by Stephen Milek

Happy 4th of July everyone.  This is from an old blog of mine but thought I would share again.  

This is a short list because there have only been like 6 movies have been made about the Revolutionary War and that's including a HBO miniseries and a made for TV movie from A&E. Still that only leaves 4 movies that I have seen for my list.

1.  The Patriot-Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger fight the British in this violent action movie.

2.  1776-Fun musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence

3.  John Adams-HBO Miniseries-The life of John Adams incudes his rise to prominence in Massachusetts to his presidency and death.  Paul Giamatti gives a great performance as Adams.

4.  The Crossing-A&;E TV movie-About Washington's crossing of the Delaware River with  Jeff Daniels playing Washington.


Since there weren't many movies about the Revolutionary War I decided to do an additional list of movies that sounds like they should be about the Revolutionary War but aren't.

1.  Independence Day-Takes place on the 4th of July but instead of fighting the British we are fighting aliens.

2.  Born on the 4th of July-Sounds patriotic but a controversial film from Oliver Stone about the Vietnam War.

3.  The Birth of a Nation-Not about the Revolutionary War but about the start of the KKK.

4.  God Bless America -Not at all what it sounds like it is really about a guy that goes crazy and starts a killing people. 

5.  American Beauty - Sounds like it would be a nice tail of America but it is about the falling apart of a family.  

By Stephen Milek

In early July of 1947 there was a report of a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico and to commemorate that anniversary World UFO Day was created.   To celebrate the occasion I decided to make a list of my favorite alien invasion movies.  These are movies where aliens come to earth and they don’t come in peace so E.T. does not qualify for this list.  Also movies where humans go and fight aliens on their planet doesn’t qualify either so movies like Avatar and Starship Troopers didn’t make the list either.  Needless to say these movies are usually action packed with lots of special effects.

1.       Independence Day – When you say alien invasion movie this is the first movie that usually comes to mind.  There a so many iconic scenes in this movie with everything blowing up from the White House to all of New York.  The action is fun and the cast delivers everything we expect from humor to a great presidential speech at the end. 

2.      The Thing – Sometimes alien invasion movies can be scary and The Thing brings the horror element to the genre.  John Carpenter’s update of The Thing from Another World is one of the best remakes of all time and will make you afraid of space invaders.

3.      The Day the Earth Stood Still – One of the few movies on here that doesn’t have a lot of death and destruction.  A story of an alien that comes to earth to warn man of a coming invasion if they don’t change their ways.  The movie came out in the 50’s and has a very anti-nuclear message but it still holds up today.

4.      Edge of Tomorrow (or Live.Die.Repeat if you prefer) – The most recent movie on the list and one that for unknown reasons didn’t do very well at the box office. In fact it did so poorly that when it was released on home video it got a sort of name change to Live.Die.Repeat.  But for anyone that saw it knows it is a great sci-fi action film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The aliens in this movie can control time and when Tom Cruise’s character is able to repeat the same day over and over he must figure out the secret to beating them.  And if you aren’t a fan of Tom Cruise get satisfaction from watching him die a lot. 

5.      Predator – 80’s action movies mixed with an evil alien gave us this gem of a movie.  Predator takes Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime doing what he does best.  Saying one liners and blowing things up. 

6.      Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Another 1950’s alien invasion movie about aliens growing “pods” with people in it then killing the real people.  Along with The Day the Earth Stood Still they are some of the most influential sci-fi movies of the 50’s. 

7.      Sings- A slightly controversial choice as there are many that don’t like Signs.  But I see it as the last great M. Night Shyamalan movie.  Shyamalan is now considered a hack and I feel this movie gets unfairly maligned for some of his recent failings.  But I remember watching Sings in the theater and being on the edge of my seat.  While the invasion happens on a world scale we are focused on how it affects a family in rural Pennsylvania.   I can see how the ending can be a bit hooky but it works for me.  

8.      The Avengers – The fun of this movie is less about the alien invasion and more about watching your favorite superheroes learn to be a team. And this movie is fun.  Loki makes a great villain and his alien force at the end gives our heroes a chance to show off their super powers.  

9.      The Faculty – If you ever wondered what The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers would look like this is your answer.  You have your stereotypical high school characters but this time they must learn to trust each other or be turned into aliens.  It lacks a certain flair that other Robert Rodriquez movies had but the constraint pays off.    Kevin Williamson who wrote the slasher revitalizing Scream wrote this one also and while it didn't have the cultural impact that Scream had it was a great horror movie that references other classic movies.  It also gave us Jon Stewart in a beard having a pen stuck through his eye and of course any chance to see a sexy Salma Hayek is worth it.  
10.  Evolution - A choice that might not make many lists and the only comedy on this list.  There is something so ridiculous about this movie that I laugh every time I watch it and had to include it on the list.  From the David Duchovny’s seriousness to Julianne Moore’s slapstick the movie works for me.  The chemistry between Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Sean William Scott make the movie work.  Also helps when you have the legendary director of Ghostbusters Ivan Reitman at the helm.  Just an enjoyable movie all around.  

I am sure there are others you feel I missed.  Let me know what you think should have been on the list.  

For 20 years Pixar has been entertaining the world with their great stories and imaginative characters.  They have released 14 movies so far with the 15th Inside Out in theaters now.  We decided to take a poll to see what everyone's favorite Pixar movie is.  Since the poll started before Inside Out was officially released we didn't include that in our poll. But with so many beloved movies what would come out on top?

Well it wasn't too much of a surprise but it appears nostalgia fueled the vote. The original Toy Story started off strong and easily came in first.  20 Years later the innovative film still feels fresh and while Pixar's animation style has improved there is just no beating that feeling you got when you first saw Toy Story.  

Tying in second was Finding Nemo and Up.  The story of a father looking for his son is heartwarming and the voice cast is brilliant and there was some strong support to make  Ellen Degeneres the first Oscar nominee for a voicing a character.  And the first 15 minutes of Up is probably one of the most romantic stories in film history.  

Following just behind them is Monsters Inc and Brave.  The support for Monsters Inc kind of surprised me.  I didn't realize there was that much love for that movie.  Brave is a tricky one.  While there was definitely support of the movie in the poll it appears some one voted multiple times for Brave and artificially elevated it's vote count.  I disqualified some of those votes but the movie still managed to do well in the poll.  

As far the bottom goes Cars 2 got zero votes and is widely considered one of the worst Pixar movies.  Another sequel follows that with Monster's University only getting one vote.  

The rest of the movies fall somewhere in between.  Here is the complete list. 

Toy Story                 9
Finding Nemo          8
Up                           8
Monster Inc              7
Brave                       7
Wall-E                      4  
Toy Story 3              3
The Incredibles         3
Cars                          2
Ratatouille                 2
A Bugs Life                2
Toy Story 2                2
Monsters University    1
Cars 2                        0

20 Years ago Pixar launched a revolutionary film called Toy Story.  Pixar has gone on to make some of the most celebrated animated movies since then.  With the release of Inside Out this weekend we wanted to take a little poll and see what your favorite Pixar movies are.  
Vote below and share thanks

The 35 Anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens is today and to celebrate we are going to look at the the top volcano films.  The list of volcano movies isn't a very long one but here are some of our favorites.  

1.       Dante’s Peak - Arguably the best Volcano movie out there.  You have Pierce Brosnan as a volcanologist who teams up with the towns mayor played by Linda Hamilton to save a town from an erupting volcano.  Released in 1997 during the peak of Disaster movies it might not be the best disaster movies but it is the best one about a volcano.   

2.      Volcano - Unfortunately Volcano came out the same year as Dante's Peak and paled in comparison.  This one has Tommy Lee Jones as head of the emergency management department in Los Angeles.  The movie is not as bad as some might remember it but the idea of a volcano in LA still seems kind of silly.  

3.      Joe Versus the Volcano - One of Tom Hanks lesser known movies.  The movie didn't do well when it was first released but has since grown in cult status.  

4.      2012 - This one is a bit of a stretch.  The movie is about the end of the world but there is a big section about Yellowstone National Park erupting. It also features Woody Harrelson as a conspiracy theorist radio talk show host.  

5.      Supervolcano - Speaking of an erupting Yellowstone National Park Supervolcano is an entire movie about that. The movie is told documentary style about scientists who are studying the Yellowstone Caldera when it suddenly erupts.  The movie was made for TV and was shown on the Discovery Channel.  A cross between actually learning and disaster movie it actually is a fairly decent movie.  It is now playing on Netflix if you feel like checking it out.  

It’s Cinco de Mayo and we are going to celebrate by looking at some of our favorite Mexican Directors. I know there are probably plenty we are missing so let us know what you think. 

1.       Alfonso Cuarón - The first movie that introduced us to Alfonso Cuarón  was Y Tu Mamá También it was a gritty movie about two young guys going on a road trip.  He had made two films before that including A Little Princess and Great Expectations with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke.  But after the success of Y Tu Mama Tambien he would go on to direct the third Harry Potter film The Prisoner of Azkaban.  While at the time it seemed like an odd choice it turned out to be a good fit but it would be his only stint in the Harry Potter universe.  Next up was one of our favorite movies the dystopian sci-fi movie Children of Men.  Children of Men did get two Oscar nominations for screenplay and cinematography. It was a brilliant movie full of suspense and the more you watch it the more details you pick up. The movie that won him the Oscar for Best Director Gravity a survival tale about an astronaut stuck in space. The movie was shot in 3D and was a technical master piece.

2.      Alejandro González Iñárritu -  We first became aware of Iñárritu after the movie Amores Perros. A movie about people's live that intersect in Mexico City.  Each come from different walks of life and each has a tragic tale to tell.  It is one of my favorite movies to come out of Mexico.  He then went on to direct two other movies about peoples lives that connect. First was 21 Grams that got Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro Oscar nominations then Babel that got a Best Picture nomination.  It was his latest film Birdman that finally broke through and won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. What seemed like a gimmicky movie made to look like it was shot all in one take turned out to be an interesting look inside a man going mad. It was one of our favorite movies of 2014.

3.      Guillermo del Toro- Dabbling in dark and horror films del Toro has taken a different path to the top.  After getting attention for some horror films like Crono, Mimic, and The Devils Backbone he went on to direct the comic book sequel Blade 2.  Seen as a success he went on to direct another comic book movie Hellboy which was very well received.  This success let him get creative with the fantasy tale Pan's Labyrinth which garnered 3 Oscar nominations including a screenplay nod for del Toro.  Pan's Labyrinth takes place during the Spanish civil war and follows a girl who is forced to move when her mom remarries a army general. The movie took place in both the real world and a fantasy world where the girl tried to complete challenges. The movie feels like a modern fairy tale that's not quite for kids. Del Toro then revisited the Hellboy universe in Hellboy 2 and then went on to direct the massive action film Pacific Rim.  Pacific Rim took a long time to develop but the movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters went on to do massive business internationally. Del Toro also keeps busy by writing and working on his TV show The Strain.  He is constantly announcing new movies he is working currently has around 5 movies in development.    

4.      Robert Rodriguez - While not technically Mexican by birth his movie making takes a lot from his Mexican heritage especially Mexican grindhouse films. Rodriguez burst on the world stage at Sundance with his low budget actioner El Mariachi. He went on to essentially do an American remake with Desperado starring Antonio Bandares. Those movies established Rodriguez as someone who could direct an engrossing film on a modest budget. He would shock everyone again with the bloody From Dusk Till Dawn that had George Clooney fighting vampires. What started off as outlaws on the run turned into one of the bloodiest and most fun vampire movies. Rodriguez then took a strange turn and went on to make the kids film Spy Kids. He has jumped back and forth between kids movies (Spy Kids 2, 3, and Sharkboy and Lava Girl) and grindhouse flicks (Planet Terror and Machete). He has had an interesting career so far and we look forward to see what he brings in the future.

It's Arbor Day and we wanted to celebrate by taking a look at some of the best tree featured in movies.  Sounds silly? Don't tell that to Groot. Trees can be gentle giants or menacing foes.  Here is our list of the best trees in movies. 

1.  Groot (The Guardians of the Galaxy) - The most recent lovable tree.  He is big and scary and an excellent fighter but has a heart of gold.  Although he might not be the brightest he is someone you want on your team. 

2.  Ents (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) - They maybe big and slow but when the time calls for it they are ready to battle.  Making their first appearance in The Two Towers with the help of Hobbits they make their strength know during battle. 

3.  Rape Tree (The Evil Dead) - When it comes to scary tree's in horror movies there is none scarier than the tree in The Evil Dead.  When you run from a cabin in the woods you don't expect to be taken hostage by a tree.  And you definitely don't expect that tree to rape you.  It is graphic and makes you want to stay out of the woods. 

4.  The Tree of Souls (Avatar) - The spiritual tree of the Na'vi comes under attack by those pesky humans trying to  mine Unobtanium.  The tree survives and remains a source of strength for the Na'vi and humans who have come to understand it.   

5.  The Fighting Trees (The Wizard of Oz) - One more obstical on Dorothy's road to Oz.  These tree's don't like having their apples picked and will fight off those who dare touch them. Not as dangerous as other tree's on this list but still ones to avoid. 

6.  Grandmother Willow (Pocahontas) - The wisest of trees.  She helps guide Pocahontas through her journey with sage advice.  

Dishonorable Mention- Can't do a movie tree list without mentioning The Happening.  Spoiler Alert: The trees are trying to kill you.  What could have been a decent story ends up being a slow movie horror movie about people going mad because of something the trees are giving off.  It is neither scary or intense.  

We have some extra posters from the Batman v Superman IMAX trailer even and we want to give them away.  
We wanted to make this contest a little bit harder than what we have done in the past so we are doing an essay contest.  Doesn't have to be a lot but we want you to give us your best explanation why you think Batman or Superman would win in a fight.  We will pick one random winner that thinks Batman would win and one random winner that thinks Superman would win. Each will get the respective poster.  

Contest Ends 5/1/15

Enter below or check out the link HERE