Source Material: All Quiet on the Western Front

It's funny that no matter how well-read and/or hip we think we are, there's always something we missed. I never read this book before, never had to in school and never had any desire to do so since. Then a friend whose opinion I value, suggested I cross this off my list. And the value of that opinion just went up.

Erich Maria Remarque's novel is a riveting account of life in the shamefully forgotten trenches of World War I and the best account of any war I have read. But what really amazed me was how accessible it is. The language is remarkably modern, really bringing the characters and story to life (which wasn't something I was expecting from a book written in the 1928). Two years later, director Lewis Milestone adapted it for the screen and proceeded to win the Best Picture Oscar for his work.

The movie is a mostly faithful, linear retelling of the novel. The most noticeable change was the decision to not focus on the character of Paul Baumer, Remarque's first-person narrator. In fact, it took some time for me to distinguish who Paul was from the rest of the fresh-faced German recruits. Yes, German, which is another reason the story is so effective. The Germans, the great 20th century antagonists were just like us, young men thrown into hell without a rope forced to fight other young men just wanting to stay alive. It's this humanizing of the universal soldier that drives the horror home.

Milestone also elevates the character of Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky to lead status. Kat is an older soldier on the front who takes Paul and his friends under his wing. The move makes sense as Kat is the most charismatic character in the book and Louis Wolheim, a crooked-nosed, fireplug of a man, captures his big brother appeal.

Paul (Lew Ayres) does emerge toward the end of the film when they tackle the novel's most moving sequence: his return home on leave. This is where both Remarque and Milestone truly capture the theme of the story. Paul not only has to deal with the psychological consequences of the war on himself, but on his family, particularly his sick mother. And he has to endure the ignorant posturing of clueless civilians who still see all the death and destruction as a theoretical game.

The battlefield scenes are impressive for the time, employing the pre-CGI literal "cast of thousands." And then there's the ending. The book is notable for it's sudden break from Paul's POV to a third-person report announcing his uneventful death. The film, while unable to utilize that form of narrative technique, goes the "cinematic" route with the symbolic, and memorable, use of a butterfly.

It's Memorial Day and if nothing else, give a thought to WWI and all the men who gave their lives in the War to End All Wars. It's not like you're going to hear about them anywhere else today.

"We know only that in some strange and melancholy way we have become a waste land."

Playlist: Paranormal Activity

I was fortunate to see The Blair Witch Project before it blew up. At the time I was really into following the film scene (shocking, right?) and had read all about how this no-budget faux doc had taken Sundance by storm. I even made a trip into the famed Angelika Film Center in NYC as soon as it was released. And wasn't disappointed. The magic of it was that even though I knew it wasn't real, even though I knew the entire backstory was an orchestrated studio ruse, even though I'm not generally an idiot, I was scared. It worked, and worked well.

Jump to the present--literally, I just watched it--and the "new Blair Witch," Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity. Same idea in play: pieced together, after-the-fact found footage of an unexplained horror. But it's been ten years, so why not? Listen, I'm always willing to suspend my disbelief to be entertained until the filmmaker abuses that courtesy.

Now before I go on I should say I don't believe in ghosts. And even less so in recent years as the pseudo-science of shows like "Ghost Hunters" has completely warped any plausibility into ridiculousness. However, I cannot deny that we are all susceptible to our innate fear of the unknown playing tricks on us. That's why we watch horror movies and thrillers in the first place. It's almost as if we are taunting those primal emotions. So, like I said, I was all aboard for this movie.

Result? Eh. Halfway in the scenes started feeling staged and Peli chose to abuse the courtesy by building his tension through cheap scares and overplaying the monster card. It devolves into a standard possession story and the ending wasn't so much shocking as shockingly cliched. By comparison, I still remember how haunting that last shot in Blair Witch was to me.

Lifetime Movies: 1984

1984 Nominees: The Terminator, Ghostbusters, Dune, This Is Spinal Tap

I had no idea that Frank has not seen This is Spinal Tap...to quote a 1982 film "You just went down two notches in my..in my BOOK" (Diner). Of the 4 films listed I like and probably love each of them. There is no one great film here in this year, Amadeus won that year, and its a real good film..for me I just love a good Mockumentary...and Spinal Tap as far as I can tell was the first Mockumentary...the first to be a hit and today is a winner in every sense. Its my best of 1984. The one reason I guess is that it is the Great Grandfather in a long line of Mockumentaries, and it still holds up as funny...uncomfortable, and quotable...not that the others aren't...but because of Tap we get, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting For Guffman, For Your Consideration, The Office and all the mockumantaries that mock the office now. As for the rest of this year.

The Terminator: If Frank hadn't picked this first I gotta admit that I might have...its action packed and dirty, gritty filmaking...I bet the Terminator at the end isn't nearly as believable as I remember it...but it scared the crap out of me as a kid.

Dune: I prefer the long cut of this, its David Lynch making his Star Wars,,,so its a wreck yes, but its his wreck his way.

Ghostbusters: thanks to them we got the "Thirstbuster"...3 liters of Coca Cola..I sure hope they dont make a 3rd one.

Beverly Hills Cop:...this was supposed to be with Stallone, Stallone bought the rights to a book, that book became a film later with Cindy Crawford and William Baldwin...instead Stallone made Cobra and the cop movie became Eddie Murphy's crowning achievement of Beverly Hills Cop...This was the first R rated film I every when to...I was 10, my dad took me because he said It was very funny and had to share the experience with me...was I too young?..

Romancing the Stone: I watched this on HBO about 50 times...I loved this film

The Natural: is a great story, and I am a sucker I guess for Old Roy Hobbs

The Pope of Greenwich Village: talked about this one already back in an old Filmoddiites..I love young Mickey Rourke

Till next time: I would like to see a complete list of all the film we have picked for each of these years...and figure out what this all means in the big world of our Single Malt Obsession.

Lifetime Movies: 1984

Nominees: Blood Simple, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Karate Kid, Revenge of the Nerds, The Terminator

Blood Simple is the Coen Brothers first film, an indie crime classic 10 years before Tarantino and the rest of the world caught up. Ghostbusters was another across the board pop culture sensation that was really unlike anything else at the time. All the special effects and high concept story aside, its enduring charm comes down to the great comedic chemistry of the lead actors--Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis (not to mention Ernie Hudson). As we touched on during our Distillation of Steven Spielberg, Temple of Doom is the neglected child of the Indiana Jones franchise. While flawed, I have to include it here for what the whole series meant to me at the time. As for The Karate Kid, there's not much to say. If you've seen it, you know why it's here. On top of all the great scenes and lines, Pat Morita gives one of my favorite performances ever. And William Zabka makes Cobra Kai Johnny maybe the quintessential 80s movie villain. (Side note: Who directed this gem? Why none other than John G. Avildsen, of course. Who again, right? Well, get this: he also directed Rocky. And some other interesting films, but no one seems to know his name, including me until just now.) Revenge of the Nerds? Seriously, this is right up there with Animal House on the fun scale and scores real high with me on rewatchability. NERDS! Then there's The Terminator, a revolutionary sci-fi film at the time and one that somehow looks just as cool today. Question: what's the truer representation of a director's talent--big budget or low budget?

Winner: The Terminator

Notes: What a year. Usually I narrow the field down to 10 before sorting out the nominees. Here, I had 24. Not all great movies, but personally noteworthy for one reason or another. Like Cannonball Run II. It’s just a straight rip-off of the 1981 original except it has Frank Sinatra as himself. Enough said...I’m a big fan of baseball movies, but I always thought The Natural was overrated...Speaking of which, I was never a big fan of Beverly Hills Cop. I loved Eddie Murphy on SNL and thought his stand-up was smart and funny, but other than 1983’s Trading Places and 1988’s Coming to America, he never really connected with me as an actor...Two trends for me at this time: break dancing and killing commies. Beat Street really needs to be rediscovered as a hip hop classic. Unfortunately, it gets overshadowed by the cheesily craptastic Breakin movies and relegated to the nostalgia bins alongside half-finished Rubik cubes and Kangaroos. But it’s a gritty cool snapshot of where pop culture ended up heading. And Red Dawn was kids fighting invading Russians. It doesn't get better than that for a kid in Reagan America...Sixteen Candles--John Hughes and Molly Ringwald and Long Duk Dong. Good freakin times...The first A Nightmare on Elm Street...Tom Hanks in Bachelor Party...And finally, a confession. I have never seen This is Spinal Tap all the way through. I know. I'll be turning in my modem in the morning.

This post is dedicated to our fan Brattney, for her apparent obsession with this particular year.

Playlist: Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

I Love Gilliam. Thats Terry Gilliam. His last movie that I truly loved was 12 Monkeys...that film was 15 years ago. Since then he made Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is a real good film, but after that the hurricane of evil has fallen on this genius filmmaker. Now back to IODP or I will call it Dr.P, Will just be known as Heath Ledger's last film, I can see Gilliam's world crumbling as this film is watched, maybe years from now when people forget Ledger as we all have forgotten Gary Coleman, then people will see this film without the pretense that either "what could have been" from this film, or maybe this film should have been shelved and forgotten. If you are a fan of Gilliam you will get a mix of Baron Von Munchhausen, Time Bandits, Brazil, Fear and Loathing, 12 Monkeys, and Brothers Grimm (Heath Ledger starred).

This film falls apart when we no longer like the Tony character, Gilliam had to let us as the audience believe that as Tony (Heath) goes through the mirror, his face changes and maybe his character, first we see Johnny Depp, who does real well, then Jude Law, who wears way too much make up and looks Spanish, but he does well...unfortunately Colin Farrel, who I like as an actor, is forced to be Tony last...the last Tony takes an odd turn for what came before...we fall in love with Tony and feel for his character...and maybe thats because we know what happened to Heath Ledger in real life...but I think Johnny Depp should have been Tony last...just because its easier for us as the Gilliam audience to see Johnny Depp act against character type...and Farrell does not have this ability.

The effects are ok..you would think that once Heath died, the insurance would have kicked in and then the ability to have better CGI would have been a real possibility...Gilliam always does better with miniatures and less CGI..Brazil looks better from almost 30 years ago, then parts of this film.

The rest of the cast is really well acted, Tom Waits plays the devil, Christopher Plummer Plays Dr. P...and Lilly Cole does a real great role as the daughter. Even Verne Troyer acts well...the real ending hearkens back to the ending of Time Bandits...but no Heath Ledger...it just ends..because this film is really about Dr. Parnassus...remember that and you cant go wrong.

As this playlist is being written, I am also going through all the extras on the Blu-ray...Gilliam does the best commentary for my money...and this commentary I am half way through...you can tell that Gilliam did what he had to do with this film...is was to be a culminating film about his entire career..but turned out to be about Heath...too bad. We can wait now and see if Gilliam's vision for his new film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote can make it.

Playlist: Precious

Or should I say Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire? (Rhetorical--I shouldn’t. Really, how pretentious is that title? Or is it insulting? As in, neither the fans of the book nor the movie could add 1 + 1.) Or Precious: Liberal Guilt Oscar Bait? Too harsh? Maybe, but watching this with award season hype in the rear view exposes it for what it ultimately is: nothing we haven’t seen before.

Academy Award-nominated Director Lee Daniels reveals his inexperience by forcing overproduced visual flourishes into his narrative that distract from the gritty realism that is the film’s true strength. At one point, the title character’s abusive mother throws an ashtray at her, but it’s shot in Matrix bullet time. Why?

Academy Award-nominated star Gabourey Sidibe mumbled a lot of her lines and I honestly could not understand her at times. While she was physically right for the role (how's that for a back-handed compliment?), again, her inexperience worked against the movie. She demonstrated very little emotional range for such a tormented teenage girl. Howard Stern got a lot of flack for saying “Everyone's pretending she's a part of show business and she's never going to be in another movie.” Of course he did. You can't tell the truth about certain things, especially when it contradicts Oprah. But, let's be real: how many good roles are there for black actresses? Combine that with the lack of roles for obese actresses and you have a rather grim professional Venn diagram.

Then there's Best Supporting Actress winner Mo'Nique. Wow. This isn't a bad movie at all, but this is definitely the reason to see it. As Precious's mom, she gives one of the most uncompromisingly mean performances ever. Just hardcore scary at times. Not that I was scared. I mean, I could see you being scared.

I don't get scared.

Playlist: Big Man Japan

Magnolia Pictures is far and away my favorite film distributor right now. Started in 2001 and now part of renegade NBA owner Mark Cuban's media empire, Magnolia has been responsible for parting the mainstream for some of the best indie and foreign films of the decade. As if that weren't enough, in 2007 Magnolia launched a new division, Magnet, that according to their press release, would specialize in the "wild, unquantifiable and uncompromised." Basically, some killer genre movies that we wouldn't be able to see otherwise (and may not have even been made.)

But, wait, it gets better. The following year, Magnet unveiled the Six Shooter Film Series.  to give a theatrical release to the world's best genre films. In their own words, the inaugural class gave a theatrical release to six films "from the vanguard of quality worldwide genre cinema. With each film hailing from a different country, the series aims to bring fans of horror, sci-fi, alternative comedy and Asian cinema a mix of the most intelligent, genre-bending titles available from around the globe." That's as pretty damn cool as mission statements get.

I was first drawn to Big Man Japan because it looked like possibly the goofiest movie ever. Directed by and starring popular Japanese comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto, it tells the story of an alternate Japan beset by actual attacks from city-thrashing monsters. Not traditional movie daikaiju, like Godzilla or Mothra, but freaky, human-like beasts that include, yes, a giant baby.

But the story is about the title character, Masaru Daisato, the latest (and possibly last) in a heroic line of men who can transform to gargantuan size when needed to defend their nation from monsters. Told in faux-doc style, we follow Daisato as he tries to cope with the burden of his "gift", his estranged wife and daughter, and fellow countrymen who have grown apathetic to him and his role in society. And this is the heart of the film and what lifts it beyond just a visual novelty.

I wasn't expecting the level of poignancy Matsumato achieves, not just in the scenes of Daisato's daily life, but during the mega-battles as well. It's billed as a comedy and it is, but one of those sneaky good comedies where the laughs blanket a deeper level of sadness.

Then there's the end. I have no idea what happens. Really. And it's pretty hard to explain other than to say during Big Man Japan's climatic fight with his arch enemy the movie suddenly becomes a different movie. Sort of. Again, I don't know. It's ridiculous.

Playlist: Lost (Series Finale)

As a Lostie from Episode 1, this was as big as TV events get. After six seasons of snowballing mythology, I was amped for nothing less than an epic dash to the finish line and must admit a part of me feared the creators’ ability to maintain control of their own monster. However, as someone who never jumped ship at the introduction of yet another thought-provoking plot twist, I should have known that Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindeloff, the minds behind the island, always rose to their self-issued challenges. I have no doubt they flew most of the way by the seats of their pants, but they consistently found new ways to feed my thirst for answers while salting my curiosity with bigger questions.

But this isn't about the series as a whole. This is about "The End." Without adding another review to the load your server is already lugging around today, I will say that they pulled it off. Honestly, I don't know what more they could have done. They gave us an unambiguous resolution to the Island storyline while preserving the integrity of the continuity--everything that happened really happened, no time travel or alternate reality easy way out swerves. And they also didn't cheapen the main storyline with their sideways arc, which I think only strengthened the Island "reality" and gave it more retrospective weight.

Sure, the journey wasn't perfect. I'm sure they'd like to go back and recon some decisions they made early on as they were feeling their way (Walt, for example). But that's the problem with series TV. And it's why we have director's cuts of movies. And it's what makes the destination that much more rewarding.

It didn't work for you? Why? Seriously, let me hear a specific reason. And I'd love to hear what you would have done differently.

Single Malt Cinema: Episode 2.0

2010 Summer Movie Preview!

Plus, Vin on what films are making him mad!

And, we welcome a new sponsor!





Want SMC to Go? Download the full show here.

And let us know what you think or suggest future topics at singlemaltcinema@gmail.com.

Playlist: Terminator Salvation

Some things should just either be left alone or have better planning. I can not decide which is correct here with this film. I will not go into detail about the series, because no one after T2 cares about the series. Even James Cameron left the door open in T2, didn't he with giving Cyberdyne the arm that gave them the idea for the robots...so even that was thought out to possibly have a 3rd terminator film...that terminator film sucked and was not thought out by Cameron, but instead butchered by Jonathan Mostow, who also made "Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers"...anyway, once you decide to make 3, then reload (ha another great way to use that term), the series by discounting what came before it, without totally relaunching it, you get Terminator Salvation. This is what I draw from it:

1. John Conner is always angry: (probably because he was played by Eddie Furlong and then Nick Stahl...who is great in the Larry Clark film Bully by the way)

2. Skynet we are led to believe will be destroyed, then we find out that the one that blew up in the end is just one of the "worldwide" headquarters of skynet

3. Where is the "SKY" in Skynet?

4. How is this place that is SO important only guarded by 3 Terminators...the big one standing guard that Marcus shuts down...the second that doesn't see a very important door open...and the Arnold Schwarzenegger look alike..that's it?..Cameron did a much better job showing us this war 26 years ago then this film does with all the money and CGI in the world.

5. Reese?...he earns a jacket in the end for what? Screaming and running?

I just don't get it...I really wanted to like this film...I just wish a total reboot like what was done with Batman was done here...there are countless examples now of a good idea in a film not thought out, and the great idea just remains a great idea and the follow through is scattered, and makes no sense..its just sad and yet we pay for it...but we get no real story telling...why cant all these studios stop screwing around..its not just McG, or Christian Bale to blame...but someone believed in Peter Jackson with the Lord of the Rings to tell a full story, and now Christopher Nolan gets to do the same with the Batman films...other examples of great ideas, that were screwed up due to poor forethought:

Star Wars Prequels
Highlander
Superman (original 4 films and then the Bryan Singer tribute to his ego and Dick Donner)

Any Others?

Lifetime Movies:1983

Films: Return of the Jedi, Terms of Endearment, The King of Comedy, Scarface, Videodrome

I kinda like this year. Its a good mix of good indie films like Videodrome, hits like Jedi, comedy like Easy Money, history films like The Right Stuff (I am a sucker for films about NASA), and home of the best film of 1983 SCARFACE.

There is no other performance by Al Pacino that is as underrated as great acting as Scarface. Its the only film of his I watch and think, "he is absorbed in the character"...I just cant watch Scarface and think of Pacino in anyother role, I mean when I see him I dont see Micheal Corleone, or Heat, or the "WHO HA" guy...I just see this immigrant living the American Dream, bigger and bolder then any superhero cartoon flick ever. I think Brian DePalma is the poor mans Scorcesse, I give DePalma no real credit for this film or most of his films, I give all the credit to Oliver Stone for writing, Al Pacino for acting and the city of Miami as the backdrop. I live in Florida and have only been to the suburbs of Miami, I never want to go, because all I need to understand the city (or want to for that matter) is Scarface and Miami Vice. The film is funny, action packed, well acted and the soundtrack is alive, in every scene. I watch this film at an early age, I was about 9 when it came out and probably 11 when I saw it for the first time...even the edit for tv version (it has an added scene where Tony is NY and is looking for a dog when the cops show up) is funny, "you stinking cockroaches".

Other flicks from the time:

Return of the Jedi: I remember going to see this in the theater and being in love with it, I remember when it came out for the first time on video, the end fight I thought was awesome, and now the end does really for me tie in the 6 film Sexilogy.

Terms of Endearment: what can I say, as a youngster I was a sucker for this film, the only film my mom would quote over and over.

A Christmas Story: I do watch this when its on for 24 hours...I watch the first run and then as the day goes on I watch here and there...you can visit the real home in Cleveland.

Jaws 3-D: I saw this in the theater with my dad, its the reason I never ever go to the bathroom in the middle of a film now (I just had to go during the Prestige...i was gonna pee myself)...the effects here are crap, I never forgot that I might have missed something important that day I went to the bathroom during it...I have never seen it since.

The King of Comedy: Number 2 on this years list, this is a dark dark comedy, it is played straight, and plays different in today's mockumentary world of the Office and such...Scorsese was and is a genius...I wish he would come back to making films like this.

Videodrome: be afraid of your tv.

Easy Money: filmed in our hometown of Staten Island

Till next time...BOOM

Lifetime Movies: 1983

Nominees: A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Vacation, The Outsiders, Return of the Jedi, Scarface


A down year overall, but these nominees have shown some timeless legs.  ACS has lost some of its luster from overkill (seriously, why would anyone need to have any movie on 24 straight hours?), but it can't be denied its holiday classic status. If I had to pick only one Christmas movie (and I am willing to do that), I'd pick this faster than you can turn on that sexy leg lamp. Vacation was and is flat-out hysterical. I won't say Chevy Chase's Clark Griswald was the best comedic performance ever, but I don't think you can find one definitively better. I'll watch this every time it's on. Same with The Outsiders, though it's not on nearly as often as it should be. That all-star 80s lineup aside, it's a powerful drama. When the Karate Kid runs into that burning school--still gets me. Stay gold, boys. Jedi rode the Star Wars speeder bike to my young heart and there's no sense to claim otherwise. While not as good as its two predecessors--even ignoring your feelings about the Ewoks--it's still a fun, satisfying climax to the original trilogy. Scarface is just plain fun, from the Miami setting and the Moroder score to the one-liners and Pacino at his most Pacinoest. And without it how else would rappers decorate their cribs?

Winner: National Lampoon's Vacation



Notes: Where's Scorsese's The King of Comedy? Well, here, and I'm sure in Vin's post. And I'm sure he'll have a timely take on the subject matter...Yes, Tom Cruise was in The Outsiders, but he blew up in Risky Business. How cool was that kid?...I watched WarGames recently and was amazed by not only how well an early 80s tech-heavy film held up, but how good a script it had...Trading Places is probably my favorite Eddie Murphy movie (more on this in the coming years). And how about that Jamie Lee Curtis?...I think I speak for a lot of people in asking, where have you gone Michael Keaton? Mr. Mom was him in top form, though not my favorite of his roles. Teaser...

Playlist: Ironman 2

Iron Man 2 was not Iron Man...it was too long and not enough bad guys. I think this is the first film to make the Playlist and still be in theaters. That said, I had to see this film because it is Iron Man...like I have to eat food because its there...not because it tastes good or it looks good...but well...its there so I will eat it....and I ate this one whole...no real taste...but I know I will go back for more. The best scenes are the action ones I think, there is alot of talking and a cool dance move by Sam Rockwell to the music from Swingers...nice touch Johnny Favs...Downey was good...but it just went on a bit too long...too much of Downey's schtick. Many people are right when they say this is a set up for the Avengers film that will include the yet to be released Thor, Captain America and possibly Hulk.

Also, I liked Terrance Howard as the military buddy of Stark...I thought Don Cheadle would be good...but Don needs to stick with the dramas and crappy award winning films like Crash...God I hated Crash...but thats for another time...the film gods are angry.

Boom

Playlist: The Box

As maybe the only person not related to director Richard Kelly to like his beautiful mess of a sci-fi epic, Southland Tales (his much-anticipated follow-up to Donnie Darko), I admit I had some mixed feelings upon seeing the trailer for this film. On one hand, I’m easily hooked by Pop Quiz, Hotshot, what would you do? questions—in this case, would you press a button left my a mysterious stranger and receive $1 million…while also causing the death of a stranger somewhere in the world? On the other hand, I was concerned about the premise’s legs and was picturing a "Twilight Zone" episode (a good thing), but quadrupled in length (not so much).


Oh, me of little faith. Kelly answered the big question early on and then refolded the story into a completely different shape. True to form, he probably overextended himself and just missed sticking the landing. But, it’s important to factor in the degree of difficulty before submitting your final score. (I have no idea how I got caught up in this gymnastics metaphor, but I might have to dismount this paragraph…)

(Better.) Kelly has made a commitment to following his artistic vision down whatever wormhole it takes him. His movies are decidedly his and I appreciate that ambition to leave his mark on the profession. He has always struck me as a poor man's Darren Aronofsky, though that's not really fair at all. He's leaving his own mark in his own way and I think he is getting close to making a truly great film. (Chances are it will never get made, but he wrote an adaptation of my favorite book, Cat's Cradle. Kurt Vonnegut has been notoriously difficult to translate to film, but Kelly might be the one to crack the code.)

What I like as a viewer about Kelly and other "auteurs" is the palpable confidence that comes off the screen, that comfort in knowing the filmmaker, regardless of result, was heading to Point B the minute we all left Point A. We always complain about the toothless, generic dreck that gets pushed on us by Hollywood, so I think it's important to applaud someone who is at least trying to give us something more.

One last thing: I’m not sure how I feel about James Marsden (this isn't random--he's in this). I think I’m genetically predisposed to disliking him and his usual casting as Johnny Handsome. But I can't say I actually dislike him in anything. In fact, I think he's generally been pretty good in often thankless roles. Hmm...

Playlist: Dead Snow

The movie that launched the manifesto. You may have heard of this as "the Nazi zombie" movie. So, first things first, are they really zombies? Allow me to answer that: no.

Here's the setup: a group of young adults trek out to a cabin in the middle of nowhere Norway (right, this is a Norwegian Nazi zombie" movie). They find some looted World War II gold which awakens the corpses of the Nazis who stole it because, I don't know, they were saving up for some sort of pre-Fourth Reich sale. It's pointless to dwell on plausibility or character motivation here as it appears that this was made for the sole purpose of the visual of an undead Nazi (which does work, btw. Genocidial fascism aside, those uniforms were sharp.) But here's the thing: the revived SS are fully-functioning ghouls, fast, strong, and smart. And to add injury to insult, they favor beating up their victims like the jack-booted thugs they are rather than performing in even the loosest zombie fashion (they do eat flesh, but almost as an after thought). Basically, this is a slasher film which, while not a bad thing, doesn't make it a zombie film.

There's plenty of gore, however, with some fun and inventive uses for snowmobiles and some wild, over-the-top kill scenes. It's actually billed as a "horror comedy" which is a fine line to walk since you can so easily end up in camp. The language barrier didn't help as it was obvious, based on character reactions and the accompanying subtitles, that a lot of jokes were lost in translation. Or maybe Norwegians aren't funny.

And I guess this was my problem with the film overall. The tone was all over the place--there were too many times when I wasn't sure what director Tommy Wirkola was going for. Okay, that's not entirely true. There were more than enough (really more than enough) Evil Dead references to get that what he was going for. It's just that too often it felt like he went and came back empty.

Playlist: Up in the Air

Seriously, how charming is George Clooney? I don't think we've had an actor (and a very good actor at that) with this much movie star charisma since Jack Nicholson in his prime. And the thing that separates Clooney is that he isn't using his personality as a crutch. It's not as if every role is simply different lines coming out of his smile. Here, he is able to make a small, personal story about relationships and loneliness and make it feel that much more important.

And it's not just him. This film racked up the acting accolades during last year's award season for good reason. I had heard all the buzz about Anna Kendrick's performance and was a bit surprised to see it hold up to the hype. Not only did she hold her own with her big time co-star, but she provided a lot of emotional depth to what could have easily been a one-joke character.There are a lot of good actors here: Vera Farmiga in the other female lead, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, and for Vin, Danny McBride and an oddly brief cameo by Zach Galifianakis. 

This makes three in a row for director Jason Reitman who is doing his best to overcome a debilitating case of nepotism.

Lifetime Movies: 1982

Frank hit my top two on the nose..but we kind of discussed those earlier . 1982 is an odd year, not alot of choices for me. I am still torn after these posts, do I pick my straight up favorite film, or the best film...maybe they should be both, but lets face it the one movie I pick today I have not seen more than the others, does that make it not the best?...enough already here is a list of the best of the best.

Blade Runner, Diner, An Officer and a Gentlemen, ET

The winner is Barry Levinsons calling card film and ode to the sweet old days of Baltimore before crack and Stringer Bell got its hooks into Bodymore, Murderland.

I quote this movie more than any other film (thanks to my buddy in college and big toe Jeff). I forced my real wife to answer football questions like Steve Guttenbergs character does in Diner (his best performance hands down next to Citizens on Patrol). The great Mickey Rourke is a screen god in this film, Kevin Bacon is funner then that time he played a child pedophile in Woodsman, Paul Riser is topps, and that guy that does that voice from the Wonder Years is great (Daniel Stern), also Wings guy (Tim Daly) and Ellen Barkin is hot. The cast is great and the film is funny and about growing up..it takes place in the 50's but its themes are timeless. The conversations are surreal and fun and fresh and you want to be friends with these guys. I really love this film, and force myself not to overwatch it so that I can enjoy it each time, and each time is special...its the kind of film you can recommend to a friend, and if that friend hates it...you end that friendship.

Blade Runner:

I can understand this film is not for everyone, but its the best Anti-Star Wars film ever...I love star wars but this is a new level, this film is a film noir, scify punk film that launches Ridley Scott into the upper echelon of directors...its sad that Scott has not again come back to sci fi yet

ET:

Saw it twice the year it came out in theaters, it is still great fun to watch and the ET figure is better puppet work then most CGI today

An Officer and a Gentlemen:

I guess I was 8 in 1982...but by 1984 or so I saw this film over and over again on HBO as a kid...I must have seen it 4-8 times in a span of a few months..I dont know what it was but I was captivated by the story

Tron:

Saw this in the theater and my mom and her friends all said they didnt "get it"...it was ahead of its time with the way you could manipulate computers and it foreshadowed cyber space and virtual reality...I got it...I sure did

Thats it...next year is a little more difficult...I am finding that I was fascinated at a young age by odd films...like 1982's Officer and a Gentlemen..in 1983 it gets odder.

BOOM

Lifetime Movies: 1982

This year kicks off a run of craziness as I've seen so many of these movies--and so many times on TV through the years--that it's hard to separate quality from comforting nostalgia. But the unpaid professional that I am, I will give it my all.

Nominees: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Poltergeist, The Thing

E.T. was a phenomenon, one of those cross-cultural events before the landscape fragmented in the 90s. Like the Thriller of movies. Everyone liked E.T. and there's  no reason to try to say anything different. Director Steven Spielberg had quite a year as he also produced Poltergeist, the E.T. of horror movies. It's generally believed that he actually did much more directing than credited director Tobe Hooper and based on track records and final product, it's hard not to believe it's true. This was a genuinely scary movie and remains so today. The Thing was director John Carpenter at his creative peak and is still one of the best science fiction/horror films ever made. Did you notice I skipped a nominee? I'm a big Cameron Crowe fan and while he didn't direct Fast Times, he did write the script which was both of the moment and timeless. This film is funny and poignant and a pitch perfect depiction of American teenagers. It also captures the transition between the dazed and confused 70s and the greed is good 80s better than just about anything else.

Winner: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Notes: I've fallen into the bad habit of feeling like I have to mention every movie I liked during a given year instead of just hitting on a few of particular interest. Like Swamp Thing. I remember seeing it in the theater (despite the nudity and violence--awesome head crushing scene--this was rated PG. Gotta love the 80s) and some teenager was walking up and down the aisles completely wrapped in toilet paper pretending to be the title character. You wouldn't see that today...Rocky III may have been the most fun film in the series. Mr. T and Hulk Hogan? No doubt this led to the first Wrestlemania and all its historical magnitude...I'm not sure when I saw Creepshow, but it's a movie I still think about and reference. Especially the final story, "They're Creeping Up on You!" You know the one: germaphobe jerk sealed up in his apartment is overrun by cockroaches. Horrible, just horrible...The Beastmaster was another favorite at the time and the best example of one of the many phases I went through as a kid (sword-and-sorcery)...Then there's Blade Runner. I won't say much here because we touch on it in more depth in an upcoming podcast/Ridley Scott Distillery, but I will let you know I'm not a big fan. (I wouldn't be surprised if Vin picked it as his favorite. That or Diner, which I haven't seen in a long time, though I know I should.)

Playlist: Capitalism: A Love Story

However you may feel about Michael Moore--personally or politically--it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge his cultural relevancy as a filmmaker. His documentaries tackle generation-defining subjects, subjects that are simply not being addressed directly or with any real substance in other media:

Roger & Me: Globalization and the Outsourcing of American jobs

Bowling for Columbine: Gun Culture and Violence

Fahrenheit 9/11: September 11 attacks and the War on Terror

Sicko: Health Care

Capitalism: A Love Story is again on point with an examination of the recent (and current) financial meltdown and the subsequent billion dollar bailouts for Wall Street (from BOTH Republican and Democrat-led Congresses).

In fact, I think Moore is doing himself a disservice by continuing to take such a prominent on-screen role in his films. He--and this really isn't a cheap shot about his girth--is getting in the way of his own message. By his own headline-producing actions, he has become a liberal lightning rod, for good and for bad, and in a sad irony, he has managed to alienate the very audience that would most likely benefit from what his movies have to say. At their core, his movies are about the glory of democracy and the power of the American people--beautiful, sentimental heartland values. The fact that they now come coated in a layer of propaganda is a true shame.

Quickly: There are some legitimate technical criticisms of Moore as a documentarian. Though powerful in several parts, Capitalism is his weakest film due to some questionable subject choices that came across as reaches in his attempt to prove his larger point.

Playlist: Swagger Wagon Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Sienna&annotation_id=annotation_227749&feature=iv#p/c/

Go Tube This. Our buddy and fellow blogger Frank is into original shorts from directors, this could be up his and your (yes you Cinemamaltobsessed) alley. Jody Hill is a funny director, his films The Foot Fist way, Observe and Report, and HBO's East Bound and Down are a new kind of funny that has a complete sense of a writer. At his heart, Jody Hill writes with a specific voice, like Kevin Smith and Woody Allen. When you see something of these writers you know its them...and when I see Jody Hill's work in the Toyota Sienna Commercials (thanks to Slash Film for pointing these out to me)...it screams a PG version of Jody Hill. One other thing to note, now that I have seen these commercials and Observe and Report, it is clear that :
1. Danny McBribe does his dialogue best
2. Jody Hill is where I get the BOOM, from

Playlist: The Sopranos Season 1

It's Back:

On HBO on Demand, I have waited months for this service to revert back to the first season of one of my favorite shows of all time...The Sopranos. I started watching this in the middle of season one, my parents had HBO and would tape it via VCR for me. I realized I never saw the original pilot till this past week. HBO on Demand is slow to change, about every 3 to 4 weeks they release the next cycle of shows in their arsenal of series. On a fluke last February I watched The Wire Season 1...the rest is history...The Wire for me is the best show I have ever watched, and I must admit, it has a lot to do with the fact that I was able to watch it straight through like a miniseries of the old days (remember Roots?)...I did not have a week to stew..or like the ills of all Sopranos fans perhaps years between seasons ( 6 seasons span 1999-2007 that's 9 years!)

So this week, HBO on Demand is showing the first 7 episodes...I am through episode 5. I will watch the remaining shows then rewatch the pilot. The show holds up, its got a lot of snappy, cheesy gangster film homages (Christopher yelling "Kundun!" to a fake Martin Scorsese)...but Tony is complex, and the mob is always interesting...its funny, whenever I watched the show originally, in my real life I would find myself unconsciously cursing more and becoming more sexually driven (read this as male chauvinist).

Looking back I was thrown by the ending of the series...I thought my cable went out, then I was pissed, then I rewatched that episode 2 or 3 times...then I watched the ending about 15 times...it was brilliant...the best ending of any show (take that Larry David)...now, I watch knowing the ending and trying to understand the process to get to that ending. Check this article out to learn more..probably more then you need...

http://masterofsopranos.wordpress.com/the-sopranos-definitive-explanation-of-the-end/

till next time BOO.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

A Zombie Film Manifesto

It has come to my attention that I have yet to screen a zombie film in the historic Single Malt Cinema Theater. I’d say I was surprised considering my affection for the subgenre, but after the always dangerous further consideration, I think I have an actual, albeit subconscious, explanation.

As you know, hip and with-it SMC readers, there has been a cultural zombie infestation in recent years. From the authentic purveyors of the undead enjoying the cyclical renaissance to the typical rapists of the zeitgeist looking to cash in on whatever fad will have them, zombies have become big business. But, alas, the Great Pop Paradox: the more popular something gets, the more people hate it. This isn’t a psychology site (Single Malt Couch?), but I would diagnose it as an innate human pathology, most likely dating back to a particularly tumultuous relationship with a saber-toothed tiger. Really, not a psychologist.

This is a movie site, so let’s focus on a far more easily understood correlation: the more you crap (zombie movies), the more crap you’ll have (crappy zombie movies). Yes, you will find that diamond you swallowed (or somehow ended up in you), but more often than not, your experience won’t be that goal-specific (making a good zombie movie--stay with me). Usually, you are just going through the motions...though every now and again you will make the mistake of stopping at McDonald’s for breakfast. However, the one thing you will discover with zombie movies that you won’t find in other niches, such as vampires, is that not every zombie movie is a zombie movie.

Generally speaking, there are three categories of zombie films. First, there are the traditional, folklore-based Voodoo stories where the zombification process is the result of either black magic or a real drug such as tetrodotoxin. These films have a stand-alone tradition, sharing only the use of the word “zombie” rather than its latter day connotation, and should be classified accordingly. This was the zombie of the Classic Horror Age, exemplified by the 1932 Bela Lugosi film, White Zombie, though director Wes Craven did modernize the legend in 1988 with his decidedly un-quaint, The Serpent and the Rainbow.

Conveniently, there is a chronological line of demarcation for the transition to the zombies we all know and love today. Of course, that was 1968 and the release of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Whether you’re a fan or not, there is no denying the game-changing impact of this film. Think about it: Romero essentially invented a brand new monster archetype, an incredible anthropological achievement considering how, historically, people turned every creature, shadow, and inanimate object they could into a bogeyman.

The Romero zombie is the true modern zombie with a basic taxonomic checklist:
1. A normal human dies (not as obvious as you might think considering some recent misinterpretations);

2. The dead human rises again (the how of reanimation can differ, but it is important to remember that the corpse does not technically come back to life as we know it, hence, living dead);

3. The risen dead, or zombie, is thus a mindless body with a reactivated brain, basic motor skills, and an inexplicable imperative to eat live human flesh, or preferably brains;

4. The zombie can only be stopped by having its brain destroyed, thus ceasing all biological functions. This is done via the graphically cathartic “head shot.”

That's it. Everything else is story. But what of that everything else? What then makes a good zombie film? Above all else, a good zombie film has to be a good film. Easier said than done as we know and the strictest adherence to the above formula is neutralized by shoddy characters and narrative. In fact, it will do nothing but anger the fan base by wasting their time and manipulating their good faith. That aside, there are more specific criteria by which we can judge.

The type of zombie is important, or rather, how the filmmakers have tweaked some originality into the Romero prototype. This leads into maybe the most important factor: setting. Ideally, a zombie film should be claustrophobic. The classic undead are slow, shambling creatures, but relentless. They'll keep coming until you stop them or they stop you. An isolated farmhouse, a shopping mall, a neighborhood bar--any type of backs against the wall, last stand scenario. Even if there is a worldwide crisis, that larger picture needs to be presented as a microcosm. A third consideration is gore. Let's face it, we are not strolling through a Victorian garden of subtlety here. The more over the top the blood and guts, the better. Even if it's an art house version, that art house has to be a renovated abattoir. And circling back to the quality of story requirement, even though these movies are meant to be enjoyed as vicarious escapist fantasies, there needs to be a certain degree of scientific plausibility present. That's not to say accuracy because no one is rationally arguing the reality of most premises. But you have to at least think they're possible. Viewers aren't interested in a dissertation on bioengineering, but they also don't want their intelligence eviscerated.

As for the third category of zombie film, I must confess to gaming my own system a bit. The third category is everything else that is confused for a zombie film. The most flagrant example is a movie that actually tops several uninformed lists of best zombie movies--Danny Boyle's 2002 28 Days Later. It's a terrific film, at least the first half,  by one of my favorite directors, but it is very obviously about a virus that affects and transforms living people, which easily makes it ineligible from further consideration. It is more genetically similar to 1995's Outbreak than to the Romero bloodline, despite its outward appearance to the contrary. Another popular and lazily misguided choice for a favored zombie status is Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy, which, if you have seen any of the three films, is unmistakably zombie free. To be clear, evil spirits, demons, devils, skeletons, and ghouls are not zombies, in the same way that werewolves are not vampires even though they both have pointy fangs.

Start getting it right, or at least stop getting it so wrong.

Lifetime Movies: 1981

So, will I be an Ultra Snob if I picked My Dinner with Andre?...now that's a movie that in the film Waiting for Guffman does have action figures.

I do love My Dinner with Andre, it is hypnotic to watch, has layers of meaning...the restaurant could be seen as a metaphor for HELL...and you can stay in the hotel that has that restaurant that they shot in, which is in Richmond, VA...but if I watched that film as a 7 or 8 year old, I would have slit my wrists...the winner is clearly Raiders of the Lost Ark..which I am happy to say is also one of my own children's favorite films...so now that that's out of the way...what about the other films that I looked at for this year...Frank did a good job with his so hear is mine.

Winner: Raiders of the Lost Ark

For Your Eyes Only: for some reason this was on TV all the time when I was a kid...I watched it over and over for those Bond action and love scenes

Bustin' Loose: Richard Pryor at his best..those kids were bad bad bad...one was a pyro, one a thief, one was a hooker...it was crazy

Clash of the Titans: taught me all the Greek Mythology I need to know...like how the value of their money is just a story they tell children (economics joke)

Escape from NY: probably #2 on my list...Snake Plisken was my original bad ass...literally, I have him tattooed on my ass that has cramps

Neighbors: I think I once counted 5 people in this whole film...I mean after Animal House, what the heck...as a kid I watched this for some reason...it is weird and funky, and icky...and for some reason the crazy Belushi plays the straight man..if you are even remotely interested, you must see this as film history.

Heartbeeps: this is a terrible film...but its a must for Andy Kaufman fans, which I am...the crazy Kaufman must have done this for the money...but he plays it so real and so well...not to mention another great performance by Bernadette Peters

Lifetime Movies: 1981

Nominees: The Evil Dead, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Time Bandits

The Evil Dead deserves recognition here for no other reason than it brought the world Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. It's a no-budget, DIY masterpiece and grade-A certified cult classic. Overshadowed by its sequel/remake, Evil Dead II, it holds up remarkably well as a stand alone horror film. Of course, I didn't see it until well after the fact, unlike Time Bandits, which by mom took me to see for some reason. First and foremost, it's very funny and I actually found it hysterical as a kid despite probably missing a good many jokes. I won't argue this is Terry Gilliam's best film (at least I won't argue here), but it may be the one that best captures his comedic sensibility and fantastical vision in one package. Ok, I have to admit, there really isn't much of a competition here. Raiders is one of my favorite movies of all time, the first film I owned on VHS, and maybe the purest example of "movie magic" we have. Easy pick.

Winner: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Notes: There are a lot of very good movies here across the board: comedies (Bill Murray in Ivan Reitman's Stripes & Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part I), family action (still the best Man of Steel movie ever made, Superman II & the stop motion epic of which I had the metal lunchbox and all the action figures including the Kraken, Clash of the Titans), adult action (John Carpenter's Escape from New York & George Miller's high octane Mad Max sequel, The Road Warrior, which has one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed) and a sci-fi horror classic from the man who defines the genre, David Cronenberg (Scanners). Not to mention a Disney favorite of mine (The Fox and the Hound) and yes, The Great Muppet Caper (shut-up, Vin).

One more that I have to mention is a personal favorite, The Cannonball Run. It's just pure fun, one of those zany all-star cast extravaganzas Hollywood used to do so well, with Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise, who at their comedic best rival Wilder/Pryor in this time period; Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.; Farrah Fawcett; Roger Moore, Jackie Chan; Adrienne Barbeau; Terry Bradshaw, and Jamie Farr. Now that's a movie that should have had action figures.

Playlist: The Perfect Getaway

What would we do without the twist ending? Well, for one, watch a lot fewer bad movies. Does that describe last year's Hawaiian honeymoon in hell thriller? I...think so.

My hesitation comes from the fact that the twist in question is actually pretty good. The problem is everything around it. For starters, director David Twohy's tone is a bit off-kilter throughout. Some forced humor here, some way played out self-referential movie insider talk there. All of it unnecessary and distracting to the central tension, which isn't bad at all and greatly enhanced by a strong cast including Milla Jovovich (actually underused here), Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors), and relative unknown Kiele Sanchez.

But the lethal blow for this film comes the moment after the big reveal. Rather than using the momentum to play out the climax, they inexplicably embark on a completely superfluous 20 minute backstory of the major characters. In black and white no less (actually, blue and white--is that more or less pretentious?). Without giving anything away, here's the premise: three couples hiking along a remote path; one couple are serial killers. That's not exactly screaming for SparkNotes, is it? (And if it were, they would be written in crayon on the back of a Steak 'n Shake menu.)

Honestly, it just comes down to poor filmmaking, a bit of a surprise since Twohy's 2000 Pitch Black was a very good and original film and probably one of the top science fiction movies of the decade. Then again, it also gave us 10 years of Vin Diesel. And counting.

Playlist: Days of Heaven & Badlands

I just watched Terrence Malick's films Badlands and Days of Heaven. The reclusive (which really means absent) director will be releasing Tree of Life later this year as his 5th film in a career that spans 40 years. So Malick is a bit like the snob's version of Stanley Kubrick.

I liked Badlands and I liked Days of Heaven...but a little less...what was to be a Playlist on why I liked Days of Heaven less has now changed...I was struck by how Malick is seen as some visionary poet-director who used images and story as an existentialist or transcendent emotional experience...I saw Thin Red Line years ago in the theater and came out bored...sorry, but that's the honest feeling I had...I certainly was not bored by Badlands...but I was having a similar experience watching Days of Heaven...a film about migrant/run away workers in pre-WWI Texas and how a rich farmer falls for Richard Gere's girlfriend. The film has the Malick narration...told by a young lady who has an accent like a 13 year old Red Hook Prostitute..its kind of eerie, but I bet all the intellectuals dig it. Don't get me wrong, Days of Heaven is a good film, shot in beautiful colors and great scenes, it's almost too short, but then again you could watch this film on mute and understand the plot, the dialogue is murky at best, but the art direction by David Lynch veteran Jack Fisk is wonderful. Anyway...at the end of the film I realized that the Philosophy professor (which Malick is or was) hates humans and sees us as invading on the environment...he spends great lengths to show the viewer (In his first 3 films, and I am going out on a limb that Europe invading kind Indians in A New World also falls into my theory) that humans are evil and we are wrong for our failings, and we bring evil to nature...Kubrick on the other hand...and this is just my theory...through his films shows how humans dominate, and good or bad we are in charge...not nature...and that is the order of life...I guess we will see what happens in the Tree of Life...I have a feeling I know just based on the title...Man, I wish Kubrick could have made just a few more films.

Boogie Nights: Firecracker Scene

First installment of "Money Shot" where we dissect a classic movie scene...for you. Just sit back and wait for Vin's cue on the audio to hit play on the video clip, otherwise this will make no sense whatsoever. And if there's anything we stand for here at SMC it's making sense. And the national anthem.

So here is the "firecracker scene" from P.T. Anderson's 1997 film Boogie Nights.



And as always, you can download the whole audio file here.

Playlist: Bad Lieutenent: Port of Call New Orleans

I debated doing a Playlist of both Bad Lieutenant and the new HBO show Treme...both about the city I love New Orleans...but I will wait on Treme till the 10 show season ends I think...by the way, for The Wire fans ...the show features, Cool Lester Smooth, Bunk, Mr Prezbo, Slim Charles and even Bubbles AA Sponser...

A lot has been written about "Crazy Nick Cage"...his performance is less crazy then in the Vampires Kiss, less crazy than Wild At Heart, less crazy then Peggy Sue Got Married...but it's also better than your average Nick Cage performance...Nick Cage on crack would act this way in real life...the film directed by Werner Herzog oscillates between B-Movie schlocky dialogue (see the Val KIlmer parts), serious melodrama (see the Eva Mendes parts) and bad ass cracked out Nick Cage whose desperation and drug addiction leads to some funny and not intentionally funny scenes (see the soul dancing and how he stares at lizards)...I would recommend this film..it gives the vibe of a city and a man on the brink of destruction and the passage of a storm (see Hurricane Katrina)...I also see similarities between the major character and the city they inhabit like Ed Norton and New York in 25th Hour.

By the way, the original Bad Lieutenant with Harvey Keitel is good, too...good if you don't mind seeing Harvey Keitel's penis..and it's not as funny of a film

Till the break of dawn...TILL THE BREAK OF DAWN

Playlist: The Jerk

Never one to rest on my laurels (mine have thorns), I recently watched The Jerk to see if it deserved a claim to my 1979 crown. It doesn't.

That doesn't mean it wasn't funny, which it was and very much so at times. The beginning is Steve Martin at his best as we see his character's upbringing in Mississippi as a "poor black child" and his stint as a gas station attendant ("He hates these cans. Stay away from the cans.").

The film slows down once he falls in love and there's actual attention paid to some sort of narrative. (Also, I don't really get the title, other than it's funny. He's much more of a dimwitted fool than anything else.) But there are great moments throughout and, if nothing else, it provided us with this timeless advice:

"Lord loves a workin' man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it."

Lifetime Movies: 1980

Nominees: Airplane!, Caddyshack, The Empire Strikes Back, Raging Bull, The Shining

Sorry for the delay, SMCaholics. But as the inestimable Vin said, this was one crackerjack year for movies (not to mention perhaps the most important year for mankind since 0). Airplane! is one of the rare sight gag comedies that never gets old and set the stage for the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker sensibility to run wild over the decade. Far too many memorable moments to even begin mentioning. That said, it may not have even been the funniest film of the year (it also may have--coin flip it). I may have seen Caddyshack more than any movie ever. I'm very tempted to pick it here for that reason. I have a paragraph to decide. But I do have to mention that no matter how hysterical Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, and Chevy Chase are here, this is Ted Knight's movie. His Judge Smails is a blueprint for comedic brilliance. Vin really summed up Empire well. It's as good as its hype and the whole "Who's your Daddy" reveal was probably the most mind-blowing moment of my childhood (that I haven't repressed). Raging Bull? A masterpiece and I wouldn't argue with anyone who claimed it was the best film ever. The Shining? Hands down, the most haunting movie I've ever seen. There's this one scene at the end when Shelly Duval is running out of the hotel and all hell is breaking loose and she glances down the hallway and sees...some guy in what looks like a dog costume, leaning over a bed. It's brief and random and for whatever reason it freaked me the frank out. No one ever knows what I'm talking about when I mention this, but I have rewatched it and confirmed it's there. Trust me, I write on the Internet.

Winner: The Shining

Notes: The prison rodeo romp, Stir Crazy, caps off the great comedy run of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor...Yes, there was a time before Friday the 13th sequels. I remember seeing parts of the original at my neighbor's house (on Laserdisc!) and being so scared I had to leave the room. I probably hid under the table where all the adults were talking, most likely about key parties and...repressssssssssssssss...ah, better. Where was I? Mad Max was low-budget cool, though eclipsed by its sequel, The Road Warrior...Speaking of movies that frightened me (god, I was a little sissy), The Island is one most people don't know. It stars Michael Caine as a journalist who, along with his young son, get kidnapped by pirates...I'm always disappointed by The Blues Brothers not being better than it is. And shorter. It's way too long...I love giant killer animal movies and Alligator may be the best ever...There was a time when I thought Flash Gordon was the coolest movie ever. I'm pretty sure it's not, though...In this year of great comedies, I don't want to forget The Gods Must Be Crazy...Ok, there are a lot more to mention, but I won't go on, well, except to mention Popeye. I haven't seen it in a long time, but it's generally regarded as a flop these days. I remember going to see this with my mom and my dad, which did not happen very often. And I remember loving the end when Popeye sends the octopus flying with a punch. I would draw that scene over and over. (Hope that little story makes up for me not including Charlie Brown. Jerks.)