My Favorite Scenes of the Decade

When I thought of making this list, I had about five scenes that I knew I had to include. Those were the easy ones. After that I came up with about 20 different scenes worthy of inclusion and I had a very hard time whittling them down to just ten. In the end, these are my picks as of right now, but they would probably change if you asked me next week.

I want to note that all of these scenes are from movies I really enjoy. I gathered the list of options from going through my titles of the decade that I rated on IMDB. I saw almost 700 movies from this decade and about a third of those were rated 7/10 or higher and those were the only ones I considered for this list. I'm sure there are some wonderful scenes in lesser movies that might deserve inclusion, but I had to narrow the list somehow. Maybe I'll do another list sometime down the line of my favorite scenes from movies I don't actually like all that well!

I tried to find good clips of each scene from YouTube, but some aren't exactly what I hoped for. Like the clip from Room cuts off about 30 seconds or so too soon, but it was the best available. And for Sing Street, all I could find was the music video which doesn't show the scene like in the movie, but cuts all sorts of different stuff together. Oh, well...

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

My Favorite Scenes of the Decade (in alphabetical order):

Avengers: Endgame - "Undoing the Snap"

I was beyond excited for this movie back in April of this year. I had been counting the days (and even minutes towards the end) until our showtime started. It was too much pressure to put on any movie and I was disappointed by the end result. One part that didn't disappoint, though, was this scene where Captain America is ready to take on Thanos's army and he's surprised by all of the "snapped" heroes coming back via Doctor Strange's portals. Hearing Falcon say "Cap... on your left" and then seeing Black Panther appear through the first portal gave me goosebumps. Falcon then flies through and dozens of other portals open, revealing practically every hero from the MCU. It's a magical moment that shows just how effective a movie can be - I was 2.5 hours into a mostly lackluster experience and this scene blew me away. The icing on the cake is hearing Cap utter the iconic line "Avengers, assemble". It's a glorious moment. I've watched this particular scene probably a dozen times in the last 8 months and it never fails to thrill me.

Baby Driver - "Opening Getaway"

Edgar Wright is becoming one of my favorite directors and his opening scene to his most recent film might be the best he's ever filmed. With the music, action, and fast paced editing, this sets the tone for everything that follows while also introducing our main character in a supremely interesting way. Baby's a great wheel man with a passion for music, sunglasses, and driving at a speed that would kill most people.

Django Unchained - "The KKK Hoods"

Even though Django Unchained isn't an outright comedy, there are loads of funny scenes sprinkled among the shockingly violent or emotionally draining scenes. No scene from this movie (or maybe from any movie from this decade) is as funny as this one where Don Johnson, Jonah Hill, and others (including director Quentin Tarantino) argue about their chosen head-ware. It's such a ridiculous, over-the-top scene and everything comes together just perfectly. It's brilliantly written, fantastically acted, and funnier than it had any right to be, considering the subject matter. 

Room - "Jack Escapes" 

Some movies lose their emotional punch if you know what's coming or have seen them too often. Room is not an example of this, though.  I had read (multiple times) Room before seeing the movie and it didn't lessen the impact of this scene in the slightest. It was still thrilling and nerve jangling, even though I knew how it was going to end! Watching little 5 year old Jack pretend to be dead, get bundled in a carpet, loaded into a pickup truck, and then make his escape by running to a couple of bystanders in the street for help left me emotionally drained like few other scenes have done. The entire scene is flawless and just thinking about it now while typing this has made my eyes fill with tears. It's the ultimate example of a "happy-sad" moment and I love it beyond what my paltry words can describe. 

Sing Street - "Drive It Like You Stole It" 

The musical numbers in Sing Street are all terrific, but this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. The music and lyrics themselves are great, but the choreography and how it incorporates story elements into the lead character's daydream are even more interesting. It's a brilliant three or four minute sequence and one of the best musical moments ever, in my humble opinion. Sing Street is probably the least seen movie on this list (which is really saying something since a Korean horror flick also appears) and if I can inspire even one person to check it out, I'll be a happy man.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - "Rey and Finn Battle Kylo"

I'm writing this the day after I sat through Rise of Skywalker (which was devoid of any scene anywhere near as entertaining) and that may be influencing my memory of how awesome this scene was. Watching Rey and Finn battle the much more powerful (but injured) Kylo Ren in the snow while the planet crumbles around them was thrilling and reminded me of the joy I got out of Star Wars as a child. It's a fun, energetic scene with some powerful emotional moments and it builds to a wonderful crescendo when Rey surprisingly uses her Force powers to pull the lightsaber into her hand. The musical cue (from the master John Williams) is the perfect touch. Much like the Avengers: Endgame moment, it never fails to give me goosebumps. It's a shame that the two sequels following The Force Awakens have been so middling (The Last Jedi) or mostly miserable (Rise of Skywalker).  

Toy Story 3 - "Andy Plays Again" 

I'm an easy crier and I freely admit this. Movies, songs, books, hell even TV commercials, can easily make me shed a tear or two. Even things that I've seen multiple times can get to me each time and the ending of Toy Story 3 is one such example. Literally every time I've seen it, even if I'm just watching this particular scene and haven't watched the buildup, I cry. It's just such a beautiful moment watching Andy, on his way to college and adulthood, stop and play again. He enjoys it, but the toys themselves (especially Woody) get even more out of the experience. They get the joy of being played with by their special person one last time and then get donated to another little girl who will be able to devote several more years of playtime with them. When Andy goes back to his car and waves goodbye to Woody, my heart breaks. It was the perfect way to cap off a nearly perfect trilogy.

Train to Busan - "The Sacrifice"

Train to Busan is a  lot of things: the best zombie movie ever, the greatest horror movie from the last decade or two, thrilling, heartbreaking, and devastating. This scene isn't the scariest or the goriest or even the saddest, but it combines everything together in a perfect package. 

Whiplash - "Final Performance" 

Whiplash is a story of passion and dedication taken to the extreme. Andrew is a promising drummer who is "lucky" enough to train under the demanding Fletcher. By the end of the movie, Andrew has evolved to a whole new level of talent, but at what cost? The ending is a bit ambiguous, but I've always thought it shows how Andrew has gone over the edge into madness, sacrificing his family and personal life for his art and turning into exactly what Fletcher wants. While his father looks on in horror, Andrew abuses his body, mind, and soul as he hits every note perfectly. Everything about the scene is intense and wonderfully constructed - a fantastic ending to one of the best films of the decade. 

The Wolf of Wall Street - "Adventures on Quaaludes"

Leonardo DiCaprio delivered a career best performance as the money hungry, drug fueled, womanizing Jordan Belfort and this scene in particular showcases something I don't think I had ever seen from the actor before: a gift for physical comedy. After the 'ludes kick in and he's rendered damn near immobile, it's a hilarious journey watching him try to make it back home. Leo's voice over narration is great, as well, and his confrontation with Jonah Hill (on this list twice!) might be the highlight of the film. 

Well, those are some of my favorite scenes from the past decade! What are some of yours? Has watching any of these clips inspired you to check out any of the movies? 

Thanks for reading!

2019 October Challenge

October is quickly becoming my favorite month of the year, for movies at least. The October Challenge is something I look forward to and, even though the movies themselves aren't always great, I'm never disappointed with the month as a whole. I can get a lot of joy out of any movie - good, bad, or otherwise - so just watching this many different movies in a compacted time frame is fun for me. In fact, just to be honest, I couldn't even wait for October to start this year. I started my Challenge in late September and I'm happy I did since it allowed me to cram even more movies in.

Most of the movies were watched with my favorite viewing partner ever, my loving wife. Some were watched with my son, who's eight and really getting into the genre lately. And some I watched on my own, which is the least fun way to watch, in my opinion. But I'll do it if I have to!

I tried to watch a variety of different types and styles of horror movies. Some were old and some were new. Some in foreign languages, some in black and white. Some were well known and popular, while others more obscure. Some from wildly different sub-genres, ranging from monsters to slashers to thrillers to paranormal and a little bit of everything in between. Some were short and some were long. And, of course, some were good and some were bad. But for the first time since I started doing October Challenges four years ago, I watched more good than bad. In fact, it was an overwhelmingly positive month or so of viewings!

Some of the more "memorable" movies of the month:

The Worst of the Worst -

* The only type of situation where I could envision myself watching Jigsaw again *

Jigsaw (2017) - 1/10   I am not a fan of the Saw franchise. The first installment was interesting, but amateurishly made. The second was the only one I remember "liking" and that still only rated 5/10 from me. The rest scored in the 2 to 4/10 range. Jigsaw makes them all seem a bit better by comparison by being just as stupid, poorly written, and woefully acted, but with the added bonus of not having any fun kills and containing third rate special effects. Without the gore, what's the point? 

* The actress looks just as bored as I felt while watching this dreck *

The Perfect Host: A Southern Gothic Tale (2018) - 1/10   Some movies can be described as "slow burn" and I have no problems with those types of horror flicks. Ideally, you'd have some suspense and tension in the buildup and you have to have something eventually happen to justify the deliberate pace. The Perfect Host doesn't have any of that, just a meandering and boring 90 minute running time that seemed much, much longer. SPOILERS! In the end, the main character pushes an elderly man down a flight of stairs and then gently pushes an elderly woman to the ground. That's the climax!

* Be like Mandy Lane and run away... from this movie *

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) - 1/10  You know how a lot of horror movies feature gratuitous nudity of their young starlets? Well, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane didn't even have that much going for it. Subpar (at best) actors portray vapid, annoying characters who stumble through a boring plot and deliver poorly written dialogue. The twist ending is visible from a mile away. Stay far, far away.

A Step Above, But Still Not Good -

* One of my favorite character actors - Lance Reddick - is not very good here and doesn't get much to do *

Monster Party (2018) - 3/10   This one had an interesting premise - a trio of small time criminals attempt to rob of house that, unbeknownst to them, is filled with recovering serial killers - but failed  in execution. There are some very surprising moments and the acting by the three main characters is above average, but the script and direction fails them. I was never bored, though, so that's saying something, I guess.

* Some family dinners are more awkward than others *

Frontier(s) (2007) - 3/10  From what I've seen, the French have produced some of the best horror movies of this century. This is not one of them. Frontier(s) is brutal, gory, and nihilistic to the nth degree, but those things don't necessarily make a good horror film. They can be components, but without an intriguing story or characters that you care about or any number of other facets, a movie's not going to work. Gore for gore's sake has never impressed me and after a while, shocking violence fails to shock anymore. I feel like the filmmakers wanted to include every disgusting thing they could think of, but they only had a few characters to work with, so the "sympathetic" leads had to keep miraculously surviving one terrible encounter, just to befall something even worse five minutes later. In the end, I was just bored and waiting for everyone to die. 

* Carpenter's morgue tech is having a good time at work *

Body Bags (1993) - 4/10  Like most anthologies - and especially those from the horror genre - the installments in Body Bags are hit or miss. The first, a slasher, is moderately well done and interesting. The second, a comedy, is just silly and fell flat. And the third, a psychological thriller, is okay. None of them are anything worth watching twice, but I did thoroughly enjoy the segments with John Carpenter (who also directed the slasher short) as the undead morgue attendant. He's kind of like the Crypt Keeper in that he introduces the segments with a twisted sense of humor. If you have nothing else to do and want to waste 90 minutes, you could do a lot worse. All in all, though, I'd recommend stopping before the second installment starts. You could get it done in about 35 minutes and be much better off.

* Our heroine outsmarting her zombie stalker *

It Stains the Sand Red (2016) - 4.5/10 An interesting concept, simply let down with poor execution in some key aspects. The lead female performance is surprisingly strong and there are some legitimate moments of horror and also some solid chuckles to be had throughout. But the pacing is sluggish and it seems long even at 92 minutes. With a few tweaks here and there, this one could have been a fun horror/comedy. As it stands, I can't recommend it, but it's certainly nowhere near the worst I've seen lately. 

* Whatever you do, DON'T let him inject you with that! *

Re-Animator (1985) - 4.5/10  This is one of those "classics" of the 80's that I've been meaning to check out for years and just finally got around to watching. It certainly had it's moments and it definitely finished strong, but horror comedies are a hard thing to pull off and this one falls short for me. I'm not sure what could have been done differently - it was appropriately schlocky and gory and outrageous. Maybe it's simply a case of my not being in the right mood for it and I may give it another go at some point down the line. 

Worth Watching Once -

* This guy really likes his dolls, but sometimes he treats them a little too harshly *

Incident in a Ghostland (2018) - 5/10  My wife picked this one because the description mentioned it was from the director of Martyrs, one of my all-time favorite horror flicks. While this one doesn't live up to something as creative and ambitious as Martyrs, it's still a solid movie worth watching once. If the main characters had been more likeable and the ending more satisfying, my rating probably would have been a couple points higher. All in all, it's an interesting and slightly messy film that does a few things really well and a few other things very poorly.

* One of my favorite characters, pre-encounter with the titular Boar *

Boar (2017) - 5/10  This was better than it had any right to be. I expected a totally silly, SyFy channel level schlock-fest, but instead got a fairly engaging story about a beast of a wild boar terrorizing a small Australian town. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the accent, but I really liked almost all the characters and felt invested in their stories. When they start to get picked off in gruesome fashion, I actually cared. The characters and their interactions with each other are definitely the highlights of the movie, but the creature design isn't too bad either. The ending - which had to come from studio interference and reshoots - cost this one a point or two, though. 

* "What do you mean, I'm not supposed to suck people's blood?" *

Nosferatu (1922) - 5/10  Each October, I try to watch one classic from the Silent Era and this year's pick was Nosferatu - the granddaddy of vampire flicks. I appreciated the film more than I enjoyed it, but there were several moments that really grabbed me and the story itself was intriguing. Max Schreck's vampire Orlok was by far the most interesting aspect of the entire thing, but he didn't show up until a quarter of the way in and then only had about 10 minutes of screen-time. Also, the version I watched (on Amazon Prime) didn't have color tinting - like it's supposed to have - and the music score seemed wildly inappropriate for the tone. I'm not sure if there are different scores for different versions, but I know that's the case with some silent features. I think with a better presentation, I would have enjoyed the film a bit more.

* He's quite a handsome fella, ain't he? *

Frankenstein (1931) - 5/10  I don't think the horror genre really hit it's stride until the 1960's, but I'm still enjoying checking out a bunch of the old classics that have eluded me so far. Frankenstein suffers from hammy, stilted acting and dialogue, but does a lot of other things very well. The set design, cinematography, and score stood out and complimented a mostly interesting premise and a fantastic creature design. It's no wonder that Dr. Frankenstein's monster was so popular in the 30's and has stayed in the public consciousness for nearly a century - he's a fascinating character, a villain who you can't help but feel sorry for. A lumbering giant with the mind and heart of a child. I can't imagine I'll be revisiting Frankenstein again anytime soon, but I am happy to have seen it, and I'll still keep plugging away at my Universal Monsters Collection set. 

* Knock, knock *

Shutter (2004) - 5.5/10  Some horror movies are best described as "slow burn" thrillers, movies that take their time and build tension until the very end, when things explode during the climax. Shutter - the original Thai film, not the 2008 American remake, which I can't vouch for - is kind of a quasi example of this. There are scares, mostly of the "jump" variety, sprinkled throughout, but it's not until the last ten minutes or so when things get really frightening and disturbing. As you can see by my rating, Shutter didn't truly deliver for me, but it's certainly worth checking out.

* Everyone, but especially young women in horror movies, should stay out of ominous looking tunnels *

Absentia (2011) - 6/10  I chose this one solely because if it's director - Mike Flanagan, the man behind Hush, Gerald's Game, and The Haunting of Hill House - and while it didn't necessarily disappoint, it certainly didn't live up to any of those efforts. For his first full length feature, Absentia is a solid enough movie and it does show some of Flanagan's trademarks, especially his camera movements and penchant for strong female characters. The acting - wooden at best and just downright bad at worst - and terribly out of focus cinematography are what hold this interesting story from being really good. I feel like if he wanted to, Flanagan could remake it today and turn this into one of his best.

 

Very Good and Highly Recommended -

* If you're all alone in the house DON'T go investigating weird sounds *

The Changeling (1980) - 7/10  I'm a sucker for atmospheric ghost stories and The Changeling does almost everything right - it's got a strong protagonist (played with wonderful intensity by George C. Scott), a great setting (a big, Gothic mansion that's seen better days), a compelling story (involving a mysterious child who may have been murdered), and some truly creepy, unsettling moments. Some of the plot moments are convoluted and most of the supporting cast are underwhelming, but all that can be forgiven considering how effective everything else is. I'm very happy I finally am able to check this one off my list to see and I wish I'd gotten around to it sooner.

* From damsel in distress to badass action chick *

Revenge (2017) - 7/10  This one is a familiar story - a woman getting revenge against her dirt bag male abusers - but it's done in a stylish, interesting fashion. The camera work and cinematography are a step above most horror movies and all four performances are solid. Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz is the shining star as Jen, who goes from begging for her life to taking theirs. She's the type of heroine who seems like she'd be at home in a James Cameron movie - and that's quite the compliment in my book. It's fun watching evil people get their comeuppance, especially when it's done in such a bloody, satisfying way.   

* Nothing good happens in the woods late at night *

Calibre (2018) - 7.5/10  Some horror movies are scary because there's an obvious threat - a murdering supernatural force or a psychopath on a rampage - coming after the main characters. Some are scary because you don't know what's going to happen next or how the characters are going to get out of it alive. Calibre is in the second camp and the horror and scariness stems from being constantly on edge, nervous about what's coming around the corner. The two main characters aren't great people, but I could relate to the trouble they found themselves in and their struggle to escape with their lives, trying to recover from one mistake that snowballed into a massive coverup.  

* Hiding out, trying to avoid those pesky zombies *

One Cut of the Dead (2017) - 8/10  This is, simply put, the most inventive and surprising movie I've seen in years. I've never seen anything like it, but don't want to go into what exactly makes it so interesting. To do so would spoil a lot of the fun of the movie. If you like zombies, comedy, and don't mind subtitles, I'd highly recommend seeking this one out. But go in without reading too much about it and make sure to give it at least 30 minutes before making your mind up. The way the story's set up and plays out is put of it's charm. I was smiling non-stop by the end and felt an immense sense of joy watching everything unfold.

* This is the kind of shot that will become iconic in a few years *

Get Out (2017) - 8/10, up from 6/10   When I first saw Get Out in the theater, I was underwhelmed. I thought it was a perfectly fine movie. Nothing special, but solid. Revisiting it this month made me reconsider that assessment. On a technical level, it's absurdly good. The direction, cinematography, score, and editing are all first rate. The performances - generally the weak link in most horror movies - are occasionally phenomenal, especially Daniel Kaluuya in the lead role as Chris. Initially I had issues with how the story unfolded and some little things didn't sit well for me, but upon rewatch, those issues fell to the wayside. I'm thinking Get Out might be the type of movie that improves for me with each viewing. 

* She's pretty good with a nail gun *

Mayhem (2017) - 8/10   The first outright surprise of the month, Mayhem was fun from start to finish. Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving make a great duo and they have excellent chemistry together. I really enjoyed the mix or horror, action, and comedy. About the only big negative I have with the movie is the subpar effects in some scenes, but I imagine they had quite a few budgetary constraints. If you like movies where regular people are forced to do unspeakable acts of violence against each other, this one's for you!

The Best of the Bunch -

  

* John Goodman as Delbert the exterminator - a great character in a great movie *

Arachnophobia (1990) - 9/10, up from 8/10   This is one of my favorites from my childhood and it's just as effective now as it was when I was eight and watching it on crappy VHS. I don't suffer from arachnophobia myself - though I'd rather not have to ever deal with spiders - but that doesn't stop the movie from creeping me out throughout and downright scaring me at several moments. I watched this with my son sitting on my lap and he got tired of me squeezing him tight every time I got scared. Arachnophobia is practically a perfect example of how to make this type of movie. The characters are three dimensional and realistic, the acting is solid, the plot moves along at a nice clip, and the real life spiders are mixed almost seamlessly with practical effects. And it looks great on Blu-ray!

* She's had a bad day *

The Descent (2006) - 9/10, up from 3/10  When I first saw The Descent in the theater in 2006, I pretty much hated it. I can't remember what turned me off, but I'm thankful I decided to give it another shot all these years later. It's a glorious, grisly, disturbing, and nightmarish film that kept me interested, on edge, or outright terrified for pretty much the entire time. The acting is good and the story is fine, but where the movie really shines is in it's build up of tension and execution of frights. My emotions ranged from mere claustrophobia to revulsion by gore to legitimately scared, with some scenes packing the whole range all in a matter of moments. If the characters had been a little more fleshed out and developed, this one might have received a perfect rating. I won't wait another 13 years to watch it again, that's for sure. 

* This is not the kind of ceremony you want to find yourself in *

Apostle (2019) - 9/10  Picking any movie off of Netflix can be a bit of a crap shoot, but it's especially challenging with horror flicks. If I'm not previously aware of the movie, all I can go off of is the short description and the thumbnail photo, and both can be deceiving. When I picked Apostle, that's all I had. And it turned to be one of the better movies I've seen in the last few years and immediately joined the ranks of my all-time favorite horror flicks. Apostle is a moody, tense, and unusual film with shocking moments of violence, long stretches of dread, and a plot that makes you question a lot of things (but thankfully answers most of them by the end). The cinematography and odd, grating score add to the overall atmosphere. This was one of the longest movies of the month, clocking in at 130 minutes, but never seemed to drag and I would have easily watched an even longer cut. If you're a fan of fucked up stories and aren't squeamish, you definitely need to check this out. 

A Special Inclusion -

* A rare inclusion in my October Challenges - a documentary! *

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019) - 8/10  While not a horror movie, this doc is about horror movies - and specifically black people involved with the genre - so I think it should qualify for the October Challenge. There's a lot of information provided on the history of horror and how black people were included (generally in a negative light) or excluded (most of the time), which I found interesting. The people interviewed on camera include actors, writers, directors, and screenwriters, all from various age groups. They provide an intriguing insight on how they came to love the genre and their desires to be involved with expanding the black influence, especially from the 1970's through today. I even discovered a few movies that I added to my watch list, based on clips I saw or the praise from the cast. Horror Noire is a Shudder exclusive, like a few of the others on my list this year, but the streaming site is so affordable that I'd recommend subscribing for a month and catching it and a bunch of other stuff that they have to offer.

The full list of everything I watched during the month, in order:
        (* = rewatch)

Hellboy (2004) - 6/10
* Get Out (2017) - 8/10, up from 6/10
* Arachnophobia (1990) - 9/10, up from 8/10
Jigsaw (2017) - 1/10
Absentia (2011) - 6/10
The Perfect Host: A Southern Gothic Tale (2018) - 1/10
The Changeling (1980) - 7/10
Incident in a Ghostland (2018) - 5/10
Mayhem (2017) - 8/10
Monster Party (2018) - 3/10
Summer of '84 (2018) - 2.5/10
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) - 1/10
* Tremors (1990) - 7/10
It Stains the Sand Red (2016) - 4.5/10
Kristy (2014) - 6/10
Re-Animator (1985) - 4.5/10
The Perfection (2018) - 6/10
Body Bags (1993) - 4/10
* Aliens (1986) - 6/10, down from 7/10
* The Ruins (2008) - 3.5/10, up from 2/10
Calibre (2018) - 7.5/10
Boar (2017) - 5/10
Revenge (2017) - 7/10 
* Dawn of the Dead (2004) - 7/10, down from 8/10
One Cut of the Dead (2017) - 8/10
* Eden Lake (2008) - 8.5/10
Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019) - 8/10
Nine Dead (2010) - 3/10
Shutter (2004) - 5.5/10
Nosferatu (1922) - 5/10
* The Descent (2006) - 9/10, up from 3/10
Frankenstein (1931) - 5/10
Black Christmas (1974) - 2/10
Apostle (2019) - 9/10
* The Crazies (2010) - 7/10
Frontier(s) (2007) - 3.5/10 
* The Conjuring 2 (2016) - 7.5/10
* Rosemary's Baby (1968) - 7/10, down from 9/10


38 total movies with an average of 5.62/10 which makes this the first October Challenge where my rating was above a 5/10, so I'll take that as a very positive development!

An Updated List of My Top 20 Favorite Horror Movies 

With the addition of some new movies and revisiting some older ones, my list of favorites is always  fluctuating, but as of today... here are my Top 20:

1. The Shining

2. Train to Busan

3. The Thing (1982)

4. The Babadook

5. Psycho (1960)

6. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

7. The Descent

8. The Sixth Sense

9.  Arachnophobia

10.  Apostle 

11. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

12. Eden Lake

13. Alien

14. The Conjuring

15. Hereditary

16. The Ring

17. Get Out

18. The Mist

19. Stir of Echoes

20. Martyrs (2008)

Have you guys watched any good horror movies recently? Do you agree with any of my thoughts on these movies? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Thanks for reading!

The MCU - A Retrospective

My wife, son, and I recently went through the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and watched all the films in release order. I had seen most of them before (many only once, several multiple times) but a few were first time viewings for all three of us. While almost all of the films are enjoyable, there's definitely a fluctuation in quality, but that's got to be expected with the vast amount of films in the series. 

While a lot of people give Marvel flack for several (legitimate) reasons, you have to give them credit for what they've managed to do over the last 11 years and 21 movies. It's an astounding achievement and that's coming from someone who doesn't even like a few of the movies. As a whole, they've created a cohesive story that spans time, space, and even different planes of existence with more than a dozen main characters and probably close to a hundred supporting characters. All the films are well put together on a technical level and most feature at least one or two memorable characters and/or performances. Back in 2008 when I sat in the theater to watch Iron Man, I had no idea what I'd be in store for. 

For the categories below, I decided it would be more fun to put a limit on the Favorite Character and Favorite Performance sections: a character and actor can only appear once. Otherwise, I might have been tempted to select Tony Stark, Rocket, or Captain America for several characters, and RDJ, Samuel L. Jackson, or Mark Ruffalo for several performances.

I will include my ranked list at the end of this piece, but I'm going to go through the movies first in their release order.

Iron Man (2008)

First Time Viewing Format:Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: DVD (owned)

Favorite Moment: Tony announcing that he's Iron Man.

Favorite Character: Tony Stark

Favorite Performance: Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

My Rating: 8.5/10

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

First Time Viewing Format: DVD (rented)

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (rented)

Favorite Moment: The "birth" of Abomination.

Favorite Character: Samuel Sterns

Favorite Performance: William Hurt as General Ross

My Rating: 5/10

Iron Man 2 (2010)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (rented)

Favorite Moment: Tony using the briefcase on the racetrack to transform into Iron Man.

Favorite Character: James "Rhodey" Rhodes

Favorite Performance: Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko

My Rating: 4/10

Thor (2011)

First Time Viewing Format: DVD (rented)

This Time's Viewing Format: VUDU (streaming)

Favorite Moment: Odin saving Thor and his buddies from the Frost Giants.

Favorite Character: Darcy Lewis

Favorite Performance: Stellan Skarsgard as Professor Erik Selvig

My Rating: 3.5/10

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

First Time Viewing Format: DVD (rented)

This Time's Viewing Format: DVD (owned)

Favorite Moment: Steve getting the flag down when everyone else failed.

Favorite Character: Steve Rogers/Captain America

Favorite Performance: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America

My Rating: 8/10

The Avengers (2012)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: DVD (owned)

Favorite Moment: Hulk repeatedly smashing Loki into the ground.

Favorite Character: Bruce Banner/Hulk

Favorite Performance: Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk

My Rating: 7.5/10

Iron Man 3 (2013)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (rented)

Favorite Moment: The Mandarin's actual identity being revealed.

Favorite Character: The Mandarin

Favorite Performance: Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin/Trevor

My Rating: 6.5/10

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

First Time Viewing Format: VUDU (streaming)

This Time's Viewing Format: Same (first viewing)

Favorite Moment: The end credits rolling.

Favorite Character: Loki

Favorite Performance: Natalie Portman as Jane Foster

My Rating: 2/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: DVD (owned)

Favorite Moment: Steve Rogers running laps around Sam Wilson

Favorite Character: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Favorite Performance: Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

My Rating: 7.5/10

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: DVD (owned)

Favorite Moment: The Guardians deciding to stand up (literally) against Ronan.

Favorite Character: Rocket

Favorite Performance: Dave Bautista as Drax

My Rating: 9/10

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: VUDU (streamed)

Favorite Moment: Quicksilver sacrificing himself to save Hawkeye.

Favorite Character: Clint Barton/Hawkeye

Favorite Performance: James Spader as Ultron

My Rating: 7/10

Ant-Man (2015)

First Time Viewing Format: DVD (rented)

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (rented)

Favorite Moment: The final fight scene with the toy train set.

Favorite Character: Dr. Hank Pym

Favorite Performance: Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man

My Rating: 6/10

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater (Jackson's first Marvel movie in the theater!)

This Time's Viewing Format: DVD (owned)

Favorite Moment: Ant-Man growing HUGE during the airport fight.

Favorite Character: Ant-Man

Favorite Performance: Tom Holland as Spider-Man

My Rating: 6.5/10

Doctor Strange (2016)

First Time Viewing Format: Netflix (streamed)

This Time's Viewing Format: Netflix (streamed again)

Favorite Moment: Doctor Strange tricking Dormammu in the end.

Favorite Character: The Ancient One

Favorite Performance: Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Steven Strange

My Rating: 7.5/10

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (rented)

Favorite Moment: Yondu's ravenger's burial.

Favorite Character: Yondu

Favorite Performance: Michael Rooker as Yondu

My Rating: 8.5/10

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

First Time Viewing Format: Blu-ray (rented)

This Time's Viewing Format: VUDU (streamed)

Favorite Moment: Peter watching his home video from the events in Civil War.

Favorite Character: Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Favorite Performance: Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes/Vulture

My Rating: 6/10

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (owned)

Favorite Moment: Bruce Banner falling on the bridge with a thud.

Favorite Character: Korg

Favorite Performance: Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster

My Rating: 6.5/10

Black Panther (2018)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (owned)

Favorite Moment: The challenge on the waterfall between T'Challa and M'Baku

Favorite Character: Shuri

Favorite Performance: Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger

My Rating: 7/10

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Blu-ray (owned)

Favorite Moment: Thor arriving in Wakanda!

Favorite Character: Thor

Favorite Performance: Chris Hemsworth as Thor

My Rating: 9/10

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

First Time Viewing Format: Netflix (streamed)

This Time's Viewing Format: Same (first viewing)

Favorite Moment: Luis's flashback storytelling.

Favorite Character: Scott Lang/Ant-Man

Favorite Performance: Hannah John-Kamen as Ava/Ghost

My Rating: 7.5/10

Captain Marvel (2019)

First Time Viewing Format: Theater

This Time's Viewing Format: Theater again

Favorite Moment: Carol's "standing up" montage.

Favorite Character: Nick Fury

Favorite Performance: Brie Larson as Carol Danvers

My Rating: 7.5/10

And here's my ranking and ratings for all (so far) of the 21 movies:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy - 9/10

2. Avengers: Infinity War - 9/10

3. Iron Man - 8.5/10

4. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 - 8.5/10

5. Captain American: The First Avenger - 8/10

6. Captain Marvel - 7.5/10

7. Ant-Man and the Wasp - 7.5/10

8. Doctor Strange - 7.5/10

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 7.5/10

10. The Avengers - 7.5/10

11. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 7/10

12. Black Panther - 7/10

13. Iron Man 3 - 6.5/10

14. Captain America: Civil War - 6.5/10

15. Thor: Ragnarok - 6.5/10

16. Ant-Man - 6/10

17. Spider-Man: Homecoming - 6/10

18. The Incredible Hulk - 5/10

19. Iron Man 2 - 4/10

20. Thor - 3.5/10

21. Thor: The Dark World - 2/10

With my excitement building and building for Avengers: Endgame, I've found myself counting the days until April 26. My son might be even more excited - if that's possible - and Endgame is going to be his first ever opening night theater experience. I hope the movie can live up to our expectations and keep Marvel's recent momentum going strong!

What are some of your favorite films, moments, characters, and performances from the MCU? 

Are you as excited for Avengers: Endgame as my family is? 

I look forward to hearing from everybody! Thanks for reading!

Brave

 Directed by

Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell

Pixar has made some of the best films (animated or otherwise) of the last quarter century. The Toy Story trilogy. Monsters Inc. Finding Nemo. Ratatouille. Wall-E. Up. Inside Out. The list is thoroughly impressive and even their misses - like Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, and The Good Dinosaur - all have something going for them. It's gotten to the point where just knowing that Pixar is behind a particular movie indicated a certain level of quality to me and they had never completely failed me.

Until last night, however. 

That's when I watched Brave, their 2012 feature about a teenage princess in a medieval and mythical version of Scotland. I was astounded with the high amount of shit that was transpiring on my television screen.

I nearly quit at the 30 minute mark, but convinced myself to keep going, thinking "Hey, it could get better!" It didn't. I checked the time again after 52 minutes and thought, "Oh, Jesus, there's still 40 minutes to go!" Another time check later on revealed I was only about ten minutes from the end and I sighed with sweet relief. That ten minutes seemed to take about 30, but I made it. The instant the first credit appeared on screen, I quickly hit the "Stop" button on my remote several times - I didn't want to have to watch a second more than necessary. 

* A girl who uses a bow and arrow?! That's silly! *

If you're worried about SPOILERS, I'd suggest skipping the next big chunk of the review as I intend to spoil the shit out this utterly terrible movie. 

Brave tells the story of Merida, the princess of a clan (town? country?) in Scotland, who is shown to be an adventurous and daring young woman who is expertly skilled with a bow and arrow. Merida, being the free spirited and independent person she is, is supremely against the idea of being betrothed to an unknown prince (who can blame her?), but her overbearing mother - Queen Elinor - insists. Mother-daughter spats ensue and, of course, her hapless father - King Fergus - doesn't do a whole lot more than laugh at his daughter's antics, eat, and tell stories about his own great adventures. 

After a particularly bad fight with her mother, Merida rides off away from the castle and happens upon a witch's cottage in the forest. After a short while, the witch offers to sell Merida a spell that will cause Elinor to "change" and not be so steadfast in her wishes to see Merida married off. 

* The magical wisps that lead Merida to the witch. *

Of course, the spell doesn't work like Merida envisions and instead of Elinor simply changing her mind about everything, Elinor literally changes. Into a huge black bear. I repeat, she changes into a bear. Wacky hi-jinks ensue as Merida tries to smuggle Bearinor out of the castle and back to the witch to reverse the spell. Slapstick "comedy" bits abound, such as Bearinor being so large that she can't sit on a bed without it smashing apart. The castle is full of men, vicious hunters and warriors led by Fergus, who chase Bearinor to and fro, somehow always being outsmarted by a teenage girl and a FUCKING BEAR with the mind of the queen. 

I guess I forgot to mention that Fergus - and seemingly everyone in the whole country - absolutely despises bears. I don't care enough to go back now, but just be content in knowing that when Merida was a child, she was almost killed by a giant bear. Fergus lost a leg in the battle, but managed to scare the bear away. Over the next ten years or so - which the film mercilessly decides to skip - that bear is never seen again, but of course, it'll figure into the plot later on. There, I caught you up. 

 

So Merida and Bearinor escape the clueless men, find the witch's cottage, and discover - through a painfully unfunny "comedy" bit using the witch's cauldron as an answering machine - that they have until the "second sunrise" to reverse the spell before Elinor permanently becomes a bear. To reverse the spell, there's a riddle to decipher and the journey to solve it makes no difference because you know everything is going to be fine in the end. 

Now, obviously, Merida and Bearinor are in a bit of a time crunch. They have less than 48 hours to figure out the riddle, but they naturally spend the first four or five hours fishing so they can have breakfast. More "comedy" bits ensue, mostly centered around how bears need to eat a lot and while most bears are naturally good at fishing, Bearinor doesn't know the first thing about fishing using her paws or snout! It's funny! Good times are had by all! And, of course, Merida and Bearinor immediately start bonding and resolving all their differences because, you know, true love or something? Walking a mile in their (bear) shoes? Something profound, I'm sure. 

* Oh, yeah, Merida has three brothers. They're fucking annoying, too. *

The rest of the movie consists of sight gags, more slapstick, Merida convincing her bear-phobic father that the huge black bear in front of him is indeed his formerly lovely wife, more hi-jinks, and a climatic showdown between Merida, Fergus, Bearinor and the giant killer bear (who was also a spell victim - man, that witch really had a thing for turning humans into bears) from all those years before. The bad bear gets crushed by a heavy stone and we get to see his human spirit rise out of the corpse and float away, so I guess that's a happy ending for him? Bearinor is transformed back into Elinor and everyone lives happily every after. Merida doesn't have to get married and her and her mom are BFF's from that day on. 

I kept hoping that the bad bear would maul and kill all the humans while the meek Bearinor had to sit and watch, but, alas, I was disappointed. Just one more disappointment in the 93 minutes of supreme and utter disappointment that was Brave.  

SPOILERS END

The animation is nice looking - though I didn't think it was up to Pixar's ridiculously high standards - and the voice acting was fine (especially the delightful Billy Connolly), but I can't think of much else to praise. 

* Merida and the Bear. It sounds like a shitty 80's sitcom. *

The main problem with the movie is the script, which is full of cliches and is painfully predictable and infantile. After finishing, I looked it up and four writers combined to produce this very short script. Four! I imagine that was part of the problem - too many cooks and whatnot - and if it was a single person's vision or even just a collaboration between two writers, the whole debacle might have been avoided. Brave reminded me of an Illumination movie - full of stupid bits, annoying side characters, and ridiculous site gags centered around bare asses being shown. Seriously there are AT LEAST two different scenes where the audience is forced to see multiple bare animated asses. And another where the bare ass is implied! A Pixar script shouldn't have to stoop to these kinds of levels, but the four hacks responsible for Brave didn't seem to care about quality, standards, or the Pixar legacy. 

Three of the four writers also co-directed the movie and, again, you can really tell. There's no overreaching vision and the scenes just kind of spew forward with very little in the way of coherence or thematic tone. A great director might have been able to save the project, but with the awful script, maybe not. Since the directors were also the writers, you can just blame them for everything and move on with your day. 

I can imagine the pitch when this movie was first conceived - a magical adventure for young girls with a heroine they can look up to! - but the end result is just so viscerally awful that I don't see how anyone could enjoy it. After checking IMDb, though, my fear of how low the movie going public has sank was reinforced once again. A 7.1/10 user score based on over 300,000 votes. I immediately looked at the Metacritic score, hoping that professional film reviewers would be more sensible. They were, but not by much - it's got an average of 69/100 there. And then I was reminded that Brave won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, beating out the far, far, FAR superior Wreck It Ralph and several others that just had to be better. 

So, maybe it was just me - and my wife, who also hated it and wanted to shut it off several different times - who's out of touch. Maybe Brave is a masterpiece and I'm just completely off base and spouting nonsensical madness with this review.

But I don't think so. 

I'd say "Go watch it and see for yourself", but I wouldn't purposely inflict that kind of torture on anyone nice enough to read one of my reviews.