Top 5 Movie Fathers

Today is Father's Day, and to celebrate, it is time to rank the Best Dads in movies! My rankings are based on how memorable the character is, and less on how "good" a father they are. The qualification for the list is that the father in question is the biological father of characters in a story, which means no father figures, and the character's children must play a part in the film's story.

5: Bryan Mills (Taken)

One of Liam Neeson's most iconic roles, Bryan Mills is a man with a "very particular set of skills," and if he was not included on the list, you might never hear from me again. Aside from number one on the list, no other father has a more memorable quote (watch it above). With that said, the actual Taken films have not impressed me all that much. Sure, the first one is fun to watch with Neeson being all kinds of awesome, but it is an otherwise typical action flick. Regardless, Mills and his "particular skills" deserve a place on this list.

4: Clark Griswold (National Lampoon's Vacation)

 Easily the funniest father on the list, Clark Griswold just wants to have a fun vacation with family, and somehow, something, often times himself, just screws everything up! Clark is at his best towards the end of each film as he reaches the limits of his mental endurance and goes off on some of the most memorable comedic rants in cinema. My favorite being his rant at the end of Christmas Vacation, my favorite of the franchise.

3: Vito Corleone (The Godfather)

When constructing a list of film fathers, how could the Godfather not make the list!? If not, who knows, I might wake up with a horse’s head in my bed. All jokes aside, Vito Corleone, played by the brilliant Marlon Brando, is most definitely an unforgettable film father. Sure, you could make a case that his son should be on the list, but Michael rarely interacted with his children, whereas the entire plot of The Godfather revolves around Vito and his family. 

2: Professor Henry Jones

"Junior? It is you Junior!" Played by Sir Sean Connery, Professor Henry Jones Senior has been one of my favorite film fathers for many, many years. Of all the fathers on the list, no other is featured so prominently with his child than Henry Jones Senior. His banter with son is always entertaining to watch no matter how many times you watch it. The character added another layer of humanity to Indy's character, which made The Last Crusade almost as iconic as the original.

1: Darth Vader 

How could there be any other? If, for some absurd reason, you do not already know the most well known spoiler in the history of cinema, aka The Empire Strikes, do not continue reading. With that out of the way, Vader is easily the most iconic father in cinematic history. No other film father comes even close to Vader, or almost any character. Sure, Vader might not have exactly been the greatest father in the galaxy considering that he chopped off his son's hand, but we all make mistakes, right?  In the end, Vader sacrificed his own life for that of his son, and despite all of the pain he caused; he brought Balance to the Force.

Who are your favorite cinema dads? Please comment below and let me know!

Honorable Mention: Michael Corleone (The Godfather), Howard Stark, Jor El, Pa Kent, Joseph "Coop" Cooper (Interstellar),

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Top 5 Green Characters (Happy Saint Patrick's Day)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! To celebrate, I will countdown the Top 5 Green Characters in movies. My rules for the list are only going to include characters with green skin, although my honorable mentions will include characters that are associated with the color green. The picks are listed by favorite personal preference of each character.

5: Grinch

How does not know of How the Grinch Stole Christmas? The story is a classic Christmas tale that children have watched and read for decades. Sure, as a character, the Grinch is not deep or developed, but few characters have such a memorable association with the color green than the Grinch!

4: Gamora

Making her film debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, this green-skinned anti-heroine is the last of her race and the adopted daughter of the Mad Titan Thanos. While arguably the least memorable of the Guardians in the film, Gamora still made an impression as the bad*ss warrior of the team with her nonsense attitude and occasionally comedic misunderstandings of human culture.

3: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Yes, all of the "Heroes in a half shell" make this list because Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello are all classic characters, although Raphael is easily my favorite of the four. As you would know from my review of the recent Michael Bay adaptation, which you can read here, this generation's turtles are kind of a disappointment for nostalgic fans like myself. Even though cartoons and 90s film might not necessarily hold up for adult audiences, the characters will never be forgotten.

2: Hulk

Originally grey in color in the first issue of "The Incredible Hulk," due to the printer's inability to consistently maintain the grey color, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby changed the character's skin to more easily reproduce, and the now iconic green that we all know today. However, the Grey Hulk continues to make occasional appearances in the comics. As for the Hulk himself, the character has finally been reproduced faithfully in 2012's The Avengers, where he almost stole the show.

1: Yoda

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” How could Yoda not be number one on this list? With his role in The Empire Strikes Back being especially noteworthy, Yoda is the exact opposite of the stereotypical "legendary warrior," which is expressed by Luke upon their first meeting. In the other films, television, and novels, Yoda's role in the universe is further expanded with even a bit of backstory to of his mysterious past.

Kermit the Frog

Well, whenever you make a green characters list, Kermit had to make it somewhere. Since I have not seen anything of the Muppets since childhood, I cannot say much about the character except that he is an iconic character in pop-culture, and thus deserving of an honorable mention.

Who are your favorite green characters? Please comment below and let me know! And do not forget to check back tomorrow for a new Reader's Choice and on Thursday for my review of Lucy.

Honorable Mentions: Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein's Monster, Greedo, Green Giant, Green Goblin, Green Lantern, Green M&M, Gojira (Godzilla), The Mask, Mike (Monsters Inc.), She-Hulk, Shrek, Slimer, T-Rex (Toy Story), Yoshi, Wicked Witch of the West,

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 5 Green Haired Anime Characters

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone! To celebrate, it is time to rank the Top 5 Green Haired Anime Characters! Considering the amount of crazy color hair in anime, you would think that green hair would be everywhere and yet, when you actually you look for characters with green hair, you will find that there are not very many of them, at least in the anime that I have seen. For this list, the criteria is simple, if a character's hair is mostly green, they can be included on the list, and my rankings are ultimately determined by how much I liked the character in question, so let’s get started!

5: Akari Acura (Chaika - The Coffin Princess)

Companion to the titular character, Chaika, and adopted brother of the main hero, Toru, Akari Acura often plays the "straight-man" in the comedic moments of the series with her deadpan delivery and overly-serious remarks. For the number five spot, it was between Akari and Lubbock from Akame ga Kill, and while Akari is not all that well developed, as a supporting character, her entertaining interaction with the cast left more of an impression on me than Lubbock, who was one of the more forgettable characters from Akame ga Kill. For more on Chaika - The Coffin Princess, you can click here for the full review, and you can click here for my review of Akame ga Kill.

4: Shintarou Midorima (Kuroko no Basuke)

Shintarou Midorima is a three-point expert in the Generation of Miracles and simi-antagonist in Kuroko no Basuke. He is the nonsense kind of guy, who has epic "Glass Adjustment" moments , and as season three is currently airing, he continues to entertain as a character.

3: Makishima Yusuke (Yowamushi Pedal)

Makishima Yusuke, also known as the "Spider" among fellow cyclist due to his unorthodox hillclimbing style, plays the role of the seemingly unapproachable senpai to the main character, Onoda, until he opens up and gives Onoda the metaphor and literal push to up for victory. Of course, the series is not finished yet, but thus far, Makishima is one of my favorite among the Yowamushi Pedal cast.

2: Mion Sonozaki (Higurashi)

In a series full of insane and mysterious characters, Mion Sonozaki might just be the most complex of them all. Without spoiling the many shocking twists in one of the most twistedly fascinating anime ever, Mion starts out as a seemingly shallow tomboy type of girl until her true backstory is revealed.

1: C.C. (Code Geass)

C.C., aka C2 in the dub, is the first female anime character to really leave an impress on me with her development and all around character traits. Lelouch's emotional center and support battle throughout Code Geass, C.C. is the character that sets the entire plot into motion. With a intriguing yet tragic backstory, C.C is a character that can have her moments of lightheartedness, like the "Pizza Girl" episode, as well as darker compelling drama as the series continues.

Who are your favorite green haired anime characters? Please comment below and let me know! And do not forget to check back tomorrow for more!

Honorable Mentions: Atsushi Kinugawa (Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!), Clavis (Death Parade), Lubbock (Akame ga Kill), 

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Top 5 Doctor Who Villains

The Day of the Doctor is almost upon and to countdown its arrival, I have a couple of Doctor Who related posts. The first is today's Top 5 Doctor Who Villains. For my villains list, I will mostly be focusing on the recent Doctor Who series opposed to the classic because I have seen more of it. Additionally, with the exception of a few notable Doctor Who antagonists like The Master, many of the best Doctor Who are not individual entities, rather they are entire species of alien creates and some are more along the lines of horror monster, and those are the ones that intrigue me the most. The creeper villains are the ones that stick with the most growing up watching Doctor Who, therefore this list will consist mostly of the Doctor's more monstrous foes. A quick honorable mention goes to The Master, and while he is a great villain, he has never been my personal favorite. "Allons-y!"

At Number 5: Vashta Nerada

One of the many creepy foes of the Doctor, the Vashta Nerada are notable for taking something already generally considered creepy and making it horrifying, the shadows. We humans have always been afraid of the dark to some capacity and the Vashta Nerada capitalizes on that fear.  

At Number 4: The Silence

Unfortunately, you will not be able to remember the picture I have posted above since it is one of the Silence, but trust me, there is a picture there. Okay, enough with the jokes, the Silence are one of the best villains recently introduced into the Doctor Who lore. They have a genuinely creepy presence, and the concept of forgetting you ever saw them after you look away is the most ingenious idea for a monster since the Weeping Angels. 

At Number 3: Empty Child

"Are you my mummy?" If children weren't already the creepiest thing ever, the Empty Child brings it to a whole other level. Only zombie children come close. When I first saw the episode, "The Empty Child" back in 2005 when I was a relatively young fan of the series, it creeped the living day lights out me. To this day, one of the most memorable Doctor Who experiences is watching that two episode story arc, even if Jack ruins part of it. Steven Moffat's first forte into the Doctor Who universe produced one of his many brilliantly constructed and creepy villains of the series run. 

At Number 2: Daleks

"Exterminate!" Sure the Daleks may look like trashcans with a plunger and whisk attached to the front of them, but they are easily the most iconic and classic of all Doctor Who villains. Being introduced in a story arc of the original Doctor Who run, the Daleks have been the Doctor's greatest foe for decades. We will see the Daleks again in the Day of the Doctor this Saturday.

At Number 1: Weeping Angels

"Whatever you do, don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck." Weeping Angels are hands down the creepiest antagonist in all of the Doctor Who universe. Being introduced in one of the best best science fiction horror stories ever conceived, "Blink," the Weeping Angels have become the most iconic villain of the NuWho era. They are the Xenomorphs (Alien from the Alien film) of the Doctor Who universe and often considered the best of the Doctor's foes. Sure, the Statue of Liberty being a Weeping Angel and "Angel Bob" are a bit ridiculous, no other of the Doctor's villains have made so many suspenseful and heart-pounding episodes of the series. Plus, they are "The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely." You can read my full review of the iconic Doctor Who episode, "Blink," by clicking here on the link.

What did you think of my list? There are many honorable mentions that could have made the list like the Cybermen and the Clockwork Droids. What are some of your favorite Doctor Who villains? Please comment below.

Note: While I use the term "creepy" multiple times, I have rarely been truly "scared" by anything in movies or television, including Doctor Who, however many of the villains above do create genuine suspense and thrills. 

Check back tomorrow for more Doctor Who posts!

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Podcast #1: Star Wars, Marvel, Top 5 Sherlock Episodes and More!

The J and J Productions 1809 podcast is officially up and running! Below is the podcast, and while it is a YouTube video, it is just audio. You may have to turn up the volume some because there was a small technical error that lowered the volume of my voice. Without further ado, here is the podcast, please enjoy.

For this podcast Jamie and I talk about Star Wars, Iron Man 3 spoilers, Thor: the Dark World, Agenst of SHIELD, and rank our Top 5 Sherlock favorite episodes. Please remember that this is my first podcast that I have recorded, therefore I am nervous and did not do all that great in it. Hopefully you can understand what I am saying, next time the volume of my voice should be higher. For your convenience I have added annotations to make it easier to listen to the things you want to know about. Also there are spoilers for Iron Man 3, however I give ample warning and have added something for you to click on if you want to skip the spoilers. For our Top 5 Sherlock episodes we had no prior knowledge of each other's list so we could have genuine reactions to each other's picks. What did you think of the podcast? Please let me know in the comments so that I can decide whether I should continue the podcast or not. Most likely this time next week or later this week, the next episode of the podcast will air.

 

Check out Jamie's blogs:

Through Two Blue Eyes

Fandoms and Films

Follow Jamie@211b on Twitter

 

  

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 5 Christmas Movies.

Today is Christmas Eve so here are the Top 5 Christmas Movies.
We don't like many Christmas movies since most are dramas. But here is the list of the ones we do like.

At Number 5: A Christmas Carol

We have seen a few different version of the story but this is our favorite.

At Number 4: It's A Wonderful Life

Most would have this at number but we did are bais since we don't like dramas but Jimmy Stewart was great.

At Number 3: Elf

Elf was a very funny Will Ferrell Christmas comedy there isn't munch else to say.



At Number 2: Die Hard

Die Hard is not really a "Christmas movie" but since the story is set on Christmas day we are going to count it. We like this movie more than any other movie on the list but since it a straight up Christmas movie it is not number one.


At Number 1: Home Alone

This has always been our favorite Christmas movie for as long as we can remember.

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Please comment.

Merry Christmas!

Top 5 War Movies.

Today is Veterans Day and it is a time to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives to keep our great country free. We are not including Captain America in the list but if we were it would be number 1.

Here is our Top 5 All Time War Movies.

At Number 5: Sergeant York

Unlike most war movie Sergeant York is a character story about Alvin York but if I say anything else it will spoil the plot. click on the link below to read the review.

Sergeant York Review.

At Number 4: Saving Private Ryan

The opening D-Day in Saving Private Ryan one is an amazing scene if only the movies had a realistic plot it would have been the best war movie ever.

Saving Private Ryan Review.

At Number 3: The Great Escape

The Great Escape is the ultimate escapist movie and one of the best war movies.

At Number 2: The Dirty Dozen
 
The Dirty Dozen is a very original war movie and had an all star cast of Hollywood tough guys.

At Number 1: Kelly's Heroes.

It is rare for a movie to be some many different genres all at once but pulls it magnificently. It is a war, comedy, adventure and action movie all at the same time. Kelly's Heroes also had so many memorable quotes. Kelly's Heroes had everthing and it is one of the best movies of all time. Please tell us if you seen it.

Kelly's Heroes

What are your favorite War movies? Please post a comment.

Top 5 Favorite Books.

This post is in responds to JT/King Valun at The Window on the West challenge.

This is my Top 5 Favorite Books I have read. I have not read The Lord of the Rings books or The Hobbit but I will after I watch the Hobbit in 2012. I also haven't read any Star Wars books yet because I do not live near a library.

Disclamer: I am a Baseball fan.

At Number 5: Gulliver's Travels

At Number 4: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

At Number 3: Sherlock Holmes (any of them)

I just started reading the Sherlock Holmes stories but so far they are some of my favorites.

At Number 2: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

At Number 1: Baseball Between the Numbers

This my favorite book of all time.