Movies You Should See, Part 2

(Part 2 of 5, in alphabetical order)

Citizen Kane - Pretension alarm! I'll spare you the film lecture. I will say, though, rent it, watch the behind the scenes documentaries, then watch it. This movie is the father of modern filmmaking, and love it or hate it, if you have any interest in working in the entertainment business, you should study this film. It's a 2-hour lesson in perfect filmmaking.

Clue - It saddens me that a movie like this couldn't be made today. Like “Murder by Death" before it, “Clue" takes the creepy mansion murder mystery and turns it on its head. Without a real movie star in the cast, we're treated to a true ensemble headed by Tim Curry in arguably his best role ever. This fast-paced, joke a minute ride makes you almost forget these characters are surrounded by an ever growing number of murder victims. And once again, Tim Curry is fucking brilliant.

Die Hard With a Vengeance - I like it better than the original, deal with it. I really hate cop movies, especially buddy cop movies. I'd watch Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson read bible passages, though. I just love watching the entire universe turn against John McClane, and the perfect man do it is a severely racist Samuel L. For an added bonus, watch this movie on basic cable for such classic overdubs as “…you rascist melon-farmer."

The Empire Strikes Back - Do I really need to justify this? While, I think no scene in any Star Wars movie beats the Vader-Emperor-Luke scenes in Jedi, Empire, I think, turned the Star Wars franchise into what it is today. Jaws and Star Wars are both considered the first blockbusters, but Star Wars goes way beyond box office. That transcendence comes from Empire. The original Star Wars was just an action movie.

A Few Good Men - Tom Cruise may be one of the most annoying men alive. This might be his best role. As slick talking Dan Kaffee, Tom Cruise is perfect as an asshole who doesn't give a fuck, until he's forced to give a fuck. Aaron Sorkin's script gives Cruise enough verbal gymnastics and enough time as a total cock to really shine. As one of the most quotable movies of all time, this movie offers a serious look at what makes the military tick, by coming at it from the perspective of someone who thinks the formality is all a joke. Jack Nicholson's “You can't handle the truth" speech may be cliché now, but what he says after that famous line gives a real good look into the eyes of someone who gave his soul to protect your freedom.