Movies:
THE CLASSICS
Humphrey Bogart was cinema's first pimp-daddy... and Ingrid Bergman was his bitch. I first saw 'Casablanca' in a 'film as literature' class my sophomore year in high school... stoned out of my pants. I've since seen it a million times, and it just keeps getting better. 'Casablanca' is the ultimate story of love and loss. It's one of my favorite films of all time. Here's looking at you, bitches.
Others to note: 12 Angry Men, Vertigo, Rear Window, On The Waterfront, Bringing Up Baby, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Seven Samurai, Gone With the Wind, The Bicycle Thief, Double Indemnity, Citizen Kane, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, Roman Holiday, The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps, Sabrina, The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, Dial M For Murder, A Touch of Evil, King Kong... many others.
1960's
And you thought you had problems right after you graduated college... try boning your parents' married friend, then her daughter, and then have the whole shit-show blow up in your face. 'The Graduate' is the best coming-of-age story ever filmed. It holds up remarkably for today. For all of you suffering that 'quarter life crisis'... this film's for you.
Director Mike Nichols was years ahead of his time with this one. Funny, intense, and disturbing at times-- with a soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel. Dustin Hoffman is perfect as awkward college graduate, Benjamin Braddock. Anne Bancroft is spot-on as the slutty housewife, Mrs. Robinson.
Other groovy 60's flicks: 2001: A Space Odyssey, To Kill A Mockingbird, Cape Fear, Midnight Cowboy, Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, Cool Hand Luke, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, Night of the Living Dead, Dr. Strangelove, The Apartment, A Shot in the Dark, The Manchurian Candidate, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Wild Bunch, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Charade, Dr. No, Planet of the Apes, The Haunting, Ocean's 11, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Hustler, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The Birds, Bonnie and Clyde, Wait Until Dark, The Party, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1970's
Nobody fucks with the Godfather Parts 1 & 2 (I can't say the same for part 3). Hands down, the epic gangster films of all time. It's almost impossible to choose between the two because: on one hand, you have Marlon Brando rocking the first film with his portrayal of Don Corleone. Not to mention a staggering supporting cast of players including James Caan's unforgettable performance as 'Sonny'. But wait, Godfather 2 rolls around... Al Pacino takes over the family and fucking owns every second he's on film as Michael Corleone. Then, add on some bitchin' flashbacks of Robert DeNiro playing a young Don Corleone coming up in the crime world. It's hard to refuse either of these masterpieces. Both films are insanely good, you decide.
Other 70's flicks: Jaws, Star Wars, Straw Dogs, The Exorcist, Mean Streets, Halloween, Harold and Maude, Patton, The Last Detail, Taxi Driver, A Clockwork Orange, The French Connection, M*A*S*H, Serpico, Carrie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Marathon Man, Network, The Conversation, The Sting, Coming Home, Love Story, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Annie Hall, Shaft, Dirty Harry, Enter the Dragon, Dawn of the Dead, Sleeper, Chinatown, Phantasm, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Duel, Slapshot, 1941, Assault on Precinct 13, The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Being There, Manhattan, The Muppet Movie, Apocalypse Now, The Omen, Rocky, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Kentucky Fried Movie, The Deer Hunter, Eraserhead, National Lampoon's Animal House, Superman, Alien, The Jerk
1980's PART ONE
The 1980's are a bit different for me because, hell, I grew up in em'! The majority of this decade, for me, was spent sitting in front of the tube with my bro watching raunchy comedies, horror flicks, Saturday morning cartoons, and bad-ass action movies. So, the 80's gets a special breakdown here...
Standing ovation to Robert DeNiro and director Martin Scorsese for making the best boxing movie ever, and the best film of the 1980's. Scorsese was robbed of the Oscar by 'Chariots of Fire' which to this day is the single biggest jack-move the academy has ever pulled off. 'Raging Bull' is incredible, from the use of black and white photography, to the amazing performances by DeNiro and Joe Pesci... this is Scorsese's masterpiece. If you haven't seen this, go sit in the corner.
Other radical flicks: Ran, Blue Velvet, Glory, The Elephant Man, Hannah and Her Sisters, Scarface, Wall Street, The Last Emperor, Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment, Reds, Starman, Rain Man, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Crimes & Misdemeanors, Dead Poet's Society, Blood Simple, The Color of Money, The King of Comedy, Sophie's Choice, Victor/Victoria, Blade Runner, Red Dawn, Risky Business, The Last Temptation of Christ, Stop Making Sense, The Natural, Hoosiers, Biloxi Blues, Fatal Attraction, Born on the Fourth of July, Do the Right Thing
1980's PART TWO: REAL 80'S MOVIES
Holy shit. 80's movies dominate my collection and I couldn't be prouder of that fact. My parents took my bro and I to see most of these in the theater, and then we watched the hell out of them on VHS. Growing up we learned that the members of the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity were a bunch of nerds, that Goonies never say die, and that time travel is possible if you have a delorean, some plutonium, and enough road to reach 88 miles per hour...
Other tubular titles include: Heathers, The Monster Squad, The Shining, Three Amigos, The Last Starfighter, Spaceballs, Critters, The Thing, Night of the Comet, Prince of Darkness, Roxanne, When Harry Met Sally, Die Hard, Adventures in Babysitting, Lethal Weapon 1 & 2, Popeye, 48 HRS, Say Anything, Batman, Young Guns, Parenthood, Field Of Dreams, Major League, Strange Brew, The Blues Brothers, Poltergeist, Creepshow, The Blob, Dreamscape, Overboard, The Running Man, Coming To America, The Golden Child, Teen Wolf, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Scrooged, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Christine, Bachelor Party, A Fish Called Wanda, Top Secret!, Beverly Hills Cop, Willow, Always, Robocop, Predator, Raising Arizona, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Goonies, Ghostbusters, Revenge of the Nerds, National Lampoon's Vacation, Christmas Vacation, The Burbs', Real Genius, Trick or Treat, The Breakfast Club, Bull Durham, Aliens, Return of the Living Dead, Fletch, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Sure Thing, Legend, Halloween 2, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Sixteen Candles, Die Hard, , A Nightmare On Elm Street parts 1,2,3,4, Explorers, Stand By Me, A Christmas Story, Some Kind of Wonderful, Heathers, Back To The Future, Caddyshack, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Airplane!, Conan the Barbarian, The Naked Gun, Better Off Dead, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Friday the 13 parts 1,2,3,4,6,7, This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, The Empire Strikes Back, The Fog, An American Werewolf In London, Escape From New York, The Howling, Stripes, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Secret of Nimh, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Weird Science, Tron, Mr. Mom, Trading Places, Pretty in Pink, War Games, Police Academy, Gremlins, Innerspace, The Karate Kid, Swamp Thing, Romancing The Stone, Wall Street, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Splash, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Starman, The Terminator, The Neverending Story, Clue, Fright Night, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Big Trouble In Little China, The Fly, Little Shop of Horrors, Top Gun, Hellraiser 1 & 2, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Predator, Robocop, Beetlejuice, Big, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,Child's Play, Near Dark, Night of the Creeps... and pretty much any horror movie you can think of from this decade.
1990's
Martin Scorsese is a god. And he proves once again he's a cut above the rest with the finest film of the 1990's, 'Goodfellas'. It's without a doubt the greatest mafia flick following in the footsteps of the Godfather parts 1 & 2. 'Goodfellas' is the true story of former gangster, Henry Hill. The film is a kick-in-the nuts rollercoaster from start to finish with an equally kick-ass soundtrack. Incredible performances from the entire cast, especially Pesci, who unfortunately has kinda been playing the same character ever since. It did earn him a best supporting actor Oscar, so more power to him. Of course, the academy felched Scorsese again and handed over the best picture to 'Dances With Wolves'... ugh, that makes my fucking head hurt. Watch for the scene near the end where Ray Liotta is coked out of his mind, being chased by a helicopter, and trying to make spaghetti sauce at the same time... absolutely brilliant. If you haven't seen 'Goodfellas' you've either been in a coma, or you live in a van down by the river. Now go get your fuckin' shine-box and see this immediately.
Other kewl 90's titles: American Beauty, Election, Boogie Nights, The Silence of the Lambs, Batman Returns, Arachnophobia, Misery, 12 Monkeys, The Lion King, Cape Fear, Liar Liar, The Cable Guy, The Fisher King, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Audition, Se7en, The Crow, Lost Highway, Wild At Heart, There's Something About Mary, Kingpin, City Slickers, The Basketball Diaries, Sleepy Hollow, The Ice Storm, Before Sunrise, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, True Lies, The House of Yes, Sling Blade, Donnie Brasco, True Romance, Good Will Hunting, Pitch Black, The Mummy, Carlito's Way, Jacob's Ladder, Heavenly Creatures, Bride of Chucky, Blade, The Player, Swingers, Private Parts, Basic Instinct, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, Jackie Brown, Unforgiven, Tombstone, Clerks, Mallrats, The Game, Toy Story, Ed Wood, Dumb and Dumber, Waiting For Guffman, Natural Born Killers, Casino, Heat, The Usual Suspects, Breakdown, Grosse Point Blank, L.A. Confidential, The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, Scream, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Total Recall, Billy Madison, Affliction, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Demon Knight, Pleasantville, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Shakespeare In Love, The Thin Red Line, Being John Malkovich, The Blair Witch Project, Fight Club, Magnolia, The Exorcist III, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Total Recall, Bottle Rocket, The Big Lebowski, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Office Space, Fargo, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Glengarry GlenRoss, The Matrix, Miller's Crossing, Rushmore, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Shawshank Redemption, Army of Darkness, A Simple Plan, JFK, Leon: The Professional, Braveheart, American Pie
MILLENNIUM
It's hard to pinpoint a film that defines a decade when we're just a little more than halfway through. Hell, I don't think any one film truly defines any decade... they are all pieces of a bigger puzzle. Since the millennium began, there have been a surprising number of really good movies that have come out. On that same note, there's also a catastrophic amount of shit that's seeped through as well.
'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' is the furthest thing from bad filmmaking. No movie in recent memory has captured love, loss, and the second chance at a failed relationship quite like this film. 'Sunshine' manages to tell a love story in a completely original way and still move you without falling into the 'cheese' grater. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are dynamite, and Charlie Kaufman's script is smart, funny and heartbreaking. This is 'serious' Jim Carrey's best film. SEE THIS NOW.
Pan's Labyrinth, The Royal Tenenbaums, Casino Royale, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Lost In Translation, Match Point, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Garden State, The Aviator, Super Troopers, Best in Show, Sin City, THE 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Ring, Wedding Crashers, V For Vendetta, Old School, Punch Drunk Love, Road To Perdition, Sexy Beast, Adaptation, Napoleon Dynamite, High Fidelity, School of Rock, Snatch, LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring, LOTR: The Two Towers, LOTR: The Return of the King, Donnie Darko, Moulin Rouge!, Crash, Batman Begins, A History of Violence, Hero, The House of Flying Daggers, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, X-Men, X2, King Kong, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, Open Range, Training Day, Shrek, Wet Hot American Summer, Catch Me If You Can, Narc, Bowling For Columbine, Gladiator, Blade 2, The Fog Of War, Sideways, Shopgirl, Orange County, The Pianist, The Insider, 28 Days Later, Solaris, Hustle & Flow, Mystic River, Broken Flowers, Kingdom of Heaven, The Weather Man, Before Sunset, In The Bedroom, Bubba Ho-Tep, Ginger Snaps, Dog Soldiers, Layer Cake, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, Cabin Fever, The Ring, Intolerable Cruelty, Shaun of the Dead, Requiem For A Dream, Hostel, Wolf Creek, Unbreakable, Traffic, From Hell, The Man Who Wasn't There, Ghost World, Mulholland Drive, Closer, Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, Thank You For Smoking, Slither, Capote, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Crash, The Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Incredibles, Signs, About Schmidt, Chicago, Walk the Line, Dawn of the Dead, Million Dollar Baby, Superman Returns, Little Miss Sunshine, The Descent, The Prestige, The Departed, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Monster House, Letters From Iwo Jima, The Queen, Stardust, Superbad, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Bourne Ultimatum, 28 Weeks Later, Knocked Up, Grindhouse, Iron Man, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, Juno, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Eastern Promises, Rambo,
FOREIGN
'Audition' is one of the craziest movies I've ever seen. It's a Japanese film from one of my favorite directors Takashi Miiike. It has one of the most vicious, slap-in-the-face endings in film history, and I've seen a lot of twisted shit. It's the equivalent of watching 'When Harry Met Sally', but Meg Ryan ends up sawing Billy Crystal's feet off with razor wire.
Other foreign favs: Pan's Labyrinth, Volver, Amelie, Run Lola Run, Ringu, Ju-On: The Grudge, A Tale of Two Sisters, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Delicatessen, Suspiria, Tenebrae, Opera, Demons, Zombie, La Femme Nikita, Life is Beautiful, Il Postino, Oldboy
HORROR (favorite genre)
It goes without saying that my brother and I grew up watching He-Man, Knight Rider and the 'Friday the 13th' movies. Yes, we also watched Freddy Krueger yuck it up on Elm Street, but there's something about the 'Friday' movies that's just better. Camping, drinking, smoking, screwing... dead. Fairly simple, but no one makes em' like this anymore. All of that 'WB' hack n' slash bullshit is child's play compared to the shit that went down at Camp Crystal Lake. I highly recommend Parts 1,2,3,4,6 and 7... Avoid parts 5, 8 and 'Jason Goes to Hell' like the plague. 'Jason X' and 'Freddy VS. Jason' are pretty good fun as well.
George Romero revolutionized horror movies in 68' with the release of this zombie classic. 'Night of the Living Dead' is the first and hands-down best zombie film of all-time. Though tame by today's standards, the use of black and white photography and the clautrophobic farmhouse the group of survivors hold up in throughout the film is still very effective. A lot of people call the his follow-up, 'Dawn of the Dead' Romero's masterpiece, but 'Dawn' was a horror satire while 'Night' is dead serious from start to finish. Followed by 'Dawn of the Dead', 'Day of the Dead' and last year's 'Land of the Dead'. The 2004 'Dawn of the Dead' re-make is fantastic, and 'Shaun of the Dead' is fucking brilliant.
