Honorable Mentions:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Rocky II
Rugrats In Paris: The Movie
Paranormal Activity 2
Oldboy - (While technically the second installment of Chan-wook Park's "Vengeance" trilogy, none of the movie's plots or characters are connected to the other films. Oldboy is a sequel only in a thematic sense; it'd be like if I considered Casino a sequel to Goodfellas. Because of this, I'm not comfortable placing it on the list, but to answer a "What if?" scenario, this would be #3.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10) A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge - Welcome to the part of the show where I try to Freddy's Revenge is regarded by fans to be one of the worst entries in the franchise, sandwiched between the original and Dream Warriors, arguably the best. Freddy's Revenge gets flak for its '80s cheese and homoerotic undertones (Jesse/Grady slash fic, anyone?). However, like similarly maligned sequels Zelda II and Halloween III, Freddy's Revenge earns points for taking the series in a new direction. The movie takes a more psychological turn as Jesse (Mark Patton) feels he's becoming possessed by Freddy, not hunted by him. Throughout the film, Jesse finds himself in the dream world suddenly wearing Freddy's glove, almost driven to the brink of murder. Patton completely sells Jesse's spiral into madness in a slow, yet disturbed manner.deflect rotten produce thrown at me from Internet commenters.
Robert Englund is still menacing as Freddy Kreuger, and being a product of the '80s, the film bolsters his performance with state-of-the-art practical effects - the scene where Freddy bursts out of Jesse's exoskeleton-like skin is gruesomely fascinating to this day. Sure, the film indulges in a few too many pop montages and corny dialogue, but it's all part of the fun. Freddy's Revenge breaths life into what could've just been a cash-grab sequel, and for me and other fans of Freddy, this is where we became sure: we were all his children now.
9) An Extremely Goofy Movie - Most people have seen A Goofy Movie, the animated National Lampoon's Vacation/The Wonder Years crossover no one knew they wanted. Disney put their spin on suburbia, and told a story about a father and son trying to remedy their relationship as the father goes through a midlife crisis, and the son attempts to escape the father's shadow.An Extremely Goofy Movie is the same thing...done better. This film updates locations from high school to college, which I find to be the better move. Sure, Disney's parody of college life - the raves, frat boys, extreme skateboarders, hipster coffee shops, and of course, the classroom filled with thousands - is hysterical, becoming weirdly spot-on as my collegiate career develops. But college is also an environment of change, of re-evaluating one's place in the world, which is the film's focus and strength. Goofy's mid-life crisis worsens with developing "empty nest syndrome" and having to earn his degree to get a better job; Max, lost in the college environment and successful in the College X Games, is able to escape his father's shadow for the first time, but when Goofy enrolls, finds himself shoved back again. Both father and son are coming to grips with change and struggling to balance the past with the future, their needs with the other's.
As I grow up, I find these themes to be more pertinent, and the film serves as a reminder to re-evaluate the state of my own relationships and priorities to make sure what I want out of life is what I should be striving for. Not bad for a movie about anthropomorphic dogs.
8) Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Look at any list of best sequels, action, sci-fi, or '90s films, and you're bound to find Terminator 2 near the top of the list, if not in the number-one spot. It does what every good sequel should: improve upon the original, further story, develop characters, invent, challenge, and expand the movie's universe. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamliton) goes from innocent to soldier; John (Edward Furlong) goes from boy to man; and the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) challenges the notion of a robot's ability to be human, or to emulate humans, whatever one's interpretation may be.As a thirteen-year old getting into movies, specifically science fiction and action, T2 has everything: robots, shotguns, motorcycles, vintage Guns N' Roses, explosions, and one-liners. And where a film like Transformers features the same elements, I find what makes T2 not only work, but excel, is the craftsmanship. James Cameron and his vision, to push the boundaries of action and character and technology is what makes this work. Look at the father-son relationship between the Terminator and John; look at when the T-1000 phases through the prison bars; look at the motorcycle-truck chase through L.A. All these showcase a creativity, an energy that's meticulously built to create tension, to astonish, to have us, the audience feel sympathy. Judgment Day pushed (and still pushes) the standard for movie-making higher.
7) Shrek 2 - The day I saw this film was my last day of 5th Grade, when I had aced my classes with flying colors and my dad took me to see Shrek 2 in theaters, before, that night, dropping me off back at school for the "End of the Year" dance. I hold both the beginning of summer and the dance as highlights in my memory (especially my awkward, yet vigorous shuffling to Outkast's "Hey Ya!"), but when I look back at it, what really made my day was Shrek 2: a wildly creative, joke-a-minute comedy that takes the foundation of the original and blossoms it into a full cinematic world.Shrek had the titular character, Donkey, and Fiona; the sequel added Puss in Boots, the Fairy Godmother, Fiona's dad, Prince Charming, Pinocchio, The Big Bad Wolf, the Gingerbread Man, and the best dessert-based monster since the Staypuff marshmallow man, Mongo. The world boomed; somehow, from a swamp, woods, and two castles, we arrived at a Beverly Hills parody named Far Far Away, with enough puns to make even the snobbiest linguists chuckle, and as many references as you can think of, from Cops and Godzilla to the Little Mermaid.
And while other animated movies do this kind of heavy pop-culture referencing and bomb, Shrek 2, in the vein of its spiritual predecessor, Aladdin, never strays from the story or characters, which get even funnier, smarter, and more lovable. Not only is Shrek 2 better than the original, it's better by a country mile.
6) The Dark Knight - It's 'cause of the Joker. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is an exploration into the thin line between security and chaos, and analyzes both sides of the spectrum: crime-ridden anarchy vs. government-sponsored monitoring (replace Lucius Fox in front of that massive computer with George W. Bush and you'll get the idea). The movie's one of the most dialogue-heavy in the superhero genre, coming off more like a traditional crime drama than a movie about a costumed vigilante punching his way to justice. And for any other superhero movie, most recently Man of Steel and Fant4stic, this move would be suicide, but as I said, it's the Joker.Heath Ledger's Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor was clinched before his untimely death; his momentum transcends the movie above the level of...well, The Dark Knight Rises. Ledger embodies previous Jokers, mainly Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero, but brought a spin to the character. The Joker is a goofball, carefree. He's a maniacal gangster, but first and foremost, he's a sociopath, whose intelligence is his weapon. When he talks with Batman in the detention cell, we know who's in the right and wrong, but it's astonishing to realize, as the scene progresses, that the Joker is playing us, not Batman. If the world naturally leans towards anarchy, it only makes sense that one shouldn't fight this with pointless idealism, but rather join it. Though extreme, it's a realist view, and the Joker sells it well.
Of course, the film doesn't consist of solely seminars (no matter how much Nolan haters claim it does). The film belongs to the Joker, and in one standout scene after the other, he singlehandedly holds the movie up, and betters it as a result. Because of Ledger's work, The Dark Knight elevates Nolan's intelligence, ambition, and skill to masterpiece status.
5) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - The Lord of the Rings series is one I find myself re-evaluating every few years, and inevitably change my ranking of each film, because of whatever aspect of the film I tend to harp on at the time. As of now, I consider The Two Towers the best (ironically, the last time I thought about this, I placed it last).Here lie the best moments of the trilogy: the introduction of Gollum, the battle at Helm's Deep, the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog, Saruman's reign over Isengard, Legolas boarding down a flight of stairs while shooting arrows into fools, and my personal favorite: Sam's speech at Osgiliath, near the end of the film. Watch it below (spoiler-heavy, pull out your Kleenex):
Sam highlights the crux of the entire trilogy in that one line: "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for." Despite the misery and tragedy that surrounds our heroes, despite the insurmountable odds they face, there is always hope, and with hope, they push forward to defeat Sauron and the evil he's spread. Director Peter Jackson edits this scene beautifully, and guides the entire film, through multiple complex subplots and countless characters to arrive at this point, and when he does, it's as if the final puzzle piece has fallen into place. He has given us, along with the characters, a moment of ultimate clarity that provides the strength to believe in hope and win the day. This movie brings the entire series together and is able to shrink it to the size of a pin - clear, concise, and complete. A film like that deserves recognition.
4) Evil Dead II - The 1980's are the Golden Age for horror, where classics like The Thing and An American Werewolf in London used state-of-the-art special effects to create ghastly creatures, sickening transformations that would make audiences worldwide tilt their head, lean towards the screen, and ask "How?" Look behind the scenes and you'll see immensely creative and resourceful artists and builders at work, using puppetry, animatronics, camera tricks, and of course, gallons of fake blood to make the horror as real as possible.This is where Evil Dead II comes in. The first Evil Dead did a lot with a little, due to Sam Raimi's ingenuity with the camera and special effects (just take a look at that stop-motion melting scene), but in the sequel, Raimi turned the set into a madhouse, utilizing explosives, dummies, puppets under the floorboards and tables, and plaster molds to get just the kind of gruesome, or cartoonish, or unique shot he desired. In a chase where a demon crashes through both windshields of a car, Raimi's crew put a box around the camera and mounted it on a pole, ramming this through the car to achieve the demon's point of view without damaging the camera.
For fans of the film, check out this documentary that shows all the costuming and effects work done by Raimi and crew; you'll be stunned. If you haven't seen it yet, watch the film, then come back to this video.
3) The Empire Strikes Back - Well, it's about time this one reared its head. The Empire Strikes Back is regarded as one of the greatest sequels of all time, usually only placed behind The Godfather II. And honestly...it completely makes sense. Empire features some of the best moments in the original Star Wars trilogy: the battle at Hoth, the first showdown between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, Luke's training under Yoda, and Boba Fett. But these are just moments, and both A New Hope and Return of the Jedi can boast great, even greater moments. Why is The Empire Strikes Back not only a great sequel, but arguably, the best of all the Star Wars films?Empire raised the stakes, developed and added characters, improved on the effects and action like most sequels, but I think what makes it last is its willingness to escape the plot. In essence, Empire is simply a long chase, as Darth Vader races to capture and eliminate the Rebel Alliance and its leaders, our heroes. But the movie takes time to show more planets, presents different aspects to the Star Wars universe we weren't aware of. This is the first time "The Force" is really explored, revealing a layer of spirituality and mythology we weren't aware of. Yoda even asks Luke at one point to ignore his vision of Luke and Leia being captured, and instead continue his training. One can argue both ways, that Luke isn't ready to take on Vader and should wait, or that Yoda is being callous and Luke has a duty to save his friends, but the feeling that's left in my mind is an idea that the story is part of a larger whole. The movie's universe isn't indebted to the plot, and as a result, feels much more real, like our world.
What draws me into Star Wars, and similar series like Star Trek, Doctor Who, and even non-space themed properties like Avatar: The Last Airbender, is a feeling of exploration, that one can wander through a particular property's world and discover more stories, more characters, more ideas than originally intended or explained. When done poorly, the film becomes unfocused, but when it knows how to give hints of what could be "out there", the movie becomes more than a movie. It turns to a place I can let my creativity run wild and explore as many possibilities as I can. This is why the extended universe is so gargantuan, the movie facilitates and welcomes such exploration. And sure, Star Wars does this throughout all six (soon to be seven) movies, but The Empire Strikes Back was the first time that I felt that anything was truly possible.
2) Spider-Man 2 - Looky-loo, Sam Raimi makes a second appearance on this list. Spider-Man 2 is one of the greatest superhero movies ever made, because of its ability to balance the super with the hero, and make Peter Parker just as intriguing as the wall-crawler. It's the closest any Spider-Man film has come to fully capturing the difficulties a superhero faces, with or without the costume.Instead of thinking of Spider-Man as a superhero in the sense of Superman or Thor, a mythical being similar to a Greek god, think of him like a policeman, a civil servant who adorns his life with larger responsibility, a moral duty to the protection of his community. Superman and Thor struggle with their identities outside of being superheroes, but these moments serve to highlight how different they are from the rest of us, where Spider-Man's struggles highlight how similar he is. He works a crappy pizza delivery job, gets his homework done late, if at all, forgets about his girlfriend's play. Raimi infuses these scenes with humor, and Maguire's earnestness makes us sympathize with his plights.
That's not to say the film is laden with excessive dialogue or psychology; we see Spider-Man leap into action, stop bank robberies, save people tossed off of buildings, even stop a runaway train. Raimi's inventive camera work returns here; he feels right at home capturing the acrobatics of web-swinging, making for some of the most exciting, creative action ever seen in a superhero movie.
Alfred Molina's Dr. Octopus serves as a strong foil to Spider-Man; he serves as a window into a potential future for Spider-Man, one where his sense of responsibility, sense of duty to his community is gone, distorted by anger and misery. Molina is heartwarming and intense, furious while also pathetic; no villain in the series has ever come close to his range.
Spider-Man 2, while campy and corny at times, manages to treat the superhero like a character rather than an icon, and by doing so, humanizes Spider-Man better than ever before, providing audiences with a hero they can look up to. Cause if Spider-Man can earn his degree while pummeling crooks, who's to say you can't?
1) Toy Story 2 - Story time: as a kid (and even now as an adult), I was obsessed with Pokémon. I watched the TV show, played the video games, collected cards, the whole shebang. So when I heard that Pokémon: The First Movie was on its way to my local metroplex, I, as one would expect, lost my ever-loving mind. I begged my parents to take me, and after enough pleading, they relented. That Saturday, I grabbed a friend, hopped in the car, and rode for what felt like an eternity (probably only half an hour) to the theater. I saw the banner high above me: Pokémon: The First Movie. I bounced my happy ass in, waiting on the edge of my seat. You can imagine my confusion when the first shot of the film showed Buzz Lightyear.My parents had hoodwinked me; because my father's company had partnered with Disney/Pixar, they had organized a free pre-screening of Toy Story 2. In order to disguise this from other patrons, the theater flashed Pokémon: The First Movie above the screening room. I was taken for a sucker, and I was pissed...for about a minute.
Toy Story 2 isn't only my favorite sequel, but one of my favorite movies of all time, Pixar's crowning achievement. It's intelligent, hilarious, creative, emotional, philosophical, lively, and downright beautiful. It's a movie that gets better with age, and I mean this not to say that I understand more of the jokes aimed at adults, or notice clever homages and Easter eggs in the background (though I do), but rather, I find it amazing that a movie about toys, featuring cowboys, spacemen, and Mr. Potato Head, can make me wax poetic about mortality, and how to come to grips with it.
Honestly, the whole series, to an extent, has this elephant in the room: Woody and Buzz are toys, and eventually, will become relics to Andy, either ignored over new toys or interests, passed on to other children, or inevitably, thrown away. And while the first and third films seem to brush this off with friendship and the happy ending of Bonnie getting Andy's toys, Toy Story 2 takes the question head-on, leaving the answer to Woody's conscious choice. Jessie was abandoned by her previous owner; won't Woody? Will it be safer to him to stay in the museum and be guaranteed a peaceful life, or take the risk and the emotional benefits that come with experiencing a child's love?
When I watch the film, I end up applying this similar question to my life, especially as I grow older. I'm nowhere near old enough to have a midlife crisis, but it's strange how much more aware I am of my mortality with each passing year. There are choices I make in reference to the manner I live my life, with the knowledge it'll eventually end. Toy Story 2 uses its plot to parallel these choices and showcase the way one should arrive to such a conclusion, by absorbing multiple points of view, and as a result, make an informed decision on the manner in which one's life will go on.
Pixar's talent has always been to make a fun adventure, a great and grand story, and showcase simple, beautiful truths inside the movie. While I feel something like Inside Out does great with the emotions and big concepts, the story surrounding it is a bit underwhelming. Not so here: the characters are phenomenal, the plot is creative and complex, the humor always hits bulls-eyes. Like my parents, the movie hoodwinked me. It gave me an imaginative and blissful experience, but underneath the surface, showcased a powerful message, a strong reminder of what one should value in life. That's great storytelling and fantastic movie-making.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's a wrap. If you haven't seen any of these movies, they all come with a high stamp/seal of approval, definitely check them out. Again, I must mention this: thank you all who have read the reviews, commented, liked, favorited, etc. Your support means the world to me, and inspires me to continue with this little cinematic odyssey. I'm two years in, going on three, and hopefully, many more. Thank you all for reading; I'm the Man Without a Plan, signing off.
No comments:
Post a Comment