The Scorecard Review

The months of January and February are Notorious for offering crumbs of quality scraped from the dishes used at Oscar’s feast. However, some Fanboys might be Taken by surprise with reboots of their favorite horror classics, (My Bloody Valentine, now in 3-D or Friday the 13th).

As for PG-13 horror, that particular sub-genre hasn’t had a classic in a while. Maybe David S. Goyer’s The Unborn can change that. Regardless, there will be a fair share of Youth In Revolt if releases like Hotel for Dogs or even The Pink Panther 2 exist only to educate young viewers on the true horror of the post-Oscar movie calendar.

For the busy marquee topping months of January and February, here is a top 7 list of the most anticipated movies. Other films to ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

Australia, the other English speaking country. The one that doesn’t have Shakespeare, Hollywood or Peter Jackson. It’s so easy to forget about, until you remember it’s the land of Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush and Mel Gibson. Not to mention Baz Luhrmann, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman who want to give you a big fat jolt of memory with the release of Australia. Expect something big, flashy and hella sexy.

Until then, here’s a list of my favorite movies from the land down under. I have a few rules, a movie has to be directed, acted in, and financed primarily in and by Australians. That means no Moulin Rouge, though it was shot in Australia ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

I’m going to stick my neck out and say this list will be something you can really sink your teeth into. It will be your cross to bear if you don’t read it. OK, those are all the awful vampire puns I could muster. More importantly, Twilight fandom is upon us, so before we are all blinded by dreamboat Edward Cullen, let’s sift through the millions (seems like it) of other vampire films that Hollywood has made.

This list focuses on the last 25 years of blood sucking. So if you are looking to reminisce over the brilliance of Nosferatu from 1922, it probably feels like I stabbed you in the heart (with a wooden stake). And I want to offer Jim ... Continue Reading

We start the Top ‘007′. You finish the Top 10.

Who would James Bond be without his cool gadgets? Sure, he would still be a great spy with a license to kill but would there be 22 movies about the man? Bond fans remember the old films when Q would introduce some new gadgets with each new installment. Q may be missing in the latest films but Bond still has some slick tools. Even some of Bond’s adversaries dabble in gadgetry but this list will be strictly MI6.

With Quantum of Solace opening on Friday, it’s a great time to look back at some of past films and the gadgets Bond uses to dispose of henchmen, save himself and ultimately save the world.

7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Electromagnetic RPM Controller Ring

Recap ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

World domination is a tough business. The hours are long, the sacrifices are heavy, and the workload is endless. Sometimes, your hard work doesn’t even pay off. Even worse than all of this is when some horn dog super agent is killing your henchmen (and most likely) bedding your girlfriend/wife/mistress behind your back.

Amped up for the release of new James Bond film Quantum of Solace, I’ve compiled a list of Top 7 Bond Villains.

Carly Simon said it best: “Nobody does it better.” But who does “it” worst?

7. Curd Jurgens as Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me — Villainous Stromberg was a lover of the sea, with a scheme that would have forced us all to oblige: with captured submarines ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

With Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa and Bolt creeping up on us, we started thinking about the top 7 animal characters in film, either real or animated. I trusted Bayer with the top 7 animated films and he didn’t even mention Spirited Away or Ghost in the Shell, so I realized I’d have to take this list into my own two hands.

So, here is the official countdown to the King of all Animalian Stardom. I’ve tried to capture a nice blend of “classic” (a.k.a., unknown to anyone born after 1980) and modern, in an effort to please both the kiddies and the fogies. The rules: the character has to be a real animal (so, no Shrek, folks, sorry); the character has ... Continue Reading

There are certain actors who carry a movie without having to bear the weight. Paul Rudd invented this situation. He’s a character actor with leading-man looks who impressively walks the fine line between the two without loosing a shred of the charisma that would make President Obama proud.

Girls love that smile. Guys love that he thinks Coldplay is “gay.” Filmgoers eagerly line up to see movies he’s featured in (well, we’ll find out with Role Models). A trained stage actor, Rudd seems to effortlessly portray a whole gamete of characters who only resemble one another only because of those trademark baby-blues.

7. As Kevin in 200 Cigarettes

Recap: As a heartbroken twenty something whose affinity for cancer-sticks rivals only his instance that without love, life is neither meaningful, nor necessary.

Reason: As he ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

The fight for justice can sometimes be an internal struggle, thanks to the character of the dirty cop. They abuse their power while disregarding their duties to protect and serve; these crooks tend to be the worst of all criminals. In both comedic (the forgotten Blue Streak), and dramatic action forms (the totally wrong Righteous Kill), the story of the dirty cop has been told time and time again (Pride and Glory included). Films concerning such crooked bearers of the badge are scattered throughout cinema history, but the past twenty years have given us plenty to talk about.

Sometimes playing a cop, good or bad, can bring the best out of certain actors. This list is dedicated to those top (dirty) cop ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

Movie producers still have no idea how to make a quality movie out of a video game. They tried for decades to figure out how to make a decent movie out of comic books and it looks like they have comic books figured out (Ironman, Spiderman, Hulk — 2008). There are some hopeful little glimmers on the horizon with Max Payne opening October 17, and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (2009).

So, here it is: the Top 7 Movies Inspired By Video Games. Quality can’t be a necessity, because then there would be no list at all. Instead, I’m going to concentrate on the movies that came close (under the circumstances) to represent their namesake.

7. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider/Lara Croft: Cradle of Life

Recap:The ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

The “Disney machine,” huge in both net worth and influence, is notorious for catching kids young, making them humongous stars then releasing them into the open waters of mainstream media. Once the chord is cut, it’s a toss up as to whether these freshly-baked celebrities will continue to grow their careers and join the ranks of the happy, healthy Hollywood royalty, or end up on the much longer list of child stars gone wrong. Or worse yet, gone nowhere at all.

Here’s a rundown of the Top 7 highest climbers (and hardest fallers) of Disney’s kin who made it out of the Magic Kingdom and found the grass greener on the other side of the moat. This isn’t a list of ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

Sam Rockwell is an enigmatic Hollywood leading man. Why? Well, it’s difficult to assert that he’s actually reached that esteemed level. Despite attaining an admirable resume throughout his eclectic career, his versatility as an actor has been overshadowed by our inability to efficiently classify what it is he brings to the big screen that makes him so good.

With the looming premiere of Choke the 39-year-old may be on the verge of the break through many of his fans have been waiting for. Though their collective patience may be wearing thin, there are a slew of roles in which Rockwell has shown his promise of one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. While he may have yet to find the niche most actors ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

When it comes to movies, ladies rule.

Some of the world’s biggest stars have been born on Hollywood sound stages, and the most unforgettable of them have been women. We’re fascinated by them—whether that fascination is born from admiration, repulsion or lust, the moments that made them icons stay with us.

Today, the stories women tell on screen appeal mostly to… well, other women. Girls drag reluctant dates into “Legally Blonde” or “Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” and whether they’ll admit it or not, guys secretly enjoy it in spite of themselves. New romance classics like “A Walk to Remember” and “Moulin Rouge” seem to have a similar appeal, and thus also earn the bittersweet designation of “chick flick.”

With films like “The Women” and “Sex and the City: The Movie” bringing ladies back into the center of attention (where they belong) this year, it’s time to take a look at the Top 7 Chick Flicks of the past 20 years. ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

The latest installment of the Indiana Jones series was released earlier this year, nearly twenty years after the previous film. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received mixed reviews but grossed over $126M opening weekend. It was still an Indiana Jones film and still brought some of the same magic we saw in the first three in the series.

I consider myself a die-hard … oh wait, wrong franchise … a huge Indiana Jones fan. With the Crystal Skull DVD due to be released October 14th I wanted to recall some of the best moments in the series.

There are so many great scenes. Narrowing it down was tougher than I expected.

7. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

Ben Stiller’s been through a lot. I’m not saying he’s had a rough life, after all he’s married to Christine Taylor and he’s got comedy in his blood (son of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara). At first it seemed Stiller was destined to go unnoticed. Nobody watched “The Ben Stiller Show” on FOX. But then along came Reality Bites.

Now he is one of Hollywood’s elite, and Tropic Thunder should only add to that. Complete with fake trailers, and two big performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, the man continues to prove he can act and direct.

When I first thought about a Top 7 list for Stiller, I imagined it would be tough, especially since I wasn’t going to allow ... Continue Reading

We are a generation of list-makers. It’s an obsession even Calvin Klein would have a difficult time masking the pungency of. The truth is we all believe our lists have more credibility than others. While there is no objective way to match the weight of our opinions versus those of others with more literary prominence, one thing is for certain: After the July 18 premiere of The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger will have inevitably (based on early critical acclaim) cemented his perch atop the list of the greatest cinematic super villains of all time. Despite this imminent reality, it would be fair to first tip our cap to those who line up right behind the late Australian actor.

Though many A-listers have had their respectable catalogues all but erase any obvious ... Continue Reading

“Wall*E” has got me thinking. Animated films are beyond kid flicks, with the ability to conjure emotions, have us reexamine our lives and weep for a drawing.

All of these movies have the pedigree to enter the best of the best. And sure, Pixar’s films could make up the whole list. There won’t be any hybrids either, which means no “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” or “Space Jam.” So, with that in mind, here are my Top 7 animated films of all-time … until I see “Wall*E” on DVD, at which point I will then feel very comfortable adding it to the list.

7. Iron Giant (1999)
Not many people saw this gigantic robot on the big-screen. A young boy befriends a giant, alien robot. The government is out to destroy ... Continue Reading

Every show must come to an end (besides “The Simpsons”).

>When talking about series finales, inevitably (older) people bring up “Newhart,” “MASH” or something else that was on 30 years ago. And of course the series finale is a difficult beast to tame.

Trying to make everyone happy and stay true to the show is a lot to ask. Remember all the gut-busting laughter from the “Friends” last hoorah? Neither do I.

But over the past 15 years we’ve gotten some pretty good send-offs. Here are the Top 7 series finales of the past 15 years.

7. Seinfeld (nine seasons)
Recap: Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer witness, laugh at and videotape a crime of an overweight man being robbed. They are charged with a Good Samaritan law for not helping. The trial ... Continue Reading