FilmMattic

Zombieland       Ah, Z day...the last day of the A-to-Z Challenge. Should I "jump, jump" like Kris Kross or "get jiggy with it" like Will Smith. Frankly, I only adopt such enthusiastic measures "when I got patron in my cup...tell the DJ play my shit, On that club music shit." Since this is entirely a virtual atmosphere, I will simply borrow the trademark phrase of the infamous, magnanimous, blasphemous Charlie Sheen, "Winning" (okay, in my blatant attempt to mimic Mike Tyson, which word doesn't belong, as a suitable descriptor for the former Two and A Half Man...it's kind of like an SAT question, huh)?        With all kidding aside, it has been a terrific month. I want to send my sincerest thanks to all of you who have joined my blog this past month. I've made new friends and didn't lose any old ones, so I would also like to thank those of you who have stuck with me. I hope to keep seeing you all around. I also want to send a ...

Lawrence of Arabia        Excluding The Godfather , this film became the easiest selection for placement in my Great Alphabet. It is the film, quite simply, that defined the epic. Often considered one of the "greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema," 1 Lawrence of Arabia is a superior and beautiful examination of humanity, specifically, the humanity of one very complex man, T.E. Lawrence. It's not a chronology of the life of Lawrence. On the contrary, it is a riveting exploration of a man's struggle to understand his own identity in the face of untold violence, brought upon by the brutalities of war. David Lean's film etched an indelible mark in the hearts of aspiring filmmakers. We need not look any further than the words of Steven Spielberg to substantiate the enormity of how great this film truly is: "the mirage sequence is still the greatest miracle I've seen on film...and maybe the greatest screenplay ever written for the ...

Fight Club       What'd you think? I was going to choose 26 films, but NOT include one from David Fincher; in my greatest Will Smith circa Fresh Prince of Bel-Air imitation, "Oh hell no!" Such an omission would be criminal. It'd be like going to your buddy's house on Super Bowl Sunday, but not watching the game. Let's get real here. We know what I'm all about; giving deserving filmmakers their due praise—or conversely, lampooning junk, though I'll save that ridicule for another day.

Star Wars Episode V: E mpire Strikes Back, The       I'm going to start off by first conjuring up a sort of George Costanza-esque rant (you know, grossly irrelevant and unnecessary) by preemptively ending any debate. This film rightfully belongs in the "E" category, not the "S" or "T." Why? The Internet makes it so. Any Google search will confirm this "fact." Ah, wasn't that simple. Easiest debate I ever won, though I don't know if my latest rambling so much qualifies as a debate, as it seems right now, I'm merely talking to myself...semantics, semantics. Anyway, lets get to the good stuff.

Maybe I'm Dazed and Confused But My Pick Is Die Hard               First off, I want to congratulate my favorite college basketball team, the Uconn Huskies (I spent one year @ Storrs prior to transferring to NYU). Their remarkable and unprecedented run through the NCAA tournament has brought me tremendous satisfaction (those chronicling my Twitter or Facebook accounts since the Big East tournament can attest, and frankly, they were probably getting sick of my variations of "Go Uconn"). Last night's win marks their third National Championship (I was on campus for the '04 title). At this point, Calhoun is a God in my state, and Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb are both Oscar greats. A quick Academy Award Analogy—Calhoun wins Best Director, Kemba wins Best Actor, Lamb takes home Best Supporting Actor, and last night's game takes home the Best Picture gold!

Casablanca       The most difficult challenge, thus far, in my alphabetic assemblage of films has been deciding what film will represent the academically passable letter C. I was torn between highlighting Citizen Kane, Casablanca, City of God, Clueless, Cinema Paradiso, Chinatown, Corky Romano, Cool Hand Luke or Casino. Ultimately, I chose Casablanca. But WTF! What the heck are Clueless and Corky Romano doing in that magnificent listing? Ah bloggers, it's just a cruel joke. Those two films drastically pale in comparison to any film title, for that matter, that ever donned the letter C.

Back to the Future        Marty McFly is a bellwether of the American teenage sensibility that rose from the 80's. From the audacious, plutonium-powered DeLorean "time machine," invented by eccentric scientist "Doc" Brown, Marty is accidentally sent back in time to 1955. What follows, of course, is a delightful sequence of unforgettably entertaining moments. As we bear witness to Marty's superlative trip back in time, we are beset by a tense realization that haunts Marty's otherwise earnest and refreshingly calm demeanor; he must make certain his teenage parents-to-be not only meet, but fall in love. Why? Well. to ensure he gets Back to the Future . 

  Apocalypse Now       On this dubious Spring day—where foolhardy pranks take center stage—I've set aside any shroud of reluctance, and instead, I've decided to partake in the fantastic A to Z Challenge . My initial hesitance is owed to the fact that I do not consider myself a "daily blogger," nor do I possess the shrewd discipline, to contribute a meaningful blog post every day. But alas, I'm willing to test myself. Above all else, I am hoping, however naively, that I will gain many new followers. Thus, my primary objective in this undertaking is the prospect of engaging a broader audience.