Great Movies- Lethal Weapon

   Thirty years ago today, the greatest buddy cop movie ever created was released upon an unsuspecting public. There was no hype or fanfare, despite Mel Gibson's mid-'80s 'Sexiest Man Alive' status and the stellar rep of director Richard Donner("The Omen", "Superman I AND II", "The Goonies"). The best movie of the year isn't supposed to quietly come out in early March. That's what "Lethal Weapon" is, and don't let anybody tell you differently("The Last Emperor" should have to hand over it's Academy Award for Best Picture to Riggs and Murtaugh). I'll go one better and state here and now that's it's one of the greatest movies ever made. I don't know how many movies exist in the world, easily tens of thousands, and I'm not going to pretend I've seen them all, but I've seen enough to safely say that "Lethal" is in the top 250, and that's a pretty great place to be.

   The action film genre was exploding, literally and figuratively, as the Reagan years were winding down. Rambo's omnipresence necessitated a counterpoint, which cleared a path for more human heroes(John McClane wasn't far behind). I could list every movie that "LW"(and "Die Hard") inspired, but I'm sure you have other things to do today. Instead, I've compiled all of the reasons that you should be as familiar with Donner's defining work as I am. So, settle into your sick trailer on the beach, or wherever you read essays on old buddy cop movies in peace, and let's get started.

   I believe that a great movie grabs your attention immediately and never lets go. After lulling us into a false sense of security with a "Jingle Bells" opening credits sequence, a coked-up, half-naked Jackie Swanson does just that as fallen porn star Amanda Hunsaker(she's best known for playing Woody's future wife on "Cheers"). Michael Kamen's ominous score lets us know that something bad is about to happen, and Swanson actually performed a 35 foot fall onto an airbag with the help of veteran stuntman Dar Robinson. The lighter tone of the later sequels made it easy to forget how dark and gritty the original "Weapon" is. Not many movies start with the suicide of an attractive 23 year old.

   The role of Roger Murtaugh was written for a white actor. Casting director Marion Dougherty should get credit for doing some reverse whitewashing. It was quite a novelty in 1987 to present a sturdy, stable black man with a loving family onscreen. Donner takes the time to develop this dynamic, and Danny Glover, having just appeared in "Witness" and "The Color Purple", was perfect casting. Danny was an experienced stage actor with no illusions about having a big-time movie career when he was cast in those two highly successful films. This snowball affect put him in contention for Murtaugh, and he secured the life-changing part after a dynamite reading with Mel at Donner's house. I doubt Roger would have been fifty if Warner Bros. had for-seen the four-part franchise that would ultimately result from this(Glover was only forty when the cameras rolled in the summer of '86).



Martin isn't a morning person.

   Mel Gibson was 30 years old when he landed the best role of his career(Mad Max was more of a cult figure, and 1985's "Beyond Thunderdome" underperformed). That mulleted maurader Riggs is the reason he became an A-list movie star until he decided not to be one anymore. This suicidal "Three Stooges" enthusiast is the reason that "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ" exist. Simply put, he's a great character, and Mel absolutely nailed the part with a combination of edginess and humor that's rarely been seen. 'Dirty' Harry who? That was the reaction of stunned audiences to the LAPD's loosest cannon. Fun fact- "Lethal Weapon" gave HBO it's highest ratings to date when it premiered in March '88. Riggs has had an open dinner invite in my home ever since.

   Victoria Riggs must have been an amazing woman. Our anguished protagonist almost loses his battle with himself before we've even really begun. Mel had three Oscar-bait dramas released in 1984- "Mrs. Soffel", "The Bounty", and "The River". None contained a moment as powerful as the scene that should have earned him a Best Actor nod. Maybe even the win. But an oily Michael Douglas was also in the zone, and greed is good. Oh, well.

   Alright, here's the deal. I NEED bad-ass villains. They add SO much to your enjoyment of a film. A strong villain can take a movie from good-to-great, and Gary Busey more than holds up his end of the bargain. The guy's creepy when he isn't even trying to be. When he's allowing his forearm to be licked by a lighter flame just to prove what an invulnerable lunatic he is, you might pause the movie for a minute just to make sure the doors and windows are locked. I mean, who does that? Ed O'Ross was in "Full Metal Jacket", and he's terrified. I'd avoid talking to Mr. Joshua at all costs. This blonde ex-Special Forces psycho makes it clear that our heroes are in for a rough work week.

"We're gonna get some sequels out of this"

   Does God hate Roger? The super-duo's first day together involves a suicidal jumper and a tense stand-off in which Riggs describes his own tortured daily existence as a reckless widower, a perfect segue. That's some black comedy mixed with explosive drama, and both men are terrific. I think it's obvious at this point that we're watching something far better than your standard actioner and we're only thirty-five minutes in.

   Roger shoots dangerous suspects in the leg. His loony new partner knows better than that. Riggs is Johnny-on-the-spot with the follow-up kill-shot on a pimp/drug dealer, that spills the action into a convenient pool nearby(model Joan Severance is presumably a coworker of Amanda Hunsaker). This marks the first of MANY times that Mel gets wet in the series. Pouring rain is a pretty clear indicator that a fight-to-the-death is about to take place. Those sick South Africans try to drown Riggs and his new girlfriend Patsy Kensit in the equally-enjoyable "LW2". I think the only reason Roger bought a boat was to get his best friend closer to water. Sounds like a new drinking game. 

   Roger's daughter Rianne(Traci Wolfe) has a crush on Riggs. She can join the club. Again, the inclusion of the Murtaugh family is an important human element that many action films of the era couldn't be bothered with. These characters are flesh-and-blood people. We're getting emotionally invested. We actually CARE. Imagine that.

   Most cops never have to take their gun out of it's holster. These guys do it every single day, and with the male bonding officially underway, it's time for some target practice. We get some expository dialogue and a little homophobia while discussing Amanda Hunsacker's life choices in between manly gunshots. Riggs is an expert marksman, a plot point that this scene humorously illustrates. Who has time for a haircut?

   The boys arrive at a hooker's residence for some routine questioning when her house blows up(explosion #1 for the series). A neighborhood kid in 3-D glasses saw Gary Busey up to no-good earlier that day, and is able to provide a detailed description(a Special Forces tattoo). Little Alfred casually expresses fear over something his mother told him. Cops shoot black people- a joke that probably wouldn't make it into the movie today. Ahh, the politically incorrect '80s.

Michael Hunsaker(Tom Atkins) got himself and his little girl killed.

   Another aborted questioning leads to a Busey kill as we're hurtled toward the climax. Roger's old war buddy gets gunned down at his daughter's funeral, just in case you weren't sure how evil our antagonists really are. Riggs unloading on that helicopter is just one of many tiny bits of awesomeness that this film possesses. He's just getting started.

   Riggs tries to snipe the drug thugs that have kidnapped Roger's daughter(again, these are bad guys). He's stopped by Mitchell Ryan, a seasoned TV vet that got his film feet wet in the second Dirty Harry movie, 1973's "Magnum Force". That's very fitting. Ryan's chief antagonist General McAllister(whose not REALLY the big bad) is killed by Roger in a highlight reel-worthy stunt involving a car and a bus without a whiff of CGI(take that, "Fast and the Furious"). The action gets ramped up right after this happens.

   A movie has to have memorable scenes. In "Lethal Weapon", you can take your god-damn pick of about half a dozen. The reason that you're detecting some anger in my tone is because so many modern films fail to meet that requirement despite technological advancements and seemingly endless budgets making virtually anything possible. You're going to have to give Riggs the electroshock treatment in a dank hallway behind a nightclub because he doesn't know about that heroin shipment. Yes, Joshua's Asian henchman(Al Leong) later went to work for Hans Gruber. As long as I'm mining minutiae, we also have Mary Ellen Trainor, Murtaugh's precinct pal Agent Johnson(Grand L. Bush), and Michael Kamen's music linking up the late '80s two greatest action films in a way that makes a movie buff smile on the inside(and mega-producer Joel Silver had a little something to do with it all, too).

Mel's physicality was fantastic. When I think of athletic actors, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, and Keanu Reeves come to mind. Gibson is in that group.

   "Would you like a shot at the title?" Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago probably reigns supreme, but this rain-soaked scrap between Riggs and Joshua is definitely one of the best throw-downs of the 1980s. Cuffing this albino asshole and reading him his rights would have been too easy after the night's carnage, and Riggs knows it. Years of subsequent police brutality headlines haven't lessened the cathartic joy of watching Busey trapped in a triangle choke way before Royce Gracie put the UFC on the map(his brother Rorion choreographed these brilliant last few seconds). Stephen Goldblatt went on to be one of the better cinematographers in the business, with Oscar nominations for "The Prince of Tides" and "Batman Forever".

   And there you have it. Riggs relinquishes his hollow-tipped bullet, and finds a reason to live(more bad guys to kill) and a place to have dinner four nights a week. His wily presence is always welcome in the Murtaugh household, even though it substantially increases the chances of savage criminals showing up there as well. They would be dealt with, by the dynamic duo, in entertaining sequels released in 1989, 1992, and 1998. That's called a dynasty, and the box office more than justified these reunions. The Fox TV series of the same name was briefly a success, and rumors of a fifth film persist to this day. I haven't even mentioned Shane Black yet. Every great movie is a perfect storm, and this one started with a 24 year old film school grad that wrote an incredible fucking script that made him a major player in the industry overnight. Joel Silver immediately tapped his young protege to work on "Predator" as an actor AND script doctor(?). His involvement with Riggs and Murtaugh ended with "LW2", but his impact extended to 2013's massive money-maker "Iron Man 3". Cinema of the late '80s-early '90s can't be discussed without a dissertation of Donner and company. "Lethal Weapon" is one of the world's greatest films.

R.I.P. Bill Paxton 1955-2017

   The Hollywood community was saddened to learn, on the same day as the Academy Awards, that Bill Paxton had died from complications following heart surgery at age 61. He was one of the most underrated actors in the business, so underrated in fact, that he never even made it onto any lists of underrated actors! A-list stars tend to get all the attention, and we don't pay enough of it to the dozens of solid B players that make all those marquee names look as good as they do. Paxton was a utility guy, he never got carried off the field with the crowd cheering, but he played on championship teams. Nobody ever made a movie by themselves, the great ones require a lot of skilled labor.

   Paxton is perhaps best known for the color he brought to four James Cameron movies, forging a firm forty-year friendship with his frequent collaborator(the pair first met while working for Roger Corman in the late '70s). You may not have known that he directed two movies("Frailty", "The Greatest Game Ever Played"), and they were good enough to make me wish he had done it more. As a child in Texas, Bill was among a crowd gathered to greet President Kennedy as he arrived in Dallas on November 22, 1963. He was destined to be in the thick of things. Let's learn more about one of industry's good guys.

"The Terminator"(1984)
"I think this guy's a couple cans short of a six-pack". There are no small roles, only small actors. Bill Paxton proves that old adage to be true in the opening scene of James Cameron's career-making classic. The great directors realize that every speaking role should be played by a quality performer because there can be no weak links in the chain(case in point- Paul Winfield and Lance Henriksen's cop duo, Earl Boen's Dr. Silberman, Dick Miller's gun-shop clerk and Rick "I'm gonna bust you up, man" Rossovich). Blonde punk Brian Thompson("Wash day tomorrow...") didn't do too bad, either. Not sure about the guy actually wearing Arnie's clothes, though.

"Weird Science"(1985)
Writer-director John Hughes was practically patenting the teen movie in 1985, and Paxton had a funny way of finding himself at the center of film history. His older brother Chet memorably antagonizes our Kelly LeBrock-creating high school heroes Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith. "Science" is an extraordinarily silly movie(not necessarily a bad thing) that could have only been successfully launched in the mid-'80s. Robert Downey Jr. landed his big break here as well. He did alright for himself.

"Aliens"(1986)
I'm sure you've heard that Bill Paxton is the only actor to be killed by an Alien, a Predator and a Terminator. Who needs an Academy Award with those credentials? Cameron didn't have to search too far to fill out a supporting cast for Sigourney Weaver, and Paxton's Private Hudson is a consistently quotable crowd-pleaser in the best "Alien" movie there ever was or ever will be(with all due respect to Sir Ridley Scott). He's very eager to fight aliens. That is, until aliens actually show up. Game over, man.

"True Lies"(1994)
We all know a guy that knows every line of Bill Paxton's dialogue in "True Lies". Maybe you ARE that guy. Bill's sleazy used-car salesman wants to bang Jamie Lee Curtis. After her sexy hotel room striptease, I sympathize with his plight. His elaborate attempts to do so sidetracks 'the plot' for about a half-hour, and we don't mind one bit. Some of us may have even missed Simon during Arnie's third act Arab-killing spree. I almost bought a Corvette because of this guy. So don't feel guilty about that married MILF that you've been hitting on. Her husband doesn't appreciate her.

"Apollo 13"(1995)
Bill was definitely at the height of his career when he was invited into orbit in Ron Howard's masterpiece. I know that Tom Hanks' face is on the poster, but this is very much an ensemble and Paxton's inclusion says something about his position in the industry at the time. The riveting tale of the aborted 1970 moon mission may be the greatest movie about astronauts on the planet, just don't tell "The Right Stuff" I said that.  "Apollo" earned nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and was the third biggest moneymaker of 1995, behind "Toy Story" and "Batman Forever".

"Twister"(1996)
Another huge hit, Jan de Bont's natural disaster flick kicked the summer of '96 off right. I'll bet you didn't know that storm-chasing was an actual profession. Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt's divorcing couple are the reason you do, as they pursue a mythical F5 tornado all over Oklahoma. This movie definitely loses something on the small screen, but if you were lucky enough to be alive when everyone was dancing the Macarena, it was a mind-blowing theatrical experience. Fun fact- "Twister" was the first movie EVER released on DVD in March '97.

"Titanic"(1997)
The scenes that bookend "Titanic" shouldn't work. At 3 hours and 14 minutes, the movie is long enough, right? Wrong. The highest-grossing film of the 1990s was #1 at the box office for four straight months, crushing everything in it's path and completely dispelling with the popular notion that a movie's length had to be kept under control. Bill's role as a deep sea treasure hunter obsessed with the underwater wreck adds weight and levity to 1997's Best Picture winner, and he's arguably the most important guy in the movie NOT named Leonardo DiCaprio. As usual, Cameron knew exactly what he was doing(Paxton joined Jim on an expedition to the REAL Titanic for the 2003 documentary "Ghosts of the Abyss").

"A Simple Plan"(1998)
Paxton secured a rare starring role in Sam Raimi's snow-covered morality tale. Bill and Billy Bob Thornton star as middle-aged brothers in rural Minnesota that stumble upon an airplane crash and a bag filled with $4 million dollars. Will their lives be irreparably altered by greed? "Plan" underperformed in theaters, but a 90% score on RT indicates that it's more worthy of your time than those Netflix shows you've been hooked on. Billy Bob(hot off "Sling Blade") received a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination, and Raimi ended up on the short list of potential "Spider-Man" directors. In typical fashion, Paxton would benefit the least.

"Frailty"(2001)
Bill displayed his skill BEHIND the camera as well as in front of it in his directorial debut. This undervalued chiller finds Paxton plotting murders with his two preteen sons(one of them grows up to be Mathew McConaughey) after a series of disturbing premonitions. Is he ridding the world of pure evil or just a raving religious zealot? The public probably wasn't in the mood to watch Bill Paxton hack people to death in the name of God a mere six weeks after 9/11, so "Frailty" only made a small profit. But if you're in the market for some morbid fun, you can do a lot worse.

"The Greatest Game Ever Played"(2005)
Paxton was resembling a polished old pro in his second directing effort, the pleasingly old-fashioned story of a young underdog golfer in the early 1900s. Shia LaBeouf was still sane when he played Frances Ouimet, the U.S. Open winner that defeated his celebrated rival Harry Vardon in 1913.  This is the kind of movie that you can safely gather your whole family in front of on a Saturday night. We need more of those. Unfortunately, Disney didn't see enough money when "Game" was released in the fall of '05. In fact, they lost about $10 million on it. Despite putting the ball in the hole, Bill would never direct again.

"Nightcrawler"(2014)
 For some reason, good roles in good movies stopped coming Bill Paxton's way during the Bush/Obama administrations despite his rep for raising the quality of nearly everything he appeared in(he did star in the HBO show "Big Love" from 2006-2011). I think that says more about the industry than anything else, but there was an inexplicably long cinematic dry spell. We got to see Bill shine one last time as a freelance photojournalist opposite a fantastic Jake Gyllenhaal in Dan Gilroy's dark thriller. It turns out that the TV new business is a haven for heartless opportunists that never feel too bad when tragedy strikes. Who knew? "Nightcrawler" is a low-budget triumph that was overlooked at awards season, but I have a feeling this movie's reputation will grow.

   The film world needs more guys like Bill Paxton. Based on the outpouring of grief among his many colleagues, the world in general needs more people like him, too. R.I.P.




Complete filmography(60 films in total, the highly successful ones are darkened)

"Crazy Mama"(1975)
"Stripes"(1981)
"Night Warning"(1982)
"The Lords of Discipline"(1983)
"Mortuary"(1983)
"Streets of Fire"(1984)
"Impulse"(1984)
"The Terminator"(1984)
"Weird Science"(1985)
"Commando"(1985)
"Aliens"(1986)
"Near Dark"(1987)
"Pass the Ammo"(1988)
"Slipstream"(1989)
"Next of Kin"(1989)
"Brain Dead"(1990)
"The Last of the Finest"(1990)
"Navy SEALs"(1990)
"Predator 2"(1990)
"The Dark Backward"(1991)
"The Vagrant"(1992)
"One False Move"(1992)
"Trespass"(1992)
"Indian Summer"(1993)
"Boxing Helena"(1993)
"Tombstone"(1993)
"True Lies"(1994)
"Frank and Jesse"(1994)
"The Last Supper"(1995)
"Apollo 13"(1995)
"Twister"(1996)
"The Evening Star"(1996)
"Traveler"(1997)
"Titanic"(1997)
"A Simple Plan"(1998)
"Mighty Joe Young"(2000)
"U-571"(2000)
"Vertical Limit"(2000)
"Frailty"(2001)
"Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams"(2002)
"Ghosts of the Abyss"(2003)
"Resistance"(2003)
"Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over"(2003)
"Club Dread"(2004)
"Thunderbirds"(2004)
"Haven"(2004)
"Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D"(2005)
"The Greatest Game Ever Played"(2005)
"The Good Life"(2007)
"Haywire"(2012)
"Shanghai Calling"(2012)
"The Colony"(2013)
"2 Guns"(2013)
"Million Dollar Arm"(2014)
"Edge of Tomorrow"(2014)
"Nightcrawler"(2014)
"Pixies"(2015)
"Term Life"(2016)
"Mean Dreams"(2016)
"The Circle"(2017)

The Year in Review- 2016

   It was the year Michael Keaton ran a burger joint and Jeff Bridges ran around in a cowboy hat. Andrew Garfield fronted grueling films for Mel Gibson AND Martin Scorsese, while Casey Affleck made us cry. Disney found the Death Star plans, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling danced the night away and Denzel took out the trash. Oh, and the Marvel/DC rivalry got a lot more intense. Here are the ten best films in order for 2016.

1. "The Founder"(2016)
Witnessing the rise of a ruthless capitalist like Ray Kroc might have made some folks uncomfortable during the Donald Trump era, but this is one 20th Century American success story that was overdue for a lavish big screen treatment. Kroc was a struggling milkshake salesman in the 1950s when he noticed that the McDonald's brothers were inventing the fast-food format in California. Long story short- he became one of the richest men in the world(they didn't), and Michael Keaton should have an Oscar on his mantle for making this burger magnate the focal point of the year's best film. Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch are the crispy fries to Keaton's Big Mac, and director John Lee Hancock("The Blind Side") doesn't endorse OR vilify his subject. We've ALL enjoyed a Happy Meal or two.

2. "Hell or High Water"(2016)
Jeff Bridges might be a redneck. I mean, he's just so damn good at it. This absorbing crime drama had me at 'hello', as Bridges' West Texas sheriff was hot on the trail of bank-robbing brothers(Chris Pine and Ben Foster in career-best performances). Director David Mackenzie and "Sicario" screenwriter Taylor Sheridan team up to make a subtle statement about generational omnipresent poverty in the midst of staging a gripping cat-and-mouse game. "Water" was a welcome antidote to a summer of increasingly bloated FX-heavy offerings.

3. "Hacksaw Ridge"(2016)
Mel Gibson makes a comeback in his fifth directorial effort, and first since 2006's "Apocalypto", after a ten-year stay in tabloid hell/movie jail. Desmond Doss was the only conscientious objector to receive a Medal of Honor during WWII. This Catholic Army corporal saved 75 lives in Okinawa, and Andrew Garfield made me glad he hung up his Spidey suit with his stirring portrayal of an American hero. Gibson is right at home on a bloody battlefield, giving us explosions and flying bullets that live up to the standards set by "Saving Private Ryan". Please stay sober, Mel. Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving, and Theresa Palmer provide strong support.

4. "Silence"(2016)
We're going to talk about Andrew Garfield some more. Religion will never be a popular subject at the multiplex, and Martin Scorsese's films on the subject("The Last Temptation of Christ", "Kundun") will never have as many followers as his classics about cool criminals. Still, it's time to break the silence that surrounds his devastating drama about Christian missionaries that find themselves unwelcome in 17th Century Japan. Garfield and Adam Driver are totally believable as the pompous priests, while Liam Neeson reminds us that he can still act as their lost mentor. There's no excuse for not knowing about this one.

5. "Manchester by the Sea"(2016)
Casey Affleck joined the list of unlikeliest Best Actor Oscar winners with this somber slow-burning indie sensation(no disrespect meant to Ben's little bro but I didn't see this coming). Affleck is affecting as an emotionally-shattered janitor drawn back to his small hometown in Boston in the wake of a family tragedy, while Michelle Williams does the kind of work typically seen in AFI tributes. Director Kenneth Lonergan injects subtle humor into heavy drama into in a way that few filmmakers with far more experience could manage. To see "Manchester" is to instantly recognize it as one of the year's best films.

6. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"(2016)
Disney is doing "Star Wars" once a year now. That decision might inspire a revolt somewhere down the line, but NOT in 2016, because those Death Star plans came wrapped in a Christmas prequel that series fanatics felt pretty good about. Felicity Jones is an unsung hero in the Rebel Alliance's action-packed plot that neatly fills in the blanks of events that preceded Episode IV(the '77 original, for any laymen out there). A CGI rendition of General Tarkin satisfied my craving for technical innovation, while Darth Vader hasn't been this fun since he was dueling with his son. Leia wasn't the only one with a new hope.

7. "Moonlight"(2016)
You're looking at 2016's Best Picture winner. I'm inclined to see the upset victory of this underdog indie as an obvious backhanded response to the alleged lack of black representation on Hollywood's biggest night, but that's just my politically-incorrect opinion. Homosexuality AND ghetto strife? Mike Pence isn't going to like this. Writer-director Barry Jenkins still impressed in his sophomore outing, with an intimate, unconventional coming-of-age set in the slums of Miami. Best Supporting Actor winner Mahershala Ali is the acting standout in a low-key ensemble. The closing shot is poetic.

8. "La La Land"(2016)
I used to think that musicals shouldn't win major Academy Awards in the 21st Century. The winning team of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling changed my mind in "Whiplash" director Damien Chazelle's lovable throwback to the genre's 1950s-'60s heyday. Less than ten years after her film debut in "Superbad", a 30 year old Emma is now set in stone as one of this era's essential actresses, and she has the Oscar to prove it. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire would have approved of the "head to toe" dance choreography that enhances this love letter to the City of Angels. "Land" was lauded for nearly every aspect of it's production, you don't have to be a critic or an X chromosome to love this movie.

9. "Fences"(2016)
Denzel Washington proves a very capable director(this is his third stint behind the camera), just in case you needed another reason to rally around him. However, his hard-nosed garbage-man is about as lovable as Alonzo Harris in this stagy but well-acted film version of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. What law says that he has to LIKE YOU? Washington is far from a model husband/father in 1950s Pittsburgh, and he lets Wilson's words take center stage in his examination of the ever-evolving African-American experience. The Best Supporting Actress Oscar went to it's rightful owner in the wonderful Viola Davis, after nearly two decades of undervalued character work.

10(tie). "Captain America: Civil War"(2016)
Cap 3, or The Avengers 3 and Iron Man 4, as it could accurately be described, kept Marvel's cult-like followers filing into the multiplex for another swig of Kevin Feige's Kool-Aid. The MCU tightened it's grip on children of all ages when they brought back Anthony and Joe Russo("The Winter Soldier") to stage a superhero smack-down between Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark. I won't allow the fervor of their fan-base to keep me from enjoying the resultant FX-laden fun. "Civil War" makes "Captain America" the best comic book movie trifecta since Chris Nolan handed in the keys to the Batmobile. Which brings me to...

10(tie). "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice"(2016)
What's with all the DC hate? This blog is bipartisan, and I simply refuse to allow Marvel to horde all the geek gratitude. You're looking at the two biggest superhero properties EVER, son, and this is the first time they've ever shared the screen, so show some respect. Ben Affleck's beastly Bat looks like he could take out Keaton AND Bale, and is sure to be recognized at a later date as a dynamite rendition of the Dark Knight. Jesse Eisenberg did something different with Lex Luthor, I think we all wanted to see Doomsday, and let's not forget that Zack Snyder handed Gal Gadot her golden Lasso. "DOJ" deserves better.

Honorable Mentions- "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi"(2016) Michael Bay gets (semi)serious. "Jane Got a Gun"(2016) Natalie Portman gets placed in the Wild West. "Kung Fu Panda 3"(2016) Jack Black's Po is back. "Hail, Caesar!"(2016) The Coen brothers bring you a star-studded showbiz parody. "Deadpool"(2016) Ryan Reynolds as your new favorite superhero. "Hello, My Name is Doris"(2016) Sally Field hates getting old. "Knight of Cups"(2016) Terrence Malick keeps making odd movies. "A Hologram for the King"(2016) Tom Hanks treks to Saudi Arabia. "Elvis & Nixon"(2016) They hung out in 1970. "The Nice Guys"(2016) Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling buddy up for Shane Black. "Me Before You"(2016) Emilia Clarke falls for a cripple. "The Conjuring 2"(2016) James Wan sends the Warrens to London. "Florence Foster Jenkins"(2016) Meryl Streep sings in 1944 NYC. "Being Charlie"(2016) Rob Reiner tried to help his son Nick.

"Finding Nemo"(2016) Pixar found a fortune with this "Nemo" sequel. "The Shallows"(2016) Blake Lively gets bit by a shark. "Ghostbusters"(2016) Paul Feig's female foursome battle aging, sexist fanboys. "Star Trek Beyond"(2016) The third and final(?) voyage for Chris Pine's Captain Kirk. "The BFG"(2016) Steven Spielberg reunites with Mark Rylance for this mo-cap fantasy. "The Infiltrator"(2016) Bryan Cranston is an undercover agent in this compelling crime drama. "War Dogs"(2016) Miles Teller and Jonah Hill are international gun runners. "Sully"(2016) Tom Hanks + Clint Eastwood= quality. "Snowden"(2016) Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the CIA rogue for Oliver Stone. "Inferno"(2016) Ron Howard wraps up his Robert Langdon trilogy. "Chuck"(2016) Liev Schreiber as "the real Rocky". "Cafe Society"(2016) I grade Woody Allen on a curve. "Mr. Church"(2016) Eddie Murphy gets(semi) serious. "Southside With You"(2016) When Barack met Michelle. "The Magnificent Seven"(2016) Denzel Washington stars in this remake of the 1960 Western. "Bridget Jones' Baby"(2016) Renee Zellweger makes it a trilogy. "Birth of a Nation"(2016) This October Oscar bait tells the tale of rebellious slave owner Nat Turner. "Hands of Stone"(2016) Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leonard.

"Jack Reacher: Never Go Back"(2016) Tom Cruise tries to franchise his unflappable Army hero. "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"(2016) Tim Burton puts Eva Green at the head of his quirky class. "Deepwater Horizon"(2016) The worst oil spill in U.S. history is recalled by Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg. "The Accountant"(2016) Ben Affleck is a workaholic. "Moana"(2016) Disney's Polynesian princess was a big hit. "Allied"(2016) Bob Zemeckis sends Brad Pitt to Nazi Germany. "Arrival"(2016) Close encounters with Amy Adams and Denis Villeneuve. "Rules Don't Apply"(2016) Warren Beatty is Howard Hughes in his farewell(?) film. "Doctor Strange"(2016) Benedict Cumberbatch has come to bargain. "Bleed for This"(2016) Miles Teller became a contender as brave boxer Vinnie Pazienza. "Nocturnal Animals"(2016) Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon light up this dark drama. "Jackie"(2016) Natalie Portman as everyone's favorite First Lady. "Miss Sloane"(2016) Jessica Chastain in Washington D.C. "Passengers"(2016) Chris Pratt falls for Jennifer Lawrence on a space station. "Personal Shopper"(2016) Kristen Stewart gets spooked in Paris. "Patriots Day"(2016) Peter Berg sends Mark Wahlberg after the Boston bomber. "Live by Day"(2016) Ben Affleck makes a mob movie. "Hidden Figures"(2016) African-American women helped win the Space Race. "20th Century Women"(2016) are played by Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, and Elle Fanning.