The Inconsistent Writer

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962) There are probably too many films to list here that I haven't seen (there are so many from the silent era and silver screen era), but I feel like I've seen a majority of the big ones listed here or even  here . Instead, I decided to pick one of the films Jonathan graced us with as his favorite western. I've heard great things about this film, but alas, I have never seen it. I feel like I should have. And now that it's in my Netflix instant queue, maybe I will.

UP IN THE AIR (2009) Jason Reitman's "dramedy" effortlessly captured an era while it was still happening -- corporate down-sizing and a faltering economy. Up in the Air defined this decade by putting all of the unfortunate flaws of corporate America on display but also showed us that as impersonal as corporations can be, it still needs the simple touch of humanity.

OFFICE SPACE (1999) Mike Judge's satirical comedy about the work environment spoke volumes to those who felt they were stuck in a dead end job that they hated. Office Space defined this decade by displaying the seemingly pointless jobs that even the people who held the position themselves couldn't even define it as the dot com industry boom reached a bursting point.

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) Robert Zemeckis' classic film was a refreshingly original science fiction comedy even by today's standards, it made Michael J. Fox a household name and produced several iconic images that are synonymous with the 1980s. Back to the Future defined the decade by encapsulating everything we loved about 1980s blockbusters: a likable young star, an eccentric mentor, an iconic soundtrack, and groundbreaking special effects.

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) Alan J. Pakula and William Goldman's adaptation of the story that uncovered the Watergate scandal is still strangely gripping today as much as it was upon first release. It defined the decade by confirming our nation's suspicions that our governmental system was hopelessly flawed and the White House was tragically corrupt.

THE GRADUATE (1967) Mike Nichols' film of a recent college graduate who is exploited and seduced by an older generation went on to become one of the most popular films of the late 1960s. The Graduate defined this decade by how much the baby boomer generation became disenfranchised of the status quo and middle-class values, trying their best to avoid responsibility and not follow in the same footsteps as their parents.

ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) On the Waterfront is seen as Elia Kazan's personal commentary on his involvement with the HUAC . He was seen by many of his peers as a stool pigeon for the U.S. Government when he testified to naming communists or those involved in communist activities in Hollywood. This film helped define the decade as some people who were caught in the crossfire of a government that decided to push into American's private lives, and those who couldn't stay completely one-sided when pressure would build from both sides. Sometimes you had to stand on your own personal convictions, no matter what anyone else though of you.

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946) William Wyler's emotionally powerful look at servicemen returning to their lives and loves after World War II is a shining example of how war effects the everyday man. It defined this decade by not shying away from the real problems these men experienced, whether it was unemployment, alcoholism, adultery, or even isolation.

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) Frank Capra's seminal film set the standard for "screwball comedies" and became the blueprint for the "romantic comedy" where the two leads are unlikely paired together, mis-matched under normal conditions. It defined this decade because it was the truest example of escapism during a time period still very much effected by The Great Depression. It became a runaway box office hit, especially when it released in small-town theaters.

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (1992) Rather than going in the direction in the likes of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World or some other large scale cast with a bunch of big names, I decided to go on a much smaller scale here with Glengarry Glen Ross . It's a small cast. It's a small film, and every role is crucial to the story and had to be cast perfectly. Anyone who has ever been involved in sales understood this movie -- especially when you had to deal with cold calls. Salesmen are a different kind of breed of person, and they were all perfectly portrayed in this film: the slime ball, the liar, the charmer, the egocentric, all put on display here. From Alec Baldwin, the ball busting motivational speaker who practically steals the entire movie away from the rest of the actors in less than 10 minutes, all the way down to Jonathan Pryce, the "enchanted customer" whose recent purchase has quickly turned into buyer's remorse.

FIRECRACKERS and a DRUG DEAL in Boogie Nights (1997) While several other movies come to mind, once I started narrowing my list down, this kept making its way to the top. Boogie Nights , Paul Thomas Anderson's ode to the Porn Industry has -- hands down -- one of the most intense scenes I've ever witnessed. Eddie Adams (or Dirk Diggler, depending on how you look at it), whose career is on the slide, gets involved with a drug deal with Alfred Molina, a resident drug lord who has a young Chinese man roaming around his house lighting firecrackers. I can't help but think of this exact scene every time I hear the songs "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield or "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. They're permanently burned in my brain. From the time they roll up to the house in the busted up Corvette to the botched robbery you're sitting on the edge of your seat, guaranteed.

TOY STORY TRILOGY (1995, 1999, 2010) Toy Story and its sequels, spoke to me in three, very precise ways. The first film spoke to my inner child;  my active imagination playing for hours on end with Star Wars figures, Transformers, LEGOS, or whatever else I could get my hands on. The second film spoke to my inner-geek; the "collector" in me that never really collected anything worth value and knowing that even though what toys I still had were very used -- in which I didn't care -- because I enjoyed playing with them. That's what they were there for: my enjoyment. The third film spoke to me as an adult; having to grow up, learning to let go of childish things. The Toy Story Trilogy spoke to every generation both as a child and then as an adult. It crossed over generations -- it intersected them -- no matter when or where you grew up. As a series, it truly held no boundaries as to what generation it spoke to, because it spoke to them all.

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000) Yes, I am rule breaker. For the second time, no doubt. But this was the film that originally inspired me to come up with this category in the first place. So, I'll justify my own breaking of the rules however I damn well please. Besides, I could have picked Traffic , but then I would have felt like a broken record -- since the subject matter is somewhat similar, just on a grander scale and dealing with the war on drugs -- just not as effective. For those unfamiliar with Requiem , the film is about the horrors of struggling with addiction and how the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. (I almost typed  addition , but then this would be an entirely different movie, wouldn't it? Probably starring  The Count  and  Raymond Babbitt .) Addiction is a scary thing, and Daren Aronofsky's adaptation of  Hubert Selby, Jr.'s novel is an unflinching look into addiction and the affects it has on oneself and his or her surroundings. I

STEVE BUSCEMI in Fargo For close to twenty years I've watched Steve Buscemi played second, third or even forth fiddle to the main protagonist/antagonist in dozens of independent and Hollywood films. And I've pretty much loved him in all of them. I enjoy the quirky weirdness he brings to every role and how Joel & Ethan Coen would come up with different ways to kill his character in their movies; discovering that his remains would get smaller with every death was just downright brilliant. My favorite role of Steve Buscemi, however, is his portrayal of Carl Showalter if Fargo . He plays the sleazy slime-ball selfish kidnapping thief to absolute perfection. "Just keep it still back there, lady, or we're going to have to, you know, shoot you."

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) This category was much more difficult a choice than I first thought it would be for me. While I've seen dozens upon dozens of remakes, I wanted my choice to be one where I was completely familiar with the original film. For those of you that are unaware, The Magnificent Seven is a remake of Seven Samurai (one of the greatest films ever made on planet earth). Yul Brynner plays Chris Evans, the group's leader and resident bad-ass (he made being bald cool before it was cool) and Vin the drifter, played by the cool-tempered Steve McQueen. Along with James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, and Eli Wallach as the leader of the Mexican bandits -- even after 50+ years, this film still boldly puts on display a well-paced adventure of good versus evil. Additionally, Elmer Bernstein's score is a rare treat, an added bonus of the likes that you don't ever see come out of Hollywood anymore. I almost picked this film, but in the end, it

CARL & ELLIE in Up With Up , Pixar was able to accomplish what a majority of Hollywood films are incapable of doing: creating an honest and beautiful love story between Carl & Ellie (with no dialog) in less than ten minutes. If only we had more writers and directors employed at Pixar on how to develop and tell a story before entering the Hollywood system, how many better films we'd have to watch. Watch the clip below and try not to shed a tear. Amazing!

BEN-HUR (1959) It doesn't get any better than a Charlton Heston playing a Jew... again (see Moses in:  The Ten Commandments ). I think he did it a third time when he portrayed John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told . All sarcasm aside, I've loved this film since I was a child when it used to broadcast annually right around Easter (for obvious reasons). I feel it's the best example of 1950s classic Hollywood, when they began to expand their aspect ratio  (that's image size in laymen's terms) as well as overall story size and scope to compete with the "smallness" of television ( see an example here ). The movie is heads and tails above most other epics if for nothing more than for the chariot race sequence. Side Note: Heston's over-acting in Ben-Hur  got him one of these: I almost went this route:

ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) While the easier choice for me could have been  Goodfellas ,  The Godfather or The Untouchables , Road to Perdition just oozes 1930s gangster coolness. It's the terribly tragic story following Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), a mob enforcer and his son, who seeks vengeance on the mobster who murdered the rest of his family. The film is also a great father/son story, where Michael has to rekindle the almost non-existent relationship he has with his son. Whenever I'm in the mood for fedoras, Tommy guns, trench coats, long shadows, and beautiful cinematography, I tend to reach for this title more often than not.

HEAT (1995) Widely considered the apex of Michael Mann's filmmaking résumé, Heat  is a slow-burning crime drama, peppered with fantastic action sequences, including one of the best bank heist scenes ever put on film. It also successfully combined the enormous talents of Pacino and De Niro without letting one performance overshadow the other. Lastly, it had a dynamic and well-rounded supporting cast of characters who, after almost twenty years -- if they didn't already have a fledgling film career -- have all made a serious name for themselves. If I hadn't already placed Heat here, it would have almost been a given for Day 81: Best Ensemble Cast .

TOMBSTONE (1993) A few years back I put together a list of my favorite westerns . I even put them in order from 10 to 1. Since the creation of that list -- while I believe none of them have been kicked off -- the order has most likely been rearranged. Strictly holding myself to the rules that I've put in place (because I'm that dork), I already placed my truly favorite western, Silverado ,  in Day 16 . So initially you would think I'd then go with number two. But that's not the case here. I chose Tombstone over The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the simple fact that while I love Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti western with all my heart, I have to be in the mood to watch it (I recently had this revelation not too long ago). Tombstone , on the other hand, I can watch anytime. Pop it into the DVD player -- or come across it while flipping channels -- and I'm stuck to couch for the next two hours. So, for that reason alone, is why it has reached the pinnacl

FULL METAL JACKET (1987) There was no denying that I had to pick at least one Stanley Kubrick film for this 90 day journey that started over two years go. And while it took a while before one of his films found a place in Part III, it was only fitting that it fell into my favorite war movie category. I was haunted by Full Metal Jacket for almost a decade before Spielberg introduced to me to Saving Private Ryan , which probably would have been sitting here if it hadn't been for Day 21 . The brilliance of Full Metal Jacket is in how it's split in half, almost as if it's two completely separate movies. They represent the truest forms of war: Order and Chaos. It is an astounding look at the military mindset and how it effects each individual differently (even to the point of unfortunate self-destruction with Private Pyle); but it's also a harrowing look at the Vietnam War and Joker's journey in trying to come to grips with the evil of humanity.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) There were sentimental favorites ( Tommy Boy ,  Rain Man ), classic favorites ( Planes, Trains and Automobiles , Smokey & the Bandit ), even radical favorites ( Thelma & Louise ). And then there was Little Miss Sunshine . A horribly dysfunctional family puts their needs (and wants) on hold so they can drive Olive to the "Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant" in Redondo Beach, California all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico... in a VW Bus . This is another prime example of a fantastically humorous film shown through the brutally honest lens of real life. It's slowly becoming a go-to favorite in our household.

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) I seriously bounced back and forth between Touch of Evil  and  Sunset Blvd.  Who can resist Charlton Heston playing a Mexican diplomat with Orson Welles behind the camera? Or Gloria Swanson playing the neurotic Norma Desmond with Billy Wilder behind the camera? But then the dust cleared and I had completely forgotten about The Maltese Falcon . There's just something truly captivating about Humphrey Bogart's commanding presence as Sam Spade along with John Huston's brilliant direction. It's classic Bogart. It's classic American Film Noir. Enough said.

FREQUENCY (2000) While time traveling never takes place in this movie, there is quite the involvement of timeline altering. It's been a favorite of mine for many years now and it's the only logical representation of how I believe your mind would readjust to a timeline after it was altered in the past. I almost chose one of these two... Classic Favorite New Favorite

THE NATURAL (1984) This was also a difficult choice to make. Field of Dreams and The Natural are almost always in a dead heat for favorite sports movie. The sport was always the easy answer for me: Baseball. That was a given. While some believe that baseball is boring -- and in all honesty, it definitely can be -- I also believe that it's the best sport that translates into a film. The Natural did a wonderful job of conveying all of the standard themes that normally encompasses baseball. There's the mythology of bigger-than-life figures who become heroes, the innocence of natural talent, the fantasy of living the dream, corruption and greed, but above all, redemption.

LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) This entry was much more difficult that I had first imagined when I was putting this list together a couple of weeks ago. I figured that it'd be a lot easier to choose a favorite holiday-themed movie that wasn't Christmas, but in the end, I was wrong. Rather than selecting A Christmas Story for more than the obvious reasons of nostalgia and humor alone, I chose Love Actually for it's large array of brilliant cast of characters who are all believable in their own right. While the only really absurd story-line in this film is Colin and his "escapades" in America (who runs into women that conveniently look like January Jones , Elisha Cuthbert , and Shannon Elizabeth ), this film is endearing all while being brutally honest. It's quickly becoming a Christmas favorite.

KIM CATTRALL in Mannequin It was hard pressed for me to find another actress and another film that affected me quite the way Kim Cattrall did in Mannequin . While other men near my age would pick Linda (Pheobe Cates) in Fast Times at Ridgemont High  over Emmy 5-to-1, Fast Times was also released a few years before my impressionable years. It was also Rated R, which meant it wasn't allowed in our house, nor appropriate for my age range at the time of release. Emmy was undeniably charming, innocent, and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, especially to a thirteen-year-old boy. If I were a chick, it would've been this guy...

ALI MacGRAW in The Getaway Even though she spoke one of the worst pieces of dialog ever said about love, all was forgiven when Ali MacGraw appeared with Steve McQueen two years later in The Getaway . I'll be honest, her role in this film doesn't necessarily boost the whole feminine movement, but there was just something about her vulnerability and loyalty to Doc that just makes her seem damn irresistible. If I were a chick, it would've been this guy...

DIANA RIGG in On Her Majesty's Secret Service Diana had already made a name for herself as Emma Peel in "The Avengers" British television series by the time she was starring opposite George Lazenby. She was the only leading "Bond Girl" that really challenged our James. Tracy was independent, sophisticated, and fiercely loyal. She was also a redhead, a quality I've always found irresistible  Every time I re-watch OHMSS , the more she moves up the ranks of one of my favorite Bond Girls. If I were a chick, it would've been this guy...

GRACE KELLY in Rear Window I can't recall the first time I saw Rear Window . It was probably a Sunday Matinée on one of the local affiliates in Los Angeles. But I was transfixed to that screen for two reasons. First, because Ironside had killed his wife and no one had noticed but Jimmy Stewart. Secondly, because of Grace Kelly. She had grace ( no pun intended ), elegance, and her beauty was beyond measure. And even though her acting career was short-lived when she married the Prince of Monaco in 1956, she still holds a commanding presence over viewers of the silver screen today. Watch her entrance below in Rear Window  and just try not to be hypnotized. If I were a chick, it would've been this guy... Movie Advice Mondays will return on May 6th...