The Athletic Nerd

Wolves Are Scary, Liam Is Bad Ass But The Grey Still Falls Short

jasonmckinnon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:01:38 +0000

A PROMISING TRAILER PROMISED TOO MUCH

I was really excited to see The Grey. Over the last few years, Liam Neeson has proven that he can take on anything with movies like Taken & Unknown. Liam vs Wolves made perfect sense to me. I absolutely adored the first 10-15 minutes of The Grey. Liam’s character Ottway is established as a quiet hunter with a long lost love. All I could think about was the inevitable clash between Ottway and a pack of angry wolves with glass taped to his knuckles…

At the end of the day, I was a little disappointed with the penultimate ‘clash’. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ending. Lets just say there better be a big awesome deleted scene on the Blu Ray. Regardless, I think it was fitting ending given the story director Joe Carnahan was trying to tell. The Grey is a good movie.

It’s a gorgeous survival tale full of tense moments and crazy wolf attacks. (Although I have to say the attack in Adam Green’s Frozen was a little more intense.) The wolves themselves were pretty sweet and the situation the men find themselves in is terrifying. I’ve always said that I’d never go on vacation near snow because freezing to death is one of my biggest fears. I now have two reasons to avoid Alaska.

My main problem with the movie is that, aside from Ottway’s back story, there isn’t much else going on except a group of men trying to survive. There really weren’t many surprises and most of the kills happen in the order you expect. That’s why this movie is better suited to be rented. However, since it is a relatively slow month, I suppose a trip to the theater wouldn’t be a complete waste.

REVIEW IN 2: Cold, Survival

Click here for more reviews.

Random Posts

Rewriting Your Screenwriting Goals

jasonmckinnon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:59:10 +0000

FIND OUT WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

The last new screenwriting post I wrote for this site was posted on December 1, 2011. 2 months ago to the day. It was about the frustration screenwriters sometimes feel that leads them to furiously type FLKJFLSDDSJ:LF. I haven’t written about my passion since…

The reason for the lack of posts is simple. I wasn’t writing any screenplays. I decided that, once and for all, I would wrap up some big projects and start 2012 with a clean slate. I’m happy to say I accomplished that goal. We finished and released 17 West’s latest short film The Climb. In addition to that release, we put Playing Through online as well. It was all timed with the launch of our brand new website 17west.ca. Now I can start a new year with nothing left to do except write. (And get married in the fall)

All of the sudden I’m just a screenwriter. I’m not a web designer anymore. I’m not a director either. All my projects in 2012 involve writing in some capacity. Whether it’s blogging, picking away at my eBook or finishing up a new script, my mind is free to create new things. It’s an incredible feeling.

First up for me is a deeply personal story that I’m absolutely terrified to write. It’s a terror I can’t wait to explore. A demon I can’t wait to banish from my mind and onto the page.

Thinking about the new projects I want to tackle makes me wonder where I will be at the end of 2012. Mainly because I’ve been asking myself a very serious question for over a year now:

Am I a screenwriter? Or do I simply enjoy writing screenplays?

I’m not sure I can answer that. I’m an honest person so I don’t mind admitting that currently, I have no screenplays in production. I have no screenplays awaiting judgement in competitions. I do not have an agent texting me hourly for updates on my latest draft. There are no producers with a copy of my screenplay on their desks.

But that didn’t stop me from writing short screenplays entitled After, Lorraine, Maybe Not Today, Nathan’s Hoard, The Cold Spot, The Guardian, Caligari, The Blanket Fort and Droid. It didn’t stop me from dusting off a feature length script I started in college and finishing it. It didn’t stop me from developing treatments for 2 new features I plan to write this year in addition to a bunch of new shorts I’m excited about.

I am not a professional screenwriter in the sense that I do not get paid to write screenplays. I just love to write. Screenwriting is my cure for anxiety. It’s my calm place. It’s mine. But I’m 28 years old now and I just don’t think that’s enough anymore. I feel like it’s time to find out what I’m made of. Yet, I’m frustrated because I’ve said that before. I’ve even written about it on this blog.

“This year, I’m going to get my act together and find out if I have what it takes.”

It sounds great but that sentence won’t fill up the pages will it? It merely starts the engine but it’s pointless if the engine dies less than a mile down the road. What makes this year different?

“Nothing changes if nothing changes.”

What changed this year? I’ve simplified things. All I’ve got is screenwriting now. It’s just me and Final Draft. (Or Celtx on my iPad)

Above all else, I think the main difference is my main goal overall. Normally, I start a year thinking about all the screenplays I may or may not finish. This year, I’m thinking about the screenplays I’d like people to read. The screenplays that actors, agents and producers can get excited about. The screenplays that may become films someday. That’s a BIG difference in my usual thought process and it’s a ‘rewrite’ I should have done years ago.

Maybe I was afraid. Maybe I’m still afraid.

So… Am I a screenwriter? Or do I simply enjoy writing screenplays? I think I’d be happy with either in the long run because no matter what I’ll get to do what I love.

Check out my 150th screenwriting post featuring 15 of my personal favorites.

Have you rewritten your screenwriting goals lately?

Sapience: The Search For Wisdom

jasonmckinnon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:26:53 +0000

NEW DOCUMENTARY NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

Sapience: The Search For Wisdom is an independent feature documentary being produced in Toronto, Canada.

“Driven by a lust for infinite economic growth on a planet of finite resources, our way of life is coursing toward catastrophe. But the danger is largely masked. In a highly mediated world where swelling numbers of people spend more time in front of screens than they do with other people, or in nature, our reckless pursuit of wealth has had disastrous consequences for the future of humanity.”

The team behind the project recently began their Kickstarter campaign and released a pretty awesome trailer.

I loved the use of animation and CG in the trailer. Particularly the way they staged their interviews in a post apocalyptic setting.

For more on the project visit their site sapiencefilm.com.

Follow them on Twitter @SapienceFilm.

Be sure to stop by the Kickstarter page for a ton of info on the project.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Interviews

jasonmckinnon — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:17:03 +0000

Special thanks to ArcLight Cinemas for the heads up on these Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy interviews. Be sure to check out my review of the film here.

Gary Oldman

Mark Strong

Director Tomas Alfredson

For more visit ArcLight Cinemas YouTube page.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Patience

jasonmckinnon — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:55:19 +0000

SOMETIMES SLOW MOVIES PAY OFF IN A BIG WAY!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was #8 on my list of Must See 2011 movies… That I missed. Now that I’ve seen it, I think it would have been right at home in my top 5. It’s a fantastic movie.

The first hour or so I found myself wondering where it was going. The only thing you really know for sure is a mole exists and he/she must be found. The story unfolds in a series of flashbacks and quick scenes and jumps around quite a bit. Sometimes, it can be distracting and hard to follow but Tinker manages to stay interesting. Perhaps fascinating is a better word for it. It reminded me of The Insider with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. That movie unfolded very slowly but I absolutely loved it.

So yes, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy requires patience but it all pays off in the end. The further into the story you get, the more engrossing it becomes. I was glued to the screen when the answers to my questions arrived.

Ironically, I was slow getting out to see the film in theaters. Having said that, if you haven’t seen it yet, you may as well wait to rent it. It the type of movie meant for quiet Sunday afternoons spent on a comfortable couch with a blanket. (I would include a really well made sandwich too.)

Click here for more reviews.

2 WORDS FOR TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY: QUIET, TENSION

Screenwriting & The Game Of Thrones Theme

jasonmckinnon — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:34:26 +0000

I was bound to cave sooner or later…

After months of recommendations and glowing reviews from my friends, I finally decided to give Game of Thrones a shot. Whoa. I now regret waiting as long as I did. The show is absolutely phenomenal and I’m very proud to consider myself a part of it’s rapidly growing fan base. Especially with the newest (and amazing) trailer for Season 2 working it’s way around the web this week.

Over the last week or so, I powered my way through the exceptional first season while avoiding spoilers from virtually every fan I know. At the same time, I read a lot about the books on which the series is based. It’s a pretty fantastic world that author George R. R. Martin created.

What’s impressive about the television series is how well they established the world and the multiple story lines. It’s not easy creating a brand new world full of new characters, locations and cultures on the small screen. That’s part of the charm of Game of Thrones. By the end of the second episode, I was hooked and completely addicted to Winterfell, The Wall, The Starks, The Lannisters and the Iron Throne.

XTRA | Link, Zelda, Hyrule, Middle Earth & Screenwriting

THE OPENING CREDITS OF GAME OF THRONES

Something funny happened as I watched the first season. I found myself looking forward to the opening credits sequence at the beginning of each episode. Beyond that, I found myself humming the song constantly while I thought about my latest screenplay. The song fit very well into an action script I’ve been developing. I don’t mean to suggest that the opening theme could find a place in the movie someday. I simply felt inspired to write whenever I heard that song. I helped me get into my world and think creatively.

It’s funny how fate can sometimes step in when you are writing a new screenplay. Perhaps I was meant to delay watching the series until I was ready to write my new script? I like to think I was destined to fall in love with that theme and use it as a spark in my own writing.

Inspiration comes in many forms. Whenever something that triggers my creativity comes along, I try to seize every moment and write as much as I can. My new script has absolutely nothing to do with swords, knights, Lords or Kings. Yet here I am, playing the opening to Game of Thrones over and over again and writing…

It’s a good thing the show is amazing too. Win Win!

Do you connect songs to your screenplays? What other influences do you hold close while you write? Music? Art? Other screenplays? Movies? Television shows?

XTRA | How Diddy’s ‘Coming Home’ Inspired My Latest Screenplay

More Indie Trailers & Short Films

jasonmckinnon — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:33:28 +0000

If you have a project you would like to see promoted on The Athletic Nerd email me at jason@17west.ca.

Note: There are a few offensive words as well as violence in these clips so adjust your speakers/eyes accordingly. Viewer discretion is advised and such.

THE CODE

The Code was produced for the Splatterfest Festival in Houston where it won 11 awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Kill, Best Splatter, Best Special Effects plus 4 audience awards. It’s currently posted on Funny Or Die.

Visit the Facebook page for more.

RED KINGDOM RISING

This fantasy horror film is inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It’s about a terrifying fairytale world in which Mary Ann must come to terms with her horrific past.

OVERTURN: AWAKENING OF THE WARRIOR

This upcoming film was shot in the Ukraine featuring a cast from 8 countries.

Visit their website www.overturnmovie.com for more.

LEON HOUSE

This dark comedy is currently being completed on a micro budget. Keep your eyes on their YouTube page for more. Specifically a strange and cool Super 8/Stop Motion experimental short called Woman In A Cloak.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: THE SHORT FILM

This short is currently being submitted to film festivals.

Top 5 Big Summer Action Movies Without Bats, Spiders or Avengers

jasonmckinnon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:18:15 +0000

It’s pretty difficult to look passed the end of a legendary trilogy when The Dark Knight Rises is released next summer. Likewise, 4 larger than life heroes will assemble after years of hype. And how can you ignore a hero like Spider-Man returning to the screen? Today, I attempt to put aside the Bats, Spiders and Avengers to see what else the 2012 summer movie season has to offer. There are a couple picks that could go either way but I’ve got high hopes nonetheless.

5. The Expendables 2

4. Total Recall

3. G.I Joe: Retaliation

2. Battleship

1. Prometheus

Indie Game: The Movie Trailer & Your Passions

jasonmckinnon — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:14:51 +0000

NEW DOCUMENTARY LOOKS INSPIRING!

I had no idea a project like this was even in development until I read an article promoting the trailer on /FILM.

The movie focuses on indie game developers and their passion for video games and video game design.

I write about passion on this site often. I don’t feel normal unless I have some kind of creative project to work on everyday. Whether it’s a new screenplay, a blog post, an image in photoshop or a big broadcast at work, I desperately need to feel creative everyday. It’s that passion that drives me every morning when I skip television and jump straight onto my computer to work.

People ask me often how I’ve managed to write every day on The Athletic Nerd in addition to my indie film aspirations, screenwriting obsession and more. I explain it by asking people what they do when they get home from work on a normal day. Most evenings are filled up with television or whatever else helps one relax and unwind. The last thing anyone wants to do after a long day at work is… More work. But I don’t see these projects as work. It’s simply what I love to do.

If you understand what it’s like to wake up extra early to work on a passion project then you probably enjoyed the trailer above as much as I did.

2011 Movie Recaps & 2012 Movie Previews

jasonmckinnon — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:14:06 +0000

RECAPS AND REVIEWS… RECAP

January 2012 was packed with posts that looked back on 2011 and ahead to a very promising 2012. I wanted to take a moment to recap all the content that was posted over the last few weeks.

You’ll find ‘best of’ posts, 2012 previews, announcements and much more!

Top 10 Cinematic Game Studios

jasonmckinnon — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:07:46 +0000

People go to the movies for a cinematic experience. Video games can provide a similar experience with an added level of immersion and interactivity. Over the last few years, I’ve become obsessed with video games that play out like movies.

We’ve been given countless movie like experiences in video games but today I’d like to focus on the studios behind them. The top 10 cinematic game studios.

HONORABLE MENTION | NINTENDO: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, BETHESDA SOFTWORKS:Fallout 3, Skyrim

I’m currently wrapped up in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s been dominating most of my free time for a while. Giant RPGs are tricky because they don’t really present a single narrative but that’s also an advantage. The ‘movie’ is different for every single player depending on the choices they make.

The big draw in games like Skyrim is the world itself. Bethesda Softworks creates incredibly detailed and wonderful worlds to explore.

10. BLIZZARD – World of Warcraft

You hear stories about divorces being blamed on Azeroth. While I never got into World of Warcraft, I was completely obsessed with the Warcraft real time strategy games. It was worth it for the cut scenes alone. Blizzard has always created amazing animated cut scenes that weave their plots together between the action. These scenes have always been beautiful and compelling.

Is there a movie?

Sam Raimi has long been attached to a World of Warcraft adaptation but nothing concrete has come along in a while. If you want to follow the film (or the rumors) check out this site.

9. ROCKSTEADY – Batman: Arkham Asylum

In my humble opinion, the geniuses at Rocksteady created the best superhero video game of all time when they unleashed Batman: Arkham Asylum. At least until they topped it with an equally brilliant and fun sequel, Arkham City. These games are love letters to superhero fans with tons of hidden references and cameos. People want to be Batman and these games are the closest thing to it.

The real stand out here are the voice actor’s amazing performances. Especially Mark Hamill as The Joker.

Is there a movie?

You really can’t plan a Batman movie until Christopher Nolan wraps up his legendary trilogy when The Dark Knight Rises is released. Still, I’m sure Warner Brothers is already planning some kind of sequel/reboot/remake/re imagining… Thing. It’s not a stretch to think they have considered these games at some point. Though I’m thinking Nolan will return as a producer and the series will continue the amazing style and tone he developed and mastered.

8. SQUARE ENIX – Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy is one of the most recognizable video game franchises on the planet. It’s a world that has already inspired numerous film adaptations.

Is there a movie?

Yes. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was released in 2011 with Advent Children following in 2005.

7. KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS/KONAMI – Metal Gear

Hideo Kojima is a legend. Of all the franchises listed here without a movie, Metal Gear is by far the most surprising. No movie yet? Come on Hollywood!

Is there a movie?

It’s listed on IMDB but right now it’s safe to say no movie will be coming any time soon.

6. BIOWARE – Mass Effect

I’m obsessed with the Mass Effect series. This is literally an infinite universe that Bioware has created full of amazing characters and massive battles. Not only is the series a blast to play but it allows you to carry your character over to the sequels. Nice! I can’t wait for my character’s third adventure aboard The Normandy.

Is there a movie?

Legendary Pictures are currently developing a Mass Effect movie.

5. ROCKSTAR – GRAND THEFT AUTO

Grand Theft Auto 3 changed the way we looked at games forever. It paved the way for so many incredibly deep sandbox games. Grand Theft Auto 4 raised the bar and with the anticipated 5th installment on the way, you would think Hollywood would capitalize on the franchise’s popularity right? Everyone loves a good heist movie and these games are packed with cinematic heist sequences. Not too mention cars, crime, violence and more. Somebody make a Grand Theft Auto summer action movie please?

Is there a movie?

A little digging revealed some rights issues behind the scenes but there hasn’t been a ton of talk out there about getting a production started.

4. IRRATIONAL GAMES – Bioshock

I would love to see the world of Rapture on the big screen. The original Bioshock had one of the best stories I’ve ever played through. I was totally captivated by the world, the art style, the Big Daddy/Little Sister relationships, the twists and so much more. (Jean Dujardin as Andrew Ryan? I don’t mean to type cast the guy but it could definitely work.)

Is there a movie?

A while back, Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring) was on board and Bioshock was in the early stages of pre-production.

However, budget issues forced the project to the sidelines. This movie has to happen and it HAS to be R rated. I’m happy waiting as long as they don’t sacrifice the elements that made the game so memorable.

XTRA | Wouldn’t it be Awesome if the Bioshock movie happened?

3. BUNGIE – Halo

Halo redefined the first person shooter when it was released in 2001. It introduced us to an action hero made for the big screen. Master Chief. The game is full of imaginative and exciting set pieces that MUST be filmed eventually… Right?

Is there a movie?

Peter Jackson led a team that included director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) in a phenomenal pairing that every geek loved…

Unfortunately budget issues at Microsoft put a stop to it and they moved on. To date, no official word has surfaced on the Halo movie.

2. INFINITY WARD – CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE

The Modern Warfare franchise pretty much functions as a movie already. Each level is full of amazing heart stopping moments. I still go back and play the sniper level from the first Modern Warfare. Crawling on that grass hoping to avoid capture gets me every time. Great franchise.

Is there a movie?

Nope. Still no word in any official capacity. You have to assume that somewhere there is a studio agonizing over who would play Soap if they ever made a movie… All I found was a couple old articles on MTV and /Film. However, you can’t ignore the original games or the recent Black Ops either…

1. NAUGHTY DOG – UNCHARTED

THE cinematic video game experience. The Uncharted series has successfully blurred the line between video games and movies. When you play Uncharted, you ARE Nathan Drake and you are most definitely IN a movie.

Is there a movie?

David O. Russell was gearing up to direct Uncharted with Mark Walberg attached to star. The casting alone caused some controversy as many fans out there wanted Nathan Fillion to win the role. Just when people got used to the idea of David O. Russell’s approach to the material the project fell apart. What intrigued me were the rumors that Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci would potentially be involved.

This movie WILL happen especially after the huge success of Uncharted 3. It’s just a matter of when and who the artists behind the project will be.

The Climb Is Now Available Online

jasonmckinnon — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:58:57 +0000

NEW SHORT FILM ON 17WEST.CA

17 West Productions is pleased to announce the release of a brand new short film: The Climb. The movie centers on Cameron and Destiny and their struggles living on the street. Each of them must face their terrible pasts in order to move on. While Destiny lost all hope long ago, Cameron holds to his belief that he will find a way to change things one day.

The short film stars Michael Clarke, Alyssa LaPlume. It was written & directed by Jason McKinnon and produced by Eric Gamache.

Check out the trailer below and head over to 17west.ca for the whole film.

Check out The Climb’s archives for more on the production.

The Climb: The Journey Ends

jasonmckinnon — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:58:30 +0000

LOOKING BACK. LOOKING AHEAD

When I first decided to make The Climb, it was always meant to be an editing experiment. I just realized that’s a lot of pressure to put on myself as I took over a year and a half to get it done. It should be flawless right? I’m not the person to judge such a thing.

We produced The Climb with about 300 bucks and a lot of help from our talented cast and crew. We made it because it’s fun to be on a film set. It’s fun to make movies.

I’m a professional editor but my experience is almost entirely in a live television environment. Having footage to work with at home has been amazing… But as I exported the final film a few weeks ago, I found myself a little saddened. What footage am I going to work with now?

The obvious answer is to shoot another film but I’m getting married this year! 2012 is also a year I’ve dedicated to screenwriting in between planning the massive event this fall. And so I realized I probably won’t cut another short film for at least a year and half and potentially longer… It’s a little sad.

Having said that, I do plan on shooting some footage when I can in creative ways. I always like to have a couple active projects in After Effects to pick at. It’s addicting.

In the end, I think I cut The Climb using a variety of styles just to experiment and I had a blast. But a film is meant to be completed so I’m happy to have it done. I’m going to miss cutting footage for the next little while but, thankfully, developing new projects is just as fun.

Producing A Low Budget Short Film

jasonmckinnon — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:58:15 +0000

50 POSTS ABOUT INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

We filmed The Climb over a weekend in May 2010 for about $300. It was the first project we developed after I launched this blog so there was a ton of coverage here.

There are posts about every topic including budgets, screenwriting, stories from the set, post-production, marketing, promotion, trailers, posters and more.

Now that the film is completed I thought it would be useful to gather every post in one place. So check out the entire story of how we produced The Climb.

WATCH THE ENTIRE FILM HERE

Pre-Production

Low Budget Filmmaking: The Climb’s Budget

The Climb’s 1st Location Scout

Screenwriting: Rewriting The Climb

Meet The Cast Of The Climb

Storyboarding When You Can’t Draw

Designing The Tattoos

The Director Of Photography

First Tattoo Sketches And Tests

No Budget Filmmaking: Producing A Short Film

The Need To Edit A Movie

Improving The Screenplay

Pre-Production Day

Final Make-Up Tests

Wardrobe And Props

Rehearsing A Short Film

Tweaking Your Screenplay

Directing Short Films: The Calm Before The Storm

Making Progress

Making A Short Film: The Little Details

Final Location Scouts

It Begins!

Production

Technical Specs

Can’t Complain About Early Call Times

I Dislike People Who Honk During Filming

Destiny’s Tattoos

I Don’t Like To Hold The Camera

Rushing To Capture Footage

A Computer, Some Footage And Me

How The Weather Almost Killed Our Short Film

Directing Short Films: Playing Through vs The Climb

That’s A Wrap!

Post-Production

Editing A Short Film: Little Moments

How a dialogue heavy script became a quiet movie

Short Film Editing: Is This Scene Boring?

Tough Cuts: Letting go of a scene

Taking on the opening scene

Editing a short film you directed: The Annoying Part

Editing a short film: You have to start somewhere

I got stuck editing my short film

We Have Picture Lock

Marketing & Promotion

Short Films, After Effects & Video Copilot

The Climb’ Trailer

Planning The Trailer

A new poster for The Climb has arrived

First official still from The Climb

Does this poster sell my independent short film?

The Climb’s poster is here

Commentaries

The Climb: A Journey Ends

The Climb is finished

The Climb: One Year Later

10 Flicks: Box Office Favorites

jasonmckinnon — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:39:15 +0000

I’m a proud movie nerd.

We’ve covered that so it shouldn’t surprise anyone who reads this blog that I follow box office numbers closely. The only place I go for box office information online is Box Office Mojo.

Recently, I was checking the all time domestic numbers and decided to see if I could narrow the top 100 down to 10. Can you?

Click here to see the Top 100

So here are my 10 favorite box office moneymakers.

Honourable Mention: Avatar, 300, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan

Star Wars

#4 – $460,998,007

I adore the original trilogy and enjoyed the prequels but A New Hope will always be my favorite. (Followed closely by Empire Strikes Back.)

XTRA | If I Could Only Recommend ONE Science Fiction Film

Spider-Man

#9 – $403,706,375

It may not be my favorite superhero movie of all time but it certainly paved the way for some of the most entertaining movies in history.

“Go web go!”

Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King

#12 – $377,027,325

It’s tough to pick one movie when all three are in the top 100. I look at the series and see one giant incredible movie but I had to pick one so ROTK was the winner.

XTRA | Movies That Changed Everything: The Lord of the Rings

Transformers

#22 – $319,246,193

Even though I absolutely hated the sequel, the original is one of the most entertaining popcorn movies I’ve ever seen on the big screen. It had giant fighting robots and some of the best and most complex visual effects ever created.

XTRA | Transformers 3? Apology accepted Michael Bay

Independence Day

#30 – $306,169,268

Will Smith is my favorite actor. I’m one of the reasons his movies always make 100 million+ in theaters. Independence Day will always be one of the greats. ID4 is a perfect example of a huge box office blockbuster. Big stars, big FX and big thrills.

XTRA | Wouldn’t it be awesome if Independence Day 2 was about…

Signs

#70 – $227,966,634

I talk about Signs a lot on this site. I even thought about leaving it off this list to avoid ‘Signs fatigue’. However, I simply couldn’t bring myself to leave my all time favorite movie off the list.

The Matrix Reloaded

#41 – $281,576,461

It’s ambitious, it’s explosive, it’s cool and it’s confusing. It was once the record holder for most anticipated movie until it was toppled by The Dark Knight years later.

XTRA | What THE MATRIX screenplay taught me

Twister

#61 – $241,721,524

Twister may surprise some people but I’ve always loved this movie. When I was a kid, I used to be terrified of tornado warnings. This eventually ignited an interest in weather and this movie came along right in the middle of that childhood obsession. Twister is a fun movie. Plain and Simple.

Jurassic Park

#15 – $357,067,947

To this day, I’m still fascinated by how well the effects stand up compared to today’s standards. Such a fun movie.

The Dark Knight

#3 – $533,345,358

My second favorite movie ever. I’ve never been so excited to see a movie in my entire life and to have the film deliver on all the hype was amazing.

Try narrowing down your own list of 10 box office favorites. It’s not that easy.

The Athletic Nerd

Wolves Are Scary, Liam Is Bad Ass But The Grey Still Falls Short

A PROMISING TRAILER PROMISED TOO MUCH

Random Posts

Rewriting Your Screenwriting Goals

FIND OUT WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

Related Posts

Sapience: The Search For Wisdom

NEW DOCUMENTARY NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

Related Posts

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Interviews

Gary Oldman

Mark Strong

Director Tomas Alfredson

Related Posts

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Patience

SOMETIMES SLOW MOVIES PAY OFF IN A BIG WAY!

Related Posts

Screenwriting & The Game Of Thrones Theme

THE OPENING CREDITS OF GAME OF THRONES

Related Posts

More Indie Trailers & Short Films

THE CODE

RED KINGDOM RISING

OVERTURN: AWAKENING OF THE WARRIOR

LEON HOUSE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: THE SHORT FILM

Related Posts

Top 5 Big Summer Action Movies Without Bats, Spiders or Avengers

5. The Expendables 2

4. Total Recall

3. G.I Joe: Retaliation

2. Battleship

1. Prometheus

Related Posts

Indie Game: The Movie Trailer & Your Passions

NEW DOCUMENTARY LOOKS INSPIRING!

Related Posts

2011 Movie Recaps & 2012 Movie Previews

RECAPS AND REVIEWS… RECAP

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

2012 PREVIEWS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Related Posts

Top 10 Cinematic Game Studios

HONORABLE MENTION | NINTENDO: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, BETHESDA SOFTWORKS:Fallout 3, Skyrim

10. BLIZZARD – World of Warcraft

9. ROCKSTEADY – Batman: Arkham Asylum

8. SQUARE ENIX – Final Fantasy

7. KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS/KONAMI – Metal Gear

6. BIOWARE – Mass Effect

5. ROCKSTAR – GRAND THEFT AUTO

4. IRRATIONAL GAMES – Bioshock

3. BUNGIE – Halo

2. INFINITY WARD – CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE

1. NAUGHTY DOG – UNCHARTED

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