Franchise Review- Dirty Harry

    Another feature on this blog is I will select a franchise and break down every installment. Since it's the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest film heroes of all time, "Dirty Harry" seems like an appropriate place to start. Let's look back at the character that made Clint Eastwood a superstar.

"Dirty Harry"(1971)
Ice-cool San Francisco police detective "Dirty Harry" Callahan is the original tough movie cop and the best representation of Clint Eastwood's powerful presence and unique appeal as a movie star. A Hollywood legend was born the moment Clint pulls out his .44 Magnum for the first time to foil a bank robbery. The idea of a cop that shoots first and asks questions later is cliched and commonplace now, but was radical and controversial in 1971, and Harry spends just as much time fighting his inept superiors as he does violent criminals. The story involves his pursuit of a deranged rooftop sniper named Zodiac, played by a genuinely creepy Andy Robinson. Stylishly directed by Eastwood's close friend and mentor Don Seigel, this is unquestionably the best of the series.

"Magnum Force"(1973)
Although Harry threw his badge away at the end of the first film, audiences demanded more and they sure got it. Perhaps more than they bargained for. Sequels weren't a foregone conclusion in the early '70s, but this character was just too potent to ride off into the sunset after just one outing. This first of four sequels was even more violent and action packed than it's predecessor. This time, Harry is up against a band of rogue colleagues who do most of the killing as self-appointed executioners of the criminal underworld.

"The Enforcer"(1976)
Harry reluctantly takes on a female partner(Tyne Daly) and must stop a political terrorist group in this slick, fast paced third entry.  Eastwood gives another forceful performance and has a nice chemistry with Daly that allowed the character to lighten up a bit. But not too much. The film clocks in at a lean 96 minutes and the explosive climax does not disappoint.

"Sudden Impact"(1983)
Eastwood took the directing reigns for Harry's fourth big screen adventure as the dauntless detective tracks a female vigilante, played by Clint's real life girlfriend Sondra Locke, who is out for revenge on the rapists who brutally attacked her and her sister. Harry sympathizes with her and a romance blossoms. The usual mayhem and comic quips ensue, and it's here that Clint utters the immortal line, "Go ahead, make my day". It seems everywhere Harry goes, there's a crime in progress or a gang of thugs that need to be dispatched. It was getting a little tiresome, but the finale set in an empty amusement park is exciting and effective.

"The Dead Pool"(1988) 
The fifth and final Dirty Harry film has the hard-edged Inspector Callahan on the trail of a celebrity serial killer. "Pool" has it's moments and Eastwood is always watchable, but interest was clearly waning at this point. Harry still shoots people, he just doesn't seem as enthusiastic about it. Clint was clearly ready to move on and much of the genre's audience already had. By 1988, the first "Lethal Weapon" and the first "Die Hard" had taken the genre to the next level, and Dirty Harry was old hat. Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey appear in early career roles in this subdued conclusion in the saga of SFPD's finest.

Adam Sandler: The Anti-Christ of Comedy

 

    This has been a long time coming. The popularity of Adam Richard Sandler has always been a mystery to me. He plays the exact same character in nearly every film- a slacker with a short fuse, prone to angry outbursts. There's that annoying voice that he does. It's always the same tired story arc where he learns about responsibility and becomes a better person in the end. For like-minded readers, I know I'm preaching to the choir but there's still plenty of people out there that need a wake-up call. The numbers don't lie. This is a guy that should have been shown the door out of Hollywood a decade ago. Yet he continues to crank out mediocre comedies at an alarming rate. Don't buy into the Everyman persona. Sandler is shrewd, calculating and aggressive. His net worth is conservatively estimated at $300 million. His latest travesty "Jack and Jill" opens today. According to my research, dressing in drag hasn't been funny since 1993. That's the year "Mrs Doubtfire" came out.  Will his assault on the public ever end?

   Sandler has starred in about 20 films since leaving SNL in 1995, and was paid $20 million for about 15 of them. In fairness, he isn't the only one who profits from the nation's stupidity, but he is by far the biggest and most successful entertainer to do so. Remember all the subtle, realistic comedies from the '80s that were ACTUALLY good movies? It wasn't all adolescent crap. Well, that era now seems like a distant memory. I know that Steve Martin made "The Jerk" in 1979 and Jim Carrey brought stupid humor back in the early '90s. But they both matured and moved past that phase. Sandler doesn't because he has no real talent. Never did. I will concede that two of his movies were decent- "The Wedding Singer" and "Big Daddy". There are approximately three laughs in the perennial Sandler favorite "Happy Gilmore", and they are all in the first half hour(the Bob Barker scene was played out in trailers long before the movie's release). With "The Waterboy", something troubling began to happen. His movies started making A LOT of money. "Mr. Deeds" and "Anger Management" were big hits and he got paid $60 million for the latter. You read that right. What followed was an endless string of depressing films- "50 First Dates", "The Longest Yard", "Click", "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry", "You Don't Mess with the Zohan", "Grown-Ups", "Just Go With It".  This isn't a resume, it's a rap sheet. Sandler keeps Rob Schneider employed in show business and he gave Kevin James a movie career. People have been jailed for lesser offenses. Careers have ended over much less.


   The fact of the matter is this- unless you're mildly retarded or under the age of 14, Adam Sandler is NOT funny. Yet somehow he not only survives, he thrives. He's become more than an actor/comedian. He's a brand name. An assembly line. He's like McDonald's. A cheap inferior product sold by a smiling obnoxious jack-ass that rots you from the inside. It may seem harmless but it IS doing damage. One is largely responsible for the rising obesity rates. The other contributes annually to the dumbing down of America. Make no mistake about it- Sandler is a poison. He's proof that the Devil does exist and he does indeed make deals for souls. Sandler sold his in the mid-'90s in exchange for a long and successful film career. That's the only explanation I can come up with. It's about time we exorcise this moron from the multiplex.


*Sandler has been banished to Netflix as of October 2014, a clear indication of his waning influence. He wants you to believe it's by choice. Maybe there is a God.

Updated again Dec 2019- I'm not a hater. Sandler proved that "Punch Drunk Love" was no fluke, earning positive reviews for "Uncut Gems" and "The Meyerowitz Stories". These are films I can get behind. The "Billy Madison"/"Happy Gilmore" star appears to be aging into an interesting performer. I'll be rooting for him.

As a concession, this thrift store purchase recently found a place on my DVD rack, as part of my physical media/old-school comedy preservation efforts. The price was right.

The 20 worst sequels of all time

   We've gone over the best sequels and now it's time to look at the ugly flip side- when things go horribly wrong. A great sequel enhances the reputation of the original. The worst ones put a stain on it that never comes out. Now there are a million bad sequels out there, but you won't find "Police Academy 6" or "Friday the 13th Part VII" on this list because nobody cares about those horrid franchises. They were never good. Horror sequels were largely ignored because they could easily fill up the whole list. Every movie on this list is the sequel to a good or great film. A few of these films broke the hearts of moviegoers who are still trying to figure out how something so good went so bad. It's like when a romantic relationship goes sour. Please excuse the occasional profanity here but it's completely justified.

20. "Staying Alive"(1983)
If you ever wondered how John Travolta's career fell into such a huge slump in the '80s, this Sylvester Stallone directed sequel to "Saturday Night Fever" should help clear things up. Sly put JT through his Rocky workout regimen, but he must have left all of Tony Manero's charm and likability on the cutting room floor. He's now a boring jerk trying to make it as a dancer on Broadway. He finally lands a role in the appropriately titled "Satan's Alley", possibly the worst musical/dance number in the history of film.

19. "Beverly Hills Cop III"(1994)
In the mid '80s, Eddie Murphy was the hottest comedian alive and the first "Beverly Hills Cop" was the 5th highest grossing film of the decade. Ten years later, a visibly disinterested Murphy sleepwalks through this third installment with none of the wit or charm he displayed in the first two films. Instead, we got a series of dull gunfights, explosions and car chases. Watching "Cop III" felt like running into a long lost friend and realizing he's not that cool anymore.

18. "Little Fockers"(2010)
Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller got paid $20 million each for this. Owen Wilson got $15 million for three scenes that weren't funny. Barbara Streisand got $10 million and Dustin Hoffman banked $7 million for 7 days of work. Are you as angry as me yet?! The title is misleading- this is not a cute story about the Focker kids. In fact, there's no story at all. But there is lots of cheap humor and stupid slapstick. Halfway through, I had a hard time remembering what I ever liked about these characters. By the end credits, I had only three words- Fuck the Fockers.

17. "The Next Karate Kid"(1994)
Hillary Swank sure didn't look like a future two-time Oscar winner when she replaced Ralph Macchio in this wholly unnecessary and unwanted fourth film in the KK series. Pat Morita dispenses more tired fortune cookie wisdom to Swank's Julie-san in this desperate attempt to put a new spin on the well-worn formula. About as much fun as a kick in the nuts.

16. "Predator 2"(1990)
"Predator" fails as a franchise in general. Only the 1987 original has any merit. When Arnold Schwarzenegger and director John McTiernan passed on this first sequel, that should've been the end of it. Instead we got Danny Glover looking lost without Mel Gibson, lots of mindless violence, and little else. And that should have REALLY been the end of it. But Hollywood didn't learn it's lesson from this flick's poor reception and is inexplicably still trying to squeeze a few more bucks out of the dreadlocked alien creature. Talk about beating a dead horse.

15. "Live Free or Die Hard"(2007)
John McClane is suddenly indestructible in this belated, watered-down fourth installment in the DH franchise. A PG-13 Die Hard? Really?! A cyber terrorist plot? How exciting. Justin Long's hacker sidekick added insult to injury. Throw in Kevin Smith and half-dozen absurdly over the top action sequences, and you've got a total betrayal of everything that made this series great.

"Get me the fuck outta here!"

14. "Terminator Salvation"(2009)
How was that Michael Bay wannabe McG allowed to dismantle James Cameron's classic creation? There may have been a good movie to be made about the future war between mankind and the machines, but this is NOT that movie. It's a dreary "Transformers" ripoff from the man who gave us "Charlie"s Angels: Full Throttle", and Christian Bale's infamous off-camera rant was way more compelling than anything that happened onscreen. Consider this franchise terminated.

13. "Escape from L.A."(1996)
Kurt Russell and director John Carpenter greatly overestimated the public's affection for Snake Plissken when they waited 15 years to produce a sequel to 1981's "Escape from New York" which, let's face it, was just a cult movie at best. The lame story was a rehash of the first film and the cheesy action and effects just didn't cut it in 1996. Heck, this wouldn't have cut it IN 1986. Snake was back, though. Pity no one cared.

12. "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde"(2003)
I admit that Reese Witherspoon won me over as lovable ditz Elle Woods and the 2001 original was a harmless and pleasant diversion. She graduated from Harvard Law yet she's even dumber in this insipid sequel than she was at the beginning of the first film. The character goes from cute to cloying very quickly and the insultingly stupid plot sends her to Capitol Hill and then on a search for her pet Chihuahua's birth mother. Seriously.

11. "Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction"(2006)
Sharon Stone really only made two good movies in her long film career. Despite a staggering amount of flops, she somehow remained a star. For several years, she clung to the hope of reprising the role that made her the hottest actress in the world for a very brief period in the early '90s. Michael Douglas and just about every leading man in Hollywood wisely passed on the opportunity to perform graphic sex scenes with the 48 year old in this pathetic sequel that finally put Ms. Stone out to pasture.

10. "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan"(1978)
The 1976 original is a comedy classic, the first sequel "Breaking Training" is barely passable, and this third installment is completely unwatchable. Nobody involved with this pitiful production was even trying anymore and Tony Curtis mailed in his performance as the new coach of the misfit Little Leaguers. The definition of a cash grab, yet it totally bombed at the box office. Bad news indeed.

9. "Caddyshack II"(1988)
You will never hear a kind word said about this dreadful sequel to the much loved golf comedy. Many have simply blocked it from their memory, but the stench still lingers. Chevy Chase showed up to collect his paycheck but the rest of the original cast had the good sense to stay away. Jackie Mason is not funny and Dan Aykroyd is beyond irritating in a woeful attempt to mimic Bill Murray's iconic groundskeeper. There's a price to pay for selling out. There's a reason why Murray still gets so much respect in the industry while Chase and Aykroyd... well, don't.

8. "Blues Brothers 2000"(1998)
"The Blues Brothers" may have been a popular comedy hit in 1980, but NOBODY was asking for a sequel 18 years later. I can get past the title and the fact that it was released in 1998, but not the terrible song and dance numbers that go on forever and the fact that a voodoo queen turns Dan Aykroyd(yeah, him again) and John Goodman into zombies. In the opening credits, the film was dedicated to the memory of John Belushi and John Candy. I heard they tried to have their names taken off it from beyond the grave.

7. "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"(1987)
Two words- Nucleur Man. "Superman III" wasn't much better, but the cheap look, silly plot, and cartoonish performances in this lackluster fourth entry killed the Superman film franchise for 19 years. To make matters worse, the original cast is all present. Even Gene Hackman is rendered powerless in the face of such outright mediocrity. This was a depressing swan song for Christopher Reeve's once-great Man of Steel.

6. "Alien Resurrection"(1997)
The much maligned "Alien 3" is a masterpiece compared to this ugly mess. Intended to make up for David Fincher's sins in 1992, it did the opposite and made things worse. Much worse. French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a hack, bringing back Sigourney Weaver as a clone of Ripley was a dumb idea, and Winona Ryder looks like she got lost on her way to a romantic comedy and wondered on to the wrong film set. It's safe to say that Weaver nearly making love to the creature was one thing that fans of the series never wanted to see. This was no resurrection. The "Alien vs Predator" flicks may have pissed on the franchise's grave, but this was definitely the burial.

5. "Exorcist II: The Heretic"(1977)
The sequel to the scariest movie ever made wasn't the least bit scary. The original is a landmark in the horror genre. This was laughed off the screen four years later. A confused-looking Linda Blair is still troubled by the Devil and new cast members Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher are wasted in supporting roles. The finale is stuffed with bad special effects and is completely devoid of logic. The only reason this isn't higher on the list is because most people just pretend it doesn't even exist.

4. "Jaws: The Revenge"(1987)
Perhaps no sequel shits on the legacy of the original more this idiotic fourth "Jaws" film. This turd resurfaces on cable quite often and therein lies the danger. Some kid is gonna watch this because he heard that "Jaws" is a great movie and his only reaction will be, "WTF". I know because this was my introduction to the legendary Great White. Lorraine Gary reprises her role as the now widowed Ellen Brody who realizes the shark is stalking her family as she moves from Long Island to the Bahamas. That's right. Michael Caine and Mario Van Peebles appear in embarrassing roles and the absurd finale was shot on a Universal Studios backlot.

3. "Speed 2: Cruise Control"(1997)
There must have been something in the water in Hollywood in 1997 when every follow-up was being planned. Director Jan de Bont destroyed his action franchise before it even got started when he decided to do "Speed" on a cruise ship. Those things go slow, Jan. Very slow. A bland Jason Patric replaces the beloved Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock annoyingly reprises her role as Annie. Not even Willem Dafoe can salvage things as the obligatory psychotic madman. I'm not even sure what his evil plot was. This movie sank and stank.

2. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"(2008)
God, where do I begin? This one may hurt more than any other. We waited 19 years for THIS?! Forget about the "Star Wars" prequels. "Crystal Skull" is nothing short of tragic. Nothing about this film worked. I felt like I was watching an SNL spoof of Indiana Jones. First of all, 66 year old Harrison Ford was too fucking old to reprise the role that made him a superstar nearly three decades earlier. Karen Allen smiles for no reason and clearly hasn't acted in about 15 years. The story sucked. The villains were weak. There wasn't one good action sequence. There's CGI gophers, ants, and aliens to top it all off. Who would have ever thought that Shia LaBeouf would be the least offensive thing in this cinematic equivalent of grave digging? The real villains were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

1. "Batman & Robin"(1997)
This HAD to be no 1. It's awful-ness is epic. It may not be the worst movie on this list, but it does inspire the most venom and hatred and the fall-out was so massive and far-reaching that it put the breaks on the entire superhero genre for a few years. The textbook example of how to ruin a franchise, director Joel Schumacher turned Tim Burton's dark, intense Bat-flicks into a cartoonish, homoerotic camp-fest. George Clooney's Batman smirks a lot and doesn't seem to have an ounce of torment. Uma Thurman is ridiculously over the top as Poison Ivy and Arnold Schwarzenegger's terrible Mr. Freeze effectively removed him from the A-list. Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone's young careers never recovered. Hell, Coolio and the Smashing Pumpkins disappeared, too. Legend has it that an irate fan was ejected for yelling, "Death to Joel Schumacher" at a crowded screening on opening night. I couldn't have said it any better myself.


Dishonorable mentions

"Bad News Bears in Breaking Training"(1977)
"Jaws 2"(1978)
"Grease 2"(1982)
"Jaws 3-D"(1983)
"Superman III"(1983)
"National Lampoon's European Vacation"(1985)
"Arthur 2: On The Rocks"(1988)
"Robocop 2"(1990)
"The Two Jakes"(1990)
"Look Who's Talking Too"(1990)
 "Three Men and a Little Lady"(1990)
"Alien 3"(1992)
 "Robocop 3"(1993)
"Look Who's Talking Now"(1993)
"Batman Forever"(1995)
"The Evening Star"(1996)
 "Home Alone 3"(1997)
 "Vegas Vacation"(1997)
"Species II"(1998)
"Nutty Professor II: The Klumps"(2000)
 "Men in Black II"(2002)
"Matrix Revolutions"(2003)
 "Ocean's Twelve"(2004)
 "Be Cool"(2005)
 "Shrek the Third"(2007)
"Spider-Man 3"(2007)
"Ocean's Thirteen"(2007)
"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"(2010)
 "The Hangover Part II"(2011)

The Greatest Sequels of All Time Part II

"Shrek 2"(2004)
The public may be all Shreked out, but in 2004 we just couldn't get enough of this not-so-jolly green ogre. DreamWorks Animation's greatest asset became a box office juggernaut that summer, ultimately becoming the third highest grossing film of the decade(behind "Avatar" and "The Dark Knight"). His pop culture reference-laden trip to Far, Far Away may not be as timeless as the original, but there's still some big laughs to be had, thanks to the awesome vocals of Mike Meyers and Eddie Murphy, while Puss In Boots(hilariously voiced by Antonio Banderas) is a welcome addition to the line-up. It's a shame the subsequent installments only proved that old adage about having too much of a good thing.



"The Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum"(2004, 2007)
I'll be cheating quite a bit here, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want. I'll admit that I was slow in embracing this series and this is my chance to make amends. Doug Liman's 2002 original was a serviceable spy flick, but Paul Greengrass ramped up the action in two kinetic sequels with fight scenes and car chases that were just too good to ignore. Jason Bourne is the Rambo of the '00s

"Before Sunset"(2004)
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy did something remarkable when they reunited nine years after their refreshing yet largely forgotten 1995 romance "Before Sunrise". They talked. And talked. Then they talked some more. Richard Linklater's bittersweet stroll through Paris struck a nerve with hopeless romantics and such dazzling wordplay is the real special effect in today's marketplace. Like all good sequels do, it made the original even better and the critical groundswell meant we would meet up with Jesse and Celine for a third time in 2013's "Before Midnight". One of modern cinema's greatest couples was officially born.






"Rocky III, IV"(1982, 1985)
I should probably just come right out and say it- I'm a huge "Rocky" fan. The 1976 original won Best Picture, but there's no denying the entertainment value of these two particular sequels. Sylvester Stallone's ridiculously ripped physique, a snarling Mr. T, those bone-crunching boxing scenes, Hulk Hogan and "Eye of the Tiger" took the series in a whole new direction in the summer of '82. Sly then pressed all the right emotional buttons when he sent his dauntless heavyweight champ to Russia to face the massive and deadly Ivan Drago. If you don't feel like running through your living room wall to go train somewhere after the "Hearts of Fire" montage, I have to seriously question your masculinity. If you're not pumped before the final fight, you're probably dead.

"Die Hard with a Vengeance"(1995)

"Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"(2003)

"Spiderman 2"(2004)

"Lethal Weapon 2"(1989)
The last twenty minutes is an '80s action film lover's nirvana. Diplomatic immunity?! Aryan Rudd must have been joking.

"The Road Warrior"(1981)

"Batman Returns"(1992)
Tim Burton let his twisted imagination run wild in this arguably superior sequel to his game-changing blockbuster that set the template for all modern superhero movies.

"What do you mean, my acting career is over?"

10. "Return of the Jedi"(1983)
The thrilling conclusion of the original "Star Wars" trilogy had all the action, humor and creativity that one could hope for. It's not hyperbole to say that George Lucas' saga captured the imagination of an entire generation and there wasn't anybody in this galaxy that didn't line-up to see his beloved cast of characters take their final bow, making "Jedi" the second highest-grossing film of the decade(behind "E.T").

9. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"(1989)
Steven Spielberg crafted the perfect finale to his classic adventure series as his intrepid archaeologist searches for the ultimate artifact- the Holy Grail. Oh, if only this WAS the finale, but that's a discussion for another blog. Harrison Ford was born to play this role and casting Sean Connery as Indy's dad was an inspired stroke of genius. Watching these two bickering icons trapped in a Nazi castle hideout and a nose-diving plane is about as much fun as you can have at the movies. We get to see a teenage Indy, nicely played by River Phoenix, in the flashback opening and there's one memorable action set piece after another. With the most humor and heart in the franchise, if "Last Crusade" is you're favorite outing with Dr. Jones, you've chosen wisely.

 

 

8. "The Dark Knight"(2008)
What more needs to be said about the most revered superhero movie ever made? I can already hear the so-called Nolanites throwing a fit about it's 'low' placement on this list, but there's some damn fine follow-ups still to come. Heath Ledger's towering portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime is one of those performances that becomes permanently engrained in the public consciousness like Brando's Vito Corleone and Pacino's Tony Montana. The Best Supporting Actor Oscar seems insufficient. You almost feel sorry for the rest of the cast because they never had a chance of making a huge impression, but Maggie G is a better actress than Katie Holmes and Aaron Eckhardt gives us a proper rendition of Gotham's tragic DA Harvey 'Two Face' Dent. Christian Bale's Batman has no limits and Chris Nolan refused to stay within the limits of a normal comic book movie when he made an epic tale of crime and corruption with real world drama and an unexpected level of darkness. The result was a staggering $533 million domestic box office total that Marvel/DC will spend the for-seeable future chasing, starting with 2012's ridiculously hyped "The Dark Knight Rises".





7(tie). "Toy Story 2, 3"(1999, 2010)
How do you choose between two sequels that are both just as hilarious and heartwarming as the original? I won't because that's such a rare and incredible feat. "TS2" almost went straight to video before it became clear that it was way better than most theatrical releases in 1998-99, and the magic was recreated more than a decade later in "TS3". The animation is ever improving but the solid story and sharp characterizations are always at the forefront as Woody, Buzz and the gang confront their mortality and struggle to escape Al's Toy Barn and the prison-like Sunnyside daycare center. Joan Cusack, Wayne Knight, Kelsey Grammar, Michael Keaton and Ned Beatty joined the stellar voice cast headed by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Tears were shed during "Jessie's Song" and when the toys nearly met their fate in an incinerator. The third film's final scene suggests a new beginning, but let's hope Pixar maintains their integrity and never produces a fourth. As it stands now, "Toy Story" has to be considered one of the greatest trilogies of all time.
 

6. "Silence of the Lambs"(1991)
Yes, this classy serial killer thriller technically IS a sequel and it completely obliterates 1986's "Manhunter", Michael Mann's intro to Thomas Harris' world of FBI profiling and grisly serial murders. Anthony Hopkins, then 53 yet largely unknown, only needed twenty minutes to turn Hannibal Lecter into one of the most iconic villains in history. Jodie Foster displays vulnerability and strength as FBI trainee Clarice Starling, and the duo's dynamic exchanges earned them both Academy Awards. Director Jonathan Demme piles one unnerving scene after another on the search for Buffalo Bill(Ted Levine), stunning audiences with a depiction of real horror after a decade of interminable slasher flicks. This film is wholly deserving of it's status as a modern masterpiece.




5. "Aliens"(1986)
 When James Cameron, hot off the heels of his instant classic "The Terminator", took the reigns from Ridley Scott for this sequel to 1979's already iconic "Alien", he didn't take things to the next level. He took it a couple levels above THAT. Sigourney Weaver cemented Ripley as one of pop culture's all time greatest heroines on her return trip to planet LV-426 with the rough and ready Colonial Marines which included Cameron regulars Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, and Jennette Goldstein. Stan Winston's Oscar winning visual effects are still amazing 25 years later. The last hour is an exhilarating blast of balls to the wall action. All subsequent "Alien" films never had a chance of measuring up to this.

4(tie). "Back to the Future Part II, III"(1989, 1990)
 Here I'm faced with another pair of sequels where I found it impossible to choose one over the other. They were filmed back to back in trend-setting fashion and there's simply no discrepancy in the quality whatsoever as we're whisked from 2015 to a hellish alternate 1985 and then back to 1955 and finally to 1885. Oscar-nominated visual effects, a breakneck pace and brilliant labyrinth plotting makes Part II a dazzler. I love how director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale threw every crazy time travel concept they could think of at the audience and trusted that they'd be smart enough to hang on through every potential paradox and manic Doc Brown explanation. Part III wisely puts the complexity to rest for an affectionate spoof of the Western genre in which Michael J Fox makes like a pint-sized Clint Eastwood and Christopher Lloyd gets a love interest in the form of the lovely Mary Steenburgen. The train-pushing-the-Delorean finale may be the most exciting sequence in all three films and destroying the beloved time machine was a bold move. This was THE END and the filmmakers meant it. A delightful conclusion to an excellent trilogy.




"Aliens"(1986)

3. "Empire Strikes Back"(1980)
 There's a reason "Empire" has the least amount of changes and alterations in the seemingly endless re-releases of the OT. It's because there's only one thing that hardcore fans, casual observers and critics seem to agree on- this is the darkest and best of all six "Star Wars" movies. You've got a blistering opening on the ice planet Hoth, Han an Leia's budding romance, the marvelous training scenes between Luke and Yoda, and last but certainly not least, Vader's mind-blowing revelation that left audiences reeling in 1980. We thought we knew what Star Wars was about until this singular moment changed the complexion of the saga forever. Believe it or not, "Empire" was the least popular and financially successful film in the series at the time. That's proof that moviegoers don't always know what's best for them until some years pass.

2. "The Godfather Part II"(1974)
Francis Ford Coppola's epic continuation of the Corleone saga won Best Picture and is not only one of the greatest sequels but one of the greatest films period. Al Pacino is brilliant and was robbed of the Best Actor Oscar for his chilling portrayal of a ruthless Michael as he expands his criminal enterprise in 1959, slowly alienating himself from everyone he loves and everyone who ever loved him. Robert DeNiro takes his first step toward screen immortality in the equally riveting flashback story of a young Vito Corleone's rise to power as an immoral immigrant in the New York of the early 1900s. Everyone craves the American Dream and this is the violent underbelly of it. Or maybe it's the REAL version.

1. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"(1991)
James Cameron is the greatest action director of all time and this relentless, juggernaut of a sci-fi thriller far surpassed the original "Terminator" in almost every respect. Take your pick between any one of the half-dozen breathtaking set pieces- they all could have been the finale of any other movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the peak of his Hollywood powers and was never cooler or more badass than he was reprising his legendary role as a good guy cyborg in a clever reversal of the formula. Linda Hamilton's transformation was startling as Sarah Connor goes from timid waitress to a hardened, gun toting warrior to rival Ripley. The T-1000's groundbreaking morphing effects was the birth of CGI. As great as the first film was, it's unlikely that the Terminator would be so permanently ingrained in the public consciousness if it wasn't for this monstrous follow-up, the mother of all sequels.


Honorable mentions

"Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"(2002)
 "Lord of The Rings: Return of the King"(2003)
 "Rocky II"(1979)
 "From Russia with Love"(1964)
 "Goldfinger"(1965)
 "Rambo: First Blood Part II"(1985)
"Die Hard 2: Die Harder"(1990)
 "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith"(2005)
 "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"(1989)
 "Lethal Weapon 3"(1992)
"Lethal Weapon 4"(1998)
 "Before Sunset"(2004)
"Rocky Balboa"(2006)