Saturday, May 12, 2007

"Five To One Baby, One in Five"

What does The Doors, Clerks, Zoolander, Old School, The Godfather (editors note: thanks Scooter, for the ok to type that word out in its entirety) and Animal House all have in common?

For me, they are movies that I can watch and enjoy endlessly. No exaggeration: I think I may have seen Old School at LEAST 50 times. And each viewing is as funny as the first (I confess to being a very simple man whose tastes are most certainly not highbrow).

Anyway, last night April and her friends went to dinner and the movies and I made the mistake of turning the tv right at the start of The Doors.

Approximately 2 hours and 24 minutes later, I was asking myself the same question I had more than ten years ago, which is/was: how in the world did Val Kilmer not win best actor for that performance? Check that: how in the hell was he not even nominated? I mean, that wasn't a great performance, it was stirring. He didn't just capture Morrison, he WAS Morrison. And to top things off, he did all the singing himself. I mean, Jamie Fox was excellent in Ray and probably deserved Best Actor, but if you look at the two performances in context of one another, there's no way you can say that Kilmer doesn't match up, if not exceed.

The only thing I can think of it there was a conspiracy on the part of the Academy against Oliver Stone. How ironic is that?

A confession: I recently watched Rocky Balboa via pay per view (told you - I am a voracious consumer of media. But I look at it all as a necessary part of my job. Well, that's how I rationalize it, anyway). I am going to catch almighty hell for this one, but I thought it was great. Of COURSE it was totally unrealistic - I can hear Payro berating me now -- but, whatever. Aren't movies all about suspending reality anyway? So, without getting into a whole extended diatribe, I suggest renting it; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

With that, to keep things lively, here's our weekend survery:

1. what are your three most "eternally watchable" movies?

2. What are your three "Rocky Balboa's" -- movies that you feel are very underrated?

Inquiring minds want to know.

(Ps. Shout out to Jenny Fisher's mom. If you are reading this, please email me. I want to talk about having you write a guest blog)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry Howie, couldn't keep it to 3. Also had to narrow it down to comedies. So here is my list of "eternally watchable" movies:
Breakfast Club
Stripes
Caddyshack
Fletch
16 Candles
Arthur
Blazing Saddles
Seems I'm stuck in the 80's...

Howard Solomon said...

Takes a man who's comfortable in his own skin to confess to 16 candles, toddie! but your list is totally on the mark. to top things off, i suspect you and i have watched each of those movies together, some in excess of five times each!

Anonymous said...

ben s and i love young frankenstein

Anonymous said...

OMG I know, I'm days behind on this, but schmeariously, there are just some movies that can be watched endlessly.

Endlessly Watchable
Ferris Buehler's Day Off
Batman Begins
Blazing Saddles
Anchorman

Underrated
The Fifth Element
Wet Hot American Summer
Hudson Hawk

Greatest of all Time
The Usual Suspects

Anonymous said...

Ok, here's my list:

Patton
Godfather I
Godfather II

When you get bored with those three movies it's time to check your pulse. ;-)