Top 10 Trilogies of All Time - Part 2

Folks, this will count as Wednesday's and Thursday's update. If you know what I do for a living, let's just say work has been a little crazy the past week.

Anyway, let's continue the countdown...

5.) Karate Kid



Alright, I'm cheating here a bit because there was a Karate Kid Part IV but Daniel wasn't in it and let's face it...he's the Karate Kid. The first one played out like a Rocky for teenagers and it featured one of Elizabeth's Shue's first movie roles (though she was a tad chunky back then). It features many quotable lines ("sweep the leg", "put him in a body bad...yeaaahhhhh!!!" and "Mercy is for the weak") and the best song and training sequence ever featured in a movie. Take a look.



Part 2 held up because you really hated the bad guy and it takes place in Okinawa and has one of the best lines ever uttered in a movie by Mr. Miyagi..."Daniel-San, this is not tournament...this is REAL". The final fight scene is nice and bloody too. Peter Cetera's "Glory Of Love" pushes this over the top for me as well. Part 3 also holds up although the quality drops off a bit. Its good to see the bad guy from Part 1 come back and they bring back the karate tournament but the scene where Daniel and Mr. Miyagi save a poor bonsai tree knocks it down a step.

4.) American Pie -



The first one revolutionized the teen sex comedy again and although it may seem cliche now, the pie scene is a classic. Lots of memorable characters as well and started the careers of many of the lead characters. The second one is pretty solid mainly because all the lead characters return and more hijinks ensue. The third movie was more about Stifler than anything else but again, there's enough laughs for it to hold up.

3.) Godfather -



I am a HUGE fan of Godfather's Parts I and II but have a hard time getting into part 3. Part 3 would be a much better movie if I and II weren't so good. Again, I can't stress how good the first two movies are. Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, and Robert DeNiro all put on powerhouse performances and the toll booth scene is still amazing. The character of Fredo is my favorite though and his "passed over" monologue to Michael in part 2 is just tragic. Buy the special DVD collectors set for some great behind the scenes stuff and tons of great deleted scenes.

2.) Star Wars -




I think the first movie I ever saw in the theaters was Return Of The Jedi but I would have been 5 years old and really don't remember much except the Ewoks. When I got bronchitis in junior high, I finally watched these movies back to back and fell in love with them. They've definitely held up well and its an epic story despite getting a little cutesy in Return of the Jedi. Many quotable lines and as much as I loved Darth Vader, the Emperor has tons of great lines. Here's a little sample of a alternate ending that was filmed but never released until a few months ago.




1.) Back To The Future -



A bit of a shocker you may say? This is just my opinion. These movies hold soft spots for me. The first one was was super cool to see what the 1950's looked like and featured one of the scenes that frightened me as a kid (when Doc Brown's up high on the clock tower and comes across the gargoyles). It still features one of my all time "give me the chills" scene...



Part 2 was all over the place going into the future, then back to 1955, ends heading back to 1885. Part 3 actually holds up well because it keeps adding to the mythology of the trilogy as well tying everything up perfectly. I've seen these movies more than the Star Wars movie so that puts it over the edge for me...but it was close.

Honorable Mentions:
1.) Scream - First was great but parts 2 and 3 ran out of steam and I hate David Arquette.
2.) The Matrix - The first one was awesome but part 2 was so bad, I never had any interest in seeing the third one.
3.) Pirates Of The Caribbean - see above
4.) X-Men - Would be number 11 on this list.
5.) Poison Ivy - Movies featuring Alyssa Milano and Jamie Pressley butt naked? Drew Barrymore almost naked? These would have made the list had I actually watched the entire movies and not fast forwarded to the good parts.

QUICK DISCLAIMER!!! I never saw the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and I don't want to comment on something I've never scene. Whenever I get around to watching it, I promise to update this list. Go easy on me.