There are a number of individuals and institutions whose opinions are worthy of respect when it comes to the choosing of our Great American Films. Overall, though, I do find the idea of appointed and/or self-appointed deciders on such matters more than a little arrogant. In the end, taste really is subjective. For instance, some find “Black Swan” a landmark work in the history cinematic storytelling, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong in finding it slightly less interesting than my computer screensaver. However, I could be proven wrong. What say you and I revisit the subject in about 10 years? Because there is an arbiter on such matters I don’t argue with.

For my money, there’s simply no better film critic than Father Time. I’m talking about a list of films so beloved and cherished they’ve managed to withstand the onslaught of decades, an endless supply of competition (even in the form of remakes), and in some cases, a withering critical assault. And yet, through it all, these particular titles have managed to hold on to enough hearts in order to stay as alive and vital today as when they were first released — and in some cases even more so. These are the ones worthy of, say, a Blu-ray release.

This isn’t to say I always agree with Father Time. But when I disagree, I tend to respect the film regardless of my own opinion. For instance, Kubrick’s “2001” and Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” are part of my DVD collection, two films I periodically screen hoping to understand what all the hub-bub’s about. (Still no luck).

I call it “The Father Time Canon” and the qualification for entry has nothing to do with box office grosses or critical opinion. Hundreds of movies have been produced every year for almost a century now and so there’s only so much room on a television schedule and in the Walmart cut-out bin to decide which is worthy. Essentially, that’s the free market doing what it does best: through the democratic process of giving free people the freedom to choose, we discover which Hollywood offerings, regardless of how they were received upon release, still fire our imaginations.

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With the release of  The Expendables, it seems that every self-respecting male has caught 80’s fever.  As a way to clear the palette from modern metro-sexual romps, my friends have resorted to re-visiting old B-movie beauties such as Cobra, Road House and Tango and Cash.  Sure they’re awful, but unlike the Kaiser-helmet wearing hipsters of the lower east side, those movies never tried to be anything that they weren’t.

When looking back at the 80s however, the one thing that strikes me the most are the cartoons.  I’ll admit it, I’m a cartoon junkie. To this day I can still be found in my pajamas with a bowl of Cap’n Crunch, catching up on animated glory. Back in the 80s though, cartoons were still violent… and I liked it that way.

Of course, I’m discussing the cartoons aimed squarely at young boys.  You see, back then, before gender roles became considered hateful and being androgynous had been transformed into a virtue, boys actually watched different cartoons from girls, and they were proud of it. (more…)

It was the summer of Uncle Buck, of Parenthood, The Abyss, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids; the summer when Harry met Sally, Batman arrived, James Bond once again kept his promise to return and the Ghostbusters simply did.  With my then-fiancée at my side and while settled into the threadbare front seat of a 1972 Buick Riviera (with more miles on it than I can recall), we would watch them all, and many more. 

1989 didn’t just mark the end of a decade. It was also the greatest movie summer of my life. There was Lethal Weapon 2, Field of Dreams, and Star Trek V. But it should be remembered that these were different times in America, the last gasp of the outdoor drive-in movie theatre, that place where films that might not have seemed so great or even good while viewed in a proper cinema, achieved their own special kind of grandeur when watched under the stars through a windshield, and heard through a steel speaker that hung on your car door window. 

So without any embarrassment I will also say that this was the summer of Lock Up, of Turner and Hooch, The Package, Casualties of War, and what might have been the greatest drive-in movie ever made. 

We would be married that September and like most couples starting out and paying for their own wedding and honeymoon, money was tight and frivolous expenditures impossible. Our entertainment would have to come cheap and in the early mornings we would walk, because walking cost nothing but also for the exercise and to enjoy that time together before real-life intruded on our new romance in the form of jobs. As we made our way around the neighborhood, the excited discussion was of the future, our future. Because there is nothing more thrilling than realizing that your whole life lies ahead of you, except in the knowing that you have found someone to share it with.  (more…)

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Terrible news. Fox News just reported that actor Patrick Swayze lost his fight with pancreatic cancer today at the age of 57.

Swayze arrived on the scene in a big way in 1983, with a starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders.” Distinguishing yourself among the likes of Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Matt Dillon in that film was no small feat. And while all would go on to enjoy very successful careers, none would star in “Road House” and “Red Dawn.”

My definition of a great actor is one who convinces in the role; one who doesn’t take you out of the story with all the tics and technique. By that standard Swayze never disappointed. A trained dancer, his physical abilities sold the action, his sincerity brought heart to the romance and a complete lack of pretension made him accessible — made him something that is all but extinct today: a real-live movie star.

Time is what creates the classic film, not critics or box office, and time has made clear that Swayze made a mark on cinema few might have expected twenty years ago. “Road House,” “Point Break,” “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” live endlessly on cable television and DVD players everywhere.  They are a immortal part of our culture and … they are Patrick Swayze movies.  (more…)