In honor of season 2 of Pen15 hitting Hulu this week, we decided to take a look at and rank the Best Ever Movies with Numbers as Letters in the Title. Let us know @Siftpop what your ranking is!
Say what you want about the Step Up series, but they consistently deliver exciting, impressive dance battle sequences and Step Up 2 The Streets is no different. In fact, I would argue that it’s the one that did it best. Following Channing Tatum’s sister (don’t @ me, I’d like one of you to remember his character’s name from the first movie without looking it up), as she has blossomed into a skilled dancer of her own right. Like Tatum, Andie is struggling with school and doesn’t feel like she really fits in until she finds her dance crew. Cue many montages, a haters-to-lovers romance, and a dance competition where–although they’re clearly the most talented–they enter as the underdogs. The main thing I want to talk about, however, is THAT dance scene. Following an upset in the competition, the teams take their dance battles to – you guessed it – the streets, and my goodness it’s glorious. Our hero team gets a chance to really show their stuff in what is 10 minutes of just glorious popping and locking – add to that the fact that water starts to rain down on them creating an even cooler scene, and you have yourself one of the best parts of the entire Step Up franchise. Look, the rest of them might not be up to par, but you’ll definitely have some fun with Step Up and Step Up 2: The Streets. I also set a challenge to each of you who watch it to try and not and bust a cheeky move following your viewing experience! (Alice Micheli)
When you inherit a house from a rich, dead family member, it seems like a good idea, right? What if it was glass house filled with 12 angry ghosts being held captive and you were lured there to join their company? You get Thir13en Ghosts. It wasn’t the best of the best, but it was the best at giving you the scares, along with some heart and laughs. The film’s production design was awesome for a horror film. They actually took their time with that part. The 2001 film (which was a remake of the 1960 version) will definitely give you nightmares. If not you, definitely me. It was one of those crazy, f-d up films that had you talking because you pretty much don’t believe what happened. It was the first time you see rapper Rah Digga in a role as the family’s nanny. She brought laughter when it’s needed. I must say, it was very nice to see the black character to actually make it because we don’t make it in horror movies that often. (Chantal Ashford)
Halloween (1978) is hands down, one of the greatest horror movies of all time. John Carpenter never intended to create one of the most iconic horror icons and this is possibly why Michael Myers is still so special today. One of the better sequels starring the murderous Michael Myers is Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Picking up 20 years after the original, this would be the return of the original Scream Queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis. Also, co-starring the “it” guy at the time, Josh Hartnett, who would play her son in the film. Jamie Lee Curtis and her terrorizer Michael Myers are the highlight of this film. The film had a fitting conclusion if that is where they wanted to halt the franchise there, but if something continues to be successful, the show must go on. Halloween H2O–despite not being a part of the main cannon of the Halloween lore–is still worth the time of any horror fan. (Joe Vargas)
Sweet, charming, and funny; Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is better than it has any right to be. It improves upon the original, the characters are a bit more fleshed out, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I laughed a lot more than I thought I would. The scene stealers here, though, are without a doubt our lovable penguins. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private are back at it again, and this time they left me in stitches in just about every scene they were in. Is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa a predictable kids movie? Yes, but it’s good comfort food for the soul with a good moral message at the center that will have children entertained and adults laughing. (Ben Davis)
When one hears of a “Best Of” list of any variety, I think you might be hard pressed to find someone who would expect 2 Fast 2 Furious to appear on it. By absolutely no means is this movie a cinematic masterpiece and it more than likely would have been lost to time if it had not been a part of a hugely successful franchise. That being said, I think this movie is incredibly important for franchise fans. This movie was the initial introduction to Tej Parker, played by Ludacris, and Roman Pearce, played by Tyrese Gibson. Both characters have gone on to become integral parts of the Fast team and are huge fan favorites. Paul Walker also gives another solid performance as Brian O’Conner and continues to develop some legitimate acting credit as a street racer. There is also an early chemistry between Walker, Gibson, and Ludacris in their roles that would get further developed in later films. While many have, perhaps fairly, labelled the Fast franchise as one that compels you to “turn your brain off”, I fall in the camp where that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This movie knows its audience and it totally nails what it is trying to do. Also, when it comes to replacing words with numbers in a title, this is the absolute perfect movie to do it in. It’s an early sign that 2 Fast 2 Furious doesn’t necessarily plan on taking itself too seriously and invites audiences to just sit back and enjoy the ride. (Nashua Doll)
Side hustle Frank here, writing about Scre4m, a horror movie. So I’m basically cheating on ModernHorrors.com This is a movie I already found to be a blast. A perfect mix of horror clichés with updating for the modern times. Especially with the inclusion of internet influencers and the live streaming crowd. Serial killer on the loose blah blah blah, you know where this is going right? With rumblings of a 5th movie in the works, I can’t help but wonder if it will be titled 5CREAM, I bet it will be. The movie is 9 years old at this point, so what do you have to lose? Trust me when I say it has only gotten better with time. ( Frank Kemp)
Have you ever watched a trailer and thought “this is going to be atrocious” but it turns out to be a fun film? I am sure we’ve all had that experience, and it is one of the most underappreciated experiences for a movie fan. But then they make a sequel and you think “they are probably going to do the SAME exact thing…except worse”. Then the sequel is fresh and takes on a new life for the story. This is beginning to feel awfully specific isn’t it? That is because I am referencing Happy Death Day 2U! The first film was a fun little horror flick from our buddies at Blumhouse that delivered a star turning performance of Jessica Rothe. Then, they bring us a sequel that turns it into a sci-fi film full of crazy genre twists, emotional moments, and legitimately hilarious gags (skydiving, anyone?). If they make another after the crazy ending to this one….they already have my money! (Shane Conto)
England. Typical. Even drug dealers don’t work weekends. Alright, time for little known movies that Aaron loves! I first heard of L4yer Cak3 about 2015 and the only reason I had really heard of it was because this is Matthew Vaughn’s directorial debut and this was the role that landed Daniel Craig the 007 role. Looking back, having seen this one a few times, both of them really influence the future of both of them. L4yer Cak3 is about a drug dealer in England who is trying to get out of the game and gets assigned two very difficult tasks as his last, and that’s about all that I want to say for the story. Really, what makes this movie special is that Matthew Vaughn is very confident in his filmmaking abilities from the get go and Daniel Craig proves here that he can be a capable leading man to a crime movie. Sprinkle that in with some Tom Hardy and Sally Hawkins, and the knowledge that this was initially supposed to be directed by Guy Ritchie (in his prime), what you’ve got is a recipe for success! (Aaron Schweitzer)
I can hear you screaming already, “There’s no number in there!” Well, I’ll have you know that the letter “O” is what we mathematicians call, “an imaginary number”. Now, I haven’t taken a math class in nearly a decade, but it’s 2020, and I’m told all you have to do to be “correct” is make your point confidently enough. In actuality, Daniel Craig’s first Bond entry actually qualifies for this list based on a poster which replaced the O’s with the zeroes in 007.
I was familiar with the franchise prior to this film, but Craig’s portrayal fit more with the “modern spy thriller” people like me grew up with, epitomized by the high-octane, grounded action of the Bourne films. Right from jump, it was clear Casino Royale had taken things to the next level, with an attention-grabbing cold open and incredible parkour action sequence.
While being able to attract new fans, this entry also has many trappings fans of the franchise love: the sleek fashion, cool cars, Judi Dench reprising her role as M, and a villain, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), with a unique quirk (à la Oddjob’s hat or Jaws’ teeth). Le Chiffre’s quirk, crying blood, is ironically what any mathematician or people with any shred of pre-COVID sanity remaining did when reading the first paragraph of this entry. After a lackluster end to the Pierce Brosnan era, this film reinvigorated the franchise and set it a positive trajectory heading forward. (Jake Bourgeois)
After his less-than-stellar filmmaking debut with Alien 3, David Fincher harrowed audiences with his follow-up movie, a psychological crime-thriller, Se7en, which tells the story of a detective (Morgan Freeman) and his partner (Brad Pitt) as they investigate a series of murders that are inspired by the seven deadly sins. Freeman and Pitt exhibit a fine mentor-mentee relationship that hooks you into the danger of the story as you sit there and try to remain hopeful that the two characters emerge from this situation alive. This movie is masterful on several technical aspects, but the set design is something to behold. The grimy and dreary unnamed city in which the film takes place is so detailed that you immediately sink into the oppressive gloominess of the setting. In terms of the story, the originality of the concept will keep you riveted as it leads to one of the most memorable, yet gut-wrenching endings you’ll see. It’s hard to believe that this ending was almost scrapped by the studio because as you watch this movie, you can’t fathom it ending any other way. You might feel disheartened after viewing this movie, but that’s the testament to its power, a power that never dissipates, no matter how many times you watch it. (Vincent Abbatecola)
Also See: 5nal Destination, Fan4stic, Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood, Lucky Number S7even, Pokemon 4ever, S1m0ne, Tak3n