Tag / Thor

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You Ought To Be In (16) 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 five actors that have starred in exactly 16 movies that I have seen, an increase of three from 3 years ago.

Drew Barrymore

One of the most prolific actors on my radar in the 1990s and 2000s, she has disappeared since, with the most recent of her films that I’ve seen, Music And Lyrics, coming in 2008.

Cameron Diaz

I first encountered Cameron Diaz back in 1996, when I saw her in a little indie film called The Last Supper.  She managed to get two films on my list in four different years, most recently in 2010.  She has mostly retired from acting, which explains why 2010’s Knight and Day, which I saw in 2019, remains the last film of hers I’ve seen.

Brad Pitt

In 1994, I saw a little film called Kalifornia, which introduced me to Brad Pitt.  While he would become a mega-star over the next few years, I was a bit of a late comer to his films.  Other than watching A River Runs Through It in 1997 during the Sports in Literature class I took during my last semester of college, it was 2000 before I saw another Pitt film.  Making up for lost time, I plowed through three films in 2000.  He had a four-year streak between in 2010 and 2013, then entered a dry spell that ended in 2020, when he reappeared with two films.  His most recent appearance was in 2022, thanks to that year’s Bullet Train.

Natalie Portman

The first starring roles of Natalie Portman’s that I saw were in 2001, when I watched a double feature of Where The Heart Is and Anywhere But Here.  Her appearances in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Thor franchise have accounted for over 31% of her overall total.  2011 was a big Portman year for me, as I saw a whopping four of her films.  My last experience with her work came in 2022, when she returned to the MCU with Thor: Love and Thunder.

Will Smith

Will Smith’s transition from rapper to TV star to movie star began with 1995’s Bad Boys.  The following two year, he cemented himself as a huge star with the double feature of Independence Day and Men In Black.  The Bad Boys and Men In Black franchises have made up over 37% of his total movies that I’ve seen.  My most recent exposure to his work came in 2020, when I saw both 2019’s Gemini Man and 2020’s Bad Boys For Life.

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Post Mortem – Blindspot

On September 25, 2015, Blindspot premiered on NBC with a naked Jaimie Alexander, fresh from the first Thor film, bursting out of a bag in Times Square.  The show focused on Alexander, a heavily tattooed amnesiac who joins an FBI task force formed to learn her identity and to decipher the clues hidden in her tattoos.  Over the next 5 seasons, she learned who she was, got her memory back, worked with and against the task force, and, ultimately, rejected her past self to become Jane Doe.

The final season aired last summer and, as I recall, brought things to a satisfying conclusion.  I ran through the final two seasons last year during the lockdown, so that may have helped my enjoyment of it rather than watching week to week.  It’ll be interesting to see some of the cast does next, especially since more than one of them have ties to the MCU.

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The Loss Of A Legend

On Monday, Stan Lee, the father of the Marvel Universe, passed away at the age of 95.  Through his work with Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, Lee created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and Ant-Man, among countless other characters, and catapulted Marvel from a tiny venture into the world’s No. 1 publisher of comic books and, eventually, a multimedia giant.

Beginning in 1985, with the final issue of a TransFormers limited series that would eventually run 80 issues, through 2007’s One More Day story arc that concluded in Amazing Spider-Man 545, the worlds created by Lee provided 22 years of entertainment in comic book form and many more since thanks to the cinematic versions.  His loss will be felt for years to come.

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Fitbit III: Week 41

What looked to be a disappointing week got turned around thanks to a trip to California.  Sunday got the week off to a slow start despite a trip out to see the new Thor film with Hayley and Val.  Monday was a nice bounce back, coming close to 8500 steps thanks to a trip to North to work out my issues with Hayley.  Tuesday and Wednesday were both back down under goal, despite Hayley’s goodbye party.  Thursday bounced back once again, due to post-work packing.  Friday started with a flight to California, followed by a trip to Hollywood and the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.  Saturday came 410 steps shy of 20,000 thanks to spending the day in Disneyland.

Total steps: 63,339

Daily average: 9048.4

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You Ought To Be In (13) 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, 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 8 actors that have starred in 13 movies that I have seen, 3 more than what there were 3 years ago.

Amy Adams

A 3 spot jump for Adams, thanks to films in 2014, 2016, and earlier this year with 2016’s Arrival.

Morgan Freeman

2014’s Lucy, which I saw in 2015, enabled Freeman to move up one slot.

Anne Hathaway

A 2 spot jump for Hathaway, who added films in 2015 and 2016, where The Intern was her most recent starring role.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt had a 4 year streak come to an end in 2013, when I saw World War Z.

Natalie Portman

My last experience with Portman’s work remains 2013’s Thor: The Dark World.

Julia Stiles Continue reading →

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Most Watched Actors – The Early 2010s

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 first half of this decade.

2011

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Natalie Portman 4

2011 was a big year for Natalie Portman films, as I took in nearly a quarter of her starring roles that I’ve seen overall thanks to The Other Woman, Black Swan, Thor, and No Strings Attached.

2012

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Jonah Hill 3

Jonah Hill scored the top spot with starring roles in Moneyball, The Sitter, and 21 Jump Street.

2013

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
James Franco 3
Joseph Gordon-Levitt 3
Jennifer Lawrence 3

A 3 way tie for 2013 thanks to the stunning work of James Franco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jennifer Lawrence.  Franco hit with roles in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Spring Breakers, and This Is The End.  Gordon-Levitt made a splash with Looper, Premium Rush, and 50/50.  Lawrence more than doubled her starring roles to date in Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and House at the End of the Street.

2014

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Emily Blunt 3
Scarlett Johansson 3
Liam Neeson 3
Shailene Woodley 3

For the first time in a decade, we have more than a 3-way tie for the top spot.  Emily Blunt leads things off with her roles in Edge of Tomorrow, Your Sister’s Sister, and The Five-Year Engagement.  Scarlett Johansson makes the list thanks to Don Jon, Captain America: Winter Soldier, and Under The Skin.  Liam Neeson utilized his particular set of skills in Unknown, Non-Stop, and Taken 2.  Shailene Woodley finishes things off Divergent, The Spectacular Now, and The Fault in our Stars.

2015

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Jason Bateman 2
Ashley Bell 2
Tom Cruise 2
Karen Gillan 2
Kevin Hart 2
Leslie Mann 2
Paul Rudd 2
Sharon Stone 2
Aaron Taylor-Johnson 2
Shailene Woodley 2

A 10-way tie for the top spot as nobody managed to star in more than 2 films that I saw last year.

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2015 New Fall Season – Mondays

old-tv-set1It is time once again to dive in to the new fall lineups for the television season that kicks into gear tonight. We start this year, thanks to last night’s Emmy Awards, with Monday night’s offerings, which features some returning favorites and a few new potentials.

7:00

The Big Bang Theory – For the second year in a row, The Big Bang Theory moves back to Mondays until late October to accommodate the NFL.  The show continues to be a ratings powerhouse, so I assume the move won’t shake things up too much.

Supergirl – Once The Big Bang Theory returns to its Thursday perch, the latest DC superhero show, from the fine folks who brought us Arrow and The Flash,  takes over, bringing Superman’s cousin to the small screen.  The early presentations that I saw look interesting, so I’m going to give this a shot.

Gotham – After a slow start, the first season kicked into a higher gear as the police and mob of Gotham faced off against one another.  I’m hoping for more improvement in season 2.

7:30

Life In Pieces – I’m not sure about this show, but the cast has a few people worth checking out, so I’ll give it a shot.

8:00

Jane The Virgin – One of the surprise hits of last season, I’m a little concerned about how they will continue the story now that the baby has arrived.  Similar to Ugly Betty, I fear that I will quickly tire of the show in its second season.

9:00 Continue reading →

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NBC Upfronts

Heroes-WallpaperNBC announced their fall schedule yesterday, and there are plenty of changes afoot.  Only one night, Wednesdays, remains unchanged.  The rest of the schedule shows plenty of upheaval for a network that technically is #1 in the ratings, thanks to Sunday Night Football and The Voice.  Beyond that, things are a bit of a mess for the Peacock network.

Monday uses The Voice as a lead-in to launch Blindspot, a new conspiracy thriller starring Thor‘s Jaimie Alexander.  Tuesday abandons comedy completely in exchange for a few new medical dramas and a variety show from Neil Patrick Harris.

Thursdays, which abandoned the Must See TV brand last fall, continues to go with dramas, leading off with the rebooted Heroes Reborn, followed by the returning The Blacklist and the new The Player, featuring Wesley Snipes.  Comedy finally makes an appearance on Fridays, with Undateable, promising a live season, followed by a new Mark-Paul Gosselaar offering.

NBC also has a number of shows on the bench for mid-season, including a rebooted Coach (seriously) and shows starring Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, and Rob Lowe.  It’s much too early to speculate on the new shows, but The Blacklist is the only NBC show that I’m currently watching that is returning in the fall.  I guess we shall see which, if any, of the new shows stick.

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You Ought To Be In (13) 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, 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 5 actors that have starred in 13 movies that I have seen.

Cameron Diaz

I first encountered Cameron Diaz back in 1996, when I saw her in a little indie film called The Last Supper.  She managed to get 2 films on my list in 4 different years, most recently in 2010.  I’ve drifted away from her output in recent years, as the last one I’ve seen was 2011’s Bad Teacher.

Brad Pitt

In 1994, I saw a little film called Kalifornia, which introduced me to Brad Pitt.  While he would become a mega-star over the next few years, I was a bit of a late comer to his films.  Other than watching A River Runs Through It in 1997 during the Sports in Literature class I took during my last semester of college, it was 2000 before I saw another Pitt film.  Making up for lost time, I plowed through 3 films in 2000.  Pitt currently has a 4 year streak on the line, starting in 2010 and continuing through last year, when I saw World War Z.

Natalie Portman

The first starring roles of Natalie Portman’s that I saw were in 2001, when I watched a double feature of Where The Heart Is and Anywhere But Here.  Her appearances in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Thor franchise have accounted for 31% of her overall total.  2011 was a big Portman year for me, as I saw a whopping 4 of her films.  My last experience with her work was last year’s Thor: The Dark World.

Keanu Reeves Continue reading →

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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 →