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Jun 26, 2008

Which movie are you?

A discussion with a few LAMBs the other day regarding favorite movie trilogies shot off into a tangent and along the way, an idea popped into my head. The topic was the qualification of certain sets of films being trilogies or not - when someone mentioned something a series like Indiana Jones or Die Hard, I felt compelled to mention that those no longer qualified.

This prompted DJ from Matte Havoc to ask the following question: "So can quadruplets be marked as a group of triplets if the first three kids were born two minutes apart from each other, but the fourth doesn't count because it was born thirty-two minutes after the third one was born? That would be funny if the parents would refer to the first three children as The Original Trilogy."

That made me think about my family, and brought me to the question of the day: In relation to your sibling(s), if you have any, which movie series is your family, and specifically, which movie are you?

At first, I was terrified that I was the Crystal Skull of my family. I'm the youngest of four, but thankfully, I have a brother that's 3 1/2 years older, and with Last Crusade coming out some 19 years earlier than Skull, that analogy certainly wouldn't work.

As it turns out, I think the closest comparison for my family is the Predator series, and I'm Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. With siblings 12, 10 and 3.5 years older, that ties closely with Requiem, which has a pair of "siblings" significantly older than it and another just a few years older.

Got a better one? Need help determining who you are? Let's hear it.

Oh, and if you're an only child, guess what? You get to be whatever movie you want to be. Not as much fun, but at least you have total freedom. May I suggest Problem Child?


30 people have chosen wisely: on "Which movie are you?"

Rachel said...

Well, I'm an only child so I can't really play in your reindeer games.

But today I want to be Little Miss Sunshine, so that's me as a movie.

Rachel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fox said...

Wow... this a new one... it looks like I am (if I am doing this correctly):

*2 Fast 2 Furious*

Which would make my older sis *Fast And The Furious* and my younger sis *FATF: Tokyo Drift*.

I think I am ok with this.

Big Mike Mendez said...

Yeeesh, I guess I would be The Godfather since I'm the oldest and my brother is Godfather II. Is he better than the original? Probably, but he wouldn't have been as great if he hadn't been in my shadow. And then twenty years later, my baby brother is Godfather III. Can he compare to the other two? Time will tell....

Jason Soto said...

I really don't know cause I was 16 when my mom had my sister so I guess I'm Bachelor Party and my sister is Bachelor Part 2, a Direct to DVD release. Best I can think of.
-Jason

Nick said...

I can't think of a good one... My sister and I are (rounding up) 8 years apart (technically 7 years and 11 months). The closest one I could find is the first two Terminator movies, even though they're only 7 years apart. And you'd have to ignore the fact that a third movie exists or that a fourth one is being made. My sister would be the first one, and I'd be the far superior Judgment Day :P .

Anonymous said...

I was going to go with the Godfather, with almost the exact same situation as mentioned above (except I am the superior Godfather 2 and my younger sister is the completely unnecessary 3). But since that is taken, I will go with Major League.

That would make me the unfortunately PG-13-rated Major League 2, but it again labels my younger sister as the unnecessary Major League 3, Back to the Minors. Even if that leaves me as Omar Epps ruining Willie Mays Hayes, I am ok with that.

Matt said...

I'm the oldest of twin brothers so I'll call myself Kill Bill 1 and my little brother can be Kill Bill 2. I'm not any more athletic than my brother, but I am stronger so that should count for something.

Fletch said...

@ Rachel - go for it, Olive.

@ Fox - keep in mind, they're making a Fast and Furious 4...looks like your series and movie will be changing.

@ Mike - great comparison. 20 years later? Wow.

@ Jason - off the top of my head, what about Chinatown/The Two Jakes?

@ Nick - c'mon, there has to be a series with two movies that are roughly 8 years apart. We can think of something...

@ Freddy - nothing wrong with Omar Epps. I think he did a pretty good job, considering he had to play Wesley playing Willie.

@ Matt - where you been? I thought you had crazy free time this summer? Kill Bill sounds pretty apt. Not many movies have a sequel that comes out the same day.

Reel Whore said...

Dangit! Major League was gonna be my pick - almost fits my sis and bro being 5 & 6 years apart.

Instead, I will say I am Back to the Future. The first (me) was genius lightning in a bottle, the sequel (my sis) always has nearly inconceivable things happening, and the third (my bro) would rather live in an adobe hut with an outhouse than our modern age.

Yeah, that fits rather nicely.

Nayana Anthony said...

OK, I'm Die Hard and my (two years younger) sister is the vastly inferior Die Hard 2: Die Harder. And in this fantasy world of mine, the third and fourth movies do not exist. (Unless you want to say they're our stepsiblings from our dad's second marriage. Which would make sense, as I often enjoy them better than my own sister. Is that bad?)

Anonymous said...

I like the outside the box thinking Irwin, me and my three younger brothers would compare favorably to the Die hard Series, we're all macho and pretty sweet, I'm the first, and unquestionably best of the foursome, the second brother was kind of lame and didn't make a lot of sense, then my third brother was pretty good and surprised a lot of people but could never live up to the original, finally my last brother doesn't make a lot of sense on paper, but people seem like to him and he makes a lot of money...

Also what's the deal with comments being "people have chosen wisely", I get that it's a reference to indiana jones, but it doesn't make sense for all the other columns, frankly it frightens and confuses me...

-Gay

Fletch said...

I'm loving these answers, people. Excellent work all around.

@ Wayne - how dare all you first children think you're the best! ;) Maybe this idea wasn't so hot, considering I'm 4/4 - how many series have the fourth as the best? Cause that's what I'll be. :)

@ Nayana - Cheater.

@ Gay - Love your description of your youngest brother - that's gold. "Doesn't make a lot of sense on paper..."

A lot of sites have different labels for their comments aside from "comments" - I wanted to make mine more interesting too, and it kinda (I thought) pushes people to comment, as they naturally want to be wise. And I just might let them drink from a cup that grants them eternal life.

Nick said...

Fletch: I really can't think of anything... most things are trilogies (or more) these days. And there's not too many that had a first or second come out 8 years apart. I found another CLOSE one... 'Desperado' and then 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico' 8 years later. However, those are parts 2 and 3 to 'El Mariachi'... so still no good.

Nick said...

Oh, and by the way... I meant to point this out... 'Problem Child' is actually a trilogy. The first came out in 1990, the second in 1991, and the third in 1995 (though that one was a TV movie).

Fletch said...

Nick, I got it.

You and your sister are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (not sure which is which). They came out 9 years apart, and there are only two of them.

Terrible oversight on my part RE Problem Child. I was just going for the title, and I completely ignored that fact. Way to kill the joke, debbie downer. ;)

Big Mike Mendez said...

Yea, twenty years, my dad is irresponsible.

Nick said...

Fletch: Never seen either, but that's as good as anything :P .

Nick said...

Oh, and on the joke killing... no problem :P .

Reel Whore said...

Fletch: Not saying all first children are best (see my cousins), just in my case. Besides Back to the Future is one of those few trilogies that didn't royally screw the pooch like say, the Matrix trilogy.

Maybe your fam could be Lethal Weapon, Phantasm, or the Pierce Brosnan era of Bond. Hmmm, if only Roger Moore had stopped at four Bond films, you could be the For Your Eyes Only which is not too shabby.

Anonymous said...

Hi dear, will you do my movie math? (6 1/2 years)

Jess said...

Fletch, I love this - made me think really hard (through my entire DVD collection). I am "Princess Diaries" cute, interesting and girly. My younger brother is "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". This only works because the age difference is correct AND he's getting married this year BEFORE me.

Anonymous said...

I'm the middle child of three siblings, and I'm trying to think of a sequel that would be a perfect description of my family. My older sibling was the wild child, I was the low key and complacent child, and my younger sibling who trails with an eight year gap is the smart and political one. In that order it would be (1) Wild child movie, three years, (2) complacent/subtle child, eight years, then (3) intellectual/political child. Any suggestions?

JOSEPH CAMPANELLA said...

I'm GODFATHER III I guess. Which sucks.

My brother's 15 years older and a doctor. Part 1.

My sister is 14 years older and makes a great living cleaning teeth.

I'm the youngest and the least successful.

But in my defense, my Mom always secretly loved G3 the best.

Fletch said...

@ Mrs. Fletch - I deem you Big Momma's House and Big Momma's House 2.

@ DJ - I deem you the Mexico trilogy. The years fit perfectly. El Mariachi >>> Desperado (3 years later) >>> Once Upon a Time in Mexico (8 years later).

@ Clive - ha! Doesn't the Alien quadrilogy fit there, or are they all bitches?

@ Joseph - my condolences on being The Godfather 3.

Clive Dangerously said...

Alien might could work, though I'm the second and I didn't like Aliens nearly as much as I expected based on its reputation.

Were it not for Diary, Romero's Dead series would work.

PIPER said...

I'm nine years younger than my brother. Hmmmm. I'm like when Highlander came out and it got discovered on video as a pretty cool movie and then out came Highlander 2 a long time after. It had lots of hope but it wasn't as cool. Except I'm much better than Highlander 2.

Paul Arrand Rodgers said...

Hmm...I'm 11 months older than my sister. This is difficult...not many sequels come out that closely.

I might be Matrix Reloaded and she could be Revolutions?

Planet Terror and Death Proof?

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls?

Flags of Our Fathers and Letters to Iwo Jima?

Black Caesar and Hell Up In Harlem?

Blair Witch and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2?

Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo?

It's so hard. I was planned, she was a mistake. Maybe Ace Ventura works best?

Help Fletch, help!!

Fletch said...

@ Piper - you sure you don't want to be the Dumb & Dumber "series?"

;)


@ Paul - it doesn't look like you're in need of help. I'd say either Blair Witch or Breakin' work best, though there are plenty of other choices (Hostel, The Hills Have Eyes, Wayne's World).

Anonymous said...

...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but...

It turns out I'm Airport 1975. My older brother (Airport) was born five years before me, and then I had a younger sister and brother, each spaced two years apart (which would make them Airport '77 and The Concorde: Airport '79).

...so what does it all mean? I guess that Airplane! has been making fun of me all these years. :)