I agree with you about the Harvery Dent/Two Face aspect of The Dark Knight, Nolan is such a genius that he incorprated the Dbut ent subplot without it seeming tacked on or forced in anyway, and it felt organic and indispensible to the overall story.

While I didn't have Watchmen on my best films list, I loved it immensely and I think that as time goes by it will become more and more revered and people will come around to calling it a classic, an indispensible movie. It's an amazing film, I just wish they had Dr. Manhattan look like someone with a swimmer's build (like in the graffic novel) instead of having him look like a big blue body builder. And Haley totally rocked it as Rorschach. Great performance.

I notice you left off Iron Man. I won't crticize that but I like Iron Man, I just wish they had given Stark a couple more outings in his suit before his final battle with Iron Monger, to flesh it all out better, so to speak.

Also, Tambor steals almost any scene in any film he's in.

Dbut ent = "Dent" with a "but" in the middle of it, which should've been right before the name Nolan. God, my typing sucks worse and worse.

Ivan Klimatovich: [in Russian] If I had legs I'd kick your ass!

Does 'Sin City' count?

Thanks for putting "Watchmen" on the list. Snyder was in a no win situation with this film, but I feel he showed that he had a deep love and respect for the book and he did the best job he could. Get the "Ultimate" edition, it blows the released version away!

Interesting...

I would not have expected this type of list from you, Bob.

I have to do this in numbered order, eh?

*sigh*

Okay...I...can't do that.

X-men 3
Arguably, the most action-packed of the three. Didn't like Wolvie becoming the main focus in this film. The Callisto v.s. Storm bit was mishandled. Angel got shat on (like Venom in Spidey 3). But, I loved Jansen's Phoenix and Grammer's Beast (regarding the latter, how could anyone not). McKellen is excellent as always as Magneto, but in this film, he added a touch of desperation to the character that made this appearance the best of the three.

Spider-Man 2
Changes to the Spider-Man mythos hampered this one a bit, but it manipulates the heart strings like no other. The scene where MJ finally SEES Pete without his mask gets me EVERYTIME.

Hancock
Despite some idiotic bits of kiddy humor (head up the ass scene), this deserves a place. Hancock is a role Smith was born to play. I have no problem with the expected "slickness" as long as they give Smith and Theron something to do that is fun to watch.

Hulk
This film's dedication to character-building serves as the precursor to films like Batman Begins (and the blame for Superman Returns). A lot of people say they have HUGE problem with Nolte, the mutant pooches (PJ's King Kong bit from this scene, actually), Connely, etc. I liked nearly every aspect of this movie. Bana was a great Banner.

Hellboy
Fantastic first entry that immediately informs the viewer to expect the unexpected from this series. True, it didn't have Krauss (who IS awesome), but it had Kroenen (who is frightening AND awesome). 2-0 for this series, though the first feels a bit more focused.

I'm going to stop now, but I'll be back with a few more.

I just didn't connect with Iron Man for some reason. Same with both Hulk movies. I like the individual elements of each -- Robert Downey Jr., Edward Norton, the directors -- but I couldn't quite get on board.

SIN CITY doesn't count. Excellent graphic novel, but not really a superhero thing.

Lexaburn:

>>>I would not have expected this type of list from you, Bob.

Heh. Why specifically?

Oh, adding to my point about Spidey 2, the latter part of subway scene captured the spirit of not only NY, but of the entire Marvel Universe, where anyone can be a true hero if given the chance. Regular citizens banding together to help each other out. God damn it, it was a BEAUTIFUL moment (then Doc Ock came and f'd it all up, as he should have).

Agree with most of the list, but X2 was superior to X1 (though X1 was not bad in any regard. X2 just gave me more of what I was looking for and Brian Cox is always a fave), also Spider-Man 2 was better than 1 (again same that S1 wasn't bad, but I do agree that some of the Goblin stuff could have been better), but for Spider-Man 2, the train fight with Doc Ock and the subsequent save were amazing.

And I have to agree with Zirgar, I loved Iron Man. Very fun movie and Downey nailed the essence of Stark and made it his own. I now couldn't picture anyone else as Stark (did you know that Tom Cruise wanted that role for a long time? How much would that have sucked?), much as I can't picture anyone else as Wolverine after Jackman took the role.

Bob - Of course I loved the Dark Knight - and I can see your point on the Harvey Dent thing. That said...

Thank you for mentioning Hancock. A movie that started out really well, and then suddenly turned into a different movie altogether, I rated it pretty low as movies go. But for all that, it is rather dear to my heart, as I took my dad to see it on my birthday - the first, and as it turns out, the only time I ever went to a movie with my dad. He died the next month.

QT

Nah, Bob, it seems you're more preoccupied with serious political matters. Seems this superhero stuff would be above you, I suppose.

Offline, most people are ALWAYS surprised by my personal tastes, so it's a bit cathartic getting the chance to feel that way myself about someone. I always have to inform most of my co-workers that I was a geek before and after I left college.

Let me provide an example. There's a photo of me standing next to someone on my desk. Clients coming into my office always ask me for the identity of the guy standing next to me. There's a hint of embarrassment when I have to inform them that it's one of my favorite comic book artists (Jae Lee). They're always like "Who?" Then, I have to go through the whole spiel that I first got hip to him when he drew Namor back in the mid 90's, and...see, now I'm doing it again.

I also have a photo of me and Peter David, who scripted some of the best Hulk stories. His run on X-Factor and She-Hulk weren't bad, either. Dude's a legend. That's here at home, though.

Both photos were taken in the late 90s, FYI.

Lexaburn: I have a first-issue Judge Dredd signed by Brian Bolland. Comic book fanboys unite!

Bob, I have to mention that my GF and I adopted a pet rabbit that had been isolated in its own cage after the three chinchillas in his original cage ganged up on him...and got their asses kicked.

Monica picked him up and said, "so you weren't locked in there with them...THEY WERE LOCKED IN THERE WITH YOU!"

Needless to say, his name is Rorschach. Which is all the better because he's a Dutch breed with black ears and eyes, so if you look directly down at his head the pattern is like a Rorschach ink-blot.

Yes, I name my pets after comic book heroes. Now excuse me, Rorschach wants cabbage...

Lexaburn, as long as I've been coming to Bob's blog he's mixed in moments of geek with his serious political writings, so I don't know why this list would seem out of place. I think it's great that he does things like this, it makes his blog very appealing; even when I get tired of politics, which is often, I know I can come here and find something I can relate to in some or other.

Good lord, Matt. That's absolutely amazing.

I've got a Amazing Spidey #299 signed by McFarlane and Michelinie. That is the pride of my collection.

Matt:

AWESOME! It's great that your GF has enough of an appreciation for graphic novels to even throw around a quote like that.

As I said, ZIRGAR, I was looking for a cathartic moment, but I always figured Bob was a bit of a geek. Not the "list devoted solely to superhero flicks" type, but a somewhat lukewarm geek, and a heated wonk (political junkie/geek).

Ha! Ok, we've got some real comic geeks up in this place. Cool.

Out of that entire list, I've only seen The Incredibles, Unbreakable and X-Men in their entirety. I didn't like some of the casting choices in X-Men, though (ahem...Halle Berry), because it seemed like they couldn't hold their own against Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen.

The others I avoided for various reasons, the biggest of which is it seems like the entire effort is to see which Hot New Somebody of the Moment they can get to play some over the top character. And I'm just tired of Will Smith. I loved him in MIB and Wild Wild West, but other times I just can't stand him.

I have seen bits and pieces of Dark Night. The Hospital sequence was awesome. It was nice to see that they didn't CG the living hell out of every action single sequence (see also: Michael Bay throwing cars all over the fucking place with hydraulics in Transformers (2007)).

I like that list Bob. My version would have Iron Man & the Edward Norton Hulk in there somewhere. And Lex I have to disagree with Kelsey Grammer as Beast, every time he spoke all I thought of was Frasier Crane.

Absent a list of superhero movies, I can't add much to the discussion. I would've added Iron Man, and I thought Unbreakable wasn't even in the same league as Batman Begins. And I'd throw in V for Vendetta, even though it isn't conventional "superhero" material. Other than that, not much for me to quibble with :)

I haven't seen Hancock, but isn't it yet another rendition of Will Smith playing... Will Smith? The Fresh Prince with superpowers? That's what I've gathered from assorted reviews.

On the one hand, I can't believe you're actually knocking the filmmakers for sticking to the "Watchmen" story.

On the other hand, I have to admit that it would have totally sucked if Robert Redford struck out at the end of "The Natural".

Lexaburn:

>>>Nah, Bob, it seems you're more preoccupied with serious political matters. Seems this superhero stuff would be above you, I suppose.

It's right at my level, honestly.

@Klaus:

V for Vendetta counts, I think. I should've included it on my list. Maybe bump Spider-Man for it.

There's something deeply wrong with you if Iron Man didn't hit a home run in your superhero movie pants. I fucking loved that movie, and the second one looks even better. And Spider-Man 2 may be the greatest superhero movie ever made after Superman II, which I saw in my Superman Underoos and will never, ever be topped. The only thing that makes Spider-Man 2 less awesome is Spider-Man 3, which was a shitheap.

Iron Man was very good. I didn't think RDJr could pull off a superhero, but he did.

Second that on Superman II.

I liked quite a bit about Iron Man, but a review I can't find right now pointed out how disjointed it felt as a result of the two writers doing two different parts of the movie alone and then coming together to mash both parts into a cohesive movie. It tries to be serious, but is still silly, and it just overall feels like it's going through the motions a little too much. There didn't really feel like there was any heart behind it.

Still, Downey's bits prepping the suit were hilarious and fantastic, and fuck me if I'm not a sucker for a weapons-filled powered armor.

Great list, Bob. With all the standard popular Superhero movies, it's very easy to forget about movies like 'Incredibles' and 'Unbreakable', so thanks for mixing things up a bit.

I think I've gotten too old to appreciate this genre as it's evolved. I'm not a fan of the current trend toward 'dark' superhero flicks. I waited until the DVD came out to watch "Dark Knight", and was let down by Heath Ledger's 'Joker'. I had read so much hype about how damn transcendent his interpretation was that I expected more. Watching the film, I had the impression that the director simply took him aside out the outset of production and said "what I want is a really screwed-up, nihilistic take on the character", and that's what he did. I wonder what the subsequent buzz would have been if Ledger hadn't died. Sorry - my age seems to have brought with it a bit of cynicism.

I'm curious about the call-out(s) for the 'hospital blowing up' scene. Are we talking about the actual explosion part, or the story arc leading up to it? When I watch the explosion itself, all I can think is: oh yeah, they found an old parking garage somewhere, decked it out with reflective windows to disguise the fact that it's a parking garage, and blew it up. But as it's collapsing, and the windows are breaking, you can see that it's a parking garage..."

I can tell I'm out of step with the times - I liked Superman Returns. I think a part of that, however, was Singer's decision to use the original music by John Williams, so perhaps my opinion should be discounted.

Adding: Unbreakable?? Really???

(...I gotta go back and check that out again. I think I missed something...)

One more thing and then I'll shut up.

I've seen every movie on the list. I watched them, experienced the requisite "wow" experience for the 2 hour (give or take) duration, and moved on.

Save for reading about them in Entertainment Weekly, or in posts like this, I never think about them again.

On the other hand, I watched Gran Torino a few weeks ago, when it showed up on cable. I didn't seek out that movie, previously, because I didn't think I would like it based on the previews and trailers.

This small, intimate, (relatively) cheap film absolutely blew me away. It is still resonating in me a couple of weeks later. I imagine it will continue to do so.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. Like I said earlier, I'm probably missing the point...

@Elvis:

You're right Spider-Man 2 is much better than Spider-Man.

Re: Iron Man. I liked it, but not more than my other 10. I think it's Stark. I love RDJ, but Stark was kind of an arrogant douche -- and a defense contractor on top of it all.

I agree with Gottverdammt Klaus...V for Vendetta is part of the reimagining of the superhero genre and deserves a slot on this list. I also agree with Unbreakable. I was at Penn when they were filming it and watched the football scene from the sidewalk across the street. Unbreakable could have several sequeals.

I absolutely loved The Incredibles, but I'd argue that WALL-E is the best CG movie ever made.

Does Team America: World Police count? I'm kidding, of course. Iron Man would definitely be on my list, although it's hard to argue with any of the choices on Bob's list. Hellboy II is, without a doubt, the greatest movie ever. Ok, I'm exhaggerating, but it was truly awesome, and Johann Strauss may be my all-time favorite comic book character (not to mention Seth McFarlane was perfect doing the voice). To me, the best scene in The Dark Knight wasn't the hospital scene, but was the chase on Lower Wacker leading up to the confrontation between the Batman on his "Bat-Cycle" and the Joker's hi-jacked 18-wheeler in the Financial District. Now THAT'S entertainment!

Great list, although I haven't seen Watchmen yet. Not a graphic novel reader. Will have to watch now.

Hellboy movies are great, despite not knowing a damn thing about the character before the first movie. del Toro is a master. Ron Perlman brings a badass anal Hellboy to life.

I'd like to add J.J. Abrams' Star Trek as my "yeah-but," since Kirk and Spock are more or less a budding superhero studs w/o superpowers. Kirk especially gets more mileage out of being in danger than most superheroes.

Thanks for the topic. Here's my 2 cents:

X-Men didn't have the budget and Singer wasn't the fan he became to make X-Men United a much better movie.

Hellboy 2 is incredibly bad, but I'm in minority on this one because on Rotten Tomatoes it got an 87. Wow. This movie really pissed me off. Everything I didn't like about 1 is magnified by 10. The fact that Hellboy suppose to be a government secret, yet he's (and the ridiculous CG monsters) are seen by everyone. It was the same problem with MIB 2 that made a huge piece of crap. The humor which only Tambor played correctly in HB 1 is now played silly and over the top by everyone. I loved Pan's Labyrinth (brilliant), Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Blade 2, and strongly believe that Del Toro is one of the best directors today, but please no more HB's.

Hancock could have been great if its tone was anywhere near consistent, instead its a mess. It starts out as a comedy, which its only mediocre at because it only goes as far as a Will Smith/PG-13 film will allow. Then changes to a serious battle of 2 superheroes and finally to a romance. There is also a sad attempt to throw in a Lex Luthor like villain in the last third of the film. V For Vendetta is a much, much better film and yes V is a superhero.

Where is Iron Man? Great cast, good dialogue, Robert Downey Jr.'s perfect performance as Tony Stark and terrific action. Not the best villain in the world, but its all you really need for an origins flick (see Batman Begins).

Finally thank you for adding Unbreakable to your list. Even though I have a love/hate relationship with the film, I do lean heavily towards love it. I just wish it wasn't so M. Night-ish. His last watchable/logical film.

Best wishes for 2010!