Top Disney Pixar - 2010 Movie Favorites

Disney Pixar has a way of making movies that appeal to just about everyone, of every age. It would be next to impossible to personally choose what I think would be the Top Disney Pixar movies - my family and I love a number of them and call them each a "favorite". However, in terms of overall popularity, there can be a such thing as picking a "best" list.

With that in mind, here are the Top 5 Disney Pixar movies coming into the year 2010:

1. Disney Pixar Up - This movie is the most recently released on DVD and involves a retired (and rather elderly) balloon salesman who decides to "beat the system" and go on the ride of his life - with balloons! A very cute film, with some funny moments as well as some truly touching ones.

2. Pixar Toy Story - I believe that this is the first of the Pixar movies, and is obviously still a favorite since it remains toward the top of the list of popular movies for kids and family. Always a good pick to watch - especially if you feel like you need a good laugh!

3. Toy Story 2 - The follow-up to the first Toy Story movie, this film has a unique storyline that is just as entertaining as the first. There are some funny new characters as well, and has some dramatic moments that take the viewers from laughter to being "on the edge of their seats".

4. Monsters Inc. - The Monsters Inc movie comes next in line in popularity this year. It has a story that is unlike any other I've seen, with a merging of two separate worlds that kids sometimes even have nightmares about, but with the world of the "monsters" not actually being scary at all.

5. Pixar Finding Nemo - Here is a story that will likely always be a favorite for kids and families to watch. An adorable story about a "little boy" clown fish who years for more personal freedom and a father who is afraid to bend the rules. Very sweet, truly funny as well.

There are (of course) more movies from the Disney Pixar lineup - and I understand that more will be released this year! However, if you are looking for a great movie for kids and families to watch you will be hard pressed to beat the list above of Top Disney Pixar movies for 2010.

Top 10 Boxing Movies

Mark your calendars. Odd as it may seem, today may be the day that Marky Mark (sans the Funky Bunch) joins the company of such greats as Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Will Smith, Russell Crowe and so on. Today, The Fighter opens up in theaters across the country. With as much buzz and acclaim the movie has been receiving, this could very well end up going down as one of the best boxing movies of all-time.

In light of The Fighter's release, I thought now would be an appropriate time to make that list. My top boxing movies. The sport has been visited many a times throughout the history of cinema. Here, though, we narrow it down to the top 10. So without further ado, my Top 10 Boxing Movies.

10. Play It To the BonePlay It To the Bone was written and directed by Ron Shelton. The movie stars Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson. Lolita Davidovich co-stars.

The movie is the story of two aging fighters, Cesar (Banderas) and Vincent (Harrelson), who are close friends. In the twilight of their careers, the two are given one last fight with a title shot up for grabs. The kicker: they'll be fighting each other. The two boxers and friends set out to Vegas for their undercard bout, accompanied by Grace (Davidovich); Cesar's girlfriend and Vincent's ex. Along the way, we get a look into their past careers and their competitive friendship. Come fight time, what should have been a typical bout that no one has interest in, soon becomes the fight of the night as the two beat the hell out of each other. Cesar and Vincent leave it all in the ring, with something to prove to themselves and each other, they "play it to the bone". A definite fight to remember.

Now, Play It To the Bone was pretty much critically-panned. Call it my like for Woody Harrelson, or my sappy underdog side, but I enjoyed it. There's plenty of humor, a fun road trip and one hell of a fight. Granted it's not the greatest of movies, but definitely one of my more favorite boxing movies.

9. Resurrecting The ChampResurrecting The Champ was written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett. It was directed by Rod Lurie and stars Samuel L Jackson and Josh Hartnett.

Hartnett plays a young sports writer who rescues a homeless man "Champ" (Jackson) only to find out that "Champ" is a boxing legend that was believed to be dead. The writer then sets out to resurrect Champ's story and elevate his own career. The movie is based on real events and an LA Times Magazine article by the same name.

Granted this movie isn't so much about boxing, rather that's the underlying theme of it as it's about a down-on-his-luck former boxer and the sports writer who seeks to restore the destitute man and resurrect his tale. What starts as a tale to resurrect a man who was once great, turns into an examination of life and family. Samuel L Jackson turns in a very good performance in this movie. Bringing such a level of humanity to the character, Jackson's performance stands out in the film above all and you can't help but feel for Champ the whole way through.

8. AliWritten by Gregory Allen Howard and Stephen J. Rivele, Ali was directed by Michael Mann. Will Smith plays the title role of boxing icon and legend Muhammad Ali. Other roles include Jamie Foxx playing Ali's cornerman Drew Bundini Brown. Jon Voight also stars as the famed sports journalist Howard Cosell.

Ali is a biopic of the legendary boxer. It takes a look at his career from his title bout with Liston, to his conversion to Islam to the famous Rumble in the Jungle.

Will Smith turns in an excellent performance as the iconic boxer, even gaining significant weight to pull off the part. Voight also turns in a great performance as Foxx also does a fine job. On top of all that, the realism of the fights is like none other in any other movie, really. All fighters are played by professional boxers. They decided there would be no "illusion" to the fighting in this movie, but went for the real deal. Even the fights that involve Muhammad Ali are real. For instance, in Ali's bout with Foreman in the movie, Shufford (who played Foreman) was allowed to hit Will Smith as hard as he could to contribute to the realism. The only rule: don't really knock Smith out. With some great performances, some great fights and a look at the boxing icon, Ali is definitely a good one to watch.

7. The HurricaneBased on books The 16th Round by Rubin Carter and Lazarus and the Hurricane by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton, The Hurricane is directed by Norman Jewison. Denzel Washington stars in the title role.

The Hurricane is the biopic of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Carter was wrongly imprisoned for a triple homicide and spent 20 years in prison before being pardoned. While not so much a boxing movie, The Hurricane is more a tale of redemption. A tale about how love can overcome hate and injustice. Washington gives one of the finest performances of his career as Hurricane and his supporters seek to fight back against the racism and hate that imprisons him.

6. Requiem for a HeavyweightBased on a teleplay written by Rod Serling, Requiem for a Heavyweight is directed by Ralph Nelson. The movie stars Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney.

Anthony Quinn plays Mountain Rivera, a boxer at the end of his career after taking a beating from Cassius Clay. Being a proud man, Mountain must put that pride aside in order to save a friend. Finding out that manager bet against him, Mountain can only save his manager's life by taking a dive....in a wrestling match.

Requiem for a Heavyweight provides a tight story and a memorable story (even heartbreaking). With strong characters, Quinn does a great job playing the burnt-out boxer. One of the more memorable scenes from the movie happens at the beginning. Doing a point-of-view sequence (from Quinn's point of view), the movie chronicles Mountain's bout with Cassius Clay as flurries of punches fly at the screen/camera as Clay pummels Mountain.

5. DiggstownWritten by Leonard Wise and Steven McKay. Directed by Michael Ritchie. Diggstown stars James Woods and Louis Gossett Jr. Oliver Platt and Bruce Dern also star in the film.

Diggstown is the story of a conman (Woods), fresh out of prison, who stumbles into a small boxing-obsessed town in order to run his latest scam. He bets with the local tycoon that he knows a man that could knockout 10 men in 24 hours. The business man (Dern) takes that bet. The conman's fighter: over-the-hill 48 year-old fighter Honey Roy Palmer (Gossett Jr).

Diggstown is a rather fun movie with a nice cast. You get a fun con/heist/caper type movie mixed in with an underdog style boxing movie, making for an enjoyable time.

4. Cinderella ManWritten by Cliff Hollingsworth and directed by Ron Howard. Starring Russell Crowe. Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti also star.

Cinderella Man is the story of heavyweight champion James Braddock. After breaking his hand, the boxer's career is seemingly ended. He becomes a down-and-out man just trying to scrape by to support his family. That is until the day his former manager gets him a bout to basically be a "punching bag" for the number two contender in the world. However, to everybody's surprise, Braddock scores a knockout against the contender. This adds a spark to his career as Braddock returns to the ring.

Cinderella Man is a great underdog tale that is an inspiring story. Though not initially doing well in theaters, the movie went on to be very much acclaimed by critics and audiences. It was nominated and awarded several awards. With the film itself, Crowe, Giamatti and Hollingsworth all receiving awards nods for their parts in this film, it's definitely up there as one of the better boxing films of all-time and truly an inspirational story.

3. The Harder They FallWritten by Budd Schulberg and Philip Yordan. Directed by Mark Robson. The Harder They Fall stars Humphrey Bogart in his last role before his death in 1957.

The Harder They Fall is the story of a out of work sportswriter Eddie Willis (Bogart) who is hired by a crooked promoter to publicize his new boxer. The new fighter is a large and impressive Argentinian, but ultimately talentless boxer. The plan is for the crooked promoter to build up his fighter through staged fights, then bet against him in a title match. Eddie then is left in a conundrum after starting to like the giant boxer, and battles with himself about whether to tell the Argentinian or not that his fights were fixed.

Bogie delivers a solid performance in his last film (for which he was already sick). The movie is a gritty film for its time and stands as a very nice examination of the mob-like influence in boxing.

2. RockyRocky is written by and stars Sylvester Stallone. While the first was directed by John G. Avildsen, the sequels were directed by Stallone himself.

For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to include all Rocky movies here together. While some may argue about which was their favorite, I still go with the first as being the best. Rocky is THE underdog story of all underdog stories. The original is the story of a small-time boxer who is given the chance to fight the champion and proves to the world what heart and talent he has.

Rocky is absolutely a classic. It is an inspiring and memorable movie. This movie is what put Stallone on the map. The movie received Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, and a nomination for Best Actor. It is also listed in AFI's top 100 movies of all-time. Rocky is a definite must-see for any fans of the genre and arguably the best of its kind in the sports movie realm for many.

1. Raging BullWritten by Jake LaMotta and Joseph Carter. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Robert De Niro. Also stars Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci.

Raging Bull is the emotional journey of self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta, as the violence and temper that leads to his success in the ring, contributes to the downfall of his life outside the ring.

Many would argue that Rocky gets the first place spot. However, while I love Rocky, Raging Bull is just the better movie. This is arguably Scorsese's and De Niro's finest work. A true classic. Raging Bull is a gritty take on the sport and masculinity as well as a look at personal demons. This is the movie that put Pesci on the map and led to the famous pairing of De Niro and Pesci. It is an absolute must-see movie and one of the greatest films of all-time.

Top Movies Based on Books

Every time I hear of a new movie coming out based on a popular book, I instantly hear people complaining about a "lack of creativity in Hollywood". The same voices say "why not write something original". I think these screenwriters that adapt novels into movies are gifted at least!

Why?

Some of the greatest movies in the history of film were adapted from classic books. I can't imagine what the world of film would look like today if those books never existed in the firs place. Here are some of my favorite movies based on books:

THE NOTEBOOK

This movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival.

I can honestly say that I have watched it over 10 times and I have cried every single time .

The movie was based on "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks - a short novel, so you could read it in one day if you had time.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

After the murder of his wife, hotshot banker Andrew Dufresne is sent to Shawshank Prison, where the usual unpleasantness occurs. Over the years, he retains hope and eventually gains the respect of his fellow inmates, especially longtime convict "Red" Redding, a black marketeer, and becomes influential within the prison. Eventually, Andrew achieves his ends on his own terms.

I love this movie so much because the story is my favorite Stephen King short story ever. I felt they did a great job in staying true to the plot and storyline - it was almost as I had imagined it would be when reading. The movie was tremendous.

Top Ten Military Movies 2000-2009

Ready for a fight? Want to watch the best war movies that debuted in the past nine years? Here are the Real Military Network's pick for the best War films of the past nine years:

1. Gladiator (2000): For the quintessential story of a Roman soldier, the fictional General Maximus Decimus Meridius played by Russell Crowe, who journeys from a General who led legions in battle, to a slave, to a gladiator who defied an Emperor. The opening battle scene is one of the most dramatic ancient Roman war scenes ever filmed.

2. Taegukgi (2004): This Korean made film is the "Saving Private Ryan" of the Republic of Korea and worth your time. It vividly portrays the Korean war (1950-1953), with superbly crafted battle scenes, from perspective of both South and North Koreans.

3. 300 (2007): Highly stylized, but exhilarating, this film depicts the passion and fury of the famous stand of the Spartan 300 against the Persians at narrow pass at Thermopylae. Thermopylae is an important battles to the development of western culture and this is a must see war film to understand why the story of the 300 Spartans resonates to this day.

4. The Alamo (2004): As much as I respect John Wayne movies, this is, bar none, the best Alamo movie ever made. Most historians agree that "The Alamo (2004)" is the most accurate depiction the battle for the beleaguered Texan fortress ever filmed. It is also the most dramatic.

5. "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006): For an excellent depiction of the ferocity of the fighting for Iwo Jima (1944) and for showing both sides of the battle.

6. Kingdom of Heaven (2005), for superb battle scenes of the Crusades and the depiction of the Battle (Siege) of Jerusalem.

7. Enemy at the Gates (2001), depiction of the Battle of Stalingrad; for the depiction of the dramatic and monumental Battle for Stalingrad, 1942-1943.

8. The War (in Russian: ?????) (2002) , for its graphic depiction of modern combat in Chechnya during the second Chechen War 1999-2000. This film provides accurate insights to the corrupt Chechen militia, incompetent Russian Army, and the Russian's careless attitude concerning the plight of their soldiers who were captured by the Chechens. The film was made in Russia, but was produced in Russian and English.

9. Napoleon (2002) (TV mini-series): For an exciting view of Napoleonic Warfare. The first episode dramatically depicts young Napoleon's first Italian campaign and his heroic leadership at the Battle of Arcole. This mini-series also depicts the Battles of Eylau, Austerlitz, Waterloo and the retreat from Russia.

10. The Great Raid (2005), for telling a forgotten story of great courage by a group of US Army Rangers who rescue U.S. and Pilipino POWs from a Japanese prison camp during WWII.

Honorable Mentions:

1. The Lost Battalion (2001), for the only WWII war movie of substance created within the 2000-2009 time period.

2. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), for brining to life the tactics of naval warfare during the Napoleonic Wars.

3. Saints and Soldiers (2003) for an excellent tale about the Battle of the Bulge during WWII, (December 1944)

4. Hannibal - Rome's Worst Nightmare (2006), this BBC TV depiction of the Second Punic War). The epic battle of Carthage and Rome is dramatically shown in this excellent film.

5. The Patriot (2000), depiction of the American Revolution and particularly for the depiction of the tactics used in the final battle, which is based on the Battle of Cowpens. In the Patriot, Mel Gibson plays the Benjamin Martin, a character loosely modeled after Francis Marion, the famous Southern militia leader known as the Swamp Fox.

Unstoppable 2010 - Top Movie Review

Unstoppable

Directed by Tony Scott, director of many Top Movies of Hollywood including his previous best on a train, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Unstoppable is another roller coaster train saga, which got the PG 13 rating for some of its violent scenes and explicit dialogues.

Starring Denzel Washington (who has acted in many Top Movies) as Frank Barnes, a veteran engineer in a railway company about to retire and Chris Pine (star of many Top Movies) as Will Colson, a trainee attached with Frank, Unstoppable moves at a fast pace, despite having a weak storyline. Frank and Will are on a train with their duties etched out clearly. Frank is in control of the train and Will is to supervise the safety of the attached cars, where he defaults by overloading the train with extra cars.

On their journey they are encountered with a serious problem, which is not concerning their train, but another train that has been accidently let loose on the tracks by a couple of yardman. This unmanned train contains a very deadly chemical that can destroy a whole city if it spills over. Frank is apprised of the situation and the management of the rail company wants to use his long experience in stopping the unmanned train. The director has turned the movie - fit to be ranked as a Top Movie - into a visual treat which does not let the viewers think about the non-existent story.

Forgetting their own squabbles, Frank and Will get onto the job and very deftly handle the situation with expertise and cool minds. The unmanned train is on the same track as their train, which is carrying children on a trip and the chemical loaded monster has to be stopped before it wrecks havoc on an unaware city. In the pathway of the chemical loaded train is a sharp bend, which if taken at a high speed, will force the train to overshoot the track and plunge it straight into the city, exploding the chemical barrels and spraying the toxic chemical on innocent citizens.

Technical marvels that have been used by the director, with no CGI effects, are definitely a treat for the adrenaline and the excitement has been very effectively portrayed by both the actors, who are veterans of many action Top Movies. The action sequences have been excellently photographed and the sleek editing has made them blend into a continuity that makes for the thrilling finale of the film, when everything is sorted out and many lives are saved by the heroic deeds of the two heroes.

Batman Begins: Top Movie Review

Batman Begins

When Warner Bros., makers of some of top 10 movies of all times, decided to fast forward the dwindling fortunes of their Batman series, they choose Christopher Nolan, director of many top rated movies, who by now has established himself as a 'Thinking Director' with the success of Memento, one of his top movies. David S. Goyer, writer of many top rated movies, was chosen to writer this new Batman movie, but Nolan had a different idea. He wanted to present the story of origin of Batman. Nolan chose Christian Bale, who has some of the top 10 movies to his credit, to star as Batman and lined up an impressive array of co-stars.

Bruce Wayne's parents had been murdered by Joe Chill, a mugger, when he was a child. An orphaned Bruce is raised by Alfred Pennyworth, the family butler and Chill is imprisoned. After completing his studies, Bruce returns to Gotham city and comes to know from his childhood friend Rachel Dawes, now the District Attorney of the city, about the murder of Chill by a henchman of Carmine Falcone, the crime lord of Gotham. Bruce is shattered by the news as he wanted to kill Chill and in despair leaves Gotham city.

Years roll on and Bruce, whom circumstances have made a criminal, is imprisoned in Bhutan, where he is asked to become member of The League of Shadows, by Henry Ducard, a protأ©gأ© of Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League. Their intention is to train Bruce and use him in the destruction of Gotham. His refusal to tow their line angers Ra's and Bruce sets the temple to flames and finds Ra's buried under a heap of debris. Assuming that Ra's is dead, Bruce returns to Gotham with injured Ducard. An honest police Sgt. Jim Gordon and a former board member of Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox are taken into confidence by Bruce to end the evil reign of Falcone. In his underground workshop, Bruce prepares Tumbler, his armored car and the armored suit.

Batman catches an illegal shipment of drugs belonging to Falcone and hands it over to Rachel with evidence. Falcone is put in the Arkham Asylum where Dr. Jonathan Cane, an accomplice of Falcone is experimenting with a fear inducing toxin Hallucinogenic to gain control over Gotham. Cane sprays the toxin on Batman when he comes for investigation but is saved by an anti-toxin developed by Fox. Cane tricks Rachel to come to the asylum but a recovered Batman saves Rachel and she comes to know that Bruce in fact is Batman.

Ra's who has disguised himself as Ducard tells Bruce how he stole the Vaporizing Device from Wayne Corp and along with Cane has poisoned Gotham's water supply. Ra's men burn the mansion, release the prisoners from Arkham and infect the atmosphere with the toxin. The anti-toxin prepared by Fox saves everyone. Batman catches Ra's on the subway train and Ra's is killed in the train crash. Gotham city is saved and Batman is now the idol of the citizens. Bruce takes charge of his company but Rachel does not agree to live with Batman although she is in love with Bruce. This idea is often used in top rated movies.

Nolan's narrative and visualization is impeccable and keeps the viewers spellbound throughout the movie. The fear factor in the movie, soon to be a top movie, turns out to be the binding factor for the fans of Batman who are going to fill the movie halls and the coffers of Warner Bros. to the brim. Nolan has been retained by Warner for a sequel, so get ready for another roller coaster movie with Batman.

Top 5 Movies for 2007

Your heart is pumping, adrenaline flowing and you've got butterflies in the pit of your stomach. Although it's pouring, you came prepared... umbrella and all. The doors open and you rush in with all of your friends following behind. Since you saw the very first commercial, you've anxiously awaited this moment...

2007 was the most anticipated year for movie releases with such movies like: Live Free or Die Hard, Knocked up,

Fantastic Four, Bourne Ultimatum, National Treasure and more. The five I'm about to talk about were the biggest box office hits and although the majority of them were sequels, these movies had the biggest gross for an opening weekend since the release of "Titanic" back in 1998.

According to critiques, these five movies were the best of 2007 because not only did they bring in the big bucks, the target audience for each movie had such a broad age range, but were the best family movies of 2007 also. Believe it or not those aren't the only reasons these movies did so great at theatres, the market was and is still ripe. These fantastic five leave us wanting more; they leave us asking what's next?

Even though Transformers wasn't a sequel (Yet) the movie stood alone unbelievably well at the theatre, why you ask? Think about it, these alien robots have been around for over sixty years. What made Transformers so widely revered was the awesome debut of the new Chevy Camaro known as "Bumble Bee" in the movie, there's no question why the movie was such a hit; I personally can't wait for the second, which is said to be released around June of 2008.

Pirates of the Caribbean at Worlds End, had us all one the edge of our seats throughout the entire movie, but especially at the end when Orlando Bloom showed some skin. Young girls couldn't take their eyes of him, but of course he's not the only hunk young girls are keeping their eyes on; even my four year old says she's going to marry this next big hero.

You guessed it, Peter Parker or Spiderman as we all know and love him. With three new villains and shocking knock down drag out at the end, Spiderman fans definitely didn't leave theatres mopping. Even the villains are exciting and as you'll see in the movie, Peter finally gets the truth about what happened to dear old Uncle Ben. But Mary Jane is left playing the jealous girlfriend as Spidey shares "Their" kiss.

As if those movies didn't already have fans in high hopes, the friendly ogre and company made going to see "Shrek the Third" a wonderful family outing. Kids and adults watched as Shrek overcame his fear of becoming a daddy and his short lived reign as king unfold with plenty of laughter and excitement. On Shrek's journey to find a replacement king for Far Far Away, we all watched in awe as the new character, Arthur embarked upon a magical and thrilling ride to outsmart Prince Charming.

You didn't think I was done yet, did you? No there's one last movie that made big news in headlines and at the box office. Recently with the news of one said headmaster being gay and the release of the seventh and last book in the series, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, made a loud magical ride into theatres this summer. Oh and what a ride it was as new characters and creatures were introduced. But that's not all, not even close. Harry is nearly expelled from Hogwarts for using magic outside of Hogwarts and Dumbledore becomes a fugitive, while Harry's left teaching students secretly how to defend themselves against the Dark Lord. The ending though, that's the high point of the movie as Harry learns of a prophecy. I only wonder what that mom who was trying so fervently to get the Harry Potter books removed from school libraries has to say now.

Looking to the future, more sequels are in the line to stampede into theatres, but as we wait for those, remember the ride isn't over just yet. Faithful fans are still trying to collect the DVD's to add to the sets of these precious movies and just when you think the movie craze is over, don't fool yourself... it's just beginning.