Sequels - Second Best

Only second editions count - so the third of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Godfather, Rocky, Spiderman, etc. don't count in this post. I am always amazed when sequels get made out of movies that were not that great the first time around. And there are SO many of them. No doubt research would show that they make tons of money anyway. It would be hard to choose a worst sequel (or series) but a bunch come to mind. In many cases the original wasn't bad - just all the rest. Rocky, Rambo, Planet of the Apes, Jaws, Oceans 12/13, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Staying Alive and Godfather, Part III.

Now, on to the best of the seconds. Without comment (except on one). Here is where the audience participation comes in. I will name my top 10 in a week. Time for you to each weigh in and let the rest of the gang know what you think ar eht ebest sequels of all time. In the meantime here are the list of nominees:

Meet the Fockers

Ace Venture: Pet Detective

Sister Act II

After the Thin Man

Godfather - Part II

Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade

Rush Hour II

The Empire Strikes Back

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

For A Few Dollars More - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was actually the third of the trilogy called The Man with No Name. (A Fistful of Dollars being made first but - see below -released last). All three were made in three years. Sergio Leone directed. The prototype of the so-called spaghetti western, filmed in Italy, pretending to be the old west. Turns out the the idea for this character was "stolen" from a famous Japanese movie called Yojimbo. directed by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samuri)and starring Toshiro Mifune. There was a successful lawsuit agianst filed by Yojimbo and 15% of the gross had to be paid to them.

The Road Warrior

The Bride of Frankenstein

Terminator Two: Judgment Day

AliensToy Story 2

Rocky II

Back to the Future, Part II

Superman II

X-Men United

Kill Bill: Volume 2

Jaws 2

Caddyshack 2000

Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn

The Matrix Reloaded

Die Hard 2

Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me

Lethal Weapon 2

Batman & Robin

Beverly Hills Cop 2

Speed 2: Cruise Control

The Bourne Supremacy

Sister Act II

Christmas Vacation

Men in Black 2

I'll post my top ten next weekend. Have a great week!