Lifetime Movies: 1976

Nominees: The Bad News Bears, Rocky, Taxi Driver

As Vin has pointed out, we obviously didn't see these movies when they were released, but they have become viewing staples over the years, cinematic comfort food. The Bad News Bears is one of the best baseball movies ever, one of the best about kids, about competition. It's a filthy family movie completely of its time, yet timeless. But above all that, it is just so much fun to watch. Rocky is the great American underdog tale and, while not all that original, it did give us a genuine flesh and blood hero. And he doesn't even win in the first film! And it won the Oscar! Adrian! ...sorry, got carried away. That music always gets me. And then there's Taxi Driver. So much has been said about this film and its influence over the years that I can't add anything new to the discussion here. I can say that what is often overshadowed is what a gripping, watchable story it is. And that's what it all comes down to in the end, isn't it?That's not rhetorical, btw.

Winner: Taxi Driver

Notes: A couple of films from this year that I've always felt were a bit overrated based on great memorable scenes: Marathon Man (visit to the "dentist") and Carrie (the old pig blooderoo)...What a year for 14-year-old Jodie Foster. Not only was she in Taxi Driver, but she had a big hit with Freaky Friday and made one of the goofiest movies ever--Alan Parker's G-rated gangster film, Bugsy Malone (starring Chachi in Charge himself, the legendary Scott Baio)...I remember thinking Mel Brooks' Silent Movie was hysterical when i first saw it. Kinda scared to see it again...And I also really liked Silver Streak back in the day, another Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder buddy comedy...I was surprised to see The Smurfs and the Magic Flute released this year in Belgium--7 years before they hit it big in America. They're so cutting-edge in Europe...As for Eraserhead, if Vin says it was released in '76, who am I am linear time to argue?

Lifetime Movies: 1976

I can't seem to get these out of my head (hint), this lifetime movie idea has consumed me, it scares me, will there be a Scorsese film on here? Will my favoritism toward a director, or my need to pick something obscure, cloud the truly "best" film from my list, or will I move toward what's popular?...I think you have to go with your gut and not look back...don't pick a film because it "needs" to be picked or what it means to history, either your own history or the film's history...I am clearly putting to much thought into it, or not enough. Anyway, today I came across an issue, "When is a film released"...today's 1976 film was released in '76 but was not released in the US first, according to IMDB, although it was shown to a small group of friends of the directors in 1976, and probably 1975 as well.

The Nominees

Rocky
Logan's Run
Eraserhead
Taxi Driver

This has got to be the closest and most back and forth I have done and I only have done 3 years so far...looking ahead to years to come, this one is easy compared to the choices soon to be,...its like Sophie's Choice...by not picking Taxi Driver do I lose credibility with the Scorsese Fan Club?

The winner is Eraserhead

I am not sure how many times David Lynch will be on this list, this may be the only one, even though I love all his films, but this film is special, and I will admit had it not been for all the "Extras" (Frank hates them I love them) on the DVD special edition of Eraserhead this spot would have been Rocky's probably. Eraserhead was a student film gone ballistic, It was Lynch's first feature while he was at AFI in 1971. It took him 5 years to complete it at an abandoned garage loft in the back of the school. Lynch and wife and only a handful of friends, including the great Jack Nance, worked on the film with little to no money, with no help, eating stolen sandwiches from Hamburger Hamlet for years...all lighting, costumes and effects were handmade, garbage, taken or found. The vision of the artist was never compromised, never edited and is a walk into the abstract. If you don't "get" Eraserhead as a film...who can blame you, but if you are not able to give it a chance and try to make your own sense out of it, you have no soul, at least no film soul. This starts the "almost" uncompromising, dream like career of one of America's greatest creative directors. Compared with the other films on the list it may not have the plot or storyline of Rocky or the acting of Taxi Driver or the fun of Logan's Run, but it has the seeds of brilliance that comes very rare, it is always something new found when I watch it, I try and imagine myself watching the filming..on set...I see Henry's Room in the film and know that for years that was actually a built room for David Lynch, he slept there, he cared for it, he decorated it...and you know he has done the very same thing in almost all his films, with care and excellence, a boyscout work ethic with an abstract expressionistic view of film.

Thoughts on the others:
Rocky: the best story of the year, I watch it about once a year, may be Stallone's best...but didn't he steal the story from some guy who got beat by Ali?

Logan's Run: I was always fascinated by this film as a kid, I could hardly wait when I heard that Bryan Singer might make it...it never happened, but seeing Logan get out of his home and go back to earths surface was great...also see The Island and 12 Monkeys

Taxi Driver: Sacrilegious not to be picked I know...Travis Bickle is the Anti-Batman..so is he retarded, is he Jesus, is he Naive?...Paul Shrader and Martin Scorsese had original thoughts that this should be shot in black and white on straight video...talk of a sequel have been around for a while...it should stay put, no sequel please.

Till 1977: may the force speak shellfish on devils tower while playing old school hockey:...BOOM