Tag / TransFormers

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You Ought To Be In (15) 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 111 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We continue today with the eleven actors that have starred in exactly fifteen movies that I have seen, a decrease of one from three years ago.

Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman first appeared on my radar with 1987’s Teen Wolf Too.  After another film in 1992, he took the rest of the century off and didn’t reappear on my screen until 2010, when he started a streak of five films in three years, followed by another streak of seven films in five years ending in 2018.  He returned to my screen again in 2024, thanks to Carry On.

Will Ferrell

The SNL alum first streaked on to the list of film actors I’ve seen in 2003 with Old School.  Since then, his appearances have been pretty consistent, with 2012-2013 being the longest streak of him not appearing on my screen.  The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which I finally saw in 2022.

Jennifer Lawrence

The delightful Jennifer Lawrence first appeared on my screen in 2011, thanks to 2010’s Winter’s Bone.  Since then, I have seen her in at least one movie every year through 2023, tripling up in 2013, for an active streak of thirteen straight years that ended with 2023’s No Hard Feelings.

Steve Martin

The last starring role of his that I saw remains 2005’s Shopgirl, which I saw in 2009.

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds first appeared on my movie radar in 2006, when I saw him in both The Amityville Horror and Just Friends, which started a streak of five films in four years.  He had double shots in 2006, 2011, 2017, and 2019.  He returned as Deadpool in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which was the last I saw of him.

Winona Ryder

I first became aware of Winona Ryder in the hit film Beetlejuice, but her first starring role that I saw came in 1990, when I saw the dark comedy Heathers.  My biggest Ryder year was 2000, when I saw two of her films.  After a thirteen-year absence, she returned to my screen in 2024, thanks to the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Julia Stiles

1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You was my first exposure to Julia Stiles. She had been a steady presence since, picking up ten films between 1999 and 2008.  She managed to score multiple films in both 2001 and 2006. Things have been spotty since, with only five films over the past fifteen years, with the latest being 2022’s Orphan: First Kill, which I saw in 2023.

Charlize Theron

2000 brought Charlize Theron’s starring roles into my life in a big way, when she debuted with three films in one year.  She has been pretty consistent since, with mini-streaks in 2004-2005, 2007-2008, 2012-2013, and 2015-2016.  Her last appearances were a double shot in 2020, with 2019’s Long Shot followed by 2003’s Monster.

Vince Vaughn

Vince Vaughn splashed on to the scene in 1996’s Swingers, which I saw in 1998.  Since then, he has been fairly consistent, with me seeing a film of his either every year or every other year through the early 2010s.  Things slowed down after 2011, when I saw both Psycho and The Dilemma.  After a five-year absence, he returned to my screen in 2021, when I saw the previous year’s breakout horror hit Freaky.

Mark Wahlberg

The former leader of the Funky Bunch first moved over to movies with 1996’s Fear.  There have been four years since where I have seen multiple Wahlberg flicks, most recently in 2018.  The last film of his that I saw was the second of those 2018 flicks, 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight.

Robin Williams

Seeing as he is no longer walking the Earth, 2008 is still both my biggest Williams year and my last time seeing his films, thanks to Jack, License To Wed, and The Night Listener.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #191-195

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We kick things off today with our first batch of ten artists, covering the genres of pop, rock, and hip-hop.  We only have one performer who is a newcomer, at least as a solo artist, to the list this week.

#195: Naughty By Nature
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #182

Formed in East Orange, New Jersey in 1986, the Grammy award winners added eleven new plays to the two seminal rap tunes that grace my collection.

#195: Fall Out Boy
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #194

The local band, founded in 2001 and named after a character from The Simpsons, picked up fourteen new listens spread across the two songs in my collection, one of which spent the 2015 season as the running-onto-the-field music for the White Sox.

#195: Stan Bush
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #178

The star of the TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack has two tracks comprise his total, which increased by ten listens over the past five years.

#195: The Cure
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #188

One of the originators of the Goth Rock scene of the early 80s, The Cure, founded in 1976 in England, use two tracks to make up their total, which increased by thirteen over five years ago.

#195: The Juliana Hatfield Three
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #197

After breaking up with the Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield put together this band in 1993 before going solo, which rises two slots on this chart after garnering fifteen new listens across its two tracks, including one from the Reality Bites soundtrack.

#195: Sixpence None The Richer
Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200: #41 – 50

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We start the final quarter of this chart with the one remaining song tied for 50th place with 49 plays through the four tracks with 51 plays apiece, good enough for 41st place since my stats began in late 2007.

#50: The Beatles – Helter Skelter
iTunes stats: 49 plays, most recently on 8/15/2024
Previous ranking: #51

Considered by music historians as a key influence in the development of heavy metal, the song has added nine new plays over the past five years.

#45: The Lonely Island – Lazy Sunday (ft. Chris Parnell)
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 10/18/2024
Previous ranking: #29

A bit of a drop down the charts for the original SNL digital short that put the Lonely Island on the pop culture map and defined the phrase “viral video”.

#45: Foo Fighters – Everlong
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 3/29/2024
Previous ranking: #33

Recorded live in London’s Hyde Park, the song added five additional listens over these past five years.

#45: Elvis Presley – An American Trilogy
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 10/21/2024
Previous ranking: #60

A medley of three 19th century songs: Dixie, a blackface minstrel song that became the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy since the Civil War; All My Trials, originally a Bahamian lullaby, but closely related to African American spirituals; and The Battle Hymn of the Republic, the marching song of the Union Army during the Civil War.

#45: Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Dogg – Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 3/20/2024
Previous ranking: #43

The first single from Dr. Dre’s solo debut, which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the hip-hop song of the decade by XXL magazine.

Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (15) 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 twelve actors that have starred in exactly 15 movies that I have seen, an increase of three from 3 years ago.

Amy Adams

Amy Adams made her first appearance on my screen in 2001, when I watched the repurposed television pilot that became Cruel Intentions 2.  She returned in 2008, starting a run of eight films in four years.  After a five-year absence, she returned in 2022 with the previous year’s The Woman In The Window.

Jamie Lee Curtis

My first experience with the former teenage scream queen was likely one of the first two Halloween films, the franchise that is responsible for nearly 47% of the films on this list.  After a seven-year lull, she returned with the latest reboot/continuation of the Halloween franchise, culminating in 2022’s Halloween Ends.

Will Ferrell

The SNL alum first streaked on to the list of film actors I’ve seen in 2003 with Old School.  Since then, his appearances have been pretty consistent, with 2012-2013 being the longest streak of him not appearing on my screen.  The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which I finally saw last year.

Anne Hathaway

Like most of America, I first saw Anne Hathaway on the silver screen back in 2003 in The Princess Diaries.  In the intervening years, she had been a steadfast presence on my movie (or television) screen, including three films in 2005 and four in 2009.  Things have slowed a bit this decade, with her latest appearance being 2019’s The Hustle, which I saw in 2020.

Angelina Jolie

Her last appearance on my screen is still in 2012, when I saw her in Changeling.

Steve Martin

The last starring role of his that I saw remains 2005’s Shopgirl, which I saw in 2009.

Julia Stiles Continue reading →

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Travelling The 50 States – Florida

Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 27th state to be added to the Union: Florida.

State: Florida
Joined the Union: 1845
Visits: 10 (at least)

At some point in the mid-1980s, my grandparents bought a condo in Clearwater, Florida, which has helped make the Sunshine State one of my most visited states.  I’m fairly certain my first trip there would have been in the summer of 1988 and my most recent was last year, with a number of visits in-between.

From what I can recall, my first trip to Florida came the summer of 1988, following my eighth-grade graduation.  I’m pretty sure a collection of seven family members got in the car the day after Mike Tyson’s 91 second knockout of Michael Spinks for the two-day drive to Clearwater.  I’m not clear on exactly how long we were there, but I know there was a one-day excursion to Disney World.  Aside from that, we saw all of the tourist attractions that my grandparents thought were interesting.  Which means nothing that was really all that interesting.

We made another trip two summers later.  I don’t remember much of this trip, aside from the trip home where we came up through southern Illinois and listened to the White Sox somehow beating the Yankees 4-0 despite being no-hit by Andy Hawkins.

My sister and I made a return trip over Christmas break in 1991, our first time on an airplane.  Again, I don’t have many vivid memories of the events of this trip.

My fourth trip to Florida came during March of 1997.  I had an interview with GTE Data Services and turned it into a mini-vacation during spring break, staying with my grandparents.  The highlight of the trip, aside from nailing the interview and getting a solid job offer, was a trip to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota to watch a spring training tilt between the White Sox and the Twins. Continue reading →

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Top 200 Albums: #61 – 69

We last counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library four years ago. Since that time, the world has literally changed, and my commute has decreased from 1+ hours each way to 25 steps. So, despite the decrease in potential listening time, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through the morning of January 1, 2022.

Today, we continue our countdown with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years with three compilations, two comedy albums, and a heavy dose of 90s alternative favorites.

#69: Various Artists – The TransFormers: The Movie
iTunes stats: 149 plays
Previous Ranking: 60

A 46% increase in plays for the six tunes, from the likes of Stan Bush and Weird Al Yankovic, from this soundtrack from the animated TransFormers film from the mid-80s.

#69: George Carlin – Life is Worth Losing
iTunes stats: 149 plays
Previous Ranking: 85

The comedian’s 18th album, and 13th HBO special, added 70 new listens while rising 16 spots in the rankings.

#68: Various Artists – ’90s Style
iTunes stats: 155 plays
Previous Ranking: 64

A 56% increase in plays over the past four years for the nine tracks from exciting 90s artists, like Jill Sobule, Green Jelly, and MC Hammer, from this compilation album.

#67: Various Artists – Millennium Hip-Hop Party Vol. 2
iTunes stats: 158 plays
Previous Ranking: 66

This turn-of-the-century compilation added 60 new listens to seven tracks, from artists like Coolio, Naughty By Nature, and Paperboy.

#65: Poison – Swallow This Live
iTunes stats: 160 plays
Previous Ranking: 58

A 52% increase for the eight tracks from this double album, the first CD I ever owned after receiving it for Christmas in 1991.

Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #171-178

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the remaining 3 tied for 178th place, 2 tied for 176th, and the 5 tied for 171st, and zoom past the half a century mark in plays.  Once again, 5 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#178: Depeche Mode
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020, the English band makes their debut by picking up 26 additional plays of their 3 songs in my collection.

#178: Coolio
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #123

The 2 hit wonder, who won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, drops 55 slots after parlaying those 2 hits into just 14 new listens over the past 4 years.

#178: Stan Bush
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #159

The star of the TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack has 2 tracks comprise his total.

#176: Dean Martin
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

More than doubling his previous total gives the deceased Rat Packer a decent debut on the chart.

#176: Lita Ford
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The former Runaways guitarist jumps onto the list mostly due to now getting credit for her 1989 duet with Ozzy Osbourne.

#171: K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200: #29 – 36

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

We enter Casey Kasem territory today, cracking the top 40 with 10 songs between 44 and 47 plays apiece, according to my iTunes stats dating back to late 2007.

#36: Weird Al Yankovic – Dare To Be Stupid
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 12/18/2019
Previous ranking: #32

Weird Al’s tribute to the style of Devo, as featured in TransFormers: The Movie.

#36: Dr. John – My Opinionation
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 8/8/2019
Previous ranking: #27

A slight decrease for the theme song to Blossom, the 90s pantheon to weird teenage girls being themselves.

#36: Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 11/12/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

A strong debut for the 22nd song in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

#36: Frank Sinatra – My Kind Of Town
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 9/25/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Added to recent editions of my White Sox victory playlist, this is the second tune about the Second City from Ol’ Blue Eyes to hit the Billboard charts.

#36: Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 12/20/2019
Previous ranking: #65

A big jump up the charts for this first single from the band’s second album, chronicling the disintegration of singer/song writer Dave Grohl’s four-year marriage to Jennifer Youngblood..

#33: Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl
Continue reading →

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2019: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_22

The return of my annual long December vacation, with very little to do otherwise, saw a big increase in movie watching for me, with my highest total since 2011.  I managed to watch 89 movies last year, my eighth consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, 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.

Life Of The Party (2018)
Melissa McCarthy joins her daughter at college after her husband leaves her.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Eddie Murphy tackles a movie based on the Disneyland ride.

Downsizing (2017)
Matt Damon shrinks himself to 5 inches tall, gaining wealth but losing a wife.

Knight And Day (2010)
A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.

Keep Watching (2017)
A gang of intruders takes a family hostage and forces them to play a game.

The Space Between Us (2017)
The first human born on Mars heads to Earth to find his long-distance crush, even if it will kill him.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
A choose-your-own-adventure film about a young kid trying to make it in the video game industry.

Bird Box (2018)
A woman tries to save her two children in a world where seeing things leads to death.

Hereditary (2018)
A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Aliens take over the human race. Continue reading →

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2018: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_22

The loss of my annual long December vacation saw a slight downturn in movie watching for me, with my lowest total since 1988.  I managed to watch 55 movies last year, my seventh consecutive year under 100 and my lowest total since 1993.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, 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 French Connection (1971)
Hailed as one of the best films of the 70s, I can’t say it plays well here in the 21st century.

Cobra (1986)
Somehow I missed this Stallone “classic” back in the day.

Table 19 (2017)
The misfit table at a wedding bands together to settle scored, both old and new.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017)
The classic board game moves to the video age in this sequel.

Patriots Day (2017)
Mark Wahlberg plays the hero of the Boston Marathon bombing.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
It certainly took me a while to see the latest installment in this franchise.

Life (2017)
A team of scientists find proof that life once existed on Mars, potentially dooming life on Earth in the process.

Snatched (2017)
Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn go on vacation together and hijinks ensue.

People Like Us (2012)
When his father dies, Chris Pine learns that he had another family that needs some help.

The Layover (2017)
Two friends compete over a man when a hurricane turns their flight in to a road trip. Continue reading →