The movies of 2010… Yep, you read it right

Okay, gang. Just before the new year celebrations kicked off, I was about to do the obligatory “best movies of the year” post, only to realize I hadn’t actually seen all that many movies made in 2010. To correct this, I added a buttload of 2010 movies to my Netflix queue and moved ’em up to the front. Since then, I’ve been cycling through them relatively quickly in the hopes of putting together a more comprehensive list. Well…by the time I was done, I’d racked up 39 2010 releases… still not enough to average one a week for the year, but better than the 22 I had at the end of December. So let’s take a few minutes and talk them out.

My Favorite Movies of 2010:

1. Toy Story 3: This should be no surprise, if you know anything about me. The Toy Story films have always been remarkably powerful, character-driven masterpieces of animation, and this may have been the best of the lot. Wonderful, emotional, and uplifting. There was no other film last year I loved nearly as much.

2. Inception: Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller took an intriguing idea — traveling into the dreams of others — and blended it with all the best elements of a heist movie to create a mind-bending trip through the subconscious. It’s not an easy movie, it’s a movie that demands your attention, and in the end I don’t think there are nearly enough of those.

3. True Grit: I love a good western, and while I was initially nervous about anybody taking on Rooster Cogburn after John Wayne’s legendary performance, this movie more than set my mind at ease. Not a remake of the Wayne movie, but rather another take at filming the novel, the Cohen Brothers and Jeff Bridges made this story their own in a remarkable way. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin also turned in good performances, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld held her own against some of the greatest actors working today. She more than deserves the Oscar nomination she just got.

4. The Social Network. I, like you, have heard a lot of debate about the accuracy of the Aaron Sorkin/David Lynch take on the life of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, and I certainly am not qualified to speak about how accurate the movie was. But taken just as a pure movie and not a historical document, the film is a brilliant character study of someone who’s a narcissist with potential. There are no heroes in this film, just villains, victims, and a few people (including Zuckerberg himself) that seem to straddle the line between the two.

5. The Town. This one snuck in at the last minute — I just saw it yesterday. Ben Affleck, again proving that he can actually direct, helms this heist film based on the novel by Chuck Hogan about a bank robber who starts a relationship with a hostage who doesn’t know he’s the man who kidnapped her. This isn’t a high-action, thrill-a-minute heist like Ocean’s 11, or even the aforementioned Inception. Yes, there is action, and it’s good, but like most great films, this is much more about the characters, where they come from, and where they may wind up.

Big Surprises of 2010

This is a category for movies that may not have cracked the top 5, but were way better than I expected them to be. Here they are, in no particular order:

Batman: Under the Red Hood. Based on a kinda mediocre Batman comic book and written by the same man who wrote said mediocre comic, this tale of the return of the second, long-believed dead Robin really packed a whallop. It’s strange, the only significant change in the plot was the removal of one element that didn’t really make any difference at all. Is the dreaded “Superboy Prime Punch” the only thing that made us think the comic book was weak, while this animated film was great?

Easy A. When I saw the trailers for this Emma Stone comedy very loosely based on Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, I dismissed it as a stereotypical brainless teen comedy. Instead, I found a really smart film about high school politics, the power of perception and peer pressure, and the importance of self-acceptance. The cast was really funny and talented, and in the end, I felt like I’d spent my two hours very wisely.

Hot Tub Time Machine. Where Easy A just looked a bit typical, the trailers for this looked outright moronic. Still, I pulled it in from Netflix and was delightfully surprised. John Cusack, Craig Robertson and Rob Cordray star as three friends who get tossed back in time to re-live the greatest weekend of their lives. The film gets deeper than that, though, playing with time travel theory, the delicate balance of family and friends, and what it takes to give a few guys past their prime the spark back. The movie turned out to be part Back to the Future and part City Slickers, with a few 80s ski comedies mixed in for flavor. I couldn’t believe I loved it.

Worst Movies of 2010

This, of course, is based entirely on my own personal perceptions, so if you disagree… well, more power to you.

5. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. goes to show you how few films I saw this year, that this cracked the bottom five, because it honestly isn’t a horrible movie. It’s weak, though, very weak. Jake Gyllenhall doesn’t for a minute come off as a Persian prince, the villain’s plot is ludicrous, and the time travel mechanics are screwy. Disney struck out here.

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street. While I still think Jackie Earl Haley was a good choice to take over the Freddy Kruger role from Robert Englund, this remake of the horror classic was dull, lifeless, and often just plain stupid.

3. Clash of the Titans. Amazing, how remakes keep cropping up here at the bottom. While the original Clash was not, I admit, Citizen Kane, it was a fun romp through a specious understanding of mythology with awesome Ray Harryhausen special effects. This was a painful look at mythology based on the understanding of a writer who is probably resting his entire knowledge base on three episodes of the old Disney Hercules cartoon. Sam Worthington turned in yet another wooden, glass-eyed turn as an “action hero,” Gemma Arterton (just as she did in Prince of Persia) looks good on camera but adds nothing to the film, and Liam Neeson evidently lost a bet. And yet enough of you people saw this monstrocity for it to get a sequel. For shame. FOR. SHAME.

2. Splice. Adrien Brody stars in a sci-fi thriller about a couple of scientists trying to… hell, I don’t even know what their actual goal was, but they whipped up a hell beast that was part human and parts a lot of different animals and really deadly. It was actually really close, if I would put this at #2 or #3 on the list. What finally put this below Clash was that, although it did have Sam Worthington tromping around ancient Greece for months without ever outgrowing his buzzcut, it did NOT feature (SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT CONTINUE READING THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU SEE THIS MOVIE AND/OR HAVE A MODICUM OF GOOD TASTE) Adrien Brody having sex with a half-human/half-animal clone of his wife in the middle of a barn. That was hands-down the creepiest scene in any movie in this year. In most years. Maybe ever. I want to boil my brain.

1. Jonah Hex. Now I’m going to be fair here. Objectively, this Josh Brolin/Megan Fox/John Malkovich western based on the DC Comic probably wasn’t the worst-made movie this year. But it was without a doubt the one that made me angriest. I love the Jonah Hex comic book. It’s a brilliant piece of comic literature that could have made one of the greatest, grittiest westerns of all time. Instead, we got a bastardized hybrid of the character mixed in with The Crow, The Sixth Sense, and some leftover set pieces from Wild Wild West. There may have been worse-acted, worse-written, or worse-directed films this year, but nothing had me walk out of the theater this angry. On the other hand, let’s hear it for Josh Brolin? How many people can say they were the hero of the year’s worst cowboy movie and the villain of the year’s best cowboy movie in the same year?

Conclusion

Okay, guys. All that’s left is the comprehensive list. Before I give it to you, though, let me just say I rather enjoyed this experiment, and I’ve still got more 2010 films left on my Netflix queue than I’ve actually seen. Maybe in a couple of months I’ll want to reevaluate this list. Maybe it’ll be totally different. Maybe I should start quantifying all years in cinema this way. Compulsive list-maker that I am, that could be a lot of fun. When I see a film, I’ll open up that year’s list and pop it in where I think it belongs. Of course, I’m not about to start going back and ranking every movie I’ve ever seen that way, that would be preposterous. I’d have to do that just with movies I see from now on. By that rationale, of course, it means Logan’s Run was the best movie of 1976, since that’s the only movie from that year I’ve seen recently. Of course, that may actually be the best movie of 1976, so why belabor the point?

I’m rambling now. Thanks for taking the time to read, guys, and who knows? Maybe I’ll do some updates in the future. I leave you with the complete list of 2010 releases I have seen, in order of preference:

1. Toy Story 3
2. Inception
3. True Grit
4. The Social Network
5. The Town
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
7. Tron: Legacy
8. Hot Tub Time Machine
9. Iron Man 2
10. Easy A
11. Buried
12. Tangled
13. Despicable Me
14. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
15. Shutter Island
16. Batman: Under the Red Hood
17. How to Tame Your Dragon
18. Due Date
19. Waking Sleeping Beauty
20. Predators
21. Kick-Ass
22. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
23. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
24. Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
25. The Losers
26. Dinner For Schmucks
27. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
28. The Wolfman
29. Planet Hulk
30. Survival of the Dead
31. Alice in Wonderland
32. Repo Men
33. Robin Hood
34. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
35. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
36. A Nightmare on Elm Street
37. Clash of the Titans
38. Splice
39. Jonah Hex

What Movies Did I Miss in 2010?

So here I am, trying to come up with some sort of “end of the year” blog, and I decided it may be good to comment on what I thought were the best motion pictures of the year. I’m a geek, right? I watch a lot of movies, I comment on a hell of a lot of movies. I know movies.

But as I sat down to compile my list, I realized something startling: I haven’t really seen all that many 2010 movies. Even counting direct-to-DVD films like the DC and Marvel animated projects, I’ve seen a total of 22 feature length films released in 2010.

Oh, I’ve seen a lot compared to some people, I suppose. Some people wait a long time before seeing movies, some people place no particular importance on seeing them opening day. And I’m fine with that — I think opening day releases are kind of overrated anyway, unless the film in question is one that I’m absolutely dying to see. Looking at my list (I’m a nerd who keeps lists of such things) I’ve seen well over 100 movies this year, but only 22 of them were from this year.

But it seems like in previous years I saw a lot more. Back in the old days, when we were fresh out of college and single, I would get together with my friends (primarily my buddy Jason Champagne — what’s up, Jason?) and catch one or two movies almost every weekend. This year? On my list of 22 films from 2010, I saw 17 in the theaters. Not even twice a month, friends.

What’s even more horrifying, though, is the fact that as I look back at 2010 in the theaters, I don’t even feel like I missed much. I would like to see Despicable Me. I’ve got interest in Red and True Grit, and there are several others I wouldn’t mind seeing, should the opportunity present itself. But is there any 2010 release that actually upsets me because I haven’t seen it?

No.

I think that says as much about Hollywood’s output as it says about me.

Not surprisingly, out of my 22 films there’s a very high geek quotient. Eight of them are based on comic books. Five are fully animated. Three are based on fantasy novels, nine of them are remakes or sequels to older films that appealed to the geek in me as a youngster. Only two of them are totally original concepts, by which I mean they aren’t sequels, remakes, or based on a story from another medium, and those two are Inception and Due Date.

Frankly, I’m a bit embarrassed by myself.

So here’s what I’m going to do, friends. Between Netflix and borrowing DVDs from friends and family, I’m going to spend January playing catch-up. You name a 2010 release (and direct-to-DVD films do count for this) that I haven’t seen and I’ll throw to the front of the queue, steam it if it’s available, or borrow it from somebody else and I’ll try to watch as many as I can in the hopes of giving you a more rounded view of what I think of 2010 in cinema. Any film, any genre, so long as it’s feature length and available on DVD. (And if I can, I’ll try to sneak in a few trips to the theater for the remaining December releases that are worthwhile.) Help me, my friends. You’re my only hope.

So you know where I’m coming from, though, here are the 22 films released in 2010 that I have seen, in alphabetical order:

• Alice in Wonderland
• Batman: Under the Red Hood
• Clash of the Titans
• Due Date
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
• Inception
• Iron Man 2
• Jonah Hex
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
• Kick-Ass
• The Losers
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
• Planet Hulk
• Predators
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
• Survival of the Dead
• Tangled
• Toy Story 3
• Tron: Legacy
• The Wolfman

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 197: A Thanksgiving Quickie

With the Thanksgiving holiday this week, the Showcase boys have been a bit busy, so once more, Blake dashes off a quick conversation to sate your appetite. This week, he gets into the growing conflict between original graphic novels and monthly comics and talks a bit about Disney/Marvel corporate synergy before throwing you over to some bonus content from his newest project. Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody, and don’t forget you can contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!

Music provided by the Music Alley from Mevio.

Episode 197: A Thanksgiving Quickie

 

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 159: Viva Las Vegas

Back in Vegas together, Blake and Erin get together for this week’s episode of the Showcase! The happy couple reviews a pair of new movies, including The Wolfman and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, visit a trio of Vegas-area comic shops, and answer your questions about what there is to do in Vegas if you’re a geek like us! In the picks, Erin liked the novel Star Wars: Death Troopers and Blake gives a thumbs-up to Batgirl #7. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 159: Viva Las Vegas
Inside This Episode:

Everything But Imaginary #339: How to Make an Exit

The new season of Lost began last night… the final season of Lost. And as a longtime fan, I’m excited. But this isn’t the first time I’ve felt something like this as the end of a story approaches. In this week’s Everything But Imaginary, we look at what it means when a favorite approaches the end.

Everything But Imaginary #339: How to Make an Exit

What I’m Reading: 2010 Edition

Like I did last year, I’m going to keep a running tally of my reading list this year. This includes both prose books, graphic novels, short stories (if I read them independently of an entire book, that is), and audiobooks that I listen to. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, I’ll place a link to this post on the righthand “Blakestuff” column, and periodically update this page with new material. Also, if I happen to review the book either here, for the Amazon Vine program, at Comixtreme.com, or otherwise, I’ll make the title a link. Because I know you would want it that way.

1. Desperate Times by Chris Eliopoulos (2009), B-*
2. Under the Dome by Stephen King (2009), A-
3. Little Adventures in Oz Vol. 1 by Eric Shanower (2010), A-*
4. Replay by Ken Grimwood (1987), B+
5. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954), A+
6. The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures by Dave Stevens (2009), A*
7. 7th Son: Descent by J.C. Hutchins (2009), A- @
8. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King (1987), A
9. Star Comics All-Star Collection Vol. 1 (2009), B-*
10. “The Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft (1928), B
11. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (2002), A-
12. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (2009), B+
13. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (2008), B+
14. The Magic Book of Oz by Scott Dickerson (2009), B+
15. More Blood, More Sweat, and Another Cup of Tea by Tom Reynolds (2009), A-
16. PVP Vol. 6: Silent But Deadly by Scott Kurtz (2009), B-*
17. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865), A-
18. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1951), A
19. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1900), A
20. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (2001), B
21. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (2003), B
22. “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving (1824), A
23. Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies by Michael Adams (2010), A
24. Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis (2008), A
25. Doom Patrol: Crawling From the Wreckage by Grant Morrison (1990), B*
26. Doom Patrol: The Painting that Ate Paris by Grant Morrison (1990), B+*
27. The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason (2008), A-
28. “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1836), B+
29. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894), B-
30. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley (2004), B-*
31. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce (1890), A
32. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1595-ish), B
33. “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain (1865), A
34. Lost Ate My Life by Jon Lachonis & Amy J. Johnston (2008), B-
35. All the Great Books (Abridged) by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor (2005-Stage Play), A-
36. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max (2006), B
37. Reduced Shakespeare by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor (2006), B+
38. The Zombie Wilson Diaries by Timothy W. Long (2009), B
39. Lurline and the White Ravens of Oz by Marcus Mebes (2008), B-
40. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper (2004), B
41. “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1922), B
42. Blockade Billy by Stephen King (2010), B+
43. Honor Brigade by Tom Stillwell & Bradley Bowers (2009), A-
44. Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships by Eric Shanower (2001), A*
45. Marvel Zombies 4 by Fred Van Lente (2010), B*
46. The Toxic Avenger and Other Tromatic Tales edited by Tim Seeley (2007), B-*
47. Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality edited by Mark D. White (2010), B
48. Sheldon: Living Dangerously With Saturated Fats by Dave Kellett (2009), A-
49. “The Far and the Near” by Thomas Wolfe (1935), B-
50. “In Another Country” by Ernest Hemingway (1927), B-
51. “The Corn Planting” by Sherwood Anderson (1921), B
52. “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner (1930), A
53. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (1895-Stage Play), B
54. Heaven Book V: War by Mur Lafferty (2008), B@
55. “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Conner (1955), B+
56. Kissyman and the Gentleman by Scott Sigler (2010), B-@
57. Carrie by Stephen King (1974), B
58. Unbeatable: Hotter Than Hell (2010) by Matthias Wolf, A-
59. DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories Vol. 2: Batman and Robin (2010), edited by Bob Joy, B-*
60. I’ll Mature When I’m Dead (2010) by Dave Barry, B
61. Wertham Was Right (2003) by Mark Evanier, A-
62. Little Adventures in Oz Vol. 2 (2010) by Eric Shanower, B+*
63. Age of Bronze Vol. 2: Sacrifice (2004) by Eric Shanower, B*
64. Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne (2004) by John Byrne, A*
65. The Crypt Book One: The Crew (2010) by Scott Sigler & Various, B+@
66. Vampire Brat (2001) by Batton Lash, B+*
67. Haunt Vol. 1 (2010) by Robert Kirkman & Todd McFarlane, B+*
68. Ancestor (2010) by Scott Sigler, A
69. The Customer is Not Always Right (2009) by A.J. Adams, B
70. Atomic Robo Vol. 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne (2007) by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, A*
71. Starman Omnibus Vol. 4 (2010), by James Robinson, A*
72. Hater (2006) by David Moody, B+
73. “Everything and Nothing” (2010) by David Moody, B
74. Penny Arcade Vol. 6 (2010) by Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik, B+
75. And Another Thing… (2009) by Eoin Colfer, B-
76. Dog Blood (2010) by David Moody, B
77. The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) by L. Frank Baum , B+*
78. Sheldon: Still Got It (2009) by Dave Kellett, A*
79. Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against Television Since 1953 (2010) by Dave Kellett, A*
80. Drive: A Hero Rises (2010) by Dave Kellett, B*
81. Beneath (2010) by Jeremy Robinson, B-
82. Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories (2010) by Zack Whedon, A*
83. Night of the Living Trekkies (2010) by Kevin David Anderson & Sam Stall B+
84. The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus (2010) by Fred Hembeck, B+*
85. “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) by Edgar Allan Poe, A
86. Curse of the Were-Woman (2009) by Jason M. Burns, B*
87. A Teacher’s Night Before Halloween (2008) by Steven Layne, B
88. Ghostopolis (2010) by Doug TenNapel, A*
89. Superman: Earth One (2010) by J. Michael Straczynski, A*
90. Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives (2009) by David Eagleman, A
91. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010 Graphic Novel), B*
92. The Lost Hero (2010) by Rick Riordan, B
93. Stupid Christmas (2010) by Leland Gregory, B-
94. Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (2001) by Ace Collins, B+
95. Full Dark, No Stars (2010) by Stephen King, A-
96. The Case For Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger (1998) by Lee Strobel, B
97. Amelia Rules: A Very Ninja Christmas (2009) by Jimmy Gownley, A*
98. The Curious World of Christmas (2007) by Niall Edworthy, C+
99. The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories (2010), edited by Craig Yoe, B*
100. Top Cow Holiday Special 2010 by Phil Smith & Paul Dini, B*
101. Graphic Classics Vol. 19: Christmas Classics (2010), B+*
102. The Truth About Santa (2009) by Gregory Mone, B
103. The Starter by Scott Sigler (2010), B+

*-Denotes Graphic Novel or Comic Strip collection
@-Denotes audiobook
“”-Denotes Short Story

Last Updated on January 1, 2010

What I’m Watching: 2010 Edition

Like I did last year, this year I’m going to keep a running tally of the movies I see. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, I’m going to place the permanent link to this post in the “Blakestuff” category running down the right side of the page. I’ll update this every so often, and whenever I happen to review one of the movies (either here, at Comixtreme.com, or even on the Showcase podcast), I’ll make the title a link. I am, in fact, a man of the people.

1. Star Trek (2009), A
2. The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (2008), B+
3. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), B+
4. The Man With the Screaming Brain (2005), C
5. Re-Animator (1985), B-
6. Soylent Green (1973), A-
7. Igor (2008), B-
8. Dug’s Special Mission (2009), A*
9. Partly Cloudy (2009), A*
10. 1408 (2007), B
11. Pigeon: Impossible (2009), B+*
12. Vegas Vacation (1997), C
13. Cat People (1982), C
14. Psycho Beach Party (2000), B
15. Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988), D
16. Planet Hulk (2010), B+
17. A Charlie Brown Valentine (2002), B*
18. The Wolfman (2010), B+
19. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), B
20. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010), A-
21. The Hangover (2009), B+
22. Surrogates (2009), B
23. Silver Bullet (1985), D
24. Paranormal Activity (2007)
25. Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)
26. Ink (2009), B+
27. Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), B
28. The Hobbit (1977), B
29. The Lord of the Rings (1978), C+
30. The Return of the King (1980), B-
31. Clash of the Titans (1981), B
32. Clash of the Titans (2010), D
33. Iron Man (2008), A
34. Office Space (1998), B+
35. Meet the Robinsons (2007), B+
36. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009), B+
37. Hancock (2008), B+
38. Fritz the Cat (1972), C-
39. The Losers (2010), B-
40. Kick-Ass (2010), B+
41. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968), C+
42. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), A
43. Midnight Meat Train (2008), B+
44. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1958), F
45. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), B+
46. The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005), B-
47. Iron Man 2 (2010), A-
48. The Grapes of Wrath (1940), A
49. Cloak and Dagger (1984), C+
50. The Odyssey (1997), B+
51. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), A-
52. The Pixar Story (2007), A
53. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), C+
54. Richard III (1995), B-
55. Miss March (2009), D
56. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), B+
57. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), D
58. Toy Story (1995), A
59. Toy Story 2 (1999), A
60. Red Dawn (1984), B+
61. Day and Night (2010), B*
62. Toy Story 3 (2010), A+
63. Muppets From Space (1999), B-
64. Jonah Hex (2010), D
65. Monsters, Inc. (2001), A
66. Zardoz (1974), C
67. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), B-
68. Predators (2010), B
69. Laserblast (1978), F (MST3K riff), B
70. Better Than Chocolate (1999), C
71. Alice in Wonderland (2010), C+
72. Inception (2010), A
73. DC Showcase: Jonah Hex (2010), B*
74. Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), B
75. The Beginning of the End (1957), F (MST3K Riff-B+)
76. Sold Out: A Threevening With Kevin Smith (2008), B
77. Let the Right One In (2008), B+
78. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), F (MST3K Riff-A)
79. I Accuse My Parents (1944), F (MST3K Riff-B)
80. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010), C
81. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), B
82. A Wink and a Smile (2008), B
83. Fame (2009), B-
84. Water Lillies (2007), B
85. Jennifer’s Body (2009), B
86. Sex Drive (2008), B+
87. Dead and Gone (2007), D
88. Dead Snow (2009), A-
89. Vampire Killers (2009), B+
90. Netherbeast, Incorporated (2007), B
91. The Zombie Diaries (2006), C
92. Survival of the Dead (2010), B
93. I Sell the Dead (2008), B+
94. Saw VI (2009), B-
95. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), A
96. The Wolfman (1941), B+
97. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943), B
98. Werewolf of London (1935), D
99. She-Wolf of London (1946), D
100. Due Date (2010), B
101. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), B+
102. Tangled (2010), B
103. Tron (1982), B
104. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), A+*
105. Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa (2010), B+*
106. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), F; MST3K Riff, B+
107. The Adventures of Huck Finn (1992), B
108. Tom and Huck (1993), B
109. Miracle on 34th Street (1947), A+
110. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970), B-*
111. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), B+*
112. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), A*
113. Frosty the Snowman (1969), A-*
114. Tron: Legacy (2010), B+
115. Gremlins (1984), A
116. Santa Claus (1959), F; MST3K Riff, B
117. A Muppet Family Christmas (1987), B*
118. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), A
119. It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), B-
120. A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008), B*
121. Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972), F because I can’t give Qs; RiffTrax Riff, B
122. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), A
123. The Polar Express (2004), B-
124. Love, Actually (2003), A
125. A Christmas Story (1982), A
126. Funny Games (2008), B
127. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978), B+*
128. Destino (2003), A-*
129. Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics (2010), B
130. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), B-
131. Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010), B
132. Despicable Me (2010), B+
133. The Crazies (2010), B-

*-Denotes Short Film

Last Updated on January 1, 2010.

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 125: Convention Season Kick-Off

Chase is out of town, so Blake and Mike sit down this week to talk about the beginning of the comic book convention season! The guys discuss the current state of comic cons, Mike talks about his experiences at last weekend’s Wizard World Philadelphia convention, and the boys bat around some of the announcements from Philly and HeroesCon in Charlotte! In the picks this week, Mike chooses Power Girl #2 and Blake selects Zorro #14, with a bonus book pick, Was Superman a Spy? Contact us with comments, suggestions, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@Comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 125: Convention Season Kick-Off
Inside This Episode:

Plus: Let’s get literary! Chase has work conflicts this week, so Blake gets together with his sister Heather for this special edition of Week in Geek! The sibs discuss the recently concluded Percy Jackson series of novels by Rick Riordan, chat about the currently in-production Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief movie, and dive into the mythology surrounding the new J.C. Hutchins novel, Personal Effects: Dark Art.

Week in Geek #24: Percy Jackson and Personal Effects

Plus: Blake flies solo for this review of the new Todd Phillips comedy The Hangover. When three guys at a bachelor party wake up to find the bachelor missing, hijinks ensue. But is it funny enough to spend your money on?

At the Movies Episode 7: The Hangover

What do I write about?

What do I write about today?

Well, I could give you a review of TransFormers: Revenge of the Fallen, but I haven’t finished watching it yet. You see, on Wednesday I got together with Mike and Kenny to catch the movie in IMAX. With about 40 minutes to go, though, the theater lost power. The emergency lights came on and a managerial-type came in and told us the movie would start again shortly. Then the power came back, the lights went off, and the screen… turned purple. Then the lights came back on and the managerial-type came back in and announced that, due to the high-tech nature of the IMAX projection system, it would take an hour to get it back up and running, and they were giving us all two free passes to make up for our inconvenience. We went out afterwards to Izzo’s Illegal Burrito to eat and, periodically, shout out “DAMMIT!” to nobody in particular.

So I can’t write about that.

I could write about my car. The air conditioner went out about a month ago, right before school ended for the summer. Then Erin came to visit and I had a class beginning so I couldn’t bring it in to get fixed. Then yesterday, I was told our class today would be cancelled (ironically, because they needed to repair the air conditioner in the school building), so I decided to try to get it fixed. I brought it in and, a little while ago, got the call with estimate: $900, parts and labor. And I thought. I thought hard. I thought about just sweating it out for a while. Then I thought about the newspaper headline which reported that Wednesday’s temperature of 104 degrees was an all-time high for New Orleans, and that we were in a drought. And I sighed and said “fix it.”

But I don’t want to write about that.

I could write about Project Rebirth. I had two very interesting calls regarding that mystery project of mine this week, and both were productive. One really got me fired up. The second left me mildly disappointed, because I found out I wasn’t going to be able to do something I wanted to do. But both of them were good, because it means the project is moving foward and — perhaps more importantly — picking up speed. And who knows, soon I may even be able to tell you just what that project is instead of referring to it by its mysterious code-name.

So I can’t really elaborate about that.

The only other thing I’ve got is to tell you about the podcast I recorded last night. Chase is out working and we still haven’t quite forgiven Mike “I Like My Vampires Shiny” Bellamy for taking off to Philly without us last weekend. Plus, I wanted to talk about books without pictures, which leaves him out. Instead, I rounded up a first-time podcaster to guest-host with me: my sister Heather. Together we talked about the recently-concluded Percy Jackson novels, which I’ve finished, she’s just beginning, and we both love. Then I did something I really wanted to do — I showed her my copy of the new novel Personal Effects: Dark Art by J.C. Hutchins. Being a huge fan of J.C.’s work as I am, I knew that this book was going to come with a pouch full of papers, cards, and artifacts that you could use to play along with the book, along with URLs for websites and phone numbers you could call that would enhance the experience. I was psyched. But I thought it would be fun to show these things to someone who isn’t familiar with the concept and get her reaction. It turned out to be a pretty good little podcast. You can listen to it here: Week in Geek #24: Percy Jackson and Personal Effects.

Beware Your Fears Made Into Light

What I’m Reading: The Last Olympian

Last week, I reviewed books two through four of Rick Riordan‘s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, all of which I enjoyed immensely. Later that same day, I got the fifth and final book in the series, The Last Olympian. I finished it the next morning. It’s been a long time since I read any novel that fast, a long time since I was up until the small hours because I couldn’t put the book down… a long time since any book deserved that kind of devotion from me. But this book, and this series, deserved every minute I devoted to it and more.

Things have gotten really bad at Camp Half-Blood. The evil Titan Kronos has managed to inhabit a corporeal body again, and is recruiting an army of Titans, Demigods, monsters, and even minor gods who have felt spurned by Olympus. Percy’s friend Nico has come up with a plan that may give him an edge against Kronos, but it’s a risky one — one that has led to the downfall of everyone who has ever tried it in the past. But will it be worth the trying if it’s the only way to save the world?

Jackson really nails this last adventure. First of all, he breaks his own formula for this book. The previous books in this series have all followed the same pattern: incident, journey to Camp Half-Blood, Quest. This book starts the same, but the quest is rather a short one. About a quarter of the way into the book we begin a battle sequence that lasts until the climax. It’s a long battle, to be sure, one that takes several days, but the bulk of this book is concerned with a single battle. What’s more, it’s one of the most fantastic battles I’ve ever read in contemporary fantasy. The setting works, the monsters, the warriors, the bloodshed — all of it feels authentic, organic, and real.

The way the series ends, also, is spot-on perfect. Every character is true to himself (or herself) and things come together in a way that’s not entirely expected, but doesn’t surprise because it makes sense. However, the book is a bit open-ended. If this is the last word ever written about the world of Percy Jackson, it’s a good capper. All of the major characters are accounted for and the major plot threads tied up. But, unlike the look into the future that ended the Harry Potter series, we don’t really get a glimpse of the characters’ futures. Each of the main characters who survives is given a role, a purpose, that could easily be extrapolated to a life story, but there’s still room there. In fact, at the very end Riordan gives us a hint of another great adventure that may or may not be told, and the afterward even refers to this as the end of the “first Camp Half-Blood series,” implying that there will be more.

I certainly hope there will. There’s room for more grand adventures, either with Percy or some other Half-Blood entirely, in this wonderful fantasy universe. I’m kind of glad I didn’t start reading this books until the last volume was already released. I got through the whole series in less than a month and had a wonderfully satisfying reading experience without the frustration of waiting a year in-between installments. But if Riordan gives us more, I’ll be in on the ground floor for the next series.