This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?

I love genre films. But I love when a genre gets turned upside down and inside out. My personal favorite genres are film noir and the western because they have the best films that are topsy-turvy takes on the genre. A genre I'm not too keen on is the teen high school comedy. To me only the ones that do it different than the John Hughes formula and the late 90's Can't Hardly Wait style are the ones I can get down with. A film like Heaven Help Us takes the teen comedy of the 80s, keeps the same rebellious spirit and throws it into a different time period and a different setting of a Catholic School. However, it still falls into a lot of the cliches of the 80s teen flick. One movie single-handedly showed that it was not going to follow convention in the 80's. That film is Better Off Dead. I have no reserve in saying that the film is a brilliant piece of movie magic.

Take your favorite teen movie of the 80s and pick out all the cliches. Hold them in your hand and turn them upside down. That's what watching Better Off Dead is. Remember that scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when everyone was bored in class? Or War Games with Broderick again? Or Fast Times? Better Off Dead decided instead to put in a hilarious scene where the students of a very dry and mundane Geometry teacher are utterly enthralled with the class. They all do their homework, beg to be called on and laugh at his horrible non-jokes. The movie explodes with dark humor as the depressed Lane Meyer (played by the utterly amazing John Cusak) consistently fails at high school life. HE is constantly plagued by a rival aptly named Stalin, a paper boy begging for "two dollars", the mail-man, and even... animitronic hamburgers?



It's really a tale of the imagination. It's being on the inside of a teenager's brain rather than witnessing it as a subjective third person observer. All teens over dramatize the wackiness of their family. We think we can never get an even break. Even when it's just lifes dullest moments like paying your annoying paper boy. What "Savage" Steve Holland gets is how hilarious these troubles are and he blows them up to epic proportions to make us turn and laugh at how dumb our lives are.



This was a staple throughout college. Even up to this very year at a friends backyard BBQ, the night ended in a viewing of Better Off Dead. Why? It's pure comic gold that leads to laughs, smiles and nostalgia trips. It's a brilliant movie that I feel gets forgotten under the heaping pile of John Hughes movies of the 80's. It's unlike anything in its time and it's really unlike anything up to this day. I wish one day that I could have the same skewed vision of "Savage" Steve. He's one of my heroes.... in a strange way.

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard
12. Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher
13. The Sting (1973) dr. George Roy Hill
14. Ghost Busters (1984) dr. Ivan Reitman
15. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) dr. Rob Reiner
16. Better Off Dead (1984) dr. "Savage" Steve Holland

Up Next: Robin Hood (1973) dr. Wolfgang Reitherman

I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me more of a selective human than someone who doesn't believe anything.

Oh boy. Where to begin. If anything, This Is Spinal Tap is the reason I love the ridiculous side of rock and roll. Not because it's funny but because I can imagine rock stars are like this. Aloof, out of the realm of normal human beings and just straight up rock stars. Obviously, Spinal Tap isn't a real band Although their songs are pretty fucking wicked awesome, it's this spirit of the rock and roll mythos that is nothing short of hilarious. The minds working behind the film are all brilliant comedic heroes of mine. Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Rob Reiner really do the job right. They riff off of each other and the unending amount of hilarity that they achieve is nothing short of awesome.

For me, This Is Spinal Tap is a film best watched in a large group. Much like the cult followers of Rocky Horror Picture Show, it should be a joint gathering. Whether it's with friends who know every line like you do or if it's to show newcomers to the world of the Tap, it's a gratifying experience. The sheer power that this film has in it's comedy styling is unprecedented. There are few movies that I can safely say have me constantly laughing from start to finish. Take this for example:



...or this:



I could just post video after video, but I'd probably end up putting the entire movie up here.

My first time watching this was in grade school with the same friends who I loved the Python films with. High school, it was my band mates who shared in my revelry. In college, the radio show and commuter loungers were my humbled associates who joined in sweet, sweet laughter. Now, I watch it with a conglomeration of all of these great men and women. It's an event movie.

This Is Spinal Tap is also the catalyst for many other great "mockumentaries", many involving the same people involved here. It spawned the Christopher Guest series of hilarious films like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. I'm sure it's not the first mockumentary, and it's not the first mock-rock-doc (remember The Rutles?) Regardless, it stands as one of the best forms of a truly hilarious documentary farce. There are some other great mock-docs like the harrowingly dark, yet still humorous Man Bites Dog. Something about this style just really draws me to it. You can create a universe and a culture and just run with the wakiest of ideas, yet we know that there are elements of the truth behind these satirizations.

I will safely say one of the greatest moments of my young-adult life started with a viewing of of Spinal Tap. It was the fabled 24-Hour Marathon at WEXP. During the first few hours, we watched both this film and Brain Candy, the Kids in the Hall movie. We would periodically go into the studio while watching the film and sit in on the regular shows that were being broadcasted, but it was the movie that got us all warmed up comedically for the next 20 hours or so of straight on-air tomfoolery. My association of that night to that film, as well as other great moments like the Fifth Step, the late night Caper, the call from a friend interviewing a homeless man and of course, the Babe Ruth Story. It was The Tap that got us into that silly vibe and it was gloriousness all around. I can safely say that it is the best way to get any creative comedy juices flowing and I will hold the film and these moments dearly for the rest of my days.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard
12. Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher
13. The Sting (1973) dr. George Roy Hill
14. Ghost Busters (1984) dr. Ivan Reitman
15. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) dr. Rob Reiner

Up Next: Better Off Dead (1984) dr. "Savage" Steve Holland

If someone asks if you are a god, you say, "yes!"

If there was one movie I had to watch for the rest of my life, desert island style, it would probably be Ghostbusters. It's really a no brainer. There isn't a movie I enjoy watching more at any given time. It might be because another one of my idols, Bill Murray, is on the top of his game in this film. Maybe it's the memories I share seeing this movie as a kid, remembering it being one of the films every member of my immediate family agreeing to the greatness Ghostbusters exutes. Maybe it's the fact that I know every line to this film inside and out. Maybe it's the audacious dick jokes throughout the film that went unoticed as a youth. It could be all of these factors. Regardless, ask any person my age and I'm sure they are going to share the love of Ghostbusters to an almost equal worship.

For me, some of the greatest comedic films came out in the late 70's and 80's. The output of the original SNL cast, the greats from the Great White North from SCTV and a slew of other brilliant comedians like Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder churned out monster film after monster film. Monolithic beasts of hilarity like Stripes, Silver Streak, Spies Like Us, Caddyshack, Back to School, Better Off Dead, 48 Hours, etc. The list goes on. For me, Ghostbusters takes the cake as the finest of these. It mixes action and adventure with ridiculously fast paced jokes that help move the story along. The level of talent is remarkable, with Harold Ramis playing the hilariously nerdy Egon Spangler, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz the doughy and loveable best pal, Bill Murray as the amazingly snarky and witty Peter Venkman and Ernie Hudson as the straight man in Winston Zeddmore. It was perfect casting chemistry. Although Winston is not in this scene, the below scene may be one of the greatest and most hilarious scenes in all of cinema, right up there with Dennis in Monty Python & The Holy Grail:





I've seen this movie probably more than any other film of all time. I watched it constantly as a youngster, it was in regular rotation while working at the video store and I still crack it open from time to time. Although it's a Ghostbusters 2 reference, comparing villains and people I don't like to Viggo the Carpathian was a constant in my life and still is. The Real Ghostbusters cartoon was also amazing although strange at times since Slimer was a good guy. I drank my fair share of Ecto Cooler as a kid. I had the power pack with the rotating foam rod as a kid and would run around the backyard slaying imaginary ghosts. I own the soundtrack album on vinyl and break it out for the amazing song "Cleanin' Up the Town" by the Bus Boys. I desperately want to steal a framed felt picture of the Ghostbusters insignia with the tagline "They're Here To Save The World" from a friends house. I want to go back in time and go see this movie on the big screen or open up a movie theater and have this play at midnight along with other classics like it. It's an experience I never tire of. I can't wait for the Ghostbusters video game.

Nostalgia is a problem I deal with every day. There is no cure for it except to deal with it face first. I guess it isn't a problem at all. Nostalgia is a great feeling to have, but thinking back on good times is something fleeting. Ghostbusters is one of those movies, along with a few others on this list, that bring these nostalgic feelings. Luckily, these feelings are greated with great laughter. Childhood memories of the best times well up and I wish I would never grow up. As I grow older, and now 25 (which I realize isn't really that old) that those times are long past. A bittersweet sadness comes to my eye. Well, good thing I have the DVD of Ghostbusters at the ready to transport myself back to a simpler time.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard
12. Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher
13. The Sting (1973) dr. George Roy Hill
14. Ghost Busters (1984) dr. Ivan Reitman

Up Next: This Is Spinal Tap (1984) dr. Rob Reiner

Luther said I could learn some things from you. I already know how to drink.

Everyone falls in love for the first time. You remember that feeling. The feeling of true amazement that something can be so beautiful or wonderful. It's the thing that people write songs about. It's that zen moment where you truly feel one with yourself and, to a small extent, you feel true happiness. Even when you move on from your first love, you don't ever forget it. It's that first experience that really just grabs you. This works with art just as much as it works with relationships. My first love, The Sting, is a true testament of the power of perfect film making. It's sumptuous in it's visual style, it has a story that sucks you in and it's characters are enjoyable to watch. The music of Joplin, the acting prowess of the late Paul Newman and of Robert Redford, the villainous brilliance of Robert Shaw, and every technical aspect just hearkens to a classic time in history and in film history. It's entertainment and it's art. It was love at first sight.

As most movies from the 70's that I grew up on, many thanks must go again to my parents. Their influence on everything art has been huge. I first saw The Sting in grade school with some friends over. We immediately were all sucked into the cool life of the con artist. So much so that we would pretend we were con artists in the school yard at St. John's and want to aspire to the life of the con. That, in essence, is kind of strange. To want to become a criminal? That's just how much you loved the characters in the movie. Redford and Newman were so lovable that even though they were common criminals and drunkards, you wanted to be like them. Smart, cool, self-assured and handsome. Isn't that what everyman wishes to be? And don't we all have these faults of our own? The Sting also was the originator of my love of Poker. Not Texas Hold'Em but draw Poker. I'd play all the time, never knew how to cheat, but seeing this amazing scene with Newman really get under the skin of Shaw is sheer screen magic.



This was a film that made me want to be an actor. At CCHS, I was in the productions there and both Redford and Newman were hereos to me. Their comedic timing and dramatic tone in this film was what I wished to aspire to when taking the stage. Especially Guys and Dolls, I modeled my background character much after that of Johnny Hooker and Henry Gondorf. The spirit of the grifter was channeled and I even got myself my first speaking role, a ridiculous one liner, in that show. I used the slur of Newman during the card game as a guide for my character, The Drunk. I was forever in love with thopse characters and channeling the spirit of their story worked wonders. I carried on that comedic style into the other roles I played. It's their style and grace that I admire most.

The Sting waivers at the top of my all time movies list from time to time. It competes with 4 other movies in the Top 5, all of which will be represented here. So far, Rushmore was already discussed and three more will follow. It no longer holds the #1 spot of these five, but I'd like to think that it is much in heated competition with the rest. It's the only movie that has been up near the top of my list for over 15 years. It's the most consistent film. A lot of people wonder how a movie that has a twist ending can have any kind of replay value. For me, the story is great and all and the first time around makes you gasp for air. It leaves you guessing and then the sheer joy coems once you find out the truth behind the con they played. However, it's not only the story that drives the film. It's the cast of characters, the intertwining relationships and the pureness of the characters at the heart of the story that keep me coming back.

As we all know, Paul Newman passed away this year leaving a brilliant legacy of acting and philanthropy behind him. I was deeply saddened by this great loss, but all the greats must go sometime and Newman has sealed his fate in the stars. A legend he will remain. The Sting, easily one of his finest roles, also seems to be one of his most underrated. His character of Henry Gondorf seems so real and so genuine that you forget it's a character. It's Newman who makes it look so easy. Just the way he makes a facial expression or the way he holds himself is priceless. I will truly miss him, but will always have The Sting to remember him by.

Like all first loves, you can't ever forget them. You can't appreciate enough how they changed your outlook on life. You will remember all the great times you had with them. Luckily, when it comes to a film, it's love can't betray you or change. The only thing that changes is yourself. The Sting will always been one of my favorite films, no matter what. I will make my children watch and enjoy it and keep it's great name alive. I will keep crusading for the film to get recognition on the AFI Top 100 movies list as it's not being on there is truly a sin. Regardless of all that, there is no denying that this film is truly a perfect piece of cinema greatness.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard
12. Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher
13. The Sting (1973) dr. George Roy Hill

Up Next: Ghost Busters (1984) dr. Ivan Reitman

It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.

This is the tale of bad marketing and naivette. In high school shortly after this film was released to VHS, I remember walking by Blockbuster with some of my friends who all wanted to rent Fight Club. I looked at it and thought "Wow this is a dumb movie idea. A bunch of douches, including Brad Pitt, take there shirts off and fight each other? Dumb. Might as well watch wrestling or a boxing match!" The marketing made it look dumb too. I wrote it off as a Testosta-flick.... even though we then ended up renting Lock, Stock & Two Smokin' Barrels which is just as much a testosta-flick as any... but I was a naive young lad. My logic wasn't the best at that point. Anyway, it wouldn't be until years later, maybe like Freshman year of college when everyone was talking about this mystical, deep film. I was wondering what it was and it sounded right up my alley and someone said "Fight Club." I almost laughed but waited and questioned my old logic. "Do you trust advertising?" The answer: Hell No. Boy was I wrong! As most of you know, this is the kind of movie that can be easily spoiled if read about, so if you haven't seen it, go to your local video store and rent it. Or Netflix it. Or break into almost an college student's dorm room and pilfer their DVD collection.

Turns out, Fight Club is a very awesome social satire/imposing film on the abuses of the world's greed and self-love. The other thing that I love about this film is one of my friends favorite film theories: The Duality of Man. First: the satire. I love satire. I don't know why but skewering society in ways that are unsettlingly hilarious just attracts me. My favorite books are satire, my favorite movies are satire and my favorite sandwich is satire (Roast Beef represents the highfalutin upper crust of society, bacon represents the poor and horseradish is the resentment of each class to the other... pungent and bitter, all shoved on that long roll we call life.) Satirizing materialism, Fight Club shows just how ugly society can be. The self-worship and the 'need' for things in America is quite disturbing and this film hits the mark. You almost want to join them on their crusade destroying all things corporate.

Ed Norton and Brad Pitt play off each other phenomenally well and Helena Bonahm Carter is striking and dark. They really are the reason the movie works so well. They depict the duality of their characters so well that you get lost in their dialogue. Even though *SPOILER* they are the same person. The internal struggle acted outward is really original and well done.



David Fincher's gloriously dark and dismal direction adds an element of intrigue as well. Something about all his films just sucks you into another realm. It's the perfect direction to match such a dark topic. A true testament of a director who knows the ability of his actors, this scene is one of the craziest, most hilarious and truly disturbing scenes in all of cinema.



I guess it was my young misjudgment, but alas, we get older and we mature. We figure out what is more interesting and we diversify. As youngsters, our pallatte for anything conceptual or deep is limited. We like candy and very specific kinds. We only eat certain foods. But with time, we grow and change and adapt and find new things that we like. My original reasons for not wanting to watch Fight Club that fateful night in my yesteryear is proof positive that being a kid, you just don;t know what the hell you're talking about. Then you get over yourself and dabble. Once you dabble, you discover. Sometimes discoveries can be dissappointing, others will change the way you look at life. Fight Club is that kind of a movie that changes perspective.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard
12. Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher

Up Next: The Sting (1973) dr. George Roy Hill

I shaved off his hair with an Exacto knife and painted on a goatee with model paint

Fanaticism is nothing short of comedy. Anything taken to an extreme (well, maybe almost anything) in an extreme state is funny. My personal favorite film to show the fanatical zaniness of any group is that of Trekkies. Not for nothing, but Trekkies is a horrible documentary. It doesn't really document something fairly. It's not like Crumb or Fog of War, two of the best docs I've ever seen. It's a popcorn documentary. The reason Trekkies is so important is that it was the staple "get out of my store" movie at Wow Video. I don't know how many times I was told to turn off the movie by customers. It was perfect. We'd say, "no" and they'd leave. Of course, they would leave AFTER they paid money to rent their dumb new release. It then led us to become obsessed with Trekkies in themselves. A friend even wrote a song called "I Will Wear My Uniform" based on the one lady who was so fanatical about Star Trek, she wore her Captains Uniform to Jury Duty... on the Clinton Whitewater case! Unbelievable.

To me, Trekkies themselves are just crazed fans. Just like crazy Eagles fans who go apeshit when the ref makes any call against their beloved team or crazy Harry Potter fans who waited hours on line for a book they read in one day or crazy Christians who speak in tongues. They are all nuts, but they all love what they believe in and what makes them happy. To me, I appreciate that kind of dedication to something. It led me to the love of this youngster:



Gabrielle Köerner is the most hilarious kid ever. He is young and obsessed with something that he loves. He tries to act and sound smart, yet he falls short of pronouncing words right. CLASSIC! I think there wasn't a movie watched more than Trekkies at Wow Video in the long history of it's existence. In fact, when I finally up and left the job after 4 years of amazing memories and long nights, I finally bought the VHS for $1.99. Priceless moments are still in that glorious plastic case protecting the sweet nectar of hilarity.

Then there is this guy:



My word. I love the employee of Radio Shack who wants nothing to do with the guy! How can you not enjoy the laughter this guy gives you! You can't make this shit up.

Finally, there is an amazing scene with James Doohan aka Scotty. Truly beautiful:



Not for nothing, that's some deep and touching stuff.

Endless joy and laughter is something I enjoy from a good film. Trekkies, as absurd as it seems, is perfect for doing just that. There is no way I can't include this on the list.

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme
11. Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard

Up Next: Fight Club (1999) dr. David Fincher

It's hard to imagine that nothing at all could be so exciting. Could be so much fun.

Yet another thanks to TGO, my dad, for imposing his amazing taste in film and music onto me as a youngster. A concert film is as much a film as any, and I can safely say there will be possible more on this list as they usually attach themselves to fine moments in life. Regardless, when it comes down to it, the Talking Heads teaming up with Johnathan Demme for the visceral Stop Making Sense was one of those movie watching experiences that I could never forget. My dad had a VHS copy of this and growing up to songs like "Once in a Lifetime" and "Burning Down the House" were essential to my musical growth. The videos for these songs were watched by me when I'd sneak hours of watching MTV, pretty much forbidden for the most part to my young eyes for whatever reason. I was addicted to Music Videos. It was the perfect blending of film art and pop music. The 80's were formative young years for me and even though I was more of the 90's generation of music video watching, the flashback videos were always my favorites. Although not a traditional music video, a film like Stop Making Sense lends itself to the MTV generation. And that makes it so visually awesome. That and the fact that David Byrne is a mad genius.

Words can barely express my love of this film. It's best described in showing some of it's best visual elements. The film nailed home my love of music.

"Life During Wartime"


"Girlfriend is Better"


"Slippery People"


"Heaven"


Demme's ability to capture the visual element put together by the Heads is uncannily inventive and good. From the simplistic to "Heaven" with just the two performers onstage tot he more complicated goof antics of the "Big Suit" during "Girlfriend is Better." It just reeks of greatness. I religiously watched this at Wow Video on slow days or late at night and would forced friends to watch it if they had the slightest interest in the Talking Heads. It solidifies the love you may have for such a band of amazing artists.

I wish one day to emulate their greatness. I no longer am in a band, but I would have told you that my antics on stage emulated a mixture of David Byrne, Roger Daltry and Jim Morrison (minus the "Celebration of the Lizard" incident.) Byrne's whacked out front man is silly yet you can't take your eyes off of his dance moves. The band slowly emerges, fills the empty stage and fills the theater with lots of great music. I definitely could watch this film at anytime and it would immediately make me happy. In fact, I might watch some of it now....

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee
10. Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme

Up Next: Trekkies (1997) dr. Roger Nygard

The story of life is this: Static. One hand is always fighting the other hand...

Although the quote above is an interpretation of the fantastically dark monologue given by Robert Mitchum, the interpretation in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing is a little more of a social statement. It's one that rings true. Life is very static at times, when you let emotions and prejudice get the best of you. Now more than ever, with history in this country changing. In a Spike Lee world, especially the one day that Do The Right Thing takes place, a black president seemed highly unlikely. But I digress. This film is about love and hate. It's about every man's struggle to find their niche in society and it shows that neither violence or silence is the answer. It's very ambiguous. It's very static. It's life.

My first knowledge of the film was that of my father, who grew up in a tough neighborhood of New York City after he came to the U.S.A. from Greece. He loves the movie and especially the line "You da man. No, you da man." It seems silly that this is how I heard of one of the greatest cultural movies in Spike Lee's inventory and in any filmography. But, alas, that's how you learn I guess. It wouldn't be until my freshman year of college at La Salle University until I actually would see the full film. It was for my "Man Hands" class. Yes, my professor had man hands and a growling voice, yet she had some great insights on things. We had to watch this film for whatever reason and I am glad for it.

What does Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing have to do with a white, suburban youth? Well not a whole lot I guess, but maybe more than I thought then. In hindsight, it's a very ambiguous film. "Da Mayor" wants you to "Do the right thing" but the right thing is never really identified. Some people see when Mookie at the climax of the film lobs a trashcan into Sal's Pizzeria's window as him doing the right thing: standing up against the white opressor. However, this is a very common misconception. Many of the characters disapprove of the riot post Radio Raheim's loss. The quotes at the end from Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X contradict each other. Does this make the message then that one can not really do the right thing? Does it mean different circumstances lead to different outcomes? It's really the end of the film when Mookie and Sal make ammends that we see anyone doing the right thing. Well, whatever approach you take toward the themes and the characters decisions to do what they did, it all leads to that essential human element that predjudice is real in many of us, if not all of us. Hate is powerful, as is love. But that static element is something that hopefully one day we can move on from.





This film, in a bizarre, messed up kind of way, is very uplifting. I might be in the minority there, but to me seeing the struggle, the climactic explosion and the reactions to these events ends in a reconciliation. A very simple reconciliation, but it shows that the extremes can come together. That small glint of hope alone is enough.

Spike Lee joints are some of my favorite films. This was the gateway drug to his entire career. Films like Clockers, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, and Crooklyn all have similar themes and amazing commentaries. Even his more mainstream films like 25th Hour or Inside Man do bridge the gap between his social commentaries and just plain entertaining storytelling. It's this aspect of film that I really appreciate. The ability to get a message across and have an ideology but present it in an entertaining way without it taking away the core message. Do The Right Thing is one perfect example of this kind of filmmaking and was one of the first films of this style that I truly loved.

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
9. Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee

Up Next: Stop Making Sense (1984) dr. Johnathan Demme

There are some who call me... Tim.

Python humor is not for anyone. It's pure silliness. It's 100% audacious absurdity. This was the perfect film for any pre-teen boy growing up. What better than ridiculous jokes, silly sight gags and British tarts playing 100s of different characters? Anyway any self respecting kid learned of this movie and the religion of Monty Python & The Holy Grail was thus born. Quote upon quote, laugh upon laugh and nothing else short of brilliance. The Pythons: Cleese, Palin, Gilliam, Jones, Idle & Champan. Names of master comedians of British comedy. Names of my idols of the days of yore. Nothing short of brilliant came out of this group of men. My grade school days would have been a lot different if it weren't for this film. Meeting in a friends attic bedroom, piling in at leat 5 or so people to watch the film was quite the experience. It was a long day of Python comedy and led to many great memories. This would continue on into high school and college. It was the litmus test to know of the kind of people that I associated with. It was either you loved Holy Grail or you were out of the loop and this classification was a sign of pure excellence among anyone I have met.

Rather than sit here and tell you about how genius the movie is, I'm going to first post what I consider the best scene of the film and then the five best lines the film has to offer in no particular order:



5. King of Swamp Castle: Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who.

4. Sir Bedevere: What makes you think she's a witch?
Peasant 3: Well, she turned me into a newt!
Sir Bedevere: A newt?
Peasant 3: [meekly after a long pause] ... I got better.
Crowd: [shouts] Burn her anyway!

3. Cleric: And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.

2. Sir Robin: What's he do? Nibble your bum?
Tim: He's got huge, sharp... er... He can leap about. Look at the bones!

1. King Arthur: [after Arthur's cut off both of the Black Knight's arms] Look, you stupid Bastard. You've got no arms left.
Black Knight: Yes I have.
King Arthur: *Look*!
Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound.

This quote exercise is less of a list and more of a litmus test for how futile it is to rank the hilarity in the film. There are hundreds of one liners, nuanced silliness and pure nonsense that fills the film up. It's the kind of film that on any given day no matter how much life can suck, you can get a smile on your face just watching and quoting along with it.

Whether it was watching it at Wow religiously on Saturday mornings or with a Double Gulp challange in grade school, Monty Python & The Holy Grail was a fantastic companion to either mundane or just as silly moments throughout my 25 years of existence and it's one that I hope I keep through my lifetime and pass on to my kids.




1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan
8. Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam

Up Next: Do The Right Thing (1989) dr. Spike Lee

I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody...

Every once in a while, a classic movie just seems to live up to the hype. You hear about it over and over and you wonder if it's going to be as great as everyone makes it out to be. High expectations have ruined films for me, which in essence might be my own fault. I should just watch something objectively, but it's hard when hype is high for something to be awesome. On The Waterfront, which I first saw at La Salle University's short-lived Film Club. It was freshman year, I was fully soaking in lots of classics to get my mind in the right direction for my dream of making films and writing scripts and this particular classic stood out. Beyond this, the film may not be the most biographical shaping of my life, but its more of a litmus test for my love of the art of cinema in every aspect. The acting, writing and directing are superb and that is what made On the Waterfront stand out to me throughout my film watching experience.

On the acting:

Everyone knows that some of Marlon Brando's most famous moments lie in the character of Terry Malloy. From the famous line this post is named for to the scene where Brando lashes out in a burst of rage smashing a glass against a wall, it's some of Brando's best. The film boasts more than just Brando doing his thing. Karl Malden as Father Barry is pure intensity. Seeing a priest want to rise up for the common working man and with such fervor is quite the show. Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle is a very understated performance, but ultimately a good catalyst to Terry's final move to be a witness in the trial. It also happens to be her screen debut which is impressive. Lee Cobb and Rod Steiger fill out the supporting cast with Cobb playing the not so friendly Johnny Friendly as the rough mob boss and Steiger playing the weak brother of Terry. Fantastic. The chemistry between Steiger and Brando still rings true, especially in the most famous scene of the film.



On the writing & directing:

Based on true events on New York docks and with a very autobiographical corollary in Elia Kazan's own "ratting out" in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee, the film drips of realism. A lot of that comes from the genuine dialogue that Leonard Bernstein wrote. The dialogue is authentic, especially that of Terry's. His usage of the language of the working class and the simple rough and ready attitude is perfect. Kazan, who also directed other amazing classics that tackled major subjects like Gentleman's Agreement, A Streetcar Named Desire and East of Eden. He commands his actors and lets them take the story where it needs to go. No other classic directors of that time period were as great as this man. It was this kind of quality and attention to detail, along with the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Sidney Lumet, that really showed me what a film could do. It has the power to move you and tell a great story that also is much deeper. It's the kind of quality anyone would want to emulate but few will ever come close to acheiving.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly
7. On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan

Up Next: Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) dr. Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam

I promise, that one day, everything's going to be better for you.

Film has a way of sucking you into a universe. Be it something just as real as yours or something so off the wall and different that you can't but pick it apart. Back in 2002, when I first heard of this film Donnie Darko, I had no clue what it was or why everyone was talking about it. It looked like a straight to video flick that I saw at Wow Video and thought nothing of it. It had basically no names minus Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle and the amazing Patrick Swayze, but nothing that would have made me think "hey, this movie is going to consume your life for the next year and a half." And that, my friends, is what it did. It was a portal into another world. A strange world much like ours but where characters acted differnetly and events seemed to be very crucial to the fate of exsistence. It is and always will be one of those films that when it gets it's hooks into you, it doesn't let go.

My dear friend, Chopper, was the man to bring this to my attention. The first viewing was this strange pseudo-religious experience. A few of us were gathered around in the dark room of a friends house watching the DVD release of Donnie Darko and in a prayerlike silence, just awestruck by the mystery and intrigue of the universe that Richard Kelyl crafted. It was a universe that didn't explain a lot, but that is what made it such a draw. It was mysterious and different and erratic and strange and beautiful. The film in general takes advantage of making a fantasy alternate universe. Shots are very deliberate, special effects are crude and their is a lot of breaking the 4th wall. Sometimes this is to an advantage and other times its just a bit hokey. Here is easily one of the best introducing of all the major characters ever to be filmed:



It doesn't hurt that Tears for Fears are just so amazingly perfect for this late 80's suburban atmosphere. Anyway, this film as of late has really dropped off my list of all time favorites as it's far from being a great film. It's just such a different movie that it sucks you in. For at least two years after initially seeing it, I purchased the DVD, watched the movie dozens of times and have had many discussions about it's meaning. When I heard there was a Director's Cut of the film, I was intrigued at first but then I thought, well if it's jsut going to go right out and explain everything why bother? The thing that made Donnie Darko great was it's mystery and the fact that you never really get clear answers. You just have to come up with them yourself. To this day, I still have not seen the director's cut and refuse to after many friends have wrote it off as just plain horrible. This film is my generations cult classic. It's a midnight movie. It's in the vein of Army of Darkness, This Is Spinal Tap and even Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not in style at all but in straight up cult status. I've become jaded towards the film as of late, but nothign will take away from the visual spectacle it is. The acting and writing and directing may be flawed here and there but my word is this movie filled with amazing scenes, shots, cuts and swooping cameras.

My early college career was a vital time in my life and Donnie Darko is one of those movies that was in heavy rotation at the time. It will forever remind me of Freshman and Sophmore year at La Salle. Watching this with my new friends and with random people here and there was unreal. It sucked us all in and the power of a film to do that is just remarkable. It could not be added to this list as I don't think any other film was such a cultural phenomenon as this was (maybe Snakes on a Plane in a close second.) My life was wrapped up in a movie. A fantasy world. I was trying to shy off adult hood, most likely, but it was a moment trapped in amber that I can't forget or revel in.



1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley
6. Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly

Up Next: On The Waterfront (1954) dr. Elia Kazan

Television makes these daily sacrifices possible. Deadens the inner core of my being.

La Salle University, before it ditched it's film courses, had some amazing classes that got written off as "slacker studies." Some of my finest moments in my college career were holed up in the basement of the Comm Center watching films for the various classes and having in dept conversations about history, theory and all the interesting elements that come in with the world of film. One such class, Critical Approaches to Film, was the most engaging and difficult. It took a very theoretical approach to analyzing the many facets of film. We covered the fetish theory, realism in cinema and one of the most famous theories, the autuer theory. Studying a specific director, I was totally prepared to watch back to back films from someone like Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock. What I had no idea was I was getting the treat of a lifetime that, had I never had this class, I would probably have never heard of Hal Hartley. We watched two films by him: Simple Men and Amateur. It was an eye-opener and I loved every minute of both films. But it was discovering the film Trust which was not for class but found on VHS at my old job at Wow Video in Westmont. The first viewing was at my fabled first apartment in West Philly with a great grouping of friends and it was quite the experience.

Trust is a simple story of two paths crossing. It's a common thread in many Hal Hartley films. The idea of "trouble and desire." This theory is put into words in Simple Men but it's in Trust that he first brought it up. Two lives intersecting at the wrong time, but somehow helping each other with there given situations: one a genius who hates his job, his dad and T.V. and a teenage high school drop out pregnant and dealing with a family who shuns her for this. The two are hardly fit for each other, but they trust each other. It's a very strange, quirky love story but it ultimately works. Here is a great

What struck me as odd with anything Hartley has done is the way his actors act. At first glance, it looks really bad. Really dry deliveries, they characters never look at each other and they never smile. But it's all intentional. For me, this was something I never saw before. I was used to traditional Hollywood styles and maybe a few indie flicks here and there that did some different things, but nothing to this level of intentionality. The two lead actors, Martin Donovan & Adrienne Shelly, are an excellent duo and show a strange chemistry, even though their emotions are dulled. Here's a clip of one of their early interactions.



After seeing this film, my admiration for the two actors went through the roof. Something about their relationship just clicked on screen, even though it's muted. Adrienne Shelly's troubled teen is a wonderful performance filled with naive wisdom. Martin Donovan's mad genius has some of the finest comedic moments in the film, but all the comedy that comes is touched with a pinch of sadness and melancholy.

The event when I first watched Trust was quite the screening. A handful of friends were at my apartment near St. Joseph's University and we plopped on the large couch and had no clue what was to come. Certain scenes needed to be rewound because although we laughed extremely loud at what the action was, we sometimes missed choice pieces of dialogue, which early Hartley is all about. IT was a moment in time that has never left me to this day. It was a film watching experience as much as a new style of film to be appreciated. Hartley's body of work, best exemplified by a quote from his film Ametuer is an approach to filmmaking unlike anything I've ever seen:

"Certain work needs to be experienced all at once in order for one to appreciate the full force of it's character."

There is no better way to experience Hal Hartley and for my dime, Trust is his crowning achievement.


1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra
5. Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley

Up Next: Donnie Darko (2001) dr. Richard Kelly

Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives.

When I think the pinnacle of what it means to be American and what it means to be alive, I think of It's a Wonderful Life. The movie sadly gets sacked into the description of a Christmas film because it just so happens to take place during the holiday. This film is actually a treatise on existence. It shows the power to rise above and find meaning in life even when the chips are down. It addresses some dark issues like suicide, financial failure, marriages that seem ideal but turn into something more standard and less magical. However, that's life and as the title aptly puts it, it sure is wonderful. Nothing is perfect. This film still stands the test of time and it stands as one of the very first movies that I appreciated as a young child and grew to admire its message and meaning even more as a young adult. It will be a film I pass to my children and one that I hope continues down the chain to anyone.

When I think of the amount of people who deem their lives not worth living, I almost always think that they should have seen It's a Wonderful Life. No matter how hard it gets, there are things in life that should be able to overshadow the things in life that are just plain hard. The story of people trying to get by during the harshest of economic times, The Great Depression, resonates awkwardly loud in this country now more than ever since it's initial release. People are loosing their homes and their families are splitting and money is disappearing and jobs are gone. Everything that George Bailey found hard to cope with in the film are just as relevant to your average working class American citizen once again. This scene alone is something that could be in our close future.



And who better to portray that role of the everyman than the incomparable James Stewart. It's his usual role, especially in Capra films, but it's still one that never gets old. His presence and his mannerisms, the twinkle in his eye and the cracking in his voice when his emotions well up just hits right on the money. With James Stewart, Frank Capra found a recipe for brilliance, especially in It's a Wonderful Life. I've yet to see another pairing of directorial vision and acting prowess as powerful as this. Many come very close, but this really hits home.

My family did have a tradition to watch this during the holiday season. Again, it isn't fair to say it's a Christmas movie, but the spirit of the season is ultimately tied to it. The scenes that resonate most with me, besides the above clip, is the scene in the bar when George doesn't exists anymore and he sees all those close to him that have slipped into depression, alcoholism and who else that he would have never touched just not existing at all. The romanticism as well, like the scene with the famous "throw a lasso around the moon" line just melts my heart with sheerest joy. It's the kind of romanticism that I love. Head over heels romance, much in the vein of my short lived posts entitled "Romantic Rights." Check those out here , and here to get an idea of what I find romantic. This little scene fits right in there with those as some of the most romantic and amazing scenes in cinema.



Phenomenal cinema transcends generations. It transcends genders. It comes off of the screen and pops with life. Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart make this happen. The entire story comes to life. Donna Reed has men swooning left and right, at least this man. From a young age, I have loved this movie and it is one film that I will never tire of.




1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg
4. It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra

Up Next: Trust (1990) dr. Hal Hartley

Life finds a way

If for no other reason then to explain how movies sweep you away as a kid, Jurassic Park lands on this list. Unlike many of the films I claim to love, this is pure blockbuster. And at the tender age of 10, knee deep in my obsession with dinosaurs and fossils, a little movie about dinosaurs and fossils comes out. Needless to say, this currently stands as the #1 movie I've seen the most times in a theater at a staggering thirteen times. More on why that is such a high number later, but first why such blockbuster goodness still sits with me and definitely still effects the reason I love movies. Now even more than before after hearing of the passing of Michael Crichton am I filled with nostalgia for this film. I read all of Crichton's novels after reading this one and especially after seeing the movie. There is nothing more fun than Jurassic Park to a 10-year-old obsessed with Paleontology.

The thing with Steven Speilberg is he can create a world of fantasy that you wish was a reality. And although the ultimate theme of the original Jurassic Park is the whole Frankenstein idea of don't play God, Speilberg makes you wish it was a reality. Regardless, as everyone ever knows the story of Jurassic Park there is no need for me to describe exposition.

When I was a kid, I was kind of a book nerd. And not fiction really but anything non-fiction I could get my hands on. But not everything, just concentrated bursts of interests. I went through phases. I loved trains at one point, read every book on Australia and as every young kid does, was obsessed with Dinosaurs. And not because they are cool or we're huge, but the thing I was obsessed with them was the extinction. Just the idea of a movie about people bringing Dinosaurs back to life had me screaming with joy. Since my parents were a bit more strict with me seeing a PG-13 movie, of course I had to talk them into it. The movie was one of the first films I remember selling out a lot and we had to wait a while on opening day to see it, as I demanded to. When we finally did see it we were really close to the front of the screen and I immediately was sucked in from the opening sequence. Shrouded in smoke and fog, the images on the screen were terrifying yet filled me with such joy. It's what movies as a kid should feel like.

This one scene alone still has me chilled to the bone with fear and excitement:



Anyway, on to why I saw it 13 times. Growing up, there was an amazing $1.50 Eric movie theater not but a five minute walk with a quick 711 Slurpee break in betwixt. After seeing it and my parents approving, I religiously made my pilgramage many times with grade school friends. There were many movies I had seen there and for $1.50, why not see it over and over. Jurassic Park is one of the greatest blockbuster films and it really shows the power of film. It sparks the imagination and lord knows I have a large imagination. One that I don't use enough anymore. When I was a kid, it was nothing but imaginative ideas that I played out in my own little fantasy worlds, but now that I'm older, I feel nothing but nostalgia towards that era. My I miss the days of my youth.




1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dr. Giuseppe Tornatore
2. Rushmore (1998) dr. Wes Anderson
3. Jurassic Park (1993) dr. Steven Speilberg

Next Up: It's A Wonderful Life (1946) dr. Frank Capra