Saving Private Ryan

Top 20 Violent Best Picture Nominees

February 18, 2013 at 8:32 pm

Dramas, Musicals, Comedies, Action Movies… So many worthy films have been recognized at the Academy Awards. Films from all over the world. Many for their portrayal of the human spirit. Others for telling the true stories of remarkable people. Today, I focus on some of the more violent entries in the storied history of The Oscars. Here are 20 of my all time favorites:

Where do your favorites rank?

20. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Did it win? No

XTRA | 10 Flicks: Movies with Unanswered Questions

19. APOCALYPSE NOW

Did it win? No

18. RAGING BULL

Did it win? No

17. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Did it win? Yes

16. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

Did it win? No

15. TAXI DRIVER

Did it win? No

14. THE EXORCIST

Did it win? No

13. THE DEPARTED

Did it win? Yes

11. THE GODFATHER PART II

Did it win? Yes

10. JAWS

Did it win? No

9. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Did it win? Yes

8. GANGS OF NEW YORK

Did it win? No

7. BRAVEHEART

Did it win? Yes

6. ROCKY

Did it win? Yes

5. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Did it win? No

4. GOODFELLAS

Did it win? No

3. GLADIATOR

Did it win? Yes

2. PULP FICTION

Did it win? No

1. THE GODFATHER

Did it win? Yes

Click here for more Movie Countdowns

XTRA | Top 10 Best Picture Nominees that LOST the Oscar

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ONE War Movie: Saving Private Ryan

February 28, 2012 at 1:26 am

WHICH WAR MOVIE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

The story around my pick is one that many would agree with I’m sure. Legendary war films put courageous characters in horrific situations. Many tell the true stories of soldiers who gave their lives for their countries. Heroes who faced impossible odds and went into battle regardless. Courage, honor, respect, loyalty, strength… It’s one of my favorite genres.

To pick a favorite is tough because amazing war films are about as old as film itself. There are so many classics to choose from but I went with a relatively recent film for 2 main reasons. First, the movie is absolutely incredible. Second, it gave birth to a term in my household known as ‘The Saving Private Ryan Guarantee’.

I saw Saving Private Ryan in theaters when I was 14 years old. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long. Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece is quite simply amazing. The first 20 minutes alone is worth the price of admission. But what follows is a heart warming story about 8 men who risk their lives to save one.

When I left the theater that day, I couldn’t wait to tell my dad about it. He loves war films. We didn’t a chance to see it in theaters which was excruciating because movies took ages to arrive on home video back then. Finally, the day it was released on VHS I rode my bike to the local video store and rented it.

We watched Saving Private Ryan as a family based on my recommendation and it didn’t disappoint. From then on, when I wanted my family to see a movie I would give them the ‘Saving Private Ryan Guarantee’. I wouldn’t say it often but when I did, they would always give the movie a chance. They loved Tom Hanks, Matt Damon and co. as much as I did.

If I Could Only Recommend ONE War Movie It Would Be Saving Private Ryan

Click here for more recommendations.

XTRA | Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Losers

Check out these listings at Leicester Square Cinema.

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10 Flicks: Best Picture Losers

February 24, 2012 at 8:51 am

We all know the movies that should have won. But there are years when the right movie wins while others are just as deserving. That’s the fun of the Oscars. Everyone has their favorites. Everyone makes their picks.

But there can only be one Best Picture each year.

Here are 10 of the best losers:

A Clockwork Orange

LOST TO: The French Connection

The Shawshank Redemption

LOST TO: Forrest Gump

XTRA | Movies That Changed Everything: The Shawshank Redemption

Gangs Of New York

LOST TO: Chicago

Star Wars

LOST TO: Annie Hall

XTRA | If I Could Only Recommend ONE Science Fiction Movie

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There Will Be Blood

LOST TO: No Country For Old Men

XTRA | Movies That Changed Everything: There Will Be Blood

E.T The Extra Terrestrial

LOST TO: Ghandi

XTRA | Why E.T Scared Me

Jerry Maguire

LOST TO: The English Patient

Goodfellas

LOST TO: Dances With Wolves

Saving Private Ryan

LOST TO: Shakespeare In Love

Pulp Fiction

LOST TO: Forrest Gump

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10 Flicks: Box Office Favorites

January 21, 2012 at 8:39 am

I’m a proud movie nerd.

We’ve covered that so it shouldn’t surprise anyone who reads this blog that I follow box office numbers closely. The only place I go for box office information online is Box Office Mojo.

Recently, I was checking the all time domestic numbers and decided to see if I could narrow the top 100 down to 10. Can you?

Click here to see the Top 100

So here are my 10 favorite box office moneymakers.

Honourable Mention: Avatar, 300, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan

Star Wars

#4 – $460,998,007

I adore the original trilogy and enjoyed the prequels but A New Hope will always be my favorite. (Followed closely by Empire Strikes Back.)

XTRA | If I Could Only Recommend ONE Science Fiction Film

Spider-Man

#9 – $403,706,375

It may not be my favorite superhero movie of all time but it certainly paved the way for some of the most entertaining movies in history.

“Go web go!”

Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King

#12 – $377,027,325

It’s tough to pick one movie when all three are in the top 100. I look at the series and see one giant incredible movie but I had to pick one so ROTK was the winner.

XTRA | Movies That Changed Everything: The Lord of the Rings

Transformers

#22 – $319,246,193

Even though I absolutely hated the sequel, the original is one of the most entertaining popcorn movies I’ve ever seen on the big screen. It had giant fighting robots and some of the best and most complex visual effects ever created.

XTRA | Transformers 3? Apology accepted Michael Bay

Independence Day

#30 – $306,169,268

Will Smith is my favorite actor. I’m one of the reasons his movies always make 100 million+ in theaters. Independence Day will always be one of the greats. ID4 is a perfect example of a huge box office blockbuster. Big stars, big FX and big thrills.

XTRA | Wouldn’t it be awesome if Independence Day 2 was about…

Signs

#70 – $227,966,634

I talk about Signs a lot on this site. I even thought about leaving it off this list to avoid ‘Signs fatigue’. However, I simply couldn’t bring myself to leave my all time favorite movie off the list.

The Matrix Reloaded

#41 – $281,576,461

It’s ambitious, it’s explosive, it’s cool and it’s confusing. It was once the record holder for most anticipated movie until it was toppled by The Dark Knight years later.

XTRA | What THE MATRIX screenplay taught me

Twister

#61 – $241,721,524

Twister may surprise some people but I’ve always loved this movie. When I was a kid, I used to be terrified of tornado warnings. This eventually ignited an interest in weather and this movie came along right in the middle of that childhood obsession. Twister is a fun movie. Plain and Simple.

Jurassic Park

#15 – $357,067,947

To this day, I’m still fascinated by how well the effects stand up compared to today’s standards. Such a fun movie.

The Dark Knight

#3 – $533,345,358

My second favorite movie ever. I’ve never been so excited to see a movie in my entire life and to have the film deliver on all the hype was amazing.

Try narrowing down your own list of 10 box office favorites. It’s not that easy.

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The Athletic Nerd’s Movie Power Rankings 16-30

September 13, 2011 at 7:45 am

The Athletic Nerd Movie Power Rankings

Go to any major sports website and you will find Power Rankings. A popular ranking system that lists every team in a league from best to worst.

Since I work for a sports network, it makes perfect sense to take that system and rank my favorite movies of all time.

Except I’m doing things a little differently. These won’t be updated weekly. (That would be ridiculous) However, you will find links to stories I’ve written on the films in addition to trailers and bonus posts.

We start with 16-30. Click here for 1-15.

Saving Private Ryan

I made a couple war movies when I was in high school. I think every film nerd did. To me, Saving Private Ryan is the definitive war film. Hanks, Spielberg and a phenomenal story.