Top 5 Movie Guide: Movie Moms

For the latest edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, we decided to compose our lists around some of the most memorable Movie Moms! You might be saying to yourself, Gee, this sure would have been a great category to do last week, when we were all celebrating Mother's Day.. Well, you're absolutely right, you just forgot one thing - we're Slackers by name, so while we do usually get to anything applicable to the time, don't be surprised if we're a week or two late in doing so. We have a reputation to uphold, mind you. These things will happen from time to time.

Anyway, there's no film coming out this week that we centered this category around - though, surely there's a mother of some sort present in "Star Trek Into Darkness" (unfortunately most of them died in the first installment...). This is simply our late Mother's Day gift to all of you readers out there just dying for a more comprehensive list compiling some of the most notable moms in movie history.

Hit the jump to see which characters and films we each came up with!

Top 5 Movie Guide: Kiefer Sutherland

For this edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, we decided to take a look at some of our favorite films featuring actor Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland isn't in an upcoming film this weekend (or this year, for that matter), but seeing as the television show "24" was just revived for an upcoming limited 12-episode run, and because our own Nathan Hinds ranks that as one of the greatest television shows of all-time, we decided to feature the actor in this week's post. Sutherland is son to acting parents Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas. He was raised in Canada, and his first role came in the Canadian drama "The Bay Boy" (1984). The film earned Sutherland a Genie Award nomination, and propelled him to move out to Los Angeles.

When he first arrived (fun fact: he was roommates with Robert Downey, Jr. for three years), he appeared mostly in television shows at first, but quickly transitioned into feature films. The late-1980's brought him roles in films such as "Stand By Me" (1986), "The Lost Boys" (1987), and "Young Guns" (1988). His acting career was a bit more sporadic in the 1990's, often hit or miss with critics and audiences alike. But even when Sutherland's acting career wasn't thriving, he entertained some of his other passions. He also happened to be an accomplished rodeo champion, traveling the circuit and winning various awards throughout the latter part of the decade.

In 2001 he landed the lead role of Jack Bauer in the Fox television show "24", which has become his most notable role to date. The series ran for eight seasons from 2001-2010, and earned Sutherland multiple awards nominations. You can look for the limited season nine run to debut in May of 2014.

Until then, hit the jump to see which films we each ranked as some as our favorites from Sutherland's career!

Top 5 Movie Guide: Films Set in the 1920's

For this edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, and with the release of "The Great Gatsby" this weekend, we take a look at some of our favorite films set in the 1920's. "The Great Gatsby", based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel of the same name, follows would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.

Once again, a pretty basic premise to decipher. The film takes place is the Roaring Twenties, the same decade we'll try to pull a few other films from. A few writers made a few minor concessions, and how each tried to rank films that spanned multiple decades was up to them. But overall, there was a good bit of variety featured below that should provide you plenty of great options if you're interested in further exploring this category.

Hit the jump to see which titles we each ended up with!

Top 5 Movie Guide: Leonardo DiCaprio

For this edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, we take a look at some of our favorite films featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, star of this weekend's "The Great Gatsby". DiCaprio was born and raised in Los Angeles, son of a comic book artist (George DiCaprio). His parents signed him to a talent agency at a young age (at age 10 his agent suggested he change his name to a more "American friendly" Lenny Williams; thankfully for everyone, he chose not to), and he began work in commercials and television shows. After appearing in the final season of "Growing Pains", his career took a major upswing as he transitioned into film. Over the next few years, he'd go on to star in such films as "The Basketball Diaries" (1995), "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), and, the big one, "Titanic" (1997). (fun fact: the role of Dirk Diggler in "Boogie Nights" was offered to him at the same time as that of his role in "Titanic"; he had to choose between the two). As it was, James Cameron's epic made DiCaprio an instant A-list star, and one of the most notable teen heartthrobs of all time.

After "Titanic", DiCaprio became very selective with his roles. He's worked with a variety of great directors, including four times with his personal favorite, Martin Scorsese. One of the biggest efforts he makes when choosing his roles is not to fall into any typecast situations. He refuses to conform to any one type of character or genre, quietly becoming one of the most diverse actors working today.

There are few roles of note that DiCaprio has turned down over the years (aside from the aforementioned "Boogie Nights"), but a few of prominent ones are Neo in "The Matrix" (who in Hollywood didn't turn that role down?), Ed Norton's role in "Primal Fear", and River Phoenix/Christian Slater's role in "Interview with the Vampire". He's been nominated for three Oscars, but has some how managed to avoid a win to this point. He received nominations for his roles in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), "The Aviator" (2004), and "Blood Diamond" (2006).

Hit the jump to see which of his films we selected as some of our favorites!

Top 5 Movie Guide: Pre-1970 Films

For the latest edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, we decided to take a look at some of our favorite films, all made before 1970! We changed things up quite a bit this week. First, you'll notice that there's not really a connection between this and this weekend's "Iron Man 3". Instead, the category was created at the request of our own Nathan Hinds, who believed we don't do enough to showcase many older films on this site. Which is probably true. Second, as you scroll through our lists below, you'll notice not five, but ten selections by each of us. This is kind of a "special edition" list all around, and a Top 10 felt right for such a broad category.

We discussed doing our Top 5 for each decade through cinema, but it never really gained much traction with the group. As Nathan was informed that doing a series like that would not be an option, the compromise was made to allow for ten picks each this week. Most of us stuck to those general parameters and just did our best to compile our ten favorites from the four-plus decades of cinema this covered. Still, a few deviations were made below. Unfortunately because of such, we can't call this a definitive list for the category, but there are definitely plenty of selections below for you to explore and analyze. It's still a pretty good example of some of our very favorites in film from before 1970.

Hit the jump to see which titles made the cut!

The Slackers' Top 5 Films to Look Forward to in May

If you're a regular reader of this site, then you know just how much we love lists. They're by no means a definitive perspective on anything, but they're a fun way to look at what an entire group of individuals comes to agreement on. At this point we've compiled a few special edition group lists, including our Greatest Movies of All-Time and Favorite Horror Films of All-Time, both of which turned out really well.

As you've already seen with previous installments of this post, these aren't anything overly technical - and in many cases, we're not able to base our opinions on much more than some trailers - but it's a fun way to preview the titles ahead and give you a brief look into what some of us over here, collectively, think are the best ahead.

There's no way in knowing what these films might hold, and we're not trying to say this grouping of films will necessarily be the best of the month, but these are the titles we're most looking forward to as a group.

Hit the jump for the ranking and a few details on the five films that this site sees as the most anticipated for the month of May!

Top 5 Movie Guide: Robert Downey, Jr.

For this edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, and with the release of this weekend's "Iron Man 3", we decided to take a look at some of our favorite films featuring its star, Robert Downey, Jr. Born in Manhattan, New York, Downey, Jr. grew up around film. His father was a writer and director, and his mother an actress. At age 5, Downey, Jr. appeared in his first production, his father's "Pound" (1970). When he was 11-years old, after his parents divorced, he moved it California with his father. It was at this time that Downey, Jr. began his struggle with drugs. His father, who was also a drug addict, exposed Downey, Jr. to them at a very early age. He would go on to struggle with abuse for decades.

At 17-years old, Downey, Jr. dropped out of high school and moved back to New York to pursue his acting career. He studied for a while at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center and eventually made a name for himself in the 1980's as a fringe member of the Brat Pack. He appeared in a handful of more prominent roles in the 1990's, including his performance as Charlie Chaplin in 1992's "Chaplin", which earned him his first Academy Award nomination. But drug-related problems led to numerous arrests, incarcerations, and rehab visits, obstructing what could have otherwise been a more prominent decade for the film star. In 2001, when he was fired from the television show Ally McBeal, his career was at an all-time low; he was basically written off by his fans and critics. But in 2003, completely clean and sober, Downey, Jr. reemerged, vowing to rebuilt his career. He worked on a variety of respected films over the next five years, but it was in 2008 that his career really took off. He starred in Ben Stiller's epic comedy "Tropic Thunder" (and also earned his second Oscar nomination), as well as Marvel's "Iron Man". This was also the year he began production on his Sherlock Holmes franchise.

His portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man earned him worldwide fame, and this will now be the fifth film he will appear in as the iconic character. He's one of the highest grossing movie stars over the last decade, and has become one of the more powerful people in Hollywood. There's no question that Downey, Jr.'s star is currently brighter than it's ever been in his career.

Hit the jump to see which films made each of our lists!

The Trailer Park: The Bling Ring, The East, Fast & Furious 6, Monsters University, Pacific Rim, Prince Avalanche

 

Welcome to The Trailer Park! - A weekly column rounding up new and newish trailers lurking around the internet.

As always, put on your John Nada sunglasses before the jump or... submit to the advertising.

Top 5 Movie Guide: Farm Movies

For this edition of the Top 5 Movie Guide, and with the release of this weekend's "At Any Price", we take a look at some of our favorite Farm Movies! "At Any Price" centers around the competitive world of modern agriculture. Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) wants his rebellious son Dean (Zac Efron) to help expand his family's farming empire. However, Dean has his sights set on becoming a professional race car driver. When a high-stakes investigation into their business is exposed, father and son are pushed into an unexpected crisis that threatens the family's entire livelihood.

For this list we obviously pull from the agriculture bit - by the way, FINALLY Hollywood answers our pleas and makes a film about competitive farming. I think we've all waited long enough. While some writers below may have set specific guidelines for their lists, we made a point to title the category "Farm Movies" and not "Farming Movies". That opened the category a bit and allowed for films that might not center specifically on the act of farming itself.

Even if you might think otherwise, there was a pretty surprising variety of films detailed below. Hit the jump to see just which films made each of our lists!

[Exclusive] Interview with Writer/Director David M. Evans ("Radio Flyer", "The Sandlot")

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with writer/director David M. Evans. If you're a 90's kid, you might remember him for directing The Sandlot and First Kid (yup, Sinbad as a secret service agent), but you might not have known that he was responsible for writing and starting to direct Radio Flyer. The film stars future Frodo Baggins (Elija Wood) and is a unique story about two young brothers dealing with child abuse. It was to be his first directing gig, but due to Hollywood politics, he was replaced by Richard Donner. Radio Flyer is actually the reason he's doing this Q&A, as he's releasing a novel of the same story, The King  of Pacoima. But this year also marks the 20th anniversary of The Sandlot, so it seems like the perfect opportunity to pick his brain about that production as well.