Tag / Robert Downey Jr.

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The Academy Award Goes To

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories for the 96th Academy Awards.  So, without further ado, we begin with:

Best Picture

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

I’ve seen a grand total of two of these, but neither is likely to win so I’ll go with Oppenheimer, which seems like the type of movie to win these awards.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Paul Giamatti’s performance in The Holdovers is the best of the nominated work that I have seen.  Of course, it is also the only nominated performance that I have seen.

Best Actress

Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things

I’ve seen none of these, so I’ll take a stab in the dark and pick Emma Stone.

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You Ought To Be In (24) Pictures

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

We continue today with the two actors that have starred in exactly 24 movies that I have seen, down one from 3 years ago.

Ben Affleck

The first Ben Affleck starring role that I saw was in 1997, when I saw both Going All The Way and Chasing Amy.  In 1999, he kicked off a six-year run where I saw eleven of his films, including three films in both 2000 and 2003.  There were five years total where I had seen multiple Affleck outings, most recently in 2011.  2019’s Jay And Silent Bob Reboot, which I saw in 2020, remains his most recent work that I’ve seen.

Robert Downey Jr.

My first experience with Robert Downey Jr. was likely 1987’s The Pick-Up Artist.  Things were a little slow after that, as I racked up only seven films through the mid-2000s, likely in part due to Downey’s notorious partying.  Things picked up in starting in 2007, thanks to his taking on two classic roles in literature adaptations, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes.  Those franchises have contributed ten films to his total.  His greatest output in one year was 2008, when I saw four of his films.  My most recent experience with Downey’s work came in 2019, when I saw his final entry in the MCU, Avengers: End Game.

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You Ought To Be In (24) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, and thanks to a corona virus inspired uptick to my movie watching this year, it is time to look at the 100 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Today, we continue with the 3 actors that have starred in 24 movies that I have seen, a position that was left empty 3 years ago.

Ben Affleck

The first Ben Affleck starring role that I saw was in 1997, when I saw both Going All The Way and Chasing Amy.  In 1999, he kicked off a 6 year run where I saw 11 of his films, including 3 films in both 2000 and 2003.  There were 5 years total where I had seen multiple Affleck outings, most recently in 2011.  He’s picked up 2 additional films since the last time we did this, the most recent being Jay And Silent Bob Reboot from earlier this year.

Sandra Bullock

Scoring the highest total for a woman, Sandra Bullock burst on the scene in 1994’s Speed, but Dennis Hopper took home the second starring slot in that one, so her starring role the following year in The Net was likely her first entry on this list.  That kicked off a 9 year run where I saw a movie where she had a starring role.  I have seen multiple films starring her in 6 different years, first in 1997 and most recently in 2019.  Her most recent entry was the second of 2019’s flicks, the 2018 effort Ocean’s Eight.

Robert Downey Jr.

My first experience with Robert Downey Jr. was likely 1987’s The Pick Up Artist.  Things were a little slow after that, as I racked up only 7 films through the mid-2000s, likely in part due to Downey’s notorious partying.  Things picked up in starting in 2007, thanks to his taking on two classic roles in literature adaptations, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes.  Those franchises have contributed 10 films to his total.  His greatest output in one year was 2008, when I saw four of his films.  My most recent experience with Downey’s work was last year, when I saw his final entry in the MCU, Avengers: End Game.

by jim

The Decade In Movies

The 2010s have drawn to a close and its time to take a look back at the previous decade.  Today, we are continuing with movies, specifically the 836 films I saw between 2010 and 2019.  Those 836 were released across 40 different years, with the earliest (Breakfast At Tiffany’s) released in 1961 and at least one film released every year of this century.  2010 was the most popular year, with 87 (10.4%) of the films I saw released that year.

929 actors starred in at least 1 movie that I saw over the past 10 years.  Only 283 of those starred in at least 2.  If you had told me that Jason Bateman would have led the field, I would not have believed it, but that does seem to be the case.  Not a single person starred in a film that I saw every year of the decade, with Jennifer Lawrence coming the closest, with a streak of 9 years starting in 2011.

2010s Films Per Actor
Actor Name Films
Jason Bateman 12
Anna Kendrick 11
Jennifer Lawrence 11
Amy Adams 10
Tom Cruise 10
Robert Downey Jr. 10
Mila Kunis 10
Matt Damon 9
Tom Hanks 9
Liam Neeson 9

The first movie I saw this decade was District 9 and the last was The Oath.  Comedy was the most popular genre, with 217 films, while Westerns was the least popular, with a grand total of 2.  2011 was my most prolific year, with 131 movies seen.  2018 was my lowest total, for numerous reasons.  Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (22) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1st.

Today, we continue with the 4 actors that have starred in 22 movies that I have seen, a total not seen 3 years ago.

Ben Affleck

A 3 spot rise for Affleck, thanks in part to his casting as Batman in the DC cinematic universe.  His most recent film that I’ve seen is The Accountant, which I watched earlier this year.

Sandra Bullock

A 4 spot rise for Bullock, who takes the reign as the highest placing actress.  Two films in both 2014 and 2016 have put her in the lead, with Our Brand Is Crisis and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close being the last things I have seen her in.

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. rises 2 spots, thanks to his work in the Marvel cinematic universe.  2016’s Captain America: Civil War would have been the last thing I have seen him in, at least as of July 1.

Harrison Ford

The return of Star Wars has pushed Ford up 1 spot, with his final appearance as Han Solo coming in 2015’s The Force Awakens.

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Most Watched Actors – The Late 2000s

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime. The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since. So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at the most prolific actors that have starred in the movies that I have seen in the second half of the first decade of the new millennium, the 2000s.

2006

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Scarlett Johansson 5

Scarlett Johansson ties Tori Spelling and Maria Ford for the record of most films seen in a single year by starring in An American Rhapsody, Match Point, The Island, A Good Woman, and Scoop.

2007

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Bruce Willis 3

Bruce Willis returns to the top of the heap for the first time since 1985 with his starring turns in Alpha Dog, Live Free Or Die Hard, and 16 Blocks.

2008

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Robert Downey Jr. 4

Robert Downey Jr. returned to leading man status in a big way in 2008, culminating in his roles in Gothika, Tropic Thunder, Charlie Bartlett, and, of course, Iron Man.

2009

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Zooey Deschanel 4
Anne Hathaway 4

The ladies took over in 2009, with Zooey Deschanel and Anne Hathaway tying for the top spot with 4 films apiece.  Deschanel appeared in Yes Man, (500) Days Of Summer, The Happening, and The Go-Getter.  Hathaway made her mark with Rachel Getting Married, Bride Wars, Becoming Jane, and Passengers.

2010

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Amy Adams 4
Nicolas Cage 4
Mila Kunis 4

A 3 way tie for first place, with 4 films apiece for Amy Adams, Nicolas Cage, and Mila Kunis.  Adams got things going with her roles in Julie & Julia, Leap Year, Sunshine Cleaning, and Standing Still.  Cage attempted to pay back the IRS with his roles in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call – New Orleans, National Treasure, Knowing, and National Treasure: Book Of Secrets.  Kunis had a good year with Moving McAllister, Extract, After Sex, and Boot Camp.

 

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You Ought To Be In (20) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we continue with the 2 actors that have starred in 20 movies that I have seen.

Robert Downey Jr.

My first experience with Robert Downey Jr. was likely 1987’s The Pick Up Artist.  Things were a little slow after that, as I racked up only 7 films through the mid-2000s, likely in part due to Downey’s notorious partying.  Things picked up in starting in 2007, thanks to his taking on 2 classic roles in literature adaptations, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes.  Those 2 franchises have contributed 6 films to his total.  His greatest output in one year was 2008, when I saw 4 of his films.  My most recent experience with Downey’s work was last year, when I saw both Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows and Iron Man 3.

Tom Hanks

In 1984, Tom Hanks splashed on to the movie scene in the aptly titled Splash.  My biggest Tom Hanks year was 1988, when I saw at least 3 of his films, and there were 3 other years where I saw 2 of his films.  2011 was the last time I saw one of his films, 2002’s Catch Me If You Can.

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2013: The Year In Movies Part 2

112 different people starred in the movies I saw last year (starring in being the first two named stars, a tradition dating back to the old Chicago Tribune TV guide), and only 7 of them were in more than 1. Those seven are:

Films Per Actor Per Year

Name Films
James Franco 3
Joseph Gordon-Levitt 3
Jennifer Lawrence 3
Jennifer Aniston 2
Jessica Chastain 2
Alexandra Daddario 2
Robert Downey Jr. 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2013, following up on Friday’s post.

The Purge (2013)
An intriguing premise that kind of fell apart as the film went on.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)
A better movie than the first, and a good follow up to the Avengers.

This Is The End (2013)
Quite possibly the funniest movie of the year.

Evil Dead (2013)
The remake of the classic horror film that I also saw for the first time this year.

Skyfall (2012)
I had this disc from Netflix for over 6 months before I finally got around to watching it.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
I left my work’s holiday party early to catch this in IMAX on its last day before it was replaced by the new Hobbit movie.

Continue reading →

by admin

2013: The Year In Movies

2013 was again an off year in movie watching for me.  I managed to watch only 61 movies last year, one less than 2012 and my second consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

The Wedding Planner (2001)
A Jennifer Lopez throwback to start off the year.

Red Riding Hood (2011)
This was not a good movie.

Safe House (2012)
This also was not a good movie. I’m not getting the year started right.

Les Misérables (2012)
A work outing is the only reason I saw this film.

American Reunion (2012)
Sometimes you can go home again. And sometimes you shouldn’t.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011)
Robert Downey Jr. returns as the great British detective.

Young Adult (2011)
Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt team up for this strong tale.

Compliance (2012)
I streamed this disturbing picture on the iPad.

For A Good Time, Call… (2012)
A surprisingly good comedy.

Apollo 18 (2011)
Not good at all.

Continue reading →

by jim

2011 Movie Review – Part 2

The 131 movies I saw last year was good (bad?) enough for 4th all time, behind only 2000, 2008, and 2001.

Now, continuing Tuesday’s look at the first batch of 50 movies that I saw last year, here are movies 51-100.

 

The Thirst (2006)
A dying girl becomes a vampire to stay alive.

 

The Good Life (2007)
A kid who doesn’t fit in meets a girl who encourages him to look beyond the town’s borders.

 

Thor (2011)
The Norse thunder god falls from grace and recovers quickly to save Asgard.

 

The American (2010)
George Clooney stars as a former hitman trying to go straight.

 

Due Date (2010)
Robert Downey Jr goes through his own Planes, Trains, and Automobiles moments while trying to get home for the birth of his child.

 

Valentine’s Day (2010)
A group of vignettes celebrating the day that celebrates love.

 

MacGruber (2010)
The latest one-note SNL sketch to get strectched out to feature length. 

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