My Top 5 80s Action Heroes

The 1980s was the golden decade for action movies and their manly heroes.  Nowadays, action heroes are less over the top and not quite as uber-manly.  Today, the newer action movies are more quality with the acting, writing, dialogue and storylines.  However, it is always fun to throwback to one of the classic action film of the 80'.  Here is my top 5 action heroes from the 80s.

5. Dutch (Predator) -- Arnold Schwarzenegger

When you have a jacked-up Austrian actor with big guns facing off against an alien who was made to hunt creatures, its a hard formula to beat.  Dutch is about as manly as they come, a military commando wearing a sleeveless vest in the jungle, he is one of the biggest badasses of the 80s.  Spouting out one-liners like they grow on trees, he cheats death throughout many brushes with the titular alien.  When you talk about action heroes, many people's minds drift straight to Dutch, his appearance and the way he talks.  Get To The Choppa!

4. Rambo (First Blood) -- Sylvester Stallone

Rambo is very similar to Dutch.  In the world of the 80s, he was a major star.  A loner who was forced into defending himself, he takes out the local sheriffs and military personnel with no issues. He is the strong, silent type with a penitent for getting in trouble.  However, he never has any trouble getting out of said trouble.  He takes on the whole sheriffs department and military without suffering a bruise or a bent finger nail.  In the second film, he even takes on an entire prisoner of war camp in Vietnam, and he does it with nary a problem.  Once again showing off the muscles, just without the normal amount of one-liners for John Rambo.

3. Ripley (Aliens) -- Sigourney Weaver

In a world of ripped male actors portraying badass action heroes.  Ripley manages to infiltrate and shine as one of the biggest badasses in the period.  She accompanies an army squad into a colony to see what has gone wrong.  After the inevitable time when everything goes wrong, she ends up killing Xenomorphs left and right.  Without the giant muscles, she still comes off as a premium and bona-fide badass.  Taking on one of the most terrifying creatures in sci-fi history, she takes out the whole colony and even the queen, during which she mutters one of the best one-liners in history.  After the first Alien, Ellen Ripley turns into one of the most badass characters in the history of action movies.

2. Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark) -- Harrison Ford

Indiana Jones is the person that many young men wanted to be when they grew up.  A wise-cracking archaeologist who fights baddies with his trusty whip.  Discovering ancient artifacts, fighting the always hated Nazis, and getting the girl at the end.  He is not the traditional badass of the 80s that everyone thinks of, but a badass none the less.  Indiana Jones is an action hero that a lot of people can relate too.  He works as a professor when he's not on the job, and I fell that people can relate to him more because of that.  It is harder to relate to others like Rambo and Dutch because of their background.  Indy is a great character and is the second best action hero from the 80s.

1. John McClane (Die Hard) -- Bruce Willis

John McClane is the most badass character from the 1980s.  He was just a New York City cop, until terrorists led by the legendary Hans Gruber took over the building that McClane was in.  With just the clothes on his back and the sheer badassery that he possesses, he takes them on.  He goes through hell to take that building back, and he even walks barefoot over glass.  He taunts that terrorists at any chance he gets and even possesses one of the most best catchphrases ever.  He even pushes the main baddie out of the top floor window.  While he takes on the terrorists and keeps going, despite the beating he takes, the audience realizes that John McClane is the most badass character from the 80s.  Whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, it has the best action hero from the decade.

Do Big Budgets Make Better Movies?

For the past couple decades, movie budgets have been growing steadily.  In recent years, some budgets have become so big that they have trouble making their money back.  Now, it is easier to make a great film with a bigger budget, but does that guarantee a better film?  There are some great films that have been made on large and small budgets, but no guarantees either way.
There are films with big budgets that make a large profit, and movie with large budgets that do not make any money.  The same can be said for small budget films.  Here are some examples.

Large Budget films that earn a lot of money:
The 2017 film Beauty and the Beast was made with a budget of $160 million, despite the budget, the film brought home a profit of $1.2 billion worldwide.
Frozen, which was made in 2013, had a budget of $150 million, but brought home a profit of $1.2 billion.
in 2009, Avatar hit the big screen.  It was made with a budget of $237 million.  This film made a profit of $2.7 billion.

So, films with a large budget are usually successful, and can make a lot of profit, despite the large amount of money they are made for.  However, it does not guarantee a large profit if the film has a large budget.

47 Ronin was made with a budget of $175 million, however only made $38 million at the box office. That is a huge loss for a film of that caliber.
Jack the Giant Slayer was released in 2013 for a budget of $195 million.  This was another film with a huge loss as it only made $65 million at the box office.
Waterworld is a film that had many production issues, and was filmed for $175 million but only brought home $88 million.
Cutthroat Island had one of the biggest losses in cinematic history.  It was filmed for $98 million and earned a measly $10 million, that is bad.

Films that have a large budget are not guaranteed success, and you can see.  It may be more common because they have more resources and funding, but that does not mean that they make a quality film and make a profit.  There are also plenty of films with low budgets that make a ton of money.

The original Rocky movie had a miniscule budget compared to many films, it was $960,000 dollars.  That proved to not be a hindrance, as it made $117 million at the box office.
Clerks is another example.  That film was made on $27.5 thousand dollars.  It made $3 million dollars.
The Blair Witch Project was made for $60,000 dollars but made $140 million dollars.

This can show that a film does not need a huge budget to make a profit.  I believe that a film is not made on a budget, it is made of a great story and characters.  I think that the writing and acting are the most important parts of a movie.  When you have those two combined with great and dynamic characters, you have a good film.  The story makes the film, not the budget.  Rocky was not the best looking film, but it had the story and the characters that attract movie-goers and it proved it with the profit.  Not all move are great, not matter the budget.  High budgets make it easier to create a good film, but it does not guarantee it.

My Favorite Film Director

My favorite director is actually a pair of Directors.  These two brothers bring to life quirky characters and humor with a unique style.  However, they were not always directors of quirky humor.  Their first film had a completely different style than their later films.  However, they do make films with a more serious style, and even won as Oscar in 2008 for best picture.  With that said, my favorite film directors are the Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan.

My second favorite movie of all time is actually directed by these two, The Big Lebowski.  This film is one of the biggest cult movies of all time.  I'm almost positive that there was a religion founded after the main character and they even have a church.  Now that is saying something about a movie, when there is a religion based on the main character.  This film is the perfect example of the Coen's quirky humor.  The other film that is best known by them is Fargo.  Fargo also shows off their style and humor as it follows the botched kidnapping scene in and around the town of Fargo.
They do not always keep their humor on every film.  They have made their share of serious and darker films.  These include the remake of True Grit, which was successful and a very quality film.  They also were the directors of the 2008 best picture winner, No Country for Old Men.  This was a successful, as it won more than just best picture, as it won best supporting actor and best direction.

They have a few actors who they employ and frequently collaborate with.  These include Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Jeff Bridges and John Goodman.  They have even collaborated with big names like George Clooney more than once.

With these accolades and great films that these two have made, there is not a doubt that they are my favorite directors in Hollywood.

Thor: Ragnarok

This film was one of Marvel's best...


A few days ago, I wrote my list of the 5 best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  If I had written that just a couple days later, it might have been different.  This film has very few flaws, and even manages to avoid one of Marvel's biggest weaknesses.

First, when you hear the announcement of a superhero film about Ragnarok, you would not expect it to be funny.  This is not true in Thor.  However, despite the humor, the jokes are not out of place.  There are plenty of serious moments that counteract the funny scenes and it maintains a nice balance.  The humor fit well in the story and there were no real forced jokes to be found.  Taika Waititi took the reigns and did a wondrous job reinventing a character that had begun to fall off.  It was a new, refreshing and better version of the God of Thunder. The movie was hilarious, while at the same time serious and dark.  It was a perfect balance for my tastes.  Along with all of that, the action scenes have you at the edge of your seat as you wait to see what happens next.  They are well-choreographed and some of the best in a comic book movie.

The characters were played to near perfection, it would have been hard to get better performances out of the cast.  Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor, and he seems excited to be that character again.  Something that seemed to be lacking in the previous Thor movie.  Tom Hiddleston reprises the role of Loki, and is just as great as ever, as he is one of the best Marvel Villains.  Speaking of villains,  Cate Blanchett takes the character of Hela and brings her to life.  She is menacing and beautiful and ruthless all at the same time.  There was a little liberty taken with Hela's backstory, but that is all forgotten with that performance.  Mark Ruffalo has his best performance as the green rage-monster in this one, adding his part to the humor.  Tessa Thompson gives a very strong performance as Valkyrie, and you should know her name if you do not already.  Idris Elba is great as ever in the limited role that he has in the universe.  Even Waititi gets in on the action as he voices Korg, a man made of rock that accompanies helps Thor out in his own weird way.  And, lets not forget the wonderful performance of Jeff Goldblum.  This casting choice was just perfect and nobody else could have played that role so well.

So, Thor: Ragnarok was a great movie and a fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This is definitely worth the watch and I highly recommend it.  

My Top 5 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies

With the public release of 'Thor: Ragnarok', I thought that it would be a good time to put this list together.  I love this shared universe that Marvel has going, and I believe that it has fulfilled the expectations set on it.  It has brought to life some of people's favorite Marvel superheroes, something that has been done poorly in the past.  In the next year, the universe will only get larger and more popular, and it already one of the most successful franchises of all time.  So, here is the list of my top 5 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies.

5. Doctor Strange (2016)

Something that is quite different than what Marvel has ever tried to do. This film introduces to world of magic to the MCU, and it does that quite well.  Marvel placed Scott Derrickson in the director's chair for this foray through the world of magic, and he rewarded them with one of the better movies in the MCU.  Benedict Cumberbatch brings Doctor Stephen Strange to the big screen with great success. He plays the arrogant neurosurgeon quite well, as he usually does with any role.  The audience can get behind the character as he struggles with the concept of magic and learning how to control and utilize it.
Doctor Strange is one of my favorite comic characters, and I am extremely happy with his costume and appearance in the movie.  His costume us pretty spot on from the comics and that does not happen very often.  Cumberbatch is joined by names such as Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams, and they all do a good job for their characters.  This was a very quality film with a good storyline.  This opens up so many options for the MCU to go with the new magic aspect, and I am excited for it.  The only problem I have with this movie is the villains (Marvel does not always have the greatest villains), they are not great.  Kaecilius, while played well by Mads Mikkelsen, could have been much better, along with Dormammu.  They could have been much stronger and better villains for Dr. Strange.  Besides that, this movie was pretty darn good.

4. Iron Man (2008)

The movie that started the whole universe is also one of the best and most entertaining.  Robert Downey Jr. plays the Billionaire philanthropist Tony Stark in a role that he plays to perfection.  One thing Marvel does really well is casting for their characters, the actors become the characters that they play, and Downey Jr. is one of the best.  When you think of Iron Man you think of RDJ, and that does not always happen.  It has happened with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and RDJ as Tony Stark is in that category.  It is his amazing performance that really drives the films and makes the original exceptional.  Not to downplay the help of Jeff Bridges and others, but this is RDJ's movie.
John Favreau takes the helm of this film and he does a great job of directing the ship, while even having a small role in the series. This film just works so well and the animation and CGI is great that does not take away from the story at all.  This film worked so well that is spawned what is the Marvel Cinematic Universe now.  The only gripe, as with many Marvel Movies, is that the bad guy is not a strong point of the movie.  However, the on-screen adaptation of the hero is fantastic.  Like I said, RDJ is perfect for the role and the suit looks great on the big screen.  All of that together makes this one of the best movies in the MCU.

3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Civil War is a great film that launches the MCU into a new phase and sets up upcoming movies very well.  This movie takes a more serious turn than previous movies in the MCU, however, it keeps the trademark humor that Marvel is known for.  This movie has many moral questions that tear up the famed team of heroes.  Directed by the Russos, this movie blends together the stories and the backgrounds of the whole of the Avengers and pits them against each other.  Something that you do not see in superhero movies, the Avengers split in two and fight each other as the movie progresses.  Some people were worried that there were too many players in the movie and they would not get enough screen time each. However, this question is invalid now, everyone gets enough screen time and are utilized well to keep the film going. Once again, one of the only gripes is the villain.  Helmut Zemo was pretty weak with a questionable plan, something that Marvel cannot seem to get away from.
Introducing new characters that people have been waiting for to join the existing avengers, it works even better.  The appearance of Black Panther and the much awaited Spider-Man set up future films fantastically.  Spider-Man: Homecoming has already made a successful release this past summer, and with Black Panther coming soon, the film helped sell other movies as well. All of the actors and actresses blend very well on screen, and that helps the film to move and gel even better.  This film is one of the top MCU movies so far, without a doubt.

2. The Avengers (2012)

The first major team-up in the MCU, this brings all the first movies together in a long-awaited film.  The Avengers was a major test for the young MCU, as this was the first attempt to make a movie with many superheroes at once.  Making sure that they get enough screen time and do not overshadow each other.  Luckily, they had the right director for the job.  Joss Whedon did a fantastic job with this film, keeping a nice balance throughout the film.  All of the actors also gelled quite well and were very believable as a team. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner all keep the movie together and moving along.  With supporting roles played well by Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders and Samuel L. Jackson that play well with the other major roles, this film was great performance wise.
Loki is a good character and probably Marvel's best villain, but his plans are always wacky and seem too complicated.  This is their best villain performance so far, but Loki is still not a great villain.  However, this movie works well even without a great villain. People were just happy to see a superhero team hit the big screen together, and they were very happy with this movie.  I was one of those people, and I would say that this is the second-best movie in the MCU.  This movie was great and paved the way for other superheroes to hit the big screen.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

This is, without a doubt, my favorite MCU film to date.  Everything about this is great, except, once again the villain.  He is not a great villain, imposing, but not great overall.  James Gunn has made a fantastic movie and struck gold with this lesser known superhero team.  With fantastic humor that is intensified from the cast, along with some serious and emotional moments, this film mixes that well.  The greatest part of the movie is the cast and the actors that make these characters come to life.  Chris Pratt is absolutely great as Peter Quill, or Star Lord.  He is hilariously immature and selfish to start.  the way he grows throughout the movie is great to bring the team together. He is joined by Zoe Saldana as Gamora the green skinned assassin, Dave Bautista as Drax, who I think is the most underrated character in the MCU, Bradley Cooper and the loudmouth Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel and Groot.  They are joined by a great list of supporting Characters. Michael Rooker as Yondu, Karen Gillian as Nebula and John C. Reilly as Corpsman Dey.  The actors and the cast are fantastic and really make the movie.
The other fantastic part is the soundtrack.  This is a flashback to rock and roll that many people loved and some other films attempted to go with.  This music fits into the storyline well, with Peter Quill from earth and the time when that music was popular.  This just adds to the greatness of this film and is the greatest in the MCU.

My Personal Top 10 Favorite Movies #5-1

5. Army of Darkness (1992)

Army of Darkness is not a cinematic powerhouse, its not going to change the way that movies are made, but I still love it.  It is a movie that is so bad that its simply fantastic.  The dialogue is very cheesy, it is not Tarantino-esque, there are one-liners for days that are delivered by the legendary Bruce Campbell.  The special effects are not going to blow anyone away either.  There are very clunky skeletons that are reminiscent of the original Clash of the Titans from 1981, and the fight scenes are not very inspiring.
Despite all of that, this movie is great because it does not take itself too seriously.  Directed by Sam Raimi, who is a quality director and staring Bruce Campbell himself, this movie pretty much makes a joke of itself.  The third movie in the Evil Dead trilogy, this film takes a turn from the previous two.  Evil Dead one and two were much more horror than Army of Darkness.  This is a quality movie that you have to approach with the right mindset, you cant expect the Shawshank Redemption when you sit down with this DVD in.

4. Leon: The Professional (1994)

Unlike Army of Darkness, The Professional does take itself seriously. This movie is fantastic, in all aspects.  Directed by Luc Besson, who has had some questionable films come out recently, and starring Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman, it is tough to beat this.  Leon (Reno) and Mathilda (Portman) form an unusual relationship throughout this movie after Mathilda's family is murdered by a corrupt officer (Oldman).  Leon then teaches Mathilda the trade of being an assassin, or cleaner, as he refers to it.  Reno and Portman are fantastic and carry the movie well.  Oldman provides a fantastic villain for the two, in which I believe that is his best performance.  All the actors blend well and bring this story to life, and Besson provides direction to the best of his ability.
This movie is simply fantastic not matter which way you look at it.  This movie has great ratings on every movie website that I have seen, so at least some people agree with me.

3. The Goonies (1985)

The Goonies is a tale about every child's dream, Chasing after the long-lost pirate and finding his treasure.  The story of Mikey, who's father cannot pay the bills anymore and is on the verge of foreclosure, steps in to help.  He recruits his group of friends to find One-Eyed Willy's treasure so they can stay in the neighborhood.  I have fond memories of this movie from when I was a child.
Featuring probably the greatest child-star cast in history, Richard Donner directs them to a memorable movie about doing what others cannot.
Starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman and Kerri Green, these actors work together fantastically.  Corey Feldman stands out as his character is very sarcastic and talks too much for his own good.  This movie is a classic and should be shown to kids for years to come

2. The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Big Lebowski really does not have a plot, and it works plenty fine without one.  Who says you need a plot?  The masterpiece by the Coen Brothers is driven by its characters and the Coen's unique style.  Jeff Bridges plays the Dude, a lazy bum with a fascination for white Russians and who just wants to go bowling.  Because he shares the name Jeff Lebowski with a millionaire, he gets caught up in a kidnapping scheme that is all sorts of convoluted.  He is joined by his two friends on the bowling team. Walter, a loud-mouth Vietnam vet and Donny, who can barely get a word in.
With Jeff Bridges as the Dude, John Goodman as Walter, Steve Buscemi as Donny, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt, John Turturro as Jesus Quintana and Sam Elliot as the narrator, you will be hard pressed to find a better comedy cast.
This movie is fueled by its zany cast of characters, and you won't even have to worry about a plot to follow, just enjoy this wacky adventure and laugh about it after the fact.
The Dude just wanted his rug back, man.

1. The Princess Bride (1987)

Now I will start this off by saying I usually an not a fan of romances, however, this movie does not feel like one.  This is an adventure, filled with giant eels, princess kidnappings, friendly giants and plenty of swordplay.  Any romance that includes Andre the Giant is plenty fine with me.  Directed by Rob Reiner and based on the book of the same name, this movie actually plays out the book as a grandfather reads it to his sick grandson.
Cary Elwes plays Westley, a former farm hand to the beautiful Robin Wright, who plays Buttercup.  They fall in love, but Westley has to leave, and when word reaches Buttercup that Westley's ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, she is devastated.  She is then selected to become the wife of Prince Humperdink, who has bad intentions.  Westley eventually comes back for her, and it is one of the greatest adventures ever told.  They are joined by Wallace Shawn as Vizzin, Andre the Giant as Fezzik, Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya, Christopher Guest as the six-fingered man and Billy Crystal as Miracle Max.
This movie has a little something for everyone.  It has romance, action, kidnapping, betrayl, Rodents of Unusual Size and even torture, if you're into that sort of thing. I think that the casting is fantastic, even down to Fred Savage as the sick child.  I believe that this movie is perfect, and it is my favorite movie of all-time for a reason.  The only thing that would make it better is......nothing.

Harvey Weinstein

This is a subject that is very big in the news these last weeks, and with good reason.  Harvey Weinstein, a once respected figure in the movie world, has had some things come to light that he would rather have left in the closet.  Multiple actresses have come out to the news and other sources claiming that Weinstein did some unsavory things.  These include sexual harassment and assault.

I do not know all the details, nor will I ever, but this is something that just cannot be ignored.  For this many women to come out and unite against Weinstein, something is seriously wrong.  My opinion in this topic does not even matter, but I think that this subject is important enough.  I believe that you should respect everyone, unless they give you a reason not too, and this is certainly good enough of a reason. 

This is just despicable for one of my favorite business in this world.  For this to happen to this many women for this long is just not right, and it sickens me.  Weinstein deserves everything that is coming to him and probably more.  He should never be involved in any movies any longer and should never be considered. 

I usually do not like to think about things like this, getting involved in social issues, but this happened to one of my favorite industries.  This will not stop me from watching movies, but something needs to be done about this situation.