Movie Talk: Action/Adventure

[jango]

Part 2 of a 6 part series chronicling the CreedFeed community's favorite movies of all time, this time, Action and Adventure.

Note: Some of the following might be considered dramas or science fiction/fantasy, but because of their action content, are included in this category. In accordance, there are SO many good movies in this category, that really, it all boils down to your opinion. Personally, I don't find senseless action movies (Seagal, Willis, Van Damme, some Arnold, etc.) appealing. Thus many movies in my list aren't entirely conventional, but all fit. Personally, I enjoy war movies, but limited myself to only a few to provide a wide array of movies.

10. The Bridge on the River Kwai
This movie takes an interesting approach at war, with both anti and supportive sentiments expressed. The action here is not the best of all time, but the psychological battle waged in the minds of the characters strongly supports the actual action.

9. The Matrix
Originally, I despised this movie. However, with each viewing, this movie continues to grow on me. Aside from the amazing bullet time innovations of this movie, the action scenes are placed well in the storyline and support the film as a whole. This movie really shot down the "Whoa" persona for Keanu Reeves as well.

8. Jurassic Park
The movie that should not have had a sequel... at all. Some of the greatest cinematic scenes in an action movie can be seen here. The dinosaurs are frightening, the chase scenes and introductions are well crafted and edited and the sound will blow your hat off (providing the right system ;))

7. Blade Runner
So many movie-goers nowadays are satisfied with a movie that only requires one viewing on a Saturday night. Movies like these require that we actually dumbdown our intellect in order to enjoy the movie for its action. Blade Runner does not follow this pattern. You actually have to think here, and this movie only gets better with repeated viewings.

6. Terminator II: Judgement Day
Alright, the original was probably better as far as storyline/acting go, but for the sake of action, this movie excels. There aren't too many action scenes as nicely crafted as those in T2. With T3 on the way, one only hopes that they do not construct another brainless action movie, but one that nicely supports the sequel.

5. Apocalypse Now
This is Vietnam. Crafted from one of my favorite novels of all time, this movie really holds up. Coppola's directing is unparalleled, the cinematography brilliant. The action that takes place has a tendency to stay with you forever; images burned on your mind.

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Yet another Harrison Ford flick that just might be the greatest adventure film of all time. Okay, maybe not to you, but this film is one of my personal favorites. Believe it or not, Tom Selleck was originally cast as the fedora wearing archaeologist/professor, but do to P.I., Ford took the spot, and we're forever grateful.

3. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
In theory, this episode covers 'em all. You didn't think I'd make a list like this without a Star Wars movie, did you? Perhaps the greatest "space" movie ever made, Star Wars was a huge success in 1977, spawning a global empire the likes of which have never and will never be seen again.

2. Pulp Fiction
You cannot watch this movie and not feel hip. Quentin Tarantino's finest work (closely trailed by the brilliant masterpiece Reservoir Dogs) brought the name "John Travolta" back on the map. Gratuitous violence? Maybe, but it's still fun to watch. A contemporary classic. Plus, who doesn't love a bible-quoting Sam Jackson with a gun?

1. Saving Private Ryan
One of, if not, the best, war movies of all time. Tom Hanks provides an incredibly inspiring performance coupled with the gritty realism of the fierce battles taking place in Europe. Definitely one of the greatest movies ever. One of my personal favorites.

Honorable Mentions:
Reservoir Dogs
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Didn't really fit)
Full Metal Jacket
Fight Club
Braveheart
Ben-Hur
Platoon
Gladiator
The French Connection
North by Northwest

[hayley]

ok, well i didn't read all of that, becauze it's just too much, but i like, all the Terminators.:D I'LL BE BACK;)

[TeriB19]

#10 The Perfect Storm
The FX were the real star of the movie, but they were some pretty cool FX.

#9. Jaws
The original should have stood alone. It was great, and didn't deserve a horrible sequel (or 4). Especially one in 3-D.

#8. French Connection
Gene Hackman, need I say more? Incredible actor.

#7. Independence Day
Again, great special effects, okay story, but ya gotta love Jeff Goldblum.

#6. Die Hard
Do I have to keep repeating myself? I enjoyed the action and humor of this movie. Didn't need to see it rehashed 2 or 3 more times.

#5. The Rock
Cage and Connery were absolutely incredible in this movie. The car chase scene through San Francisco was one of the best I've ever seen. (and I've never been big into car chases).

#4. Braveheart
Mel Gibson in a kilt. True story. Sad story. Lots of death. Cool flick.

#3. Jurassic Park
Ditto on the sequels. Love the sneezing dino.

#2. The Empire Strikes Back
Best of the bunch. Can't say anymore than has already been said.

#1. Saving Private Ryan
Gotta agree with Jango, this was one of the greatest action movies of all time. Tom Hanks was genius.

Honorable Mentions:
The Longest Day
The Sands of Iwo Jima
The Seven-Ups
True Lies (also a good comedy thanks to Tom Arnold)
The Mummy

[Altair]

Jango, I liked your mention of T2, Judgment Day.

However, IMHO, the original Terminator blows it away. That was one killer movie. The plot was fresh. The acting was awesome, and the suspense was nonstop.

It might be my favorite movie of all time.

[allison]

Okay, after much digging through the cobwebs of my brain, here's my list. I hope I am not forgetting something.

10. TITANIC - If for no other reason, the special effects were amazing, especially on a movie theatre screen. I also rather liked the romantic storyline and the devastatingly sad but hopeful ending.

9. ALIVE - A rare look at how far the human will to survive will take us. This film forces the audience to ask themselves a very tough question. Eww.

8. THE SAINT - Demonstrates the incredible acting talent of Val Kilmer while providing an ceaselessly entertaining storyline full of unexpected twists and turns.

7. THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE - A classic of adventure films. Another movie that shows just how strong the human survival instinct is. Great performances by some of the best: Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Leslie Nielsen, Ernest Borgnine.

6. THE USUAL SUSPECTS - Half the fun of this film is the debate it provokes! A bizarrely twisted film that leaves you saying, "WTF?". Kevin Spacey is genius.

5. DELIVERANCE - Very disturbing, but thoroughly engrossing. An eerie classic.

4. THE GOONIES- The comedic adventure film that all subsequent films of this genre strive to be like. Wonderful cast and extremely likeable characters (especially Sloth).

3. GLORY - An instant classic-one of the very best films about the civil war out there. Pays painstaking attention to historic detail. Broderick and Washington shine.

2. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARC - Can you tell I like classics? The one that started it all for Indiana Jones. So much fun to wonder how in the world he will get out of fix after fix.

1. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - Maybe more of a drama, but does have some action/adventure qualities. This film is in my top 3 films of all time. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins are excellent. This is a long movie, but so gripping that it seems short. At last a movie that is harrowing and heartbreaking, but then ends up being satisfying and redeeming, without being unrealistic or sappy. Utter Perfection.

Thanks for reading!
:D

[TeriB19]

Oh, the Poseidon Adventure. That was excellent. I cried when Hackman went down.

[hayley]

Originally posted by Altair
Jango, I liked your mention of T2, Judgment Day.  

However, IMHO, the original Terminator blows it away.  That was one killer movie.  The plot was fresh.  The acting was awesome, and the suspense was nonstop.

It might be my favorite movie of all time.

omg! it's one of my fav's two!!!! wicked movie....packed FULL of action.

[TeriB19]

It was a good one. I liked the original much better than the sequels. I also liked Linda Hamilton's character before she got buff. She was more believable then.

[Altair]

Originally posted by TeriB19
It was a good one. I liked the original much better than the sequels. I also liked Linda Hamilton's character before she got buff. She was more believable then.

Yeah, I agree. My favorite character, however, was Reese. I don't know the actor's name, but his portrayal was spellbinding, especially the scene in the police department when he's being interrogated. He goes ballistic, trying to explain that the terminator won't quit, won't be negotiated with, won't stop until she's dead! Wow, that was gripping.

[TeriB19]

Originally posted by Altair
Yeah, I agree.  My favorite character, however, was Reese.  I don't know the actor's name, but his portrayal was spellbinding, especially the scene in the police department when he's being interrogated.  He goes ballistic, trying to explain that the terminator won't quit, won't be negotiated with, won't stop until she's dead!  Wow, that was gripping. Michael Biehn. He was awesome. I loved his character. And that was a great scene.

[Altair]

In regards to T2, I was kinda bummed that Arnold played a good terminator in that one and not the bad guy. IMHO, he should have played both parts, the liquid metal dude and the bodyguard.

[Mulletman]

i loved the rock and saving private ryan, i think that saving pribate ryan has one of the most powerfull openings ive seen. the matrix is one of the few that started a trend of action scenes.

[TeriB19]

Originally posted by Altair
In regards to T2, I was kinda bummed that Arnold played a good terminator in that one and not the bad guy.  IMHO, he should have played both parts, the liquid metal dude and the bodyguard. Any time I see Robert Patrick now I think of him with a giant liquid hole in the middle of his body. You never saw him do THAT on the X files.

[hayley]

ewww man that guy scared me! i've never seen anybody run that fast before! ha ha:rolleyes:

[Siana]

10.T2
9.Raiders of the lost ark
8.Black hawk down
7.Enemy at the gates
6.Braveheart
5.Scorpion King
4.Die hard
3.Mad Max
2.Gladiator
1.The Matrix

[Dogstar]

10. Diehard (Have to agree with what TeriB said....Yippee-kigh-o, mf) That line always cracks me up.
9. The Deer Hunter. I also enjoy a select few war movies. I have to be in the right frame of mind for them. When I saw this almost 20 years ago, it stayed with me for days. I couldn't get the images out of my head, much like Apocalypse Now, which happens to be No.8
8. Apocalypse Now. Another one that you just can't get out of your head once you see it. Unbelievable cinematography.
7. A Midnight Clear. This one, too, is more drama than action, but it's a powerful story set in WWII. It's an ensemble movie that chronicles a Christmas Eve encounter between a group of Germans and a group of Americans. Gary Sinise was amazing in this movie.
6. Terminator, the original. I agree with TeriB. Linda H. was more believable before she got buff.
5. The Thin Red Line. Another war flick, sorry, but here again, the psychological battles each cast member wages with himself and one another are intense. The way each person's view of the same events was presented was really wild. It really showed that perception is indeed reality. A very intense flick.
4. Blade Runner. What jango said. Repeated viewings a must.
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Can't say it any better than it already was said.
2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Agree with TeriB and Jango on this one. The best of the bunch.
1. The Matrix. I just went nuts for this movie. The effects were awesome, as stated above and Hugo Weaving was such a nasty Agent.

P.S. Have not seen Saving Private Ryan yet. Was too Tom Hanked out...

[Mulletman]

gladiator was a good movie, i never thought id end up seeing a gladiator movie

[Dogstar]

I have yet to see that one, MM. It does come highly recommended, but for some reason I have been avoiding it. Probably because of all the Oscar hype.

[allison]

JANGO- What are the themes going to be for parts 3-6 of this movie series? I would like to start thinking about them.

[Mulletman]

Originally posted by Dogstar
I have yet to see that one, MM. It does come highly recommended,  but for some reason I have been avoiding it. Probably because of all the Oscar hype.

its actually one of the better movies to actually win an oscar.

[Altair]

Originally posted by Dogstar
1. The Matrix. I just went nuts for this movie. The effects were awesome, as stated above and Hugo Weaving was such a nasty Agent.

Matrix was an awesome movie; one of those movies that totally make you think. I just wished I could wake up in my dream and have total control, knowing it was just a dream and I couldn't harm myself, but do things that others couldn't do. Oh, what fun that would be.

[Mulletman]

yea the matrix is our generation's star wars

[TeriB19]

Originally posted by allison
JANGO- What are the themes going to be for parts 3-6 of this movie series?  I would like to start thinking about them. That is a good question. Jango, can you prepare us?

[allison]

Speaking of Hanks, what was the name of the movie where he was on the deserted island all by himself with the volleyball...Wilson, was the ball's name?

[Dogstar]

I believe it was Castaway, but I didn't see it.

[TeriB19]

It was Castaway and Tom Hanks, as usual, was brilliant.

[allison]

Aaaah, right.

[Siana]

Originally posted by Mulletman
gladiator was a good movie, i never thought id end up seeing a gladiator movie

yeah,but there are things that are not true.i mean if you know something about Ancient Rome's history you'll know.....4 example Commodus have never fought with gladiators.he actually was murdered in his own room .......

[jango]

Originally posted by allison
JANGO- What are the themes going to be for parts 3-6 of this movie series?  I would like to start thinking about them.

Well, I'd hate to give away the series, but I'll fill ya in on the next one... all that mushy stuff in movies. Yeah, romance is next. I had to do it, I tried to find ways around it, but in the end one must succumb to the romance thread. Anyway, that'll be out very shortly.

[Lady Valkyrie]

10. Black Hawk Down
9. Braveheart
8. Matrix
7. Saving Private Ryan
6. Plattoon
5. The Blue and The Grey
4. Behind Enemy Lines
3. Gettysburg
2. Titanic
1. Lord Of The Rings

[TeriB19]

Originally posted by Lady Valkyrie

3. Gettysburg


Gettysburg was an incredible and very moving picture. We went to the battlefield not long after seeing the movie and I cried.

[Mulletman]

i dont think i've seen the movie

[jango]

Good show, Denzel Washington's first Oscar award winning performance.

[TeriB19]

Are you thinking of Glory, Jango? I'm pretty sure Denzel wasn't in Gettysburg but won the Oscar for Glory.