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  1. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post

    1. The Dark Knight - even though I thought the Two-Face ending went too over the top, the moral questions and dilemmas at the core of this film were remarkable.
    2. Superman 2 - I am putting it here for nostalgia mostly. The battle between Superman and Zod + his allies on the streets of Manhattan was amazing considering the limitations of computer generated effects at the time. A great twist at the end with Superman counting on Luthor's deception to win the day. So many great moments, my favorite being the "revenge" fight in the diner at the end.
    3. Spiderman - This re-launched the Comic Book movie craze and made it clear that dark and serious were perfectly fine for this type of film. The bad guy got killed at the end... literally a stake driven through his heart. That's dark!
    4. Avengers - Totally different than the above because it is less serious but also more fun. The best humor of any comic book movie by a mile!
    5. X-men 2 - So rare for a sequel to be better than an original, but I just loved some of the mystery and morality at the core of this film. The ending was unflinching with Jean sacrificing herself (have to pretend like you have no idea Phoenix exists).
    6. Spiderman 2 - Almost reaches the heights of the original. The train battle is incredible. The concept of the arms controlling Octavious' mind was great.
    7. Iron Man - The first half was amazing, probably the best origins story in any comic book movie.
    8. Batman - The Timothy Burton version. "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"
    9. X-men: First Class - I am probably in the minority, but I thought this was a fabulous film and loved the way it integrated historical elements into the story.
    10. Batman Begins - Loved most of it, but the final 1/4 really broke down for me when Ra's al Ghul returned.
    I have very little to quibble about with Jason's list, but it is incumbent on everyone who views a top 10 list to look at the rules of inclusion and find things to quibble about, so here I go:

    I'd move Superman 2 way down and actually put Superman above it. They were both very good movies, although neither movie really rocked my world, even as a kid. Still, they were very good movies, and showed that comic book movies could be done right.

    The Tim Burton Batman movies both struck me a little off, and I don't think either aged well. I'd probably move it down the list. Heath Ledger/Chris Nolan's take on the Joker killed the Burton/Nicholson take by comparison.

    Here's my best shot at a list.
    1. The Dark Knight. Nothing else is particularly close.
    2. Spiderman: not quite the work of art that Raimi pulled off in the Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2/Army of Darkness trilogy...but close, since Ash was in it.
    3. Spiderman 2: elevated by Ash's appearance as the snooty doorman
    4. Batman Begins: agreed with Jason that the ending took away something from the film.
    5. Iron Man: This ending left me wanting more. I kinda felt like the budget had run out and they had to stop the fight. Still, Downey owned this movie.
    6. Superman: May not have moved me, but obviously a very good superhero movie, and it took a couple decades to surpass it.
    7. X-Men 2: Felt like Singer was really able to do what he probably wanted to with X-Men. McKellen's Magneto was awesome in every one of his scenes.
    8. X-Men: First Class: The MacAvoy/Fassbender interplay was way above the level of the rest of the movie. But they were very, very good.
    9. Superman 2: Again, not a movie that really got me going, but I bow to the understanding that my tastes don't reflect the majority on this.

    I'll stop there, leaving a spot for The Avengers, based on my faith in Whedon and overwhelmingly positive early reviews.

    I was saddened to have to leave off James Cameron's Aquaman. The special effects were great and Cameron's love of the water showed in the beautiful filmmaking, but the lead actor simply was too skinny to be taken seriously as a superhero, and he couldn't act.

    And finally, some words from Ash:

    "I got news for you pal, you ain't leading but two things right now, Jack and *&$(. And Jack left town."
    "Klaatu, verata...nnnnn"
    "Good...bad...I'm the guy with the gun."
    "That was just pillow talk, baby."
    "Shop smart...shop S-Mart. YOU GOT THAT?"
    "Baby, you got reeeeeeal ugly."
    "In my own way, I am king. Hail to the king, baby."

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina

    Separate thread for worst comic book movie list?

    Nominees including but not limited to:

    Daredevil
    Batman 4 (whatever it was called)
    X Men 3 (blown opportunity...horribly)
    Catwoman
    Green Lantern
    Superman 3 and 4
    Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four 2: Rise of The Angry Oscar Statue (Although major props to the studio guys for daring to cast Chris Evans as another Marvel Comics character, particularly Captain America...that took stones, and Evans made a pretty good Cap)
    Ghost Rider 2: Burning Skull Boogaloo
    The Audience Punisher (Thomas Jane wielding many weapons, although apparently saving his best one for Hung)

  3. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    Since Jason arbitrarily eliminated my No. 1 and No. 2 choices (Watchmen and Kick***), not much point in offering my list (I guess Defender wouln't count either).
    I guess I'm in the minority here, but I can't quite make up my mind on Watchmen. I absolutely love the overall plot and the characters are really well drawn, buuuut:

    1. Some of the direct-from-the-page dialogue comes across as a little cheesy to me.
    2. It is one of the only movies I have ever seen where I am bothered by the violence. There's so much violence that's integral to the plot that I wish that they would not add even more to it with all the gore.
    3. The freeze-framing during fights is just a little too pretentious and self-satisfied for me .

    I do love the book though (except for the pirate subplot which I hate).

    PS: Any Sandman fans here? If I was a billionaire, I'd pay someone to make a few movies from that. I'd love to see Books 2 and 4 especially.

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    The Heath Ledger/Chris Nolan's take on the Joker killed the Burton/Nicholson take by comparison.
    I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. Having read the comics and watched the various cartoon series for my whole life, I prefer Burton/Nicholson. Like I said before, Ledger plays an absolutely amazing psychotic killer, but there's very little "Joker" there outside of his costume. Again, he did an amazing job, and I blame the writing more than his acting or the directing. I mean, even his crimes and M.O. felt more like other villians (particularly Two Face and Riddler). Even his move to take over the other crime bosses is more Keyser Soze than Joker. JMHO.

    I will agree with you about Ash, though. Bruce Campbell is one of my favorite actors, and is THE best part of Burn Notice, IMHO.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    In the realm of graphic novel/miniseries to movie adaptations I'd like to see, there are 3 at the top of my list, all by Frank Miller:

    1) Ronin.
    2) Wolverine - the 4 part series where he goes to Japan to find out what's happened to his girl, only to find that her father is a gangster with an army of ninja at his back.
    3) The Dark Knight Returns

    Wolverine would probably be a relatively bankable movie. Ronin, on the other hand, probably gets a little too weird for a mainstream audience. Dark Knight Returns, meanwhile, would probably dead on arrival...not sure how the legalities go in terms of using Superman as a character, but his major role as a government stooge would probably make filming DKR a licensing/trademark nightmare.

    Bjornolf: I am happy to respectfully disagree. You're absolutely correct that the comics and earlier TV series had a much more manically humorous Joker and Nicholson knocked that out of the park. He was really the perfect villain for a Burton movie, given Burton's enjoyment with, and talent for, combining the macabre and humorous. The Nolan/Ledger Joker was a dangerous psychopath, more of a manipulator than prankster, very different from previous Jokers, but a perfect fit for the Nolan Batman universe. My personal preference is for the way Nolan and Ledger played it, but that's only my opinion, of course. As for Ash, well, all that can be said is: "This...is my BOOMSTICK."
    Last edited by davekay1971; 04-28-2012 at 06:57 AM.

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    Bjornolf: I am happy to respectfully disagree. You're absolutely correct that the comics and earlier TV series had a much more manically humorous Joker and Nicholson knocked that out of the park. He was really the perfect villain for a Burton movie, given Burton's enjoyment with, and talent for, combining the macabre and humorous. The Nolan/Ledger Joker was a dangerous psychopath, more of a manipulator than prankster, very different from previous Jokers, but a perfect fit for the Nolan Batman universe. My personal preference is for the way Nolan and Ledger played it, but that's only my opinion, of course. As for Ash, well, all that can be said is: "This...is my BOOMSTICK."
    I agree with you 100% on that one. Ledger's Joker was better for Nolan's universe, and in a vacuum, his movies are better. However, I'm a canon guy, and in the canon of Batman, I think Burton's fit better, so I like them better. So I like the Keaton/Nicholson/Burton version better, but can admit that the Bale/Ledger/Nolan version is better film-making.

  7. #27

    Bruce Campbell

    Quote Originally Posted by bjornolf View Post
    Bruce Campbell is one of my favorite actors, and is THE best part of Burn Notice, IMHO.
    NOW, you're talking about something I can get into. I think Bruce Campbell is one of the most unappreciated actors of our time -- a B-movie legend for his role as Ash in the Evil Dead series, but also one of the great supporting actors of our times -- in movies and TV (my favorite was his reocurring rople as Autolycus -- the master thief -- on both Xena and Hercules). But far and away his greatest role -- he should have won an Oscar for best actor -- was in the cult classic Bubba Ho-Tep as the aging Elvis Presley, condemned to die in a west Texas rest home. A petrformance that's both comic and heartbreaking at the same time ... if you haven't seen that movie, I strongly recommend it.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Deeetroit City
    I'd like to mention for consideration 1990 "Darkman" by Sam Raimi, starring Liam Neeson.

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    I'd like to mention for consideration 1990 "Darkman" by Sam Raimi, starring Liam Neeson.
    My guilty pleasure is The Shadow. "What evil lurks in the hearts of men?"

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Quote Originally Posted by bjornolf View Post
    I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. Having read the comics and watched the various cartoon series for my whole life, I prefer Burton/Nicholson. Like I said before, Ledger plays an absolutely amazing psychotic killer, but there's very little "Joker" there outside of his costume. Again, he did an amazing job, and I blame the writing more than his acting or the directing. I mean, even his crimes and M.O. felt more like other villians (particularly Two Face and Riddler). Even his move to take over the other crime bosses is more Keyser Soze than Joker. JMHO.

    I will agree with you about Ash, though. Bruce Campbell is one of my favorite actors, and is THE best part of Burn Notice, IMHO.
    I am glad someone said it.

    Dark Knight was one of the most disappointing movie experiences of my life. I loved Batman Begins. To me, it really captured the dark, gritty Batman of the "Year 1" and "Dark Knight" graphic novels, the Batman that I loved and was even a little scared of as a kid. I would rank Batman Begins as my #1 comic book movie. So, when everyone said that Dark Knight was even better, I was stoked.

    How disappointing!!! The movie had three glaring flaws to me.

    1) What you mentioned above. Where was the Joker? How far off canon do you want to go?

    2) Maggie Gyllenhaal. I have no problem with Mags. Donnie Darko is my favorite movie, and she has a bit part in it, albeit just a bit of stunt casting. I loved her in Secretary. But I haven't seen miscasting this bad in a long, long time. Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart are gorgeous. In the film, they are handsome, powerful men who could have their choice of women... and they are fighting over her? She's not particularly attractive in the first place. Rather plain and homely. I thought in Dark Knight, she was sort of at her worst, appearance wise. She has these sort of big, fishy cheeks. I do not care to go on insulting someone's looks, but suffice it to say, Gwenivere is supposed to be a knockout. I just could not buy into the idea that Bale and Eckhart were really crazy for her. I felt that to buy into the whole premise of the movie, you had to have an attractive female for the role. This love triangle was the centerpiece of the story, and it just was not believable.

    3) Pacing. The movie moved along at a snail's pace for the first 2/3 or so, then all of the sudden goes into warp speed once Harvey becomes Two-Face. Strange, off-putting feel in this film.

  11. #31
    Of course movies are a strictly subjective experience, buuut...

    Quote Originally Posted by Edouble View Post
    1) What you mentioned above. Where was the Joker? How far off canon do you want to go?
    I may not have read that many of the books, but I have read The Killing Joke, and the joker from the movie seems pretty faithful to that one. Besides, we already have a Mark Hamill joker and a Jack Nicholson joker - it's nice to see something new.

    I felt that to buy into the whole premise of the movie, you had to have an attractive female for the role. This love triangle was the centerpiece of the story, and it just was not believable.
    Well I think she's pretty attractive. I also think the series goes to some lengths to develop qualities in her other than physical attractiveness that both Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent latch onto.

  12. #32
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    Fun thread!

    One thing about the Joker in Dark Knight that has always bugged me is his motivation. I guess he is just supposed to be a crazed psychopath, but that seems like such lazy storytelling to me. Give him some ultimate goal that makes sense to the audience, please! When he burned the giant pile of money, I sorta went, "really?!?!" And why do his henchmen work for him when he is clearly completely insane and has no regard for profit?

    It would have been a lot better if there was some understandable goal/plot he was engaged in. To make it all just be about proving that Gotham's people were bad at their core... well, that was just sorta lame and unbelievable.

    -Jason "I hope they do better with Bane" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  13. #33
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Boston, MA
    I guess my top would be:

    5. Spiderman
    4. Iron Man (agreed that the back story was exceptional, and the humor throughout was wonderful)
    3. X-Men 2.
    2. Dark Knight
    1. Spiderman 2. Loved Doc Ock in the comic books and in this movie.

    Honorable Mention would go to X-Men, Superman 2 (though I saw it about a year ago, and the fight scene on the street that I liked so much...was really, really, really dated), Superman, Batman Begins, Batman 1, X-Men First Class. Captain America was also much more likeable than I thought it would be.

    Worst would definitely have Catwoman, X-3, Spiderman 3, Batman and Robin, The Hulk.

  14. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    I have very little to quibble about with Jason's list, but it is incumbent on everyone who views a top 10 list to look at the rules of inclusion and find things to quibble about, so here I go:

    I'd move Superman 2 way down and actually put Superman above it. They were both very good movies, although neither movie really rocked my world, even as a kid. Still, they were very good movies, and showed that comic book movies could be done right.

    The Tim Burton Batman movies both struck me a little off, and I don't think either aged well. I'd probably move it down the list. Heath Ledger/Chris Nolan's take on the Joker killed the Burton/Nicholson take by comparison.

    Here's my best shot at a list.
    1. The Dark Knight. Nothing else is particularly close.
    2. Spiderman: not quite the work of art that Raimi pulled off in the Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2/Army of Darkness trilogy...but close, since Ash was in it.
    3. Spiderman 2: elevated by Ash's appearance as the snooty doorman
    4. Batman Begins: agreed with Jason that the ending took away something from the film.
    5. Iron Man: This ending left me wanting more. I kinda felt like the budget had run out and they had to stop the fight. Still, Downey owned this movie.
    6. Superman: May not have moved me, but obviously a very good superhero movie, and it took a couple decades to surpass it.
    7. X-Men 2: Felt like Singer was really able to do what he probably wanted to with X-Men. McKellen's Magneto was awesome in every one of his scenes.
    8. X-Men: First Class: The MacAvoy/Fassbender interplay was way above the level of the rest of the movie. But they were very, very good.
    9. Superman 2: Again, not a movie that really got me going, but I bow to the understanding that my tastes don't reflect the majority on this.

    I'll stop there, leaving a spot for The Avengers, based on my faith in Whedon and overwhelmingly positive early reviews.

    I was saddened to have to leave off James Cameron's Aquaman. The special effects were great and Cameron's love of the water showed in the beautiful filmmaking, but the lead actor simply was too skinny to be taken seriously as a superhero, and he couldn't act.

    And finally, some words from Ash:

    "I got news for you pal, you ain't leading but two things right now, Jack and *&$(. And Jack left town."
    "Klaatu, verata...nnnnn"
    "Good...bad...I'm the guy with the gun."
    "That was just pillow talk, baby."
    "Shop smart...shop S-Mart. YOU GOT THAT?"
    "Baby, you got reeeeeeal ugly."
    "In my own way, I am king. Hail to the king, baby."
    Sounds to me like your superhero movie list is missing Darkman!
    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  15. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    Sounds to me like your superhero movie list is missing Darkman!
    Absolutely would have included it, but I was trying to stick with Jason's initial theme of movies from major/mainstream comic book franchises.

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