Doux Top Ten Movie Reviews

This March, we'll be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Doux Reviews. Twenty years, and over TEN THOUSAND REVIEWS! It adds up. And yes, it's mostly television (see our Doux Top Twenty) but we post the occasional movie review, too.

So while I'm cogitating on what other stuff I can post to celebrate this February and March, here's a list of our ten most popular movie reviews! Why not twenty? Because ten was all I could deal with.

10. CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE FIRST AVENGER (review by Mark Greig)

Johann Schmidt: “What makes you so special?”
Steve Rogers: “Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.”

Captain America: The First Avenger is the fifth entry in a new Marvel franchise. Standing alongside Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor, it works well as a standalone adventure, and serves as a prologue to The Avengers. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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9. GRAVITY (review by Samantha M. Quinn)

"Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence." – Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

In space no one can hear you cry out in terror. They can't hear you scream in pain, or weep at the loss of a friend or loved one. Space is quiet and cold and empty, and to be honest I've never really grasped those truths about space except in an abstract way. Until watching this movie. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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8. STAR WARS III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (review by Billie Doux)

Padme: "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause."

I just saw Revenge of the Sith, and I can't get it out of my head. For me, it's up there with Empire, which has always been my favorite. This one is darker than Empire. It had to be. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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7. HIGHLANDER (review by Billie Doux)

Brenda: "What can you tell me about a seven foot lunatic hacking away with a broadsword at one o'clock in the morning in New York City in 1985?"
Connor: "Not much."

As B-movies go, this one isn't all that good. But it did something extraordinary: it introduced a unique fantasy universe that has captivated fans for years. I've spent a lot of time fantasizing about the Highlander-verse. If I wrote fanfic, it would probably be Highlander fanfic. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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6. FROZEN (review by Sunbunny)

Although I am, allegedly, an adult, I don’t think a time will ever come when I won’t love Disney. Disneyland, Disney movies, Disney straight to DVD sequels... Wait, scratch that last one. So, of course, when I found out they were making a new Disney princess movie with two of my favorite actors no less, I was in. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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5. STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (review by Billie Doux)

Spock: "I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution?"

The Wrath of Khan is a favorite of many fans, and it deserves to be. It is exactly what a big Star Trek movie should have been, and finally was. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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4. PLEASANTVILLE (review by Billie Doux)

Jen: "We're supposed to be at home, David. We're supposed to be in color."

A long time ago when I still liked Reese Witherspoon, I was bowled over by Pleasantville. It's still one of my absolute favorite fantasy movies. The first part of the movie is hilarious and original, while the second part explores some pretty serious topics and goes in unexpected directions. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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3. THE MATRIX (review by Billie Doux)

"Throughout human history, we have been dependent on machines to survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony."

I saw this movie in the theater, with no idea what was coming. And it just blew me away. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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2. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (review by Billie Doux)

Grandson: "Has it got any sports in it?"
Grandfather: "Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."

The Princess Bride is often described as a fractured fairy tale, but I don't think that's accurate because it's so much more. In his original book, William Goldman took the standard elements of a fairy tale and twisted them off center into something exceptionally funny, while still retaining all of the elements that made it an enjoyable fairy tale. And then Rob Reiner took Goldman's story and translated it into a movie that was just as good and did the same thing, which is a remarkable achievement. The Princess Bride is a satire, a tale of true love, a touching story of bloody vengeance, and it's hilarious. It's unique, and defies categorization. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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1. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (review by Billie Doux)

Lestat: "God kills indiscriminately. And so shall we."

I was a huge fan of Anne Rice's vampire books back in the day, and when this movie was released, I expected the worst. I was wrong. Interview is an excellent adaptation of Anne Rice's novel. Everything I loved in the book is also in the movie. (Here's a link to our full review.)

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And there you have it. For what it's worth, when I started putting this list together, I had no idea what the top ten would be. It's also interesting that a lot of them are retro reviews that include spoilers, meaning that our readers love to read about their favorite classic movies.

Opinions? Comments?
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.