“The Best” -Vs- “My Favorite”: Episode III: Super Heroes And Super Sequels

Alright, Kiddies…

…Let Us Play This Little Game Again.

Y’all Seemed To Enjoy These…

…So Why Not Go For Another, Eh!?

Why Not, Indeed.

😉

So…

…Today I Wanna Talk…

“SUPER HEROES”

…With Y’all.

I’m Going To Do The BIG TWO (2) For Our Third Episode.

Namely…

“BATMAN“

&

“SUPERMAN“

😀

Shall We Officially Begin?!

WE SHALL!!

🙂

*** *** *** *** ***

I’m Going To Begin With “BATMAN” Simply Because This Is The One I Expect To Cause The Most Commotion.

First Thing I Need To Say, Is…

…NO.

NO, I Have NOT Seen…

“THE DARK KNIGHT RISES“

(2012)

…Yet.

I Don’t Tend To Hit The Cinema Anymore…

…So It’s The One “BATMAN” Flick That Has Slipped Through My Proverbial Cracks.

SO…

…This Edition Of…

“THE BEST” -Vs- “MY FAVORITE”

…Must Be Put Into Proper Context.

Based On Those I’ve Seen, I’m Going To Say “THE BEST” Would (Likely) Be Either…

“BATMAN“

(1989)

…Or…

“THE DARK KNIGHT“

(2008)

…Right?!

RIGHT!!

They’re Both Exceptional Flicks, Fo SHO, And I Do Enjoy Them Both…

…BUT…

…Are Either Of Those Flicks…

“MY FAVORITE”

??? ??? ???

??? ???

???

Nope.

So What Is…

“MY FAVORITE”

???????

“BATMAN RETURNS“

(1992)

😀

For My Money…

“BATMAN RETURNS“

…Was…

…By FAR FAR FAR…

“MY FAVORITE”

Period.

To ME…

…It Was Honestly The Darkest Chapter In The Annals Of “BATMAN” History.

MICHELLE PFEIFFER

…As…

“CATWOMAN”

…Was Exceptional!

Especially The Patton-Leather Outfit.

She Was Just So Damned Sexy AND So Damned Viscous!

I LOVED IT.

As For…

DANNY DeVITO

…As…

“THE PENGUIN”

…He Was Literally So Revolting It Was Brilliant.

I Don’t Think Anyone Could Have Played That Part Like He Did.

Period.

AND…

…To Top It All Off…

…You’ve Got MY Favorite “BATMAN” Of The Bunch…

MICHAEL KEATON

!!! !!! !!!

Yes, My Peeps…

I AM A CHILD OF THE ’80s AND ’90s…

…So It’s Only Proper My Loyalties Lay There.

I Saw The 1989 Version Of “BATMAN” On Opening Weekend In 1989…

…And It Was The Same For “BATMAN RETURNS” In 1992.

I Never Thought They’d Be Able To Top The 1989 Installment…

…And Then Came 1992.

I Was Simply Blown Away.

It’s A Feeling I Haven’t Felt Since, In Regard To “SUPERHERO” Flicks.

With “BATMAN RETURNS” I Got Everything I Wanted From The Series.

Period Period.

I Know A Lot Of People STRONGLY Disliked It…

…But There Are A Few Of Us Whom Never Could Get Enough Of It!!!

*** *** *** *** ***

Alright, Kids…

…Moving On Moving On…

…To…

“SUPERMAN“

!!! !!! !!!

With The Selection Of Flicks In The “SUPERMAN” Saga…

…This One Is An EASY No-Brainer.

Which One Would (Likely) Be Considered The Best?!

Well…

…For Most Folks…

…I’d Venture To Say…

“SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE“

(1978)

…Would Be Considered “THE BEST” Of “THE BEST” Of “THE BUNCH”…

…Fo SHO.

BUT BUT BUT…

…My Peeps…

…Does…

“SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE“

…Rank As…

“MY FAVORITE”

??? ???

Nope.

Sorry.

I’m A Firm Believer That…

“SUPERMAN II“

(1980)

…Is Superior.

At Least, It Is For Me.

“SUPERMAN II“

…Gave Me EVERYTHING I Sincerely Wanted From The Whole Franchise.

To Me…

“SUPERMAN II“

…Is…

“MY FAVORITE”

…”SUPERHERO” Flick Of ALL-TIME!!!

I Even Went So Far As To Get The Theatrical Cut Of The Flick On The DVD…

…Then Picked-Up The “RICHARD DONNER CUT” On The Blu-Ray.

“SUPERMAN II“

…Spawned A Couple Halloween’s Worth Of…

“BRADLEY Is SUPERMAN This Year… …Again.”

😉

*** *** *** *** ***

SOOOOOO…

…MY PEEPS…

…WHICH “SUPERHERO” FLICKS Are YOUR FAVORITES?!?!?

I’d LOVE To Know.

I’m Very VERY Curious.

Not Everyone Has The Same Opinion…

…And I’d Love To Know Yours!

*** *** *** *** ***

“THE DRIVER” (1978) Is Superior To “DRIVE” (2011). Period.

Alright, My Peeps…

…How Many Of Y’all Honestly Knew This Flick…

“THE DRIVER“

…Even Existed?!

One.

Two.

Three.

Hmm.

Not Too Many Of Y’all.

M’Kay.

That’s What I Figured.

So I’m Guessing It (likely) Doesn’t Shock You That The Same Flick Was Made 30+ Years Prior To The 2011 Fan-Fave…

…Only Made BETTER?!

Well…

…Ya Know…

…That’s Why I’m Here.

I’m Here To Educate, My Peeps.

😀

“THE DRIVER“

…Stars…

RYAN O’NEAL

(in the best on-screen role of his career, without question)

…As…

“THE DRIVER“

…And…

BRUCE DERN

(in one of his best roles, also)

…As…

“THE DETECTIVE“

…AND…

…It Was Written And Directed By…

WALTER HILL

😀

Now, I’ll Be Blunt, My Peeps…

…We Are Talkin’…

…BALLZ To Da WALLZ…

…HIGH-OCTANE…

…SUPER-DUPER-FAST…

…WHITE-KNUCKLE…

…ACTION-ACTION-ACTION.

Period.

You Think You’ve Seen Amazing Car-Chases?!

You Haven’t Seen Anything, My Peeps!!

“THE DRIVER“

…Makes…

“DRIVE“

…Look Like…

…Well…

“DRIVE“

…Only…

“THE DRIVER“

…Is BETTER!!!

😉

“THE DRIVER“

…Is…

AMAZINGLY AWESOME AWESOME!!!

😀

I Love A Good Crime-Drama…

…Especially 1970s Crime-Dramas…

…And…

“THE DRIVER“

…Is One Of The Very VERY Best!!!

Tough.

Gritty.

Relentless.

It’s A Helluva Fun Flick All The Way Around!

So What’s Gonna Happen?

Will “THE DRIVER” Make His Getaway?!

…Or…

Will “THE DETECTIVE” Nab His Criminal?!

I’m Afraid You’re Just Going To Have To Watch And See, My Peeps!!

What I Will Tell You Is This…

…Either Way It Goes…

…You’ll Have Plenty Of Fun Finding Out!!!

Fo SHO, My Peeps!!!

Fo SHO, INDEED!!!

I’d Tell You More…

…I Mean…

…I’d Like To…

…But I’m Trying To Watch It As We Speak!!!

Guess You Could Say I Needed A Quick Pick-Me-Up…

…Ya Know…

…A Regular Jolt Of Energy.

“THE DRIVER“

…Does Exactly That!!!

I’ll Holla At Y’all More After It’s Over.

Of That, You Can Feel Assured.

😉

😀

“THE BEST” -Vs- “MY FAVORITE”: Episode II: “It’s All In The Reflexes.”

Howdy, Kids.

What’s Shakin’?

Yeah…

…Not Much Here, Either.

T’Is Another Of Those Mornings Where I’m Awake Way Too Damned Early.

It’s My Fault, Though.

Went To Bed Too Damned Early.

What’Ya’Gonna’Do, Ya Know?!

Exactly My Point!!

Anyway…

…I Digress.

Let’s Get To The Meat Of This Thing, Shall We?!

LETS!!

🙂

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

*** *** ***

***

In This Episode…

…I Wish To Cover A Couple Modern-Day Directors.

I’ll Begin With A Personal Favorite Of Mine…

…And Someone I Know Some Of You Really Enjoy…

JOHN CARPENTER

🙂

So…

…What’s JOHN CARPENTER‘s BEST Work?!

Well…

…There Are Two Schools Of Thought On This One.

Some Believe His BEST Work To Be…

“HALLOWEEN“

(1978)

…And It Is Hard To Scoff At That One.

I LOVE The Original…

“HALLOWEEN“

…Very VERY Much So.

The Other School…

…However…

…Would Say…

“THE THING“

(1982)

…Is…

“THE BEST“

…Of His Work.

That One Is Even Harder To Scoff At…

…At Least For ME…

…Because I’m Of That School.

I Think…

“THE THING“

…Is His BEST Work.

.Period.

BUT…

…Are Either Of Those Films…

“MY FAVORITE“

??? ???

No.

I Love Them Both Dearly…

…And Have Owned Copies Of Both (in one format or another) For The Past Two-Decades.

So What Is…

“MY FAVORITE“

???????

That Would Be…

“BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA“

(1986)

😀

Yes…

…I’m VERY Well Aware…

“BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA“

…Is An Inferior Film To Both…

“HALLOWEEN“

…And…

“THE THING“

…So You Don’t Have To Remind Me Of That Fact.

I’m With You, My Peeps.

I Am.

BUT…

“BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA“

…Is The Flick Attached To The Most Memories.

It’s The Film I Never Could Get Enough Of.

It’s The Film I Sit-Down To Watch With My Nephew When We Both Need A Bit Of Escapist Adventure.

It’s The Film I Had To Place A Special Order For While In The Navy Because It Sold-Out At The Video Store The First Day It Was Released.

No Foolies, My Peeps.

“HALLOWEEN“

???

LOVE IT!

🙂

“THE THING“

???

LOVE IT LOVE IT!

🙂

“BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA“

???

LOVE IT SO SO SO MUCH IT’S CRAZY!!!

😀

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

*** *** ***

***

***

*** *** ***

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

The Second Director I Wish To Cover Is Another Modern Fan Favorite…

WES CRAVEN

🙂

So What’s WES CRAVEN‘s BEST Work?

???

Well…

…Again…

…There Are Two Schools Of Thought At Play, Here.

Some Say It’s His Original Directorial Work…

“THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT“

(1972)

…And I Can Understand And AGREE With That Line Of Thought.

It IS A Truly Powerful Work, To Say The Least.

It’s Gritty.

It’s Nasty.

It’s So Damned Realistic You Feel Like You’re Watching A Snuff-Film.

It Would Get My Vote As His BEST.

The Other School Would Easily Say…

“A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET“

(1984)

…Is…

“THE BEST“

…Which Is Also Hard Not To Agree With.

“A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET“

…Is An Iconic Piece Of Work…

…Just Like JOHN CARPENTER‘s…

“HALLOWEEN“

…Both Of Which Have Spawned What Seems Like An Endless Stream Of Sequels.

.Period.

BUT BUT BUT…

…Are Either…

“THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT“

…Or…

“A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET“

“MY FAVORITE“

…Of His Works?

??? ??? ???

Nope.

That Honor Goes To…

…

…

…

“SWAMP THING“

(1982)

😀

Now Don’t Get To Laughing At Me So Soon!

I Do Admit…

…It’s An Odd Choice.

It’s Drastically Inferior To Both Of The Preceding Flicks…

…Sure Sure Sure…

…But Does That Change My Feeling???

NOT. IN. THE. SLIGHTEST.

.PERIOD.

“SWAMP THING“

…Has Been My Personal Favorite Since The Beginning.

It’s Another I’ve Owned (in one format or another) Since It’s Initial Release On VHS.

I Would Venture To Guess I’ve Seen…

“SWAMP THING“

…Perhaps…

…Oh…

…412 Times?!

Perhaps Even…

…Oh…

….4,012 Times?!

I Don’t Really Know.

I Just Know It’s A LOT A LOT A LOT!!!

“SWAMP THING“

…Was A Childhood Hero Of Mine…

…And He Remains So To This Very Day.

Next Time My Nephew Is Here With Me, I Plan To Bust-Out The…

“SWAMP THING“

…And Have Him Check-It-Out.

I Think It’s A Flick He’d Truly Get A Major Kick Out Of.

FO SHO, My Peeps!!!

😀

***

*** *** ***

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Was That FUN For Y’all?!

I SURE HOPE SO!!!

It Was Fun For Me, Anyway!!!

😉

Please Try To Enjoy The Day, Kiddies.

Y’all Hang-In-There.

Take Care.

Be Good.

See Me Soon.

And Talk To Me Sooner.

L8r, Taters!!!

😀

Song Of The Moment: “SULTANS OF SWING” by DIRE STRAITS (1978)

“…You Check Out Guitar George…

…He Knows All The Chords…

…Mind He’s Strictly Rhythm…

…He Doesn’t Wanna Make It Cry Or Sing…

…A Standard Note Guitar Is All He Can Afford…

…When He Gets Up Under The Lights…

…To Play His Thing…“

<<<(*)>>>

“SULTANS OF SWING” Is Off Of The Self-Titled 1978 Debut Album “DIRE STRAITS” From The Band DIRE STRAITS !!!

<<<(*)>>>

“…And Harry Doesn’t Mind…

…If He Doesn’t…

…Make The Scene…

…He’s Got A Daytime Job…

…He’s Doin’ Alright…

…He Can Play The Honky-Tonk Like Anything…

…Savin’ It Up…

…For Friday Night…

…With The Sultans…

…With The SULTANS OF SWING. …“

<<<(*)>>>

The Single Album For “SULTANS OF SWING” By DIRE STRAITS !!!

<<<(*)>>>

<<<<<<<(*)>>>>>>>

See The Video At The Link Below!

--->(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB3b1W6rEDw)<---

<<<<<<<(*)>>>>>>>

<<<(*)>>>

I Sincerely Just Felt This Was The PERFECT Jam For The Moment, My Peeps.

I’ve Been Listening To So Many Quality Jams This Morning…

…But This One…

“SULTANS OF SWING“

by DIRE STRAITS

…Simply Pushed Itself To The Front Of The Line And Shouted…

"ME ME ME, PICK ME!!!"

And So I Did!!!

“SULTANS OF SWING“

…Honestly…

…Is The Finest Work From DIRE STRAITS.

Period.

“MONEY FOR NOTHING“

&

“WALK OF LIFE“

…Do Run A Close 2ND And 3RD Place, Fo SHO, But It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This One.

I’ve Been A Huge Fan Of DIRE STRAITS My Whole Life, As My Father Simply Loved Them AND He Made Sure I Was Able To Listen To Whatever Music I So Chose.

When In That Situation, You Go With What You Know.

And I Know My Father Has AMAZING Taste In Music.

He Always Has.

He Went To All The Best Concerts.

He Had All The Best Albums.

And He Made Damn Sure I Was Able To Listen To An Amazing Amount Of Quality Jams, Regardless Of Who Was Playing, Or When It Was From.

So DIRE STRAITS Made A Huge Impact On My Young Life.

We Even Had DIRE STRAITS On LASER-DISC!!!

Yeah.

I Know.

I’m Showing My Age A Little.

But That’s Okie The Dokie, Ya Know, Pokey?

SURE YOU DO!!!

SO…

…Here’s Hoping A Little DIRE STRAITS Can Perk-Up Your FRIDAY!!!

Like I Said…

…They’ve Got A Bundle Of Great Tunes…

…But There’s None Better Than…

“SULTANS OF SWING“

…NO DOUBT And FO SHO!!!

😀

The Song Stuck In My Head: “ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER” by WARREN ZEVON (1978)

“…They Can Still See His Headless Body…

…Stalking Through The Night…

…In The Muzzle-Flash Of Roland’s Thompson Gun…

…In The Muzzle-Flash Of Roland’s Thompson Gun…“

… … …

“ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER” Is Off Of WARREN ZEVON‘s 1978 Album “EXCITABLE BOY“

… … …

“…Roland Searched The Continent…

…For The Man Who’d Done Him In…

…He Found Him In Mombasa…

…In A Barroom Drinking Gin…

…Roland Aimed His Thompson Gun…

…He Didn’t Say A Word…

…But He Blew Van Owen’s Body…

…From There To Johannesburg…“

… … …

WARREN ZEVON

… … …

“…ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER…

…ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER…

…ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER…

…Talkin’ About The Man…

…ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER. …“

… … … … …

… … …

…

Honestly, My Peeps…

…I Hadn’t Listened To My WARREN ZEVON Music In A Long While…

…Which Is Why I Believe I Can’t Seem To Get It Out Of My Head At The Moment.

I Listened To It Yesterday.

Hummed It To Myself Into The Evening Hours.

Listened To It Again.

Went To Be Bed.

Woke-Up Waaaaaay Toooooo Early.

Listened To It AGAIN On My Walk.

I Haven’t Listened To It Since…

…Yet Continue To Hum Along As If I Were.

Sheesh.

Why Do I Do These Things To Myself?

Last Time I Broke Out The WARREN ZEVON Music…

…I Had…

“WEREWOLVES OF LONDON“

…On Perpetual-Repeat…

…In My Brain…

…For Like 3 Damned Days.

So I Should Have Seen This One Coming.

Perhaps I Just Chose To Believe It Wouldn’t Happen Again…

…And I Was Kinda Right’ish.

“WEREWOLVES OF LONDON“

…Did Not, In Fact, Get Stuck In My Head Again.

Nope.

This Time It’s…

…Yep…

“ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER“

!!! !!! !!!

I Do So Enjoy The Man’s Music…

…I Just Wish It Wouldn’t Get So Stuck In There EACH And EVERY Time I Listen To It.

It’s All Music I’ve Known Since Early Childhood…

(which might help in explaining a few oddities in my personality hehehe)

…As My Father Was A Fan Of The Late MR. ZEVON.

And While I’m Not Expecting Most Of Y’all To Know This Song…

…I’m Sure A Lot More Of You Know His Work Than You Even Know You Know.

Ya Know?!?

GREAT!!!

Glad We’re Together On This.

😉

Aside From…

“WEREWOLVES OF LONDON“

…Which Can Be Heard A Bundle On Classic-Rock Radio Stations…

…His Other Notable Songs Are…

“EXCITABLE BOY“

“LAWYERS, GUNS, And MONEY“

…And…

…Of Course…

“ROLAND THE HEADLESS THOMPSON GUNNER“

…Which Was…

…Incidentally…

…The Final Song He Ever Performed Before A Live Audience.

He Played It On…

“THE LATE SHOW With DAVID LETTERMAN“

…Shortly Before His Death In 2003.

If You’re Into Music That Is…

…Shall We Say…

…DIFFERENT…

…Then You’d Do Yourself Right By Looking Into…

WARREN ZEVON

…Fo SHO, My Peeps.

The Bulk Of Y’all Won’t Like It.

I’m Just Tellin’ Y’all That Right Now.

Some Of Y’all…

…However…

…Won’t Be Able To Get Enough Of It.

It’s ODD.

It’s QUIRKY.

It’s Very VERY DIFFERENT.

Some Of Y’all Will Flock To It For That Reason Alone.

I Didn’t Start Listening To It For That Reason…

…I Just Came To Realize Later On It Was Very Obviously NOT What Everyone Else Was Listening To.

My Bad, I Guess.

But…

…These Days…

ODD, QUIRKY, And Very VERY DIFFERENT Kinda Describe ME In General.

What’Ya’Gonna’Do, Ya Know?!?!?

Such Is Life.

😀

“If You Search For Tenderness… It Isn’t Hard To Find… You Can Have The Love You Need To Live…” — BILLY JOEL (“Honesty” (1978))

“…But If You Look For Truthfulness…

…You Might Just As Well Be Blind…

…It Always Seems To Be So Hard To Give…

…Honesty…

…Is Such A Lonely Word…

…Everyone Is So Untrue…

…Honesty…

…Is Hardly Ever Heard…

…And Mostly What I Need From You. …”

"HONESTY" By BILLY JOEL From His Album "52ND STREET" (1978)

“…I Can Always Find Someone…

…To Say They Sympathize…

…If I Wear My Heart Out On My Sleeve…

…But I Don’t Want Some Pretty Face…

…To Tell Me Pretty Lies…

…All I Want Is Someone To Believe…

…Honesty…

…Is Such A Lonely Word…

…Everyone Is So Untrue…

…Honesty…

…Is Hardly Ever Heard…

…And Mostly What I Need From You. …”

… … … … … … …

… … … … …

… … …

…

So I Fell Asleep With My MP3Player And Headphones On, Last Night.

When I Awoke This Morning…

…This Was The Song Playing.

I Had The Damned Thing’s Play Mode Switched Over To…

SHUFFLE-REPEAT

…So I Apparently Slept The Whole Night…

…With My Music Playin’ Its Little Heart Out.

I Just Found It Oddly Interesting…

…That This Song…

“HONESTY“

By

BILLY JOEL

…Was The Song I Awoke To.

Especially After Yesterday’s Bloggin’ing.

In All Honesty, My Peeps…

…In Regard To This Song…

…It’s A Personal Favorite Of BOTH…

…Myself…

…AND…

…My Mother.

In Fact…

…My Mother Is The Person Whom Introduced Me To The World Of…

BILLY JOEL

…At Such A Very VERY Early Age…

…As I’m Sure You’ll Remember From Prior-Posts.

So…

…Even Though This Is One Of His Slower Tunes…

…It Still Makes Me Feel Perked-Up…

…And Puts A Bit Of A Smile Across My Face.

I Sincerely…

…And Honestly…

…Love Love LOVE This Song.

I Always Have.

I Mean…

…Not Only Is It A GREAT Song…

…But It’s Also So Deeply Ingrained Within…

…My Mind…

…AND…

…My Heart…

…That It  Sincerely Feels As Though It’s Another Song With Magical Powers.

Music Has That Wild Ability To Change A Person.

Just A Single, Simple Song Can Do So Much For A Person’s…

…MENTAL…

…PHYSICAL…

…And/Or…

…EMOTIONAL State Of Being.

They Can Bring A Person Way WAY UP…

…Or Send Them Spiraling Way WAY DOWN.

 Any Song…

…Heard Anywhere…

…At Any Time…

…Carries The Potential Of Changing You/Me/Us.

So…

…Even Though…

“HONESTY“

…Is…

…A Slower…

…Ballad’ish Type Tune…

…It Nevertheless Gave Me A Jolt Of Joy This Morning…

…And I’m Already…

…Honestly…

…Very VERY Grateful For It.

PLEASE PLEASE, My Peeps…

…Do All You Can To Enjoy Your Day.

Perhaps This Little Tune Could Help You, Also?

I Sincerely Hope So.

If Not…

…

…

…Hmm…

…At Least I Tried.

😉

(hehehe)

😀

“I’ll Never Be Your Beast Of Burden… My Back Is Broad… But It’s A Hurtin’… All I Want… For You To Make Love To Me…” — THE ROLLING STONES (“Beast Of Burden” (1978))

“…I’ll Never Be Your Beast Of Burden…

…I’ve Walked For Miles…

…My Feet Are Hurtin’…

…All I Want…

…For You To Make Love To Me…”

"BEAST OF BURDEN" Off The Album "SOME GIRLS" (1978) By THE ROLLING STONES!!!

“…Am I Hard Enough?…

…Am I Rough Enough?…

…Am I Rich Enough?…

…I’m Not Too Blind To Seeeeeee…”

THE ROLLING STONES!!!

“…I’ll Never Be Your Beast Of Burden…

…So Let’s Go Home…

…And Draw The Curtains…

…Music On The Radio…

…Come On Baby…

…Make Sweet Love To Me. …”

… … … … …

… … …

…

Does This Song Make You HAPPY?!?!?

MEEE TOOO, My Peeps!!!

MEEE TOOO, INDEED!!!

😀