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10 Flicks Movie Lists

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

Star Wars Episode 4

#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

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

Lord Of The Rings

#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

Transformers Optimus Prime

#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

Independence Day Area 51 Attack

#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

signs_mel_gibson_shyamalan

#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

The Matrix Reloaded Trinity

#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

Twister Helen Hunt Tornado

#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

jurassic_park_trex

#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

dark-knight-joker

#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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All Time Best: Movie Argument | You Can't Handle The Truth

COULD THIS BE THE BEST MOVIE ARGUMENT OF ALL TIME?

Best movie arguments…  I thought about it for a while and came up with my favorite and it’s no surprise it also happens to be one of my favorite movies as well.  A Few Good Men.

All Time Best: Movie Argument | You Can't Handle The Truth A Few Good Men

Cruise vs Nicholson

Watching Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee ‘thunder away’ at Colonel Nathan Jessup was by far the best on screen arguments I’ve ever seen.  It’s certainly among the top from a screenwriting perspective and how can you not find the phenomenal performances compelling.  Every second of A Few Good Men leads to this epic confrontation and it delivers.

Kaffee vs Jessup.  The all time best movie argument…

“Are we clear!”

XTRA | All Time Best: Angry Movie Rant

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How To Survive The Boo Box

January 14th, 2012 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Movies - (1 Comments)

How To Escape From The Boo Box | Hook 1991

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER LOST SLEEP BECAUSE OF HORRIFYING SCORPION FILLED CHESTS.

I often think about The Boo Box from Steven Spielberg’s Hook.  It’s been haunting me for decades now.  So let’s talk about it…

XTRA | Rainy Sunday: Hook

First of all, what kind of an idiot admits to doubting his Captain that quickly! Especially when your Captain is Hook!  You have to lie if you doubt your captain.  Honesty means nothing to the steel handed stingray.  Also, why bother showing your face on that ship in the first place? You know he’s going to find out by asking you a simple question.  People who get the Boo Box sentence make me sad…

So here are some tips on how to survive The Boo Box.

  1. Don’t doubt your Captain!
  2. Once in the boo box, calm down and locate the scorpions. Try not to make too many sudden movements. However, it’s important to keep yelling slightly so they don’t think you’ve read this post and have a foolproof survival method.
  3. Once you’ve located the scorpions KILL THEM! They are just scorpions! Work quickly because you only have a limited amount of time before people get suspicious.
  4. Once they are dead, kick the screaming into high gear. You should be in pain. Really sell it.
  5. Make sure to pinch yourself really hard so there are bite marks.
  6. Once they open the box you’re on your own.  These tips only help you escape death by scorpions. Which is why #7 is the most important tip…
  7. Don’t doubt your Captain!

This poor pirate didn’t have a chance but he didn’t even put up a fight.  He just broke down and cried.  It’s unfortunate…  I’m still terrified of the boo box.

…  Do you think The Boo Box is meant to kill someone or simply punish them?

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The Athletic Nerd's 2011 Movie Reviews

2011 started strong.  I was averaging a movie review per week but sadly it did not last.  I’m pretty disappointed in my film intake over the last 5-6 months.  I’ve only seen a few new releases since September but that streak won’t last either.  Another year is upon us with tons of sweet looking flicks on the horizon.

Before I dive into another year of reviews on this blog, I wanted to rank the reviews I wrote last year.  These rankings don’t necessarily reflect the quality of the movies but rather the thoughts the movies inspired.  I write about the movie experience and what I felt sitting in the theater.

Next year, it is my goal to raise the bar with my reviews.  I can’t wait to get started.

29. The Striking Truth & The Rise Of The UFC

28. Thankfully, I Saw The Green Hornet For Free

27. Cheesy Fries & The King’s Speech

26. Black Swan Flew Over My Head

25. Is Green Lantern Really That Bad?

24. Fast Five Is Rock Solid

23. John Krasinski Steals Something Borrowed

22. Was Captain America Overshadowed By The Avengers?

21. The Road To The Avengers: Getting To Know Thor

20. It Doesn’t Get More Depressing Than Melancholia

19. Battle: Los Angeles Is What It Is…

18. Why Buried Delivered On It’s Haunting Premise

17. 127 Hours… 70 Days Later

16. Bridesmaids & The Hangover

15. Go Back In Time & Watch Source Code Again

14. Insidious Demons Are Scary

13. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Lights A Fuse

12. Rango, Clint Eastwood & The Other Side

11. I Fell For Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

10. The People vs George Lucas vs Me

9. Thinking About The Sunset Limited

8. Transformers Dark Of The Moon?  Apology Accepted Michael Bay

7. Harry Potter 7.2 & The Incredible Battle For Hogwarts

6. Is First Class The X-Men’s Finest Hour?

5. Imagination & Sucker Punch Explained

4. Kevin Smith, Red State & This Indie Filmmaker

3. Paranormal Activity 3, Teddy Ruxpin & The Theater Experience

2. Super 8 Unspoiled

1. Why HUGO To The Movies

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Why Ninja Turtles Made Me Cry

September 16th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Movies - (0 Comments)

You're two minutes late dude

XTRA | Top 10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Quotes

When I first started this blog in 2009, it was called ‘After Then and Before Now’ and called 17west.ca home. 

The blog has a new home and a new name (The Athletic Nerd) but the content is very similar.  (There’s just more of it now.)  When I moved the blog, the plan was to transfer all the existing posts over to the new format.  One of them was called…

SPLINTER GOT EMOTIONAL!

turtles

That fearsome fighting team dominated my life for years.  I had all the action figures, vehicles, books, stickers, bed sheets and more.  I still have a giant Rafael action figure in a box somewhere in my apartment.  I should seriously look into finding the pictures of me dressed up as Raf for Halloween.  I loved the Ninja Turtles.  You can imagine how I felt when I was heading to the theater. This is what I love about films.  You can truly become immersed in a world that could never exist. (Or can it? I’m sure they are experimenting with ooze in a sewer somewhere.)  Whenever you get that involved in a story it’s only natural for you to become attached to the characters.

Let’s get back to the heroes in a half shell.  I’m in the theater and I’m totally wrapped up in the film.  (I’m talking about the first outstanding motion picture experience.)  There is a scene where the turtles gather around a fire and Splinter appears before them.  He offers some heartfelt words of wisdom to his sons.  Just seeing them cry got to me.

“I love you all, my sons…” Says a ghostly Splinter.

Are you kidding me?  What normal kid from my generation didn’t get a little choked up during that scene? I lost it.  I don’t even feel bad about it.  Maybe I’m alone but to date that is the only scene in the history of cinema that made me cry.  (Note: This statistic is based on theater viewings only.  There have been other instances that I am not as comfortable admitting to.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie 1990 Splinter

It’s every filmmaker’s goal to reach audiences in some way.  Whether it is to make them laugh, cry or scare them until they cry, there is always a plan.  When it comes to screenwriting, I try to be mindful of that fact and work as hard as I can to create the same attachment in my stories.  There’s no guarantee it works every time but the effort remains.  It’s little details that count.  Kind of makes me wonder if the filmmakers sat around laughing about the kids destined to cry during that scene…  Guilty.

PS: I was SEVEN cut me some slack.

Why Ninja Turtles Made Me Cry | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie 1990

CHECK OUT THE TOP 10 NINJA TURTLE QUOTES

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