Joshua P. Simon's Blog, page 23

Top Ten Superhero Movies

Today’s list is subject to change and will likely change as new superhero movies come out. In fact, some of the movies on this list my shuffle in sequence if I made the same list tomorrow. Regardless, here are my top ten superhero movies today.

10. Iron Man

Great take on a character who wasn’t as well known as others in the Marvel universe. One of the better origin stories as well. Awesome script. Downey’s performance is what makes this movie memorable.

Nice use of both Black Sabbath and AC/DC.

9. Batman
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I think sometimes people forget just how good the Burton Batman movies are. Who would have thought that Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman would work so well? Yet they did. Jack’s Joker is perfect for what Burton was going for. People like to think he was a little too silly when you compare him to Ledger’s performance. However, he had some pretty stand out sadistic moments (like the joybuzzer scene).

Keaton in my mind is the best Batman with the cowl. Bale is the best Bruce Wayne and looks the most physically like Batman. However, once the mask is on Keaton had the voice and attitude down in a way I don’t think Bale ever fully got. Bale had a tendency to get lost in the costume while Keaton embraced it.

I also want to give a nod to Kim Basinger as Vickie Vale who was probably the best of all the love interests in the films. And although Harvey Dent played a minor role in the film, how cool was it that Burton cast Billy Dee Williams in the role?

Really enjoyed the noir feel to this movie.

Lots of memorable quotes as well “Gentlemen, let’s broaden our minds.” “You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”

Awesome soundtrack. I actually listen to it quite a bit on Pandora. And let’s not forget the album Prince did inspired by the movie. I wore that cassette out as a kid.

8. Captain America
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In my mind this movie does not get anywhere near the credit it deserves. Chris Evans was made for this role. The first part of the film which most people think is slow was actually my favorite stuff (lots of nice character moments). Tommy Lee Jones did a good job of providing the levity and laughs the film needed. Strong female lead (Hayley Atwell) and some memorable minor characters also add to the flavor. And let’s not forget that Hugo Weaving was perfect as the Red Skull.

With a lesser script or director, this movie could have been awful and seemed dated.

7. Superman the Movie/Superman II

Great tag line. The BEST superhero movie soundtrack ever. And no other actor was made to play the superhero they were cast for like Christopher Reeves was for Clark Kent/Superman.

Yes, both movies suffer a bit from minor script issues (like inventing yet more powers for Superman to have), but I can overlook that. I would have loved to see these movies made with today’s technology because the special effects are the ONLY thing that doesn’t hold up.

6. The Avengers

I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flak for this one since most people automatically place this movie as a top 3. Honestly, I debate on where to put it on the list myself. In some ways, I wonder it should be at No. 8 behind Captain America and Superman.

Anyway, this movie has a lot of upsides….good action scenes, a great rendition of the Hulk, making Black Widow cool, etc. However, there are a lot more negatives than people are willing to attribute to the movie,in my opinion. I’m not going to rehash those reasons here. If you want to read my full review, just go here.

5. Hellboy

This one might come as a surprise for some…unless you’ve actually seen the movie. Hellboy as a character might be the most “human” out of any of the others on this list which is ironic since he is essentially a demon. He’s flawed, funny, sensitive, and just someone you don’t mess with. Ron Perlman is the man.

4. The Incredibles

Where is the sequel to this movie? They’ve been talking about it for years and yet, I’m still waiting. This was such a cool and original idea. It could have been cheesy or uninteresting, yet it worked on every level. This was one of those VERY rare movies where everyone could see themselves in one of the main characters. In many cases, more than one.

3. The Dark Knight
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Gasp! Number 3? Yes, number 3. I loved this movie, but ultimately this was more about Harvey Dent and even the Joker than it was about Bruce Wayne and Batman. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since both were awesome and helped redefine what people think about when they imagine about those characters. However, with Batman taking a backseat (until the closing scene), I bumped it down a couple of notches.

2. Batman Begins

The best and worst thing about the Nolan movies is that he borrowed from all over the comics rather than doing a true interpretation of any one story. With that in mind, I really thought his version of a Batman origin was ideal for what he was trying to create.

Bale may have his faults as Batman (mostly with the voice), but he is a perfect Bruce Wayne.

And of course Caine was made for Alfred.

1. The Dark Knight Rises

Yes, I know this movie has a lot of flaws. However, this movie is so focused on characterization (Bruce Wayne) in particular that as it stands now, it is my favorite superhero movie of all time. I won’t rehash all my reasons for liking or disliking it. I already gave my thoughts here.

Honorable Mentions: The Amazing Spiderman, X-Men First Class, Batman Returns

So, there’s my top ten weighted with four Batman movies, unsurprising since he is my favorite superhero. I’d like to think that Man of Steel will bump something off this list later this year, but you never know.

So, what movies are in your top ten?

Music Monday - Primal Fear

Primal Fear is an extremely underrated Power Metal band -- Killer vocals, great guitar work, and really strong song writing. Their earlier work is VERY heavily influenced by Judas Priest (the singer actually lost out to Ripper Owens when Judas Priest was looking for a replacement for Rob Halford), but their style does evolve with each album.

Below on my three favorite songs off their first album (self-titled).

Promised Land


Silver & Gold


Tears of Rage

Comments

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Go Ravens (Superbowl)

Well, sorda. I’m not a Ravens fan at all. But I need to cheer for someone this Super Bowl and I’d much rather see the Ravens hoist the Lombardi Trophy over the 49ers. It should be obvious to anyone by now who reads my blog that I prefer lists. They just help me organize my thoughts (something crucial with my ADD). So, here are my top 5 reasons why I’ll be a Ravens fan this Super Bowl.

1. As a Saints fan, the ghost of 49ers teams past still haunt me. Those squads were the bane of every Saints fan back in the 80s and 90s before the divisions were realigned. It seemed that no matter how great of a record the Saints managed, the 49ers always one-upped them. For example, in 1992 the Saints finished the season 12-4 but still ended up 2nd in the division since the 49ers went 14-2. So frustrating.

2. Battle of the Harbaughs – There are many reasons in my mind to choose John over Jim, too many in fact for me to go over. So, I’ll sum up all my reasons with this:


Who would ever want to cheer for that?

3. Ed Reed – I’d really like to see him get a Super Bowl ring. One, he’s a future Hall of Famer. Two, he actually attended a high school in the same district as mine during the one year I played high school football. He was pretty good then if I remember right. That might seem like a silly reason to cheer someone on, but it’s still one of mine.

4. Colin Kaepernick – Yes, he’s stepped in and had a pretty good year (better than I expected). However, I’m really sick of hearing about him. He’s still too inconsistent and doesn’t have enough games under his belt for me to crown him the next big thing. If he’s still playing this way next year or the year after when defenses and coaches have compiled more film on him, then so be it. But for now, I keep wondering if he’s going to fizz out like most of the other “next big things.”

5. The 49ers are just really good. No one likes to cheer for the dominant team unless that team is yours. The Ravens aren’t likely to start some new dynasty with their current aging roster. However, I can see the 49ers doing so as they have a pretty young team. Not good if your team is in the NFC like mine.

So, who are you rooting for?

Music Monday - Janis Joplin

Saturday, January 19th would have been Janis Joplin’s 70th birthday had she not died at an early age. I’ve been a big fan of her music since I was first introduced to it during a summer camp when I was 13 years old or so. My favorite song of hers was, and still is, Piece of My Heart. Besides her killer vocals and awesome screaming, the guitar work is great.

Like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Duane Allman, and countless others I wonder what her progression as a musician would have looked like had she not died so young.

Piece of My Heart

Trial and Glory has a cover!

Trial and Glory officially has a cover!

Trial and Glory is the third and final book in the Blood and Tears Trilogy which takes place after the events in Steel and Sorrow.

I don’t have an official description yet, so for right now check out the cover and leave a comment on your thoughts.



I’m still working toward an early to mid-April release.

Credit goes to Brooke White of Sprout Studio in Houston, Texas.

If you’re interested in procuring her services, please contact her at the following:
Brooke White
Sprout Studio (in Houston, TX)
www.sproutstudio.us
brooke@sproutstudio.us

Music Monday - Alice in Chains - Hollow

Due to internet difficulties yesterday, Music Monday is a day late.

Since AIC is one of my favorite bands, I wanted to promote their new single a bit. Good stuff. Can’t wait for the full album!

Alice in Chains - Hollow

Movie Reviews

My wife and I decided to join Amazon Prime recently for various reasons (including the free 2 day shipping). One of the best reasons for us is that we have the chance to watch for a reasonable price (sometimes free) some of the movies we've missed at the theaters. Another benefit of this process is that by planning to watch a movie, we also have to set a few hours aside to spend together. That doesn’t sound like it should be much of a problem, but with our schedules it can be. Anyway, we’ve watched three movies since joining and I thought I’d share my thoughts on them.

1. Conan the Barbarian (2011 version) – Thankfully, we watched this for free on Amazon Prime because it was even worse than I expected (and I went into it with pretty low expectations). The script and shadow of a plot were awful. Direction and especially editing even worse. Special effects were lame. Even the action made me cringe (and not in a good way). I hated the fact that the filmmakers attempted to hide all these errors by basically sticking a topless woman in front of the camera every ten minutes. For me that just made it worse.

The one and only positive of the film was that Jason Mamoa was a great choice to play Conan. However, his one shot at the role was wasted because of everything else.

2. Expendables 2 –I love these sorts of action movies, but this one also disappointed me. I did like it, but the first one was just a much better film. The problem biggest problem for me was that too much was crammed into the film and everything came up short. The increased roles of Arnold and Bruce Willis only added to the campiness. Chuck Norris was completely unnecessary. Oddly enough, the two people who impressed me the most were Van Damme (great baddie) and Liam Hemsworth (best actor of the bunch). Let’s hope the third movie is better.

3. Amazing Spiderman – Very good movie. Solid script and great action. Really got the character right, and thankfully acknowledged his scientific background (i.e. giving him webshooters) throughout the film.

The casting was much better than the Rami movies, in my opinion. Garfield is exactly how Spiderman should be to me and Stone is a much more interesting love interest as Gwen than Dunst had been as Mary Jane.

Although the Lizard was handled well, I felt that he was a bit of a letdown as the antagonist. For me, Defoe’s Green Goblin is the best Spiderman villain on the big screen. The Lizard would probably work better as a secondary villain.

Only two things really bothered me. One, there is some serious cheesiness leading up to the climax involving cranes (that’s all I’ll say) that is unnecessary and ruins events leading up to that point in some ways. Two, I thought they downplayed Spiderman’s strength too much. Yes, he is fast and agile, but in the comics he’s also capable of throwing cars around when needed.

I think Warrior (Tom Hardy film) is next on our list to check out.

What have you been watching?

Music Monday - B.B. King

I really enjoy listening to the blues. However, listening to a studio recording of the blues is nowhere near the same as listening to a live performance. B.B. King is a great example. Vocally and musically, there is much more improvisation in his live work. Plus, there’s the banter with the crowd.

Here are a couple of my favorite B.B. King songs. Both performed live.

How Blue Can you Get?


Worry, Worry



By the way, if you’re looking to get just one B.B. King record, buy Live at the Regal. Awesome.

Looking back at 2012 and Looking ahead to 2013

In January of 2012, I posted the following.

2012 Writing Goals
1. Release Walk Through Fire, my prequel novella.
2. Finish Book Two in the Blood and Tears Trilogy.
3. Release Book Two, Steel and Sorrow, by the end of Summer 2012.
4. Write Hero of Slaves, a novella set in the Blood and Tears world.
5. Release Hero of Slaves, by the end 2012.
6. Complete the detailed outline of Untitled: Book Three of the Blood and Tears Trilogy.
7. Begin writing Untitled: Book Three in the Blood and Tears Trilogy.

I’m happy to say that I completed every one of my writing goals for 2012 and then some. Book Three, now titled Trial and Glory was not only started, but finished, and I turned it over to my betareaders before Christmas.

On top of that, I’ve outlined and started my next fantasy series (unrelated to the Blood and Tears universe), tentatively titled The Saga of Tyrus. I’m calling the first book Forgotten Soldiers. More about this later.

I also managed to write a couple of short stories during the year in addition to jotting down notes for a plethora of future short stories and novels.

2012 Personal goals:
1. 2-3 days a week of weightlifting and 1-2 days of cardio.
2. Read the entire bible this year with my wife.
3. Outside of that it’s reading, listening to music, and spending time with the family.

I managed to read the bible with my wife in addition to my normal study needed for constructing sermons or teaching bible classes at the congregation I worship with so I was pleased with that.

I also read over 60 books of fiction.

The one area I’ve failed with here is my training routine. I just haven’t been as consistent as I would have liked, especially with cardio. Health, writing, family, travel, etc. have all gotten in the way of this, but that’s not a good enough excuse. I need to do better.

With that in mind, below are my 2013 goals.

Writing Goals:
1. Publish Trial and Glory, the last book in the Blood and Tears trilogy. I’m shooting for April 2013.
2. Secret project for Rise and Fall: Book One in the Blood and Tears Trilogy. Can’t say more yet, but I’ll report the news as soon as I can. If everything works out, this should all come to fruition in the first few months of the year. The success of this project could also positively affect Steel and Sorrow and Trial and Glory sometime in the future.
3. Write and finish Forgotten Soldiers, Book One in The Saga of Tyrus.
4. Write and finish Book To in The Saga of Tyrus.
5. Decide how I want to approach publishing The Saga of Tyrus.
6. Write 4-6 short stories. I have outlines for three of these. The ones I have in mind would run the gambit: a post-apocalyptic modern world, sword & sorcery, and science fiction.
7. Possibly indie-publish 1-3 short stories.
8. Finish outlining and start writing Book Three in The Saga of Tyrus.

Personal Goals:
1. Read the entire bible this year with my wife. Last year we read the bible in canonical order. This year we’re doing it in chronological order.
2. Continue spending time with my family as much as possible.
3. 2-3 days a week of weightlifting and 1-2 days of cardio. Hoping I can do a better job of sticking to this in 2013.
4. Read 50-60 books again.
5. Listen to as much music and as many writing related podcasts as possible.

What are your 2013 goals?