In this episode, Movie Mike talks and breaks down sequels that were better than the original movies that came before them. Movies like The Godfather, Lord of the Rings, Ace Ventura, Frozen, Toy Story, Star Wars and more! Mike also reviews the entire Ocean’s franchise from Ocean’s 11 to Ocean’s 8. He breaks down the iconic George Clooney and Brad Pitt performances and ranks them accordingly. Plus his theory into the celeb cameos in the films. Mike also dives into a study that says most people would rather watch NEW movies at home now in theatres and gives his take on what going to the movies to see new films will be like in the near future.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello there, Welcome back to movie Mike's Movie podcast. I
am movie Mike on Twitter and Instagram at Mike b
stro That's Mike D E E. S. T r Oh.
And on this episode, I am talking about sequels that
are better than the original movies, which I think is
a very hard thing to do with very few movies
have done it. But I'll break down what sequels I
think are better than the originals, and I also asked
(00:21):
a bunch of you guys on Twitter for your opinion.
There's some I agree with and there's some I disagree with,
so I can't wait to get into those, so we'll
talk about all that. I also did a deep dive
into a movie franchise this week, and I'm exploring the
Ocean's movies, so Ocean's eleven, Oceans twelve, thirteen, and even
to spin off Oceans eight. I watched all those this
week and I'm gonna break down and rank those and
(00:42):
give my reviews on each of those films. And I'm
also going to talk about this really interesting study that
came out last week about how the majority of people
now just want to watch new movies at home. So
I kind of want to get into and break down
what I think movie theaters will have to do to
adapt to people now getting a taste of what it's
like to have brand new movies in our house use
and how they're going to kind of get us to
go back into the theaters to watch new movies. So
(01:04):
we'll break down all those things in this episode. And again,
it just means a lot to see all the new
listeners here checking out the podcast listening every week. And
if you're a new listener and don't mind, tell a
friend tell them you've been listening to this podcast that's
all about movies, and maybe they should check it out
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on Apple podcasts. I know I say this every week,
but it really doesn't make a big difference if you
(01:24):
guys just do a quick little review, write it up
on their leave that five star rating. To help me
kind of boost myself up there out in the podcast
the world, like kind of look each week aware I'm
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So if you guys can help me out with that,
it would be amazing. Or if you don't want to
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(01:45):
I put brand new episodes out every single Monday, and
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you're going to sleep, whenever you listen to podcasts, I
don't you so all right with all that said, here's
the episode. Let's get started. In a world where everyone
(02:06):
and their mother has a podcast, one man stands to
infiltrate the ears of listeners like never before in a
movie podcast, a man with so much movie knowledge piece
basically like a walking on MTV with glasses from the
Nashville podcast Networking Pies Movie MI Movie Podcast. All right,
(02:29):
so let's get right into it, talking about sequels that
were better than the original movies. I asked you guys
on Twitter for your opinions, and I'm excited to get
to those responses because I think there's some movies that
are just undeniably better than the originals, and I'm excited
to talk about those. But even what I'm probably more
excited about are the ones that I disagree with you
guys on which I like it. What we can disagree
(02:50):
about a movie, especially when it comes to sequels. So
I also want to set the stage, and I always
set the stage with the criteria for what I have
going into this episode. So what a sequel is defined as,
first of all, is anything that comes after the first one.
So it doesn't necessarily have to be the part two
of a movie. Anything that comes after the first one,
(03:11):
whether it be a trilogy or beyond. I'm considering all
those movies. So if there's any movie in the line
of a franchise that was better than the original movie,
they can go on this list. So it could be
a part three, he could be a part four. It
doesn't have to be the second movie. Second of all,
I also wanted to break down some of these by
the numbers and by critic reviews, however they were received.
(03:32):
So if a movie had more OSCAR nominations for a sequel,
maybe you can then maybe you can take that into
consideration as well. So I kind of broke down the
first ones of just by the numbers, what movies were
actually better as sequels than the original they perform better,
And then I'll just kind of get into my own
personal opinion know what I enjoyed more and what I
(03:54):
think holds up better over time. So first of all,
I just want to get into the ones that kind
of just as a matter of fact, these are actually
seen as better movies in the originals on paper. So
first of all, I think you gotta throw out The Godfather,
which I'm not really a big fan of the Godfather movies.
I like a good gangster movie, but something about those
movies They're very long and very drawn out, and I
(04:16):
don't feel like they're a little bit before my time,
and I never really found myself getting back into those movies.
But on paper they have received a bunch of nominations.
Each one of the trilogy has been nominated for Best Picture,
which is a very hard thing to do because when
the Academy Awards set out to pick the movies for
Best Picture, it's very rare that they pick a sequel,
(04:39):
because what the best picture has to be is a
novel movie. It has to be never done before, or
a story told in a way that hasn't been seen
before in the big screen. But when you come with
a sequel, it's like, Okay, you've already done a part
one of this, what could make it so different that
it would be worthy of the Best Picture nomination. That's
(05:00):
a big reason into why it's hard for any kind
of sequel to make it as a Best Picture nominee.
And very few movies have done it to even be nominated,
and even less have done it to actually go on
to win. So I'll actually address all those that have
actually been able to do it. But the god Bather
on paper, the whole franchise, Part two just one and
(05:22):
had more nominations, and Part one and two both received
the Best Picture nominations, So that's pretty crazy that back
to back they won for Best Picture, and then Part
three was nominated but didn't get the win. So if
you're looking at all these movies on paper, part two
actually has a better track record, and a lot of
the responses you guys had on Twitter was that Part
(05:42):
two was seen as a better movie and justify the numbers.
You can't deny that one. Another one you guys hit
me with was Lord of the Rings Return of the King,
which is actually the final in the trilogy and was
actually the first of the series to win Best Picture.
The first two word nominated but didn't get that win,
and in total, the Lord of the Rings franchise has
received eleven OSCAR nominations, which is a bunch. Now. Like
(06:06):
the Godfather movies, this was another trilogy that was hard
for me to get into, mainly because I feel the
movies like a lot of action. It's really just a
bunch of walking in, a bunch of talking and with
very limited action, I feel like in my opinion, and
I do feel though, if you do pick one of
these movies out, Part two has the most action out
(06:26):
of all of them. But I do feel like if
you pick one of these movies out to be a
standout of the series, I would have to go with
Part three, which I feel has the most action out
of all of them, and I would say is way
better than the original. So The Godfather and The Lord
of the Rings are really the only movies to win
for Best Picture that have been a sequel. But the
other one that's kind of in a different category would
(06:48):
be Toy Story. Now, it didn't win for Best Picture,
but it won for Best Animated Movie, which I believe
when Toy Story one and two came out, the category
didn't exist yet, so it may have even one more,
but both three and Part four got the nomination and
got the win, and for me, the whole Toy Story
franchise had a really close place in my heart. I
(07:10):
remember when the first one came out and it was
the first animated movie to ever use that c g
I technology, and I was like, this just looks amazingly different.
But not only that, the story was really great, but
I kind of feel like the one that really brings
everything together is Part three. I got really emotional in
the movie theater when I saw that movie, and I
(07:31):
feel like all around that that is a better movie
than the first one. Visually, I think it looks a
lot better because there's a lot of years in between
Part two and Part three. So it was also very
highly anticipated, mainly because the first two were so beloved,
But I feel like they got Toy Story a lot
more right in this one, and it really tugged more
at the heart strings more so than the first two,
(07:54):
because the first two really just kind of funny and
set the stage that way, but this one, I think
it kind of crossed that line of just being a
kid's movie to being the movie that the adults that
want to go watch it remember the movies as a kid,
and we're also able to enjoy it a lot more.
And of course it introduced the whole Toy Story franchise
to a bunch of new kids. So I really think
(08:15):
three is the best in all the franchise. I thought
four was okay but unnecessary, and I kind of hope
they ended there, like they didn't really need to make
the Part four. I liked that they did because I
was able to go back into the theater and watch
Toy Story on the big screen, but overall, the story
didn't really go anywhere further with Andy and with the kids,
(08:37):
So I thought they could have ended in a three
and would have been perfect. So I hope they don't
make a five. As much as I would like to
go back and see another Toy Story movie, I think
they kind of hold the magic of the franchise. They
should probably keep it at four, but without a doubt,
I think Part three is just better than the original. Alright,
So I got actually a bunch of tweets about this one.
(08:57):
Nicole Gauge was actually the first one to tweet me
about it, and it's for ace Ventura Pet Detective. Now
I'm really passionate about this one too, because I know
everybody likes the first one. But I was really young
when this first one came out. Probably it came out
in I was born in I was three years old.
I don't think I watched it right when it came out,
but I was still at most eight when I saw
(09:19):
the first one, and I felt it was just a
lot more adult and a lot more like the jokes
kind of I didn't really get all the way as
a kid. And then I remember watching a Spentura when
nature calls and thinking like, oh, this is so much funnier,
and it's more just Jim Carey kind of going all
out in this one. I think he had such a
(09:40):
big hit in the first one that they were like,
all right, let's do the sequel and just kind of
let Jim Carrey go and really take on the persona
of ace Ventura. And I thought he turned it up
to eleven pretty much in the next one. I also
just thought the story was better in the second one,
and there was a lot more memorable moments, memorable quotes
then in the first one. Like I know that the
cat phrases were born in the first one, but I
(10:02):
just think there were a lot more funny situational moments
in the sequel than the original. And I also think
just going back and watching these as an adult, and
even just watching them in the kind of scope of
the second one holds up better. The whole plot in
the first one. If you go back and watch now,
it's kind of like, oh man, they were really able
to get away with some of this stuff in the nineties.
(10:22):
So I think the second one is just a more
fun movie. It's less adult, so if you're watching it
as a kid, it's not thing that has any kind
of double in Chandra or just anything sexual in it.
And it's just a lot straight up like almost a
spin tour as a cartoon character put to life. And
I just think, now, if I'm gonna go back and
watch either part one or part two, I'm gonna go
(10:44):
with Part two with nature calls, So I think it's
better than the original. Alright, going through some more your
tweets now, another one that's really undeniable is The Dark
Knight being better than Batman Begins, Like you to say
anything more about that, It was just a better movie.
Batman Begins set the stage for it, but I felt
some of the parts of the story, we're a little
bit confusing, and it didn't really have that edge of
(11:06):
the Dark Knight yet. And then when you get to
the Dark Night, it's like, oh, this is just so
moving on an entirely different level from that opening scene.
It really has just NonStop action throughout and without a doubt,
is just better than the original. And then staying on
the Batman franchise, I think Batman Returned was a lot
better than the first Batman. Now. The first one was
(11:27):
a lot darker and a lot more serious and a
lot more kind of violence in it, but there was
something about making it more of a comic book style
movie in the second one, making a little more cartoony
that I felt brought a little more life to the
franchise and made me kind of enjoy it more. Now.
I like Jack Nicholson as the Joker. In the first one,
I didn't feel like it was anything great. I remember
(11:47):
watching it as a kid and I was like, this
is kind of just seen as a guy with the
clown makeup. I didn't really feel like he was and
embodied the Joker. But in the second one, I just
kind of like the Villa in a lot more as
Danny DeVito as the penguin, Like I thought he played
that perfectly and fit that role so great that it
kind of really made that movie for me. And I
(12:07):
also think it's the only time they've ever gotten Catwoman right.
So there's just a lot more that I go back
and like about Batman Returns that I ever did about Batman.
All right. Now, I'm a big Marvel fan. I've seen
all the movies, and I have to say, I think
the weakest superhero out of all of them with standalone
movies has to be Captain America. Now, he has kind
(12:29):
of redeemed himself over the years and I've kind of
having more of like, Okay, I can see why people
like him and why he's a little bit more beloved
than I feel like he should be in my eyes.
But I think it was that first movie that I
just thought he was a little bit boring, Like there
wasn't much to his character. That movie was very slow,
and it's hard when you have it placed back in
the day and it kind of has just at the
(12:51):
start of it as sober vibe, and I didn't really
feel like Red School was that great of a villain
in the first one. And his overall origin story was
just very He's slow and drawn out, but when you
put him into Captain America the Winter Soldier, it's like,
all of a sudden, right into action. You have him
fighting Bucky and it's just this is where it kind
(13:12):
of gets good. This is where it's a little more interesting.
You throw in Black Widow in there, and there's just
a lot more action and right to the point. So
I still felt like it took me probably a right
around Captain America Civil War to where I was like, Okay,
I actually like Captain America now um into his character,
I like Chris Evans, but it took all those kind
(13:34):
of movies in between to get me to that point
because I feel like his origin story wasn't anything great,
and if they didn't have the addition of all the
other Marvel characters around him and the first Avengerous movie,
I don't think like his standalone movies would have done
as well. And also in Civil War, I felt it
was so heavy with Iron Man at that point that
(13:56):
they kind of like crow barded in there, like, Okay,
we basically have to put our biggest superhero, iron Man
and kind of put them together with Captain America and
really make them stand out a lot more, and I
think that ended up being really successful for them and
was really important into finishing out that whole run of
the Avengers movie so easily. Without a doubt, I thought
(14:17):
the second one was way better than the first. Captain America.
My favorite would still have to be Captain America Civil War.
And I have to go one more that I agree
with you guys on before I get into the ones
that I can't agree with, and it was Hunger Games.
Catching Fire was way better than the original. Now, when
it comes to the books, I like the first one
the best because I think it gives the whole overall
story and you really kind of dive into Catanius and
(14:39):
everything that's going on in District twelve. But when it
comes to the movies, I felt like the first one
was so rushed, and also at this point, they didn't
know that these movies were going to be a hit,
so I felt like they didn't put the money into
these movies to really make them great. I felt like
there was just so much more visually they could have
done with the first one, and I also felt it
just ended so abruptly, which I guess it does in
(15:01):
the book too, but I kind of felt like when
I watched it in theaters that I was let down
a little bit at the ending. I know it goes
abruptly in the book, but it's like, Okay, it finally
gets to the really good part and now it's kind
of over, and it felt like a really big cliffhanger.
So I never really had that satisfaction with the first
one watching it, But then when the second one came out,
(15:22):
everything was kind of taking up a level. The costume
design was a lot better. I felt like it actually
looked like what I envisioned when I was reading the book.
The cast grew more and they brought all these other
characters from the book to life, and I just felt
like they put more thought in to all the minute
details that really made the books great, and they really
just got it better so easily. I think Catching Fire
(15:43):
was better than the original, and probably my favorite in
the entire franchise. All right, now, I just want to
hit on some of the one that you guys submitted
that I couldn't agree with. Starting first with Frozen Now,
a bunch of people said that Frozen two was better
than Frozen one. And I think a lot of the
art human is that the music is better in Frozen two,
which I do agree with. I think it has overall
(16:06):
a lot more memorable songs in the first one. Maybe
they're a little more sing along a bowl, I guess,
and really the first one has let It Go, and
maybe the other ones just aren't as memorable. So I
get that part of it, and I know it's a musical,
and that's a you know what stands out a lot,
But I just think the story is better and Frozen one,
and I feel more attached to Elsa and that one,
(16:27):
getting to know her, even to when it comes to
that part of her first singing let it Go, Like
I've heard that song so much before I ever watched
this movie, because I barely watched the first one and
the second one this year, And when that song hit,
I was like, Oh, I finally get this song, and
I finally get the story. And I was just so
more dial into that first one finding out what happened
(16:47):
then I wasn't in the second one. I thought the
second one was a lot darker and a little more
adult even and I just didn't feel as connected with
the story throughout, and I didn't feel like it really
kept my attention like the first one did. And I
think if you put those two side by side, the
first one just goes a lot further. Sorry, guys. In
my heart, Frozen one will always beat out Frozen two.
(17:10):
Another one that a bunch of people said were the
Star Wars movies, that The Empire Strikes Back was better
than the original, And I don't know what it is
about the original, but I just feel it's just so
more that you just get dropped into the world of
Star Wars. Like in the first Star Wars, you kind
of just accept everything, like they bring in all these
characters and you don't really know what everything is connected,
(17:32):
but you're like, this is cool, Like I get it.
I don't know what all these things that they're referencing,
and I don't know everything that's going on at this point,
but I'm just focused in on what they're showing me,
what they're telling me, and I'm into it. Like I
I like the introduction of all the characters. I like
that it starts out would mainly just R two, D
two and C three p O and being told from
(17:53):
their point of view. And I just really like the
origin story of Star Wars in the first movie of
being introduced to this whole new world, getting to know
all these new characters, and then just going on that
first journey with them. Now I get that in the
second one you get into a little bit more of
the iconic stuff with Darth Vader, and the whole story
kind of really starts developing and getting into the second one.
(18:16):
But even looking at this one by the numbers, like
this was the only one to be nominated for Best Picture,
it received the most nominations and wins for that matter,
and I just think you really can't deny that the
first one just had a bigger cultural impact that all
the others that followed before. So I just think, without
a doubt the first one can't be competed with on
(18:36):
any sequel. So sorry, guys, I just think that's the
best one. So that's where I'm at on all those
Thanks everybody for all the tweets. I hope you enjoyed
this discussion. If you disagree with me, it just hit
me again on Twitter and make your arguments there. I'm
on Twitter at Mike Destro that's Mike d E E.
S t r O. Hit me up, all right, So,
(18:58):
speaking of movies with a bunch of sequels. What I
did this week for my reviews is I wanted to
dive into an entire franchise, and the franchise I picked
was all the Oceans movies. So what I'm talking about
is the original trilogy and the one spinoff that came
out last year. I'm not going back as far as
the original Oceans eleven nineteen sixty movie, just because I
wanted to look at the Oceans movies that we know,
(19:20):
and then the spinoff that was I don't say controversial,
but kind of. It wasn't seen as a sequel. It's
it's labeled as a spinoff. But I wanted to include
that in here as well and just rank all of
them and give kind of my reviews for each one
as how I enjoyed them. So starting first at number
four is going to be Oceans twelve, which I just
(19:41):
felt was the outright weakest of the movies, because now
they're coming off a really strong one with Oceans eleven,
which came out in two thousand one. Three years later
Oceans Swolf came out in two thousand and four. I
wouldn't say that this one was a bad movie. I
just felt it kind of had identity crisis, because what
made the first one is it just followed one heist
(20:02):
and right away. What I didn't like about this movie
is that it like, I'm okay with things being unbelievable,
Like I buy into the fact that they could break
into this place and actually steal this stuff. I believe
a movie creates the world, but they have to abide
by the rules that they create, so I'm not criticizing
it for that. But how this movie kind of starts
(20:24):
out is they're threatened by the guy who's in the
first one, which I'll get into my review later, and
it just kind of comes out and hits him with
this thing of like, Okay, you have to collect all
this money that you owe me, and you have this
long to do it, and they just kind of buy
into it right away. I felt like there was no
kind of fight back of like them coming up with
another plan and they just kind of go right into it.
I'm like, okay, yeah, well what he says, and they
(20:45):
just kind of rolled over so easily that I didn't
like it. I didn't feel like it fit their characters
because in the first one they're just so strong of
like going after this guy and taking his money, and
then here they're just like, oh, yeah, I look better
give it back before he gets mad at us. I
just didn't really like how it's set off at the
very beginning, and then getting into the movie, I just
(21:06):
feel it's a little clunky because how the first one
focuses on one heist, this one has a bunch of
separate jobs and they don't really go into full detail
on all of them, and it just kind of happened
and you're kind of confused at certain points. So I
felt that took a lot away from the movie. And
then it's not really clear like who the bad guys
(21:26):
in this one until like the very end, and then
I have this whole theory I'll get into later. Um
at the very end of this abow when they introduced
celebrities in the movies that are celebrities that they play
themselves in the movie, but yet they're dealing with other actors.
I'll kind of explain that whole thing here later. But
I just felt overall this movie didn't really do it
for me. I felt like about halfway through, I didn't
(21:48):
really Carol was going unlike all the other ones where
I'm like, Oh, how are they going to pull this off?
Like what exactly is gonna happen? But about halfway through
this and I was like, yeah, what, I can see
why this one is really viewed at the best. So
at number four, I'm gonna put Oceans twelve. At number three,
I'm gonna put Oceans eight, which came out back in
eighteen with an all female cast. Now, this isn't seen
(22:09):
as a sequel to the originals. It's seen as a
spinoff because it's not directed by the original director. Now
you have a really great cast in this one, Sandra
bull At, Kate Blanchet and had the way Mindy Kalin,
Sarah Pulse, and Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter and Aquafino, who
all make up the Oceans all female cast, which I
think was really what kind of made this one interesting
(22:30):
and made me want to watch because you have essentially
a different take on the original franchise. And I actually
really enjoyed this one. I think I starts out with
kind of an ode to the first Oceans eleven and
it's Sandra Bullock's character who plays the sister of Danny
Ocean and basically what happens to her is exactly what
happens to him. In the first one, she's getting out
of prison, and while she was in prison, she came
(22:53):
up with this whole plan to pull off this really
big heist. And then after about the first maybe ten
minutes of the movie, I feel like it really become
the towne. And this one's probably a little more comedic
than the all the other Oceans movies. You have all
these comedic actresses and then just very serious actresses altogether
in this cast, so it's kind of kind of has
a really good mix of the of both like the
(23:13):
original ones, but I think it leans a little bit
more towards the comedy and this one so while the
action is still great and the whole overall heist is
really great, I think it leans toward a little more comedy.
So maybe that's why it didn't get as great reviews.
I think it was expecting because I think they were
just going for something different. But I think it works
really well together. I think the heist itself was really
(23:35):
well done and really explained in a way to where
it kind of makes sense even though it is pretty
far fetched. I think they broke it down in a
way so much said it was like, Okay, you know what,
this could maybe actually happen. I like that it was
placed in modern day and they do the same thing
again where they take real life celebrities playing themselves in
this which are interacting with people who are also celebrities
(23:57):
but playing different characters. Again. I'll explain this whole kind
of theory I have in movie rules that I will
get to the very end of this. But I thought
overall this was a very good movie. I enjoyed it
a lot. I know it didn't really get the greatest reviews,
but like I thought, they all had really great chemistry together,
and I would even go for the making us equal
to this spin off, So I was into it. I
think it's a pretty good movie. At number two, I'm
(24:19):
gonna have to put Ocean's thirteen. I like that they
came back to Vegas for this one. I like the
introduction of al Pacino's character in this one, and they
kind of go back to having that one original task,
that one original heist with a few other kind of
Renchester throwing in the gears. And it's kind of cool
to see them come back six years after the first one,
and everybody's like a lot better looking and a lot
(24:41):
more successful. I don't think they're so into the peak
of their A list status at this point and being
super rich and famous, so I don't think they could
ever really do this movie again at this point, but
I'm glad that they were able to come back and
kind of close out the trilogy. I think with overall story,
this one's pretty strong and it just kind of gives
you that kind of good feeling that the first one
gave you, and everything just kind of makes sense in
(25:03):
this one, unlike it did in Oceans twelve. So I
had to put this one at number two. Overall, just
a really solid movie, really great action, and finally, Brad
Pitt has a decent haircut at number one. I gotta
put the original Oceans eleven. Now, this one really set
the stage for the entire franchise. And first of all,
what I loved about this one is I really like
movies based in Las Vegas. Just something about the action
(25:26):
there and the views of the casino and all that
kind of stuff I just think plays really great into
watching a movie. It's very visually appealing, which I know
a bunch of movies are just based in New York
and based in l A and you kind of get
tired of that a little bit, so when they go
to Vegas, I just really like that. And I really
like the heights in this one. I think out of
all the movies, it's the most satisfying once it's pulled off.
(25:46):
Its feels like the most intricate planning that they do,
and out of all these of like, okay, this is
all the steps to this, all the kind of intricate
parts and all the rules that everybody plays in the movie,
I thought really has a great payoff and kind of
works together well. Also, I just love that everybody's really
young in this movie, like Casey Affleck is in this
looking very little like Casey affle Like you got a
(26:09):
younger George Clooney and Bratt Pitt and it's kind of
all them before they're really super a list status, although
it would still all consider them a list at this point,
but there are a lot richer and more successful now
that making this movie would be impossible to do at
this point. There's no way you can get all these
schedules synked up together. And also, surprisingly I think this
(26:30):
one really holds up even though it came out nineteen
years ago. I think aside from Vegas looking a little
bit different and maybe like the cell phones they're using,
I think you could still watch it and still kind
of feel like it could have been placed in today's world.
It's also really great to see Bernie Mack in this movie,
and you forget that, aside from him being a great comedian,
(26:50):
he's also a really great actor, and I like him
in this movie. And then let's not forget that Julia
Robert does in this one and does a really great job.
And the thing I want to get to now is
the whole little thing that kind of goes throughout all
these movies is that in the movies there's celebrities playing themselves.
So in like the first one, you have toforh Grace
(27:11):
and in the movie he's playing Toford Grace. And then
even in the second one, you have Julia Roberts who's
playing a character named Tess, but in the movie she
also plays Julia Roberts, and it's the whole thing. And
then Bruce Willis is in there. There's a bunch of
other celebrities thrown into this one, and then all the
other movies that I just kind of wonder about what
this world creates and how this kind of looks in
(27:33):
my head because I'm watching them and I realized that, Okay,
they're saying that these people in this world are celebrities,
but then you have to also think of, like, okay,
if they're a celebrity, and George Clooney is a celebrity too,
but in this movie, he's not playing George Clooney, He's
playing Danny Ocean. So it's like, in this world, if
he knows Julia Roberts is Julia Roberts, Like, wouldn't the
(27:54):
real George Clooney know Julia, don't? It Just it kind
of screws in my head a little bit because they're
creating this world of where one person is famous in
the world that we know because it's present day, but
it's also this person isn't famous, He's just a regular guy.
And then the other question I just have, like what
if they ask Brad Pitt's character Rusty in this movie, like, Hey, Rusty,
(28:14):
what's your favorite movie? And he's like fight Club? That
couldn't happen, Like he couldn't like fight Club because Brad
Pitt isn't fight Club. But yet in this world, all
these other celebrities exist so somewhere, I just feel if
you look back at the lines, somewhere these lines cross,
like at some point they're all connected with the celebrity
in the movie. So I get it, it's a movie.
You kind of have to displace that and not think
(28:36):
about that kind of thing. But I just feel when
your movie creates the world, you abide by the rules
that they create, and it just kind of gets loopy.
There's some kind of weird Baradocks in there in my
brain when I watched these movies, like something doesn't add
up here. There's a way that you kind of break
that code. So I don't know, that's a weird theory
I had. I hope that made some kind of sense,
(28:57):
But it's just something to think about. Whenever somebody in
a movie references an other movie. In any movie, really
like you to have to think, like, what if they
were in that movie? So it closed this out. In ranking,
I put Oceans eleven and number one, Oceans thirteen at
number two, Oceans eight the spinoff at number three, and
then Oceans twelve I put it at the bottom. I
think this is a really great franchise to bench right now,
(29:18):
mainly because they're fun movies. The actually is great and
if you haven't seen them, it's kind of fun to
take that first initial journey and they feel like a
roller coaster. So if you're looking for an old franchise
that dive into, I think this one is kind of
underrated and doesn't really get talked about a lot, So
check it out. They're all available to rent online. I
rented each one for about three bucks. Eat. They're all
(29:40):
available to rent online. I did it on Apple Plus TV.
They're all about three bucks. So if you want to
check those out, it's gonna be a fun binge. Alright.
So the last thing I want to talk about is
this interesting study that I saw come out last week
that said a new study says that of Americans would
rather watch new movies at home, And it just got
(30:00):
me to thinking of how movie theaters are gonna be
like within the next few months and when everything's kind
of got to go back to normal, and I know
that there's really no new theatrical releases coming until that
first week of July, so everything shifted to video on
demand to stream it at home. And I gotta admit
I've actually been more open to it now because at
(30:22):
first I was a really big proponent of like, there's
no way I would stop going to a movie theater.
Like before this happened, like I was like, I like
going to the movie theater and I like that experience.
But now with everything kind of changing and feeling what
the experience is at home, I'm a little bit more
open to it. But I think it's very early on
(30:44):
with everything right now. I just think that's where I'm
at as a person when it comes to everything going
on right now and my willingness to get back to normal.
I'm a little more open to it now. But I
wanted to break down this study a little bit more,
so I put the question out there on my Twitter,
kind of gauging a little more because I felt like
just asking and finding out that you'd rather watch new
movies new movies at home, I think there's a little
(31:05):
bit more in there. So I asked, are you willing
to go back to a theater or would you rather
watch new movies at home? Asking that question, but I
gave the separate categories of number one, would you rather
go back in theaters when they open? Number two at
home only from now on. Number three in theaters but
not right now, so maybe later once things we kind
of see how everything goes, or number four, make them
(31:29):
both available, And actually what ended up getting the most
of votes was number four, make them both available. Like
people on this poll said that they would rather have
them both available, and I'm kind of thinking that's where
everybody kind of is, because it's a really great luxury
to have new movies at home. And I think that
(31:49):
movie theaters are hesitant to do this because obviously where
they make their money, it's not really from the ticket prices.
It's people coming in and buying drinks, buying popcorn, buying candy,
like that's where their money gets made from. It's not
really so much putting all the people in the seats,
it's all the things they can sell to you once
you're at the movie theater. And that's the reason that
(32:10):
they don't want this video on demand to really take
off to just you can just click a button at
your house to pay the fee and they get nothing
from that. So there's a really big pushback on that
going to as far as banning certain movie productions from
being shown in their theaters who have done it this way.
But I think what we're seeing now is there can
kind of be a happy medium in between because I
(32:33):
like having the choice. There are certain movies that I
feel need to be seen on the big screen, like
these big summer blockbusters just play different on a big
screen with a big sound that you don't have at home.
But I also know that a bunch of people, myself included,
have a pretty good home setup, Like we have nice
TVs that we've ever had before, with big screens, great sound.
(32:53):
We have sound bars, we have headphones, we have all
these things to watch movies at a better quality at
home and that comfort of, you know, just not having
to leave, Like if we want to just get the
family around, get our friends around to come over for
a movie and pay twenty bucks as a flat rate,
as opposed to going to the theaters and everybody having
to pay their ticket, everybody having to get on the
same page and for that, you know, all that kind
(33:15):
of other side and factors that go into it. It's
a lot more easier. But I feel like having that
choice to pick where you want to see the movie
would be a really great thing to see played out now.
I don't think they will be instantaneous, because I think
movie theaters are going to fight to stay alive, as
they should, as I support, but I also think there
(33:39):
has we have that taste now of watching it at home,
so they're not gonna be able to, you know, go
back to how everything was before. I think what's gonna
happen is maybe the line in between is maybe the
first two weeks that a movie is just available in theaters,
like two weeks. I think it's pretty quick. They may
put it to like a month, but it's just the
(34:00):
available in theaters, and then pretty soon after it comes
to video on demand. It's not this whole waiting two
to three months to get it at home that we
kind of have to wait now, or even the longer
of having to wait till it's on a streaming service.
I think that's kind of where they have to move now.
They don't want to do that to be like both
at the same time because they'll feel like, Okay, they're
(34:20):
taking away our sales because you're having the ability to
choose right away. I think it will have to be
somewhere in between tow where they give that period of
time where it's theater is exclusive and then video on
demand and then you go onto streaming and all that stuff.
I think I would like that a lot more because
there's certain movies, like I said that I'm gonna want
(34:40):
to go see you in theaters, like the big action movies,
the big superhero movies, I think have a better experience
watching them in theaters. But there's also just like Wrong
Comms and other movies that I feel you don't need
that big screen experience and maybe you don't want to
spend as much that it would be a lot nicer
just to sit down and watch him at home on
a Friday night instead of going out. So I think
it actually helps those kind of movies that maybe don't
(35:02):
have as big a success that the box office is
to be able to have, just like Okay, I can
just watch this at home and it's a lot more convenient.
They may get a shot. It's also really great for
kids and family movies, like we saw what the Trolls
movie did so well with videos on demand numbers that
they made as much and actually more than the original
(35:26):
did in theater. So that's an undeniable market right there
they can still make a lot of money from. So
that's just my thoughts on the whole thing. I know
we kind of had the entire summer now to kind
of wait until things start going back in and then
getting into the fall releases. There's still all scheduled to
kind of come out at the rescheduled dates. I don't
think anybody now has taken those away yet, so we'll
(35:47):
see what happens, all right, And that's the episode for
this week. But before I go, every week I give
out an Instagram or Twitter shout out for anybody who
has tagged me in their Instagram story or set me
a tweet. And this next one actually comes to me
from my Instagram DM. It's from Soap and she says, Hey, Mike,
I just want to say my sister and I are
obsessed with your podcast. My dad's been sick and in
(36:08):
bed for a few months and he loves movies, so
I recently got him into it too. Love you and
love your podcast. So not only is that awesome so
that you're listening to the podcast, but also you got
your sister into it and now your dad, Like that's
amazing in itself, and I hate the fact that he's
been sicken in bed for so long, so I just
want to give him a shout out, So shout out
Peter to listening to the podcast. Hopefully you enjoyed this episode. Man,
(36:28):
all right, that's it for this week. Thanks to everybody
who's listening through the entire episode. If you're listening to
this part now, send me a tweet and hashtag it
movie Mix and let me know that you listened to
the episode the entire way through and just give me
what you thought was the coolest part of the episode
or what you agreed with, what you disagreed with, and
I'll talk to you guys next week. Later
Hello there, Welcome back to movie Mike's Movie podcast. I
am movie Mike on Twitter and Instagram at Mike b
stro That's Mike D E E. S. T r Oh.
And on this episode, I am talking about sequels that
are better than the original movies, which I think is
a very hard thing to do with very few movies
have done it. But I'll break down what sequels I
think are better than the originals, and I also asked
(00:21):
a bunch of you guys on Twitter for your opinion.
There's some I agree with and there's some I disagree with,
so I can't wait to get into those, so we'll
talk about all that. I also did a deep dive
into a movie franchise this week, and I'm exploring the
Ocean's movies, so Ocean's eleven, Oceans twelve, thirteen, and even
to spin off Oceans eight. I watched all those this
week and I'm gonna break down and rank those and
(00:42):
give my reviews on each of those films. And I'm
also going to talk about this really interesting study that
came out last week about how the majority of people
now just want to watch new movies at home. So
I kind of want to get into and break down
what I think movie theaters will have to do to
adapt to people now getting a taste of what it's
like to have brand new movies in our house use
and how they're going to kind of get us to
go back into the theaters to watch new movies. So
(01:04):
we'll break down all those things in this episode. And again,
it just means a lot to see all the new
listeners here checking out the podcast listening every week. And
if you're a new listener and don't mind, tell a
friend tell them you've been listening to this podcast that's
all about movies, and maybe they should check it out
too if they're into movies. And also if you're listening
on Apple podcasts. I know I say this every week,
but it really doesn't make a big difference if you
(01:24):
guys just do a quick little review, write it up
on their leave that five star rating. To help me
kind of boost myself up there out in the podcast
the world, like kind of look each week aware I'm
ranked among the other movie podcasts, and the higher I
get up there, the kind of happier it makes me.
So if you guys can help me out with that,
it would be amazing. Or if you don't want to
do any of that. Just make sure you're subscribe, because
(01:45):
I put brand new episodes out every single Monday, and
if you hit that subscribe button, hit that follow button,
you'll get it right there on your phone or wherever
you load these up on every single Monday, it'll be
right there for you when you wake up or when
you're going to sleep, whenever you listen to podcasts, I
don't you so all right with all that said, here's
the episode. Let's get started. In a world where everyone
(02:06):
and their mother has a podcast, one man stands to
infiltrate the ears of listeners like never before in a
movie podcast, a man with so much movie knowledge piece
basically like a walking on MTV with glasses from the
Nashville podcast Networking Pies Movie MI Movie Podcast. All right,
(02:29):
so let's get right into it, talking about sequels that
were better than the original movies. I asked you guys
on Twitter for your opinions, and I'm excited to get
to those responses because I think there's some movies that
are just undeniably better than the originals, and I'm excited
to talk about those. But even what I'm probably more
excited about are the ones that I disagree with you
guys on which I like it. What we can disagree
(02:50):
about a movie, especially when it comes to sequels. So
I also want to set the stage, and I always
set the stage with the criteria for what I have
going into this episode. So what a sequel is defined as,
first of all, is anything that comes after the first one.
So it doesn't necessarily have to be the part two
of a movie. Anything that comes after the first one,
(03:11):
whether it be a trilogy or beyond. I'm considering all
those movies. So if there's any movie in the line
of a franchise that was better than the original movie,
they can go on this list. So it could be
a part three, he could be a part four. It
doesn't have to be the second movie. Second of all,
I also wanted to break down some of these by
the numbers and by critic reviews, however they were received.
(03:32):
So if a movie had more OSCAR nominations for a sequel,
maybe you can then maybe you can take that into
consideration as well. So I kind of broke down the
first ones of just by the numbers, what movies were
actually better as sequels than the original they perform better,
And then I'll just kind of get into my own
personal opinion know what I enjoyed more and what I
(03:54):
think holds up better over time. So first of all,
I just want to get into the ones that kind
of just as a matter of fact, these are actually
seen as better movies in the originals on paper. So
first of all, I think you gotta throw out The Godfather,
which I'm not really a big fan of the Godfather movies.
I like a good gangster movie, but something about those
movies They're very long and very drawn out, and I
(04:16):
don't feel like they're a little bit before my time,
and I never really found myself getting back into those movies.
But on paper they have received a bunch of nominations.
Each one of the trilogy has been nominated for Best Picture,
which is a very hard thing to do because when
the Academy Awards set out to pick the movies for
Best Picture, it's very rare that they pick a sequel,
(04:39):
because what the best picture has to be is a
novel movie. It has to be never done before, or
a story told in a way that hasn't been seen
before in the big screen. But when you come with
a sequel, it's like, Okay, you've already done a part
one of this, what could make it so different that
it would be worthy of the Best Picture nomination. That's
(05:00):
a big reason into why it's hard for any kind
of sequel to make it as a Best Picture nominee.
And very few movies have done it to even be nominated,
and even less have done it to actually go on
to win. So I'll actually address all those that have
actually been able to do it. But the god Bather
on paper, the whole franchise, Part two just one and
(05:22):
had more nominations, and Part one and two both received
the Best Picture nominations, So that's pretty crazy that back
to back they won for Best Picture, and then Part
three was nominated but didn't get the win. So if
you're looking at all these movies on paper, part two
actually has a better track record, and a lot of
the responses you guys had on Twitter was that Part
(05:42):
two was seen as a better movie and justify the numbers.
You can't deny that one. Another one you guys hit
me with was Lord of the Rings Return of the King,
which is actually the final in the trilogy and was
actually the first of the series to win Best Picture.
The first two word nominated but didn't get that win,
and in total, the Lord of the Rings franchise has
received eleven OSCAR nominations, which is a bunch. Now. Like
(06:06):
the Godfather movies, this was another trilogy that was hard
for me to get into, mainly because I feel the
movies like a lot of action. It's really just a
bunch of walking in, a bunch of talking and with
very limited action, I feel like in my opinion, and
I do feel though, if you do pick one of
these movies out, Part two has the most action out
(06:26):
of all of them. But I do feel like if
you pick one of these movies out to be a
standout of the series, I would have to go with
Part three, which I feel has the most action out
of all of them, and I would say is way
better than the original. So The Godfather and The Lord
of the Rings are really the only movies to win
for Best Picture that have been a sequel. But the
other one that's kind of in a different category would
(06:48):
be Toy Story. Now, it didn't win for Best Picture,
but it won for Best Animated Movie, which I believe
when Toy Story one and two came out, the category
didn't exist yet, so it may have even one more,
but both three and Part four got the nomination and
got the win, and for me, the whole Toy Story
franchise had a really close place in my heart. I
(07:10):
remember when the first one came out and it was
the first animated movie to ever use that c g
I technology, and I was like, this just looks amazingly different.
But not only that, the story was really great, but
I kind of feel like the one that really brings
everything together is Part three. I got really emotional in
the movie theater when I saw that movie, and I
(07:31):
feel like all around that that is a better movie
than the first one. Visually, I think it looks a
lot better because there's a lot of years in between
Part two and Part three. So it was also very
highly anticipated, mainly because the first two were so beloved,
But I feel like they got Toy Story a lot
more right in this one, and it really tugged more
at the heart strings more so than the first two,
(07:54):
because the first two really just kind of funny and
set the stage that way, but this one, I think
it kind of crossed that line of just being a
kid's movie to being the movie that the adults that
want to go watch it remember the movies as a kid,
and we're also able to enjoy it a lot more.
And of course it introduced the whole Toy Story franchise
to a bunch of new kids. So I really think
(08:15):
three is the best in all the franchise. I thought
four was okay but unnecessary, and I kind of hope
they ended there, like they didn't really need to make
the Part four. I liked that they did because I
was able to go back into the theater and watch
Toy Story on the big screen, but overall, the story
didn't really go anywhere further with Andy and with the kids,
(08:37):
So I thought they could have ended in a three
and would have been perfect. So I hope they don't
make a five. As much as I would like to
go back and see another Toy Story movie, I think
they kind of hold the magic of the franchise. They
should probably keep it at four, but without a doubt,
I think Part three is just better than the original. Alright,
So I got actually a bunch of tweets about this one.
(08:57):
Nicole Gauge was actually the first one to tweet me
about it, and it's for ace Ventura Pet Detective. Now
I'm really passionate about this one too, because I know
everybody likes the first one. But I was really young
when this first one came out. Probably it came out
in I was born in I was three years old.
I don't think I watched it right when it came out,
but I was still at most eight when I saw
(09:19):
the first one, and I felt it was just a
lot more adult and a lot more like the jokes
kind of I didn't really get all the way as
a kid. And then I remember watching a Spentura when
nature calls and thinking like, oh, this is so much funnier,
and it's more just Jim Carey kind of going all
out in this one. I think he had such a
(09:40):
big hit in the first one that they were like,
all right, let's do the sequel and just kind of
let Jim Carrey go and really take on the persona
of ace Ventura. And I thought he turned it up
to eleven pretty much in the next one. I also
just thought the story was better in the second one,
and there was a lot more memorable moments, memorable quotes
then in the first one. Like I know that the
cat phrases were born in the first one, but I
(10:02):
just think there were a lot more funny situational moments
in the sequel than the original. And I also think
just going back and watching these as an adult, and
even just watching them in the kind of scope of
the second one holds up better. The whole plot in
the first one. If you go back and watch now,
it's kind of like, oh man, they were really able
to get away with some of this stuff in the nineties.
(10:22):
So I think the second one is just a more
fun movie. It's less adult, so if you're watching it
as a kid, it's not thing that has any kind
of double in Chandra or just anything sexual in it.
And it's just a lot straight up like almost a
spin tour as a cartoon character put to life. And
I just think, now, if I'm gonna go back and
watch either part one or part two, I'm gonna go
(10:44):
with Part two with nature calls, So I think it's
better than the original. Alright, going through some more your
tweets now, another one that's really undeniable is The Dark
Knight being better than Batman Begins, Like you to say
anything more about that, It was just a better movie.
Batman Begins set the stage for it, but I felt
some of the parts of the story, we're a little
bit confusing, and it didn't really have that edge of
(11:06):
the Dark Knight yet. And then when you get to
the Dark Night, it's like, oh, this is just so
moving on an entirely different level from that opening scene.
It really has just NonStop action throughout and without a doubt,
is just better than the original. And then staying on
the Batman franchise, I think Batman Returned was a lot
better than the first Batman. Now. The first one was
(11:27):
a lot darker and a lot more serious and a
lot more kind of violence in it, but there was
something about making it more of a comic book style
movie in the second one, making a little more cartoony
that I felt brought a little more life to the
franchise and made me kind of enjoy it more. Now.
I like Jack Nicholson as the Joker. In the first one,
I didn't feel like it was anything great. I remember
(11:47):
watching it as a kid and I was like, this
is kind of just seen as a guy with the
clown makeup. I didn't really feel like he was and
embodied the Joker. But in the second one, I just
kind of like the Villa in a lot more as
Danny DeVito as the penguin, Like I thought he played
that perfectly and fit that role so great that it
kind of really made that movie for me. And I
(12:07):
also think it's the only time they've ever gotten Catwoman right.
So there's just a lot more that I go back
and like about Batman Returns that I ever did about Batman.
All right. Now, I'm a big Marvel fan. I've seen
all the movies, and I have to say, I think
the weakest superhero out of all of them with standalone
movies has to be Captain America. Now, he has kind
(12:29):
of redeemed himself over the years and I've kind of
having more of like, Okay, I can see why people
like him and why he's a little bit more beloved
than I feel like he should be in my eyes.
But I think it was that first movie that I
just thought he was a little bit boring, Like there
wasn't much to his character. That movie was very slow,
and it's hard when you have it placed back in
the day and it kind of has just at the
(12:51):
start of it as sober vibe, and I didn't really
feel like Red School was that great of a villain
in the first one. And his overall origin story was
just very He's slow and drawn out, but when you
put him into Captain America the Winter Soldier, it's like,
all of a sudden, right into action. You have him
fighting Bucky and it's just this is where it kind
(13:12):
of gets good. This is where it's a little more interesting.
You throw in Black Widow in there, and there's just
a lot more action and right to the point. So
I still felt like it took me probably a right
around Captain America Civil War to where I was like, Okay,
I actually like Captain America now um into his character,
I like Chris Evans, but it took all those kind
(13:34):
of movies in between to get me to that point
because I feel like his origin story wasn't anything great,
and if they didn't have the addition of all the
other Marvel characters around him and the first Avengerous movie,
I don't think like his standalone movies would have done
as well. And also in Civil War, I felt it
was so heavy with Iron Man at that point that
(13:56):
they kind of like crow barded in there, like, Okay,
we basically have to put our biggest superhero, iron Man
and kind of put them together with Captain America and
really make them stand out a lot more, and I
think that ended up being really successful for them and
was really important into finishing out that whole run of
the Avengers movie so easily. Without a doubt, I thought
(14:17):
the second one was way better than the first. Captain America.
My favorite would still have to be Captain America Civil War.
And I have to go one more that I agree
with you guys on before I get into the ones
that I can't agree with, and it was Hunger Games.
Catching Fire was way better than the original. Now, when
it comes to the books, I like the first one
the best because I think it gives the whole overall
story and you really kind of dive into Catanius and
(14:39):
everything that's going on in District twelve. But when it
comes to the movies, I felt like the first one
was so rushed, and also at this point, they didn't
know that these movies were going to be a hit,
so I felt like they didn't put the money into
these movies to really make them great. I felt like
there was just so much more visually they could have
done with the first one, and I also felt it
just ended so abruptly, which I guess it does in
(15:01):
the book too, but I kind of felt like when
I watched it in theaters that I was let down
a little bit at the ending. I know it goes
abruptly in the book, but it's like, Okay, it finally
gets to the really good part and now it's kind
of over, and it felt like a really big cliffhanger.
So I never really had that satisfaction with the first
one watching it, But then when the second one came out,
(15:22):
everything was kind of taking up a level. The costume
design was a lot better. I felt like it actually
looked like what I envisioned when I was reading the book.
The cast grew more and they brought all these other
characters from the book to life, and I just felt
like they put more thought in to all the minute
details that really made the books great, and they really
just got it better so easily. I think Catching Fire
(15:43):
was better than the original, and probably my favorite in
the entire franchise. All right, now, I just want to
hit on some of the one that you guys submitted
that I couldn't agree with. Starting first with Frozen Now,
a bunch of people said that Frozen two was better
than Frozen one. And I think a lot of the
art human is that the music is better in Frozen two,
which I do agree with. I think it has overall
(16:06):
a lot more memorable songs in the first one. Maybe
they're a little more sing along a bowl, I guess,
and really the first one has let It Go, and
maybe the other ones just aren't as memorable. So I
get that part of it, and I know it's a musical,
and that's a you know what stands out a lot,
But I just think the story is better and Frozen one,
and I feel more attached to Elsa and that one,
(16:27):
getting to know her, even to when it comes to
that part of her first singing let it Go, Like
I've heard that song so much before I ever watched
this movie, because I barely watched the first one and
the second one this year, And when that song hit,
I was like, Oh, I finally get this song, and
I finally get the story. And I was just so
more dial into that first one finding out what happened
(16:47):
then I wasn't in the second one. I thought the
second one was a lot darker and a little more
adult even and I just didn't feel as connected with
the story throughout, and I didn't feel like it really
kept my attention like the first one did. And I
think if you put those two side by side, the
first one just goes a lot further. Sorry, guys. In
my heart, Frozen one will always beat out Frozen two.
(17:10):
Another one that a bunch of people said were the
Star Wars movies, that The Empire Strikes Back was better
than the original, And I don't know what it is
about the original, but I just feel it's just so
more that you just get dropped into the world of
Star Wars. Like in the first Star Wars, you kind
of just accept everything, like they bring in all these
characters and you don't really know what everything is connected,
(17:32):
but you're like, this is cool, Like I get it.
I don't know what all these things that they're referencing,
and I don't know everything that's going on at this point,
but I'm just focused in on what they're showing me,
what they're telling me, and I'm into it. Like I
I like the introduction of all the characters. I like
that it starts out would mainly just R two, D
two and C three p O and being told from
(17:53):
their point of view. And I just really like the
origin story of Star Wars in the first movie of
being introduced to this whole new world, getting to know
all these new characters, and then just going on that
first journey with them. Now I get that in the
second one you get into a little bit more of
the iconic stuff with Darth Vader, and the whole story
kind of really starts developing and getting into the second one.
(18:16):
But even looking at this one by the numbers, like
this was the only one to be nominated for Best Picture,
it received the most nominations and wins for that matter,
and I just think you really can't deny that the
first one just had a bigger cultural impact that all
the others that followed before. So I just think, without
a doubt the first one can't be competed with on
(18:36):
any sequel. So sorry, guys, I just think that's the
best one. So that's where I'm at on all those
Thanks everybody for all the tweets. I hope you enjoyed
this discussion. If you disagree with me, it just hit
me again on Twitter and make your arguments there. I'm
on Twitter at Mike Destro that's Mike d E E.
S t r O. Hit me up, all right, So,
(18:58):
speaking of movies with a bunch of sequels. What I
did this week for my reviews is I wanted to
dive into an entire franchise, and the franchise I picked
was all the Oceans movies. So what I'm talking about
is the original trilogy and the one spinoff that came
out last year. I'm not going back as far as
the original Oceans eleven nineteen sixty movie, just because I
wanted to look at the Oceans movies that we know,
(19:20):
and then the spinoff that was I don't say controversial,
but kind of. It wasn't seen as a sequel. It's
it's labeled as a spinoff. But I wanted to include
that in here as well and just rank all of
them and give kind of my reviews for each one
as how I enjoyed them. So starting first at number
four is going to be Oceans twelve, which I just
(19:41):
felt was the outright weakest of the movies, because now
they're coming off a really strong one with Oceans eleven,
which came out in two thousand one. Three years later
Oceans Swolf came out in two thousand and four. I
wouldn't say that this one was a bad movie. I
just felt it kind of had identity crisis, because what
made the first one is it just followed one heist
(20:02):
and right away. What I didn't like about this movie
is that it like, I'm okay with things being unbelievable,
Like I buy into the fact that they could break
into this place and actually steal this stuff. I believe
a movie creates the world, but they have to abide
by the rules that they create, so I'm not criticizing
it for that. But how this movie kind of starts
(20:24):
out is they're threatened by the guy who's in the
first one, which I'll get into my review later, and
it just kind of comes out and hits him with
this thing of like, Okay, you have to collect all
this money that you owe me, and you have this
long to do it, and they just kind of buy
into it right away. I felt like there was no
kind of fight back of like them coming up with
another plan and they just kind of go right into it.
I'm like, okay, yeah, well what he says, and they
(20:45):
just kind of rolled over so easily that I didn't
like it. I didn't feel like it fit their characters
because in the first one they're just so strong of
like going after this guy and taking his money, and
then here they're just like, oh, yeah, I look better
give it back before he gets mad at us. I
just didn't really like how it's set off at the
very beginning, and then getting into the movie, I just
(21:06):
feel it's a little clunky because how the first one
focuses on one heist, this one has a bunch of
separate jobs and they don't really go into full detail
on all of them, and it just kind of happened
and you're kind of confused at certain points. So I
felt that took a lot away from the movie. And
then it's not really clear like who the bad guys
(21:26):
in this one until like the very end, and then
I have this whole theory I'll get into later. Um
at the very end of this abow when they introduced
celebrities in the movies that are celebrities that they play
themselves in the movie, but yet they're dealing with other actors.
I'll kind of explain that whole thing here later. But
I just felt overall this movie didn't really do it
for me. I felt like about halfway through, I didn't
(21:48):
really Carol was going unlike all the other ones where
I'm like, Oh, how are they going to pull this off?
Like what exactly is gonna happen? But about halfway through
this and I was like, yeah, what, I can see
why this one is really viewed at the best. So
at number four, I'm gonna put Oceans twelve. At number three,
I'm gonna put Oceans eight, which came out back in
eighteen with an all female cast. Now, this isn't seen
(22:09):
as a sequel to the originals. It's seen as a
spinoff because it's not directed by the original director. Now
you have a really great cast in this one, Sandra
bull At, Kate Blanchet and had the way Mindy Kalin,
Sarah Pulse, and Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter and Aquafino, who
all make up the Oceans all female cast, which I
think was really what kind of made this one interesting
(22:30):
and made me want to watch because you have essentially
a different take on the original franchise. And I actually
really enjoyed this one. I think I starts out with
kind of an ode to the first Oceans eleven and
it's Sandra Bullock's character who plays the sister of Danny
Ocean and basically what happens to her is exactly what
happens to him. In the first one, she's getting out
of prison, and while she was in prison, she came
(22:53):
up with this whole plan to pull off this really
big heist. And then after about the first maybe ten
minutes of the movie, I feel like it really become
the towne. And this one's probably a little more comedic
than the all the other Oceans movies. You have all
these comedic actresses and then just very serious actresses altogether
in this cast, so it's kind of kind of has
a really good mix of the of both like the
(23:13):
original ones, but I think it leans a little bit
more towards the comedy and this one so while the
action is still great and the whole overall heist is
really great, I think it leans toward a little more comedy.
So maybe that's why it didn't get as great reviews.
I think it was expecting because I think they were
just going for something different. But I think it works
really well together. I think the heist itself was really
(23:35):
well done and really explained in a way to where
it kind of makes sense even though it is pretty
far fetched. I think they broke it down in a
way so much said it was like, Okay, you know what,
this could maybe actually happen. I like that it was
placed in modern day and they do the same thing
again where they take real life celebrities playing themselves in
this which are interacting with people who are also celebrities
(23:57):
but playing different characters. Again. I'll explain this whole kind
of theory I have in movie rules that I will
get to the very end of this. But I thought
overall this was a very good movie. I enjoyed it
a lot. I know it didn't really get the greatest reviews,
but like I thought, they all had really great chemistry together,
and I would even go for the making us equal
to this spin off, So I was into it. I
think it's a pretty good movie. At number two, I'm
(24:19):
gonna have to put Ocean's thirteen. I like that they
came back to Vegas for this one. I like the
introduction of al Pacino's character in this one, and they
kind of go back to having that one original task,
that one original heist with a few other kind of
Renchester throwing in the gears. And it's kind of cool
to see them come back six years after the first one,
and everybody's like a lot better looking and a lot
(24:41):
more successful. I don't think they're so into the peak
of their A list status at this point and being
super rich and famous, so I don't think they could
ever really do this movie again at this point, but
I'm glad that they were able to come back and
kind of close out the trilogy. I think with overall story,
this one's pretty strong and it just kind of gives
you that kind of good feeling that the first one
gave you, and everything just kind of makes sense in
(25:03):
this one, unlike it did in Oceans twelve. So I
had to put this one at number two. Overall, just
a really solid movie, really great action, and finally, Brad
Pitt has a decent haircut at number one. I gotta
put the original Oceans eleven. Now, this one really set
the stage for the entire franchise. And first of all,
what I loved about this one is I really like
movies based in Las Vegas. Just something about the action
(25:26):
there and the views of the casino and all that
kind of stuff I just think plays really great into
watching a movie. It's very visually appealing, which I know
a bunch of movies are just based in New York
and based in l A and you kind of get
tired of that a little bit, so when they go
to Vegas, I just really like that. And I really
like the heights in this one. I think out of
all the movies, it's the most satisfying once it's pulled off.
(25:46):
Its feels like the most intricate planning that they do,
and out of all these of like, okay, this is
all the steps to this, all the kind of intricate
parts and all the rules that everybody plays in the movie,
I thought really has a great payoff and kind of
works together well. Also, I just love that everybody's really
young in this movie, like Casey Affleck is in this
looking very little like Casey affle Like you got a
(26:09):
younger George Clooney and Bratt Pitt and it's kind of
all them before they're really super a list status, although
it would still all consider them a list at this point,
but there are a lot richer and more successful now
that making this movie would be impossible to do at
this point. There's no way you can get all these
schedules synked up together. And also, surprisingly I think this
(26:30):
one really holds up even though it came out nineteen
years ago. I think aside from Vegas looking a little
bit different and maybe like the cell phones they're using,
I think you could still watch it and still kind
of feel like it could have been placed in today's world.
It's also really great to see Bernie Mack in this movie,
and you forget that, aside from him being a great comedian,
(26:50):
he's also a really great actor, and I like him
in this movie. And then let's not forget that Julia
Robert does in this one and does a really great job.
And the thing I want to get to now is
the whole little thing that kind of goes throughout all
these movies is that in the movies there's celebrities playing themselves.
So in like the first one, you have toforh Grace
(27:11):
and in the movie he's playing Toford Grace. And then
even in the second one, you have Julia Roberts who's
playing a character named Tess, but in the movie she
also plays Julia Roberts, and it's the whole thing. And
then Bruce Willis is in there. There's a bunch of
other celebrities thrown into this one, and then all the
other movies that I just kind of wonder about what
this world creates and how this kind of looks in
(27:33):
my head because I'm watching them and I realized that, Okay,
they're saying that these people in this world are celebrities,
but then you have to also think of, like, okay,
if they're a celebrity, and George Clooney is a celebrity too,
but in this movie, he's not playing George Clooney, He's
playing Danny Ocean. So it's like, in this world, if
he knows Julia Roberts is Julia Roberts, Like, wouldn't the
(27:54):
real George Clooney know Julia, don't? It Just it kind
of screws in my head a little bit because they're
creating this world of where one person is famous in
the world that we know because it's present day, but
it's also this person isn't famous, He's just a regular guy.
And then the other question I just have, like what
if they ask Brad Pitt's character Rusty in this movie, like, Hey, Rusty,
(28:14):
what's your favorite movie? And he's like fight Club? That
couldn't happen, Like he couldn't like fight Club because Brad
Pitt isn't fight Club. But yet in this world, all
these other celebrities exist so somewhere, I just feel if
you look back at the lines, somewhere these lines cross,
like at some point they're all connected with the celebrity
in the movie. So I get it, it's a movie.
You kind of have to displace that and not think
(28:36):
about that kind of thing. But I just feel when
your movie creates the world, you abide by the rules
that they create, and it just kind of gets loopy.
There's some kind of weird Baradocks in there in my
brain when I watched these movies, like something doesn't add
up here. There's a way that you kind of break
that code. So I don't know, that's a weird theory
I had. I hope that made some kind of sense,
(28:57):
But it's just something to think about. Whenever somebody in
a movie references an other movie. In any movie, really
like you to have to think, like, what if they
were in that movie? So it closed this out. In ranking,
I put Oceans eleven and number one, Oceans thirteen at
number two, Oceans eight the spinoff at number three, and
then Oceans twelve I put it at the bottom. I
think this is a really great franchise to bench right now,
(29:18):
mainly because they're fun movies. The actually is great and
if you haven't seen them, it's kind of fun to
take that first initial journey and they feel like a
roller coaster. So if you're looking for an old franchise
that dive into, I think this one is kind of
underrated and doesn't really get talked about a lot, So
check it out. They're all available to rent online. I
rented each one for about three bucks. Eat. They're all
(29:40):
available to rent online. I did it on Apple Plus TV.
They're all about three bucks. So if you want to
check those out, it's gonna be a fun binge. Alright.
So the last thing I want to talk about is
this interesting study that I saw come out last week
that said a new study says that of Americans would
rather watch new movies at home, And it just got
(30:00):
me to thinking of how movie theaters are gonna be
like within the next few months and when everything's kind
of got to go back to normal, and I know
that there's really no new theatrical releases coming until that
first week of July, so everything shifted to video on
demand to stream it at home. And I gotta admit
I've actually been more open to it now because at
(30:22):
first I was a really big proponent of like, there's
no way I would stop going to a movie theater.
Like before this happened, like I was like, I like
going to the movie theater and I like that experience.
But now with everything kind of changing and feeling what
the experience is at home, I'm a little bit more
open to it. But I think it's very early on
(30:44):
with everything right now. I just think that's where I'm
at as a person when it comes to everything going
on right now and my willingness to get back to normal.
I'm a little more open to it now. But I
wanted to break down this study a little bit more,
so I put the question out there on my Twitter,
kind of gauging a little more because I felt like
just asking and finding out that you'd rather watch new
movies new movies at home, I think there's a little
(31:05):
bit more in there. So I asked, are you willing
to go back to a theater or would you rather
watch new movies at home? Asking that question, but I
gave the separate categories of number one, would you rather
go back in theaters when they open? Number two at
home only from now on. Number three in theaters but
not right now, so maybe later once things we kind
of see how everything goes, or number four, make them
(31:29):
both available, And actually what ended up getting the most
of votes was number four, make them both available. Like
people on this poll said that they would rather have
them both available, and I'm kind of thinking that's where
everybody kind of is, because it's a really great luxury
to have new movies at home. And I think that
(31:49):
movie theaters are hesitant to do this because obviously where
they make their money, it's not really from the ticket prices.
It's people coming in and buying drinks, buying popcorn, buying candy,
like that's where their money gets made from. It's not
really so much putting all the people in the seats,
it's all the things they can sell to you once
you're at the movie theater. And that's the reason that
(32:10):
they don't want this video on demand to really take
off to just you can just click a button at
your house to pay the fee and they get nothing
from that. So there's a really big pushback on that
going to as far as banning certain movie productions from
being shown in their theaters who have done it this way.
But I think what we're seeing now is there can
kind of be a happy medium in between because I
(32:33):
like having the choice. There are certain movies that I
feel need to be seen on the big screen, like
these big summer blockbusters just play different on a big
screen with a big sound that you don't have at home.
But I also know that a bunch of people, myself included,
have a pretty good home setup, Like we have nice
TVs that we've ever had before, with big screens, great sound.
(32:53):
We have sound bars, we have headphones, we have all
these things to watch movies at a better quality at
home and that comfort of, you know, just not having
to leave, Like if we want to just get the
family around, get our friends around to come over for
a movie and pay twenty bucks as a flat rate,
as opposed to going to the theaters and everybody having
to pay their ticket, everybody having to get on the
same page and for that, you know, all that kind
(33:15):
of other side and factors that go into it. It's
a lot more easier. But I feel like having that
choice to pick where you want to see the movie
would be a really great thing to see played out now.
I don't think they will be instantaneous, because I think
movie theaters are going to fight to stay alive, as
they should, as I support, but I also think there
(33:39):
has we have that taste now of watching it at home,
so they're not gonna be able to, you know, go
back to how everything was before. I think what's gonna
happen is maybe the line in between is maybe the
first two weeks that a movie is just available in theaters,
like two weeks. I think it's pretty quick. They may
put it to like a month, but it's just the
(34:00):
available in theaters, and then pretty soon after it comes
to video on demand. It's not this whole waiting two
to three months to get it at home that we
kind of have to wait now, or even the longer
of having to wait till it's on a streaming service.
I think that's kind of where they have to move now.
They don't want to do that to be like both
at the same time because they'll feel like, Okay, they're
(34:20):
taking away our sales because you're having the ability to
choose right away. I think it will have to be
somewhere in between tow where they give that period of
time where it's theater is exclusive and then video on
demand and then you go onto streaming and all that stuff.
I think I would like that a lot more because
there's certain movies, like I said that I'm gonna want
(34:40):
to go see you in theaters, like the big action movies,
the big superhero movies, I think have a better experience
watching them in theaters. But there's also just like Wrong
Comms and other movies that I feel you don't need
that big screen experience and maybe you don't want to
spend as much that it would be a lot nicer
just to sit down and watch him at home on
a Friday night instead of going out. So I think
it actually helps those kind of movies that maybe don't
(35:02):
have as big a success that the box office is
to be able to have, just like Okay, I can
just watch this at home and it's a lot more convenient.
They may get a shot. It's also really great for
kids and family movies, like we saw what the Trolls
movie did so well with videos on demand numbers that
they made as much and actually more than the original
(35:26):
did in theater. So that's an undeniable market right there
they can still make a lot of money from. So
that's just my thoughts on the whole thing. I know
we kind of had the entire summer now to kind
of wait until things start going back in and then
getting into the fall releases. There's still all scheduled to
kind of come out at the rescheduled dates. I don't
think anybody now has taken those away yet, so we'll
(35:47):
see what happens, all right, And that's the episode for
this week. But before I go, every week I give
out an Instagram or Twitter shout out for anybody who
has tagged me in their Instagram story or set me
a tweet. And this next one actually comes to me
from my Instagram DM. It's from Soap and she says, Hey, Mike,
I just want to say my sister and I are
obsessed with your podcast. My dad's been sick and in
(36:08):
bed for a few months and he loves movies, so
I recently got him into it too. Love you and
love your podcast. So not only is that awesome so
that you're listening to the podcast, but also you got
your sister into it and now your dad, Like that's
amazing in itself, and I hate the fact that he's
been sicken in bed for so long, so I just
want to give him a shout out, So shout out
Peter to listening to the podcast. Hopefully you enjoyed this episode. Man,
(36:28):
all right, that's it for this week. Thanks to everybody
who's listening through the entire episode. If you're listening to
this part now, send me a tweet and hashtag it
movie Mix and let me know that you listened to
the episode the entire way through and just give me
what you thought was the coolest part of the episode
or what you agreed with, what you disagreed with, and
I'll talk to you guys next week. Later
Host
Mike D
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