It’s always fun when a good idea comes along, Patrollers! The DVD Patrol is officially six years old this week and it also would have been my Mom’s birthday. I always have said I miss her a lot and now with our anniversary here, I thought it would nice for a change of pace. Jeff Genung gave me a great idea recently and I thought this might be fun. A couple of weeks ago, we did our favorite horror movie franchises. Let’s take this a step further. I have to do my favorite top five action movie franchises. See if these are any you’re likely to pick up.

5. The Fast and the Furious - Paul Walker and Vin Diesel star in this action franchise that has been ten years in the making. Brian O’Connor (Walker) is an undercover cop trying to find a car ring that has been stealing shipments from trucks. Brian is sent in to find about Dominick Torretto (Diesel). Dom is known as a street car racer and the only way Brian can make an impression is to beat the best. Through a series of events, Brian and Dom become close but Dom wants to pull another job. The job doesn’t go as planned and they eventually go their separate ways. This all leads into “Too Fast, Too Furious,” “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” “Fast and Furious,” and finally “Fast Five.” They meet up again for this latest sequel which was one of my favorite movies for 2011. My sources tell me that there may be one more starring the both of them.

4. The Transporter - Frank Martin (Jason Statham) was always the one that would transport whatever he could asking as little as possible, but getting the job done the best that he could. He always had his rules and he never broke them until he found a beautiful woman who had secrets of her own. Frank tried to fix the rules, but the people he was working for had other ideas and tried to kill him. Frank managed to talk them out of it which led him into “Transporter 2” where Frank tried to take some time off but with a little boy’s life at stake, it was time to bend the rules again. This led us to “Transporter 3.” Frank gets some competition and they need Frank for a job that he doesn’t want to do but talk Frank into it by arming a bomb on his wrist which doesn’t give him a lot of choice. Great series to grab and I hope Statham does another one.

3. Mission Impossible - Tom Cruise never did a lot of sequels, but this one took out all the stops. Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt. Ethan works as a Government agent for the IMF (Impossible Missions Force). They take on the jobs no one wants and if they’re caught, they will be given up. This is why failure is never an option. Ethan and his team go after a list with all of the government’s operatives names and codenames on it. Something goes wrong and his whole team is killed. The only way Ethan can find out what’s going on is to recruit his own team and find what’s happening. Ethan finds a way and is not sure what to do next. In “Mission Impossible 2,” Ethan has to stop a terrorist who gets a hold of a virus that can wipe out any city of his choosing. Finally, “Mission Impossible 3” has Ethan enjoying some down time with his new lady (Michelle Monghan) but is called back to duty to avenge someone who he was teaching to become an agent.

2. Batman - The Dark Knight couldn’t be left out of this one. It all starts with Michael Keaton becoming Batman for the first time and taking on the Joker (Jack Nicholson). Keaton went on to “Batman Returns” to take on Catwoman (Michelle Pfieffer) and the Penguin (Danny Devito) who manage to give Batman a few headaches of his own. Some new casting was done for “Batman Forever” where Val Kilmer takes over as the caped crusader with some help from Robin (Chris O’Donnell) to take down Two Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carey). More recasting was done to bring George Clooney for “Batman and Robin” with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. A few years went by and Christopher Nolan was chosen to take over the franchise with an all new take on Batman with a real world feel to it ,bringing Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and his journey to becoming Batman for the first time. He continued on in “The Dark Knight” acting with Heath Ledger who was the best Joker I’ve ever seen. Next summer Bale and Nolan team for one more time to take down Bane (Tom Hardy) and Selina Kyle, who becomes the new Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Looking forward to that one.
... and my Number #1 Franchise

1. The Avengers - This is a brand new franchise in the making. We begin with “Iron Man” with Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. Stark is a genius who makes weapons and is kidnapped by terrorists who want him to work for them. He does but only long enough to make an armored suit that he uses to escape. Tony reflects on some things and his new lease on life makes change some things. Next, “The Incredible Hulk” has Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) exposed to radiation that transforms him into a green skinned creature that can take down entire armies. A few guys in the Army want Bruce’s power for themselves. At the same time, Bruce tries to find a cure for himself with help friends. Now Bruce has to stop an army officer who turns himself into a monster more powerful than the Hulk. Onward to “Iron Man 2.” Downey is back as Stark, where we find some new enemies for him to deal with, the government want his Iron Man suit, and he has to find a way to keep himself from dying. Next in the lineup is “Thor.” The God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) has him defending his own world of Asgard only to be banished to Earth. As a lesson in humility, Thor has to make himself worthy to his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who gives Thor a new perspective on his own world. Thor has to find a way to defend the Earth and his own. Finally, “Captain America: The First Avenger” brings Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) to fight in World War II and he’s picked to as the new Super Soldier that gives him strength and speed to take down Hydra and the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving). An accident happens that propels Cap into the modern day. This brings us to “The Avengers.” All of them will be teaming up for the first time and the release date is May 4, 2012. I’m excited.

This one is for my Mom and I miss her every day as I’ve said from time to time. She would always encourage me to do things. Mom showed me the way to become a writer. A few think I’m pretty good and some also think I might have what it takes to write a book or two. That’s a tale for another time. I think of her every day and miss her. Remember to always think of those you’ve lost and think of those you’re close to every day. It’s what keeps you going. Until next week, the Toddster will be back.