Boobie Tassels For Buddha

I love movies.

Even some of those truly awful movies that are so bad they're good.

I hate ranking things so this won't be a top (insert number here) list...just some movies that I love and think everyone should see.

Inherit the Wind - An absolutely brilliant movie based on the Scopes Monkey Trial that took place in Tennessee in 1926. You can look up the details but basically it was unlawful "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." John Scopes intentionally violated this law and was put on trial.

Spencer Tracy is amazing in it as the man defending Scopes (which was Clarence Darrow in the actual trial). What I really love is that the movie drives home the point that faith and science can be reconciled, and shows explicitly that ignorance and fear are the true evils. If a higher power created us as we are, he gave us out minds and free will and an insatiable curiosity that shouldn't be denied out of fear that we may have to see things in a different way.

Blazing Saddles - Comedies never get the credit they deserve. This may be the funniest movie ever made and it takes the uncomfortable topic of racism and laughs right in its face. There's a lesson in here for all of us. If you can laugh at it, it has no power over you. And if you can't laugh at this movie, there's something wrong with you.

The Big Sleep - Humphrey Bogart is my favorite actor. There is no close second. This is my favorite movie with him in it and one that doesn't quite get the respect it deserves. Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon get the huge acclaim, but I'll take The Big Sleep over both of them. Not only is it based on a brilliant novel by Raymond Chandler, but it has Lauren Bacall acting opposite Bogart who later became his wife. They are perfect together and every second they're on screen together just sizzles. It also has some of the best dialogue you'll ever find on film.

Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa may be the greatest filmmaker that ever lived. I would recommend any movie he made, but Seven Samurai is his masterpiece. He invented modern storytelling on film. His camera work and methods are still used today and I don't think there are any great modern filmmakers that wouldn't list him as an influence on their work. Seven Samurai also has the benefit of some truly brilliant performances by some of the top Japanese actors of the time. Everyone the loves movies should see this film.

Akira - I suppose my love of anime (Japanese animation) should get its own blog, but Akira is the movie that truly got me hooked and opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of animation. In the hands of people that aren't afraid to push boundaries, animation can create worlds and explore concepts that would make Walt Disney shit bricks. Akira pushed the limits of violence and science fiction like nothing I'd seen before.

To explain the plot and explore the ideas presented would take days. It isn't my favorite anime film, or even the one that makes me think the most (Evangelion gets that nod) but it was the first that really blew my mind. And just from an artistic viewpoint it is beautiful to look at. I wore out my VCR pausing the screen over and over to try and catch all the details the artists poured into it.


A Clockwork Orange - I'm singing in the rain...just singing in the rain. If you laughed at that, just skip to the next movie. Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite directors. It's hard to find one that almost never lets you down. A Clockwork Orange is a fun little piece of filmmaking that doesn't take itself too seriously while somehow being very serious. I'm sure there is some deep commentary in there about violence and disenchanted youth in the word today, but I'm usually giggling too hard to notice.

The movie uses such unique dialogue and a hodgepodge of film techniques that you kind of feel off balance the whole time. It all fits together brilliantly and you're having so much fun watching this charming little sociopath that all the messages and meanings hit you much later.


The Quiet Man - My favorite John Wayne movie and a glimpse at how beautiful a country Ireland is. I will get there someday. It's the story of an Irish American boxer that returns to Ireland to reclaim his family's farm. It's a wonderful little love story with plenty of humor, a great brawl, and a wonderful showcase for the beauty and culture of Ireland. If this movie doesn't charm you then you probably don't have a heart. John Ford and John Wayne may be the best director/actor combo of all time and this movie proves that it doesn't apply only to Westerns. It's one of those movies that just makes you feel warm inside...makes you feel good. We all need that sometimes.


The Petrified Forest - I've mentioned this movie in a blog before. The story of a man who has lost everything but finds meaning in giving the only thing he has left to give. Sometimes that's all you can hope for. To find something or someone worth giving everything you have for. This movie actually made me cry the first time I saw it. Leslie Howard is one of the most understated and underrated actors of all time. His interactions with Davis and Bogart in this movie are just brilliant. He's on another level. This is worth seeing just for his performance.


The Third Man - This film gets me in two ways. The first way is in the absolute beautiful way it is filmed. This is why I love black and white movies. This would lose so much of its power if it were in color. It's art on film. Second is in the underlying theme, which is unrequited love. It's something that's always there under the surface and many miss it because of the more obvious murder mystery laid over the top of it. If you don't get it after the scene with the cat, then you're not really paying attention.



I think that's enough for now. I hope to do a similar blog about books eventually.

And if you're reading this, go do the same thing. I like finding new movies to watch and books to read. Ya'll are some of the smartest and most interesting people I know. Gimme culture...gimme insight and expand my horizons...make me think dammit, and give me entertainment that will leave me fulfilled.