WatchMojo’s back with another movie list: this time featuring the Top 10 Movie Fistfights of all-time. Bit of a violence warning on this, but if you hadn’t figured that out from the category title, then the warning probably won’t be read until after the video. The guidelines for the list were that the fight had to be fist-intensive so too much kicking got it tossed, and fights could not take place within the confines of sports, so no boxing matches (but then they include bare knuckles brawling from Sherlock Holmes, which smacks of self-rule breaking….ANARCHY!). I’m not exactly sure when WM put this out, but I think it’s at least three years old, but it does have some great selections….and a few that I think could easily be improved upon. Die Hard, Fight Club, The Winter Solider, and The Dark Knight Rises? Absolutely. Picking a Rowdy Roddy Piper movie over the fight on the tarmac from Raiders of the Lost Ark? That seems a bit dodgy to me. CineFix is the king of movie lists as far as I’m concerned, and WatchMojo’s are always entertaining, but seem to have always room for improvement. I think Raiders is a clear inclusion. What do you think needs to go on this list?
Hollywood certainly has a long history of glamorizing or fabricating military history, but WatchMojo has put together a list of the 10 most accurate military operations Hollywood has depicted. Though WM doesn’t say so in their piece, I think they’re referring to the operational parts of these films (as there are parts outside of the ops in this films that are fictionalized). It’s a fantastic idea for a list, and I was extremely interested to see what did and didn’t make the accuracy cut. I have a tremendous respect for the men and women who put on a uniform and serve those who don’t, and I think their stories should be portrayed with as much attention to detail as any stories told. In thanking them for their service, it’s the very least (the VERY least we can do). One of the most memorable theater-going experiences of my life was seeing Saving Private Ryan at a small theater in WV, and scattered throughout the crowd were elderly men in full uniform. Their presence there gave what we saw onscreen so much more weight, and I’ll never forget their faces afterward.
In the endless debate over “Who is the best Batman?” a strong case can be made for someone most people have never seen: Kevin Conroy. Conroy has been the voice of Batman since Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s, though all subsequent appearances of the character in the various Justice League series, and in the majority of Batman’s animated films (beginning with Batman: Mask of the Phantasm in 1993). Conroy also voiced the character in the Batman Arkham video games, without a doubt, the best comic book video games ever made.
IGN has put together a list of the best of Batman’s animated exploits (most of which have been voiced by Conroy), and his batting average in animation is at least as good (if not much better) than his success rate in live-action films. My favorites are Phantasm, Sub-Zero, and Under the Red Hood, but which of Batman’s animated adventures are your favorites? What did you think of IGN’s list?
Lights down. Film rolls. Movie starts. A director has a limited amount of time, especially in the ADHD world we live in today, to whack audiences between the eyes and grab their attention for the rest of their film. Looper has put together a list of the 10 best opening sequences of all-time (the list appears to be a few years old). You can’t argue with The Godfather, The Dark Knight, or Rear Window. I’m not sure there aren’t better examples of an astounding opening sequence though than Hustle and Flow or Halloween, for example. I think the list is a good jumping-off point for conversation more than I think Looper did a fantastic, impeccable job assembling the greatest opening scenes of all-time. Patton was one that jumped immediately to my mind. What, after reviewing Looper’s choices, are some films you feel should have made this list?
