Okay, in no particular order ...
THE COMMITTMENTS: An indy film, funny, a great story about a young man starting a soul/blues band in Dubland Ireland, and music performed by the actors. If you like stories of individual drive, irony, soul/blues music, and a laugh ... run, don't walk to the rental place and SEE IT! Oh by the way, did I mention fabulous soul/blues music? Just happen to have both soundrack CDs and listen to them often.
THIS IS SPINAL TAP: What a great concept, the "mock"-umentary. It's brilliant, well conceived, well written, and makes me laugh even though I've seen it like a bajillion times. "This goes to eleven" ... "we've got these armadillos in our pants" ... "how much blacker could it be?" ... "What's it called? ... Lick my love pump." ... and on and on and on and on and ...
KELLY'S HEROES: An incredible number of big-time actors (Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Telly Sevalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Conner, the list goes on). What a great story ... a bank heist in the middle of World War II.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN: Besides an incredibly accurate film depicting the era, up to the most accurate flyable aircraft available at the time, includes some of the best cinematic moments I've ever seen ... the combination of dialogue, music, and imagery are incredible. For those who have seen it ... is the scene where Michael Cain's character has his squadron of Spitfires warming up on the field, he asks the control tower "The engine's overheating and so am I ... do we take off or stand down?" and then the take-off flare goes up in the sky, Cain's character looks left, then right (Or maybe right, then left), the music builds, and several Spitfires take off as the music reaches a crescendo ... one of the great moments in film?
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES: Oh man, Clint Eastwood at his all-time best. Saw an interview with him and he says this film is his favorite of all he's done. Wales' confrontation with the chief Ten Bears is fabulous. Classic story of a mild-mannered man turned into a brutal killer by circumstances beyond his control, then saddled with one bit of baggage after another as he tries to escape his past. Local connection too ... the scene with the ferry crossing the river was filmed about 20 miles from my home town in northern California.
ALIENS: Alien was good, but Cameron took a great concept and zapped a whole butt-load of action into the story. Try to see the director's cut if possible ... one of the more tense cinematic moments I've ever seen is the scene when the robot guns in the passageways are gunning down the aliens and you watch the ammo counters work their way down to zero ... cut from a lot of versions of the film.
SPACEBALLS: I love sci-fi and I love satire ... this is the best combination of the two. Mel Brooks at his best, sight-gags, rip-offs, great acting ... a classic.
AIRPLANE: Much like SPACEBALLS, a satire for the ages. If you can't laugh at lines like "Surely you can't be serious? ... I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!" or Barbara Billingsly delivering "Excuse me, I talk jive" or "There's a problem in the cockpit! ... what is it? ... a small room at the front of the plane for the pilots, but that's not important!", then you need to get your pulse checked.
. spermicidal lube!! ahahahahaha!
