Which Nationality is Portrayed as the Most Bad Ass in Hollywood?

As I was watching Atomic Blonde, I came to the realization that Russians are completely bad ass people (at least as they are portrayed in Hollywood). This raised a question, if aliens landed on Earth and we showed them only action movies, what nationality would they fear the most? For each one I chose a few movies or actors that represent their bad ass-ness the best, lets meet the contestants: Russia, Italy, America, Mexico, Germany, Albania, Japan, and China. Time to decide.

Russia

Atomic Blonde: The first movie to represent Russia is Atomic Blonde, which is a great movie and if you haven't seen it I recommend it. Charlize is a bad ass in this film but we are going to look at the bad guys here. Honestly, they are almost unstoppable. You can shoot them, beat the shit out of them, run them over, but if you don't shoot them in the head these dudes are coming back. Without giving to much away there is one scene where Charlize takes on four or five huge Russian dudes, she gets the crap kicked out of her but ultimately does the job. There is one guy in particular she does battle with for a solid three minutes, she beats his ass with the handle of a gun, he gets hit in the head with a glass flower vase, it's just a bad ass scene and when you think she is safe that MFer comes back and catches her car. This dude has to be some kind of cyborg.

John Wick: It doesn't get much better then Keanu as JW but we are going to discuss the bad guys again. These Russian mobsters are brutal, they kill the mans dog, steal his 1969 Mustang Mach and they can't seem to understand why he is pissed... I mean they killed the dudes dog ffs! The mobsters beat the crap out of Mr. Wick throughout the movie and their leader even puts a $2 million bounty on JW because he is causing them so much trouble. There are a few things you simply don't mess with, a man's dog or his old school car. These specific mobsters may not be spectacular at any one thing but they have a lot of weapons, man power, and know how to fight.

Mexican

I did not pick a particular movie here but any movie where the cartel is involved (think Sicario) or any Mexican gang (think End of Watch) they are some scary ass dudes. They are absolutely ruthless and will do anything to succeed in their goal, even if it means dying for the cause. Burying people in walls, using kids as drug mules, and then turning around to use their drug money to buy an incredible mansion on a beautiful spread of land. These are guys you don't want to mess with. They may not be great with hand to hand combat but they know their way around explosives and guns. Another thing I have noticed is their is always a leader of the group but everyone else is gunning for that spot, like I said they are insanely ruthless even if that means against their own group.

Albanian

Taken: I don't know any other movies with Albanian bad guys but there is no way I could leave this off the list. All the movies on this list are awesome and bad ass but this one takes the cake. Of course Liam is kick ass but think about the villains of this movie. These guys are kidnapping girls and selling them into sex slavery, it doesn't get much worse then that. They are no match for Liam but they put up a nasty fight and just don't give an F. These guys kidnap girls, drug them, sell them at an auction for sex slavery, and if the girls die, they die. I don't think our alien visitors would want their woman kidnapped and sold into sex slavery.

German

Die Hard: Was there any question what movie this would be? Arguably one of the greatest villains in cinematic history, the one and only HANS GRUBER!!!!!! When I think of Hans Gruber these words pop into my head: ruthless, intelligent, conniving, sly, and evil. His band of misfits wreak legit havoc on Christmas at Nakatomi Tower. They outwit Bruce Willis numerous times, they are good with guns, and in hand to hand combat. Hans is the ringleader and one of the smartest villains in movie history. He knows exactly what he wants and exactly how he is going to get it, he isn't afraid to sacrifice his own men either. The way he speaks is chilling and he is just a stone cold killer.

American

Clint Eastwood and John Wayne: Instead of picking a movie I picked two of the most bad ass American actors ever. Clint and John Wayne have done it all and have kicked serious ass in the process. Both are killer in hand to hand combat or with a gun, Mr. Wayne has some of the best knockouts in movie history. Clint has played some of the most well known roles and while he used a gun for most of them he isn't afraid to get down and dirty either. Clint is 88 now and there is still no way I would F with him. 

Chinese

Bruce Lee: Any movie featuring Bruce Lee is going to have two things, Bruce kicking ass and Bruce making some crazy ass screams as he kicks ass. He is arguably the most bad ass dude to ever live, it's like he was created in a lab. He kicked so much ass in such a short time and felt no remorse about it. He was a master with hand to hand combat and even if his enemies had weapons do you think it mattered? No chance. If I were in a dark alley and heard the noises Bruce Lee made, I would immediately fall to my knees and beg for mercy or play dead.

                                                Japanese

Oddjob: One of the most well known movie characters, this little bastard was a handful. He was deadly with that damn bowler hat and was loyal to the evil Goldfinger until the end. His real name is unknown, he doesn't speak, and is incredibly strong. You simply do not mess with Oddjob. In the video game Goldeneye for N64, he was sometimes banned in multiplayer mode because he was impossible to kill but he would destroy the other players.

Italian

The Godfather: The whole Corleone Family is pretty bad ass and one of the greatest film families ever. They are deeply loyal but don't cross them or you will have problems. Not much hand to hand combat is shown but they have the weaponry to cause anyone problems. Smart doesn't even begin to describe the heads of the family, they are usually four or five moves ahead of their enemies. The plans they conjure up are usually flawless and work to perfection. Tommy guns, car bombs, hand guns, shotguns, they have them all. If you are coming at the Corleone's you might want to think again.

The Untouchables: This film shows just how brutal the Italian mob and Al Capone could be. It came out in 1987 so if you haven't seen it then you deserve the spoiler. When they kill Sean Connery's character that is just savage. Capone had everyone on his payroll: cops, judges, politicians you name them Capone was probably paying them off. These guys cared about only one thing, money, and they did whatever they had to do to get it. Like the Corleone's they enjoyed using the tommy gun and they were deadly with them.

Alright so now that's out of the way who would our alien friends be most scared of? For me it's no contest, the Russians win in a landslide. These bastards are ruthless and impossible to kill unless you get them with a headshot. They will not stop until they accomplish the mission or they are dead. They know how to fight hand to hand or with basically any weapon. I think the aliens would be absolutely terrified of Russia as a whole and I definitely don't blame them. The aliens would probably take over the rest of the world but leave Russia to do their own thing just so they didn't have to mess with them. I guarantee any action movie that features Russian's they are going to be tough SOBs and refuse to go down without a fight. They will kick serious ass.

Big Willie Style: Actor vs Musician

There is a list of movies at my house that my youngest sister has not seen yet like Caddyshack, Animal House, and The Departed, just to name a few. Every few weeks we try to get together and knock a few off that list. Well this past weekend she came over and we watched I Am Legend. A great movie starring one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Will Smith. As we were watching Will survive in a post-apocalyptic New York it got me thinking, who is better Will Smith the actor or Will Smith the musician aka The Fresh Prince? Like Karl Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, you could call Will Smith a unicorn, a guy who has excelled at more then one thing while in Hollywood. I have also never met anyone who doesn't like the guy. Put on Gettin' Jiggy With It and everyone loses their minds or put in Men in Black and everyone will sit down to watch. I will give a brief background on his music and movie career, with the hits and the flops and ultimately one side of Will shall reign supreme.

                                  Music Career

Will got his start in music in 1985 by accidentally running into DJ Jazzy Jeff at a house party while Jeff was waiting for his hype man so Will stepped in. There was instant chemistry between the two and The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff duo was formed. Their first single, Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble, was released in 1986 and set the tone for their music style. Prince and Jeff had a light hearted and fun story telling style of two kids in high school that people could relate to. In 1989 they received the first ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance for the single, Parents Just Don't Understand, which is still a classic today. The duo received their second Grammy in 1991 for the jam Summertime and it also landed them on the Billboard Hot 100 list topping out at #4. In '97 the duo decided to split, Will went on to do solo music and exploded onto the scene. He released the Men in Black theme and his album Big Willie Style. Big Willie Style got into the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and went platinum nine times with jams like Gettin' Jiggy With It, Miami, Just the Two of Us, Big Willie Style, and Men In Black. He also did the Wild, Wild, West theme song from the album Willennium and the Men In Black 2 theme, Black Suits Comin'. Willennium might not have been as popular as Big Willie Style but damn is that a great album name. He released his last album Lost and Found in 2005 which landed at #6 on the Billboard 200 and features the song Switch.

Music Hits
1. Parents Just Don't Understand: "You know parents are the same/No matter time nor place/ They don't understand that us kids/Are going to make some mistakes" Everyone at some point in their life has listened to this song and said, "damn Fresh Prince your right my parents don't understand high school or girls or etc." There aren't many songs you can look at and say that's some real talk right there.

2. Summertime: Probably the best song to cruise to when summer is just starting out, maybe the best song about any of the 4 seasons. Just a chill song that talks about the best season there is.

3. Gettin' Jiggy With It: Quite possibly my wife's favorite all time song and honestly I don't blame her at all. If this isn't played at a wedding reception did the reception even happen?

4. Miami: I have only been to Miami once and it was to catch a connecting flight, but the way Will talks about it in this song it sounds like an awesome place everyone should visit. "I only came for two days of playing/But every time I come I always wind up stayin'/This the type of town I could spend a few days in/ Miami the city that keeps the roof blazin'."

5. Wild, Wild, West and Men In Black: Both classic songs to go with some solid movies, everyone knows the words to MIB and if you don't I 100% do not believe you. He also has a dance off with an alien in the video that is pretty great.


Music Flops
1. Switch: It got good reviews and everything but when you have songs like the ones above this just does not compare at all.

2. Get Lit: He released this in 2017 and I hope you have never heard it. I had no idea this existed so I checked it out on YouTube and wish I could turn back time.

3. Wild, Wild, West: I know, I know I included this on both lists but wait till you see what he turned down to take the role in WWW.

4. Every other Will Smith song we have never heard of: He has released 9 albums (9 ALBUMS) which I did not realize so that is a lot of songs I had no idea existed. Now they could be alright but I am not giving them the benefit of the doubt.

                                                         Movie Career

Will broke onto the movie scene in 1995 with a little movie called Bad Boys starring Will and Martin Lawrence and made $141 million world wide, not bad for your first lead. He followed that up with Independence Day in '96 and that was the highest grossing movie at the time of it's release and this really put him on the map for acting. In '97 he released Men In Black which made $588 million. Bad Boys to Independence Day to MIB in the span of three years might be the best three years of any actors career to start. In '99 he made a decision I am surprised did not ruin his career, he turned down the role of Neo in the Matrix and did Wild, Wild, West instead. (That is why the song WWW is on the hits and flops) I don't know if I can picture a Will Smith Neo but damn, turning that down could have been devastating. He bounced back pretty well however, portraying Muhammad Ali in 2001 and earned an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination. In 2003 he reprised his role with Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys II which earned $270 million. Will took a 3 year break between Bad Boys and Pursuit of Happiness which is one of my favorite Will movies. It has an incredible story and his acting was extremely personal and heartfelt. 2007 saw him in what could be his best acting performance, I Am Legend. For most of the movie he is the only human on screen and he does a phenomenal job. He did Hancock in '08 and then MIB3 in '12, both which earned over $600 million but were not great movies. In 2013 he did After Earth with his son Jaden, granted I have never seen the film but it is probably the biggest flop of his acting career. It has a 4.9 rating on IMDB and barely earned $100 million. For a movie produced by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Will Smith that is considered a failure. He starred opposite of Margot Robbie in 2015 in Focus. I don't know a single person who has seen this movie. If anyone out there has seen it please let me know if its worth seeing. I remember seeing commercials for it and then it disappeared. In 2016 he was in Concussion, a huge movie that brought him back into the spotlight for his acting. Suicide Squad came out in 2016 and while the movie was complete garbage, our man Will put on a good display as Deadshot. His last movie was Bright in 2017 which is the most expensive Netflix movie to date but was considered a flop and got raked over the coals.

Movie Hits
1. Bad Boys: What a movie to break onto the scene with, one of his biggest and best movies. I can't believe this came out in '95 and you can still find it on cable TV. Extremely re-watchable and definitely a classic.

2. Independence Day: Along the same lines as Bad Boys, it's just a classic movie. If it is one TV and you find it, you will sit down and end up watching the whole movie. Bad Boys and Independence Day really set him up for his whole future.

3. Men In Black: Not only is this a great movie, it also set up his solo music career. I remember when this first came out and being scared of it, then growing up and finding it absolutely hilarious. If you haven't seen it recently I highly recommend dusting it off and re-watching it.

4. I Am Legend: Quite possibly the best acting of his career, he is the only human in most of the movie and really shows his acting skills. From his interactions with his dog to communicating with mannequins, I think this is my favorite Will Smith performance.

5. Concussion: Another movie that he really proved his acting skills. He portrays Dr. Bennet Omalu a Nigerian-American who led the charge against the brain disease CTE. Smith is fantastic in this film and was lauded for being "sensitive and understated" in his portrayal.

Movie Flops
1. Hancock: This is one of those films that earned a lot of money but no one has ever seen more than once. When you ask your friends about it they will say "it was fine but I would wait for it to come out on DVD or Netflix to see it."

2. After Earth: One of the worst movies of his career and I already went into detail on it above but yikes this was bad.

3. Suicide Squad: Will was fine in the movie so I'm not sure it should land here but Jesus, this was a flaming bag of shit. Someone tell me what Jared Leto was doing and now he has his own Joker movie coming out?

4. Bright: This has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes......

                                                          Overall Decision

This is an incredibly difficult decision for me to choose the Actor Will or Musician Will; I love them both. Musician Will had some of the best songs when I was a kid and songs I still listen to today but Actor Will has some insanely good movies. His career is pretty phenomenal when you really look at it and not many people have been as accomplished in both acting and music. His acting career has probably been more profitable and well known but damn that music career is no joke. The way I am going to answer the question is this: If I was deserted on an island what would I want more, music from Will or movies from Will? For me personally, I am choosing the Fresh Prince over actor Will. There are a lot of Will songs I don't know but I could honestly have an iPod with about 10 Will songs and be alright. Give me Gettin' Jiggy, Summertime, Nightmare on My Street, Parents Just Don't Understand, Miami, MIB, Wild, Wild, West, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I could definitely survive with that and be extremely happy.

The Worst Villains to Battle Our Action Stars: Part 2

Part 2 of the Action Stars is ready to roll! Check it out below and as always make sure to share it with your friends and family!

Liam Neeson
     Honorable Mentions:
       1. Star Wars Episode I- He had some pretty formidable foes in this one; Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine, and possibly the worst one, Jar-Jar Binks. It's a real bummer he dies.
       2. The Grey- Liam plays a oil worker who also happens to be an extremely skilled huntsman, so when the plane goes down this is a guy you want with you. The plane crashes in Alaska and if that wasn't enough they are tracked by a ruthless pack of wolves.
       3. Non-Stop- I have only flown once and it was pretty terrifying for me, being on a plane with a US Marshall seems comforting right? Wrong, this Marshall played by Neeson keeps receiving random text messages demanding $150 million or every 20 minutes a passenger will die. Yeah, no thanks.

      Top Villains:
       1. Taken
           Villain: Albanian Sex Traffickers
Of course this movie made the list, this honestly might be one of the best action movies of the last 10 years (how is it possible this movie came out in 2008?). If you have been living under a rock for the last decade here's a quick rundown: Liam's daughter is going on a trip Paris with another friend (of course he is skeptical of this idea) and while overseas his daughter and her friend are abducted and the sex trafficker tells Neeson, "Good luck". Little does he know Neeson is a bad ass retired CIA field agent. Our boy has 96 hours to find his daughter before she disappears into a sex trafficking ring forever, so he does everything possible to get her back. The guys he battles against are no joke man, there are a few shootouts and hand to hand combat scenes that challenge Neeson to the fullest. You ever seen a man die from being electrocuted by a light switch? Also, Ellen comments that it's an interesting one to watch with your father.

       2. Battleship
           Villain: Extraterrestrials
This could be one of the worst movies on our list. It's pretty bad but that doesn't stop it from having some serious villains and another plus, Rihanna is in it. A few alien ships land on Earth and start an all out assault planning to conquer the planet and make it their own. Liam stars as the an Admiral and leads the battle plan against the aliens. Three points on this movie: 1. I have seen this movie and I do not remember a damn thing about it. 2. I honestly have no idea why it is titled Battleship I thought it was named for the classic board-game but there are no references to that. Can someone fill me in on the name? Surely it isn't named this because the movie is on the sea and ships are battling, that might be the lamest thing ever. 3. I don't ever remember seeing the aliens in this movie but they conquer planets and that's the reason they make the list here.

       3. Schindler's List
           Villain: Nazi Germany
Battleship is probably the worst movie on this list but Schindler's List is probably the best. Liam plays Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party. He gets a factory and begins producing enamelware hiring a few Jewish workers because they cost less. Obviously, as the movie progresses Germany becomes stronger and stronger with time but Oskar continues to support the Jewish community. Eventually he ends up saving more than 1,100 Jewish people from going to Auschwitz, he spends his entire fortune to help people he is supposed to help kill. (Seems like an idea that should be adopted today) Being a Nazi but choosing to save Jewish lives is an incredible battle Liam undertakes during this film. Going against Nazi Germany was a death sentence but instead our guy survived and saved hundreds of lives. It's also a true story which is even more incredible.


Steven Seagal
  A quick comment before we get to Steve's movies, IMDB credits him with 56 movies (which seems low) but I am almost positive he has only done action movies. It took me a remarkable amount of time to go through his filmography.

    Honorable Mentions:
       1. Marked for Death- Steve plays a former DEA agent who just wants to move back to his hometown and relax but it's never that easy. He discovers his hometown has been taken over by a Jamaican gang and their leader SCREWFACE (arguably the best name ever next to Snake Plissken).
       2. Glimmer Man- First of all, what a name for a movie man. Seagal plays a former government operative known as, you guessed it, "The Glimmer Man." How did he get this name you ask? He was so stealthy his enemies would only see a glimmer before he took them out. That's all you need to know about this one.
       3. Deadly Ground- Steve plays Forrest Taft, a specialist that deals with oil-drilling fires which is an incredibly specific role. He is called in to work on a fire that starts after an oil company starts cutting corners and ends with Taft kicking ass and taking names.

Top Villains:
       1. Fire Down Below
           Villain: Dirty Coal Company
Seagal has no mercy for individuals who are destroying the Earth and her resources, Hanner Coal Company falls into that category. Hanner is getting paid to dump toxins into an abandoned mine shaft and Jack Taggert is called to investigate these goons. (Side note, it seems like Seagal has played every single type of government agent) As Taggert begins investigating he is threatened by the son of Hanner Coal and a corrupt sheriff plus a few of their thugs. Of course Steve doesn't back down, so the bad dudes declare war on him, a decision they will learn to regret. At one point in the movie they put two rattlesnakes in the place Taggert is staying but they are no match for him. He quickly catches them alive and puts them in the bad dude's car causing them to crash. The owner of Hanner Coal is Orin Hanner Sr., who is wanted on crimes of murder, corruption, racketeering, and conspiracy. Orin is also destroying the Earth and passing all these "life lessons" onto his son, he is definitely not someone I would want to mess with.
     
       2. The Patriot
           Villain: Rebel Militia and Deadly Virus
Steve plays a local doctor and former government research immunologist by the name of Wesley McClaren who lives in Ennis, Montana. He gets summoned to a hospital when people start dying from an unknown disease. The virus is traced back to a rebel militia leader, Floyd Chisholm, who is a nasty son of a bitch. While on trial, he injects the virus in himself and spits on the judge continuing the spread of the disease. Floyd's followers attack the prison he is being held in and free him and then take the hospital for themselves. They realize the hospital does not have a cure and make Wesley work to find one. He finds his daughter has been infected by the virus but is fighting it off, how is that possible? Eventually he discovers why, she has been drinking a tea made with a specific herb known to Native American healers. That might be the most ridiculous thing I have ever written but it fits perfectly for a Steven Seagal movie.

       3. Against the Dark
           Villain: Infected Humans Strongly Resembling Vampires and a Bomb
In a post-apocalyptic world that is ravaged by a disease that turns humans into creatures that I am convinced are simply vampires, Seagal plays a dude named Tao. He is the leader of vigilantes trying to save a group of people trapped in a hospital. There is no known cure for this disease and there a very few survivors. Not only do the vigilantes have to fight their way through the hospital against the human/vampire infected but the army base is planning on dropping a bomb on the hospital at dawn to sterilize the area. These human/vampires are no joke and that's why they take the final spot for Mr. Seagal.


Tom Cruise
     Honorable Mentions:
       1. The Firm- This is an awesome book written by John Grisham that I highly recommend, I have never seen the movie but need to check it out. Tom battles against his employer, a high powered law firm dealing in tax fraud, money laundering, and murder.
       2. Minority Report- Set in the 2054, Cruise plays a PreCrime Police Captain by the name of John Anderton. PreCrime Police? In the future this sector of police can stop murderers before they commit their crime and John has shown up on their radar.
       3. The Mummy- First off I have to say I will never see this movie because Brendan Frasier's Mummy was the shit. A group of US soldiers accidentally unearth the ancient tomb of an Egyptian Princess and, basically, she is a bad ass bitch.

Top Villains:
       1. Legend
           Villain: Lord of Darkness
This sounds like one wild ass movie, listen to some of these characters: Lord of Darkness, a few goblins named Blix, Pox, and Blunder, a hotheaded elf Honeythorn Gump, and dwarves Brown Tom and Screwball. I mean what kind of drugs were the creators of this one on? Tom plays Jack and starts off as a bad guy but realizes the error in his way and goes up against the Lord of Darkness. I don't have to tell you about this guy because with a name like that I am definitely not messing with him. He is also played by Tim Curry who is a strange ass dude.
   
       2. Mission Impossible 2
           Villain: Sean Ambrose and a Biological Weapon
Just in case you didn't know Mission Impossible 6 is about to come out this summer, how did we get here? Anyway, Tom plays Ethan Hunt in MI2 and does battle against the rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose. Ambrose snuck into the US using Hunt's alias and brought a new bio weapon, Chimera, with him. Chimera causes death by mass destruction of the victim's red blood cells. Yeah... that doesn't sound like something I want to play around with and that's why Sean Ambrose ends up on this list.

       3. Edge of Tomorrow
           Villain: Mimics and Time Loop
Tom portrays a public relations officer (Major William Cage) with no combat experience who gets thrown into battle against an alien race, known as Mimics, attacking Earth. He gets killed fairly quickly but wakes up the day before the battle and realizes he is in a time loop that sends him back to the day before the battle every time he dies. Eventually he teams up with Emily Blunt who helps to improve his battle skills. Cage has to find the "Omega" and destroy it or the battle and time loop will continue, but of course the Omega is not easily found. This alien race is no joke, I mean look at that picture! These things are quite scary looking and are trying to take over Earth. Good thing we have Tom (and Emily) on our side.

The Worst Villains to Battle our Favorite Action Stars

I know everyone has been asking, "when is the next Going Off Topic piece coming out?" Well your in luck people today is that day and this piece is going to be followed by a few more! Everyone loves a good action movie and the actors who play in them so it got me thinking, who are some of their best villains? So I did a lot of research, I looked at 14 of the biggest action movie stars and every movie they starred in to get the ultimate list of villains and adversaries they have battled. It took a lot of time but the first piece is finally ready to go! Let's get to it and enjoy all of these awesome movies.

Jason Statham
     Honorable Mentions:
       1. Ghosts of Mars- Starring alongside Ice Cube, they battle miners who have been taken over by ghosts and have to destroy a nuclear reactor to vaporize all the ghosts.
       2. War- Statham must take down a mysterious assassin known as Rogue (played by Jet Li) Statham and Jet Li, what a combo.
       3. The Meg- This is not even out yet but I cannot wait to see it, our boy battles a 70 foot prehistoric shark. This could easily jump into the top 3 once it is out.

     Top Villains:
       1. Crank 1 and 2

           Villain: Verona and his own damn heart.

If you haven't seen these movies, turn off your computer run to your nearest video store or whatever is close and get them immediately. I guarantee a few hours of fun. In Crank, Statham plays a British hitman named Chev Chelios (great damn name) who becomes poisoned. What does this poison do you ask? It requires Chev to keep his adrenaline flowing and his heart rate elevated, well knowing Jason Statham this isn't a problem. He kicks some serious ass and takes a lot of drugs to keep his ticker going while tracking down Verona, the man who poisoned him. Having this poison and being able to inject an enemy is serious shit in my book. In Crank 2, Chelios battles a Chinese mobster Johnny Vang and a new heart. Vang stole his old heart and replaced it with a battery operated one, basically like a car battery. If he does not continuously charge the battery then the heart will stop, ultimately killing our boy. Completely outrageous? Oh, yes. Absolutely awesome? You bet your ass it is.

     2. Revolver

         Villain: Macha (Ray Liotta) and a rare disease that causes death in 3 days.

Every Jason Statham movie is guaranteed to be bad ass and involve a ton of action, Revolver is no different. Statham plays Jake Green who gets involved with Macha (Liotta) in a casino and it spirals out of control. This leads to Green being imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. When Green gets out of prison he goes to one of Macha's casinos and wins a bunch of money. Because of this Macha puts a hit out on Green. As the movie progresses, Green finds out he has a rare disease that will cause him to die in 3 days (tough luck man...). So he is battling this disease while dealing with hitmen from Macha coming after him. Macha is a cold ass dude and you will have to check this one out to see how the story ends.

     3. Safe

        Villain: Triads, Russian Mob, and corrupt NYC cops

That is one hell of a list of people to go up against in one movie. Our guy plays Luke Wright, an ex-cop and former cage fighter (not sure why this is important but it's awesome) who winds up protecting a gifted child from the Russian Mafia, the Triads, and corrupt NYC cops. I don't think I have to tell you why this one makes the list, he goes up against a variety of bad asses. It has everything: fights on a subway, a lot of gunfire, and a genius 12 year old girl. If that is not your kind of movie then, respectfully, you're a fool.

Bruce Willis
      Honorable Mentions:
       1. Die Hard With a Vengeance- Bruce reprises his role as John McClane and battles against Hans Gruber's brother, Simon. Simon uses bomb threats to terrorize NYC until McClane steps in. Villainy runs in the Gruber family I suppose.
       2. 12 Monkeys- Talk about one hell of a plot. The time is 2035 and BW is playing James Cole. In 1996, a deadly virus is is released that almost wipes out all of humanity. Cole is sent back in time to stop the 12 Monkeys from releasing the virus and in turn saving the species.
       3. Once Upon a Time in Venice- You never mess with a man's dog but apparently Spyder and his gang didn't get the memo in this one. Spyder steals Bruce's dog and all hell breaks loose across LA as he hunts down the gang and tries to get his dog back.

     Top Villains:
       1. Die Hard
          Villain: Hans Gruber
Easily one of the best action movies ever while also being a great Christmas classic, that's something you can't say too often. I will give you a little breakdown but if you have not seen this movie, shame one you. Bruce plays John McClane, an NYPD detective visiting his estranged wife and kids in LA. It's Christmas time and he meets his wife at her place of work, Nakatomi tower, for the company Christmas party. During the party, Hans Gruber and his gang of thugs take over the tower with dastardly plans in mind. Hans is a smart and cunning villain that tests every ounce of John McClane's will and that is why he finds himself on this list. Hans is arguably the greatest villain of all time. (R.I.P. Alan Rickman)

       2. Last Man Standing

          Villain: Italian and Irish mobs

Set in 1932 Texas, BW plays a wanderer by the name of John Smith (very creative, I know) who finds his way into the town of Jericho. While pulling into town he notices a pretty woman crossing the street and this is where Smith encounters trouble. Smith comes across Finn and some other Irish mobsters who destroy his car. Smith is recruited by the Italian gang in town as they plan to eliminate the Irish mob, one thing leads to another and Smith finds himself playing the gangs against each other and winding up in a mess of bullets and fists. The two gang leaders, Fredo Strozzi and Doyle, are some devious guys you would not want to encounter. A lot of killing and kidnapping lead to John Smith battling both gangs.

       3. Armageddon

           Villain: Asteroid and extinction

Another classic movie from big Bruce, he takes on the role of Harry Stamper who is considered the best deep sea oil driller in the world. He is recruited by NASA to blow up an asteroid that will hit Earth in 18 days and will cause a second extinction event, pretty serious right? So NASAs plan is to land two specialized space shuttles on this asteroid and detonate a thermonuclear bomb to blow the asteroid in half so it zooms past Earth. Good luck Harry. I don't know about you but extinction is nothing something I want to think about and if this asteroid is going to cause it, that is a serious force to be reckoned with.


The Rock
      Honorable Mentions:
       1. Wrestling Career- Dwayne had one hell of a wrestling career and battled some all time great wrestlers; The Undertaker, Big Show, Triple H, Booker T, and most famously Stone Cold Steve Austin.
       2. Rampage- This looked to be one of the worst movies of all time but he still had to fight some pretty intense animal mutations alongside his own genetically mutated albino gorilla.
       3. G.I. Joe Retaliation- I haven't seen this movie but it looks to be another horrible movie starring our guy. He does battle against the evil organization, Cobra, who have taken over the free world by impersonating the President and framing the Joe's as the enemy.

     Top Villains:
       1. Scorpion King

           Villain: Memnon and Cassandra

Our guy does battle with Memnon who becomes King because he is their greatest warrior, but turns out he is a ruthless guy and not a great leader. Memnon has an evil sorceress who is the source of his success as a warrior as she can look to the future and predict the outcomes of his battles. Seems a little unfair, right? The Rock plays Mathayus who is hired by King Pheron to kill Memnon's sorcerer for twenty blood rubies, I wish I knew how much twenty blood rubies transferred to but it has to be a good amount if you trying to kill a sorceress. Memnon kills Mathayus half-brother among some other pretty bad shit and proves to be a worthy adversary for Mathayus.

       2. Doom

          Villain: Genetically Enhanced Humans/Aliens

Loosely based on the classic video game series, the Rock plays a marine who battles some serious human/alien evolution hybrids. His group of marines are sent to a lab where they find ancient skeletons of a genetically enhanced humanoid race, which is problem number one. Eventually they stumble upon an unknown creature in a lab, they are able to kill the creature and examine it. While examining the creature they discover it has human organs (problem number two), the team ends up discovering the lab was experimenting on humans using the Martian Chromosome (wait, what?????). These creatures are scary, killing machines, and they absolutely belong on this list.

       3. San Andreas

           Villain: Giant Earthquake and Tsunami... Mother Nature

Easily one of the best movies The Rock has ever done. He is an LA Fire Department Air Rescue pilot (Ray) who battles probably the biggest earthquake in history. Now the crazy thing is, this has a chance of happening, maybe not a good chance but that San Andreas Fault is nothing to miss with. Anyway, Ray goes toe to toe with this giant earthquake which leads to a giant tsunami in order to save his wife and daughter. There isn't a body count for this earthquake and tsunami but according to Google there are more then 800,000 people who live in San Fran and, by the looks of the catastrophe, I am assuming most of them died in this movie. But our boy Ray battled against it and if you haven't seen this movie turn on any TV and there is a good chance it will be on. It's horrible... but it's so great.

There you have it people the first action stars blog is complete but don't worry there are plenty of pieces to come! We still have 11 more actors to cover and that means a lot more awesome and bad ass movies to look at. Let me know what you think and make sure to share it with your friends and family!

Reminiscing on the 90s! Movies

This week on Going Off Topic we are going back to the greatest decade, the 90s. I reached out to a few friends and family members who grew up during that time to cover a few categories: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Athletes, Toys, Stores, Video Games/Board Games and Crushes from the 90s. I gave them the reins to discuss each topic whether that meant things they remember from each category, things they had or loved, things they didn’t have but wish they did. I enlisted a few returning people but most are making their blogging debut. Each day we will be covering a new category with each person’s opinion on that topic. The second category for the Going Off Topic 90s week is movies, comment with what movies you remember and what your favorites were! 

Kyle:
90s movies for me personally were Disney movies, Aladdin, Lion King, Hercules, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tarzan, Toy Story, A Goofy Movie, The Rescuers Down Under just to name a few. These are all movies I would still watch today and will be showing my kids in the future. They are just classics that can’t be denied. It was also a great time for kids sports movies with The Sandlot, Angels in the Outfield, Cool Running’s, The Mighty Ducks, The Big Green, and Air Bud. I remember every one of these movies and can probably recite the lines if you asked me to. Titanic, Forrest Gump, The Matrix, Pulp Fiction, Home Alone, Fight Club, Jurassic Park……what a time to be alive.

Ellen:

Once again, a lot of the 90s movies I watched (and love) were because my sister watched them and liked them and she was my big sister… so I either had no choice in what we watched or I wanted to be her. Clueless. Freaking Clueless. I am loving this movie still to this day! My sister owned the VHS and she watched it quite frequently. Titanic! One of my first crushes, and still is, was Leonardo DiCaprio and it was all because of this movie. Yet again, we had it on VHS. It was actually two VHS tapes because the movie was too damn long to fit on one! Intense shit man, I cry throughout that entire movie because I know pretty much everyone is going to die. *Spoiler* oops! Fight Club was pretty legit too, the books also pretty bad ass. I technically was not yet evicted from my first home when The Silence of the Lambs came out, but I did end up seeing it in the 2000s. Now this movie is my favorite movie ever for so many reasons. Anthony Hopkins is 12 of those reasons. If you haven’t seen this movie you need to stop everything and get this movie and watch it. It is so fucking good. My last movie is Pocahontas. I dreamed of being Pocahontas and would literally sing the songs while acting out the scenes. I was obsessed. This movie was my go to Disney movie for many years and I can still sing every word to every song in that film. If I watched it I could probably still act out some of the scenes. This movie was that important to me!

Shannon:

Disney movies anyone? Just a few weeks ago, I was babysitting my cousins and I was so excited because they wanted to watch Pocahontas on Netflix. That was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and it made me want to have a pet raccoon. Then, I got to thinking about all the other classic 90’s Disney films. Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, the Lion King and Mulan! Talk about some classic Disney movies. I could still watch any of those and laugh and sing along every single time. And who could forget the Goofy Movie?? With those catchy tunes from Powerline!! But Disney wasn’t the only one that was making great movies. Fern Gully, a movie I haven’t seen since the 90’s but always remember that I love, was a classic. Balto is still one of my all time favorite movies. (Kevin Bacon as the lead actor, with Phil Collins as the lovable polar bears? Perfect!) My sister wasn’t even around in the 90s, but her all time favorite movie is the Iron Giant. I remember her watching that movie again and again and again and again... 

Becca:

My childhood revolves around Disney. The Lion King was the first movie that I saw in theaters. Even though I was too young to remember it obviously made an impression because it’s still my favorite to this day! From Disney movies to the Disney channel I’ve probably seen it at least a dozen times! Even though Disney was my favorite growing up with my older brother I got to experience the now classics Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Movies always are a good way to turn back time.