ITB with AB #6: It's All About Characters Part I (feat. James Roush in The Guest Box)

What's in the Box:

This week inside the box I tackle the back half of my top 50 movie characters list (50-26). Also for the first time ever there is a featured writer in The Guest Box! My friend James Roush. I hope you all enjoy this week's look inside the box.

Movie Box:

50. Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt, Ocean's Trilogy), Although most of the characters from this franchise are good Rusty is the most consistent in my opinion. With his don't care attitude and character trait of always eating something, Brad Pitt nailed this role.

49. Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis, The Sixth Sense), A much more relaxed role for Bruce Willis was given when he played Dr. Crowe in The Sixth Sense. This is in part to the fact that he plays a child psychologist. The movie features a twist ending that I'm sure most know by now and Dr. Crowe remains to be one of Willis' best performances to date.

48. Blade (Wesley Snipes, Blade Trilogy), Half human and half vampire Blade makes a living hunting and killing the creatures that killed his mother. Based on the Marvel Comic of the same name, Wesley Snipes brought the Daywalker to the big screen in an awesome way. Although the third movie was a bit lacking the first two films are very enjoyable and nothing is better than watching Snipes kick some serious vampire ass.

47. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand, Fargo), The ever persistent and extremely pregnant, Marge is the Fargo police chief. After she investigates a triple homicide she is lead on a long and wild chain of events leading to one of the most intense scenes ever...with a wood chipper.

46. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy), I absolutely love Chris Pratt, specifically in Parks and Recreation. Peter Quill is an awesome character and I noticed moments of Bert Macklin, FBI in the performance. Pratt's opening to the movie in my opinion is an instant classic seeming almost like a cross between Indiana Jones and Flashdance.

45. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray, Ghostbusters), "We came, We saw, We kicked its ass!" Bill Murray doesn't get much better than this. Enough said.

44, Alice (Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil Franchise), One of the most badass females in cinema. Not very many movies based off of video games are good but this franchise holds it's own and this is by creating the character of Alice for the movies. These movies are always fun to revisit, especially around Halloween.

43. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson, Unbreakable), Armed with only bones as fragile as glass, Sam Jackson delivers a mysterious and spooky performance in Unbreakable opposite Bruce Willis who of course is as the title says, Unbreakable. I honestly think this is one of the most underrated movies out there and Mr. Jackson's performance plays a big part in that. He is scary good and he and Bruce always play opposite of each other really well. Like every Shyamalan movie there is a twist at the end. I wont spoil though since this movie didn't circulate as well as The Sixth Sense.

42. Loki (Tom Hiddleston, Marvel Cinematic Universe), The best villain so far in the movies. Loki remains to be one of the most interesting characters in the MCU. Oh and I can't forget to mention he is charming as hell.

41. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen, A History of Violence), This is another movie that I feel hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Viggo leads a cast that also features Ed Harris, William Hurt and Maria Bello. Based off of a graphic novel of the same name Tom Stall runs a dinner in small town Indiana. When he becomes a local hero by saving dinner staff and patrons from two criminals, shady men claiming to be from his past come to pay him a visit.

40. Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson, Clerks 1 & 2), "This job would be great if it wasn't for the fucking customers." Worst employee ever? Perhaps. Randal Graves my have no filter but he is a great friend. Jeff Anderson is always in my opinon the most enjoyable cast member in the Clerks movies...followed closely behind by Jay and Silent Bob.

39. John Keating (Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society), Oh captain, my captain! Robin Williams had a cornucopia of great performances in his career but my personal favorite was his role as the inspiring English teacher.

38. Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup, Almost Famous), "I am a golden god!" Russell is the face and lead guitar player of mid level rock band Stillwater. Excuse my language but Billy Crudup just makes you want to be a fucking rock star in this movie. Whether he is on drugs, getting electrocuted by faulty equipment, or getting scolded over the phone by a journalists mom, Crudup dominates in this role.

37. Marv (Mickey Rourke, Sin City Franchise), This is the role that Mickey Rourke was born to play. If you were to look at one of the Sin City graphic novels you would see that Rourke was the perfect choice for the character of Marv. A man who likes his vengeance served bloody and a nice leather coat.

36. Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Trilogy), Hugo Weaving exudes awesomeness. He has played so many cool characters in cinema and Agent Smith is one of his coolest. Even though this trilogy got worse and worse as the second and third films came out it doesn't take away from the fact that the first film was groundbreaking.

35. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones Franchise), One of the greatest adventures in cinema..and he was named after the dog. Ignore the fourth film and you have a great trilogy. Harrison Ford excels in the role and makes a whip and a satchel look awesome!

34. Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood), At this point it's pretty safe to say that if Daniel Day Lewis is in it, it's going to be a solid performance. Although this is the only one that features death by bowling pin and in my mind that gives you a few more pluses.

33. Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained), This is the only time I can truly think of Leo as a villain. He was undercover in The Departed so that doesn't count. Leo is really intense in this role. He really cuts that shit out of his hand smashing a cup and just keeps on going! My favorite scene in the movie is when he and Dr. Schultz are talking about The Three Musketeers.

32. V (Hugo Weaving, V for Vendetta), "Remember, Remember the 5th of November." Remember just a couple of moments ago when I said Hugo Weaving was awesome? Well this is another one of his many great characters. Based off the graphic novel of the same name V for Vendetta is a great comic book movie and also features great performances from Natalie Portman and John Hurt.

31. Gandalf (Ian McKellen, Tolkien Franchise), Nothing happens without Gandalf. Gandalf spearheads both the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Also no one believe in hobbits more than Gandalf.

30. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon, Bourne Trilogy), The movie that prove to everyone that Matt Damon is a badass! Then they came out with two more that were also good! I wish I could look at a road map and instantly know which way was the most efficient route to outrun the police. Jason Bourne will forever be one of the coolest secret agents of all time.

29. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., Marvel Cinematic Universe), Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Yeah that pretty much sums it up. RDJ was born to play the role.

28. Billy (Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths), "You didn't bring a gun to the final shoot-out?" Sam Rockwell excels in this one. If he isn't kidnapping dogs he is doing something even more psychotic. Just keep your ears open when he is on the screen and enjoy.

27. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman, Die Hard), "Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?" Before Alan Rickman became known as the evil Severus Snape, he was known as Has Gruber the terrorist mastermind who was foiled by the totally unprepared John McClane. When he transitions into the American accent later on in the movie I die every time.

26. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Whether you are talking about the ranger or the king Aragorn is someone you want on your side. Viggo does a great job in the role and you can really feel his hesitance and inner struggle in claiming what is rightfully his. Other than Samwise he is really the only other character trying to keep everyone together.

To Be Continued next week...

For now here are some honorable mentions that didn't make my top 50:

T-1000 (Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgement Day)

David Dunn (Bruce Willis, Unbreakable)

Severus Snape (Alan Rickman, Harry Potter Franchise)

Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin, The Princess Bride)

William Thatcher (Heath Ledger, A Knight's Tale)

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, The Hobbit Trilogy)

Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett, Lucky Number Slevin)

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, Star Wars Original Trilogy)

Penny Lane (Kate Hudson, Almost Famous

The Guest Box:

This week I present to you the first featured writer in the guest box! I would like to thank my friend James Roush for contributing to the blog.

I was watching Teen Titans Go! the other day (I have kids...and I'm a huge nerd) when an episode came up where the boys called the girls icky or something which in turn led to a battle of the sexes. Starfire and Raven proceeded to dominate in everything. Now based on what I know about you I'm guessing a good chunk of your life was spent watching Saturday morning cartoons and cartoons on Nickelodeon and my question is this. Can you ever remember an episode of any of those shows were it was boys vs. girls, and did the boys even stand a chance?

I get the concept. Nipping sexism in the bud at a very early age is the goal here and it's not a bad one and the whole concept goes beyond that and branches out to just equality in general. I remember being in the second grade and believing girls were the enemy. They had cooties and shit. I didn't want that shit. I heard about a guy three towns over who got it and turned into a girl. You can't take chances with that stuff.

No the problem isn't the concept, it's the format. Every time, in order for the boys to learn girls are people too, they have to get brutalized and it's almost definitely going to be in some sort of sport. I'm no body scientist, but based on what I've seen and been learned to by body scientists, guys tend to average above gals when it comes to physical ability. Just a small example here, if you were to go on Wikipedia right now you would find a list of every woman who has dunked in the history of the WNBA. I'm not sure you could do that with every male basketball player in the history of Riley High School, and that serves well as a segue into my really big problem.

WHAT THE HELL DUDE?! You make a list of all time greatest sports movies and don't include freaking HOOSIERS?! That movie set the standard for sports movies. Every cliche or story arc that's ever been used in the history of sports movies was invented in Hoosiers. Rag tag group of kids who are only held together by their desperate love of the game? Check. Coach with a rough past just trying to start a new, better life? Check. Stud who decides to join part of the way through and changes everything? Check. Overcoming impossible odds at the end through a bad ass speech? Check. Gross misrepresentation of what actually happened? Check. Without Hoosiers there are no sports movies and honestly I'm not sure if there would still be sports.

Written and submitted by James Roush.

Final Thoughts:

So since I actually had a feature in The Guest Box I will now use the Final Thoughts section to answer question asked in The Guest Box. So James your question about old cartoons having episodes with boys vs. girls and did the boys ever stand a chance. It's kind of an impossible question to answer. When I first watched those shows I didn't watch and really associate topics like battle of the sexes and it's almost impossible to find an outlet where you can re-watch episodes of those shows. I'm sure there are some that did but I have no way of giving you a definitive answer. As for your second question or to address your big problem all I can say is that anything I talk about or lists that I share in my blogs are strictly my opinion. Clearly Hoosiers is a much more important movie to you than it was to me. By no means was I say it isn't a good movie by leaving it out of my top 10, it's just not one of my favorites.

As always you anyone who reads this can follow me on twitter (@acbach27), or you can email me at acbach27@gmail.com.

Here is my companion podcast to this blog. Enjoy!!

Have a great weekend!!!

ITB with AB #5: The Box...Inside The Box: The Shaken, Not Stirred Edition

What's in the Box:

Today inside the box I talk about one of my favorite movie franchises. In the Movie Box I will rate my Top 10 James Bond movies and in the Music Box I will rate my Top 10 Bond theme songs. Also as a first segment surprise I will rate my order for the James Bond actors from worst to first!

6. George Lazenby: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

5. Timothy Dalton: The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill

4. Pierce Brosnan: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day

3. Roger Moore: Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill

2. Sean Connery: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever

1. Daniel Craig: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre (Upcoming)

Movie Box:

British MI6 agent James Bond first came to the big screen in the 1962 film Dr. No. Created by Ian Fleming in 1953 the character appeared in nine novels before the first movie and fourteen books overall. This year will mark the 24th appearance of the character in a feature film. Okay well 26th if you count the non-Eon produced films as well. With this being said I will rate my personal Top 10 favorite James Bond movies.

10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977): Directed by Lewis Gilbert, The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth movie in the franchise and is Roger Moore's third appearance as Bond, James Bond. James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed. The movie also stars Curd Jurgens as main villain Karl Stromberg, Barbara Bach as Agent XXX, and Richard Kiel makes his first appearance as henchman favorite Jaws. Featuring an awesome downhill skiing opening and the first appearance of Jaws helps put this movie in my top 10 over a couple other movies in the franchise.  

9. Quantum of Solace (2008): Directed by Marc Forster, Quantum of Solace is the 22nd movie in the franchise and is Daniel Criag's second appearance as 007. Bond descends into mystery as he tries to stop a mysterious organization from eliminating a country's most valuable resource. All the while, he still tries to seek revenge over the death of his love. The movie also stars Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene and Olga Kurylenko as Camille. This movie gets a lot of hate and I wont lie I wasn't really sure what to think of it at first watch. Since then it has really grown on me. The movie features maybe the coolest car chase in any of the movies in the franchise and it happens right at the beginning of the movie. It also is a bit odd because it is a direct sequel to 2006's Casino Royale which is the first time this happens in the franchise.   

8. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974): Directed by Guy Hamilton, The Man with the Golden Gun is the ninth movie in the franchise and is Roger Moore's second appearance as Mr. Bond.

Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin and must hunt him down to stop him. The movie also stars Britt Ekland as Goodnight, Herve Villechaize (Fantasy Island) as Nick Nack, and Christopher Lee as one of my favorite villains in the franchise Francisco Scaramanga. This is one of the movies I watched a lot when I was a bit younger. It always seemed to be the one that was on when I was watching during the holiday marathons. As I said Christopher Lee is one of my favorite villains in the franchise. He brilliantly plays the three nippled Scaramanga, "The Man with the Golden Gun." Nick Nack is a goofy murderous sidekick who also happens to be a little person. The two make a very good and enjoyable duo.

7. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth film in the franchise and is Pierce Brosnan's second appearance as James. James Bond heads to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage. The movie also stars Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, and Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver. I think this is the Bond film I've seen the most. My parents recorded this movie on a VHS tape for my brother and I and we would watch it all the time. I think I was out of my Angels in the Outfield phase so this filled the void. After GoldenEye hit really big for Pierce Brosnan this movie didn't do as well. I feel this movie features a villain just as good as the one from GoldenEye, who I'll get to later in this list, and I think it has a stronger female lead than GoldenEye has. This movie has an awesome motorcycle chase scene that in my opinion ranks pretty high on chase scenes within the franchise.

6. Goldfinger (1964): Directed by Guy Hamilton, Goldfinger is the third film in the franchise and is Sean Connery's third appearance as Commander Bond. Investigating a gold magnate's, smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve. The movie also stars Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, and Harold Sakata as another fan favorite henchman Oddjob. I used to think this was my favorite Bond film but I went back and watch it last year and it didn't hold up as well as I would've liked. It is still a must see within the franchise as it features some great performances and scenes. Including the epic and shocking scene of Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) covered completely head to toe in gold paint.

5. GoldenEye (1995): Directed by Martin Campbell, GoldenEye is the seventeenth film in the franchise and is Pierce Brosnan's first appearance as James Bond. Bond teams up with the loan survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow agent believed to be dead. The movie also stars Mr. Death himself Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan, Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova, and Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp. The opening to this movie is awesome! The movie had to start with a bang as it had been six years since the last Bond movie had come out. The opening sequence also features a super unfortunate way to die. Sitting on a toilet. I will also briefly mention Famke Janssen's role. She is absolutely crazy! She kills people by crushing them between her legs. Pierce Brosnan broke one of her ribs filming a scene because she told him not to hold back. I'm also going to say that Sean Bean is a really good actor and I wish he wouldn't die in every role he plays. 

4. Skyfall (2012): Directed by Sam Mendes, Skyfall is the 23rd film in the franchise and is Daniel Craig's third appearance as the special agent. Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. The movie also stars Judi Dench as M, Javier Bardem as Silva, Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, and Naomie Harris as Eve. This movie is every Bond fans dream. It has so many different tributes to past moments in the franchise it's just very cool. Pretty much everyone puts forth a great performance with a highlight on Javier Bardem. His villain is so good not even a shitty moment of CGI could ruin it. Anyone who has seen the movie knows of the moment I'm talking about. 

3. From Russia with Love (1963): Directed by Terence Young, From Russia with Love is the second movie in the franchise and is Sean Connery's second appearance as 007.

James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by SPECTRE. The movie also stars Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova, Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb, and Robert Shaw as Donald "Red" Grant. A big reason this movie rates so high for me is Robert Shaw's performance in the movie. He might quietly be the best henchman in the franchise. Shaw would of course go on to play Quint in Jaws. The train sequence in the movie is pretty darn good and Connery and Shaw play believable adversaries. 

2. Live and Let Die (1973): Directed by Guy Hamilton, Live and Let Die is the eighth film in the franchise and is Roger Moore's first appearance as Mr. Bond. 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader. The movie also stars Yaphet Kotto as Dr. Kananga and Mr. Big, and Jane Seymour as Solitaire. This movie features one of the most ridiculous deaths of a villain in the franchise. Honestly I want to say it but I don't because it is so crazy I don't want to spoil it. This is the second coolest debut of any of the Bonds.    

1. Casino Royale (2006): Directed by Martin Campbell, Casino Royale is the 21st film in the franchise and is Daniel Craig's first appearance as Bond, James Bond.

Armed with a Licence to kill, Secret Agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007 and must defeat a weapons dealer in a high stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, but things are not what they seem. The movie also stars Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, and Jeffery Wright as Felix Leiter. This is a great reboot to the franchise. Daniel Craig got a lot of shit when it was announced that he was going to take over as James Bond. No one wanted a blonde bond and no one felt he could do the role justice. You know what else no one liked the initial casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Before I heard about Craig as Bond I saw him in Munich and when I heard about the casting I felt like he can do it. Three movies later it's a pretty solid choice. As far as villain goes Mads Mikkelsen does an awesome job as Le Chiffre and I absolutely love Eva Green as Vesper Lynd. The opening to this movie is really cool too with the choice of filming in black and white. 

Now I also wanted to throw in a couple of honorable mentions before I move on to the Music Box.

1. Licence to Kill (1989)

2. Moonraker (1979)

Also quickly the worst movie in the franchise is Die Another Day (2002). The only good thing about this movie is Rosamund Pike. I can't describe how much I hate this movie. The plot is beyond understanding and it just does not work. Plus Halle Berry is awful in the movie.

All plot descriptions are via Internet Movie Database.

Music Box:

I found the creation of this list pretty difficult. It took me a little while to determine my ten because almost all of the songs in the franchise have at least one or two good elements to them with one glaring exception. Once I had my ten it took even longer to determine the order they would finish in. With that being said here are my Top 10 James Bond Theme songs.

10. Tomorrow Never Dies by Sheryl Crow: This choice is partly due to sentimental value. As I said in the movie box I watched this movie a lot when I was younger. I love the strings at the beginning of the song because it gives the song a darker feel right off the bat. Sheryl Crow doesn't deliver her best performance but gives an almost laid back feel to the song that adds to the darker tone. 

9. Licence to Kill by Gladys Knight: Like a lot of songs from the late 80s and early 90s this song has the same kind of lovey-dovey tone and feel to it. Gladys in my opinion falls into the top 3 most powerful vocalists to sing a theme song for the franchise. The other two in that list would be Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner. 

8. From Russia with Love by Matt Monro: Matt Monro is the first singer featured in a theme song for the franchise as Dr. No's theme was an instrumental. Matt Monro is a British singer and was one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Known as The Man With The Golden Voice, he would enjoy a 30 year career. The song features a very good instrumental backing Monro's vocals.  

7. The World Is Not Enough by Garbage: Now The World Is Not Enough is not one of my favorite Bond movies but the song from the movie is awesome. The lyrics for this song are written from the view point of the antagonist of the movie (Elektra King) which is why the song has a darker, seductive tone to it. Garbage front woman Shirley Manson does a great job on the song and really puts forward the hauntingly beautiful undertones of this song.

6. Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey: The song that many consider the best theme song in the franchise. This is Shirley Bassey's first of three theme songs she did. She also did Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker but Goldfinger is by far the best one. Really powerful vocals combined with a strong orchestra instrumental makes for a song that is synonymous with the franchise. 

5. You Know My Name (Casino Royale) by Chris Cornell: The song was co-written by Chris Cornell and composer David Arnold. The song was made to reflect Daniel Craig's grittier and more emotional portrayal of James Bond. Cornell who is the lead singer of Soundgarden was chosen because the film's producers wanted a strong male singer. Cornell is the third male singer in the franchise and puts forth a song that in my opinion fits the movie perfectly.

  

4. Skyfall by Adele: Just like the movie, the song Skyfall was written to act almost as a tribute to the theme songs that came before it. Adele co-wrote the song with producer Paul Epworth with the aim to capture the dark and moody tones that previous Bond themes used. The song is also plot descriptive like other early themes did. This is the first Craig era Bond that the Film and Song share the same title.

3. James Bond Theme (Dr. No) by John Barry Orchestra: The song that started it all. The James Bond Theme made it's debut as the opening for Dr. No back in 1962. Since then the song has been used in some form or another in every bond film. The song features a guitar riff that is classified as surf rock which was very popular at the time it was written. The theme is just as identifying with the franchise as John Williams' Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes are with their franchises. 

2. Nobody Does It Better (The Spy Who Loved Me) by Carly Simon: The first song in the franchise since Dr. No to feature a song that didn't share it's title with the movie. Carly Simon delivers a song that frankly gives me chills every time I listen to it. Composed by Marvin Hamlisch (The Sting) the song has a haunting element to it driven home by Carly Simon's vocals. I'm a big fan of the piano part in this song. 

1. Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney: Written by Paul and his wife at the time Linda McCartney, Live and Let Die would reach number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Which at the time was the most successful Bond Theme. The song is so awesome I can forgive the random reggae breakdown in the middle of the song. Don't get me wrong I don't hate that part of the song it's just in my opinion to much of a difference to the rest of the song.

Now here are my B-sides or honorable mentions:

1. GoldenEye by Tina Turner
2. Diamonds are Forever by Shirley Bassey
3. You Only Live Twice by Nancy Sinatra

And finally my least favorite Bond Theme song is Die Another Day by Madonna. The song is just awful, it's like the precursor to dub-step and the lyrics just sound like random nonsense. You know it's bad when her acting is her best performance for the film. I guess it's fitting that Bond is being tortured in the sequence to the song. We all feel his pain listening to this song.  

Info Box:

For now The Guest Box will be known as the Info Box. This will just be where I put my contact info for the blog. If I ever do get something from a guest writer then this will turn back into The Guest Box. Like always you can reach me on Twitter (@acbach27) or via email (acbach27@gmail.com). Also I have now started a companion podcast to go along with the blog. I will post the podcast to my YouTube channel. I hope everyone who listens to the podcast enjoys it because it's something I'm really excited about. You can find the podcast for last week's blog on YouTube by searching Inside The Box with Adam Bach. I probably wont get a podcast recorded for this blog tell early next week but I will let everyone know when it's posted.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!!!

ITB with AB #4: Sports Movie Fantasy Draft

What's in the Box:

Today inside the box I will do a sports movie fantasy draft which is a fancy way of saying a top 10 list. Also this week I will introduce the Music Box to the blog for the first time and I will reveal my top 6 albums that I'm currently listening to. So peel of the packing tape and take a look inside the box.

Movie Box:

Welcome readers to the first annual Sports Movie Fantasy Draft. This week I draft my lineup of favorite sports films. Unlike most drafts this one will start in the 10th round and finish in the 1st. I will briefly mention that I did struggle a little determining what qualified as a sports film because some of the best really don't focus on playing the actually game. So I also based this on the spirit and meaning that is conveyed in the movies. So let's get this started!

10th round: The Sandlot (1993). This care free baseball movie follows Scotty Smalls as he adapts to moving to a new town and making friends with a group of kids who just love playing baseball. Unfortunately most of this kids from this movie didn't go on to do anything else in movies it does feature performances from Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Dennis Leary (Rescue Me), and James Earl Jones.

9th round: Draft Day (2014). This movie is so cool but I always hear people say, "It would've been better if they actually played games." Well the movie is called Draft Day not Game day. The movie follows sports movie phenom Kevin Costner who plays Sunny Weaver Jr. the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns. The Browns shockingly had a bad season and need to rebuild in the draft. The movie starts 13 hours before the draft and follows Sunny as he deals with pressure from everyone and it gets heightened after he makes a trade for the first overall pick. The last 20 minutes of the movie is really intense and good.

8th round: Bull Durham (1988). Kevin Costner plays a catcher near the end of his career while Tim Robbins plays a Pitcher at the beginning of his career and though a great choice neither is the narrator of the film. Susan Sarandon plays Annie who is a huge fan of the Bulls and has an affair with a new player on the team each season and she servers as the narrator. She becomes intertwined with Costner and Robbins as Costner is made responsible for developing Robbins into a legit Major League prospect.

7th round: Field of Dreams (1989). Here again we have another Costner sports film. It is also a movie where playing the front isn't really the forefront of the movie. Costner plays Ray Kinsella a farmer in Iowa who after hearing a voice in the middle of his corn field decides to tear up a lot of his crop and build a baseball field. Also staring James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta the movie follows most of the characters as they re-discover their love for the game.

6th round: Friday Night Lights (2004). Yes this did eventually become a TV show and the first few season were pretty good but the movie is where it's at. Based off the book of the same name by H.G. Bissinger, Billy Bob Thornton stars as Gary Gaines head football coach of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. The movie also follows several seniors as they prepare for their final season and life after high school.

5th round: The Mighty Ducks (1992). This movie follows Emilio Estevez who plays Gordon Bombay a high profile lawyer who after getting in trouble for drunk driving is sentenced to community service as a little league hockey coach. In teaching the kids the fundamentals and how to respect the game of hockey he re-discovers his love of the game. The kids help him become a better person and he even gets a sense of personal redemption at the end of the movie. 

4th round: Angels in the Outfield (1994). I absolutely love this movie! If I had a VHS tape that was worn out it would've been this one. I watched this movie so many times growing up. I would watch it back to back to back in the same day. This movie stars Joseph-Gordon Levitt who plays Roger, a foster kid who after praying for the Angels to win the Pennant so that he and his dad can be a family again discovers that real angels have shown up lead by Christopher Lloyd to help the team. Roger and his best friend J.P. get to meet Angels manager George Knox, played by Danny Glover, and tell him about the real angels. Through the magic of Disney and the reluctance of Coach Knox he develops a friendship with the boys as they help him see the angels and play the players on the team that are being assisted by them. The movie also stars Tony Danza and features Oscar winning actors Adrien Brody and Matthew McConaughey as members of the Angels baseball team.

3rd round: Moneyball (2011). The movie stars Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. After having another close call in the playoffs Billy gets frustrated about not being able to compete financially with the bigger market teams. After hiring Peter Brand as his assistant general manager, Jonah Hill, the team starts to utilize a computer-generated analysis system to find the best players for a lower amount of money. Based on a true story.

2nd round: Remember the Titans (2000). This movie stars Denzel Washington who becomes the head coach of the TCW High School football team. A high school that is a merging of one all white high school and one all black high school. The movie follows the struggles of many of the players as well as coaches as everyone has to adjust to the new situation. After an offseason work out that sees everyone become a family, they return to a world that isn't ready to accept what is going on. The team doesn't let this affect them and they go out and battle every week with everything on the line.

1st round: Miracle (2004). Disney's amazing retelling of the Miracle on Ice. This movie stars Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks the head coach of the 1980 U.S Olympic Hockey team. The movie starts out with the team as a group of divided college players and follows as Herb leads them to become not only a cohesive team but a family. They go on to play against the juggernaut that was the Russian squad. Check out the amazing story of this group of underdogs on their quest to winning a Gold medal.

There you have it, my sports movie fantasy roster. Now just in case there are some mid season injuries I have a couple undrafted free agents.

1. Cool Runnings (1993)
2. Caddyshack (1980)
3. Slap Shot (1977)

Music Box:

Alright for the first edition of the music box I have decided to share the top albums I've been listening to right now. Instead of a top 5 I'm going to do my top 6. So here we go starting with number 6.

6. Florida Georgia Line: Anything Goes (2014). I've started to get into country music a lot more as of late and this is the current country album that I've been listening to. This country duo is pretty solid and their second album is too. My favorite song off of the album is Smile but I also like Dirt and Sippin' on Fire.

5. Tonight Alive: The Other Side (2013). This pop punk band hails from Sydney, Australia and their second album comes in at number 5. The first half of this album is the stronger half but it's a very enjoyable album in it's entirety. My favorite song off of the album is Hell and Back but I also like The Ocean, Don't Wish and The Other Side.

4. Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (2014). When I first got this album I listened to it three times straight through because I was driving from Indianapolis to South Bend. It did take a little time for it to grow on me but once again Dave and the Foo Fighters have delivered with another solid album. I have yet to see the documentary series that goes along with the album but I love the concept of recording each song in a different city with different artists. My favorite song off of the album is I am a River but I also enjoy Congregation and Something from Nothing.

3. Cake: Comfort Eagle (2001). This album is just straight awesome! Every song off the album is good even though the last two songs are a bit weaker than the rest. The album also features the theme song to the show Chuck. Cake features more of a spoken singing style and an odd but fun set of lyrics. They also feature a brass section which adds another fun element to the band. My favorite song off the album is Comfort Eagle but I also like Meanwhile, Rick James..., Opera Singer, and Shadow Stabbing.

2. Yellowcard: When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes: acoustic version (2011). To be honest if I was doing a list of the bands I'm listening to currently number 1 would be Yellowcard. I really enjoy this band and I love that they feature and electric violin player. I do like the standard version of this album the acoustic album is just more appealing to me. My favorite song off of the album is For You, and Your Denial but I also really like Soundtrack and With You Around. To be fair though the hold album is great.

1. Childish Gambino: Camp (2011). Alright so I'm not really a big fan of rap or hip hop music but when I was introduced to Childish Gambino by an amazing person in my life I was hooked. His lyrics are totally off the wall but that what makes it so enjoyable. My favorite song off the album is Bonfire but I also like Sunrise, Heartbeat and You See Me.

The Guest Box:

Like before if anyone has anything they want to share you can reach out to me on Facebook, Twitter (@acbach27), by email (acbach27@gmail.com), or in the comments. 

Final Thoughts:

I just want to say again that I really appreciate everyone who takes some time out of their day to read this blog. I hope everyone enjoys and even takes some time to check out some of the movies and cd's that I have in my lists.


Have a great weekend everyone!!!

ITB with AB #3: What You Talkin' Bout Willis

What's in the Box:

Hello all and welcome back to another installment of Inside the Box. Today I go way more in depth about my enjoyment of Bruce Willis movies than anyone probably cares about, I share my best and worst commercials from this past weekend's Super Bowl, and heck I might even mention the game. So lift the lid and take a look inside the box.

Movie Box:

So last week I was asked why Bruce Willis is one of my favorite actors. So this week not only will I explain why he is one of my favorites but I will also list my favorite Willis characters and movies. Now for movies I will do two categories, lead actor and co-lead/supporting roles. So now we answer the question of why Bruce Willis is my favorite actor. I grew up in a family were action movies like the James Bond franchise and Star Wars reigned supreme. I have fond memories of tuning into the all day James Bond marathons that took place during the Holidays with my family. How does this connect you ask? Well when I got older more action movies became available to me. One of those films would become the coolest action movie I've ever seen. That movie was Die Hard staring one Bruce Willis.

This movie absolutely blew my mind and every time I watch it I notice something I missed. Like the time I realized Carl Winslow from Family Matters was in the movie or the time I realized Professor Snape from Harry Potter was Hans Gruber. So whether it's Die Hard or the worst film in the franchise Die Hard 2: Die Harder, I can't get enough of John McClane. For the record a quick ranking of the Die Hard Franchise: 1. Die Hard 2. Live Free or Die Hard (Timothy Olyphant rocks in this one) 3. Die Hard With A Vengeance 4. A Good Day to Die Hard 5. Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Bruce just plays a great combination of funny and bad-ass and that is why he is my favorite.

Here are my top five leading man movies for Mr. Bruce Willis:

1. Die Hard (1988)
2. The Fifth Element (1997)

3. Unbreakable (2000)
4. 12 Monkeys (1995), now a TV show on the Sci-fi network
5. Red (2010)

I recommend that everyone watch all of these movies but Unbreakable is my top recommendation. This movie was M. Night Shyamalan's first film after The Sixth Sense and I feel that it is the most underrated movie in my opinion. The movie also stars Samuel L. Jackson.

Now for the top Co-leading man and supporting role movies for Bruce:

1. Sin City and his cameo in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

2. Pulp Fiction: his segment is hurt by the worst actress in the entire movie. I can't stand Fabienne!
3. The Sixth Sense
4. The Whole Nine Yards
5. Lucky Number Slevin

I highly recommend Sin City. It is one of the coolest comic book movies out there and Bruce is pretty awesome as Det. John Hartigan. Those who have seen the movie will understand why his appearance in the A Dame to Kill For is a cameo.

Finally here is my top 5 Bruce Willis Characters, lead and supporting:

1. John McClane- Die Hard
2. Dr. Malcolm Crowe- The Sixth Sense
3. Det. John Hartigan- Sin City
4. Korben Dallas- The Fifth Element
5. Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski- The Whole Nine Yards

I also really like Frank Moses from Red and Red 2 but I feel like he is pretty much just John McClane after he retired. Finally I'd like to recommend a few more Willis movies that didn't get mentioned above. 2005's Hostage is pretty intense and in addition to Willis, Ben Foster also gives a good but very creepy performance. I might be only one of five people that like Kevin Smith's Cop Out but it does have it's moments. Finally I suggest the 2012 film Looper. The film actually follows Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays a younger version of Willis' character Joe. The film is wild and out there but pretty enjoyable.

Sports Box:

So the Super Bowl was this past Sunday in Glendale, Arizona and I have to say it was an amazing game. The Patriots came out on top beating the Seahawks 28-24 which was what I predicted the outcome to be. This was the first time I've ever done that so it was a pretty exciting moment. Although it was a good game I'm actually going to talk about the commercials. I will talk about the best and worst of the commercials. Starting with the Best:

Honestly I don't care what this commercial was for it was just amazing! I did however look it up and it was for Avocados From Mexico. The First Draft ever was a great idea of each country drafting their plant and animal life. Australia drafted the Kangaroo who then fist bumped the Koala, Brazil selected the Sloth although it had off the field issues, and to the poor Polar Bear's dismay Mexico selected the Avocado. I also really enjoyed Bud Light's Life Size Pac Man commercial because I totally wanted to have a turn in the game. Finally for the worst commercial...Nationwide what the f**k!? Here we are early in the first half having a good time and this commercial comes on with this kid doing all this cool stuff just to reveil at the end that he wont be able to do any of these things because he died. Way to kill the mood of everyone watching the game. I strongly suggestion that Nationwide re-evaluate it's advertising department because that was rough.

The Guest Box:

Well no one wrote in but a comment from last week lead to the movie box for this week so that's a start. So to fill in the space, here is the obligatory Katy Perry Shark photo!

Final Thoughts:

As far as the halftime show goes it was alright. I really enjoyed the stage during Dark Horse when the dancers where dressed as chess pieces and the stage was a chess board. I think Missy Elliott got a little bit too much time and I wish Lenny Kravitz would've gotten to sing one his own songs instead of just doing a bad duet of I Kissed A Girl with Perry. I like many others also thought the sharks were the best part of the show.

If anyone would like to submit a story or review for the guest box or just want to send thoughts on the blog you can comment below or message me on Facebook or Twitter (@acbach27). You can also email me at acbach27@gmail.com. Thank you all for the continued support and like always...

Have a great weekend!!

ITB with AB #2

What's in the Box:

This week is sorta like recommendation week. In Sports Box I talk about about a new documentary show that I have been watching and in Movie Box I give a review for a movie that came out 9 years ago. Also I'm not to proud to beg this week in The Guest Box . So open up the box and take a look.

Sports Box:

So last week I talked about "deflate-gate" and gave my Super Bowl prediction so I'm not going to revisit any of that stuff. So what I'm going to talk about is the new documentary that ESPN has been airing on Wednesday nights called Snoop & Son: A Dad's Dream. The show follows the senior football season of Snoop Dog's son Cordell Broadus a 4 star wide receiver recruit from Bishop Gorman High School. The show really goes into depth with how important family is for the Broadus household. At the same time Snoop puts a lot of pressure on his son to be great, while Cordell is trying to get out from under his father's shadow. It's great to see Snoop out of his element and just being a proud father. It's a really interesting show and if you like this type of behind the scenes show I would highly recommend it.

Movie Box:

Today I'm going to talk about the 2006 film Lucky Number Slevin which stars Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, and one of my favorites Bruce Willis. A quick overview of the plot for those who haven't seen it:

A case of mistaken identity lands Selvin (Hartnett) into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city's most rival crime bosses: The Rabbi (Kingsley) and The Boss (Freeman). Slevin is under constant surveillance by Detective Brikowski (Tucci) as well as the infamous assassin Goodkat (Willis) and finds himself having to hatch his own ingenious plot to get them before they get him.

This small plot discription is via Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) which is an awesome website. What I love about this movie is that it's not your normal mistaken identity film. Directed by Paul McGuigan the movie almost feels like a mix between a Tarantino movie and a Guy Ritchie movie without being like either. The script was written by Jason Smilovic who has no other movie credits to his name but he has written for the shows My Own Worst Enemy (2008) and Kidnapped (2006). The characters and dialog he wrote for this movie are so likable and interesting. The interaction between Slevin and The Boss' henchmen Elvis and Sloe played by Dorian Missick and Bubba himself Mykelti Williamson are some of the funniest and enjoyable points of the movie. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Lucy Liu but she is actually very enjoyable in this movie and her chemistry with Josh Hartnett is good and believable. Liu plays Lindsey, a coroner who lives across the hall from the man Hartnett is mistaken for. She is a fast talker who is driven to solve the mystery of what the heck is going on. The movie isn't very long just falling 10 minutes shy of 2 hours and it is definitely worth the watch to see how the story unfolds and how things come back around. If you get the chance I certainly recommend that you watch this. It currently has a 7.8 out of 10 rating on IMDB.

The Guest Box:

Come on guys and gals. I don't want to get rid of this section because I think it could be really cool. The thing is if I don't get any material from anyone I can't do anything with it other than keep asking and maybe throw in a funny picture. So please help me out and participate with movie, book, cd, TV show reviews or writing something you just want to write about.

I share this blog on Facebook and Twitter (@acbach27). You can send me any material via those two sites or by email at acbach27@gmail.com.

Final Thoughts:

I know these blog post have kind of been all over the place but writing these posts have been really helpful for me the last couple of weeks. So I really want to thank you all for taking the time to read through them. I hope you all can take something away from each one or even just from one of them. I hope in the future I can increase the quality of these posts to make them more enjoyable for everyone. So thank you all.

Have a great weekend!!

Inside The Box with Adam Bach #1

What's in the Box?:

Today I briefly mention my thoughts on "Deflate-gate" and I overly plug The Dan Patrick Show. I talk about some of the movies I've seen lately and I share my prediction for the Super Bowl. I hope you all enjoy taking a look inside my box.

Sports Box:

So I realize that "Deflate-gate" is all over the place right now but frankly who cares. I'm sure this isn't the first time the Patriots have done this, it's just the first time they got caught. This wouldn't have been as big of a deal if they hadn't gotten in trouble for "Spygate" back in 2007. The NFL will probably just throw out some fines or suspensions or both and maybe they will have another draft pick taken away. Then when the season ends we will get to hear about it for the entire offseason and all the different ways the rules should be changed to check if the footballs are properly inflated during the game.

Now for those of you who are like me and enjoy sports talk radio or TV shows but are getting tired of ESPN beating the metaphorical "dead horse" that is whatever story is big at the moment I have a recommendation for you. The Dan Patrick Show might be the best 3 hours of sports talk I have ever heard or seen. Dan Patrick of course used to work for ESPN which on his show he refers to as "The Mothership." Patrick, who is also the current host of Football Night America, started broadcasting The Dan Patrick Show from his studio dubbed the Man Cave in Milford, CT back in 2007. The making of his man cave studio was featured on an episode of the DIY network's show Man Caves. The show can be heard on the radio or streamed on the shows website www.danpatrick.com or you can watch the show on DirecTV's Audience Network and on NBC Sports Network. In addition to Dan the show features his "Danettes" which include executive producers Paul "Paulie" Pabst, Todd "Fritzy" Fritz, director of operations Patrick "Seton" O'Connor, and show blogger writer Andrew "McLovin" Perloff. The show airs Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm ET. The show typically features 3 call in guests with one featured per hour with Reggie Miller and Rich Eisen normally calling in once a week. In addition to all the good sports talk the guys get into some crazy antics and have fun conversations about other current events and pop culture.

Movie Box:

So although the Oscar nominations came out recently I'm not really going to talk about my thoughts on them. I'm just going to mention a few of the movies I've seen recently. So in the last few weeks I have seen Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Inherent Vice, American Sniper, and Birdman. I enjoyed all of these films and I would recommend all of them to anyone who enjoys movies. Although frustrating Gone Girl makes for a really good mystery thriller. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a fun and goofy movie that is full of witty dialogue and fun costumes. Inherent Vice is a drug fueled story of a hippie private investigator played by Joaquin Phoenix. American Sniper follows the story of US Navy Seal Chris Kyle. Bradley Cooper does a great job in a movie that tells a great story about an American Hero. I would classify Birdman as half dark drama, half dark comedy. It had great acting and featured a story that kept me intrigued the entire time. So if you get the chance go out and see these movies. You wont regret it.

The Guest Box:

Well there is nothing here for this section because nobody wrote in with anything...

 
If anyone does have any ideas for a review or a thought or anything for the Guest Box section you can send me a message on facebook, twitter, or acbach27@gmail.com.

Final Thoughts:

I will leave you all with my Super Bowl prediction even though I wish this game didn't exist. I'm going Patriots over Seahawks 28-24. I say this only in hopes that Tom Brady will retire at the end of the season if he wins another Super Bowl.

Everyone have a great Weekend!

Inside The Box with Adam Bach #0

The Low Down:

Hey everyone! I'm back but with a newer better blog. How is it better you ask? It's because it will no longer be limited to the entity of sports. That's right! Inside the Box will oddly be going outside the box from what I used to blog about. ITB with AB (Inside the Box with Adam Bach for those readers who don't catch on as fast as others) will incorporate anything I feel like writing about whether it's entertainment, current events, politics (not likely), or good old sports. It is also very possible I might just use this to rant on occasion and if that is the case...enjoy. 

New Feature:

The new aspect of the blog that I really want to work will require participation from the readers. I want to include a guest writer for each post whether it's family, friends, or even strangers. The goal is to try to put out a new post weekly and the job of the guest writer will be to send me a review our thoughts on something. The guest has free range of what they want to write about but don't send me a book, keep it to a few paragraphs. You can either send me your suggestions in a Facebook message or via email. That email address is acbach27@gmail.com.

Final Thoughts:

If this blog ever gets past family and friends I'd like to clear something up right now. The pronunciation of my last name is the same as German Composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It is not pronounced like the word "back." Sorry just had to clear that up.

Thank You:

I just want to say thank you to everyone who takes some time out of their day to read this. If this goes well I'd like to think this could expand to something bigger in the future.

Final Final Thought:

I couldn't end this without mentioning the NFL Playoffs. I am going to leave you with my predictions for this weekends Conference Championship games. Eddie Lacy explodes for a career game which gives Green Bay a 31-28 victory over Seattle and Andrew Luck returns to his early season form and helps the Colts top Tom Brady and the Pats 35-34. That's right double upsets baby!!

Everyone have a great day!