Goodfellas

10 Flicks: Movies With Awesome Opening Scenes

UNFORGETTABLE OPENINGS

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Mission Impossible 3

“We put an explosive charge in your head…”

The introduction of Owen Davian is ruthless and awesome.

Jaws

Tension. We don’t need to see the shark to be terrified of what lies beneath the waves.

Inglourious Basterds

In true Tarantino fashion, Inglourious Basterds’ opening is full of amazing dialogue, suspense and action.

The Dark Knight

How could I leave out the introduction of one of the coolest villains we’ve ever seen on the big screen? Not to mention it’s an incredible bank heist.

The Social Network

When they first announced ‘The Facebook Movie’ I was skeptical but within 2 minutes I was hooked. This brilliant opening scene introduces us to a fascinating and flawed main character using nothing but well written dialogue.

Casino Royale

You can’t talk about opening scenes without James Bond’s name coming up. With so many choices I had to go with Casino Royale for it’s quiet desaturated beauty.

Star Wars: A New Hope

Ignore the prequels. Our first glimpse of Darth Vader is just as bad ass today.

Reservoir Dogs

Tarantino again. I suppose you could put the opening scenes from all of his movies and they would feel right at home on this list. Obviously Pulp Fiction belongs but Reservoir Dogs is no slouch when it comes to openings. Only Tarantino can make something as ‘ordinary’ as tipping waitresses so unbelievably interesting.

Drive

… Look there’s a cop car… No big deal, I’ll just drive the speed limit because I’ve got nerves of steel…

Easily one of the best ‘getaway’ scenes you’ll ever see and an absolutely awesome beginning to a great movie.

Truly embodies the meaning of iconic. Goodfellas grabs you the second the gangsters open the trunk and never lets go.

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10 Flicks: Best Picture Losers

February 24th, 2012 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 10 Flicks | Featured Posts | Movies - (0 Comments)

There have been countless upsets come Oscar time.

Movies that should have won.

Likewise, there are years when the right movie wins when 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

XTRA | Top 10 Movies With Star Wars References

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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The Athletic Nerd’s Movie Power Rankings 1-15

September 19th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Featured Posts | Movies - (0 Comments)

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.

The Athletic Nerd Movie Power Rankings

Signs

M. Night Shyamalan’s film inspired me to become a better screenwriter. There are definitely a ton of people out there who disagree with my number 1 pick but I stand by it. I feel like writing every single time I see it.

The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan created the greatest superhero movie of all time.

The Matrix

All three films are included in this pick. Many people loved the first film but hated the trilogy as a whole but I disagree. I didn’t love Revolutions but Reloaded was incredible. Plus, you really can’t deny how amazing the first film was. Outstanding.

A Few Good Men

My favorite screenplay. I could watch those intense courtroom exchanges every single day.

Good Will Hunting

When it comes to compelling characters, Will Hunting ranks very high for me.

The Shawshank Redemption

I don’t think I’ve ever met a human being who didn’t like this movie. Just saying.

Dumb & Dumber

My #1 favorite comedy. The most quotable movie of all time amongst my circle of friends.

Toy Story

The first full length computer animated film is still the best. Then they went and followed it up with 2 stellar sequels.

The Lord of the Rings

An unbelievable filmmaking achievement. I watch every second of the trilogy AND the billion hours of special features at least once a year.

The Sandlot

A classic baseball movie. For a movie nerd obsessed with sports, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Rainy Sundays: The Sandlot

Goodfellas

Of course Martin Scorsese has a place on this list.

A Beautiful Mind

I love fascinating characters and John Nash’s story is brilliantly brought to life by Russell Crowe and director Ron Howard.

Inception

Christopher Nolan. His dream invading caper changed the way I’ll look at original screenplays forever. The best movie of 2010.

Gladiator

It’s always a proud moment when your favorite movie wins the Oscar. Russell Crowe appears twice in the top 15! Not bad.

Garden State

I almost ignored this movie due to lack of interest. That would have been a huge mistake on my part.

http://jaymckinnon.com/blog/movies/rainy-sundays-the-sandlot

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10 Flicks: Awesome Double Features

November 30th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 10 Flicks | Featured Posts | Movies - (0 Comments)

Double features.

We’ve all enjoyed movie marathons from time to time. Matching two worthy movies together can be pretty challenging. Sometimes it’s tough to decide which two go together. Others are a little more obvious.

Some get inspired during the first movie and choose the next film accordingly. Others plan ahead. Some simply watch the same combos over and over again until they become cherished traditions.

Honestly, as I stared at my DVD collection, I could have easily named about 50 billion different combinations but I had to stop somewhere.

What are some of your favorite double features?

Feel free to contribute by commenting below!

Here are some of my favorites:

[Note] I’m aware this list doesn’t really have 10 films… I’m okay bending the rules every once in a while.

Patch Adams / As Good As It Gets

Gladiator / The Last Samurai

Happy Gilmore / Tommy Boy

Forrest Gump / Mr. Holland’s Opus

War Of The Worlds / Independence Day

Saving Private Ryan / We Were Soldiers

Speed / True Lies

Labyrinth / The Dark Crystal

Snatch / Pulp Fiction

The Bourne Identity / Casino Royale

Goodfellas / Casino

The Shawshank Redemption / The Green Mile

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All Time Best: Movie Based On A True Story

November 23rd, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in All Time Best | Movies - (0 Comments)

This edition of All Time Best was one of the hardest of… all time.

What’s the best movie based on a true story?

Tough one. How many amazing movies out there are based on true events? Sometimes, movies are infinitely more fascinating when you know they actually happened.

I found a pretty great list on Wikipedia and while I scanned it, I couldn’t help but marvel at how many incredible true stories have been made into films.

My first instinct was to go with one of my favorite actors and his brilliant portrayal of Jim Lovell in:

Apollo 13

Tom Hanks. I really can’t think of any movies he’s done that I didn’t enjoy on some level.

They broke down in space! How can you resist this amazing story of astronauts in peril on their way to the moon? It’s the moon?

Think of it realistically. Can you think of a crazier place to get stuck? It’s space!

Not only that, the way the world rallied around the men to bring them back safely makes me wish I could have watched the events unfold live myself.

The power of the human spirit. Nice.

Now, I have to admit that my winning pick BARELY edged out Apollo 13. It’s a completely different movie but you can’t argue that it’s an amazing story.

The story of Henry Hill.

Goodfellas

What more can I say? Goodfellas will always be one of the greatest films of all time let alone the greatest based on a true story. Martin Scorsese’s remarkable masterpiece unites the talents of some of the best actors the world has ever seen.

The result is one hell of an entertaining story.

While my first instinct was to go with Apollo 13, I’m admittedly bias because GoodFellas also happens to be one of my favorites.

What’s your favorite movie based on a true story?

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10 Flicks: Movies With Awesome Opening Scenes

UNFORGETTABLE OPENINGS

Mission Impossible 3

Jaws

Inglourious Basterds

The Dark Knight

The Social Network

Casino Royale

Star Wars: A New Hope

Reservoir Dogs

Drive

Goodfellas

10 Flicks: Best Picture Losers

A Clockwork Orange

The Shawshank Redemption

Gangs Of New York

Star Wars

There Will Be Blood

E.T The Extra Terrestrial

Jerry Maguire

Goodfellas

Saving Private Ryan

Pulp Fiction

The Athletic Nerd’s Movie Power Rankings 1-15

Signs

The Dark Knight

The Matrix

A Few Good Men

Good Will Hunting

The Shawshank Redemption

Dumb & Dumber

Toy Story

The Lord of the Rings

The Sandlot

Goodfellas

A Beautiful Mind

Inception

Gladiator

Garden State

10 Flicks: Awesome Double Features

What are some of your favorite double features?

Patch Adams / As Good As It Gets

Gladiator / The Last Samurai

Happy Gilmore / Tommy Boy

Forrest Gump / Mr. Holland’s Opus

War Of The Worlds / Independence Day

Saving Private Ryan / We Were Soldiers

Speed / True Lies

Labyrinth / The Dark Crystal

Snatch / Pulp Fiction

The Bourne Identity / Casino Royale

Goodfellas / Casino

The Shawshank Redemption / The Green Mile

All Time Best: Movie Based On A True Story

What’s the best movie based on a true story?

Apollo 13

Goodfellas

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