Friday's Top Five: Best remakes“Come on, Cohaagen! You got what you want. Give those people air!” – Douglas Quaid, "Total Recall" (1990) Along with dozens of other classic one-liners like the one above, the original "Total Recall" was a sci-fi trip to Mars starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was at his peak of action-film stardom and helped make this movie an instant classic. Colin Farrell will fill Arnie’s shoes in 2012's eagerly awaited remake, which opens in theaters today. Friday's Top Five: Spanish-speaking movie heroesHappy early Cinco de Mayo! The approaching holiday, which has its roots in Mexico, got us thinking about some of our favorite Spanish-speaking movie heroes. Movies sometimes present Spanish speakers as caricatures (see El Guapo and Machete), but the characters listed below defy stereotypes. I know, some of these movie aren't set in Mexico, nor are they all in Spanish (movies that incorporate Spanish into the dialogue being the criteria here), but all of the characters have brought Spanish to the big screen, and have resonated with me strongly enough to include in my top five. Friday Top Five: Survival storiesOne might argue that “The Hunger Games” is the most eagerly anticipated adaptation since “Twilight” or “Harry Potter.” The film, based off Suzanne Collins' young adult novel, is set in a post-apocalyptic society where 12- to 18-year olds are forced into a televised battle to the death. An original plot, for sure, but the survival theme certainly isn't new to cinema. Many movies pit protagonists against one another, the forces of nature or government agencies. But whether the story is based on fact or fiction, the main character often has to struggle to survive. Here are some of our favorite survival stories: Friday’s Top Five: March Madness editionOn Sunday night, the match-ups will be made and March Madness will officially begin. Sports headlines will be consumed by brackets, buzzer-beaters and basketball through early April. It may not be America’s pastime - or have Madonna performing at halftime shows - but when the calendar flips to March, college basketball turns into a dramatic, pop culture spectacle. For this week’s top five, it would be a shame on the eve of March Madness not to reflect on memorable basketball movies.These films, like the sport that they glorify, have entertained us with a very simple formula: a basket, a ball and a game filled with heartache and hope. Friday's Top Five: Superhero moviesWith Super Tuesday right around the corner, we could talk about memorable movie presidents or political thrillers. Except I could use a break from politics, as I'm sure you could too, at this point. So let’s discuss a somewhat related, if not slightly far-fetched, topic like superheroes. If you’re not willing to accept that the two are connected, let’s just agree that it’s a more fun use of the word "super." Friday's Top Five: Overrated Oscar winnersWhere have all the good movies gone this year? I know, I know - I'm sure "Hugo" is magical, "War Horse" is heartwarming and "The Artist" is a beautiful picture. But I find it appalling that the Academy has the nerve to nominate nine best pictures when there's been an overwhelming absence of good movies lately. For the past few years, to me at least, Hollywood has not really produced anything on a consistent basis worth going to see in theaters. Instead, Redboxes are filled with tween fairy tales and pointless sequels, of which the originals weren’t that good in the first place. |
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