Two More Fistfuls of Favorites! (Brad's Picks)

Two years ago, I finally settled on my Top Ten Favorite Films of All Time.  These are not The Great Films lauded by the AFI, Roger Ebert, or Sight & Sound.  These are the flicks that bring a smile to my face, or a race to my heart.  I don't believe in "The Best" - I only believe in Favorites.  I'm pleased to report that my films remain firmly set in stone.  I wouldn't switch a single number.  Unforgiven is certainly my #1 and Point Blank is certainly my #7.  Crafting the next ten, 11-20, was much more of a challenge.  I love so many movies.  What keeps Phantom of the Paradise on the list, but Lawrence of Arabia off?  Not exactly sure.  In another two years I'd safely bet my Top Ten is holding strong, but this Top Twenty will probably flip-flop a film or two.  Well, Dr. Jones is going nowhere.

20.  Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974):  I only recently fell in love with this Rock n Roll horror musical from the king of the Hitchcock steal.  Maybe only a half dozen watches, and I'm kinda shocked to see it on the list.  All that being said, Phantom of the Paradise is everything the Rocky Horror Picture Show wants to be - and more!  Struggling singer/songwriter Winslow Leach (the super sad & adorable William Finley) has his art stolen from him by the diabolical record producer Swan (sexual deviant Paul Williams) just before a tragic accident takes his face & voice.  The film mixes elements from The Phantom of the Opera & Faust but is steeped in all sorts of rock n roll - surfer, glam, metal.  And thanks to Paul Williams's pen, the songs are utterly brilliant.

19.  Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007):  There is no better police procedural than Zodiac.  Following the infamous investigation of eight murders surrounding the San Francisco area from 1968 to 1969 and possibly beyond, the movie really excels in its depiction of obsession.  Breaking the film up into three parts & three characters, the Zodiac killings attract the attention of Robert Downey Jr's Chronicle Reporter, Mark Raffalo's dogged detective, and Jake Gyllanhaal's curious cartoonist.  Like the best mysteries, the enjoyment doesn't come from the answers but the questions, and how these killings root their way through the souls of the protagonists.  I grew up reading the Robert Graysmith books as well as dozens of other sensational true crime novels, but none of them came close to touching the humanity found here.

18.  12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957):  The Great American Movie.  This film has the power to grant every audience member the courage of their convictions.  12 jurors file into a room ready to sentence a teenager to death, wash their hands, and race home to the ball game.  Henry Fonda stand up, "wait a sec", let's discuss.  One man can make a difference.  And 12 Angry Men should be watched every Fourth of July.

17.  Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997):  Maybe not the flashy game changer that was Pulp Fiction or as violently referential as Kill Bill, however, Tarantino's Elmore Leonard adaptation has one thing going for it that all his other movies don't....Elmore Leonard.  Tarantino is famous for his sponge style to filmmaking, the director can squeeze every scintillating drop from a hundred/thousand/million other lesser films of yesterday and mold them into staggering works of genius.  That fetishizing is certainly on display in Jackie Brown, but less so - the man lets Leonard do the hard work.  You've got smart criminals, dumb criminals, smart cops, dumb cops.  Pam Grier's money mule flight attendant finds herself up the creek, but uses the opportunity to free herself from the rut of her daily life.  Sam Jackson gives his All Time Great Performance as showboating gunrunner Ordell Robbie, and Robert De Niro is the ultimate expression of an Elmore Leonard character with his putz of a convict.  Not enough love has ever been properly thrown their way.  And yeah, Robert Forester, Michael Keaton, and Bridgette Fonda are in top form.  All expertly shot & executed by master movie man Quentin Tarantino.

16.  Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974):  Movies about movies, we love em around here.  And filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, The Coen Brothers, and Edgar Wright are virtuosos in cinematic dictation.  But the greatest movie about movies is Roman Polanski's Chinatown.  A love letter to the noirs of the 1940s as well as the hard boiled fiction of Raymond Chandler, Polanski's film is elevated by Robert Towne's paranoid, hateful screenplay and Jack Nicholson's escalating rage.

15.  Planet of the Apes (Franklin J Schaffner, 1968):  Whether you've seen the movie or not, you probably already know the story.  Charlton Heston's astronaut lands on a mysterious planet in which apes rule over man.  "Damn Dirty Apes" & Statues of Liberty ensue.  But similar to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, the film is much more than its quotes & twists.  Some of my favorite bits come in the first thirty minutes in which Heston, Gunner, & Burton explore the desert landscape and Chuck spouts his beautiful nihilism.  Then the horns blow, the hunt chases down our Earthly crusaders, and damn revelation tears our hero to shreds.  Planet of the Apes is some of the smartest science-fiction Athenaed from Rod Serling's skull, and I only wish the big, beastly blockbusters of our day bothered to mine the wit on display here rather than Ciffsnoting the climax.

14.  The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980):  What began as a Saturday Night Live showstopper quickly transformed into the greatest celebration of Rhythm & Blues ever.  But it's so much more than that.  Under the hyper enthusiastic direction of John Landis, The Blue Brothers reaches levels of cartoonish adventure worthy of the greatest Warner Brothers cartoon or, yeah, Tolkienian quest.  Jake & Elwood Blues are on a mission from God, and if they don't get the band back together then all the boys & girls of the Catholic Orphanage will go homeless.  Standing in their way are a caravan of hillbillies, a squadron of state troopers, the Illinois Nazis, and a bazooka packing Carrie Fischer.  The Blues Brothers is a madcap musical and totally badass.  Not too many of those around.

13.  Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986):  I was seven years old when I first saw John Carpenter's werido action, comedy.  I couldn't quite wrap my head around it.  Kurt Russell was all smiles and bravado, but he kept getting knocked on the ground while wearing ladies lipstick.  Russell's Jack Burton was boss, but he was also a dolt.  Of course, that's the whole point.  The John Wayne white man is the sidekick, and Dennis Dun is the chop socky badass fighting his way to the evil wizard.  Big Trouble in Little China is silly, goofy, and cool.  A combination hard for some, but absolutely in tune with the ITMOD sensibilities.

12.  Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973):  Two friends find themselves on opposite sides of the law; James Coburn's Sheriff is charged by local government to hunt down and capture Kris Krisstofferson's rabble-rouser, Billy the Kid.  Peckinpah's obsession with the closing West continues, but it plumbs new depths of depression as Garrett's soul is traded for easy living.  Melancholy has never been represented so fully than in the posture of Coburn's sell-out.  Not a fun night out at the movies, but as far as Westerns go, few achieve richer emotion.

11.  Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981):  Spielberg may have ushered in the new era of Blockbusters with JAWS, and George Lucas certainly solidified it with Star Wars, but it was Raiders of the Lost Ark that perfected the phenomenon.  Hollywood and its audience have been doomed ever since.  But let's not focus on the negative.  Harrison Ford is the king of self-depricating cool.  He's a real man's man with the grit of Lee Marvin and the charm of Cary Grant.  He can take a beating from a Nazi thug, but jump back swinging.  He can play drunk, asshole, or bastard and we still love him.   He's everything I've ever wanted to be and have absolutely no chance of achieving.  Toss in an epic quest to save God from Hitler and you have the ultimate adventure film.  Fortune & Glory.

So there you have it.  My favorite films from 11-20.  Again, if you're still interested in reading drivel, check out 1-10 HERE.

--Brad

A Fistful of Bands! (Brad's Picks)

As we learned in Step Up 4 The Revolution, Dance can set a generation free.  The same can be said for music.  Rock, funk, country, rap - whatever style of weapon - we look to a special band of warriors to deliver thumping freedom to the hearts & minds of the young & old alike.  Now, we can argue whether Elvis Presley or The Beatles or Public Enemy really made a difference in this world or not (for the record, I most certainly think they did) but there is no doubt that the world of cinema is radically altered by the actions of a few great musicians.  Spinal Tap.  Sexual Chocolate.  Mumblin' Jim.  Sex Bob-omb.  The Monkees.  These are the bands that affected serious social change in their worlds.  But they are just the honorable mentions.  My true heroes of Techno, Rock, Country, & Blues are as follows....

5.  Autobahn (The Big Lebowski):  They might say they believe in nothing, but they certainly worship the All Mighty Dollar.  This trilogy of terror (& their toeless girlfriend) set into violent motion a brilliant bumbling saga that, at the very least, brought internal change to The Dude and even the creation of life in the inevitable little Lebowski.  Karl Hungus can at least claim that to himself...and Logjammin' imdb credit.

4.  The Cruisers (Eddie & The Cruisers):  The most earnest band on the list, The Cruisers appear to be the second coming of Dylan, Elvis, & The Beatles all wrapped into one.  The best part is the mysterious death of its lead singer, Eddie Wilson.  When he died he apparently took the greatest work of rock poetry with him, their second album A Season in Hell.  This record was going to change the world.  But Eddie got scared.  And then Eddie got dead...or did he?  A plucky reporter will risk life & limb to find the truth as well as that lost, world-changing album.

3.  Banjo & Sullivan (The Devil's Rejects):  Before they were butchered in a nameless field by a demon-made-flesh called Otis, Banjo & Sullivan were a couple of hicks that belted out tunes like "I'm at Home Getting Hammered (While She's Out Getting Nailed)" and "Dick Soup."  Yes.  They were a couple of sadsack crooners, but dammit, they loved to twang some pervo music.  And I loved to listen.  RIP fellas.

2.  The Hong Kong Cavaliers (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension):  Samurai Scientist Buckaroo Banzai is the greatest musician that ever lived.  Not much is made over his night club jam rock; he's too busy saving the world from the Red Lectroids from Planet 10 to show off, but there's real philosophy in his suicide-stopping trumpet rock - "Wherever You Go There You Are..."  Oh yeah, that's deep man.

1.  The Blues Brothers:  They're on a mission from God.  Not much else to say.  Jake steps out of Joliet and into his brothers super charged Bluesmobile - an epic quest to recollect their band and save the orphanage that raised them.  James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker.  The brothers and sisters of American Music fight on the side of right against a plethora of jackass goons.  Car Chases, Pile-ups, State Troopers, Country Bumpkins, and the Illinois Nazis don't stand a chance when the Lord's got your back and you've got a briefcase full of blues.  Badass supreme with a side of rubber biscuit.

--Brad

A Fistful of Colors! (Brad's Picks)

"I'm In Your Shower...Shhhh."

I really cannot wait to see Liam Neeson punch some wolves in The Grey.  Matt & I have been talking about this film nearly since the second it was announced; Liam Neeson has been kicking some serious ass of late with Seraphim Falls, Taken, Unknown, & The A-Team and I don't want him to stop.  Please, no more film's like The Other Man.  We know you can do drama Liam, but we just want you to bust some heads ya vicious bastard.

Anyway, to celebrate I picked a batch of other Color related titles featuring some pretty tough old dudes.

5.  Silver Bullet:  This fairly decent Stephen King adaptation not only features two tough dudes (Everett McGill & Gary Busey), but one's a (SPOILER!!!!!!!!!) a Werewolf! and the other's a friendly Drunk Uncle!  Silver Bullet is not going to win any awards in the scary horror department, but it's a fun little film in that Halloween Marathon kinda way.

4.  Mackenna's Gold:  Last week I ranted and raved about Gregory Peck in The Gunfighter, and now I'm here to sing the praise of his even older, tougher badass performance in Mackenna's Gold.  Held hostage by Omar Sharif's gold hunting gangster, Peck must keep his wits about him as he turns bandido against bandido while also keeping an eye out for rampaging savages...uh, Native Americans.

3.  Red Heat:  Is there anything more badass than Arnold Schwarzenegger's Russian cop playing Bus Chicken with Ed O'Ross' cocaine trafficking maniac while Jim Belushi cowers & screams in the aisle?  Answer, no.  I LOVE RED HEAT!  Is it my favorite Arnie picture?  Not by a long shot.  But that Walter Hill 48 Hours formula is still going strong in this film, and there is enough 80s sleaze to keep that teenager part of your brain throbbing.  Absolute ridiculous action violence fun.

2.  The Blues Brothers:  Jake & Elwood are on a mission from God to save their orphanage and bring the band back together.  And they are ice cold, cool as cucumbers, cool.  As a child, I knew I never had a chance in heck of being this cool no matter how many harmonicas I stuffed down my briefcase.  The Blues Brothers remains one of my all time favorite movies.

1.  Soylent Green:  And here's another film I can't talk enough about.  Seriously, I know you already know the climactic spoiler, but this film is much much more than just its well-known revelation.  Soylent Green is an excellent dystopian police procedural with one of Charlton Heston's finest performances.  Mix in a pretty nifty collection of neckerchiefs, Brock Peters, Chuck Conners, and Edward G Robinson and you've got yourself one helluva night out at the movies.

--Brad

Dork Art: The Blues Brothers & Friends

Hey, check out this awesome art from Sketchesnatched!  The Blues Brothers image above is obviously my favorite but there is some seriously great stuff here.

--Brad

Dork Hero: Charles Napier R.I.P.

Character actor Charles Napier has died.  You will be missed.  He was one of the first "That Guy" actors I recognized as a child watching films like The Blues Brothers, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.  Not to mention his countless television appearances on Simon & Simon, Kojak, and of course...Star Trek.  The last film I ever saw him in was The Goods and even though that movie was all kinds of awful, Napier provided some of the film's few laughs as the hate-filled racist car salesman.  And, of course, there's The Night Stalker.

--Brad

A Belated Fistful of America! (Brad's Picks)

So, with this post I welcome myself back to ITMOD.  I really wanted to keep up with the blog while I was in San Diego but dammit I was just having too much fun.  A Comic Con post is coming in the next few days, but first I want to celebrate this great land with my Fistful of America.  Matt's list was pretty darn epic and I don't think mine is quite as awesome, but I had to give it a shot.

5.  The Statue of Liberty Parade of Hope (Ghostbusters 2):  She may or may not be naked under that toga, but when the Ghostbusters are going up against the painted Vigo they gotta call on the old girl to kick a little NY City Ass with the help of some love-juiced goo.

4.  The American Ninja Poster (American Ninja):  A VHS classic of my youth and maybe not the most Gung Ho America movie ever made, but damn do I love that poster.  "The Deadliest Art of the Orient is now in the hands of an American."  Oh snap, watch out foreign devils!  America is gonna beat you at your own game.  Jingoistic and ridiculous, can't help but love it.  Michael Dudikoff, baby.

3.  A Mission From God Gets A Soundtrack (The Blues Brothers):  This may have found its way onto the list cuz I'm watching it right now and loving every R & B moment of it, and even though Jake & Elwood's quest to save their bankrupt orphanage might not be very "American" (well, maybe it is), the pulsing, rocking motown soundtrack sure as hell is.  James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker, and Rawhide.  Start waving your flags people.

2.  Anzor Yugorksy Strips Down To His Duke (Running Scared):  Wayne Kramer's Running Scared is an underrated bizarro crime classic.  It's a neon noir Stray Dog with Paul Walker's lowrent hood descending down the rabbit hole in a race against the clock to find his missing six shooter.  Squished between the pedophile nosferatus and the scarface wannabe pimps is Karl Roden's dirtbag Russian father who idolizes the hell outta John Wayne (and in particular, his role in The Cowboys).  When it's finally time for him to step up to the plate and be a man, he strips himself of his shirt revealing The Duke inked on his back, and he struts himself towards his destiny.  Maybe not guns blazing, but head held high.  The Cowboy Way, the American Way.

1.  Rocky Bridges Nations (Rocky IV):  After the villainous Ivan Drago murders his BFF in the ring, Rocky Balboa must travel behind the Iron Curtain to wage war against the technological Super Man.  Running up snowy mountains and benching tree trunks, Rocky gets fit and pummels the mad Russian to the brink of death and humiliation.  In doing so, the Russian audience sees the soul of a warrior and chants "Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Wal-Mart! Wal-Mart!  Wal-Mart!"  And Ronald Reagan was finally able to tear down that wall.  Big Macs For Everybody!

--Brad