Top 5 Sequels Better Than the Original

High Fidelity is definitely high on my list of favorite movies. For numerous reasons…but one of those reasons happens to be the usage of top 5. Top 5 girlfriends, top 5 albums, the list goes on. This list is to honor movies, top 5 lists, and the quintessential Lloyd Dobler. So my first top 5 is dedicated to you, Sir Cusack.

5. A Very Brady Sequel

The original Brady Bunch Movie picked up a few plot lines from the TV series, but nothing else. The sequel completely makes fun of itself even more and has a lot of funny lines. Such as Peter promising to do something even if he has to “lie, cheat, steal, or kill!” Where would we be without the mention of “George Glass”, the non-existent boyfriend? An incestuous relationship (read: tension) between Greg and Marcia? (“Uhh…something suddenly came up!”) Or Marcia’s weird accent when talking about how much she loves the last day of “skewel”? (First scene, you can’t miss it)

4. X2: X-Men United

I wasn’t a Marvel fan until I saw X-Men. After that I was hooked. (Please see note at bottom of post) I walked into X2 happy simply because I was able to see even more of my favorite characters. (Jean Grey and Professor X….I think it’s the telekinesis.) This movie had everything people loved about the first movie, but MORE of it. More fighting scenes, more Wolverine without his shirt, more Mystique….more of anything, more of everything, and audiences ate every bit of it up.

3. Meet the Fockers

I do not like to endorse popcorn flicks such as cheesy awkward-for-the-sake-of-funny-bad-Ben Stiller-movies. Which is why this movie is still on this list. It’s just not bad. First you have the all-star cast. Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman (we’re not worthy!), and of course Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. I am not a Streisand fan by any means, but this movie does not have “Barbra”. It has a sweet Jewish mother who loves her son very much. And a hilarious be-my-buddy father who makes Jack Byrnes, former CIA employee, very uncomfortable. Along with an unplanned pregnancy before the big wedding. But in with this silliness is a comedy about families loving each other, getting together, and an adorable signing baby. Milk, anyone?

2. Father of the Bride Part II

Thanks to this film I now know the “Every party has a pooper” song. This movie carried the torch of sentimental father-daughter relationships, but it also brought in more comedy, thanks to more Steve Martin and Martin Short interaction, this time due to two pregnancies at the same time. Need I say more?

1. Vegas Vacation / Christmas Vacation

Both of these films are equally hilarious. They’ve got Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo cleverly playing off eachother, but with more chemistry than the original. I’ll break it down by movie:

-Vegas Vacation – The Hoover Dam tour? “I am your Dam guide Arny, now are there any Dam questions?” Nick Pappageorgio (Rusty) getting service fit for a king, winning 4 cars and clubbing it up with the big dogs in Vegas? Not to mention Wayne Newton playing a pitiful caricature of himself.

-Christmas Vacation - “It’s Christmas and…we’re all in misery.” I myself have seen my father explode at things such as the lights not working, the tree being a bust, etc. But to see it played by the great Chevy Chase is classic, and I never tire of it.

Honorable mention goes to: Shrek 2

(Note: Seeing as my favorite hero is Batman, I guess you could say I am a DC comics girl…but can’t we do both?)