This isn’t a life narrative, but it explains exactly where I came from.
1. Star Wars –If you want to be a Jedi, you must first learn to appreciate a sunset.
2. Jaws –Stay the fuck out of the ocean.
3. Star Trek II –The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few or the one.
4. Superman II –The good guys fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
5. Big Trouble Little China –If you can see things no one else can see and do things no one else can do, cute chicks will make out with you.
6. Goonies –The treasure really is out there; and grown-ups are all idiots.
7. Ghostbusters –Funny trumps everything else.
8. Breakfast Club –There are two kinds of people in the world, the kind that believe that Judd Nelson breaks up with Molly Ringwald within a week of the end of the movie, and then there’s people like me.
9. Flight of Dragons –Science and Magic are basically the same thing from different perspectives.
10. Revenge of the Nerds –The female form is sublime.
11. Brighton Beach Memoirs –There are other people in the world who think like me.
12. Ninja III –Ninjas are cool. You should probably look up Japan.
13. Better off Dead –All you need in life is a cool car and a cute girl to believe in you.
14. Christmas Story –Fathers can be heroes.
15. Highlander –Not all Ninjas are Japanese.
16. Silverado –Belonging to a gang makes life easier.
17. Say Anything –I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.
18. Unforgiven –Rationalized violence will lead to irrational violence.
19. Fisher King –If you are for yourself alone, what are you?
20. Re-Animator –Zombies are cool.
21. Master Killer –It takes strength to do good.
22. Groundhog Day –Compassion is the most important of all virtues.
23. Blood of Heroes –The world is awash in talent.
24. January Man –Evil can only be overcome by good.
25. Cotton Club –Righteousness and Gregory Hines can beat men with guns.
26. Henry V –Once more unto the breech dear friends, once more.
27. Tancers –Sci-Fi zombies are cooler than regular zombies.
28. Singing in the Rain –No matter what happened today, short of a return to Nazi rule in Germany, Gene Kelly can make you feel better.
29. Liberty Valance –Sacrifice is loneliest form of virtue.
30. Crimson Tide –Figure out what you believe, then don’t waver.
31. Gatacca –It’s possible.
32. Wolf –The best of things probably includes love without doubt and power without guilt.
33. Get Shorty –When confronting burglars, grab your pants first.
34. Evil Dead II –Foolish enthusiasm beats the crap out of impotent fear.
35. Meet Joe Black –You should add Grace, Fortitude, and Sincerity to the list of important virtues.
36. Way of the Gun –Violence against women is wrong. But funny. And funny trumps all. But violence against women is still wrong.
37. Matrix –Maybe Luke/Arthur/Buffy is not the hero we need in the modern world.
38. Cast Away –Men should weep for love.
39. Chocolat –Not all Samurai carry swords.
40. Count of Monte Cristo –Bide your time, and hold out hope.
41. Man on Fire –There is no such thing as smart, there’s trained and there’s untrained.
42. V –God is in the rain.
43. Ikiru –You’re going to die. So what do you want to do in the mean time?
44. Speed Racer –Art triumphs over money if and only if you have the necessary ingredients. The necessary ingredients are Joy, Talent, and Sacrifice.
45. Lust Caution –Love is not a choice. And it’s better that way. Even if that means you sometimes get taken out the granite quarry and shot in the back of the head.
46. Scott Pilgrim –When you find a cute girl and you want her to stay, you’re going to have to conquer her past.
47. Malena –This is how the world treats perfect beauty. This is how the world would treat perfect virtue.
48. Ip Man –Kung Fu is cool and all, but Communist China is really scary from a geo-political standpoint.
49. Flipped –Fathers can’t keep their daughters from crying, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.
50. Goon –If my team needs me to bleed, I’ll bleed.