So if you don't already know by now... I LOVE MOVIES! I grew up in a family of self proclaimed "movie buffs" my self included, and film deeply influences my writing, drawing and the way I see the world in general. I am one of those guys who expresses his feelings to people by comparing a real life situation to something that touched me in a movie I saw. I once tried to express my feelings to a girl by comparing them to the way Baby felt about Johnny in Dirty Dancing.(not my finest hour) That's another movie my mom watched all the time growing up and a movie I always get sucked into every time it's on! I am a sick, sick man! Anyway, one of the things that always come up when I get into a deep film discussion w/ a fellow film fiend is the movie sequel... A lot people hate them( I'm speaking to you Leslie) I personally love a good sequel and I stress good! There is an art to it, and some when done right, even surpass the original.(very rarely) I am not putting these 10 sequels in any type of order and I have no doubt that I will forget to mention some good ones, so if I do please feel free to share! So here is my top ten sequels as I see them at this moment.
1.) Rocky 2: I know this will piss some people off, but Rocky 2 is a great movie! I have seen it countless times as well as the other films... Rocky 2 delivers the emotional power of the first film, by giving a the guy who had "nuthin"... everything... and then back to being a no good bum... I could seriously go on for years about why this is a great sequel but I will sum it up w/ 3 key moments... 1.) when Rocky asks Apollo if he gave him his best and Apollo simply says "Yeah." Hard to admit to any man that you rattled his confidence and even harder when you win, but you don't feel good about it. Plus, that is the moment you realize Apollo is actually a good guy. 2.) Adrian: " there's one thing I want you to do for me. Rocky: What"s that? Adrian: Win... Win! I don't even need to explain! That moment and line are so amazing! 3.) The ending w/ the rope climbing and count out. Some people hate this ending, but I love it. You see... If we learned anything from Rocky 1 it's that Rocky above all else is heart, from the way he treats Adrian, Paulie and Micky to the way he fights! He isn't the smartest and he isn't the most gifted Physically, but his heart is unmatched! Sure he fought Apollo to a stand still in the first film, but he could never on his best day out box him. This is why the ending is perfect. His will and heart that carry him through life, beat an athlete that is far superior, the only way he knows how... Keep getting up when life knocks you on your ass!
2.) Kill Bill 2: Here's the thing about Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2... I can't choose between them as far as which is better. They are both perfect films! I really wish Tarantino would release them as one film like he originally intended! Anyway, the film is just bad ass plain a simple. She punched herself out of a grave after being buried alive, rips the eye out of the face of her worst enemy, and explodes the heart of her greatest love, Bill, simply because she owes it to him after what he has done! Romance and bad assery at it's finest! Not to mention the amazing soundtrack! I have to say this too... I have talked to a lot of people about these films and normally people can't pick a favorite! That is a great sequel!
3.) T2: Judgement Day: This sequel is awesome because they took a unstoppable force of apathy and indifference and made him an unstoppable force of apathy, indifference and good. It just works so well...Cameron made a family movie inside an R rating. Sure, there are a lot of murders, but the kid does tell him that he "can't just go around killing people" if that doesn't scream family I don't know what does? And one more thing... Sarah Connor goes from helpless "Beauty" (Cause she was in the Beauty and the Beast TV show too:) to Brutal- Buff- Bad Ass!
4.) Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier: I know this is a new film and maybe hasn't been around long enough to be included on this list, but I think this film deserves to be here! It has everything a good sequel needs... Great action, deeper character study and development, awesome plot that was both unbelievable and timely, and by the end of the film every characters world has been turned up side down and shattered! Finally, I loved Cap 1, but Cap 2 is a perfect film and it surpasses the original... That alone makes it deserving of being in a top ten!
5.) Predator 2: Yeah, I know some of you think I am too intense about the Predator, but would believe my girlfriend loves him waaay more than me! I like this movie because it has something every smart sequel should have and that is a major change in the landscape and environment. We go from the remote jungle to a heavily populated city in future 1997... um... And our hero is a tired old cop played by the perfect tired old cop Danny Glover! I used to hate him and wonder why they cast him because he isn't always very believable physically in this role. BUT I think that is sort of the point... The only way to beat the Predator is to out smart him and to beat him at his own game. By the time they fight on the ship You believe it's possible for Danny Glover to beat this bad ass alien because someone has to lose and they are at a stand still. And then you see all the other Predators show themselves and instead of kill him they respect him! Awesome!
6.) The Empire Strikes Back: Basically... read last weeks top ten 80's film blog and you will know why this is on here. Other than it's a perfect film and has all of the qualities I have discussed thus far, in many ways surpasses the original.
7.) The Color of Money: This movie is a personal favorite... Some people may not even know or put together that it is a sequel to the Hustler... Anyway, I love checking in on where Fast Eddie ended up and getting another shot at playing pool on top again. And Tom Cruise plays a great tool in this film... Everyone knows a guy who is super good at everything and is an asshole about it and Cruise kills this part! It also mixes the old school w/ the new school, which is a great contrast to the original film... Oh and did I mention it's a Scorsese film? Nuff Said!
8.) Halloween 2 (original): I love this movie! I love that it picks right back off from where we were in the first film. And that it almost all takes place in a hospital of all places. This is where people go to heal and hopefully not die. We find out more about Michael's and Loomis' back story and everything is more bloody and more intense. It is a great sequel to a classic horror film!
9.) Evil Dead 2: In the words of my brilliant and beautiful girlfriend Hali... "It's the best sequel ever because it's basically the same movie as the first one only waaay better!" I think that sums it up nicely!
10.) Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan: This movie saved the Star Trek movie franchise after Star Trek: Motion Picture was panned and super long and some what boring. Richardo Montalban is one of the best villains ever on screen! He commits so fully to his part and you believe that he both despises and respects Kirk. He is just over the top enough to be incredible... The plot is very interesting and we find out Kirk has a son at the same time Kirk finds out. AND freaking Spock DIES! What more do you want in a sequel?
11.) Aliens: Now, Aliens almost made my list last week, but I went w/ Predator because I think it is a slightly better film and the Predator Hunts and Kills Xenomorphs. Anyway, Aliens has a lot of great stuff happening. Riley has been asleep for a long time and everyone she knows is dead (see great stuff)... They want to Capture and study the Aliens?!!!! What the hell?!!!! There's more action and better effects, a Queen Alien and there's one of the greatest lines in movie history... "Get away from her you bitch!" and said w/ such conviction! They cranked this sequel all the way up to 11 so it gets the 11th spot on my top ten!
Okay, there you go... I hope you enjoy this blog, mom. (I am implying that she is the only one who reads these) If you have comments or Movies you would add please let me hear them!
1.) Rocky 2: I know this will piss some people off, but Rocky 2 is a great movie! I have seen it countless times as well as the other films... Rocky 2 delivers the emotional power of the first film, by giving a the guy who had "nuthin"... everything... and then back to being a no good bum... I could seriously go on for years about why this is a great sequel but I will sum it up w/ 3 key moments... 1.) when Rocky asks Apollo if he gave him his best and Apollo simply says "Yeah." Hard to admit to any man that you rattled his confidence and even harder when you win, but you don't feel good about it. Plus, that is the moment you realize Apollo is actually a good guy. 2.) Adrian: " there's one thing I want you to do for me. Rocky: What"s that? Adrian: Win... Win! I don't even need to explain! That moment and line are so amazing! 3.) The ending w/ the rope climbing and count out. Some people hate this ending, but I love it. You see... If we learned anything from Rocky 1 it's that Rocky above all else is heart, from the way he treats Adrian, Paulie and Micky to the way he fights! He isn't the smartest and he isn't the most gifted Physically, but his heart is unmatched! Sure he fought Apollo to a stand still in the first film, but he could never on his best day out box him. This is why the ending is perfect. His will and heart that carry him through life, beat an athlete that is far superior, the only way he knows how... Keep getting up when life knocks you on your ass!
2.) Kill Bill 2: Here's the thing about Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2... I can't choose between them as far as which is better. They are both perfect films! I really wish Tarantino would release them as one film like he originally intended! Anyway, the film is just bad ass plain a simple. She punched herself out of a grave after being buried alive, rips the eye out of the face of her worst enemy, and explodes the heart of her greatest love, Bill, simply because she owes it to him after what he has done! Romance and bad assery at it's finest! Not to mention the amazing soundtrack! I have to say this too... I have talked to a lot of people about these films and normally people can't pick a favorite! That is a great sequel!
3.) T2: Judgement Day: This sequel is awesome because they took a unstoppable force of apathy and indifference and made him an unstoppable force of apathy, indifference and good. It just works so well...Cameron made a family movie inside an R rating. Sure, there are a lot of murders, but the kid does tell him that he "can't just go around killing people" if that doesn't scream family I don't know what does? And one more thing... Sarah Connor goes from helpless "Beauty" (Cause she was in the Beauty and the Beast TV show too:) to Brutal- Buff- Bad Ass!
4.) Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier: I know this is a new film and maybe hasn't been around long enough to be included on this list, but I think this film deserves to be here! It has everything a good sequel needs... Great action, deeper character study and development, awesome plot that was both unbelievable and timely, and by the end of the film every characters world has been turned up side down and shattered! Finally, I loved Cap 1, but Cap 2 is a perfect film and it surpasses the original... That alone makes it deserving of being in a top ten!
5.) Predator 2: Yeah, I know some of you think I am too intense about the Predator, but would believe my girlfriend loves him waaay more than me! I like this movie because it has something every smart sequel should have and that is a major change in the landscape and environment. We go from the remote jungle to a heavily populated city in future 1997... um... And our hero is a tired old cop played by the perfect tired old cop Danny Glover! I used to hate him and wonder why they cast him because he isn't always very believable physically in this role. BUT I think that is sort of the point... The only way to beat the Predator is to out smart him and to beat him at his own game. By the time they fight on the ship You believe it's possible for Danny Glover to beat this bad ass alien because someone has to lose and they are at a stand still. And then you see all the other Predators show themselves and instead of kill him they respect him! Awesome!
6.) The Empire Strikes Back: Basically... read last weeks top ten 80's film blog and you will know why this is on here. Other than it's a perfect film and has all of the qualities I have discussed thus far, in many ways surpasses the original.
7.) The Color of Money: This movie is a personal favorite... Some people may not even know or put together that it is a sequel to the Hustler... Anyway, I love checking in on where Fast Eddie ended up and getting another shot at playing pool on top again. And Tom Cruise plays a great tool in this film... Everyone knows a guy who is super good at everything and is an asshole about it and Cruise kills this part! It also mixes the old school w/ the new school, which is a great contrast to the original film... Oh and did I mention it's a Scorsese film? Nuff Said!
8.) Halloween 2 (original): I love this movie! I love that it picks right back off from where we were in the first film. And that it almost all takes place in a hospital of all places. This is where people go to heal and hopefully not die. We find out more about Michael's and Loomis' back story and everything is more bloody and more intense. It is a great sequel to a classic horror film!
9.) Evil Dead 2: In the words of my brilliant and beautiful girlfriend Hali... "It's the best sequel ever because it's basically the same movie as the first one only waaay better!" I think that sums it up nicely!
10.) Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan: This movie saved the Star Trek movie franchise after Star Trek: Motion Picture was panned and super long and some what boring. Richardo Montalban is one of the best villains ever on screen! He commits so fully to his part and you believe that he both despises and respects Kirk. He is just over the top enough to be incredible... The plot is very interesting and we find out Kirk has a son at the same time Kirk finds out. AND freaking Spock DIES! What more do you want in a sequel?
11.) Aliens: Now, Aliens almost made my list last week, but I went w/ Predator because I think it is a slightly better film and the Predator Hunts and Kills Xenomorphs. Anyway, Aliens has a lot of great stuff happening. Riley has been asleep for a long time and everyone she knows is dead (see great stuff)... They want to Capture and study the Aliens?!!!! What the hell?!!!! There's more action and better effects, a Queen Alien and there's one of the greatest lines in movie history... "Get away from her you bitch!" and said w/ such conviction! They cranked this sequel all the way up to 11 so it gets the 11th spot on my top ten!
Okay, there you go... I hope you enjoy this blog, mom. (I am implying that she is the only one who reads these) If you have comments or Movies you would add please let me hear them!
RSS Feed