let’s get into our traditional analysis of the selections. Only two films ended up on multiple lists. Jurassic Park was picked twice and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was the other. Beyond that, we have an eclectic range of films released from 1936 to 2016, an eighty-year period that spans multiple genres. It also comes as little surprise that the director who enabled the Blockbuster Era is also the most represented director. Steven Spielberg has three titles on the list (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Jurassic Park). Only one other director has two titles on the list: Robert Zemeckis was selected for two films that might seem a bit shocking to some: Contact and Romancing the Stone.
After the break, dig into our setups and follow that by reading about each film.
The Introductions
Wesley Lovell:
My approach to this list was mostly films that weren’t necessarily Oscar contenders, but were films that were fun and entertaining. If they also make you think, that’s a bonus. I could have once again included the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I decided to try expanding to other films. I also wanted to include Horror, but since they aren’t generally films to take immense pleasure from, I jettisoned them all. What’s left are films that were sometimes released in the summer, sometimes not, but all of them were fun and engaging in different ways. I also combined several franchise films into a single entry as some were almost impossible to select just one title from and I didn’t want to fill my list with multiple films from the same franchise.
Peter J. Patrick:
When I think of popcorn “flicks” as opposed to “films,” I think of movies that I can sit and watch by myself or with friends and family without embarrassing anyone from little kids to oldsters in their 10th and 11th decades. The heaviest film in my selection is a Civil War drama, but it’s also a rich, family drama with a good old-fashioned four-handkerchief tear-inducing ending that leaves its audience smiling through tears of joy.
Tripp Burton:
For this list, I focused in on movies that have no pretension to them beyond straightforward entertainment: there are no hidden themes, no concepts being wrangled out through the filmmaker’s brains and no real thinking required on the part of the audience. Instead, they are meant for someone to grab a big bucket of popcorn, turn off everything in their life and laugh, scream and jump for two hours at a sharply executed piece of pop entertainment.
Thomas LaTourrette:
I think of popcorn movies mostly as big budget action movies. However, when I was making up the list, I enlarged the definition to cover a more general set of films that can be more lightweight in tone, often with more humor than the typical blockbuster action film, and still do not require much thought when watching them. To an extent my choices are action-oriented, but also movies that are just enjoyable to sit down and watch.
The Individual Commentary
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
(dir. Charles Barton) Commentary By Tripp Burton – The oldest film on my list was one of the first ones to come to mind. Unlike many of the other film comedians of old Hollywood who have survived in our memories, Abbott and Costello have perhaps the least amount of pretension to them. There is nothing deep about their movies, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is no exception. Like many of the other films on my list, the film throws in an overabundance of material (in this case three movie monsters) and barrages the film with gags, scares and yuks. It may not be the most perfectly structured of films, but it is a lot of fun and a genuine black-and-white pop classic.
Airplane! (1980)
(dir. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker) Commentary By Tripp Burton – I don’t think any movie has more jokes per second than the first Airplane! film. By taking the framework of an existing story (1957’s Zero Hour) and removing any semblance of character development, constructive plot or thematic depth, the Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams created a rapid-fire series of comic gags without having to worry about anything else. What is most remarkable about Airplane!, especially when compared to the litany of copycats that have come after it, is how many of those laughs work. Normally when a film is nothing but a breakneck series of jokes you hope that half of them will land. Here, the duds are few and the bulls-eyes are consistent. It is one of the seminal American comedies, and as genuinely funny thirty-five years later as it was on its original conception. There aren’t many other films you can say that about.
Big Hero 6 (2014)
(dir. Don Hall, Chris Williams) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – This animated feature by Disney still ran a little long when they were doing the main battle towards the end, but the humor laced through the film was absolutely appealing. The character Baymax, a microbot created to help people, is a riot as he tries to understand humans. This showed that even an animated film could fall into this category, and perhaps succeed better than some of the much more expensive live action films.
Butterflies Are Free (1972)
(dir. Milton Katselas) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – This film from the hit Broadway play is filled with love and laughter from the opening scene. The few risqué moments will go over the heads of the little kids and bring a smile to the lips of the most jaundiced of blue-haired old ladies. It’s a simple story of a 21-year-old blind man (Edward Albert) trying to live on his own, with a scatterbrained, scantily clad girl (Goldie Hawn) living in an adjoining apartment and an interfering mother (Oscar winner Eileen Heckart) trying to get him to come home. You know how it’s going to end.
Told Hawn is an actress, Heckart has the film’s second best line, “might I have seen you in something other than your underwear?”, topped only by Hawn’s reaction to Heckart handing her a polished apple to which she says “I know you’re not the wicked witch” and Heckart responding with “and I know you’re not Snow White”.
Cactus Flower (1969)
(dir. Gene Saks) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Walter Matthau got top billing and Goldie Hawn got the Oscar, but the best of the film’s three stars is Ingrid Bergman in a rare comedy role. Lauren Bacall, who originated the role on Broadway, was probably more suited to playing the starchy middle-aged secretary/receptionist to the womanizing dentist, but Bergman makes it her own, as improbable as it is that even at 54 she would have to compete with twenty-something Hawn for the affections of her 49-year-old boss, played in typical deadpan style by grumpy Matthau.
The film opens with Hawn attempting to commit suicide by turning on the oven and lying down and going to sleep having already mailed a suicide note to Matthau. You know of course, that she’s not going to succeed in her attempt to kill herself and will get over it as soon as she is rescued by neighbor Rick Lenz, a struggling writer in her own age bracket.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
(dir. Anthony & Joe Russo) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Marvel has become synonymous with big screen blockbusters of the popcorn variety and while I’ve enjoyed almost all of their films, one of them stands head-and-shoulders above the rest and is exemplary of what I love about comic books in general. They have the ability to tell vast stories with political undertones. Captain America: The Winter Soldier played with the political subtext so evocatively that the immense level of fun in the rest of the film seemed like an added bonus.
Charlie Chan’s Secret (1936)
(dir. Gordon Wiles) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Warner Oland’s Charlie Chan stands in for a myriad of fictional film and TV detectives from Basil Rathbone‘s Sherlock Holmes to Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher to David Suchet’s Hercule Poirot to Brenda Blethyn’s Vera Stanhope and numerous others whose investigations into murders most foul and the exercising of the little grey cells that lead to their solving. Swedish born Oland was an expert in Chinese culture and played the Honolulu-based Chinese-American detective with great distinction from 1931 to his death in 1937.
Set in San Francisco, Charlie’s No. 1 Son (Keye Luke) is unfortunately not on board for this one, but in his absence is the great Henrietta Crosman (The Royal Family of Broadway, Pilgrimage) as Charlie’s old friend whose life is in jeopardy. It’s one of the series’ best and like all great puzzles, is fun even when you know how it’s going to turn out.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
(dir. Peter Godfrey) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – It’s Christmas any time you want with this sophisticated fairy tale in which magazine food writer Barbara Stanwyck has to find a home, a husband and a baby in a hurry in order to entertain a U.S. Navy war hero (Dennis Morgan) and her prickly publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) for the holidays. In order to use longtime beau Reginald Gardiner’s home she must first agree to marry him, something she’s been avoiding for some time. With her favorite chef (S.Z. Sakall) along to serve up the meals she thinks she has it handled.
With Stanwyck and Morgan supplying the romance and Greenstreet, Sakall and the inimitable Una O’Connor as Gardiner’s housekeeper supplying most of the laughs, you can easily figure out how it will end, but unless you’ve seen it before you won’t be able to anticipate all of the unexpected situations that encounter along the way.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
(dir. Steven Spielberg) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – I didn’t first see this film until many years after its initial release. Science fiction is dominant in my list because there are so many fascinating and compelling stories to be told that they deserve some measure of recognition. While Close Encounters isn’t exactly a riotously funny film, it’s a tense and entertaining picture of obsession and unwavering belief. It isn’t perfectly situated on the popcorn spectrum, but I’m giving it an edge into my final ten.
Contact (1997)
(dir. Robert Zemeckis) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Anyone who’s ever felt a passion for space travel or the international space programs will immediately identify with this wonderful film about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Ostensibly about the convergence of science and faith, there’s something a bit more miraculous at play. This is a film that toys with the notion of belief without proof, yet it’s ultimately about perception versus reality. Angela Bassett’s private conversation with James Woods at the end of the film is still one of the most memorable and perfect scenes in cinema.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
(dir. Robert Wise) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – One of cinema’s greatest science fiction dramas, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a powerful indictment of the Cold War, released as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were perilousoly high. An alien arrives to tell the citizens of Earth that if they cannot achieve peace, they will be destroyed. It’s a fascinating film with plenty of socio-political commentary and a great deal of content that sparks the imagination.
Deadpool (2016)
(dir. Tim Miller) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – This film was just released earlier this year and quickly made it on to a list of favorites. From the spot-on opening credits, the film was a riotous, foul-mouthed delight, anchored by a perfect Ryan Reynolds. I would say that it easily was his best performance to date, and he gets to run through all sorts of emotions which he does well. Truthfully, I had been getting tired of the Marvel universe, but this film single-handedly made it all worthwhile. A sequel has already been announced, and I am looking forward to it.
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
(dir. Stanley Kubrick) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War comedy masterpiece examines an alternate future where nuclear annihilation is not only possible, but imminent. Peter Sellers is oustanding in three roles: the dutiful Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake tasked with trying to talk the certifiably insane General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) out of his crazy plan; the bumbling U.S. president Merkin Muffley who tries to cajole the reticent Soviet leader into not retaliating when the nuclear bomb is certain to be dropped; and Dr. Strangelove, an ex-Nazi scientist who must help arrive at a solution to prevent the annihilation. There are few comedies about war that are as funny or as politically astute as this one.
Easter Parade (1948)
(dir. Charles Walters) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – There have been more musicals built around the Irving Berlin catalogue than that of any other composer. You can’t go wrong with any of them from 1938’s Alexander’s Ragtime Band to 1942’s Holiday Inn to 1946’s Blue Skies to 1954’s There’s No Business Like Show Business and White Christmas, but this 1948 classic is the one that I watch most often. Fred Astaire, a last minute replacement for Gene Kelly, and Judy Garland are simply terrific in their only film together.
Musical highlights of the film include Peter Lawford’s “A Fella with an Umbrella,” Ann Miller’s “Shakin’ the Blues Away,” Astaire’s “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” Garland’s “Better Luck Next Time,” and Garland and Astaire’s duets on “A Couple of Swells” and the title song. For pure musical bliss, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
(dir. Doug Liman) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – This Tom Cruise flick has both action and some interesting concepts with a character that ends up in a time loop every time he is killed. He slowly has to figure out how to survive for longer and longer so he can complete his mission. It is a neat premise, but it was brought to life by good writing and direction and strong performances by Cruise and a buffed up Emily Blunt. I don’t think it was as big a hit as it should have been and some people may be over Tom Cruise, but it is worth checking out.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
(dir. Joe Dante) Commentary By Tripp Burton – The story goes that Joe Dante was resistant for years to work on a sequel to Gremlins until he was finally given a gigantic budget and complete creative control over the project. What was left was one of the most chaotically marvelous examples of unbridled creative ego in Hollywood history. A blender filled with self-parody, Looney Tunes-inspired anarchy, and a kitchen sink of movie monsters, Gremlins 2: The New Batch breaks almost every rule in the book intentionally and with fondness. It is funny, creepy, and exciting. It is also a scathing satire on cable TV, mass media, Donald Trump, and the first Gremlins movie, which you might think makes it ineligible as a popcorn movie; it is trying for something more than just laughs. Dante doesn’t dig deep, though. Every statement is broadcast in exploding neon lights and is less a statement and more a chance for another cheap gag. It’s a film that never gets old, is surprisingly not as dated as its contemporaries, and so detailed that something new pops out of the film every time you watch it.
The Hanging Tree (1959)
(dir. Delmer Daves) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Gary Cooper’s last western was also one of his best. He plays a doctor whose wife and brother died in a suicide-murder in which his involvement is not made clear. Newly relocated to a gold mining camp, Cooper rescues a petty thief (Ben Piazza) from a hanging and makes him his bond servant. He later rescues a German immigrant (Maria Schell) left burnt and blind in a stagecoach robbery. Wary of one another at first, the trio bands together to stave off the likes of villains Karl Malden and George C. Scott.
Although the film was directed by Delmer Daves, it is very much in the spirit of the hard-hitting Anthony Mann-James Stewart westerns that dominated the genre in the 1950s before the star and director had a falling out and Cooper took over for Stewart in Man of the West. The Oscar-nominated title song sung by Marty Robbins is an added bonus.
Harry Potter franchise (2001-2011)
(dir. Chris Columbus (1 & 2), Alfonso Cuaron (3), Mike Newell (4) David Yates (5-8)) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – The magical world of Harry Potter as created by J.K. Rowling left millions of readers, young and old, captivated by the Boy Who Lived. As the young wizard grows up in attendance of Hogwarts School of Witchcrat and Wizardry, we grow up with him. Facing off against one of the darkest, most vile villains in literary history, the films take us into the books’ world with confidence and rich imagination. These films are as fun as they are important examinations of the difficulties of growing up.
Independence Day (1996)
(dir. Roland Emmerich) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Perhaps the best popcorn movies reach you at the right age, and Independance Day is certainly one of those for me. I was 14 when the movie came out, right at the time when explosions and cheap laughs play best. I saw it multiple times in the theatre and then on a constant stream of HBO showings for most of my high school years. To this day, if the movie comes on, we put popcorn in the microwave and get sucked right back into it. Independance Day does what so many of the best popcorn disaster movies do: it makes no pretensions about what the movie is about, fill it with a lot of welcome faces, go all out on the special effects and action, give us enough character development to let us care about what is happening on screen, and pepper it with some witty lines that come from those characters and not a joke book. Twenty years later (and on the eve of a long-awaited sequel), it still holds up as a raucous ride and one of the defining films of its type.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
(dir. Steven Spielberg) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Look at any list of popcorn movies and the work of Steven Spielberg is strewn all over it. Spielberg’s greatest trick, though, is how layered his entertainment is and how much deeper the films probe than they seem to on the surface. I am hesitant to put Jaws or Jurassic Park on this list because Spielberg is too smart to not populate his popcorn with something more substantial. If I had to pick one of his films, though, and I felt like I had to, nothing says Spielberg popcorn more than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. For the third Indy saga, Spielberg adds in more one-liners, chase scenes and stock characters (as well as revisiting some fan favorites from the first film). Whereas most Spielberg films stop to let the characters rest and reflect every now and then, The Last Crusade never stops and never cuts Indy or his father a break. It leads to one of Spielberg’s most underrated works, an adventure that is funny, touching, timeless, consistent and never gets old.
Iron Man (2008)
(dir. Jon Favreau) Commentary By Tripp Burton – As the Marvel movies (and superhero movies in general) get more and more self-important, and consistently find the need to top each other in terms of mindless action and incomprehensible destruction, I find myself nostalgic for the first Iron Man film more and more. The film that launched the entire franchise had little patience for fitting into a grand scheme or destroying everything in sight. Instead, it relied almost solely on the charm of Robert Downey Jr. and his chemistry with his castmates, filled the film with throwaway jokes, and kept the action limited and effective. If more superhero films would follow the Iron Man model, perhaps they would be a little easier to swallow.
Jurassic Park (1993)
(dir. Steven Spielberg) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences in the cinema, but none have been more memorable than sitting down for the first time to see Jurassic Park. Seeing it in the theater was a truly magical experience. The film feels fairly straight forward at first, but as John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) brings his experts (Sam Neill, Laura Dern & Jeff Goldblum) into the park the first time, John Williams’ joyous score evokes pure emotion from the audience as we see the dinosaurs for the first time. That enormous moment is cemented in cinema history as not only a pristine example of movie magic, but of how CGI technology could create new worlds and bring creatures to life as we had never seen them before. The rest of the film is a thrilling, roller coaster ride and has aged incredibly well in the last two decades.
Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – This Steven Spielberg film hits many right notes as it goes from wonder to terror. The first images of dinosaurs roaming the island were truly awe inspiring, and the film deservedly won the Oscar for Visual Effects. Never had dinosaurs been brought to life so well that you could picture them actual existing. Some of the tropes are a little too trite, the children will survive, however implausibly, and the evil man will get chomped by the t-rex, but it is an enjoyable film, though a little too tense for the number of children that were in the audience. The rousing score by John Williams has been used as a backdrop for everything from ice skating program to presidential speeches.
The Lego Movie (2014)
(dir. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller) Commentary By Tripp Burton – The Lego Movie is the film I had the hardest time including as a popcorn movie because there is definitely a deeper message the filmmakers are reaching for at the end of the film. However, once it starts reaching for something more is when the film starts to lose me. It doesn’t succeed thematically, but it sure succeeds creatively. At its best, for the first 90 minutes, The Lego Movie is a brilliant amalgamation of everything pop culture in a whirlwind adventure. It is funny, inventive, bright and catchy and a triumph of smartly made, mindless entertainment.
Men in Black (1997)
(dir. Barry Sonnenfeld) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – Like with Pirates of the Caribbean, the first film of the series was inspired and surprising. The idea that the government is hiding the fact that aliens live among us is the stuff of conspiracy theories, but this film does not take it seriously and spoofs the whole idea. A deadpan Tommy Lee Jones and a wide-eyed Will Smith as his new partner make an effective team. It is not a perfect movie, but the Oscar-winning makeup helps make it worth seeing.
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
(dir. Henry Koster) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – James Stewart and Maureen O’Hara are at their comedic best in this light comedy in which businessman Stewart plans a romantic summertime getaway with wife O’Hara, but she insists on a family vacation complete with their teenage daughter (Lauri Peters), young son and even their married daughter (Lili Gentle), her college professor husband (John Saxon) and their spoiled brat to whom they never say “no”. The place they rent is a rat trap and the hired German housekeeper (Minerva Urecal) has a limited command of the English language.
The film’s supporting cast includes Fabian as Peters’ love interest, John McGiver and Marie Wilson as kooky birdwatchers, and Reginald Gardiner as O’Hara’s old flame. Urecal’s housekeeper gets the film’s biggest laugh when she misinterprets Stewart’s request of his young son to join him for a little “sun on the beach” as his calling her a “son of a bitch”.
The Muppet Movie (1979)
(dir. James Frawley) Commentary By Tripp Burton – 35 years later, the original film adventure of the Muppets captivates my kids as much as it does me. It is a timeless piece of pop entertainment, keeping the modern references to a minimum and ratcheting up the exquisite song score and physical gags. It is filled with one great sequence after another, from “The Rainbow Connection” to Steve Martin as a waiter to a giant Animal to everyone sitting down and reading the script of the movie they are in the middle of. At their best, though, The Muppets have always transcended the cheap jokes they thrive on, and The Muppet Movie is at its best when it pauses and lets the felt characters become three-dimensional.
North By Northwest (1959)
(dir. Alfred Hitchcock) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Alfred Hitchcock filmed many thrillers, some of them more popular than this, but for edge of your seat excitement, there are none as perfect as North By Northwest. Most often, Hitchcock focused on enclosed spaces, people trapped in environments where escape is difficult. Here, he expands his wheelhouse into the open air and shows us that even when not confined to tight places, danger is everywhere. Hitchcock created some of cinema’s most iconic scenes and North By Northwest boasts two of them: the country road crop duster sequence and the conflict on Mount Rushmore.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2006)
(dir. Gore Verbinski) Commentary By Tripp Burton – It is hard to believe, but when the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, it seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. So what a surprise to all of us that it was an entertaining, almost old-fashioned, romp led by an amazing central performance from Johnny Depp. The film was more lively and funny than a film based on a theme park ride should have been, and balanced its unique blend of humor with impressive action sequences and impeccable production design. The series unfortunately proved that bigger is not better, and that not every film needs to dig deep into a mythology, and that the best popcorn movies keep the stories simple and their characters lively.
Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – I tend to forget how good Johnny Depp can be as an actor, but he was a riot as Captain Jack Sparrow in the original Pirates of the Caribbean. I had wondered why Disney was making a movie out of one of their rides, but this film showed how successful it could be for them. None of the sequels ever lived up to the glorious strangeness and humor of the original. Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom offer pretty window dressing, but Depp’s witty and Oscar-nominated performance is the main reason to see this film.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
(dir. Franklin J. Schaffner) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – The original of the series starring a young Charlton Heston still remains a fascinating film. Astronauts land on a planet and are aghast to find it run by apes. Brilliant makeup and affecting performances (especially by Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter) make this a winner. The sequels were never as good, but I did enjoy them growing up. And surprisingly the reboot and its sequel were also quite good. It has held up well, down to the haunting and iconic final image.
Pollyanna (1960)
(dir. David Swift) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – If 12-year-old Hayley Mills doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart as the little orphan girl in this beloved film, you don’t have a heart. This and her follow-up Disney classic The Parent Trap are the studio’s live action films at their zenith, topped only by Mary Poppins three years later. Despite her tragic early life, the girl sees only the good in her cold, spinsterish aunt (Jane Wyman) and a town filled with embittered eccentrics played by the likes of Karl Malden, Donald Crisp, Adolphe Menjou and Agnes Moorehead.
Mills won the last of the juvenile Oscars handed out to the cream of Hollywood’s child actors beginning with Shirley Temple at the 1934 awards ceremony and continuing with Mickey Rooney, Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Peggy Ann Garner, Ivan Jandl and others. You’ll wish you could give her an award, too.
Romancing the Stone (1984)
(dir. Robert Zemeckis) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – Part action, part chick flick, but all thoroughly enjoyable. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas practically spark off each other, their chemistry is so good. A romance book writer’s dull life suddenly takes on the dimensions of one of her plot lines, complete with a handsome, wisecracking hero. It’s a wild romp with a wonderfully romantic ending. Enjoy this one and skip the sequel.
Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
(dir. Mark Burton, Richard Starzak) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Aardman has long been in the business of making cleverly funny animated films, most famously the Wallace and Gromit series, but nothing prepared me last year for the delightfully charming Shaun the Sheep Movie. A completely silent throwback to the films of Keaton, Chaplin or Harold Lloyd, this fast-paced chase film is a constant visual treat. It fills in more gags per frame than most any other film in decades, but does so in a very gentle, family friendly way. A great popcorn movie never overstays its welcome, and Shaun the Sheep Movie knows how to get in and out quickly and with intelligence and wit.
Shenandoah (1965)
(dir. Andrew V. McLaglen) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – James Stewart gives his last great performance in this Civil War classic in which he plays a peace-loving widowed Virginia farmer who is drawn into the war when the youngest of his seven children, 16-year-old Phillip Alford, is mistakenly taken prisoner by union soldiers. He rides out to his rescue with four of his older five sons, his daughter, and the daughter’s confederate army officer husband to rescue him. His second-born son and his wife (Patrick Wayne, Katharine Ross) stay behind awaiting the birth of their child.
This was the best film director McLaglen (Victor McLaglen’s son) ever directed and was made into a stirring Broadway musical starring John Cullum a decade later. Stewart’s one-sided graveside chats with his late wife are a highlight and the rousing ending, in a church no less, are clearly the influence of McLaglen’s mentor, John Ford.
Speed (1994)
(dir. Jan de Bont) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – Keanu Reeves has never been my favorite actor, but he worked well with Sandra Bullock to create a tense and memorable movie. This was her breakout role and she commanded the screen as a bus driver who ends up having a truly horrible day. Dennis Hopper makes a wonderful villain. It’s not deep, but it sure was a fun ride.
Star Trek: TV Casts films (1979-2002)
(dir. Robert Wise (1), Nicholas Meyer (2, 6), Leonardy Nimoy (3, 4), William Shatner (5), David Carson (7), Jonathan Frakes (8,9), Stuart Baird (10)) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Even your favorite franchises have rough patches (1, 5, 9, 10), but when the series hits its high points (2, 4, 6, 8), it truly soars. That’s the case with the first ten film voyages of the crews of the Original Series and The Next Generation of Star Trek. The reboot has left me unimpressed, so they don’t deserve inclusion here. There are few more thrilling experiences than seeing the grand adventures set forth in The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country and First Contact to remind you of how potent the Star Trek franchise has been over the years.
Superman (1978)
(dir. Richard Donner) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – No list of popcorn flicks in this day and age would be complete without at least one comic book or superhero influence, and in Richard Donner’s epic Superman we get both as he sets the formula for those that follow. In Christopher Reeve’s awkward Clark Kent and bemused Superman we get just the right touch needed to bring the character to life on the big screen. Margot Kidder as Lois Lane is almost his equal and the two were successfully paired in Richard Lester follow-up film, Superman II three years later.
Unfortunately the final two films in the Christopher Reeve Superman franchise were not up to par, but in their wake came Batman, Spider-Man, and so many more that followed the same franchise pattern, starting out good, but ending poorly only to be revived again and again to mixed results.
Tremors (1990)
(dir. Ron Underwood) Commentary By Thomas LaTourrette – A group of people in a lonesome valley are being terrorized by giant carnivorous worm-like creatures. It sounds like a bad 1950’s movie, but it was a tongue-in-cheek homage to that type of film. Kevin Bacon has fun as a rough hero who is smarter than he looks. Michael Gross and Reba McEntire are a riot as gun-toting survivalists. It may not be the least bit believable, but it sure is fun to watch.
X-Men franchise (2000-2016)
(dir. Bryan Singer (1,2,DoFP,A), Brett Ratner (3), Matthew Vaughn (FC)) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – After the colossal collapse of the Batman franchise in the 1990s, no one was certain comic book adaptations were very viable. X-Men changed that when it was released in 2000. A box office success that spawned a sequel and paved the way for the epic debut of Spider-Man, the consistency of quality in the X-Men films puts everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to shame. Excluding the stand-alone Wolverine and Deadpool movies, the series has been top-notch with a lone exception: The Last Stand. Few franchises have been able to deliver consistent excitement and entertainment the way this franchise has.
Wesley’s List |
Peter’s List |
Tripp’s List |
Thomas’ List |
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