Favorite Movie Characters

Super Mega Dad tagged me in his most recent post, asking me to list my top 10 favorite movie characters. This is kind of like asking me to choose a favorite out of peanut butter, steak or bacon. A lot of really strong choices have been included in some of the other blogger's lists, so rather than repeat, I'll give you some fresh choices.


Han Solo - Star Wars Trilogy

Growing up it was all about Luke Skywalker, until we got older and realized that Han Solo was bad-ass. He flew the Millenium Falcon, he had a totally sweet blaster and he definitely shot first.




Lloyd Dobbler - Say Anything

One of the ultimate cinematic geeks in one of the greatest teen flicks of the 80s.




Ash - Evil Dead Trilogy

Bruce Campbell didn't invent cool, but he totally defines it.



Beetlejuice – Beetlejuice

I've seen this movie about 167 times, and it keeps getting funnier every single time I see it. Beetlejuice is one of the strangest, most inventive movies ever. How can you go wrong with a thin, hunky Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, a 17 year old Winona Ryder, Batman, Mr. Rooney, Harry Belafonte and stop motion animation?




General Zod – Superman II

I don't think I need to justify this pick to anyone. Kneel before him.




John McClane – Die Hard

In the summer of '88, Die Hard blew me out of the back of the theater. Over two decades and four movies later, John McClane is still one of the best action heroes out there.



Napoleon Dynamite - Napoleon Dynamite

He's weird. He's a horrible dresser. He's mean. He's ugly. You shouldn't root for him, yet you totally do.



Martin Riggs - Lethal Weapon / Lethal Weapon 2

Bat shit crazy. But totally freakin' cool. Martin Riggs is one of the most complex action heroes in the movies. That is until the crappy second and third sequels that took away his suicidal tendencies, gave him a steady girlfriend and neutered everything that was cool about him. Let's try to forget that Lethal Weapons 3 & 4 ever existed and bask in the glow of Martin Riggs when he was at his psychotic best, shall we?



Brick Tamland - Anchorman

I love lamp.



Marty McFly – Back to the Future Trilogy

He invented rock and roll. He rode a hover board. He made wearing a vest cool. Without a doubt, Marty McFly is the ultimate movie nerd. The original Back to the Future is a perfect movie and one of my all time favorites.




So...what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Who did I leave off? Let's talk movies.

Thanks to Super Mega Dad for including me in this. Be sure to check out his blog. Now it's up to me to tag a few others so here goes:

Your Escalator Operator @ Sorry for the Convenience
Tent Camper @ I Pee in the Wind
Cameron @ Get the Stink Off
Vancetastic @ The Audient

You're up fellas. See you at the movies.

Who Invented Liquid Soap and Why?

I was born in the 70s and came of age in the 80s. That means my pop culture vocabulary was built by things like STAR WARS and John Hughes movies. My favorite movie is THE SURE THING. When I was 12, a babysitter took me to see it in the theater and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s an underrated teen comedy that basically launched the career of John Cusack. Without THE SURE THING, there would be no SAY ANYTHING. Sure, today it feels somewhat dated with all of its neon colors, feathered bangs and soundtrack featuring Huey Lewis and the News. But looking past that, it’s still a blazingly funny and sweet romantic comedy.

Now over two decades later comes a movie called SEX DRIVE, which basically borrows the spine of THE SURE THING. I was a bit reluctant at first. But I’m a big fan of the guys who wrote and directed the movie, Sean Anders and John Morris. A few years ago they made this raw but amusing movie called NEVER BEEN THAWED, about a Christian rock band and people who collect frozen TV dinners (believe it or not, it works). So I had hope for this one. And I’m happy to report, it didn’t disappoint.

It’s clear that Anders and Morris’ minds were also shaped by 80s teen comedy. In addition to THE SURE THING, you can find elements of FERRIS BUELLER, BETTER OFF DEAD and WEIRD SCIENCE in the flick. The movie also contains a dash of AMERICAN PIE, a pinch of ROAD TRIP, a smidge of the Farrelly Brothers and is topped off with a dollop of THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND. The great thing about SEX DRIVE is that it pays homage to the teen comedies that have come before it without feeling like a blatant rip off. The comedy is really sharp and it’s got some great performances. Seth Green is awesome. And who knew James “Cyclops” Marsden was funny? But the real standout is Clark Duke. Mark my words, you will be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

I will admit that SEX DRIVE isn’t for everyone. I’m confident that my parents would hate it and my wife and my sister wouldn’t get it. (But both of my brothers-in-law would love it.) It’s an R rated teen sex comedy, so it’s filled with scatological humor which speaks directly to the 12 year old in me. Sadly, it’s not doing very well in theaters this weekend, but I predict that it’s going to be one of those movies that finds its life on DVD.

You should see it.