RIP Richard Donner: The man who made superhero movies legit

I guess to some extent we have Richard Donner to blame. Had his 1978 classic Superman failed we might never have seen big screen superhero epics emerge as the dominant cultural force they are. Still, the late filmmaker (he died yesterday at 91) didn't stop there. He reinvented 'cop' movies with his four Lethal Weapon films -- two of which are great. He also made a kid's film that is seminal for a whole generation and a modern holiday classic which has also become a cable TV staple around Christmas.

I remember seeing on Wikipedia that Donner was slated to direct a theoretical Lethal Weapon 5, which would have reunited the embattled to say the least Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. It seemed a little far fetched that this movie would happen but also its a tribute to Donner's longevity that I wouldn't have been shocked if it did indeed eventually get made.

Donner was widely beloved by his peers and his personal buoyancy clearly carried over into his best films. No one is going to rank him among the great auteurs but he knew how to make a crowd pleasing hit, that's fo sure. And although his career was not without it's share of failure -- 1982's The Toy is both one of the worst movies I've ever seen and one of the most racially insensitive -- he also left behind some films that are going to be viewed over and over again for decades, which is all any director could hope for. 

Here are my favorite films of his long and varied career:

The Omen - The movie that was Donner's breakthrough is sometimes overshadowed by the other great '70s horror film, The Exorcist. It treats its absurd premise -- the devil's spawn teams up with a psychotic nanny to wreak havoc -- with credibility and features a solid late career lead performance from Gregory Peck. A fun, fast-paced pop horror film.

Superman - Although the experience took a bad turn with his firing from Superman II, Donner's vision and execution of this movie is note perfect. He managed to wrangle Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman and turned Margot Kidder and especially Christopher Reeve into stars. A movie that works for every generation and is still arguably one of the high water marks of the genre.

Inside Moves - A smaller, more intimate film than Donner became known for features a very moving performance by the underrated John Savage as a physically disabled man who befriends a basketball player and finds a new lease on life. If this film had been better received commercially I'd be curious to know what direction Donner's career would have taken, but ultimately he was a blockbuster guy.

The Goonies - It took me longer to embrace this loud, raucous '80s kid comedy than most. It definitely wasn't a movie I grew up with (we were more of an Indiana Jones household) but now I see it's ramshackle charms. The movie is a bit of a mess and beyond ridiculous, but it's easy to see why kids can't get enough of it. It's the ultimate staying home from school and the parents aren't around movie.

Lethal Weapon - People don't realize what a gamble this movie was back in 1987. Danny Glover was best known for a dramatic role in The Color Purple and while the Mad Max films had a cult following here in the states, Mel Gibson was far from the A-list leading man he would become. The darkest entry in the series (Gibson is suicidal) and the most satisfying. It became the gold standard of mis-matched cop buddy movies.

Scrooged - It was an infamously troubled production and he clashed with star Bill Murray, but the result is an angry, unconventional holiday movie classic that showcases Murray when he was neck and neck with Eddie Murphy for the mantle of biggest comedy star in the world. I've learned over the years, it is definitely not for everyone's taste. But it's a really creative reboot of most iconic Christmas story ever.

Lethal Weapon 2 - Donner goes bigger and bolder with this victory lap of a sequel. Sometimes this one is conflated with the original -- but it adds more comedy, some Joe Pesci and some very nasty international villains ("Diplomatic immunity!"). The franchise would start to lose it's way a bit after this one, although all the films are fairly watchable. The dude knew how to shoot a good balls to the wall action sequence, that's for sure.

Flashback 1981: My favorite films from 40 years ago

In some ways 1981 may represent the last gasp of iconoclastic 1970s filmmaking, the Reagan era -- for better or worse -- ushered in a golden age of blockbuster filmmaking and a more hit or miss period for the auteurs of the previous decade,

Still, '81 is a really strong year -- at least for me -- with at least three of my all time favorite films and several other greats opening wide (and some even being solid hits).

So here we go my personal faves from the year before I was born.

10) Scanners - One of David Cronenberg's coolest and most visceral early creations -- it's most famous for its still shocking head explosion effect -- but it also features the great Michael Ironside giving a terrific performance as the villain and just lots of engaging creepy energy that's made me revisit this one again and again. A nice bridge between his pure horror films and more intellectual genre films that would come later.

9) Prince of the City - Director Sidney Lumet expands on the police corruption themes of his earlier film Serpico with an even more epic film about a cop (played wonderfully by Treat Williams) who becomes a cooperating collaborator in an investigation into dirty cops and sees his whole life unravel in the process. A very unjustly unsung classic of the gritty detective genre.

8) Cutter's Way - Cult classic sleeper gem features Jeff Bridges as his laconic best and John Heard of all people in a role/performance that should have made him a star about a group of people on the fringes who find themselves embroiled in a murder by chance which ends up having ties to seedy members of the upper class. A '70s style cynical film that somehow ended up coming out in the '80s.

7) Atlantic City - Technically a 1980 release, but it wasn't seen widely in the U.S. until '81, is one of Louis Malle's most accessible films (he had another triumph the same year with his more experimental My Dinner with Andre). Burt Lancaster gives a tremendous performance as a wannabe gangster opposite a luminous Susan Sarandon in this surprisingly poignant character study

6) Reds - Warren Beatty's extremely ambitious and detailed biopic of American journalist turned Russian revolutionary John Reed should have taken home Best Picture at the Oscars (it did win Best Director). It's never boring -- despite its considerable length -- and it works as both a romance and as pointed political drama. It's a shame Beatty didn't direct more films -- this may go down as his masterpiece.

5) The Road Warrior - Also know as a Mad Max 2, this nearly perfect sequel builds on the first film and is even more eye-popping when it comes to its action and dynamic visual storytelling. In many ways, director George Miller's Mad Max Fury Road is a remake of this earlier film which is mostly one long chase scene punctuated by a few moments of apocalyptic downtime. The high point of the original Mad Max trilogy.

4) Blow Out - One of director Brian DePalma's best and a wonderful, underrated performance from John Travolta (his work here in part inspired Tarantino's decision to cast him in Pulp Fiction) as a terrific movie sound man who accidentally records a political murder. A dark, twisted film with a scene stealing turn from John Lithgow and a sweet one from Nancy Allen. Some of the director's best, Hitchcockian camera work and a gut punch of an ending.

3) Escape from New York - Quite possibly my favorite John Carpenter film and one of the best distillations of his unique aesthetic. He single handedly turned Kurt Russell into a movie star AND an action star with this film, which has one of the most stacked casts the decade in one of the most irresistible premises -- New York City becoming strictly a penal colony, and it also has one of the best synth-y soundtracks of all time. I love this movie!

2) Raiders of the Lost Ark - The perfect blockbuster and hands down the best Indiana Jones film. The blending of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's sensibilities works beautifully here, with the ideal leading man in Harrison Ford. Fast paced, funny and frequently inventive, this movie is iconic for all the right reasons. It's been oft-imitated but never topped.

1) Thief - Director Michael Mann's first film is still his best. A masterpiece of mood and substance -- as James Caan delivers a career-best performance as a genius safe cracker who is trying to go straight and start a family but he gets into business with men who won't let him. Gorgeous looking, incredible sounding and surprisingly emotionally resonant film is a personal favorite of mine.

PAST TOP 10 FAVORITE LISTS

1970 #1 movie - M*A*S*H

1974 #1 movie - The Godfather Part II

1975 #1 movie - Nashville

1976 #1 movie - Taxi Driver

1977 #1 movie - Star Wars

1978 #1 movie - The Deer Hunter

1979 #1 movie - The Jerk

1980 #1 movie - The Shining

1984 #1 movie - Ghostbusters

1985 #1 movie - Fletch

1986 #1 movie - Blue Velvet

1987 #1 movie - The Untouchables

1988 #1 movie - Coming to America

1989 #1 movie - Batman

1990 #1 movie - The Grifters

1991 #1 movie - Cape Fear

1994 #1 movie - Pulp Fiction

1995 #1 movie - Heat

1996 #1 movie - Fargo

1997 #1 movie - Boogie Nights

1998 #1 movie - The Big Lebowski

1999 #1 movie - Eyes Wide Shut

2000 #1 movie - Nurse Betty

2001 #1 movie - The Royal Tenenbaums

2004 #1 movie - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

2005 #1 movie - A History of Violence

2006 #1 movie - Casino Royale

2007 #1 movie - There Will Be Blood

2008 #1 movie - The Wrestler

2009 #1 movie - Inglourious Basterds

2010 #1 movie - The Social Network

2011 #1 movie - Drive

Shoulda Been Stars: Actors who deserved A-list status

Lately I've been appreciating a lot of actors who had perfectly solid careers and even in a few cases headlined some big hits but they never quite fully made the leap for character actor to movie star, even though they arguably could.

A lot of this comes down to luck -- the right role in the right movie has made a huge difference for many actors. If Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan hadn't all landed choice roles in The Godfather they could have easily been relegated to supporting actor status for the rest of their careers.

Here are few actors I've been thinking are worth more love than they have historically gotten: 

Ronny Cox - A bit of an unsung legend. He first came to most audiences attention as the ill-fated and ironically most humane hero of Deliverance. But my favorite parts of his are even less showy. I have always loved his Lt. Bogomill character in the Beverly Hills Cop movies. He plays beautifully off of Eddie Murphy and just seems like a cool guy you'd love to hang out with. He also is great as a villain in both Robocop and Total Recall. He oozes gravitas.

Paul Le Mat - This actor is probably best known for his cool guy role in the classic American Graffiti, but his best work came seven years later in the wonderful slice of life comedy Melvin and Howard, directed by Jonathan Demme. He's incredibly touching and likable in that movie and I'm not sure why he never became more of thing -- perhaps poor movie choices like horror shlock like Puppet Master.

Nancy Allen - While she may best be remembered as Robocop's sidekick partner, I love her because of her brief period as Brian De Palma's muse and go-to leading lady. She nearly stole Carrie away from Sissy Spacek and then gave two back-to-back wonderful performances in Dressed to Kill (as a hooker with a heart of gold) and Blow Out (as... kind of a hooker with a heart of gold?). She pops up now and then (see her cameo in Out of Sight) but she's due for a Tarantino-esque resurrection.

William Devane - The angular Brahmin-y actor is best known for his work on television but he was a striking presence in the movies, particularly in the mid-70s. He is the best part of Alfred Hitchcock's final film Family Plot. And he's a terrific bad guy in the underrated classic Marathon Man. But 1977's Vietnam war veteran revenge thriller Rolling Thunder (apparently a Tarantino favorite) where he plays a mentally unstable man pushed to the brink.

Jason Miller - A playwright as well as an actor, the late Jason Miller only had one major movie role that caught on with audiences -- his stellar performance as Father Damian Karras in The Exorcist. He beat out bigger name stars for the role, which scored him an Oscar nomination and cinematic immortality but for some reason he never really capitalized on that movie's phenomenal success an actor, although he does turn up in a memorable cameo in the underrated Exorcist III.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - Maybe it was because her name is such a mouthful or maybe it's just the prejudice against women in the industry, but somehow one of the most promising leading ladies of the 80s and early 90s faded into obscurity. She first turned heads with her over the top (and probably a little racist) portrayal of Tony Montana's sister in Scarface, but the real breakthrough was her terrific, Oscar-nominated turn opposite Paul Newman and Tom Cruise in The Color of Money. She got more mainstream exposure in The Abyss and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, but she's just nowhere to be found now.

Albert Hall - Speaking of industry bias, this powerful actor almost certainly would have had a more prolific career had he been white. Re-watching Apocalypse Now recently I was struck by how effortlessly he took command of every scene and how authentic his acting was. Clearly, Spike Lee took note of his indelible presence, casting him over a decade later in a pivotal role opposite Denzel Washington in 1992's Malcolm X. Still, he deserved a lot more starring role opportunities.

Tuesday Weld - In many ways Weld resembles the prototypical Hollywood leading lady -- blonde, beautiful, buoyant -- but she was anything but. I fell in love with her off the strength of her performance in Thief opposite James Caan, where she more than held her own. But her best star performance, in my opinion, comes in the dark, dark comedy Pretty Poison, where she turns the her superficial image on its head.

Vonetta McGee - This gorgeous late actress (who coincidentally really resembles an ex of mine) is best known for her work in blaxploitation movies, but she has a much more eclectic than that. She was the love interest in the classic spaghetti western The Great Silence, she also turned up as Clint Eastwood's feisty leading lady in the 1975 film The Eiger Sanction. And film buffs will remember her from her small but still cool part in Repo Man.

Karen Allen - For most moviegoers, she will always be Marion Ravenwood, the first and still the best of Indiana Jones' female co-stars in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Her appearance in the much maligned fourth film was a nice nod but she deserved better. She had effortless luminous quality in movies like Scrooged, National Lampoon's Vacation and especially Starman, a touching underrated romance with her and Jeff Bridges.

Are prequels ever worth the trouble?

I recently watchable the perfectly ok but far from perfect 2011 prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter classic The Thing, foolishly also called The Thing. I say it's foolish because when it came out I presumed the 2011 film was simply a remake of the original and I had no interest in that.

For whatever reason, the producers behind this film didn't make the effort to effectively communicate that it was actually a prequel, which would have made me a lot more intrigued. It's about the Norwegian crew that became the first victims to the alien creature before Kurt Russell and his bros showed up. And in many ways it's trying to be the same movie as the original.

It's got the moody look and a brooding score that is a blatant rip-off of the classic Ennio Morricone one from the 1982 original. It course corrects the lack of women in the original by putting the always likable Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the lead and it definitely strikes the same tone as the Carpenter film.

But something is just ... missing. Perhaps it's the lack of strong characters. The Norwegians don't really break through, nor do normally interesting character actors like Joel Edgerton. And worst of all, the special effects, would should be mind-blowing (like they were and still are in the 1982 film) are pretty horrendous.

Chalk it up to an over-reliance on CGI instead of practical effects. The movie is just never particularly scary or horrifying, so the most satisfying thing about it is its linkage to the original movie.

And watching it got me thinking -- are there ANY good prequels. Clearly, I've made my feelings known about the most infamous prequels of the original Star Wars trilogy, which are arguably the most famous examples of prequels ever.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is technically a prequel but you'd never know it. The Godfather Part II, one of my favorite movies ever, is both a prequel and a sequel at the same time. It relies on your knowledge of the first film, so there's that -- but it's not really a traditional prequel.

I guess you could say Casino Royale is one -- it's never been clear to me if we are to wholly discount all the James Bond films that came previously or understand that those are adventures that the Daniel Craig bond will go on or did go on during those long layovers between his 007 entries.

The problem with straight prequels is that more often than not you're aware of where they're headed going in. The two ones that work best for me that both technically have that problem are Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Rogue One. Both are films about tragedies -- one far more disturbing and grounded -- but they deliver the gravitas and pathos you need.

In Rogue One, they benefit from our decades of memories of the original Star Wars, the mystery of how the plans to blow up the Death Star were procured -- which provides an opportunity for virtually all brand new characters -- and yet we know all the heroes will likely have to perish to explain their absence in future installments.

It's not a perfect movie. The Felicity Jones performance has always been a little lacking for me. But it's a surprisingly risky movie for Disney -- a Star Wars fable where all the heroes die. And it grows in my estimation every time I see it.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is an even bolder proposition. It takes the most unspeakable, horrific aspect of the plot of the cult TV series and realizes it in brutal fashion. The movie was reviled when it first came out in 1992, in part because of its horrifying bleakness. But like all the trauma in any David Lynch film, it's not just there to shock and disturb you. It's a deeply sad and haunting movie about loss.

Still, ever since the disappointment of Prometheus color me skeptical about the prequel premise. It's more often than not diminishing returns and creatively bankrupt, even if there is some measure of guaranteed box office because of name recognition.

RIP Sean Connery: A flawed human being but a hero on-screen

I just woke up to the surprising news that legendary actor Sean Connery has died at age 90. Connery was one of these guys who seemed like he would live forever -- after all he was a credible action star deep into his late 60s. He's been unofficially retired from acting for nearly 20 years, and he'd been missed, and now that's he's gone I think we can safely say we won't see another star quite like him.

He was famously a bodybuilder first who won the role of James Bond in spite of a pronounced Scottish accent and a gruffer aesthetic than author Ian Fleming initially imagined (Roger Moore was actually closer to to character's original conception). And of course the rest is history. Despite a long, successful career -- Connery's name will always be synonymous with the superspy character he created, and with good reason.

For years, and in some circles to this day, it's been taken as article of faith that Connery was (and perhaps always would be) the best actor to play Bond. This has always felt a little unfair, since Connery's portrayal was the first most audiences saw and got accustomed to and the one to which every subsequent portrayal would be compared.

I've always believed to some extent your favorite Bond usually corresponds with the one you sort of grew up with and so for many modern fans of the 007 franchise, Daniel Craig is the best -- after all, he's been occupying the role for 14 years now (albeit with long breaks in between films) and Connery is at best a distant memory.

That being said, he was spectacular in the role. There had never been a leading man quite like him before. He was aggressively sexual and confident, physically imposing, and a perfect mixture of dark and light. He was also an unforgivably misogynist character, which sadly was a reflection of Connery's problematic real life persona where he had the audacity to defend domestic abuse ON CAMERA in an interview with Barbara Walters.

In the context of the times they were made though -- these films are still terrific -- From Russia with Love and Goldfinger in particular do and should rank at or near the top of any 007 movie rankings. And for better or worse, it will be the iconic role for which he is best remembered. That being said he gave so many other fantastic performances that I want to highlight since there will be a tendency to only talk about his Bond movies when assessing his long career. Here are a few others I would strongly recommend:

The Hunt for Red October - Connery is so good in this submarine thriller that you buy him as a Russian captain, even with his unmistakable accent. He is all cool gravitas here -- smart, capable and commanding -- and an excellent counterpoint to Alec Baldwin's portrayal of a nerdy, nervous Jack Ryan. I know people are fond of The Rock, but for my money this was his best late career leading man role.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Despite their actually close proximity in age (Connery was only 12 years older than Harrison Ford) he and Ford made a great father son-pair in this, the second best Indiana Jones movie (in my opinion). Connery showed off his formidable comic chops but also delivers pathos in the emotional finale. He would go on to become the oldest man to win Sexiest Man Alive that year but he's so charming in this it's easy to see why.

The Untouchables - Connery won his only acting Oscar for this tour de force gangster movie from Brian De Palma and boy did he deserve it. He explodes on screen as a bigoted, veteran beat cop who gets a second chance at glory when he is improbably recruited by Elliot Ness to take on Al Capone. Such a quotable, unforgettable performance and probably the one he'd be best remembered for if it wasn't for James Bond.

The Offence - A little known gem from director Sidney Lumet, who is best known for his New York-based crime films but also made his fair share of British genre pictures too. This is one of the best Connery acting performances -- in what is largely a claustrophobic film centered around a brutal interrogation, he plays a deeply disturbed and violent cop with a very dark secret. A shocking departure for Connery that really subverts his hero persona.

The Man Who Would Be King - This romp starts off as an exciting adventure yarn about two rowdy hustlers (played to perfection by Connery and Michael Caine) who stumble into a situation where a relatively primitive culture mistakes them for Gods. Putting the racial politics of the movie aside, it becomes a fascinating parable about the corruption of power, and Connery in particular really relishes the scenes where his character self indulges in delusions of grandeur.

Marnie - This may be my favorite Connery performance. At first he seems like the typical, lovable Cary Grant-esque male lead foil in a Hitchcock film but scratch the surface a little bit and you'll find that his character is quite deranged (and eventually sadistic). The film perfectly captures the lightness and brooding darkness in the Connery persona as a man who must possess the leading lady to satisfy his own diminished ego. It's a complex performance in a wildly underrated psychological thriller.

'Call of the Wild' is a very cute movie, but falls short of greatness

The new version of Jack London's classic The Call of the Wild is one of those movies that serves a very useful purpose.

It is so aggressively inoffensive and straightforward that you can watch it will any family member of any age and get away unscathed. And it's been released early as a digital rental so it's there for the screening.

It's a very earnest adaptation with a moving, committed performance from a very game Harrison Ford at its center, but it doesn't rise above its kid movie constraints enough to become the standout movie it could have been.

As has been oft discussed -- the CGI in this movie is distractingly subpar --that was evident when the first trailers dropped. I have no problem with them not using a real dog -- the story couldn't be told without asking a dog to give too much of a performance than they're capable of, but this many years after Life of Pi so beautifully and effectively evoked a tiger, I am mystified by the choice to render the character of Buck like a mix of a cartoon and a real animal.

In some shots the effects are impressive but in others they feel cheap, which is odd considering the fact that this was a huge budget movie (and unfortunately it took a big hit from coronavirus at the box office) with the Disney folks involved.

So much of the film hangs on our emotional investment in Buck (and the other dogs he encounters) and while the animated character is cute enough, there's no life behind his eyes.

I kept thinking of the new Planet of the Apes movies which feature some of the best digital characterizations I've ever seen. They used motion capture to create their world, and Im not sure what happened here, but it's a bummer.

I also think the movie missed a very easy storytelling fix which could have made for a far more interesting movie. For some reason the choice is made to not only use Ford as the hero, but to also make him an omniscient narrator, a decision that feels lazy and illogical.

I think the movie would have been far more cinematic and engaging if it had no narrator at all -- it it were truly told from Buck's perspective. Sure, it might ask more of audiences to piece together the narrative based on Buck's adventures and encounters with other dogs, but it would have been a lot more interesting than having every single emotion and moment spelled out for you.

If you strip out that narration and let the story unfold in a less structured way, it would also make the conceit of people routinely talking to Buck as if he were a person less ludicrous in a way.

That being said, it's a sweet movie and if, like me, you are a dog lover it's hard not to be effected by the dramatic ups and downs of Buck's story. It's also wonderful to see Ford in fighting form at nearly 80 years old. He hasn't been in a movie since his fantastic supporting turn in Blade Runner 2049 and I've missed his grizzled premise. Here, he's playing one of the nicer characters in his filmography and he somehow seems handsomer and lighter on his feet than he has in years.

I'd love to see him continue to experiment with his persona instead of trying to force another Indiana Jones to work (I am increasingly beginning to doubt that a fifth film in that saga could or should happen... unless the MacGuffin is the Fountain of Youth). He's always been under-appreciated as actor and the fact that he is never awkward playing almost entirely off of a computer generated dog speaks volumes of his range and talent.

I just wish he had a better, more real-looking dog to work with.

If this film had trusted London's narrative movie and made the movie a little harder edged, I think families could have still had fun with it, and it might have resonated more.

'Rise of Skywalker' ends a one-of-a-kind saga on the right note

Late in The Rise of Skywalker, I found myself tearing up during not one, but two scenes featuring a giant man in a fur costume (and it was then that it dawned on me: when you watch the same movies for over thirty years, you're going to form a bond with those characters, a bond that can feel really special.

In a way, the heroes of this sequel trilogy -- Rey, Finn and Poe -- were always at a disadvantage, since we've only been living with them for four years, while just a line from Billy Dee Williams' rich baritone as Lando can give me goosebumps.

Additionally, this new trilogy didn't have the benefit of a singular creative force behind it. Even if George Lucas didn't direct every episode, he conceived the story arc for Episodes IV-VI and that's part of why their is a comfortable synergy between the three installments.

The Rise of Skywalker has an almost impossible task that I wouldn't envy. Director J.J. Abrams had to reconcile his buoyant and reverent The Force Awakens with Rian Johnson's riskier, more polarizing The Last Jedi. And while fans were divided over those entries, critics weren't. They were light years ahead of the prequel trilogy in terms of writing, craftsmanship and acting. And even though they were part of a money making franchise operation, there was enough creative spark there (and fresh performances from the likes of Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley) to justify their existence.

This film almost inevitably is a bit of a clumsier affair. The criticism that is overstuffed is not wrong. The way Leia's character is handled (Carrie Fisher died before shooting her role, so the filmmakers used some camera trickery and old footage to cobble together a performance) is respectful but distracting. Whether you liked her or not, the Rose character has been Jar Jar Binks'd --relegated to the sidelines in a way that's arguably a bit disgraceful.

And some of the film's revelations -- particularly the villain's existence --are confusing (at least upon first viewing).

And yet there is so much to enjoy here. Some genuinely funny laughs (C-3PO almost steals the movie), some fantastic set pieces (including perhaps the most epic space battle in the history of the series and it's surprisingly emotional, maybe more than its two predecessors.

That is certainly in part because this does feel like an ending, both a fitting and a welcome one. As much as I've enjoyed these films, the story of Skywalkers had to end eventually if for no other reason because it was and is in danger of becoming redundant and creatively bankrupt. The Mandalorian has demonstrated that the can be new world building within the framework of Star Wars and I'm curious to see how much these films can remain viable without links to its iconic past. But I think it'll be interesting to see what Disney cooks up next.

I for one have been largely happy with the work they've done to really redeem this brand. With all do respect to George Lucas, who was enough of a genius to create all this, but he has clearly lost the chops or the ambition to make movies that weren't simply a technical exercise.

These films were invested with real heart -- when some of the heroes have a long embrace towards the end of this movie, you feel it, because these characters had real relationships -- unlike say Obi-Wan and Anakin in the prequels, who were only friends because we were told they were.

It'd be impossible to please everyone -- from fanboys to casual viewers to the critics -- and third installments are always burdened with having to tie up too many lose ends. And Abrams does himself no favors by introducing and then not really resolving a few. I won't be surprised if this film becomes the Return of the Jedi of this series, imperfect but still beloved. The audience I saw it with sure liked it -- and so what if you wanna call it fan service. This whole sequel franchise was fan service from the very beginning.

This all doesn't deserve to be taken so seriously. These are movies not films. They are supposed to be rousing, exciting, a little hokey, funny and ultimately escapist. And this film achieved all those goals for me. I am a little curious who this whole series would have come together had the vision been singularly Abrams' or Johnson's, or if Fisher had lived long enough to fully inhabit her role in this third one. In the same way Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a bit of a mess but I still love it, and I love this one too.

Come at me bros.

'Ghostbusters: Aftermath' trailer is already a culture war proxy

Somehow the Ghostbusters franchise has evolved from a beloved 1980s comedy touchstone to the center of the culture wars. If you liked or didn't like 2016's all-female reboot that's supposed to suggest something about your character or your politics.

And in that same vein, your impressions of the latest iteration, Jason Reitman's 2020 edition, that's supposed to be some sort of tell, too.

I am an enormous Ghostbusters fan (yes, I even like the second one). It was a childhood favorite or mine and some of the misogyny aside, the original still holds up as one of the best comedy movies of all time and certainly one of my all-time favorites.

My position has always been that there is no need for new Ghostbusters movies. Perhaps a third film could have worked in the 90s when all the original actors were still with us but in fighting shape, but they and America moved on.

When the 2016 film dropped I was sort of mixed on it but I saw that it value, especially for young women and girls who had four heroes to root for in one of the more iconic movie franchises of the last several decades. I think the movie could have and should have served them better, but I didn't think it was this debacle, just a little forgettable.

Perhaps unfairly, this new version has been getting hyped up as some sort of attempt to course correct. It appears to have been co-opted by a lot of toxic people for the wrong reasons (with a presumption that men were taking the franchise 'back'). And then there are the 2016 movie's defenders, who feel like this take is a slap in the face. And now that the Stranger Things-esque first official trailer has dropped its getting hit on all sides from fans and people who think it looks derivative and unfunny.

Basically, not unlike Star Wars, I think this is a series that has come to mean way too much beyond the actual films themselves, and there will be no pleasing anyone. There are the people who think the original is overrated, commercial junk. I've even heard my liberal friends knock it as some sort of pro-business, anti environmental screed. I am sure this new one will inspire its fair share of haters. And the loser will inevitably be the Ghostbusters IPO which will now not so much be fondly remembered for being fun, but more remembered for being shockingly divisive.

How could making a movie starring four women in roles previously played by men be so controversial? Honestly, that should have been a sign that Trump would win.

All I can say is I am a fan. I love that first film so much that I'd be open to anything that could rekindle its special mix of spectacle and laughs. I am doubtful. But I also acknowledge that this is one of Sony's most valuable, recognizable properties and so it behooves them to make more.

I am going to ultimately judge Ghostbusters: Aftermath on its own terms. It's impossible not to make comparisons to earlier editions though. For instance the production values seem very high, higher than the last installment. But it also seems to be going for a much more serious and reverent tone, which I am not entirely sure is a good thing. I like the deliberate attempt to link it to the universe from the first films (although I would have liked to have seen a familiar face -- perhaps Sigourney Weaver's Dana Barrett). I actually like the choice to make the protagonists kids -- and of different genders. It'll be impossible to brand this films as either only for men or for women.

That being said -- the Stranger Things aesthetic is getting a little played out for me. It reached its peak with It: Chapter One and now I feel like I am not sure what more can be done with it. It doesn't help that the same young actor  -- Finn Wolfhard -- is appearing in all of these properties. He's a fine, funny young actor, but certainly there could have been a new fresher face to feature here.

Also, as welcoming as the presence of Paul Rudd is, the trailer doesn't really have any legit laughs in it -- it's seemingly almost more of a fantasy adventure, which is a choice I guess. But I always loved these movies for their humor, not their mysticism. If I wanted to be transported like that I'd probably opt for an Indiana Jones film. To me, Ghostbusters was about the one liners and the attitude played off of the chaos, which is a tone that I thought the 2016 version mostly got right.

Still, as always I will wait for the reviews and wince while people debate whether their childhood managed to be ruined for a second time all over again.

Sequels that excite me and sequels that leave me cold

Sequels are almost always a dicey proposition. Unless a film sets up a clear trajectory for a story to continue -- Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a great example of this -- it can feel like a cynical exercise in regurgitating what you liked about the first film but perhaps with a bigger budget.

Deadpool 2 comes to mind as an example of one of those. These films are almost only naked cash grabs and even when they're good they're also missing staying power.

Two recent trailers really illustrate this dichotomy for me. The first is the exciting and eerie new trailer for the follow-up to the monster blockbuster It.

I enjoyed It a lot. It felt like Stranger Things: The Movie at times, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was reasonably scary but not so much so that average filmgoers couldn't have fun with it, which is why I think it became the most profitable horror film of all time.

Still, I remembered thinking that the decision to split the film's narrative in two -- which made sense from a pacing and profit perspective -- might diminish the second film. In the first film, our heroes are able to overcome the nefarious Pennywise the Clown.

Although Pennywise is and was a formidable villain, but at the end of the day -- a bunch of kids defeat him without one of them losing their lives.

I get it, that's the Stephen King narrative, and these movies aren't trying too hard to deviate from it -- but it always sapped a little tension out of story for me when the kids become adults. Why should they be scared of a clown they already killed?

But then the new trailer came out -- and oh man is it fun. It's one of the more interesting trailers I've seen in a while, presenting an extended and creepy scene featuring Jessica Chastain (one of the big names in a cast that also includes Bill Hader and James McAvoy) opposite an old woman we can only presumed has been possessed by Pennywise. It's a nice slow boil of a scene and then the trailer kicks into high gear with quick cuts of those ominous balloons and more all punctuated by actor Bill Skarsgard's unmistakable giggle.

I found myself riveting and excited to revisit a world that was well-established in the first film.

And then there's the new Terminator: Dark Fate trailer. There's no doubt it's a thrill to see Linda Hamilton back in action, and her presence at the center of this new film definitely makes me more psyched to see it than Genisys or Salvation. But the problem is that those films (some would also argue Terminator 3, although I find it amusing) went a long way in terms of sullied what goodwill there was for the first two classic Terminator films.

The problem is that those films ended conclusively and didn't really carve out a window for the franchise to continue. Arnold lowers himself into lava, the last of his kind at the end of the second film and that should have closed the time travel loop.

But then miraculously more terminators kept getting sent back (and forth) to kill John Connor. I thought the 'idea' behind Salvation was cool -- we never did get to see John Connor's adult story play out and it sounded cool in theory -- but two movies in row have proven its not.

And, somehow, Arnold Schwarzenegger pops up again. He looks great, I love the beard, but at 71 years old what is he going to be doing in this movie? I get it, it feels weird doing one of these without him. It's like Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford. But why do another one? Money, of course.

It's not that the first films really 'said' much. Sure it could be a cautionary tale about technology -- but these were mostly just fantastic chase films with groundbreaking action and effects. There was not a single shot that really wowed me or surprised me in this new trailer, besides the appearance of Hamilton.

In fact, none of the more recent Terminator films feel like they advanced the sci-fi action genre since Terminator 2's groundbreaking use of CGI back in 1991 -- which is a problem. In order to justify its existence, it's gotta sell me on something more than the return of James Cameron as a producer.

I sense that audiences are already over this franchise anyway. Although Genisys made bank overseas, it couldn't even crack 100 million here in the U.S. even with Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the lead.

As I always so, I will wait for the reviews -- and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. But right now I'm high on It: Chapter Two and lukewarm on Terminator: Dark State

Indiana Jones and my struggle with the idea of a fifth film

There are some who have argued that the role of Indiana Jones can be transitive, in the same vein as James Bond, passed from actor to actor. I am not one of these people. For me, Harrison Ford is crucial to making that character and those films work. He has owned the part for nearly 40 years, on and off-screen.

Anything featuring the Indiana Jones character without him would feel like a knock-off. I have nothing against Chris Pratt, and some of other leading actors who get bandied about for the famous fedora an whip, but it would feel like a meaningless money grab to me to 'reboot' it.

Of course a case can be made, and a compelling one, that the last Indy movie -- the polarizing to say the least 2008 movie with an awful title -- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was also about money. And it certainly made a lot of it. Even if many fans hated it, the movie was the highest grosser in a very profitable franchise.

Even many of that films detractors will agree that it wasn't Ford who failed us with Indy 4, it was producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg, who seemed unable to mesh their sensibilities of come up with an exciting, coherent story that justified a fourth movie's existence nearly 20 years after what felt like a climactic one.

The 1950s Cold War setting was an inspired choice I thought, but the film didn't fully capitalize on its period potential and its space alien finale is murky at best.

Still Cool as F

In the years since, a follow-up has been promised (thankfully, a rumored spin-off starring Jones' son Mutt, played by Shia LeBeouf, never came to pass) and then repeatedly delayed.

In his late 70s, Ford is suddenly viable again, and seems to almost exclusively appear in resurrections of his greatest franchises (only Stallone has been able to rival his output). And against the odds, the results have largely been good.

He gave Oscar-worthy, scene stealing performances (albeit in supporting roles) in both The Force Awakens and Blade Runner 2049, one of which became the biggest box office hit of all-time and the other a critically acclaimed modern cult classic.

There is a part of me that has longed for Ford and company to right the wrong of 2008's Indy with a better, more on brand entry that doesn't necessarily pass the torch but bring his story to a more satisfying conclusion. Sort of like how Stallone made the crowd-pleasing Rocky Balboa as a mea culpa for the godawful Rocky V.

But then the news came that Indy 5 was being delayed yet again -- to 2021! Ford will be 78 going on 79 years old by that time. Now, Ford has survived plane crashes and doors nearly crushing his leg and he keeps on kicking. He looks great and fit for his age, and I am sure he can still turn on the charm as the character, but there is no denying the physicality that this role requires.

How will a film with a 79-year-old Indiana Jones at its center function? Can it be entertaining? Clint Eastwood proved he could still carry movie at nearly 90 last year. Whether you liked The Mule or not (and I did), it was undeniably a hit, although it wasn't exactly an action movie either.

Perhaps a film that fully acknowledges Indy's advanced age and maybe even explores the vulnerability of growing old could be interesting territory for Spielberg to plumb. But what worries me is that he and Ford approach this material with a sort of fan service mentality (which really hampered Ready Player One) where they feel they must hit certain beats, have big set pieces and the go home. There hasn't been a real interest in developing the character of Indiana Jones since 1989's Last Crusade.

My hunch tells me this movie is probably never going to happen. Ford's age is simply going to catch up with him eventually (the tragic loss of his former Star Wars cast-mates Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew made that reality all too plain) and Spielberg's heart never has seen to be in it. As talented as Spielberg is, he's no Spring chicken either, and it's clear that when he is not emotionally invested in a movie, it suffers.

I think I don't want to see this movie made, but if it is made I want it to be with Ford and Spielberg (and a tighter, better script), and I'm worried it'll be Pratt and someone like Colin Trevorrow. Sigh.

Flashback 1989 : My top 10 favorite movies from 30 years ago

It's remarkable to me that something that came out in theaters back in 1989 is 30 years old. This was a year very clear in my pop culture consciousness, so now I feel incredibly old. It's one of my favorite years for movies --it contains not one, but two of my all-time favorite films.

This is another one of those years where the highbrow films are less memorable for me (with a couple of exceptions) than the big blockbuster films that closed this decade.

And what a year blockbusters this was -- the summer of '89 in particular will go down in history as one of the most stacked seasons of all time. There were major sequels galore, some big franchise starters and a whole lot of wildly different options to choose from.

This was a hard year to whittle down. I liked quite a lot of this year's films a lot and some great ones like Sex, Lies & Videotape and Parenthood just missed the cut for me. But here are my personal favorites from 30 years ago:

10) Say Anything ... - Really the only Cameron Crowe movie that totally works for me and one of the best portraits of post high school, pre-college adolescence I've ever seen (only The Graduate is in it's class). John Cusack is irresistibly adorable as the meandering Lloyd Dobler who takes a chance on romance with the school overachiever (played believably by the equally adorable Ione Skye). Everyone remembers the famous boom box scene but there are plenty of other moving and hilarious bits. A really special little comedy.

9) Ghostbusters II - I know, I know this sequel can't hold a candle to the original and some purists outright hate it but it has a lot of sentimental meaning for me. I still remember seeing it in theaters and what a touchstone it was for me as a kid. And it doesn't feel like too big a departure from the original, even if it's bigger in terms of scale and FX. Murray, Ramis, Aykroyd and Hudson have still got it and it's got enough thrilling bits mixed with some solid laughs to be an amiable fun time at the movies.

8) Field of Dreams - This tearjerker fantasy always gets me. Kevin Costner is at the peak of his movie star powers here in this improbable hit about an eccentric Iowa farmer who brings legendary baseball players back to life via a baseball diamond he puts on his cornfield. It's hokey to be sure but also gorgeously photographed, filled with stellar acting (James Earl Jones' baseball monologue is achingly good) and it has a great message about being non conformist that runs as a theme throughout it, which I'll always appreciate.

7) Glory - One of the most powerful and vital war films I've ever seen manages to delicately steal focus from its nominal white leading character (Matthew Broderick playing the commander of the first regiment of 'negro' soldiers during the Civil War) to the black infantrymen, among them a stalwart Morgan Freeman, an off-the-charts charismatic Denzel Washington (who won the Oscar for this) and a heartbreaking Andre Braugher (who arguably has the most complex role as an educated black man trying to hold his own with the grunts). This deserved to be a hit and should have broke into the Best Picture race but alas room had to be made for ...cough... Driving Miss Daisy.

6) Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade - Probably the second best Indiana Jones films after the first, this rip-roaring adventure has a great MacGuffin (the Holy Grail) and some new emotional dimension thanks to the father-son relationship between Indy and his father (played by Sean Connery with immense charm) taking center stage. This probably should have been the last Indy adventure. It certainly feels like a fitting end with our hero riding off into the sunset. But unfortunately producers 'chose poorly.' Still, this film shows that there was a lot of life left under that brown fedora.

5) Back to the Future Part II - This is another divisive sequel for some people but I've always loved it. It presents a much darker vision than its predecessor and embraces its meta conceit by literally placing its hero Marty McFly (an affable as always Michael J. Fox) back in the original film that started it all. This is very ambitious narrative filmmaking from director Robert Zemeckis. He unfortunately finished the trilogy with the more traditional Western-set Part III, but if nothing elseI will always appreciate this film for introducing Biff as Trump into the world.

4) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - My favorite holiday movie and the last cinematic hurrah for Chevy Chase (although he briefly found his footing on TV's community about two decades later). It's so chock full of unforgettable one liners and moments from 'the blessing!' to 'shitter's full' to 'tap dancing with Danny fucking Kaye.' This movie gets how both brutal and beautiful spending the holidays with your family can be, and while its more hijinks than heart, what sincerity that's in it is quite gracefully handled.

3) Crimes and Misdemeanors - Although a case can be made for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters -- and several others -- this is my favorite Woody Allen film. It's a devastatingly bleak movie despite the fact that it's one half comedy. The other half is a stone cold serious look at the messy dissolution of an affair with a strong Martin Landau opposite Anjelica Huston. A more complicated film than it appears to be on the surface -- its about faith, fate and why bad things keep happening to good people. It's a shame Allen has so horribly tarnished his own legacy, this film would be elevated into the conversation of great 1980s films in a heartbeat.

2) Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee's crowning achievement just keeps getting better with age. It's a travesty it wasn't more widely seen (one white film critic literally warned that it would cause riots, it didn't) and was largely snubbed by the Academy Awards. It's a great looking, profoundly funny and then truly depressing portrait of the absurdity and very real tension of our ethnic and racial divide, all set over the course of a 24-hours from hell.  It's remarkable how talented Lee was at this point in his career that he could both evoke a benevolently bigoted old Italian pizzeria owner (Danny Aiello, in a wonderful performance) and a hot headed wannabe activist (Giancarlo Esposito) with total aplomb. One of the great films of this or any decade.

1) Batman - it's still my favorite superhero movie of all time and it may be the best Tim Burton marriage between his artistic vision and an existing property, the difference is that with this (rather than Alice in Wonderland or reportedly Dumbo) his heart was totally in this one. Jack Nicholson is at his scene stealing best as the Joker and Michael Keaton nails this portrait of Bruce Wayne/Batman -- he leans into the eccentricity and effectively conveys someone who enjoys being Batman (for Bale's version it was always a burden). A triumph of costume design, production design and score -- but also the best kind of major blockbuster, it's creative, thoughtful, funny and it has staying power.

PAST TOP 10 FAVORITE LISTS
1974 #1 movie - The Godfather Part II
1975 #1 movie - Nashville
1976 #1 movie - Taxi Driver
1977 #1 movie - Star Wars
1978 #1 movie - The Deer Hunter
1984 #1 movie - Ghostbusters
1985 #1 movie - Fletch
1986 #1 movie - Blue Velvet
1987 #1 movie - The Untouchables
1988 #1 movie - Coming to America
1994 #1 movie - Pulp Fiction
1995 #1 movie - Heat
1996:#1 movie - Fargo
1997 #1 movie - Boogie Nights
1998 #1 movie - The Big Lebowski
1999 #1 movie - Eyes Wide Shut
2004 #1 movie - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005 #1 movie - A History of Violence
2006 #1 movie - Casino Royale
2007 #1 movie - There Will Be Blood
2008 #1 movie - The Wrestler
2009 #1 movie - Inglourious Basterds

What are the best sequels of all-time? Here's my top 10 list

Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049

The near universal rapturous critical response (which I think is well-deserved) received by the new, hit Mission: Impossible movie Fallout has some people calling it the best film of the now 22-year-old franchise and potentially one of the greatest action movies ever made.

I don't know if I'd go that far, and six films in, this series has been hard to top in terms of quality (only the first sequel falls short for me), bur if I were to make a top 10 sequels of all time list the other iterations would just miss the cut.

I would also not count the Bond films, since with the exception of Quantum of Solace (and in a way Spectre) none of those movies are really proper sequels. Similarly,  the Marvel extended universe has just been too massive to take stock of -- you could argue that those films have been nothing but sequels since the original Iron Man ten years ago -- so I'm skipping over those two.

There's so many greats to choose from -- I am actually pretty pro sequel, as long as they justify their existence and add something new to the series' staying power. Some that nearly missed the cut or me: Evil Dead 2, Ocean's 13, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Road Warrior, Toy Story 3, The Color of Money, Superman II, Die Hard with a Vengeance and Batman Returns.

Here are my top 10 favorite sequels of all time, in reverse order.

10) Back to the Future Part II - This darker, more complex sequel looks at what happens when time travel is used for nefarious reasons with shocking results. Not only does this one expand on what's great about the original but it has several iconic sequences of its own -- like the hoverboard chase and the meta finale which revisits the events of the first film in unexpected ways. I've always loved how gloomy this sequel is and it set up such a high note cliffhanger that the underrated Part III could only disappoint.

9) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - The sillier European Vacation proved the 1983 original couldn't be topped as far as road comedies go, so the 1989 holiday follow-up wisely stays close to home and winds up crafting one of the best Christmas-themed comedies of all time. Chevy Chase is at his best here, as a more tender version of Clark Griswold, and this may also be Randy Quaid's finest moment as the uncouth Cousin Eddie. It's the rare comedy sequel that deserves the same classic status as one of its predecessors.

8) Mad Max: Fury Road - While this fourth installment of the Mad Max universe does little to weave in elements from the past three, it shares their DNA -- although this one is bigger, bolder and more epic than any of the movies that came before. The rare Oscar nominee that is not just a sequel, but an action sequel, it's truly that good. This is a movie I am down to watch anytime/anyplace -- it's sublime visual filmmaking at its best -- with something to say about the world we could leave behind if we don't start getting our shit together.

7) Creed - This emotionally fulfilling boxing film breathed new life into one of my favorite movie sagas -- the Rocky franchise -- by shifting the focus from Rocky (a stellar Sylvester Stallone) to the up-and-coming Adonis Creed (a charismatic Michael B. Jordan). Director Ryan Coogler, with his one-take fight scenes and heartwarming handling of all the major characters made simply the best Rocky film since the original and has started something really special which will continue this fall with Creed II.

6) Star Trek II - The gold standard by which all big-screen Star Trek pictures are compared. It's a character study first and foremost -- about Captain Kirk's mid-life crisis and his deep friendship with the half-human, half-vulcan Spock. And yet it also has some of the most riveting action of any space opera and one of the best villains of the decade in Ricardo Montalban's Khan. This is one of those great examples of everyone operating at the peak of their powers to perfection.There have been other good, even great Star Trek movies, but this one is a cut above everything that has come before or since.

5) Aliens - I've really struggled with which is the better film -- Ridley Scott's chilling Alien or James Cameron's more relentless Aliens, both films are pure genre perfection as far as I'm concerned. In this film Sigourney Weaver's heroic Ripley takes center stage and her tormented psyche powers the narrative of this high-tech horror film. It doesn't detract from the first film in the series at all, instead it simply seeks to top it at every turn -- from shocks to gore to special effects -- and pretty much achieves everything it sets out to do.

4) Blade Runner 2049 - This recent reboot was dismissed to easily as a box office disappointment, but upon further review its stature continues to grow and grow. It's a note perfect follow-up to the mercurial 1982 original, answering many of its mysteries while deepening others -- it's one of the more gorgeous films I've ever seen and the story really holds together if you pay enough attention and give yourself over to its slow-paced rhythms. One of my favorite genre films of the last several years, and one that should attain classic status as time goes on.

3) The Dark Knight - I liked Batman Begins a lot, but for me The Dark Knight was just an enormous leap above it in terms of scope and ambition. This was the film where Christopher Nolan's concept of a more reality based Gotham and Batman truly took hold and changed the way superhero movies looked and sounded forever. This was the moment the genre grew up and asserted its dominance over the movie-going public for what has now been a decade. Oh, and Heath Ledger delivered one of the all-time best performances ever as the Joker.

2) The Empire Strikes Back - The best Star Wars film of all time is the first sequel in the ever-expanding series of movies. It is the most romantic Star Wars film, the most exciting one, the one with the best sense of humor and sense of mystery. I feel like every Star Wars film since this one has been trying to recapture its magic and coming up just a wee bit short, although I always appreciate the effort. The secret to this film's success isn't it 'darkness' it's the character development -- this is the movie where we all fell in love with Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Yoda, Lando and the rest -- they were funny, daring, smart, charming and larger than life.

1) The Godfather Part II - The best sequel ever made? It's no contest. In fact I feel like it's almost an insult to call this masterpiece a sequel, it's more like a continuation, a deepening of the saga. Much of what is in this film is in the novel The Godfather, but Coppola brings so much soul and intrigue to the story. This is, in my opinion, the great American epic film. This is the drama that best captures the dark soul of this nation. The original is a powerful, pop hit -- but this second film is like an opera.

What are the best movie franchises of all-time?

Hollywood is and long has been an industry dominated by franchises. Even as the film business faces an existential threat in the form of piracy and streaming services, it chugs along largely on the backs of low risk, high reward name brands.

That doesn't mean that these films are altogether terrible. After all, one of the best genre films of recent years -- Black Panther -- was the product of the enormous Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, many film series overstay their welcome (Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers etc.) others never become a full-fledged franchise after just a couple solid outings. For me, a franchise should constitute at least three films, should be successful enough to have achieved a certain kind of iconic status, and to be a favorite (of mine at least) it should have preserved a very high level of quality throughout a significant portion of its run.

That standard hurts a lot of horror series that I enjoy but don't exactly respect, and again some films don't fit neatly into this construct. Is Blade Runner a franchise? Is Ghostbusters? I guess. But off the top of my head, these are the films that come to mind...

Iron Man/Captain America - This one is a bit of a cheat, since the Marvel universe has grown so big and enveloped so many characters. Still, I would argue that the Iron Man films and Captain America films have had the most distinct tones and character work. Robert Downey, Jr's cocksure Tony Stark has evolved considerably over three films and a myriad of side projects. It speaks volumes that I am already dreading the prospect of his character getting killed off in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, since his performance is one of the great stars of the last decade. Especially in the brooding Winter Soldier, but also in follow up films, the Captain America movies have been some of the only Marvel movies (until Black Panther) to address real world concerns is a smart way.

The original Star Wars trilogy - This trilogy is so good, so satisfying that to this day they loom like a shadow over not just every new Star Wars film but every pop action event film that has come in its wake. They are all paced wonderfully, flow into each other beautifully, and tell a simple accessible story in an engaging, exciting and heartfelt way. I discover new little moments I love every time I see them and they benefit enormously because of the limits of technology, their charm is in their shagginess.

The Godfather films - It's a popular punchline to pile on Part III, and while it in no way reaches the peaks of the original and its sequel, it is still a sumptuous, worthy gangster film. The first two films, however, are two of the best, most savage documents of American greed and hubris. I am still struck by the audaciousness of structuring an epic success story around a ruthless crime family. These are not good people, but you can't take your eyes off them.

The Ocean's trilogy - These are movies that I get sucked into whenever I see them. I stumble upon one of them on cable, I settle in and watch. The first one is a pop masterpiece. The second, I think, is  a misunderstood, experimental riff on the genre. And the third, is a loving, even sentimental send-off. Although these films only had a six year run, they were a wonderfully diverting source of joy for me at a time that was anything but joyful in the real world.

The Back to the Future movies - It's wild to me that these movies are so underrated. You'd have to live under a rock to be unfamiliar with the first one, which is just about as close to flawless a blockbuster can get, but I've also always been a fan of the weirder, darker Part II which has even more fun with the time travel premise. Sure, Part III feels less consequential, and I've watched it the least, but I still think it's a pretty fun little western movie and I like how it gives Doc Brown a romance of his own.

The Dark Knight trilogy - Although I'll always be more partial to Tim Burton's version of Batman, there's no denying the craft and thematic continuity of Christopher Nolan's trilogy of films about the Caped Crusader. I hold an unpopular opinion in that I enjoy the latter to movies more than Batman Begins, although I like that one too. These are epic, muscular, and yes, a little problematic films, but they are too interesting to be dismissed as pure genre fluff.

The Man with no Name films - The movies that made Clint Eastwood a legend are still the epitome of a kind of laconic 60's cool. In all three, Eastwood has never been more handsome and mysterious -- of course, he does have names in the films, sort of. But that's not the point. These films are all about style and sensational bursts of violence. The best Leone film -- Once Upon a Time in the West -- came after, but these three movies are probably the next greatest spaghetti westerns ever made.

Toy Story movies - These incredibly moving films have such a perfect arc (especially the third film) that I am a little troubled that a fourth film is on the way. Still, this is the sturdiest, most reliable series of animated films. Woody and Buzz have become our friends over twenty-plus years and their struggle to maintain their relevance is reflect of the human spirit at its most vulnerable. These movies are deep.

Mad Max series - There are some who have quibbles with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, but I am a big fan of all three of George Miller's original post-apocalyptic Mad Max films starring Mel Gibson. And somehow, against the odds, his much-delayed fourth entry -- Mad Max: Fury Road -- is the best in my opinion. All of these films are action spectacles of the first order, but they also sneak in some subtle political commentary about our obsession with oil and the subjugation of the poor, which is not too shabby.

Rocky films - This franchise has always held a very special place in my heart. The original has always held special meaning for my wife and I, and I actually think all of the follow-ups except for the dreary part V are either genuinely good or great camp. For those keeping score Rocky II, Rocky Balboa and Creed are all solid to substantial sequels. Rocky III and Rocky IV are great but ludicrous, and part V is the dud. Whatever his flaws as a human being, Sylvester Stallone did create something inspirational and indelible with Rocky, and nothing will erase that.

Mission: Impossible - This is another series that has rarely ever erred as far as I'm concerned. Yes, Mission: Impossible II is bloated and dated, but the original is a Brian de Palma tour de force. The underrated Mission: Impossible III proved that J.J. Abrams was a legit big screen talent. And the last two entries -- Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation -- have really upped the stunts ante to a fantastic degree despite their star's advanced age. I do honestly think Tom Cruise is going to die one day during the making of these, but what a run he's ad.

Indiana Jones - Speaking of advanced age. Sigh. I know that a lot of people can't get past the disappointment over the fourth entry (even that name is way too long) and while I don't revile that film as a much as some people, it definitely got a lot wrong about what fans loved so much about the first three adventure films. Who knows what this long gestating fifth entry will be, especially since Harrison Ford is pushing 80! But, these films are real landmarks for their time and the height of '80s roller-coaster filmmaking. Even though some of the cultural bits don't age well, these are some undeniably fun movies.

The new Planet of the Apes - I was as skeptical as anyone when this franchise got rebooted for a second time a few years ago, but modern technology and ambitious storytelling combined with a remarkable series of motion capture performances from Andy Serkis has led to a terrific series of intense action films. These films are so good that you sometimes lose sight of the insanity of watching CGI apes communicate with subtitles, and yet it somehow mostly works because these movies are committed to their premise and really sell it.

Alien 1-3/Terminator 1-3/Die Hard 1-3 - These are all series that just barely made the cut for me because I really like the first three installments of each of them. Sure, Terminator 3 is terminally stupid, but it's entertaining. And yes, Alien 3 suffers from studio interventions, it's still got some really great ideas and moments in it. All these series go seriously wrong in subsequent films and I fear will never recover their former glory.

James Bond - This is the most long-running, and in my opinion, consistently great franchise there is. It's weathered major casting changes and huge swings in style and taste to only emerge as vital and appealing as ever. Tremendous credit goes to the Daniel Craig era for rebranding and re-grounding the character for new generation. While I wish these films still came out at a brisk two-year clip, I appreciate how old fashioned these films are (real stunts) and how much it upholds the traditions set up for the series and its mercurial lead character. I will never tire of 007.