It has been a couple of weeks since I have done one of these, mainly because the topics were ones that I would have struggled to fill out a list.

Then, here comes this week.

The Top 10 Show, featuring John Rocha and Matt Knost, had an episode this week with the top Top 10 MCU Action Scenes.  Of course, here comes a topic where I can easily find ten scenes… and actually way more than 10.

So I did keep to the same general rule that John and Matt followed:  No more than one scene from any one movie.  This was very tough because there were a bunch of films that had multiple possible choices (I had three from Winter Solder in consideration).

Starting off…

#10.  Bruce Banner chased around Rio de Janeiro (The Incredible Hulk).  I wanted to include this one because it is the forgotten MCU film and it is really decent.  While I think they hit the jackpot with Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton was great here.  There was excitement as Thunderbolt Ross and the military pursued Banner on foot across the city.  This was a great deal as we see how Banner desperately tried to prevent himself from Hulking out.

#9.  Spidey embraces his “Peter Tingle” (Spider-Man: Far From Home).  Spider-man arrives in London and winds up facing off with Mysterio.  But what is he seeing?  What is real?  Finally, Spidey closes his eyes and trusts his Spider-Sense (aka Peter Tingle) to dodge his way through the army of drones.  It is a perfect example of Spider-Sense and is a thrilling sequence as we see Peter progress to become Spider-Man.

#8.  Dr. Strange fights as time is reversing (Doctor Strange).  I thought about the Dormammu moment of Dr. Strange, but this is visually such a brilliant moment in the third act of Dr. Strange that it had to make this list.  It is one of the most original scenes in any MCU film and you were never sure what was going to happen.  Plus, it really highlights the importance of the Time Infinity Stone and how important it would be as these films progressed.

#7.  Spider-Man saves his friends in the Washington Monument (Spider-Man: Homecoming).  Homecoming was another tough choice because of the number of great scenes, but this one really gives the example of who Spider-Man was.  The leap off of the Washington Monument, the hooking of the helicopter with his web-line and his crashing through the small window.  It highlighted how much of a hero Spider-Man is and it announced him to the world.

#6.  Guardians Jailbreak (Guardians of the Galaxy).  The whole team gets together for the first time in a space jail and their subsequent escape from the jail shows how quirky and intriguing these characters are.  There is great humor, exciting moments and top notch character examples found in the scene.

#5.  Battle of New York (Avengers).  This was such a fantastic scene, that allowed each member of the Avengers to have a spotlight on them.  We see the leadership and presence of Cap, the power and rage of Hulk, the precision of Hawkeye, the bravery of Black Widow, the wit of Iron Man, and the arrogance of Thor, even now hoping to change the mind of his brother Loki.  We also got this iconic moment with the six Avengers in a circle, looking at the chaos around them.  This worked so well that it brought this film to a new level and helped paved the way for the bigger, more widespread battles to come.

#4.  Thanos on Titan (Avengers: Infinity War).  This is another tough choice, but the group of heroes on Titan (Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Spidey, the Guardians of the Galaxy) almost had stopped him.  They nearly had the gauntlet off.  It was in Spider-Man’s hands.  And then Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, who was overcome by his own rage over Thanos’s murder of Gamora, messed the whole thing up.  Then Thanos threw a moon at them.

#3.  Elevator fight (Captain America: Winter Soldier).  This was the moment I chose from Winter Soldier.  That was a real tough choice, but this is so iconic that it was echoed in Endgame.  Cap showed his amazing skills in this great battle and he showed his humor as well.  The odds were stacked against Steve Rogers and he came through with flying colors as the SHIELD/Hydra agents fell around him.

#2.  Airport scene (Captain America: Civil War).  This scene about halfway through Captain America: Civil War was breathtaking and set the standard for hero vs. hero battles.  The battle started slowly as these friends fought only to have it elevate to a high rate of stakes.  We get to see the first scenes of Spider-Man in battle, the arrival of Giant Man, Black Widow’s betrayal, Vision’s error, among many other moments.

#1.  Final Battle. (Avengers: Endgame).  Duh.  This was the easiest choice of any list I have written.  I do not think I have ever had more of an emotional reaction to any extended scene than I had in this movie.  I bounced in my chair as Cap caught the hammer, when Cap said “Avengers Assemble”, Iron Man and Spidey hug, the bad assness of Thor, Captain Marvel’s arrival, etc.  I had tears rolling down my face because I had never seen such a roller coaster of a scene.  When Cap stood up and tightened his broken shield to his wrist as Thanos’s entire army came forward, I was amazed.  The Russo Brothers crushed this and the last hour of the film was brilliant.

Honorary Mentions:  In Civil War, I considered the final fight with Iron Man vs. Cap and Bucky.  This was smaller than the airport scene but had every bit of emotion you could want.  I was close to putting the whole “Dormammu, I have come to bargain” scene on here from Dr. Strange.  In Spider-Man: Homecoming, when Peter is trapped in the rubble was another one that was nearly my choice.  Ant Man’s fight with Yellowjacket from Ant Man was on my list.  In Winter Soldier, I nearly chose the Cap on the ship at the beginning where he jumped out of the airplane.  There was also the battle on the highway where Bucky was revealed as Winter Soldier.  Thor: Ragnarok had several great moments too, like the opening with Surtur and the fight with the Hulk in the arena.  The car chase scene in Korea featured in Black Panther.

Back again to contribute my list to the Top 10 Show list.  This week, they chose a random year and listed their top ten movies from that year.  The episode featured Top 10 Movies of 1997.

When I was going over the list, I noticed that there are some holes in my own viewing from this year.  I have not seen L.A. Confidential, which was very high on both Matt and John’s lists.  There were some others that I have not seen:  Grosse Point Blank, Princess Mononoke (which is on the list to see), and a few others.  So my list will be different from John and Matt.

There are also some really great movies that I saw and liked, but did not make my top ten.  You can see those in the honorable mention section.

#10.  Wag the Dog.  Interestingly enough, this was number ten on both Matt and John’s list.  I have not seen this movie in quite awhile and listening to the guys talk about it, I added it to my list of movies to rewatch.  It feels like it is an important film to understand with the state of our political system today.

#9.  Scream 2.  Scream was such a revelation in the world of horror/comedy.  The sequel does a really great job of building on the success of the first film and bringing something original.  They brought another level of meta into the franchise with the introduction of the film “Stab” as a center piece of the plot.  This is cleverly written and constructed, with the central mystery effective in keeping the crowd guessing.

#8.  As Good as it Gets.  The film starring Jack Nicholson as an obsessive-compulsive author who is very mean spirited.  He gets roped into dog sitting his neighbor’s, who has been attacked and cannot take care of himself, dog.  This is the first step in sanding off the rough edges of this rotten man.  I rewatched this recently and I did not find it as charming as I did when it first came out, but it does provide a great performance  from Nicholson, as well as Greg Kinnear and Helen Hunt.

#7.  Waiting for Guffman.  Christopher Guest’s excellent mockumentary on the celebration surrounding the sesquicentennial of town Blaine, Mo with the creation of a musical “Red, White and Blaine.”  The arrival of former Broadway director Corky St. Clair brings a new level of excitement.  Waiting for Guffman brings together the troupe of improvisational actors that Christopher Guest has used before and gave them an amazing opportunity to show how talented they were.

#6.  Liar Liar.  This was one of my favorite Jim Carrey comedic performances.  I was never a huge fan of his early films, but Liar Liar tapped into a sweet spot.  I enjoyed the story, which uses that magical lesson type plot that worked for Big.  Some of the court scenes are simply hilarious and the sweet relationship between Carrey and his son (who had appeared on General Hospital before this) gave this movie its heart.

#5.  Hercules.  The Disney animated film may have been overshadowed by some of the other big time films coming out from the House of Mouse, but Hercules holds its own in comparison.  Taking the classic myth of the mighty Hercules and adapting it into the Disney family is a great idea.  Matt and John mentioned in their discussion of this film the classic villain that was Hades.  James Woods does an amazing job in this movie.

#4.  Air Force One.  Get off my plane!  Harrison Ford as the President of the United States sells itself.  Then throw in the villainous Gary Oldman as a Russian bent on taking over the plane and how could you fail.  1997 seemed to be a pretty good year for Oldman, who will appear on this list again soon.  This is just a great action film.

#3.  Men in Black.  The best of this film franchise, Men in Black had two great leads in will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and used their chemistry to great levels.  Sadly, none of the other MiB sequels came anywhere close to this.  Not only do we get Jones and Smith, but there is a fantastic villainous turn from Vincent D’onofrio as Bug, one of the most disturbing villains you are going to get in a comedy/adventure film.  Him wearing an Edgar suit… come on.

#2.  Good Will Hunting.  This is a great film.  An Oscar winning script from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.  It includes a seminal performance from Robin Williams.  The late, great Williams gave us a performance that was quiet and, very much, unlike his typical chaotic tornado-like work.  The film was based int he dialogue between characters and gave us a fantastic character-based story with a ton of real heart.

#1.  The Fifth Element.  One of my favorite films around, this Bruce Willis vehicle was an amazing, over-the-top film with insanity everywhere.  It was funny, exciting, and creative as could be.  This was still in the point where I loved Bruce Willis and everything about The Fifth Element worked for me. It is magnificently quotable.    I am a meat popsicle.  Leeloo Dallas Multipass.  Chicken…good.  Just some of the quotes that I use on a regular basis in my real life.  Gary Oldman appears here too in a fantastic villainous role as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, an antagonist that can build the tension without ever meeting the protagonist.  Milla Jovovich is transcendent as Leeloo.  Chris Tucker brings a wild humor to Ruby Rod.  The late, great Ian Holm is wonderful here too.  I love the Fifth Element.

Honorable Mentions:  Okay, there may be some controversy with the films I left off the list, but that is okay.  This is my list.  Feel free to make your own.  Donnie Brosco was the film I dropped off when I realized that I had forgotten As Good as it Gets.  I loved Donnie Brosco, but I have only seen it once and that was what cost it the spot.  I wanted to include The Game with Michael Douglas, but it did not reach the list either.  Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery is decent, but I never loved that film.  Boogie Nights is another that is a great film, but I do not go back to often.  I know it was high on Matt and John’s lists.  Demi Moore’s G.I. Jane was a strong film that I considered as well.

This week’s Top 10 Show came from a Patreon.  David Mitchell-Baker picked the topic and it was Top 10 Billion Dollar Grossing Movies.  There are 46 possible choices for this list.  I will say that, as you will see, I am quite a bit biased toward the MCU.  In fact, I probably had to drop a couple off the list just so there was space for some of the other films.

This was a tough list to compile as there are a couple of films that I thought would have made it, but didn’t.  There will never be a Transformers on this list (nor would Avatar…SPOILER).  Either way, the Honorable Mention section is going to be significant.

Here we go…

#10.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  The final installment in the Harry Potter franchise is a very strong conclusion to the magical series of films.  There are plenty of franchises that do not wrap up perfectly, but this film does it extremely well.  Part 1 does a great job setting everything up and Part 2 is filled with action and battles between Harry and Voldemort.

#9.  Jurassic Park.  This is the best of the series, by far.  The original idea was so spectacular and there was a magical feeling those first time we saw these dinosaurs.  It felt real and there was so much tense moments.  When those velociraptors are chasing the kids through the kitchen could not be more anxiety-filled.

#8.  Spider-Man: Far From Home.  I enjoyed this Spider-Man movie so much.  Peter heads to Europe on a class vacation and runs into problems with Mysterio and Nick Fury and so on.  Jake Gyllenhaal is so fantastic as Mysterio.  Everyone in our world knew he was going to be the villain of the film, but he does such a great job that even I wondered whether this was actually a flip the film was doing.  Tom Holland is great again.  Spider-Man is my all-time favorite super hero so this may be a bit biased, but I wanted to include this.

#7.  Skyfall.  One of the greatest James Bond films ever made.  I actually have it just behind Casino Royale on the Bond list, but Skyfall is so good.  It takes the Bond story in a different direction that other films did not.  It made it more personal than most of the Bond films.  Plus, Judi Dench is just amazing and her scenes as M are some of the stand out scenes.

#6.  The Dark Knight.  This is an amazing film, but I find it a bit overrated.  Understand, the film is brilliant, but I think some people have elevated this film ahead of what it should be.  A huge reason for that is, of course, Heath Ledger’s transcendent performance as the Joker.  Other elements feel a bit forced, but the Batman-Joker interactions are so tremendous.

#5.  Toy Story 3.  I love this movie.  It may be my all-time favorite animated movie. If it is not number one, it is certainly in the discussion.  I have said this before, but I truly believe that Lotso Huggin’ Bear is one of the greatest villains in movie history.  I can relate so much to his backstory and I totally understand why the strawberry smelling bear made the choices that he made.  The scenes with the toys in the incinerator actually made me think that Buzz, Woody and the crew were going to die.  I had anxiety in the theater during that scene because I thought that they were going to burn up.  Toy Story 3 is so epic.

#4.  The Avengers.  Okay, so we are starting the MCU run now.  Yes, there was Far From Home earlier, but the Avengers is special.  The MCU was such a risk and so many people did not think this was going to be possible.  How could you bring these heroes, who were in their own movies, together into one film and have it be effective.  Joss Whedon found the way because this was just feel good moment after feel good moment.  Had this not worked, what would have happened?  It worked like a charm and started the MCU into legendary status.

#3.  Captain America: Civil War.  The third film in the Captain America trilogy does so much.  Not only does it feel like another Avengers film, it feels very much like a Captain America story.  It goes from the bombastic airport scene to the smaller and more personal Cap & Bucky vs. Iron Man.  Zemo was very underrated as a villain too.  His plan worked and he was able to break up the Avengers.  It also brought Black Panther and Spider-Man into the MCU.  So much happening, but brought together perfectly.

#2.  Avengers: Infinity War.  Yes, the MCU hits keep a rolling.  Infinity War was such a great movie.  You thought that Civil War had a big cast?  Well, the Russo Brothers said “hold my beer.”  Oh, the Russos did Civil War too. Never mind.  Thanos finally comes from out of the shadows that he has been hiding in since the post credit scene of Avengers and he brought the kick ass with him.  Then Marvel went another step and had Thanos win the film.  The final shot was Thanos, sitting down and admiring his handiwork, which was “dusting” half of the population of the universe- which included Spider-man, Black Panther, Bucky, Groot, Dr. Strange etc.  The amazing film set up the franchise for what was coming next and built unbelievable hunger for the next installment.

#1.  Avengers: Endgame.  That next installment made almost 2.8 billion dollars and passed Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time, much because of the set-up done from not only Infinity War but also the previous ten years of films from the MCU.  Avengers: Endgame served up the most satisfying and thrilling conclusion possible.  The time travel is done so well and pays off things from every movie.  We get call backs from across the catalog.  Amazing writing.  Some of the greatest moments ever.  This is my favorite movie ever (up there with The Princess Bride).  I believe it deserved every penny that it earned.

Honorable Mentions:  I mentioned already that the MCU films such as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther, Captain Marvel.  I had originally written Rogue One in at number 10 before deciding to add the Harry Potter film instead.  I considered Star Wars: Last Jedi and The Force Awakens too.  Zootopia was not going to make this list, but it was a great animated film.  Finding Dory was another great Pixar movie as was Incredibles 2.  I really wanted to keep Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, but it just did not reach it.  Two Towers might have been a top 10 list had it passed the 1B.  Joker was another film that I thought, when I first started researching this list, would clearly be in my top 10, but it fell short.

.

This took some time to develop this list.  First, there was a problem with the link to YouTube for the Top 10 Show.  When I clicked on the video, it played a Topic Thunder episode instead of the Top 10 Jack Nicholson Movies.  I tweeted to Matt and he fixed it!  Then, I went through the list of his films and I was shocked with how few Nicholson films that I would include.  It meant that I had to watch a couple of the more well known films on his IMDB page that I had not seen to fill out the list.

In fact, I still did not see The Departed or Terms of Endearment so they will not make this list either.  I do not have an honorable mentions section because it took me to watch other movies just to get to 10.

#10.  Wolf.  Not my favorite film, but Nicholson was having fun as the werewolf.  This is a good example of a movie that probably would not have made this list except that I needed a spot.  I enjoyed monster movies and Jack is good here.

#9.  The Witches of Eastwick.  Nicholson gets to play around as a demon/devil and gets to have his fun with Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon and Cher.  And with the witches getting their revenge on him in the film, it gives the women power message.

#8.  The Bucket List.  The best part of the Bucket List, which is an under rated emotional film, is the connection between Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.  They are clearly the reason why The Bucket List is worth seeing. This movie became iconic with that term “bucket list.”

#7. As Good as it Gets.  This is actually one that I would have had higher, but I watched it recently and I had some issues with the relationship with Nicholson and Helen Hunt.  I just did not buy their connection as shown in the movie.  Yes, there are some great moments with them and the line “You make me want to be a better man” is fantastic, but I just feel as if it is more of a feel of an abusive relationship.  I do not believe it will last.  However, Nicholson and Greg Kinnear’s relationship is outstanding, easily the best part of the film, and the dog is cute.

#6.  Chinatown.  Here is one that I just watched for this list.  It is great that I was then able to check off one of the classic boxes as well. Chinatown is a great noir film with Nicholson as a private detective.  It might have been higher on my list but I am not sure how I felt about the tragic ending of the film.  Nicholson is exceptional in the role of J.J. Gettis and he carries everything involving this movie.

#5.  About Schmidt.  Here is another film that I just watched (today actually) for this list.  I really loved this movie with Nicholson as the widower trying to find himself after his wife of 42 years dies.  This is the type of film that I most likely would not have given much of a chance had it not been so high on both Matt and John’s lists on the Top 10.  I am very glad I got a chance to watch it and it does make my top 5 on this list.

#4.  A Few Good Men.  I love this movie and it might be ahead of some of the films above it on this list except the Nicholson role is more supporting than anything else.  It may be a lesser screen time role, but it is as impactful of a role as you are going to find.  His monologue in the court facing off with Tom Cruise is magnificent.

#3.  Batman.  I just rewatched this movie a couple of days ago when the Michael Keaton news came out and I am amazed how much the Joker role worked with Nicholson in it.  He is clearly having a blast acting out as the Joker and he perfectly plays the line between unhinged psycho and criminal mastermind.

#2.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  A great performance from Jack in the mental institution.  Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the best films in the 1970’s and it had a lot to say about the state of asylums in the country.  Fantastic ensemble cast, especially with Nurse Ratched, Louise Fletcher.  Nicholson, Fletcher, and Milos Foreman all won Oscars for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which also won an Oscar for the Best Motion Picture.

#1.  The Shining.  I have to agree with Matt (sorry John).  This is the greatest movie with Jack Nicholson in it.  The Shining was adapted from a book by Stephen King (who was notably disappointed with the film version).  Stanley Kubrick brought this version to the big screen and created a masterpiece that is iconic as can be.  The “Here’s Johnny” scene is known by everyone, even if they are not aware of The Shining.  It is a scary film too as we see this man slip quickly into insanity.  Nicholson brought everything to this role and was totally believe as a crazed killer.

It is Tuesday and so the new Top 10 Show has come out.  This week, in honor of the release of Pete Davidson and The King of Staten Island, the guys decided on the Top 10 Saturday Night Live Cast Member Movies.  There were a ton of possible choices here and there were a ton of choices that I was not going to include on my list.  Honestly, a bunch of these films are not my favs.

There are some rules that I had to follow.  One, the SNL actor needed to be the lead of the movie, not a supporting character.  If someone is in an ensemble, then there needed to be more than one in the ensemble.  Matt and John tried to focus in on comedies, but I did not use that as a qualification.  I also maintained one film per person.

So…

#10.  Uncut Gems (Adam Sandler).  This is one that I never thought would make my list because so hate Adam Sandler movies, but this is perhaps his finest performance.  It is a non-comedic performance, and he truly is great.  He deserved an Oscar nomination for his work, but that was denied.  I’d love to see more like this from him instead of the horrendous comedies that he involves himself in.

#9.  We’re the Millers (Jason Sudeikis).  This is one I wanted to include because it was such a surprise for me and I found it really funny.  Heading into the film, I was confident that I was going to hate this, but I laughed and enjoyed it to pieces.  It featured not only Jason Sudeikis in the cast, but also Jennifer Aniston.  They find themselves in some silly situations, but it has a good heart and is truly funny.

#8.  Mystery Men (Ben Stiller).  Here is the first real ensemble cast on the list in the comic book adaptation Mystery Men.  Ben Stiller is the lead character, but Janeane Garofalo was also on SNL.  I love the super hero aspect of this team up movie.  Such bizarre heroes such as The Shoveler, The Bowler, Mr. Furious, and Blue Rajah are great and they blend together with such chemistry.  Casanova Frankenstein is an epic villain and the shocking fate of Captain Amazing is perfect.  Mystery Men is truly an underrated gem.

#7.  Shrek (Mike Myers).  One of two animated films on this list, Shrek is voiced by Mike Myers (and of course, Donkey is Eddie Murphy too so if you want to claim this is an ensemble, there is that).  I enjoy Shrek more than any of the Austin Powers movies.  This is a great story of an ogre finding his truly love in a princess that he goes to rescue simply because he wanted to get other fairy tale creatures off his land.  Shrek was not you typical hero, by any stretch, but the film is full of heart and humor and characters that would stand the test of time.  Shrek is like an onion.

#6.  Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).  I originally was going to use Avengers: Endgame in this spot, but I decided that Endgame was too much of an ensemble and that Iron Man worked extremely well as a choice.  This is the film that kicked off the MCU and really helped to punctuate Robert Downey Jr. return from the dark side.  He went through a lot of personal demons, but RDJ came out the other side with the role that he would play in ten MCU movies.  He was brilliant in Endgame, but one could argue that Endgame would never have happened without his work on Iron Man.

#5.  City Slickers (Billy Crystal).  I just recently rewatched this film and I remembered how much I really loved it.  Billy Crystal heads out to the West to drive cattle as a way to get over a mid-life crisis.  The film is so well written and the interactions between Crystal and his cast mates are the strength of the movie.  The dialogue here is top notch and the performances are surprisingly great.  Who knew you could get emotionally invested in a calf named Norman?

#4.  Coming to America (Eddie Murphy).  Another one that I debated about because I almost had this be Beverly Hills Cop, but I think this comedic performance from Eddie Murphy is his best work.  He plays several other characters besides his Prince Akeem.  There are lots of great jokes and Eddie seems to really understand the character.  Working with Arsenio Hall, Murphy shows chemistry in the pairing.  One of the best comedies of the late 1980s.

#3.  Inside Out (Amy Poehler, Bill Hader).  The Pixar animated classic is one of my favorite movies around and the voice work from Amy Poehler as the lead emotion Joy is wonderful.  Again, with the ensemble cast rule, I included Bill Hader as Fear.  Bobby Moynihan is actually a voice here too.  Inside Out is such a perfect movie and brings such pure emotion and heart.  The scenes with Bing Bong are some of the most heart-breaking scenes in any movie, let alone animated movies.  Amy Poehler brings the character of Joy to life as she battles to try and help Riley find her way through her childhood.

#2.  This is Spinal Tap (Michael McKeon, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer).  Yes, all three members of Spinal Tap were regulars on SNL and this mockumentary from director Rob Reiner is one of the funniest movies ever.  The story of an aging heavy metal rock band from England making one last attempt at a tour of the States, telling the history of the band.  Remarkably quotable and fantastic music.  In fact, Spinal Tap put out a couple of records after the soundtrack and they even toured.  Spinal Tap played Wembley Stadium with Metallica.  That shows that they were not just a joke band.

#1.  Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd).  There is something strange, in your neighborhood… who ya gonna call?  Why Ghostbusters of course.  One of my all time favorite movies starring both Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd from SNL.  This is remarkably funny and includes a great action/sci-fi story to go with it.  Another absolutely great movie for quotations, Ghostbusters became an iconic film.  The chemistry and dialogue between the three main Ghostbusters (including Harold Ramis) carries a great deal of this movie.  Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis contributed to the film as well.  I will never forget that first moment of seeing the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man walking through New York City.  They have never reached this level of Ghostbusters since.

Honorary Mentions:  There were a bunch.  One of the SNL cast member who I do not like much is Will Farrell, but my favorite film of his was Stranger Than Fiction, which I considered.  I am not a fan of Anchorman at all.   Popstar with Adam Samberg is a film that too many people ignore and is really funny.  The Blues Brothers with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd was the final cut from the list and was dropped because I really wanted to include a couple others.  Fletch with Chevy Chase was a film that I have recently seen and enjoyed.  Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2 are both solid films.  I mentioned Beverly Hills Cop almost flipped places with Eddie Murphy‘s other film.  I considered Beetlejuice for Alec Baldwin, but he technically has not been a cast member.  He has only been a guest star to play Donald Trump.

We have a new Top 10 Show this week that perhaps the Academy should listen to because this week’s show is Top 10 Female Directed Movies, and the Academy has been reticent to seemingly nominate very many female directors.

But that is an article for a different day.  Today, we are looking at a group of movies directed by women.  I specifically did not include any movies where a woman directed as a co-director with a man.  I also tried to keep one film from any female director’s oeuvre, but I will admit to letting one director have two movies.  Those were just two really dang good movies though and I did not want to cut either one.

I listed off several films and so there is a healthy list for the honorable mentions.  Lots of these movies are more recent ones which shows that hopefully Hollywood is slowly making progress.

10.  The Babadook, Jennifer Kent.   This was the spot where I struggled because there were literally 4-5 others that could have gone here.  I have not seen the Babadook in quite  awhile, but I remember being quite impressed with it as a horror movie and also as a film with some interesting ideas to say.  There were some great creepy moments here and it is worth the watch.  Jennifer Kent has done another film recently that was just too powerful, too painful in The Nightingale that, while I could not get through it, showed how powerful of a filmmaker she is becoming.  The Babadook shows that as well.

#9.  Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Marielle Heller.  A great true story featuring Melissa McCarthy as a down on her luck author who started forging letter written by literary writers to help make money.  She became quite effective at the forgeries before eventually being caught.  Melissa McCarthy gave one of her best performances, as did Richard E. Grant, both of whom were nominated for Academy Awards.  Getting great performances from your actors is a key component of a director.

#8.  Mudbound, Dee Rees.  I found this one on Netflix and did not expect much.  I mean the Netflix movies are mostly average to below average.  This one stood out and was just totally beautiful.  This would be another effective movie to watch these days with the issue of racism being so prevalent in the world.  You can see the mastery of Dee Rees in every frame of the film.

#7.  RBG, Betsy West & Julie Cohen.  One of the most entertaining documentaries from a few years ago, this film gave us a closer look at the “rock star” RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court.  Ginsburg’s life history in some of the most engaging and interactive ways I had ever seen.  I actually saw this documentary at the theater and I was completely thrilled with the film.  It made me fall in love with RBG.  Long live RBG!

#6.  Little Women, Greta Gerwig.  I had to decide which Greta Gerwig film to include.  I did like Lady Bird, but I did not love it as much as so many others did.  However, I was remarkably impressed with the newest adaptation of the novel, Little Women.  Gerwig presented the material that has been seen in several films and other mediums in such an original and compelling manner than you could not help but be impressed.  There was a real chance that this film would be boring or repetitive, and neither situation happened.  She does a wonderful job creating this period piece and pulling out some amazing performances from the ensemble.

#5.  The Edge of Seventeen, Kelly Fremon Craig.  A coming of age film focusing on one young girl, played brilliantly by Hailee Steinfeld, and her problems at school, at home and with relationships.  She has a wonderful, funny and realistic connection with teacher Woody Harrelson and has issue when her best friend starts dating her brother.  It is funny and full of life.

#4.  Honey Boy, Alma Har’el.  The pseudo-biographical film of the life of Shia LaBeouf  featuring one of the best child actor performances I have seen by Noah Jupe is a film from Amazon that has been overlooked to easily.  The film deals with the relationship between child star Otis and his ne’er-do-well father James.  If you have missed this one, you can see it on Amazon Prime.  It is well done.

#3.  Big, Penny Marshall.  A wonderful look at the world of adults through the eyes of a child, Big sent Tom Hanks into the stratosphere.  There were so many moments of magic in this movie, including the utterly charming and epic fun moment on the toy piano/keyboard between Hanks and Robert Loggia.  You never once doubted that the adult Tom Hanks was actually a 12-year old boy.  His embracing of that role made this film special.

#2.  Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins.  The massive DC Comics hit that helped save that franchise, Wonder Woman was brought to the screen beautifully by Patty Jenkins.  Starting off with young Diana on Themyscira, this film built your lead character with a careful precision which helped the audience see Diana as more than just an Amazon warrior.  Of ocurse, the whole No Man’s Land section is some of the best film making in any comic book movie.

#1.  A League of Their Own, Penny Marshall.  Here is the one director with a repeat movie in the top 10 and I could not drop Big out, because this one was going to be my number one as soon as I heard the topic.  One of the best baseball movies ever made, A League of Their Own creates a group of characters that you love to watch, who are funny and who are very easy to root for.  Even the lesser characters in the ensemble receive their moments in the limelight and they all knock it out of the park (sometimes literally).  Tom Hanks is here again and delivers some of the best dialogue in any movie.  The entire scene of the “No Crying in Baseball” is a hoot, especially after he asks the umpire, who has taken time to chastise Jimmy on his handling of his players, if anyone told him he looks like a penis with a little hat on.  Even better than that, and I wonder if this was an ad-lib, was when Jimmy, after he was thrown out of the game for that comment, saying “You misunderstood me!”  LOL LOL LOL!  Brilliant work.

Honorary Mentions:  Okay, starting off was a film that was on Matt and John’s list, but not on mine.  Zero Dark Thirty is on my list to rewatch this summer because I found it boring in the theater and I even fell asleep a couple of times.  We’ll see if that is a film that I’ll like more the second time around.  Others I considered for the Top 10 list included another Kathryn Bigelow film, Point Break. This is another that I do not love as much as the rest of the world seems to.  Selma from Ava DuVernay was all about Martin Luther King Jr and showed him in one of the more realistic lights than we have seen before.  Chloe Zhao’s The Rider was well done and full of emotion.  Marielle Heller‘s most recent A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood featured Mr. Rogers.  Booksmart from Olivia Wilde, was another that lots of people utterly loved and I thought was okay.  The Farewell from Lulu Wang had amazing performances and a lot of powerful moments.

The final Re-List episode by the Top 10 guys was loaded up this morning.  It is a sad day as I have truly enjoyed these and I desperately wanted to participate.  Sadly, that was not to be.

The final episode list for the Re-List (re re re re-list!) was Top 10 Coming of Age Movies.  This was clearly a loaded category as 3 films in my top 5 were not even mentioned by either of the two participants on the Re-List this week.

According to Wikipedia,  “a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, film, and video that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood (“coming of age”).” There could be some arguments over when some movies are considered coming of age movies or not.  For example, Star Wars: A New Hope was included on one of the lists on the Re-List, but I have eliminated that as a possibility.  I could see an argument for it as Luke was certainly childish when we first meet him on Tatooine.  I just do not think there is enough of a focus on that to classify the film as a coming-of-age movie.  E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was another included that I just did not think worked for the list, despite the fact that I think it is a beautiful film.

So… for the final Re-List….

#10.  The Way, Way Back.  I saw this in the theaters and did not expect much from it.  However, it was such a great film.  Starring Liam James, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Amanda Peetm Rob Corddry and Maya Rudolph, among others.  The story focuses on the young boy who is struggling to find his voice over a summer where he goes with his mother and her new boyfriend at a beach house.  He goes to work at a local pool and he meets Sam Rockwell, someone he ends up looking up to.  It is a very enjoyable film with some funny moments.

#9.  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  This film would be higher up the list, but I had some questions about how much of a coming-of-age movie it actually was.  Maybe if you are looking at Cameron as your protagonist it fits.  However, this John Hughes classic was on the show’s list and I found it on many lists during my research, so I decided to include it.  No doubt that it is an absolute awesome movie.

#8.  Mud.  Two young boys meet up with Mud, played by Matthew McConaughey, who is hiding out on an island in an old, broken down boat.  Being chased by bounty hunters, Mud needs the help of the boys to get away and accomplish what he had come to the area to do.  Great performances, especially from young Tye Sheridan as Ellis.

#7.  Big.  Penny Marshall’s classic film about a 12-year-old boy who wishes to be “big” and he magically gets turned into a 30-year-old man.  The coming of age here is seen as the man, played brilliantly by Tom Hanks, goes about grown up life through the mind and the eyes of a little boy.  A movie full of charm and magic.

#6.  Eighth Grade.  A powerful movie that, as a middle school teacher, found completely relatable and realistic.  The first time I saw the scene of Elsie Fisher in the backseat with that teen boy, I was totally frightened for her.  I had so much anxiety and tension… proving how effective this movie was in setting up its situations.  Amazing how much director Bo Burnham got inside the mind of 8th grade kids.

#5.  The Karate Kid.  The story of Daniel LaRusso, an East coast kid who, because of his mother’s job, had to move out West to California.  He had trouble making friends and wound up on the opposite side of a group of bullies.  The answer?  Karate tournament, of course!  The relationship between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi is the cornerstone of this movie and the performances of Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita carry this film right up until that crane kick to the chin.  Banzai, Daniel-san! Banzai!

#4.  Sing Street.  Another movie that caught me completely off-guard with how utterly brilliant it was.  Stemming from money problems, Cosmo had to go to a new school and he had trouble blending in.  In order to impress a beautiful girl, he said that he was in a band.  The problem?  He was not in a band.   The creation of the band and the relationship he had with the girl was beautiful and deep.  The music was criminally overlooked too.

#3.  It.  Though it is known as a horror movie, the Stephen King classic focuses on the Loser’s Club, a group of outcasts teens who have to band together to fight off a killer clown.  The key element to the success of this film was the interaction of the group of kids.  They were real and relatable, even when they are doing supernatural things.  The key to the movie is the relationship with them and how they have to bond together and unite to stop Pennywise.  The sequel was just nowhere near as good as this film.

#2.  Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  Miles Morales gets bitten by a radioactive spider and winds up in the same place as this dimension’s Spider-Man, just as he is fighting to the death with the Kingpin.  Miles has to face the new powers that he is discovering and has to become the hero within to step up and save his world.  The hero’s journey that Miles goes on is beautifully written and perfectly punctuated by another Spider-man, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir and Penny Parker.  Such a beautiful animated film.  I love Spider-Man and I love this version.

#1.  Stand By Me.  One of the greatest Stephen King adaptations around and a film filled with fun, emotional beats and kids going through some powerfully dramatic moments.  Even still, they are able to view these moments through the vision of teenage boys.  The four actors involved in this film are perfectly cast and make such an amazing group that they play off each character brilliantly.  Each boy brings something different to the group and each boy has his own distinct character.  No time was skipped to develop each kid and the film benefits from that.  There are several moments here that bring tears to my eyes and the ending is both tragic and uplifting at the same time.  Stand By Me is a classic.

Honorable Mention:  As I said, there were a bunch that were fighting for that final spot.  Love, Simon is a wonderful story from a couple of years ago.  Edge of Seventeen had a great performance at its lead (plus Woody Harrelson is a too-relatable teacher role).  The Breakfast Club was one I wanted to make the list, but I just had to cut it.  The Sandlot is another one that is so great but just came up short.  The surprisingly good Good Boys was considered.  Disney’s Moana was wonderful.  There could be many Disney animated films considered, which was part of the reason why I eliminated Moana.  Lady Bird was a film a lot of people loved, but I thought was just okay.

Good morning.  It is time once again for the Top 10 Show.  This week’s show is Top 10 Fictional Movie Presidents.  I liked this topic because it goes into a different level that they can count down.  Characters instead of just movies.  This helps spice up the topics and there are some movies here that have not been mentioned much, if ever.

I was able to get to around 13 choices too, with the top 3 or so being clear choices for me.

Of course, the title is “fictional movie presidents” which eliminates such possible choices as Jed Bartlett (West Wing), David Palmer (24) or Tom Kirkman (Designated Survivor).  These would all have made a Top 10 fictional presidents list if TV was included.  It is not so they are not.

#10.  President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert), Monsters vs. Aliens.  One of two animated presidents on my list, Stephen Colbert is just fantastic as the president in this movie.  He was so awkward and odd and Colbert’s voice work is exceptional.  The character uses the look of Colbert as well and provides us with some of the best laughs in the movie.

#9.  President Arnold Schwarzenegger (Harry Shearer), The Simpsons Movie.  Yes, Arnold is a real person, but I would say, since this is not even Arnold doing the voice, this counts.  Harry Shearer voices the actor turned president from the Simpsons Movie and he does a wonderful job.  Shearer is amazingly talented, doing several of the voices in the Simpsons anyway and being Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap.  I have to say though this may not be quite as funny as it was with whom we have as president right now.

#8.  President Trumbell (Morgan Freeman), Angel has Fallen.  The third film in this franchise provides what I think was the best president (no offense to Benjamin Asher).  Morgan Freeman is just so presidential.  I believe that he is the president and that he has complete confidence in Mike Banning.  Morgan Freeman is epic in everything he does.

#7.  Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), Independence Day.  One of the more iconic speeches given by a fictional presidents was given before Bill Pullman hopped into his plane to fight off aliens.  I have this guy down the list a bit because I am not a huge fan of the character and the speech itself is overrated.  I actually agree with Matt Knost on this as he had Whitmore down his list as well.  I believe he belongs on this list, but #7 seems to be a good fit.

#6.  President Jack Stanton (John Travolta), Primary Colors.  Reportedly based on President Bill Clinton, this film does an amazing job of showing some of the shady maneuvers that he may have used, while also showing what a good man he was.  He wanted to help people.  He was full of empathy for his constituents.  John Travolta was great in the role even though it did not seem to be the right choice at first.  One could wonder how much of this film was actually fictional…

#5.  President Lindberg (Tommy “Tiny” Lister), The Fifth Element.  As a wrestling fan, I recognized him as Zeus.  So I loved it when he appeared in The Fifth Element.  He showed some skill (much more than he did as Zeus) and some comedic timing.  I am not sure if he was officially the “President of the United States” because the film is not specific and it is a futuristic story, but he made the Top 10 Show’s list, so he is certainly making mine.

#4.  Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline), Dave.  One of the first ones that popped into my head when the topic came up, Kevin Kline is outstanding as the presidential look-a-like who has to step into the job completely.  Dave is a fun and sweet film, despite the film being very implausible.

#3.  President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), The American President.  One of my favorite romantic comedies of all time, Michael Douglas has amazing chemistry with Annette Bening.  However, my absolute favorite part is when President Shepherd walked out to the briefing and delivered the most kick-ass monologue in presidential movie history.  It is what any or all presidents should aspire to and I just loved the honesty from this character.  I could see it being replayed constantly on FOX News being taken out of context.  Amazing work here.

#2.  President James Marshall (Harrison Ford), Air Force One.  I mean… Harrison Ford as President of the United States?  How much better could it be?  Just take him and point him at our enemies and let him kick some ass.  He also delivered one of the most epic quotes in presidential movie history with “GET OFF MY PLANE!”  Most presidents are reduced to being protected by Secret Service.  Nobody needs to protect Harrison Ford.

#1.  President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers), Dr. Strangelove.  The EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers played three separate characters in Dr. Strangelove, including the President of the United States.  He does so with such a perfect dull tone that you could absolutely picture him in this position.  His phone conversations with the Russian leader Dmitri is comedy gold.  Sellers delivers each line with the proper amount of dry humor and apprehension that drives home the humor.  He also has to deal with the craziness of George C. Scott and the “evil?” genius Dr. Strangelove.  Muffley had his hands full, no doubt.  Maybe that is why the world gets blown up.

Honorable Mentions:  I had to drop one off the list when I decided to include Arnold on the list.  That one was President Allen Richmond (Gene Hackman) from Absolute Power.  I already mentioned President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from Olympus has Fallen and London has Fallen.  Jamie Foxx was decent as President James Sawyer in White House Down.  

Sad new this week.  The Top 10 Show is going to stop doing Re-Lists.  I have been waiting for the chance to get to do one of these, but now it looks as if that opportunity is now gone.  Apparently there will be one more after this.  This week’s Re-List is from Nancy Mallory, James Leggett, and Bobby Carney. Nancy Mallory submitted the topic of the Top 10 Fictional Bars/Restaurants.

This is a fun topic and an original idea.  I was surprised as I was doing my research that there were as many as there were.

#10.  The Frosty Palace, Grease.  This was the tenth spot and it was in a fight with some others on my list.  However, this is my type of food.  Hamburgers and chocolate shakes.  Yum.  Plus, 1950’s music?  Great.

#9.  The Three Broomsticks, Harry Potter franchise.  This one you could actually visit.  Maybe not in England like the fictionalized one, but perhaps Universal.  I juts finished the Harry Potter franchise re-watch and the Three Broomsticks looks to be a great place to be together.

#8.  The Gold Room, The Shining.  What would be better than spending time over dinner and drinks by having a conversation with old spirits from the 20’s?  The Shining restaurant is a lovely part of the Overlook Hotel and should not be missed.  Very shriek..er …I mean..chic.

#7.  The Prancing Pony, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.  Another place where friends can gather for a pint and good discussion.  Sure there are hobbits all over the place, but there is nothing wrong with that.

#6.  The Cafe 80’s, Back to the Future II.  Back to the Future’s future restaurant with the 1980’s theme.  Where you can play some shooting games and get yourself a Pepsi.  Watch out for those trouble making kids with the hover boards though.

#5.  Rick’s Cafe Americain, Casablanca.  Dinner club with some awesome piano music.  Just remember that “a kiss is just a kiss.  A sigh is just a sigh” as time goes by.  It is a gin joint like no other.  Play it again, Sam.

#4.  Pizza Planet, Toy Story.  Where better to get yourself some pizza than at Pizza Planet?  It is a whole planet of pizza, for goodness sake.  You can also use the CLAW! CLAW! CLAW! and find an alien of your very own for your toys at home.

#3.  Mos Eisely Cantina, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  This might be a little higher on my list of it were not such a hive of scum and villainy.  You must always be cautious when dealing with a group of patrons who might shoot first and eat later.  The perfect location to find yourself a scruffy nerfherder for whatever questionable job you may have in mind.  Plus, there is live music!

#2.  Double R Diner, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.  Though this started on the TV show, it did make an appearance in Fire Walk with Me.  If you are having a hankering for a damn fine cup of coffee and a piece cherry pie in the place where pie must go to die.

#1.  Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Pulp Fiction.  This did not make either list on the Re-List this week and it is a major overlook (and I do not mean the Hotel).  How could you ignore Jack Rabbit Slim’s?  Great food and maybe a dance contest too.  Come and try the infamous $5 milk shake (although that price may have been raised because of inflation).  you ignore this restaurant with all of its ambiance and a dance contest too?   More 1950’s nostalgia …plus gangster wives.

Honorary Mentions:  There is a restaurant with a rat in the kitchen, but this one you want there.  It is Gusteau’s from Ratatouille.  I bumped The Maidenhead from Joss Whedon’s Serenity.  I just re-watched that film yesterday, but I wanted a shake more from the Frosty Palance.  The Raven from Raiders of the Lost Ark is not necessarily my kind of place, and I am not much for Chinese food so I would avoid Club Obi-Wan.

I just finished re-watching the James Bond franchise (which is a misnomer because I do believe that there are several of the films that I had not seen before) and I have compiled the EYG List of James Bond films.

Starting off will be my list of James Bond actors.  Quality of movie did affect my choices, even if the Bond performance was decent.  Here is the order:

1. Daniel Craig
2. Sean Connery
3. Timothy Dalton
4. George Lazenby
5. Roger Moore
6. Pierce Brosnan

Personally, I liked Brosnan as Bond, but his movies were ones I was not a fan of so he dropped down the list.  Roger Moore was my Bond growing up, but looking back, his list of movies were really hit and miss.  Daniel Craig is just knocking his brooding Bond out of the park.  Connery is just behind him for me.  Lazenby gets overlooked a lot, but I loved his movie.

James Bond Movies

#26.  Casino Royale (1968).  Awful.  Unfunny.  Waste of time.  I watched to have a complete list.  Never again.

#25.  Octopussy.  Ridiculous.  When Bond gets too campy, I check out.

#24.  Die Another Day.  Worst of the Pierce Brosnan films that I did not like that much anyway.

#23.  A View to a Kill.  Awesome theme song.  Um….

#22.  Moonraker.  Remember when I mentioned campy?  Bond in space.  Jaws falls in love and turns good.

#21.  The World is Not Enough.  Another Brosnan flopper for me.  I find these more boring than anything else.

#20.  Quantum of Solace.  Easily the worst of the Daniel Craig Bonds.

#19.  You Only Live Twice.  Japanese Bond.  Ugh.

#18.  GoldenEye.  Yeah, I know people love this one, but I just found it exceedingly dull.  Sorry.

#17.  Diamonds are Forever.  I’m not sure how many times Blofeld dies here.  The henchmen are dull.

#16.  Spectre.  This film on re-watch has improved from first watch.  Would have been much lower prior to re-watch.  Still a step down among the Craig Bonds.

#15.  Thunderball.  First Bond movie was felt lacking.  Underwater action galore.

#14.  Tomorrow Never Dies.  This is the highest ranked of the Pierce Brosnan films for me.  Most relevant villain to today’s world.

#13.  Never Say Never Again.  Another one that many people disliked, but I found good.  Connery comes back as Old Man Bond and I was in.

#12.  The Man with the Golden Gun.  Another one that a lot of Bond fans despise, but I enjoyed.  Loved Christopher Lee and Hervé Villechaize as the villains.

#11.  The Spy Who Loved Me.  Just outside the top 10, this movie matched up Bond with a female Russian agent and they were great together.

#10.  For Your Eyes Only.  This one and The Spy Who Loved Me battled for the #10 spot.  For Your Eyes Only won out.  It recaptured Bond for me after the idiocy of Moonraker.

#9.  The Living Daylights.  The first of the Timothy Dalton movies, The Living Daylights brought us a more serious and violent Bond.

#8.  Dr. No.  The first James Bond film was excellent and truly set up the franchise.

#7.  Licence to Kill.  The second and final Timothy Dalton Bond.  Helped bring the character out of the cartoon.

#6.  Live and Let Die.  Voodoo and black magic.  Lots of crocodiles and sharks.  Plus, Paul McCartney.

#5.  From Russia With Love.  A great train sequence that showed why Bond should not travel via train.  Great villain here too.

#4.  On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.  George Lazenby’s underrated film that develops the character of Bond and ends unlike any other Bond movie ever.

#3.  Goldfinger.  A classic.  Auric Goldfinger is one of the greatest villains in the franchise and Pussy Galore is one of the greatest Bond girls as well.

#2.  Skyfall.  This had been my number one prior to the re-watch.  I still love this film, as it is one of the most beautifully shot of all the Bond movies.

#1.  Casino Royale (2006).  During the re-watch, I found this so totally compelling and engaging that I loved every second.   The poker scenes were every bit as tense as the torture scene.  Casino Royale introduced us to Daniel Craig as Bond and the franchise changed forever.