It takes a special brand of masochism to do film reviews and set yourself up for public ridicule. I still do it for radio, but ignore feedback and admit to loving Sci Fi. I strongly feel that your next post-90’s list should include “Wedding Crashers” and “Matrix”.

I took my endless TV frustrations and turned to stone sculpture. Now I can bash the **** out of a rock and it won’t hit back.

Keep on bashing. Its so much more fun than taking all of this seriously!
Dixie

I grew up in the 70s, when it seemed that all movies were good in their own way. I was spoiled. What was it about that decade? I recently watched CAVEMAN on cable (with Ringo Starr) and remembered liking it as a kid. As I watched it again for the first time in decades, I realized it was a pretty awful movie, but that there was just “something” about it that was different than the awful trash that is made these days. Maybe there was just a non-cynicism in the making of “bad” movies in the 70s. Whoever was making those “bad” movies back then was, at the very least, really trying. As opposed to these days, where “trying” seems to be a lost art. Fuck the creativity these days…just follow the 1-2-3 theory of bottom-line filmmaking, hope to make a few bucks, and move on to the next product.

I dunno what to say about my Top Ten list I guess. Some of those movies struck me from the very first viewing. Some, I rewatched later in life and “got it”. Some, like NETWORK and LOCAL HERO, just slowly grew with me as I grew. Every time I watched them, I just noticed little bits and pieces that made me love them more each time.

I have always been a “comedy” guy. I have always just appreciated it more than drama. Believe me, I love a good drama. But I just so appreciate a good comedy. It is harder to pull off, in my opinion.

THE CANNONBALL RUN was the most amazing film I had ever seen when I saw it in 1981. I was 12. I saw it at least 15 times in the theater. There is a nostalgia thing there I guess. Same with THE BLUES BROTHERS. And they both hold up to this day. SLAP SHOT has one of the most sparklingly profane screenplays of all time, but it is all pitch-perfect. Not a single “Fuck” or “Cocksucker” is used cheaply. And Paul Newman gives his very best career performance here. And I HATE HOCKEY!!!! But this movie isn’t really about hockey at it’s core. It is brilliant.

It would be hard to concisely go film by film and explain I guess. My advice would be to rent them and watch them. Because I just like to spread the love.

First- I wasn’t being sarcastic. I mean, I was with the first paragraph, but not the second about being curious as to the origin of your love for these movies. And, Warren is right, I also didn’t really get into movies until college, when I got a job at a video store and my world expanded immensely. I have seen Back To The Future (2 words for you, Warren: Crispin Glover) but I haven’t seen, oh, an embarrassing number of “classics” from Caddyshack to Animal House… and several others that I’ve only seen bits of or at parties, without a “proper” screening.

From your list, I have seen Being There, which is a really nice film- “The Blues Brothers” truly is a classic- so brilliant in it’s absurdity, totally standing the test of time. Oh, I guess I’ve seen “King of Comedy” and “Network” as well, which are both wonderful movies, so that’s not bad- 4 / 10.

But it still remains a fascinating list because it’s so unusual- and it’s such idiosyncrasies that make these lists better than a generic “top ten” that includes Casablanca and Citizen Kane…

…Warren, I remember you were a huge hit with the drunken sorority girls…

But I also find it interesting that your fave movies fall in the span Memo noted. Maybe it’s so interesting because I’ll admit a relative ignorance when it comes to ’80’s movies. I really didn’t become a “movie guy” until late in high school, ‘89/’90. In college, aside from trying to keep up with what was in theaters at the time, I went back and watched a ton of ’70s movies, some ’60s flicks, but rarely checked out anything from the ’80s. Hell, I’ve never seen “Back to the Future”! My love of movies didn’t truly bloom until I started studying film in college, which might explain why some accuse me of having film snob tastes. Really, I just started watching foreign movies in hopes of impressing drunk girls at Fitchburg St. College keg parties. As Memo can tell you, it was an ill-conceived strategy.

I could be wrong, but I think I remember having a conversation with Memo where he also mentioned not developing a passion for movies until the latter half of his teen years. It seems like the power of the cinema hit you at a younger age, Dan.

However, I enjoyed your list nonetheless, partly, because it’s clearly movies that you are passionate about, and it’s always nice to see people’s passions on display, and partly because I haven’t seen several of these and should seek them out. I noticed almost all your movies fall between 1976-83, and if we add Lost In America that gets bumped to ‘85. I guess those Carter-Reagan years were the days… but I wish you would have provided a little blurb telling us what about those films made you fall in love with them. I’m also curious when you saw all those movies first, just because they’re all from such a specific era (were they all really formative, influential movies or did you watch some of them as an adult, your aesthetic sensibilities already formed?) Enquiring minds want to know…