DSW10: TOP 10 FILM RECOMMENDATIONS from DAVE LINDQUIST
Epic. Lore. Mythology. Suspension of disbelief. These are some of the words associated with cinematic and television universes. These worlds created by some of our favorite storytellers have captured the imaginations of millions of people around the planet. Yes, typically the "nerdy" or "geeky" folks are the ones who are most rabid about these sci-fi, fantasy, and high-action adventure series, but what makes these universes so great is their appeal to anyone who loves a rousing tale. Whether it is the future or the past, Good vs. Evil, space exploration, aliens, robots, dragons, or magic; it's all timeless.
Escapism is defined as "the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy." If ever there was a time and need for escapism, it would be now. Some choose alcohol, drugs, gambling, and other "vices" for their escapism, while others engage in a more creative, wholesome, and imaginative version in books, movies, and television. The amount of genre fiction discussed in this essay is overwhelming at best. I'll never read and/or watch all of the stories I keep neatly tallied in the "Lists" app of my iphone. Though I sure as hell will try.
Cue the 20th Century Fox Fanfare (you can hear it in your head) as I present my Top 10 favorite cinematic and television universes... Of all times... So far.
Honorable Mentions: I am woefully behind in some universes' output of movies and television; I'm looking at you Marvel and DC. Some of the Marvel flicks that I have seen that stand out to me are Guardians Of The Galaxy (1 & 2), Ant-Man, Iron Man, and the first Avengers movie. Otherwise, I have a lot of catching up to do.
With regards to DC, I cannot skip past Batman. Batman has, and always will have, a special place in my heart. As a child, I wanted to be Batman, a la Adam West. The 60s television show was my all time favorite. I especially got excited when Batgirl was on, and you could always tell in the opening credits when she rode across the screen on her bat-cycle. Boys will be boys. Meanwhile, when Tim Burton released the 1989 Michael Keaton movie entitled Batman, I was giddy with anticipation. Jack Nicholson as the Joker? Prince does the soundtrack? It was a culmination of everything 80's wrapped up in one big blockbuster extravaganza to close out the decade. The sequel Batman Returns was also quite good, and very dark, which I loved. Sadly, Joel Schumacher took the next two movies and turned them into goofy fashion shows that tried to recreate the camp of the 60's TV show. Aside from some fun guest stars as villains (Arnie, Jim Carrey), Batman Forever and Batman And Robin are pretty mediocre. It wasn't until Christopher Nolan blessed us with the Dark Knight trilogy that Batman's dark reputation was reestablished. Christian Bale's performance as the tortured billionaire/vigilante was impressive.
As far as the rest of the recent DC Universe movies, I still have not seen Aquaman and Wonder Woman, which I've heard are supposedly the best of the bunch. Of the few that I have suffered through, I think the first two thirds of Man Of Steel is the best. Batman V Superman and Justice League had some exciting moments, and are visually lavish, but are bogged down by overcrowded scripts with too many plot holes, and a surprisingly bad performance from Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.
I'll also include Bladerunner here. I absolutely love the original Ridley Scott movie. This one gripped me from the beginning and still holds up as one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all times. The stirring depiction of a future L.A. is breathtaking in its prediction of climate change and sophisticated genetic manipulation. Bladerunner 2049 was equally stunning visually and the story was a quality attempt to create a deserving sequel. Denis Villeneuve has proven to be one of the greatest directors of the modern era.
Speaking of Villeneuve, I can't forget to mention Dune. His attempt to bring Frank Herbert's novel of the same name to the big screen looks fantastic. While I truly enjoyed David Lynch's attempt in 1984, I can see why it was panned by critics. Herbert's vision of the future, or an alternate universe, through the Dune book series is on a scale that few have attained. Bringing Dune to cinematic life is a monumental task, and I applaud all those who have tried, including Jodorowsky and the Sci-Fi Network.
My last Honorable Mention is for all of the amazing composers who have scored countless sci-fi and fantasy films. You know their names, and more often than not, when a movie is bad, you can say that at least the music was good.
Other notable franchises in this genre that I have enjoyed throughout the years are (in no particular order): Toy Story, Die Hard, Tron, How To Train Your Dragon, X-Men, James Bond, The Simpsons, Predator, Jurassic Park, Men In Black, Fringe, Stranger Things, and Jason Bourne.
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| Image obtained from SOUNDCLASS |
Now on to the Top 10...
10. The Hunger Games: Though the book trilogy by Suzanne Collins falls under YA fiction, the subject matter is quite grim. The books (and movies) are packed with emotion and edge of your seat excitement as we follow Katniss' journey from a simple teenager with an exceptional skill to an inspirational revolutionary. I felt the movies were quite adequately adapted and Jennifer Lawrence's star-making performance as Katniss is phenomenal.
9. Alien: Sigourney Weaver rocks! She sets the stage for the rise of female action heroes. Charlize Theron, Milla Jovovich, Scarlett Johansson, Daisy Ridley, Angelina Jolie, and many others, all owe Ms. Weaver credit. Alien came out in 1979 when Lucas, Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron were the titans of sci-fi masterpieces. With this terrifying movie, the sci-fi/horror genre was created.
The sequel Aliens is one of the most thrilling sequels ever put to celluloid. Some would say the franchise was never as great after the first two, but within the subsequent films, there is much to rejoice. I enjoyed the concepts of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection, with the latter not as well executed. The Predator crossover films were full of exciting action sequences, but did not live up to the hype, and Scott's two most recent films in the franchise were pretty entertaining. Prometheus was especially thought provoking and valiantly attempted to explain the back story.
8. Terminator: Another female action hero has risen! Linda Hamilton puts the bad in bad-ass as Sarah Connor, the unwitting lass from L.A. who is thrust into saving the world from the Terminator and Skynet. This one also put Arnie on the map as THE greatest action star of the 80's. Similar to the Alien franchise, the first two Terminator movies are undoubtedly the best, and the second two were panned. I actually really liked both T3: The Rise Of The Machines and Terminator: Salvation. The action was top-notch and the storylines were believable in an otherwise unbelievable scenario. Salvation also inspired one of my favorite arcade games. The two person shooter game is very fun to play, with exquisite cabinet design and a menacing terminator with glowing red eyes at the top, staring you down as you pick off its robotic brethren. Come with me, if you want to see my Top 7...
7. The X-Files: Oh Mulder and Scully, be still my beating heart. Rarely has there been such a beloved pair of lead characters on a television show. To go 11 seasons and still leave the viewers with no definitive answers and breathlessly hanging on for more is a brilliant feat. Along with two feature length movies and a spin-off show called The Lone Gunmen, The X-Files has inspired, and will continue to inspire, many supernatural shows like Fringe, Millennium, and Stranger Things.
I still want to believe.
6. Harry Potter: RIP Alan Rickman. Yes, the entire series is titled after our hero Harry, but one could argue that Snape is the most important character of the entire Potter franchise. Discuss.
Meanwhile, I just have to say that these seven books and mostly authentic film adaptations have brought much joy and cathartic heart break to me and my family over the years. The Wizarding world is everything you want from a world of magicians, dragons, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
5. Mad Max: There's nothing quite like an exhilarating car chase sequence. Ever since I was a kid, I loved the scant few smash up derbies I could catch on UHF television, and I only watched NASCAR for the crashes (who doesn't). Clearly the post apocalyptic Mad Max movies were made to show off incredible action sequences. There is beauty in the vehicles, costumes, stunts, and tenacity of the chase scenes from these movies that create so much mayhem and energy. Mad Max: Fury Road is a masterpiece of visual storytelling. With very little dialogue, Fury Road conveys a triumph of feminism, resilience, and unlikely partnerships. One can only hope that George Miller will get the chance to unleash his vision onto the world again.
4. Star Trek: What is a Trekkie? Do you have to speak Klingon and have watched every episode of every series to be one? I hope not, because I have achieved neither of those. However, my admiration for Star Trek: The Next Generation and its beloved characters is what carries this up so high on the chart. Never has a science fiction series relied so heavily on philosophy and, ironically, science. With space exploration at its core, these shows examine our humanity and its role in the universe.
I have seen every Trek movie, and most episodes of The Original Series, TNG, and Picard. I have seen some episodes of Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise, but I have not yet scratched the surface of Discovery (it's up next after I finish Picard). I will stop and watch anything from a future Stardate whence channel surfing. All of these shows are written and produced with intelligence, wit, and introspection.
The opening quote of TNG really says it all:
"Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. It's continuing mission: To seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."
3. Indiana Jones: "Hey, you got your Spielberg in my Lucas!" "You got your Lucas in my Spielberg!" Two great tastes together as one. That's right, the Indiana Jones chronicles uses the combined talent of two pioneers of science fiction and adventure fantasy, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Add a dash of the dashing Harrison Ford and you have cinema gold.
I had recently given The Temple Of Doom and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull some unfair criticism, and while I still think some of the scenes are a bit much (even for an Indy movie), there is so much to love with the mythology, history, and character development explored in all four of these films.
Now it's time for me to catch up on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
2. Game Of Thrones: It's been quite some time since something has captured my attention so completely as Game Of Thrones. Truth be told, I have not read the books, but this pseudo-Medieval show was produced on an epic scale that is hard to fathom. The imaginative, complex, and intriguing plot lines that eventually lead to one grand finale just blew my mind. Every season. Every episode. Every character, minor or major. Every artistic choice. Every costume, prop, and set. It all worked.
Yes, at times it was gratuitous with gore and sex, but it all served to propel the plot and arcs of the major players. The dark and harsh realism of Westeros was in your face and good did not always triumph, but eventually viewers were rewarded with some deeply satisfying moments of comeuppance.
I can't wait to watch it all again.
1. Star Wars: Yup, I'm that guy. If you know me, you knew this would be my number 1. I could say a lot, but I think I'll just say a little. Thank you George Lucas for creating this world of Rebels and Imperials, Jedi and Sith, Wookies and Ewoks. You have sparked the imagination of this 50 year old boy since 1977 and I am eternally grateful.
May the Force be with you!
The Digging Star Wars 10th Anniversary logo art at the top of this blog was supplied by artist Scott Dertby. Please visit his website scottderbyart.com or Esty site to pick up some of his collectible and wearable art. Thanks again to Dave and Scott for contributions to this DSW post...and previous posts, too! May the Force be with you!
Great Entry Dave! Thanks for sharing! You should add "The Expanse" on Amazon and "The First" on Hulu to your list of must watch.
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