Iron Man

Rating: 7
Genre: Action/Adventure

This was a Super Hero movie so it was very unbelievable; however, this was different from most super hero movies. Primarily, the super hero used gadgets and electronic devices rather than super-powers so that alone made this better than most. And, Robert Downy Jr. plays the part of a filthy rich genius who is a cynical, egotistical, yet self-deprecating smart-ass to a T.

Gwyneth Paltrow did a great job playing his assistant. She has a way of portraying humility that can charm your socks off.

The plot was pretty far-fetched but at least it didn’t deal with aliens, zombies, etc. It had enough element of feasibility to it that you could place this into the fairly near future without too much of a stretch.

What really made the movie good was the acting of Robert Downy Jr. This would’ve been a much worse movie without his presence. The action shots were done well and the robot in his garage had some of the funniest lines in the movie. Overall, I enjoyed the movie.

A word of caution: don’t waste your time watching the deleted scenes, they were pretty bad. I am very glad they didn’t include them in the movie.

The Guardian

Rating: 5
Genre: Drama

This movie starred Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as Coast Guard swimmers… the guys who jump out of Helicopters into the ocean to save potential drowning victims. Overall this movie was pretty predictable and the acting was not that great.

I think a documentary movie on the subject would be better because the subject itself is pretty amazing. Guys who risk their life in treacherous oceans to save people they don’t know. They are the oceans version of firemen. The movie did a pretty good job at showing the danger level that they deal with but the story itself was too “Officer and a Gentleman” for me. I think they tried too hard to add relationships into it when the real relationship should’ve been between the swimmers and the death they face so often. What drives people to put their life on the line like that? In its better moments, the movie touched on that but spent far too much time with macho bravado crap.

Kung Fu Panda

Rating: 8
Genre: Animated

This animated movie was a fun and funny take on kung fu movies. Po, the panda, is played by Jack Black. He brings a kooky level to this movie that you don’t see in most animated movies. He is great at making his voice tell a visual story. It is pretty much what I had hoped Will Ferrell would bring to the Curious George movie but didn’t.

Po is a Kung Fu fan but is stuck slopping noodles in his dad’s restaurant. He dreams of being the ultimate Kung Fu warrior someday. Then, predictably, he happens into the role of Dragon Warrior… a long foretold legend speaks of a dragon warrior how will save the entire kingdom from sure destruction.

While the outcome is predictable, the characters are done very well and the animation is good too. The other characters don’t drag the movie down either. As a side note- David Cross (who plays Tobias in Arrested Development) is the voice of the crane.

It’s not as funny as the 1st Shrek, but if you like Finding Nemo, Flushed Away, Madagascar, Hoodwinked, or even School of Rock, then you’ll probably enjoy this too.

Get Smart

Rating: 7
Genre: Comedy

This movie was based of the Get Smart TV series from the 1960s. It’s pretty much a spoof on spy movies… very similar (as my brilliant wife pointed out) to Pink Panther… or the Austin Powers movies. I think Steve Carell did a great job portraying Maxwell Smart (agent 86), the bumbling agent for Control who is out to save the globe from the evil terrorist group Chaos and its agents.

In the original Don Adams played agent 86 and Barbara Feldon played agent 99. In the latest movie, Anne Hathaway plays agent 99. She did a great job playing the role of the savvy, smooth part of the duo. At the beginning she was a little more smug than the Barbara Feldon character was but comes around to being a helpful, likeable partner by mid-movie.

Alan Arkin plays the chief and did a great job. He brings a touch of class to the movie… Chief is less disgusted with Max in this movie than he was in the series and is his mentor and coach… a very refreshing portrayal of modern management skills.

Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) plays another Control agent and has a few funny parts too. James Caan, Patrick Warburton, and Bill Murray have bit parts.

This isn’t a deep movie but was a fun and witty action-comedy. If you liked the original series at all, you’ll like this movie too.

Lost Boys of Sudan

Rating: 10
Genre: Documentary

Lost Boys of Sudan is a documentary about teenage boys who were once part of the Dinka tribe in Sudan. They were a peaceful cattle and goat herding tribe until Muslim radicals came into Sudan and started killing anyone who wasn't Muslim; burning villages, killing entire tribes including women and children. When the Muslim radicals came to the Dinka tribe, many of the young boys who were out in the fields tending to the herds were able to flee on foot and made it to a refugee camp.

Hundreds of the boys spent ten years in the refugee camp before some were given an opportunity to go to America where they hoped to receive an education so they could one day come back to Sudan and build their war-ravaged country back up again.

The movie follows two specific boys' journey from Africa to America and gives an inside look at this transitional time in their lives. The movie gives a great look at America, both good and bad, from an outsiders perspective.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who liked Blood Diamond or Hotel Rwanda. This movie is much different than those but the theme of genocide is prevalent in all 3. This movie, however, is not just based on a true story, it is one. It adds far more feeling and emotion knowing the heart of these boys and following them through joy and hardship. Great movie!

Category Explanation

I broke up my favorite movies into sub-categories because it was way to hard to compare almost 400 against one another without splitting them into similar groupings. Many of the movies could've gone into multiple categories but I put each one into the category that seemed most logical to me. Here are the categories and my explanation for each:

Action / Adventure:
This category includes movies in which the characters are moving throughout most of the movie. Car chases, battles, sci-fi... that kind of thing.

Family / Drama / Documentary:
These movies are focused on the telling of a story and are usually full of word heavy, low-action shots. Not all of these are family movies so be careful! I also included several documentaries, including a few about rock bands.

Mystery / Thriller:
This category is made for the plot twist, seat-edge, keep-you-guessing style of movie. Some are scary or startling, some are not.

Comedy:
Movies that are meant to be funny first and foremost.

Romantic Comedy:
Comedies where the central plot revolves around a man and a woman falling in love and the hilarity that ensues.

Animated:
Full-length animated movies.

PS. If you think I missed a glaringly obvious movie that should be on one of my lists, please leave a comment and let me know.

My Favorite Drama / Family / Documentary movies

Here are my favorite family / drama / documentary movies in order:

1. O Brother, Where art Thou?
2. Passion Of The Christ
3. Schindler’s List
4. Big Fish
5. A Family Thing
6. Finding Forrester
7. Stranger Than Fiction
8. Nativity Story
9. I Am Sam
10. Amazing Grace
11. Saving Private Ryan
12. King Of California
13. Forrest Gump
14. Hotel Rwanda
15. One Night With The King
16. A Christmas Story
17. Akeelah And The Bee
18. Labyrinth
19. Amistad
20. Young At Heart
21. Dead Poets Society
22. Once
23. Awakenings
24. Million Dollar Baby
25. Good Will Hunting
26. The Cast Away
27. Benny And Joon
28. Drugstore Cowboy
29. The Defiant Ones
30. Freedom Writers
31. The Bucket List
32. Chaos Theory
33. Dan In Real Life
34. Field Of Dreams
35. Hurricane
36. The Mission
37. Finding Neverland
38. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
39. Apollo 13
40. Bridge To Terabithia
41. LA Story
42. Hook
43. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
44. Edward Scissorhands
45. Dances With Wolves
46. A Beautiful Mind
47. Blow
48. Into The Wild
49. Eight Below
50. Facing The Giants
51. How To Eat Fried Worms
52. It’s A Wonderful Life
53. Spanglish
54. Masada
55. The Motorcycle Diaries
56. Flyboys
57. Miracle On 34th Street
58. The Namesake
59. Pay It Forward
60. March Of The Penguins
61. The Pursuit Of Happyness
62. White Christmas
63. Faith Of Our Fathers
64. Big
65. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
66. The Who – The Kids Are Alright
67. In Good Company
68. Glory Road
69. Three Dog Night – Tennessee Symphony
70. Remember The Titans
71. Invincible
72. Lightning In A Bottle
73. The Parent Trap
74. Lemony Snicket’s Series Of Unfortunate Events
75. We Are Marshall
76. Pump Up The Volume
77. Charlie Wilson’s War
78. Broadcast News
79. Matilda

My Favorite Action / Adventure Movies

Here are my favorite Action / Adventure movies in order:

1. Braveheart
2. Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
3. Holes
4. Indiana Jones – The Last Crusade
5. Indiana Jones – Raiders Of The Lost Ark
6. Pirates of the Caribbean – Black Pearl
7. Secondhand Lions
8. The Princess Bride
9. The Count Of Monte Christo
10. Master and Commander
11. The Boondock Saints
12. The Patriot
13. Rob Roy
14. Gladiator
15. 300
16. The Last Samurai
17. National Treasure
18. The Chronicles Of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
19. Jurassic Park
20. Indiana Jones – Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
21. Kingdom Of Heaven
22. The Mummy
23. Once Upon A Time In Mexico
24. The Matrix
25. Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest
26. Troy
27. Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End
28. Robin Hood – Prince Of Thieves
29. The Mask Of Zorro
30. The Spiderwick Chronicles
31. Glory
32. Kill Bill – Volume 1
33. Journey To The Center Of The Earth
34. King Arthur
35. Reign Of Fire
36. The Man In The Iron Mask
37. A Bridge Too Far
38. Enemy Of The State
39. Kill Bill – Volume 2
40. The Fifth Element
41. Blood Diamond
42. 3:10 To Yuma
43. National Treasure 2 – Book Of Secrets
44. The Italian Job
45. The Legend Of Zorro
46. Gone In Sixty Seconds
47. The Three Musketeers
48. Con Air
49. Catch Me If You Can
50. Shooter
51. Hidalgo
52. Spider Man
53. The Great Escape
54. Ronin
55. Batman Begins
56. Long Kiss Goodnight
57. Despardo (El Mariachi)
58. The Postman
59. The Poseidon Adventure
60. X-Men
61. Young Guns
62. Crimson Tide
63. Spiderman 3
64. James Bond - Casino Royale
65. The Chronicles Of Narnia – Prince Caspian
66. Curse Of The Golden Flower
67. Apocalypto
68. Die Hard
69. The Rock
70. Last King Of Scotland
71. The Fastest Indian
72. Stardust
73. Romancing The Stone
74. Armageddon
75. Back To The Future
76. Goonies
77. Joan Of Arc
78. James Bond - Goldeneye
79. The Dirty Dozen
80. Shanghai Noon
81. Wild Wild West
82. The Bounty
83. Broken Arrow
84. James Bond - Tomorrow Never Dies
85. Grosse Point Blank
86. The Brothers Grimm
87. Shanghai Knights
88. Jumanji
89. Westworld
90. Face-Off

My Favorite Romantic Comedies

Here are my favorite romatic comedies in order.

1. Say Anything
2. Waitress
3. Music And Lyrics
4. Juno
5. When Harry Met Sally
6. The Wedding Singer
7. Sleepless In Seattle
8. 50 First Dates
9. While You Were Sleeping
10. Meet The Parents
11. Mamas Boy
12. Housesitter
13. Something About Mary
14. Along Came Polly
15. No Reservations
16. Love Actually

My Favorite Mystery / Thriller Movies

Here are my favorite mystery / thriller movies in order:

1. The Usual Suspects
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Fight Club
4. Sling Blade
5. Pulp Fiction
6. Fried Green Tomatoes
7. Flatliners
8. Les Miserables
9. Memento
10. Mystic River
11. Crash
12. I Robot
13. The Sixth Sense
14. The Green Mile
15. In Bruges
16. Witness
17. The Seventh Sign
18. The Prestige
19. Enemy At The Gates
20. Flawless
21. Silence Of The Lambs
22. The Illusionist
23. Stand By Me
24. LA Confidential
25. Cape Fear
26. Angel Heart
27. No Country For Old Men
28. The Departed
29. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
30. A Time To Kill
31. Se7en
32. Unforgiven
33. The Fugitive
34. The Bourne Identity
35. Minority Report
36. Delores Claiborne
37. Sneakers
38. Secret Window
39. True Romance
40. The Score
41. Kiss The Girls
42. The Pelican Brief
43. Fallen
44. The Firm
45. Inside Man
46. Ocean’s Eleven
47. Wild Things
48. Sleepers
49. Backdraft
50. Along Came A Spider
51. Timeline
52. The Fisher King
53. Nick Of Time
54. Four Brothers
55. We Own The Night
56. Vantage Point
57. Inside Man
58. Foxy Brown
59. Seraphim Falls
60. Pan’s Labyrinth
61. Matchstick Men
62. Identity
63. The River Wild
64. Copycat
65. Reservoir Dogs
66. Frequency
67. Being John Malkovich
68. The Bourne Ultimatum
69. Goodfellas
70. The Bourne Supremacy
71. American Gangster
72. Perfect Stranger
73. Hunt For Red October
74. Entrapment
75. The Chamber
76. A Simple Plan
77. The Presidio
78. Premonition
79. The Negotiator
80. Stir Of Echoes
81. Apocalypse Now
82. Repo Man
83. Ocean’s Twelve
84. Runaway Jury
85. Ocean’s Thirteen
86. Deliverance
87. The Rookie
88. Heathers
89. Swordfish
90. The Net

My Favorite Comedies

Here are my favorite comdies to date, ranked in order:

1. Top Secret!
2. Office Space
3. Naked Gun
4. Wayne’s World
5. Monty Python And The Holy Grail
6. A Mighty Wind
7. Elf
8. Airplane
9. National Lampoon’s Vacation
10. Dumb And Dumber
11. Napoleon Dynamite
12. Austin Powers – International Man Of Mystery
13. Big Trouble
14. Me, Myself, And Irene
15. Best In Show
16. RV
17. Brian Regan – Standing Up
18. Jim Gaffigan – Beyond The Pale
19. Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy
20. Happy Gilmore
21. The Mask
22. Evan Almighty
23. Kicking And Screaming
24. Bruce Almighty
25. School Of Rock
26. Ace Ventura – Pet Detective
27. The Man With Two Brains
28. This Is Spinal Tap
29. Hot Fuzz
30. Weird Science
31. Blazing Saddles
32. Tommy Boy
33. Old School
34. Anger Management
35. Raising Arizona
36. Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
37. Liar Liar
38. Fun With Dick And Jane
39. High Fidelity
40. A Fish Called Wanda
41. Caddyshack
42. The Jerk
43. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
44. Billy Madison
45. Without A Paddle
46. Shaun Of The Dead
47. I Married An Axe Murderer
48. Austin Powers – The Spy Who Shagged Me
49. Austin Powers – Goldmember
50. National Lampoon’s European Vacation
51. Jerry Seinfeld – I’m Telling You For The Last Time
52. Better Off Dead
53. Hot Shots
54. Blades Of Glory
55. Big Daddy
56. Rat Race
57. We're No Angels
58. The Ref
59. Click
60. Robin Hood: Men In Tights
61. Beverly Hills Ninja
62. Night At The Museum
63. Steve Martin – A Wild And Crazy Guy
64. Black Sheep
65. Summer School
66. Fletch
67. Wild Hogs
68. Bill Cosby – Himself
69. Breakfast Club
70. City Slickers
71. Waterboy
72. Talladaga Nights
73. Scrooged
74. Mr. Deeds
75. Grumpy Old Men
76. Innerspace
77. Analyze This
78. National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
79. Throw Momma From The Train
80. Uncle Buck
81. Easy Money
82. National Lampoon’s Animal House
83. Spies Like Us
84. Blues Brothers
85. Young Frankenstein
86. Taxi
87. Groundhog Day
88. Let's Do It Again
89. Back To School
90. Revenge Of The Nerds
91. Opportunity Knocks

My Top 25 Animated Movies

Here are my 25 favorite full-length animated movies, including my Royce-rating (1 to 10):

1. Jungle Book (10)
2. Shrek (10)
3. Jonah – Veggie Tales (10)
4. Cars (9)
5. Monsters, Inc. (9)
6. Wallace and Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (9)
7. Flushed Away (8)
8. Wallace & Gromit – A Close Shave (8)
9. Hoodwinked (7)
10. The Incredibles (7)
11. Ratatouille (7)
12. The Emperor’s New Groove (6)
13. Toy Story (6)
14. Madagascar (6)
15. Shrek 2 (6)
16. Finding Nemo (6)
17. The Lion King (6)
18. Shrek 3 (5)
19. Fern Gulley (5)
20. The Prince Of Egypt (5)
21. A Bug’s Life (5)
22. Iron Giant (5)
23. Bee Movie (5)
24. Alladin (4)
25. The Fox And The Hound (4)

The last few would've scored higher if they weren't so predictable. Curious George almost made the list but it just wasn't very funny or clever - just very cute (which is why Fox and the Hound dropped so far). The Grinch Who Stole Christmas almost made it too but I've seen it so many times that it is boring to me now.

TV Shows

Here are my...

Top 10 Favorite TV Shows of All Time:
1. Arrested Development
2. The Office
3. Scrubs
4. Corner Gas
5. Police Squad
6. Freaks and Geeks
7. My Name Is Earl
8. The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones
9. Iron Chef America
10. Bob Newhart

Top 10 TV Shows (if calculated by number of hours I’ve invested):
1. Brady Bunch
2. Happy Days
3. Gilligan’s Island
4. Three’s Company
5. Love Boat
6. The Nanny
7. Scooby Doo
8. Dukes Of Hazard
9. Cheers
10. Full House

Top 5 Reality Shows:
1. Next Food Network Star
2. Kid Nation
3. Next Iron Chef
4. American Idol
5. Survivor

Of course these lists do not include sports events, which makes up the bulk of my TV viewing life. In fact, if the Blazers are on TV, they are top priority. Monday Night Football comes in 2nd.

At some point, I may review my top 10 favorite TV shows. Stay tuned for more…

Top Secret!

Rating: 10
Genre: Comedy

This is one of the great Zucker Brothers spoof movies. It came out in 1984 (after Airplane and the Police Squad series, but before Naked Gun). It mocks spy movies, 50s rock and roll, European high society, WWII Germany, etc.

As for the plot, it follows Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer), an American rock star who gets caught in the middle of a foreign espionage debacle when he meets a young woman whose father is being held captive by the Germans. The father is a scientist who is working on a top secret project (hence the name of the movie) and the Germans hope to use it to take over the world.

This movie has some of the funniest gag-lines and plays on words of any movie… ever!
Knee slapping goodness like this... “Thanks for the phony dog poo.” “What phony dog poo?” HAHA HAHAHA!! Plus, any movie that starts out with a music video of Skeet Surfin’ can’t miss in my book.

If you like movies like Airplane, Naked Gun, or Hot Shots, you should watch this movie.

Young At Heart

Rating: 7
Genre: Documentary

This documentary is a look at the singing group Young At Heart. Young At Heart are a group made of elderly (70+) folks who tour Europe and America singing rock and roll songs. Their take on David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Clash, Coldplay, James Brown, etc. is both hilarious and poignant.

Lyrics tend take on a whole new meaning when delivered by this age group, and the gravity of impending and recent death of its members adds a weightiness and depth to songs while contrasting with the spirit they each have to live life to the fullest as long as they can.

The groups manager and song leader is a very determined, patient, and compassionate man named Bob Cilman. He keeps the group on track and pushes them for their best effort while maintaining a genuine caring attitude and thoughtfulness toward each of them.

The personalities of the members are funny and quaint, spunky and sad, somber and hopeful. I hope I am this full of thought when I am their age.

The highlight of the movie, for me, comes when the group performs at a local prison and conveys hope and relief to a group of men who society has forgotten. The prisoners’ mid-show tears and post-show hugs prove that their one-time lapse in judgment does not invalidate their humaness. One of the most inspiring pieces I’ve ever watched.

A couple segments in the movie were not that great, however, including the poor decision to go with Sonic Youth’s Schizophrenia, a song that contains the B word and did not seem very appropriate to sing to audiences that include children. Also, there were a few minor mentions of sex, which may be a reality in that age group but a reality that I don’t think I need to know about until I learn it for myself.

Overall, I liked this movie and agree with the movie's theme: singing youthful songs is a great way for old people to stay… young at heart.